Seen individually, several times a day
Every greyhound is handled and looked over at each round — feet, nails, coat, teeth, appetite, demeanour. Small changes are noticed early because the same people see the same dogs every day.
Welfare & retirement
How our greyhounds are looked after
A racing kennel is judged on how the dogs live when nobody is watching. This page sets out, plainly, what we do — day by day, and at the end of a racing career.
Care in the kennel comes first. Everything on the track follows from it.
Greyhounds are athletes, and they are also companionable, sensitive dogs who spend most of their lives resting. Both facts shape how this kennel is run: measured, individual work; and long, quiet, comfortable hours in between.
Every day
Individual daily care
Nothing here is done "for the kennel". It is done for each dog.
Records kept properly
Weights, feeding, work, treatments and any concern are written down, so a dog's history is available rather than remembered.
Handling and temperament
Dogs are handled calmly and regularly, which matters for their wellbeing now and for how easily they settle into a home later.
Company and quiet
Greyhounds sleep a great deal. The kennel is arranged so that dogs have company and stimulation when they want it, and genuine peace when they need it.
Feeding and conditioning
Fed as individuals, not as a kennel
Each greyhound is fed to its own requirements and monitored by weight rather than by eye. Racing weight is not a target to be chased — it is what the dog carries when it is fit, well and content.
Diets are adjusted for age, workload, appetite and the time of year. A dog that is off its food is a dog we look at properly, not one we simply feed less.
Fresh water is available at all times, and travel and race days are planned around feeding rather than the other way round.
To be confirmed: Ivanhoe Kennels' specific feeding regime, suppliers and any nutritional advice taken will be described here once supplied.
Photograph requiredKennel interior or feeding preparation — portrait, 1200 × 1600
Exercise and enrichment
Work, free running and things to enjoy
Measured work
Galloping and walking are set to the individual dog's programme and its stage of preparation. More is not better; appropriate is better.
Free running and turnout
Time in safe, enclosed paddocks every day — for fitness, but as much for the dogs' own enjoyment.
Enrichment
Grooming, handling, varied routes and human company. A greyhound that is used to ordinary life settles far better in a home afterwards.
Veterinary support
Professional care, promptly
Any greyhound that is unwell, lame or not itself is seen by a veterinary surgeon. We would rather have a dog looked at unnecessarily than leave a problem to develop, and the cost of that judgement never comes before the dog.
Routine preventative care — vaccination, worming, parasite treatment and dental attention — is kept up to date for every greyhound in the kennel, racing or retired.
Owners are told promptly about anything significant, and are given the veterinary advice in full rather than a summary of it.
Awaiting confirmation
The following will be published here once Ivanhoe Kennels confirms them in writing. Nothing is claimed until then.
- Registered veterinary practice:
- Governing body and registration:
- Licence or registration number:
- Details of any inspection or accreditation scheme the kennel takes part in
- Links to the relevant official bodies for the kennel's country of registration
Rest, recovery and standards
Where the dogs actually live
Warm, dry, well bedded
Kennels are cleaned daily, kept dry and draught-free, and bedded so that a thin-skinned dog is genuinely comfortable lying down.
Recovery time
After a race or a hard piece of work, dogs are given proper time to recover before anything is asked of them again.
Rest periods
Greyhounds are given time out of training when they need it — after an injury, at the end of a long campaign, or simply when a dog has gone stale.
Travel
Transport is ventilated, secure and appropriate to the weather, with journeys planned to keep waiting to a minimum.
Hot and cold weather
Work and travel are adjusted in extremes of temperature. Greyhounds carry little body fat and feel both heat and cold keenly.
Open to inspection
Owners are welcome to see where their dog lives, by arrangement, and we expect to meet the standards of any inspection the kennel is subject to.
Responsible racing decisions
Knowing when not to run
The most important welfare decisions in a racing kennel are the ones that stop a dog running. A greyhound that is sore, out of condition, unhappy in its work or simply not enjoying it does not go to the track, whatever is at stake.
Equally, we take an honest view of ability. If a dog is not good enough for the grade, is struggling with the demands of racing, or would plainly be happier as somebody's pet, we say so and help arrange it — rather than keeping a dog in training because it can be kept in training.
Owner responsibilities
What we ask of owners
- Accept that welfare decisions rest with the dog's interests, not the race card.
- Meet veterinary costs promptly so treatment is never delayed.
- Take part in planning your greyhound's retirement, in good time.
- Keep your contact details current, so you can be reached quickly.
- Understand that a greyhound may need to stop racing sooner than hoped.
Retirement
Planned early, never rushed
A greyhound spends only a few years racing and, we hope, many more years afterwards. Those years are part of our responsibility too.
The conversation starts early
Retirement is discussed with owners while a dog is still racing well, so that when the time comes there is a plan rather than a problem.
No dog leaves without a home
A greyhound stays in our care until there is a home or a place with a rehoming organisation that we are satisfied with. That is not negotiable.
Prepared for home life
Retiring dogs are handled, socialised and, where we can, introduced to the ordinary business of houses, traffic and other dogs before they leave.
We stay interested
We like to hear how our old dogs are getting on, and we are always glad to answer questions from the families who take them on.
Rehoming — to be confirmed
The rehoming organisation or process Ivanhoe Kennels works with will be named here, with a link, once that relationship is confirmed: . Until then we make no claim about which charities or schemes we are associated with.
Our retired greyhounds
Greyhounds that have finished racing with us are listed on the greyhounds page under Retired, along with a note about where they are now.
Thinking of homing a retired greyhound?
Retired racing greyhounds make quiet, affectionate and surprisingly lazy companions. If you are considering one, get in touch and we will point you in the right direction.