The effects of kennel size and exercise on the behaviour and stress physiology of individually-housed greyhounds

Abstract

Greyhounds are routinely bred and managed for racing and are usually housed in individual kennels. To address the question of whether greyhounds would benefit from an increase in the minimum kennel size specified in the Victorian Code of Practice, the effects of kennel size and routine exercise on dog behaviour, stress physiology and injuries were examined. A total of 36 healthy greyhounds (aged 17 months (replicate 1 and 2) and 12 months (replicate 3)) were studied in three time replicates in a 2 × 2factorial experiment (kennel size of 3 m2 and 10 m2 of floor space, and two levels of exercise (‘no exercise’ and ‘exercise’(consisting of 2 × 10 min per day and 3 times per week chasing a lure)..