How do I bet on dog racing?
Online dog racing betting is not as popular in the former Soviet Union as it is in Western Europe, but it is easy to find the relevant markets in our bookmakers’ offices.
In Britain, for example, betting on dog racing, as well as on horse racing, has a long tradition. Horseracing continues to be one of the classic pastimes of gambling fans, and if you are also interested in the specifics of betting on this sport, our material will help you understand the basic principles of such betting.
How Dog racing works
Firstly, a few words about the competition. Before the race, dogs are dressed in numbered waistcoats and placed in boxes at the starting line. There are a total of six kennels with dogs in them. When the signal to start the race is given, all six boxes are opened simultaneously and the dogs start chasing the mechanical hare which is moving on a parallel course. The order in which the dogs run, from left to right, is decided by lot and on the basis of where the dog is most used to running.
The name of the race is given to the particular class. This is usually done using letters of the Latin alphabet and numbers. These help to orientate the overall length of the course and its difficulty.
Types of bets
On dog racing, you can bet not only on the winner, but also on other options. Among them:
- A dog’s finish in the top three;
- A bet on a particular dog not finishing in first place;
- A dog finishing in first or second place;
- Predicting both the winner of the race and the second and third place animals;
- Winning a dog in two consecutive races;
- Winning a race by one of several selected dogs.
Betting on dog races: secrets and tactics
The first thing you need to do before betting on dog racing is to read a considerable body of literature on the subject. It’s all about how to spot the strongest dog as a potential winner, what criteria are used to determine the favourite, who and how prepares the animals, and what factors influence this. Analysis is no less important here than in football or tennis. You need to understand the physiology and psychology of dogs, and it’s not easy for beginners.
Dog racing is loved not at all for its predictability, but for high odds. Odds on the favorites usually exceed 3.0, and quotes up to 5.0-7.0 are considered passable. And of course, no one cancelled the possibility of some cosmic odds over 100.0. Such odds are available here on a regular basis.
When starting out in the field of dog racing betting, try to analyse the strength of the runners on the basis of basic statistical summaries and related factors. Consider the following:
- The age of the dog. The optimal age for the animal showing the best speed is 3-4 years old.
- The dog’s previous race results. This will tell you if the dog likes to run a particular distance. There are some animals that are better at running long distances and others that like short distances better. Work out the average time it takes for your dog to cover a distance and compare that to his competitors.
- Position your dog on the track. Most animals have a lane of their own where they perform best. If your chosen dog is in just “his” lane, you’d hope he’d get an extra edge in the race.
- Pre-race odds movement. In dog racing, a lot of information about the dog’s condition comes from insiders just before the start of the race. The bookmakers therefore react to this by periodically moving the odds noticeably even before the start of the race. If the odds on a particular dog start to rise sharply before the start of the race, this is certainly not a good sign.
Practice shows that when it comes to dog racing betting, using any betting strategies based on mathematics is much less effective than cold calculation and sober analysis. Of course, you have to count the odds in your favour as well, but it’s the ability to accurately capture a dog’s tendencies to peak form, its preferences for distance and position on the track and similar seemingly small details that have a direct impact on the outcome of the race that come first.