good afternoon Lily,

thanks again for another informative post. i wish you lived in melbourne so i could shout you a drink lol. my pup is kept in a really long straight run which has me a little concerned now. he is in there with 2 other pups around his age (10 months) with other pups in neighbouring runs. the ground itself is well maintained with the grass being constantly green and soft underfoot. on one occassion the ground was getting torn up and hard and they moved the pups to one of the spare runs where the ground was nice and green etc. i'm unsure if the pups are let out for a free gallop but i'm heading up there tomorrow so i guess i'll find out. i try to go up there once a week just to take my pup out for a walk to get used to people as we will keep him as a pet when he is finished racing. seems to be working out well because his temperament is much better than some pups that i have seen there however i guess they all have different personalities so who knows. i think i might pop him in to see a vet at 12 months of age just for a checkup to make sure he is going well. he is being reared at mitchell lodge in keysborough, unlikely you have heard of them as you don't live in victoria but thought i'd throw it out there. they have about half a dozen dogs doing quite well this year so haven't really thought about their methods too much as i thought they must be doing something right but i think i might ask them a few questions. in your experiences do you think it's out of line asking a trainer questions about dieting and training methods? i wouldn't think many of them would be too keen on revealing that information.

well have a great day and thanks again Lily.

your information is really appreciated.

kindregards,

ghlover86 =]