Trainer has that winning touch

By Lia Bichel
WINNING training duo Kelvyn and Jackie Greenough have proven to be champions on and off the track.
Kelvyn, 56, who has gained a national reputation of being a successful ‘dog whisperer’, met his wife 40 years ago, and together they have trained plenty of award-winning greyhounds, including last year’s Victoria Cup on Tricodes Day with Just Friends.
“When I first met Kelvyn, I didn’t have any interest in greyhounds. I didn’t know anything about them,” Mrs Greenough said.
“But a couple of years after we met, we bought a couple of dogs together.”
Mr Greenough began training greyhounds at age 19, and his wife followed him to events for moral support. Before long, the two were working together to train greyhounds for owners across Australia and New Zealand.
“We have had a lot of success stories over the years,” Mrs Greenough said. “I think the secret is keeping the greyhounds fit and feeding them well.”
Their successful training techniques have led them to enter greyhounds in racing events all over Australia.
Mrs Greenough said either she or Mr Greenough would go to the racing events at one time because someone had to stay at their Pearcedale residence to look after and train up to 15 other greyhounds.
“Someone has to stay home with the dogs,” she said.
“It’s OK. We are constantly busy, but we trust each other to do a good job because we are both in-tune with the dogs.”
Mrs Greenough said she understood what the greyhounds were feeling and what treatment they needed but she was not as in-tune as her husband, who has gained the respect of dog owners from all over Australia.
“People call Kelvyn to ask him to fix problems with their dogs, and not just greyhounds,” she said.
“He can tell what is wrong with their dogs just by description the owners give him. He is very in-tune with dogs. He can tell things just by looking at them.”
Mrs Greenough said she and her husband enjoyed being able to help other owners, and they would remain training greyhounds for as long as they were physically able.
“We enjoy it,” she said. “Hopefully we continue to get more wins!”
Mrs and Mr Greenough are hoping to race two greyhounds in this year’s Tricodes Day.