hello
I'm looking for advice from anyone who has a greyhound please. We've been thinking of getting a dog for ages and now that the youngest Ds is 6 we thought it was time to look. Could anyone give me some views, advice, tips etc about the pros and cons of having a greyhound?
I've read up a little about them but would love sone real life advice
Realistically we are all out of the house all dsy two days a week. Could my mum pop in for an hour lunch time to take him ouside? Do they get lonely on their own?
How much do they cost to keep?
Do they get any specific illnesses? Are they generally healthy?
Is there anything bad about them? Temprement or anything you found put you wished you knew before hand
Alll and any advice gratefully received
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
Retired greyhound Good idea?
ebaynovice · 28/08/2011 08:16
Hi, we've got three greys and do a lot of voluntary work with them too. Obviously, there is quite a difference between individual dogs but some generalities would be:-
Yes, they are generally very healthy. They are bred to work not to show, so are in pretty good shape. Typical life expectancy will be to mid teens, sometimes even older. Occasionally you will get a grey that may have an old racing injury, but usually the rescue will know about this (often this is why they've stopped racing) and for being a pet, they will be fine.
DON'T expect a lively, bouncy, full on dog who wants to play endlessly with your children, walk for three hours a day or will be bored if not doing a Krypton Factor puzzle twice a day. They are not the brainiest of dogs (being kind here 
), are very gentle, sensitive souls and generally like to spend the day resting peacefully with a couple of shortish or one longer walk each day. They will usually colonise your sofa, bed or other comfy spot (being so bony!) and will lie there, farting contentedly with all four legs in the air. Usually their working life will mean that they are used to being handled, travel well, are good on the lead, and will "learn" housetraining in a weekend.
Depending on if they've spent time in a foster home, they may need to be introduced to things like hoovers, stairs, washing machines and so on. They may need to be taught to "play" having never had that in their racing life. Once they get the hang of it, they become utter love sponges, who are always up for a cuddle and are deeply affectionate, doing a "power lean" when wanting some fuss.
Possible downsides - firstly, they are very addictive. Second, prey drive. Greys are bred and trained to chase small fluffy creatures and don't always distinguish between lures, cats and Yorkshire terriers. Generally a rescue will assess a dog's prey drive and will let you know if the dog is cat safe/small fluffy safe - most can be safe with other dogs and around 20% will be cat safe. You should be aware of this chase instinct though since it is hugely powerful and can over-ride even very careful training. So you should only let them off lead where you are pretty sure you are safe if they suddenly see a paper bag half a mile away and decide to run. And when they run, they are very, very fast indeed.
In winter and in cold, wet weather, they will need to wear a coat, and they will need a proper sighthound collar. They can escape from normal dog collars and they can break their necks if they suddenly decide to accelerate, while wearing a colllar that is too narrow.
I have deliberately overstated the negatives - many families with greys let them off lead quite happily and will have them co-existing with other pets. But I think it is better to be forewarned and also to remember that while many dogs chase cats, for instance, greys are so fast, they can catch them.
Please feel free to ask any more questions- would be happy to talk about them for hours! 
Scuttlebutter - can you expand on ( this is what I've read on various sites and I think would be useful for the OP. I might be talking bollox but I'm sure I haven't dreamed this)
Grunds need a specialised vet who is experienced in the type of injuries they can suffer (like all retired athletes they will have had sprains, strains and knocks while racing). Their skin is more fragile than alot of other dogs.
And because they are a low-fat option they have to have different anaesthetic to other dogs
They need to be fed off the floor, or they are at risk of bloat (I'm going to leave the explanation to you, I know it's something to do with their guts and it's an A&E type situation) but that's as much as I know.
Some don't like laminate flooring (thinking of Bambi on ice here )
they don't sit (though I've seen photos of sitting greyhounds but they don't look happy)
they can sleep with their eyes open, so small children (and adults) need to be aware and not startle them
they are prone to corns on their feet
and dodgy teeth- due to racing diet
(You did say you could talk for hours 
)
They don't need a specialised vet - our vet is an all purpose small animal practice that works just fine. Yes, they can occasionally have specific ex racing injuries but any vet worth their salt will be able to treat, or refer to specialist orthopaedic if required. A vet who is familiar with ex racers can be helpful but I'd say that a good vet needn't be a grund specialist. Many vets will have done their anatomy practice in vet school on them. These days, with their increasing popularity as pets, more and more vets are becoming familiar with them.
They have a very low percentage of body fat and slightly different blood chemistry to other dogs - due to their oxygen uptake capacity. See link here for more details. Their high haemoglobin levels and placid nature make them very popular as dog blood donors.
Anaesthetics used to be an issue for them - as they weren't able to process certain barbiturates (again due to low fat levels) but these days, modern anaesthetics are just fine, as used in most British vets.
Um, yes, the low fat level and the fine thin skin mean that if they go wandering into a thicket of brambles they will come out in a mess. Most grund owners very quickly become quite blase (or bankrupt!!) - generally, they don't want to go wandering into undergrowth or diving into shrubbery. We get used to cuts, scrapes and the fact they bruise very easily. Salt water is your friend, and the fact they like wearing their coats.
Like all deep chested breeds, such as Great Danes, deerhounds, bloat can be an issue, so I'd ensure they are fed after exercise not before. Not necessary to raise feeders - we have two who eat off raised feeders and one who eats from the floor (or the worktop, or anywhere he can steal from...). However, many grunds find it more comfortable eating from a raised feeder. We find an Ikea flowerpot is just the right height to accomodate a bowl and keep a hound happy.
Yes, most greyhounds don't sit - it's not at all comfortable for them. They will however lie very regally.
Yes, they can sleep with their eyes open (though their third eyelid will be across the eye).
Grunds and lurchers are the only dog breeds to get corns on their feet. Not all greyhounds get them. Many different theories as to causes.
The teeth are not intrinsically dodgy - many racing dogs are fed a soft pappy diet so will have tartar on their teeth when they come off the track. Most rescues will ensure a dental is done before rehoming. Once rehomed, they should (like all dogs) eat plenty of things like bones etc (and have teeth cleaned if you are brave) to help keep tartar down, and gums healthy.
We've got laminate flooring downstairs - yes, there is a certain amount of comedy skidding but we have rugs at key cornering points so that works fine.
Any more questions?
We met 3 today at a fund raising event, and I was gobsmacked how elegant and beautiful they are. They are all long legs and necks and the most beautiful ears folded back like angels wings. The softest coats like moleskin.
They took all the crowds and attention in their stride - nay, their right.
But they stood/ lay about yawning. Lazy buggers, you need to promote yourselves
Yes, they are the supermodels of the dog world. Legs that go on for ever, swan like necks and then the arse of Beelzebub! The ears stand up if there's a breeze or something particularly interesting is going on. You can tell a lot from the ear position.
No greyhound worth the name would stand about for a millisecond longer than necessary - they'd be heading directly for the nearest comfy sofa, quilt or dog bed. They will be happy to tolerate a power lean if no bed is immediately available.
Our black ones gleam like satin in the sun - beautiful soft coats - and the blonde one is lovely too. It's virtually impossible to take a bad picture of one.
I agree with everything scuttle says, except one point. (My next dog will be a rescue greyhound. 
)
But Weimaraners are the supermodels of the dog world.
Tsk away with your Weimaraners, supermodelly nonsense.(I can't even pronounce it or spell it! )
They are severeley colour limited - bronzey with Twilight looking yellowy/amber eyes- is the only colour I've seen out and about.
Greys are available in a rainbow of colours (well not literally rainbow) and alot of them are black. Black goes with anything BTW.
And their faces remind me of beautiful, elongated rabbits faces for some reason.
And the only Weimaraner I've been up-close-and-personal-with had the smelliest paws ever!
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Weis are the best dog ever. Fact.
Which other dog will learn that a raised eyebrow = 
Best. Dog. Ever. *
- Disclaimer - I now have a bloody Lab/poss lab cross who is thick as mince.
Sorry for the Hijack!
Agree with your entire last post
Did I mention my next dog will be a rescue greyhound?
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