May'09 - Greyhounds Queensland

Dave keeps a watchful eye (right) over some potential stars.Granddaughter Chrissie (below) with Roxy Reason andRoshana Reason.Rightrearing canproducesome highearnersthe red meat, and the kibble is 23 percent fatand a complete diet with all the vitamins andsupplements they need already added.“We are also aware we don’t want ourpups too fat. Chicken is fatty and will giveyou a fat pup. Fat kids don’t run and can’trun. Being fat affects the liver and we want toavoid any problems like that.“Our pups are solid without being fat.”He says his pups are never fed stews orvegetables.“I got a lot of ideas from the late AlexHauler the vet in Victoria,” said Dave. “I spoketo him often. That’s where the Advance kibblecomes in. It’s produced in Victoria. Why feedveges when the kibble has everything the dogneeds.”Dave says it is almost impossible to pickthe best pup from a litter even watching themclosely in the paddock every day.“Miss Hot Gossip was the standout inher litter and a real character, but High Earnerwas just another pup when that litter wasbeing reared. He was the smallest of the dogs.“And El Galo was not as outgoing as somein the paddock, but if something was goingon around the place, he was always the firstthere to investigate it,” said Dave.The Robartsons also like to make surethere is plenty happening about their propertyto get the pups used to different things whichwill help them settle and accept differentthings by the time it comes to going racing.“One of the most important things aboutrearing in Queensland is that pups must beable to cool off,” said Dave. “I’ve been told itis too hot to rear pups in this state, and that’swhere it is a must to have a dam in thegalloping paddocks for the pups.“In the wild a dog will run every day, allday. Our racing dogs are running every day… it’s the nature of the beast to want to keepactive. By letting our racing dogs out into apaddock the day after a race it helps get rid ofthe lactic acid build up from their race.“And the same applies to pups. Theyshould be able to gallop all the time.“If a dog doesn’t have access to water tocool down, then it won’t want to work.”Robartson says the secret to his breed’slongevity is the basics they get as pups,followed by the conditioning they receivewhen they first go into training.“We spend two months conditioning adog from the time he comes into the kennelsafter breaking in until his first trial on aracetrack,” he said. “It’s that earlyconditioning that produces tough dogs. ElGalo has raced constantly for a year withouta break.”The Robartsons also do as much earlyeducation as they can at home and will worktheir pups up the straight track to get themchasing. But no box work is done.“We let John Collins do that at Postman’sRidge,” said Dave.Manly Road Vet Hospital100% Strike Rate219Average Litter Size 7.84(Qld stud dog stats Dec Journal )* Artificial Inseminations withfresh, chilled or frozen semen 24hours 365 days a year.* Greyhound Semen Bank withover 40 sires in stock for sale.The Robartson worming schedule for hispups starts at one week old.“We give them the worming syrup everyweek from week one until they are weaned,then we worm with the syrup every twoweeks,” said Dave. “From three months ofage we use Ivomec every month. We find itthe best.”Lime is spread about the paddocks at theproperty every few weeks to help eliminateworms and fleas.Dave reckons many people have goodintentions about rearing their pups but cutback on costs, trying to do it as cheap aspossible. “You can buy chicken mince for 50cents a kilo. It’s high in protein but has noiron. Some of the kibbles being used are likefeeding cardboard to dogs,” he said.He says the number of injuries among thepups being reared on the property is minimal.“Miss Hot Gossip sprung a toe at ninemonths of age, but Larry Jocumsen stitchedit up and she raced all her life without anyproblems.”Dave is totally against “side-by-side”* Pregnancy Ultrasounds,checking foetal health anddetermining litter size.* Semen Freezingruns. “In the wild a dog doesn’t run up anddown for 70 metres."Those runs do more damage than theydo good. I’ve watched our pups here and theywill go around those four-acre paddocks 10times, turning to go every which way.“I also don’t believe in having paddocksthat are far too big. A pup can do too muchand take too much out of itself.”He says every litter his family has bred atChurchable has contained at least one gooddog, and often handy city class gallopers.“I believe a mating is 50-50 sire and dam,but I have never seen a good dog come outof a bitch that couldn’t run."Ask every breeder that bred a high classdog and there will always be a story aboutthe bitch’s ability.”He admits that every dog he breeds willnot become a champion like El Galo, Miss HotGossip or a High Earner, but by sticking to aproven recipe each and every pup will havethe chance to produce its best.It’s worked for quite a few years now, andthe Robartsons are confident it will continue.Manly Rd, Manly West,Brisbane. Phone(07) 33969733Frozen SemenPackage includes*All progesteronetesting* Surgical implant* Boarding* Regular client updates$545Contact Christine Kidd,Kelly Irving(07) 39066917The (May, 2009) Journal Page 9