Would A Greyhound Be A Good Option For Me?
October 19, 2009 by admin
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
I would love to adopt a ex racing greyhound since I am so against the sport, and I think they are beautiful dogs. I have previously owned two small breed dogs, live in a small house but would take it on two long walks or runs per day plus games like fetch.. does anyone here have experience with them? Are they smart, easy to train dogs? Ok with cats? If not I will adopt a mix from the shelter
Related posts:
I’d say go hang out with your local rescue group and get an idea of what they are like in person. I adore my girl, but have to say that they are not for everyone. For one thing, when people say that they are couch potatoes, they really mean it. My girl is 8 now, and there is no way that she would do two long walks a day and do games like fetch. We do one walk a day, around 30 minutes, depending on the pace and how often we stop to sniff and get petted. The rest of the day she spends following me from room to room and curling up on her beds.
As to being smart or easy to train… that’s hard for me to say. As I said, my girl spends most of the day quietly curled up on her bed. And she walks beautifully on leash, so there hasn’t really been a need to train her. When I have tried teaching her some tricks, I’ve run into the problem that she is not highly motivated by anything (doesn’t play with toys, not really food-oriented, etc.), and she doesn’t offer behavior. Stress her, and she goes and lies down on her bed… it’s her default response. And she shuts down really easily when stressed, so training tends to be very slow. On the other hand, she was 6 before she got into a rescue, so she’s had a longer time than most to have “learned helplessness”. The younger dogs don’t seem to have the same sort of issues. It also took a good 6 months before her personality started coming out.
My girl lives with two cats, and once she learned that they were in charge, things have been fine. She even likes to go sniff noses with the local out-side cats that we meet on walks. However, there are greyhounds that will happily eat cats, so you will need to be sure to let the rescue point you to dogs that will get along with your current pets.
Google your local rescue group and see when they are doing a meet-and-greet. That will give you a chance to see some dogs, talk to their owners, ask questions, etc. If I were you, I’d plan on spending at least an hour, maybe more, and go on multiple occasions. That will give you a better feel for what actually living with the breed is like than just stopping by for 5 minutes. They are different from many breeds, especially compared to the smaller breeds. I am going to get another one at some point in the future (right now I have more pets than hands, and can’t get another until that ratio changes), but I am a little concerned that they are going to be too mellow for you.
I would love to adopt a greyhound in the future- they are gorgeous dogs with great personalities.
Most Greyhound rescues will foster the dogs out to train them how to be pets, and this is where they will be temprement assessed.
Individual dogs will react differently to other pets- some are good with cats, but many arent. As for small animals? Not the best idea around these dogs.
Greyhounds may be the fastest dogs in the world- but they are also the laziest. A quick, 10-15 min walk a day is the most that you should exercise these dogs. They may be fast- but they are sprinters- they are not designed to travel long distances.
I believe they are relatively intelligent, but they are total couch potatoes.
A greyhound is going to be much more interested in curling up with you than learning tricks and going for runs.
Greyhounds are great dogs! They are one of the only large breeds who do well in apartment living. Most are completely happy with long walks/runs and then being couch potatoes with their owners.
They appreciate a sweater in cold weather, and tend to be very big babies about getting shots or any pain in general. They are big softies!
They are smart, and pretty easy to train. Remember they are sighthounds, so use this as an advantage while training.
They are not good with cats as a rule, but I’m sure there are exceptions.
Greyhounds are hounds, and they are not very easy to train. Hounds will always have that natural instinct to chase after cars or squirrels or rabbits. It’s nearly impossible to train them out of it. Also, I’m pretty sure they need a larger house to live in…. unless you have somewhere they can run around freely. Otherwise, greyhounds are great dogs!! I would’ve gotten one but our hosue isn’t big enough and I don’t have the time to go on long walks. =[ If you aren’t sure about greyhounds, you could always adopt a whippet or an Italian greyhound. They’re just smaller versions, and they DO have whippet races so you could still have an ex racer.
Check out this page, it has so much information on it, and in so much detail. We’ve just adopted a retired greyhound from here, and she’s the most lovable dog you could hope for, no problems at all. They don’t need long walks twice a day, just a sprint, and are so easy to look after. I really, honestly recommend it. They were once described as ‘45 mile per hour couch potatoes’, and I think that describes them so well!
greyhounds are very lovable dogs who dont need to much exersise as they let it all out in one go. greyhounds are not allways good with small animals like cats rabbits and sometimes small dogs as they are bred to chase rabbits but on the whole are wonderful pets some ex racers have to be muzzled if they attack small dogs
Leah, I wish I had a a greyhound.
Greyhounds are lovely, lovely dogs for the right owner … and not at all difficult to own.
They have a very sweet temperament but not all of them turn out to be good pets because they have been raised in such a restrictive environment … when they come off the track they need to be taught such things as how to go up and down stairs, how to behave in social situations, and many others.
They are not rehomed until they have learned such things, but it’s more difficult to train an adult dog than a puppy so they’re at a bit of a disadvantage there.
Some get along fine with cats, others are not cat-safe … they are sighthounds, after all … most get along fine with other dogs. They tend to have problems with their teeth, so you’ll need to budget for routine dental as well as vet care.
Most, if not all, Greyhound rescues will stipulate that you MUST have a fenced yard, and your home will be evaluated (they’re not looking for dust or cobwebs!) to ensure there would be nothing in the dog’s home environment which could be dangerous to him/her … for example, they are renowned counter-surfers, so you’d be told that you have to keep your kitchen counters clear of anything that could hurt or poison the dog.
They don’t need a ton of exercise, but do enjoy their walks … they sometimes love to run FAST for a few minutes, then they flop down and sleep for hours. They’re surprisingly sedentary. BUT they can never EVER be allowed offleash, because (again, sighthound) they were bred to chase and they will chase anything that moves.
If I had a fenced yard I would have a whole HERD of them … if you’re unsure, contact a Greyhound rescue for more information and perhaps volunteer your time there if you can … meantime read the book “Retired Racing Greyhounds For Dummies” … I’m not calling you a dummy (!) … I just know that some Grey rescues recommend or REQUIRE a prospective owner to read it as a condition of adoption.