The weight of a greyhound can affect its performance and is something that all serious greyhound punters need to monitor. Greyhounds are normally at their best when running at a particular weight and getting to know this information can prove very useful for greyhound racing fans.
It is often difficult to find out the racing weight of runners unless you are at the track. When attending a greyhound racing meeting, you are normally able to find a weight sheet with all the greyhounds listed and what they have weighed in at. The weights are also announced prior to the race going off, usually five or ten minutes before race time.
The average weight of a dog is between 28 and 38 kilos or 62 and 80 lbs. The average weight for bitches comes in a fair bit lighter at between 21 and 31 kilos or 48 and 68 lbs.
A greyhound’s weight does tend to change slightly from race to race but a dog whose weight has varied more than 1kg or 2.2lbs from its last race is not permitted to compete.
When selecting it greyhound to bet on, it is worth noting the weight at which it has previously won or run well at. If that runner is competing at the same weight, it is more likely than not that your greyhound is going to be running to form. This is particularly important in lower grade BAGS racing where the form of greyhounds is often very inconsistent.
Greyhound pups going up in weight from their last run can often be considered a positive sign or at least not something to worry about. Conversely, a pup going down in weight is usually a negative sign.
Greyhounds that have been off the track for a period of time can often be carrying a bit extra weight. These runners are best watched until getting down to somewhere nearing their best racing weight.