 | The greyhound personality.
Some people assume greys are hyperactive and that they need a lot of
exercise. Nothing could be further from the truth! Greys are sprinters, not
endurance dogs. Most greys are gentle couch potatoes that need a few walks and one
or two runs in an enclosed area each week. As with any breed, younger dogs need more
exercise than older dogs.
They can, however, keep up with you if you want to take them biking or running. Just
like you, they'll need to work up to longer distances gradually.
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| Greyhounds and leashes.
Greyhounds must always be on a leash when not in a completely fenced in
area. No exceptions, ever. (See Timber's Scary Story.)
Greyhounds are the oldest breed of dog. They are sighthounds. For more than
5,000 years, they have been bred to chase. They can run at speeds of up to 45
mph. This means they might go after a piece of litter in the wind and find
themselves in front of a car before you or the driver has reacted. No matter how
well trained your dog is, nothing is as strong as mother nature. I have heard that
automobiles are the second leading cause of premature greyhound deaths.
And just because your grey doesn't have a taste for your pet felines does not mean she
doesn't have a taste for your neighbor's.
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| Greyhounds and fenced
yards. It is widely believed that a fenced yard is a requirement for
owning a greyhound. This is not true. However, if you don't have a fenced yard
you must be willing to walk your dog a minimum of three times per day. Four would be
better.
Greyhounds should not be left unattended in a yard, particularly if the fence is six feet
or less. They are incredible jumpers. They are also very thin skinned and
should not be exposed to the elements (heat or cold). Greyhounds have half the body
fat of other dogs and hence are more sensitive to the cold.
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| Greyhounds and kids. Most
greyhounds are very tolerant of small children. As with any dog, play should be
supervised and the child should not be permitted to abuse the dog. Normally a
greyhound that is being abused will walk away. In rare instances they have been
known to snap at the child.
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| Greyhounds and cats. Most
greyhounds are fine with cats. Be sure the adoption agency knows you have
cats. They will be happy to introduce you to cat-friendly dogs. As a
precaution, the greyhound should be muzzled for the first few days he's home. Once
he realizes the cats are part of the family, there should be no trouble. Many
greyhounds are actually afraid of cats.
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| Greyhounds and muzzles.
When you see greyhounds together at the track, they are always muzzled.
There are a couple of reasons for this. When they are actually running, they are
very competitive and will sometimes nip at another dog's neck. With their thin skin,
this can run up vet bills.
As with all dogs, greys are pack animals. Many people feel that due to their long
history their pack instinct is stronger than most other dogs. Pack behavior can lead
to squabbles on who's the leader (the alpha dog). Pack behavior also requires
weeding out of injured dogs that may compromise the safety of the pack as a whole.
If a dog somehow becomes injured, it is possible the other dogs will turn on it.
Again, this is not unique to greyhounds. But with their thin skin, muzzles are
mandatory when more than two dogs are together. You can purchase muzzles (and lots
of other nice grey-related stuff), from the Greyhound
Pets Warehouse.
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| Greyhounds and shedding.
While it's not true that greyhounds don't shed at all, most of them don't shed
much. Their fur is very short. Unless they get into something, they can be
bathed as little as two or three times a year. No kidding. Some people believe
the darker colors shed less than the lighter ones (I don't agree; I think that notion came
from the visibility of the hair).
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