Is there such a thing as a lazy dog, like a greyhound, with good recall and good with children?

[RudePepper]

All in the title really - I'd just like a greyhound without the recall issues.

[rachmultiplemum]

Simple answer- yes!

[Gooner123]

Yep,my beddyXwhippet would fit that description.

[Bowlersarm]

Yes. But when you say lazy, they do like a good run about.

[Floralnomad]

I know a couple of greyhounds that have excellent recall . One in particular gets let off his lead , does 2 laps of the field ( as if he is on a track) then comes back and stands next to his owner to go home . You just need to find the right one !

[LoathsomeDrab]

Yes, whippets.

Mine all go off lead, they're off for the vast majority of each and every walk we do. All the whippets I know go off lead as well.

They're definitely sprinters. As little as half an hour or so of off lead chasing after toys or each other (there's nothing better at wearing out a whippet than another whippet!) and they're more than happy to put their feet up for the rest of the day.

[TooOldForGlitter]

My greyhound has excellent recall. They do exist.

[Dancingyogi]

I'm having to work very hard at recall with my whippet, he's getting there but it definitely doesn't come easy to him.

[RudePepper]

How do you know in advance if a greyhound has good recall? Would you trust a rehomer/rescue place to be honest about this? Would all your whippets and greyhound recall even if a cat ran past or there was a rabbit in a wood?

Loath - I'm starting to build an argument for DH that 2xwhippet = one greyhound and that his one dog only rule would not be broken!

[CMOTDibbler]

My lurchers both recall beautifully, and don't run after squirrels or cats. They are both rescue - ddog was 6 months when he came to us and had been brought in as he has no prey drive, dpuppy was born in foster. EGLR who we adopted ours through foster all their dogs in peoples homes, so they are very honest about recall etc.

Trick is a lovely whippet who is 5, so they will know what he is like on recall

[Floralnomad]

My terrier has what I consider good recall but he wouldn't recall if he saw a cat , you just have to be selective about where you go offlead - I don't let mine off in woods ( he would go down a hole) or anywhere near livestock but he's fine on our local Heath and the beach.

[moosemama]

My Lurchers would both fit your description. Both are whistle trained for recall and I can even call them back mid-sprint. They both like a decent walk, with time for a few off-lead sprints, then they'll happily sleep for the rest of the day - and they're both great with kids. (I have three dcs ds1 12, ds2 10 and dd 5 and my eldest Lurcher arrived at 14 weeks old when ds2 was 18 months old.)

[GloriousGloria]

My JRT is lazy and if it wasn't against the law for her to be off lead I wouldn't use one as she walks to heel and she's a gentle affectionate little thing.

Food and snogs are her favourite things

[RudePepper]

Why is it against the law Glorious?

Do you think the lurchers and whippets are less likely to disappear into the distance for ever than greyhounds? Is it a training issue or a personality/individual hunting instinct issue if a dog recalls?

Also, have any of you had any luck with encouraging them to play with sticks and balls with children?

Thanks, this is so helpful .

[Floralnomad]

You shouldn't play with sticks with any dog ,they can be really dangerous . If you want a dog that plays ball have a look on Patterdale rescue - I've yet to meet a Patterdale that didn't want to play ball all day .

[RudePepper]

Arrrggghhh - so confused. I have spent ages on-line again and every time I get excited about getting a greyhound/whippet/lurcher I read something saying on no account take them off the lead. The rescue people have contradicted each other too. I really, really want one, but I don't want to be responsible for causing a car crash or someone's cat being killed.

What other dogs are not too needy? (by that I mean I don't want one that will need to be glued to my heels all day long - but I am wanting to give it plenty of fuss and attention/walks/play).

[CMOTDibbler]

My two love playing with balls, and dpuppy goes and finds sticks even though we'd never encourage it. Ddog carries squeaky balls around, and I've just removed their favourite toy from the sitting room as puppy was dumping it on my lap.
I meet lots of off lead whippets and lurchers - some people use muzzles if concerned on the furry front.
Obviously greyhounds who have raced are different, but if it is a real factor for you, then look at a rescue puppy who you can train from the start (EGLR have had 6 born in foster just today, Hounds First 11 last week).

[RudePepper]

Floralnomad thanks - I have a lot to learn. I know those tennis ball throwers can cause choking in dogs, but why are sticks a problem - for the same reason? Can anyone recommend books or websites to educate me? I grew up with dogs, but my parents did this sort of stuff and I just played with them so feeling a bit ignorant.

Thanks CMOT - will have a look.

[ouryve]

If you like big daft dogs, Irish setters are lovely, though some have better recall than others. They need plenty of exercise, but love a good snooze and make great foot warmers.

[Floralnomad]

What about Clumber spaniels , they are probably the least energetic of the spaniel but good to train . Also incredibly lovely and not so commonly seen . Sticks can cause choking and also because they break can pierce the palate or intestines if chewed / swallowed .

[Floggingmolly]

We got our greyhound from Dog's Trust and they told us no off lead time outside ever. He's an ex racer though, maybe that makes a difference?

[VivaLeBeaver]

I had an ex racer who I walked off the lead across friends every day.

Only time I had problems was march, April time. Saw a hare and she was gone. Little dot several fields away, disappearing out of sight. I used to wait and 20 mins later she'd come back!

Rest of the time her recall was fine.

[Scuttlebutter]

Rescues vary considerably with the advice they give about greyhounds being off lead. But remember, that first and foremost greyhounds are dogs and like all dogs can be taught recall, and recall is an important exercise to train, train, train and keep working on.

We have four greyhounds, have done fostering, and currently have a mix of our own and fosters, and the key issue is prey drive, which varies massively from dog to dog. We are risk averse owners and take a different approach with each dog based on our knowledge of them and the location we are in. So for our forthcoming holiday in Pembrokeshire, all four will be off the lead on the beach because there are rarely cats or hares there, and we can see clearly for miles. In an unknown, squirrel infested park with multiple exits onto roads that would be madness.

You should also be aware that a greyhound/sighthound that runs and then gets injured may have their insurance claim denied if the insurance co. thinks you were negligent in letting them off in that location. There was a very high profile case recently where two sighthounds were off lead and bolted onto a road and were hit - the owners had to do a lot of appeals for fundraising to meet their monster vet bills.

But remember that in many ways because recall is an issue, most sighthound owners are in fact MORE responsible - we only let them off where it's safe to do so, and we work assiduously on recall and training. Go to any park and you'll see streams of non-pointies cheerfully ignoring their owners when they are being called - it's actually very dangerous potentially and often antisocial.

Also, greyhounds are not necessarily lazy - young ones especially enjoy and thrive on exercise, training and a varied programme. All of our current four are seniors and though they sleep a lot in the house, they love their walks, attend training classes (we're doing Rally), sighthound playdates and a wide variety of other social/exercise activities, including racing after lures, sighthound agility, greyhound walks etc. One used to love running with DH but his arthritis now means he can't do that, but a younger dog could certainly enjoy this, e.g. Park Runs or shorter Cani X. We also pay to use a dedicated greyhound field regularly.

In summary, you can certainly get low prey drive greyhounds but as with any dog this doesn't let you off the hook in terms of making a commitment to training and being responsible about where/when to go offlead.

[Scuttlebutter]

And to add to the point about needy dogs, many greyhounds are needy, and are often Velcro dogs. I invariably find that at least one pointy nose wil be keeping an eye on me when I'm in the loo, will be snuggled up next to us in bed (in fact usually taking over the bed or sofa), will be leaning gently or supervising me in the kitchen. In general, also, they are remarkably sensitive and don't like an environment with lots of shouting.

[RudePepper]

Thank for all the new replies. Scuttlebutter I guess the famous Fenton (or was it Benton?) clip is a reminder that all dogs are at risk of charging off to some extent. Would they not be at risk then if they saw a seagull move a few hundred meters away on the beach?

[RudePepper]

Can anyone recommend a good book on dog training/behaviour or does it vary too much on breed?