Rescue Greyhound
Discussion
We have a couple of sighthound rescues and lots of good advice here already posted.
Generally incredibly chilled out placid dogs - they sleep so much some days that you could easily forget they were even there!
What they do love more than anything though is running flat out. Our 8 year old female saluki cross can easily outrun anything that tries to chase her (border collies, German shepherds etc) without trying and when she really gets going it's incredible to see. Even if you can't train a reliable recall, try and find somewhere safe and open for them to be free on a regular basis. I always feel a bit sorry for dogs that are limited to plodding around for the rest of their lives on a lead.
Generally incredibly chilled out placid dogs - they sleep so much some days that you could easily forget they were even there!
What they do love more than anything though is running flat out. Our 8 year old female saluki cross can easily outrun anything that tries to chase her (border collies, German shepherds etc) without trying and when she really gets going it's incredible to see. Even if you can't train a reliable recall, try and find somewhere safe and open for them to be free on a regular basis. I always feel a bit sorry for dogs that are limited to plodding around for the rest of their lives on a lead.
XCP said:
We are thinking of adopting a four year old retired racer. Had all sorts of dogs in the past, ranging from a Bull Mastiff to a Staffie.
Anyone got any pros and cons experience?
We have no other animals, and a smallish garden. Grandchildren between 5 and 9 visit regularly.
Thanks.
We had one for just over three years. His name was Herbie and if you search on here 'Herbie Greyhound' , you will find various posts on the subject by me. Sadly there is also the last post which is quite sad. Anyone got any pros and cons experience?
We have no other animals, and a smallish garden. Grandchildren between 5 and 9 visit regularly.
Thanks.
They are a wonderful breed. We would go on regular group Greyhound walks with other 30 dogs and there would never be any fights between the dogs. We have since been told that is quite a unique trait. The nature of how they are bred means they just get along with each other.
Ours had a lovely temperament. Loved people and would happily sit with my wife on the sofa of an evening and despite the dog being my idea, it turned into my wife's dog.
There are of course some downsides...
They frickin' big. The males can be over 40kg and forget small cars. we re talking XC90/Discovery 4 and other large estates. You also need to know that you can lift that dog if you need to.
Big dogs also need a large amount of food and a big crate if you choose to go down that road. They also need bog beds and fully stretched out are over 6ft, so wave goodbye to your sofa and we just bought bigger sofas as it was easier than training him npt to sleep on it!
Off Lead...Well, its a controversial topic. My wife did it all the time and he was fine, but he never really had any training and its worth remembering that if they get in the zone, you are screwed as they will outrun most dogs even in retired state and they are sight hounds so can see more detail than you can at 1km away.
They are delicate and can injure easily. No where near as robust as a staffy, golden retriever, lab etc. In my experience they won't really like rough play from a young child. Maybe that was just ours.
However, we used to give the lead to our then two year old and he would happily trot along.
I have probably interacted with hundreds of greyhounds and not one bad experience. They just seem to be gentle giants.
Also, I like cars and speed and they are magnificent creatures to look at. Massive muscles everywhere really
They are incredibly lazy things and not sharp and are well known not to be the easiest dogs to train because of it. We did some basic stuff but that was it.
Of course I am greyhound biased, but my mum has two Cockapoos and they are loud, jumpy and generally very very hard work. Greyhounds are not that. Herbie rarely barked. Might whine a little but that was it. Greyhounds tend not to jump up ether, which is much easier to live with day to day
The one time we did see him get pretty lairy was when an Akita started running towards us and eldest was in buggy. He clearly knew what was his to defend. The Akita was eventually caught by its owner.
Because they have thin skin and fur, you need a variety of jackets and ours would walk into the next country to avoid a puddle. Not all are like that though, but most will want jacket and the costs soon mount up there.
Sadly, we said goodbye to Herbie after only three years. In lockdown we considered it again as we could have been able to easily get one due to our relationship with the kennel. I would love a dog now. Nearly 4yrs WFH has take its toll on me.
Its been several years now and I still have a picture of him in my workshop and if I see a Greyhound out and about I ask the owner if I can pat it. My family think its embarrassing, but I simply don't care what they or anyone else thinks and I will keep doing it as just a reminder of what we once had.
Sorry if this seems not very structured, but hopefully there is something useful in there.
bakerstreet said:
They are incredibly lazy things and not sharp and are well known not to be the easiest dogs to train because of it. We did some basic stuff but that was it.
Some people regard sighthounds as thick because they're not as easy to train as (eg) collies or labs. I tend to regard them as quite bright, actually - they only do something if there's something in it for them 
They may not be as biddable as other breeds, but I don't think they're especially stupid. Whippets and salukis in particular, in my experience, are quite smart - even if it's more a sneaky cleverness than obedience!Of course they are hounds, who are well known to be stubborn and not do things they don't want to
bakerstreet said:
Of course I am greyhound biased, but my mum has two Cockapoos and they are loud, jumpy and generally very very hard work. Greyhounds are not that. Herbie rarely barked. Might whine a little but that was it. Greyhounds tend not to jump up ether, which is much easier to live with day to day
Cockapoos are very popular, and I'm sure they are lovely, but they combine two of the most demanding breeds. Cockers (especially if from the working strain) are really 'full-on' and (although people don't necessarily think it) poodles have been ranked the second most intelligent breed after Border Collies. As to greyhounds being high-maintenance - I was once told that four greyhounds were equal to one spaniel. Having owned four sighthounds together at a couple of different times, I would say this was about right, or maybe even easier - depending on the individual dogs. That's not to say that all greyhounds/sighthounds are easy dogs. Salukis, in particular, can be 'challenging' (I've got to say that quietly as I have two), especially when young. As can be lurchers, depending on the mix.bakerstreet said:
Its been several years now and I still have a picture of him in my workshop and if I see a Greyhound out and about I ask the owner if I can pat it. My family think its embarrassing, but I simply don't care what they or anyone else thinks and I will keep doing it as just a reminder of what we once had.
Same here 
I sometimes get slightly bemused looks from the owners when I'm so keen to ask about their dog and make a fuss of them, but they are usually happy to talk.I used to race greyhounds......they beat me every time. 
Seriously, two of my friends have rescue greyhounds. Great dogs but they both agree, not the brightest. Not that it matters much, but both say they cannot figure out simple problems that other dogs would be able to solve. Like if they want something that's behind a couch, if they can't reach it initially, they can't work out that if they lie down and turn their head sideways, they can get it. That level of thinking is beyond them.
As said, stairs. They learnt to go up, eventually, but neither has mastered coming down. So have to be carried.
Both say it's a bit like having a large cat. Quite lazy, not much exercise, often refuse to go for a walk. Whereas most dogs go mental at the sight of the lead.
Seriously, two of my friends have rescue greyhounds. Great dogs but they both agree, not the brightest. Not that it matters much, but both say they cannot figure out simple problems that other dogs would be able to solve. Like if they want something that's behind a couch, if they can't reach it initially, they can't work out that if they lie down and turn their head sideways, they can get it. That level of thinking is beyond them.
As said, stairs. They learnt to go up, eventually, but neither has mastered coming down. So have to be carried.
Both say it's a bit like having a large cat. Quite lazy, not much exercise, often refuse to go for a walk. Whereas most dogs go mental at the sight of the lead.
We've had a rescue Greyhound for nearly 3 years now. We've always had dogs, but decided to rescue one as a friend for our ageing labradoodle.
Dora, as we named her, is fantastic. Everyone who meets her immediately falls in love with her.
She's got a lot of quirks:
she hates being left alone and suffers from separation anxiety.
She took forever to housetrain - and still has the odd accident if left for a long time.
She had issues with her teeth caused by the practice of rubbing glucose on the gums to make them run faster - she needed 11 removed and still has the worst breath of any animal living!
She had a problem with one foot pad, again from her racing days, and required an operation to fix it.
She was VERY food orientated - until she learned that she gets 2 meals a day regardless now, she just stole food at every opportunity - she's fine now.
She's very very good on the lead - she never pulls and walks right by your side. We never let her off, she gets quite animated when we see a rabbit so I think off the lead she'd be a nightmare...
She's LAZY - never happier than when taking control of the sofa!
Overall, I cannot recommend the breed highly enough, given our experience, and we have often said we will only ever adopt Greyhounds going forward.
Dora, as we named her, is fantastic. Everyone who meets her immediately falls in love with her.
She's got a lot of quirks:
she hates being left alone and suffers from separation anxiety.
She took forever to housetrain - and still has the odd accident if left for a long time.
She had issues with her teeth caused by the practice of rubbing glucose on the gums to make them run faster - she needed 11 removed and still has the worst breath of any animal living!
She had a problem with one foot pad, again from her racing days, and required an operation to fix it.
She was VERY food orientated - until she learned that she gets 2 meals a day regardless now, she just stole food at every opportunity - she's fine now.
She's very very good on the lead - she never pulls and walks right by your side. We never let her off, she gets quite animated when we see a rabbit so I think off the lead she'd be a nightmare...
She's LAZY - never happier than when taking control of the sofa!
Overall, I cannot recommend the breed highly enough, given our experience, and we have often said we will only ever adopt Greyhounds going forward.
My great uncle was a very successful trainer from the 30s through the 70s. He always had 1 or 2 greyhounds, his favourites from training when they retired. He also love Jack Russels. Chalk & cheese comes to mind. I lived next door to my great uncle so got very familiar with retired hounds. They are gentle, soft, placid & graceful. If you can give one a good home do so.
We've got two, the oldest and the first we had was a male, Tricky. He's big, and while he can shift while running, normally he behaves like a slow dopey dog. Quite chilled and relaxed. On walks he's a dream, no pulling just bimbles along at your side, sniffing and peeing on stuff as you go.
The second, a female, Sky, is a very different sentiment. She's smaller, far more alert and darty, will jump over footstools and the like in the blink of an eye. On walks she tends to want to go at a faster pace, and will pull you a little in places. Whereas Tricky will literally spend all day sleeping unless there's food due, Sky will spend most of her time following humans around, wants to know what they're upto.
Also, when food is involved, Sky almost inhales it, where as Tricky takes his time... which can cause some fun.
As per the first reponse, neither need a lot of walking, neither moult lots (albeit they do, you will have fir covered things, you will get fir balls on hard floors etc). They do need coats when out in the cold, and we wouldn't let them off the lead (short lead, so they can't build up speed), as neither have any sense of recall.
Here's a couple of pics of them together. Tricky (the male, is white/black spot, Sky the female is black):
The second, a female, Sky, is a very different sentiment. She's smaller, far more alert and darty, will jump over footstools and the like in the blink of an eye. On walks she tends to want to go at a faster pace, and will pull you a little in places. Whereas Tricky will literally spend all day sleeping unless there's food due, Sky will spend most of her time following humans around, wants to know what they're upto.
Also, when food is involved, Sky almost inhales it, where as Tricky takes his time... which can cause some fun.
As per the first reponse, neither need a lot of walking, neither moult lots (albeit they do, you will have fir covered things, you will get fir balls on hard floors etc). They do need coats when out in the cold, and we wouldn't let them off the lead (short lead, so they can't build up speed), as neither have any sense of recall.
Here's a couple of pics of them together. Tricky (the male, is white/black spot, Sky the female is black):
Very interesting thread.
We dont have an ex-racer, although I know some who do, but our greyhound collie cross rescue has been great and fits with a lot of what has been said here.
His personality is pretty 'greyhound' although he is small for a male at only 22kg and has a reasonable, if short, double coat. So we dont do jackets for him, just take a bit of care if the air temperature is below maybe 5 deg to ensure he isnt left standing around or on a long on-lead walk. He will be 14 in November so doesn't need much walks at all now, but we have had him half his life and as a younger dog in winter we just went to the beach or similar so he could run.
He is quite anxious, under socialised by his previous owners who also appear to have let their children be rough with him when they/he where small, but he is great with other people, and has been fine with our now 2yo when she was a baby and as a toddler, although when she started crawling but wasnt old enough to understand 'just wave to toby dog' so we got a pen he could go in to ensure he always had a safe space. Now she is 2yo they get on really well, she is ever so gentle and he is very tolerant. Last night she was putting my wife blusher on his paws and head. He can sometimes be funny with other dogs, especially cockpoos and the like, but gets on well with all other lurchers!
We also have to ensure he eats enough, as he will let our retriever mongrel cross bully him for his food which is bad for both of them! As said, they can have a tendency to do what they want, especially now he is old he, but until the last year or two his recall has always been adequate, he will walk on a lead without pulling, sit on demand, lie down, give paw, get downstairs, etc.
Hope some of that helps.
Daniel
We dont have an ex-racer, although I know some who do, but our greyhound collie cross rescue has been great and fits with a lot of what has been said here.
His personality is pretty 'greyhound' although he is small for a male at only 22kg and has a reasonable, if short, double coat. So we dont do jackets for him, just take a bit of care if the air temperature is below maybe 5 deg to ensure he isnt left standing around or on a long on-lead walk. He will be 14 in November so doesn't need much walks at all now, but we have had him half his life and as a younger dog in winter we just went to the beach or similar so he could run.
He is quite anxious, under socialised by his previous owners who also appear to have let their children be rough with him when they/he where small, but he is great with other people, and has been fine with our now 2yo when she was a baby and as a toddler, although when she started crawling but wasnt old enough to understand 'just wave to toby dog' so we got a pen he could go in to ensure he always had a safe space. Now she is 2yo they get on really well, she is ever so gentle and he is very tolerant. Last night she was putting my wife blusher on his paws and head. He can sometimes be funny with other dogs, especially cockpoos and the like, but gets on well with all other lurchers!
We also have to ensure he eats enough, as he will let our retriever mongrel cross bully him for his food which is bad for both of them! As said, they can have a tendency to do what they want, especially now he is old he, but until the last year or two his recall has always been adequate, he will walk on a lead without pulling, sit on demand, lie down, give paw, get downstairs, etc.
Hope some of that helps.
Daniel
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