Greyhound Rules & Terms

Greyhound Racing is largely self-explanatory, the fundamental premise being greyhounds chasing the lure around a circular or oval track. The race begins when the lure, which begins half a circuit behind the start, reaches the starting traps where the dogs are poised. At that point, the gates are automatically released and the dogs begin the chase. The ordinarily mild and docile animals become excited during a chase and will run at high speeds to reach the lure. The winner is the hound whose nose touches the finish line first and, since the dogs can cover distances of 480 meters in 28 seconds, a photo finish is often necessary to determine the winning hound. Due to the excitability induced by the race, greyhounds sometimes turn aggressively on other dogs and are thus required to wear muzzles when racing.

There are different types of races in Greyhounds:

• OR - Open Races
• T - Trials
• D - Distance
• S - Short Races
• P - Puppy Races