I’m often asked what the difference is between an retired racer (NGA) and a show bred (AKC) greyhound or I’ll hear that the racing greyhounds are not ‘real’ greyhounds at all because they are bred to race. As I’ve done a lot of reading and researching on this subject it really comes down to the individual hounds genetics whether or not it meets the AKC breed standards. Just because a dog was AKC bred doesn’t necessarily mean they will conform to breed standards and will be able to be shown. Conversely the same holds true for NGA hounds and there are quite a few that do meet AKC standards. There have actually been a few cross over hounds (registered with both the NGA and then the AKC) who have finished their racing career and then went on to win a Best In Show at an AKC event.
The racing bred show champions are listed here:
1932 Ch. Hero’s Trojan (D) (Only Hero x Romp Home)
1932 Ch. Kathryn (B) (King F x Frenchies Favorite)
1934 Ch. Mutual Friend (D (Fast Friend x Leading Donna)
1935 Ch. Range Officer (D) (Galway Ranger x Happy Beauty)
1973 Ch. Chris E Kraft (D) (Cactus Noel x Show Queen)
1979 Ch. Chariot Flash (B) (Race Bandit x BJ White Dream)
1988 Ch. Hot Jazz (B) (Share Profit x Snooty Tooty)
1988 Ch. Morley’s Sue CD F.Ch. LCM2 (B) (TNT Tony x Annie Up)
1988 Ch. Tyline’s Ino Lucky (D) (Speed Ticket x Ino Blondee)
1988 Ch. Bar-Wick’s Speed (D) (Burnt Wood x Diona)
1991 Ch. Royal Harmony (D)(Royal Plum x Mary Bowman)
1993 Ch. Crest of A Knave (D) (Provenzo x Jock’s Yankee)
1996 Ch. Carlyn’s Charm (B) (Rv Sherman x Sail On Amber)
1998 DC Godspeed Qui Tam SC ORC(B) (Bartie x Jumper Sox)
Now with all that said AKC show dogs do generally look different than NGA dogs because most of them are are being bred for looks (conformity) and they want those exaggerated lines, so generally the dogs will be a lot taller and have more pronounced hind quarters, but often times don’t possess the same muscle structure as a retired racer, which also means they may not have the same stamina as their NGA counterparts. The NGA breeders are breeding for performance, athleticism, stamina, basically a true athlete.
With less than 200 AKC greyhounds registered per year (in 2004 it was 160) many AKC breeders will breed in an NGA hound every so many years. This out-crossing, as it is called, provides genetic diversity to the breed and also breeds back in that athlete. Some of these breeders are not showing all their dogs in the ring and probably do a considerable amount of lure coursing with their hounds. So you can see having NGA blood in your hounds pedigree would be an advantage.
Several years ago the Greyhound Club of America (GCA) recommended to the AKC to close it’s stud books to NGA dogs, meaning that cross-registering would no longer be allowed and any hound that an NGA dog in their bloodline within 3 (or 5, I forget) generations would be disqualified from all AKC competitions. No showing, no coursing, no agility, no nothing. There reasoning was that they had enough of a greyhound population to sustain themselves and didn’t need the NGA hounds, that the NGA hounds weren’t true greyhounds because they were bred only for speed. Many of the AKC breeders/owners were upset about this and spoke up on the subject and made their case to the AKC to disregard the GCA’s recommendation. Funny thing is that some of the members on the GCA board had hounds that were losing in competition to cross registered hounds or hounds with NGA blood in their pedigrees. Breeders cited that they needed the genetic diversity and the athleticism that the NGA hound provides, thus keeping the hound as close to its original intent. Needless to say the AKC didn’t take the GCA’s recommendation and NGA hounds can still be cross registered and bred into AKC lines.
Now I’m sure you are all wondering which is the ‘true’ greyhound. Well both the AKC and NGA greyhound are true greyhounds. They both originate from the same coursing bred bloodlines in England back in the late 1800’s. Dog shows technically started before dog racing did in the US but for all practical purposes they are in the same period in history. As a group the NCA, National Coursing Association (predecessor to the NGA), was formed several years before the AKC.
And yes as an adopter with an NGA hound you can cross register them with the AKC. I believe it’s called open registration and you’ll need your blue slip (NGA pet transfer) to register them. You won’t be able to enter them in dog shows as they have been ‘fixed’ but they are able to compete in other competitions like lure coursing, agility and obedience. Keep in mind why your hound was retired, perhaps due to age or injury, in those cases they are probably not suited for lure coursing. Even some very good racers have a hard time crossing over to lure coursing because of all the left/right turns and the tightness of some of them. The hounds should be carefully evaluated and properly trained to participate. There is something called straight line coursing which is basically a drag race after a lure. There is less of a chance for injury with this type of event but the hounds still need to be properly conditioned & trained. Don’t expect them to run all out without injury after sitting on your couch for the last year. Remember that a hound running around your back yard or dog park is NOT the same as a hound in an all out chase/race.
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