The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-18
TRAINING RACE DOGS
SPORT LITTLE KNOWN HERE
But a Favorite and Recognised
Sport Among the EngIish-The
WhIppet Is a Diminutive Grey
hound. Distance 200 Yards

From the New York Evening Sun
To induce a dog to run 200 yards in
IL seconds along a course over which
he has just seen a man run with
towel huttering in his grasp, and with
the only reward in sight a mouthful of
that towel. Is by no means an easy
task There is only one kind of dog
that can do the feat, and that Is the
kind known as a whippet. He Is
common enough dog in England.
where dog racing is a recognized sport
A few whippet races have taken place
In this country. but some how the
sport did not catch the popular taste
1t is not an aristocratic sport in. En-
gland. AS a matter of fact IL bears
no COMPARISON to coursing hares. Ii
Is workingman's sport and Is con-
fined almost entirely to the midland
and northern counties or the iron dis
tricts. fra
In appearance and conformation the
whippet Is nothing more or less than
a diminutive greyhound. His early
mission in life was to course rabbits.
He succeeded a speedy breed of En-
glish terrier in this sport and was bred
entirely for speed. Now that rabbit
coursing. a brutal sport at best, Is
obsolete. the whippet Is trained to run
after a towel. He is seldom or never
asked to go a distance. The races are
usually 200 yards long over straight
cinder track.
In disposition and temperament the
whippet is a nervous. high-strung dog. \
His anxiety to start and his determine
ton to do his best to get the coveted
towel in his teeth once he gets the
chance makes the sport most amusing.
When the puppy whippet leaves his
mother for the society of his owner
and a piece of towel. the first thing
done in the way of training is to pro-
vide him with a rag doll. This toy he
is taught to shake, bite and run after.
AS everyone interested in dogs that
have not reached an advanced age
knows, this is but little more than de-
veloping an instinct that exists in all
young dogs. There is but little more
than play done by Master Whippet UNI
til he is months of age. Life then
begins in earnest for him. Towels are.
then substituted for the doll, and very
soon. almost before the youngster
knows 1t himself. he is going 100 yards
at his best speed, merely to bite the
towel This is kept up. Other and
older whippets are used as coaches, .-
The utmost care is always taken by |
the trainer to let the puppy win all his
trials. There is no more valuable tonic
for a puppy than success. 1t stimu-
lates him to further flights of speed. |
his lie ITOm tnlS Oh Is StIlCl dC- 4
cordance with training rules. He rises |
at in the morning and has a 20-min- |
utes' spin before breakfast. This meal
usually consists of bread mostened
with tea and a soft boiled egg, or
bread soaked in beef soup and boiled |
with pearl barley. After breakfast |
Master Whippet gets a good four or |
five miles. and is then thoroughly rub |
bed down. Particular attention Is !
paid to the feet after a run. They are |
generally massaged.
At 1870 o'clock he dimes upon a
broiled chop or steak, accompanied by |
more bread soaked in tea. He gets a
walk of about 10 minutes and is then |
put to bed. He does another five miles
at 4:30 o'clock and the rubbing down |
and massage treatment is repeated
He sups on bread moistened in NUT
ton broth or a little fish, and Is then |
tucked in his cot for the night. Every |
day brings him nearer to the course
and towel for which he has been
trained to pine. His intelligence is so |
fine that he quite feels that he ought |
to win. or his rivals will get his cher
ished towel
There are many and various condi- |
lions in dog races. 1t is the object of |
all trainers to get their dogs as light
as possible. The dogs are handicapped I
W lntif Wright IulC 10
to allow two and a half yards per /
There is also a sex allowance.
Miss Whippet is so much fieeter than
her brother that she is called upon to
make him an allowance. In former
years the dogs were handicapped ac-
cording to size. This entailed a lot of |
cheating. A dog 20 inches high was
trained to pass for 1874 inches. This Is
done by fixing a needle in the top Of
the measuring standard. The needle !
was arranged SO as to prick the dog
that went underneath The dogs gen.
orally lost two inches while they
passed under the standard trying to
avoid an imaginary needle. The whip
pet il now measured by laying the dog
pm its side and taking the length from
the shoulder blade to the tip of the
foot. 1t is by no means a bad scheme
70 give a dog beef tea to drink between
races. The animals are so nervous that
he task of keeping their strength UP
between the heats is somewhat diff
.ult.
In England thousands see dog races
very Saturday and the greatest ex-
.itement prevails while the races are
n progress. A lot of money changes
hands on each heat. 1t is good. healthy
port and. unlike most sports, contains
10 element of cruelty. The dogs like
% run. and IL they do not feel equal
% their best efforts they are not goad-
ID to desperation by whip or spur. No
animal is worried or tortured. Aside
rom the sport the whippet is pretty.
affectionate and highly In l.
eiligent He bears a closer resem-
'lance to the italian greyhound than
o the common greyhound. The ami
nal Is beyond doubt the fieetest in the
world for 200 yards. One of the few
lines that mefronolffans have had "A 4
nance to see whippets race was at
Sarnum's circus. A troupe of 10 were
Iberated on the hippodrome course at
very performance. They made the
ircuit of Madison Square garden af-
er a fiuttering towel in one swirling
mass. No time was ever taken, but IL
5 doubtful IL anything else ever nego-