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The doghouse

Greyhounds...

20 replies

Marahute · 11/07/2020 13:10

In the not-too-distant future we will be rescuing a greyhound (this is a long term dream of mine of 10+ years so not a flash in the pan). We are a family of four (two DC 4 years and 1.5 years)... and would be interested in any preparedness tips.

I know the following requirements/quirks of use breed...

Secure garden space (we have a reasonably large garden fully enclosed with 7ft fence)

Keep on lead and/or muzzled when out for walks and I know they need specific collars and no stretchy leads

We have patio windows so will do something to make glass visible to dog

Raised feeding stand & soft bedding (we have predominantly hard floor downstairs so any particular tips for comfortable beds appreciated)

Husband works from home so dog will have company during the day and we will get pet insurance.

Know they need warm coat/rain coat for cold/wet weather and that they can be sensitive to diet changes.

Is there anything else we should consider? Or may not have thought about? We will be waiting maybe another year, until youngest child is a bit less demanding, but it's feeling imminent and I am getting excited!

One specific question is do we need a bigger car? What size car do greyhound owners tend to have? I grew up with labs so an estate or large hatchback was always sufficient. We will probably be replacing one of our cars soon anyway... so should we think about future greyhound ownership when picking a new car?

Thanks so much for any tips! And feel free to share photos of your gorgeous greys here aswell! Grin

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Juiceey · 11/07/2020 14:46

In terms of the car I only have a Corsa and our greyhound foster got in the boot happily and curled up, so don't worry.

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Splash2310 · 11/07/2020 23:24

Car-wise we have a Mercedes Estate, however I know Mini owners who can fit greys in the back!

They sleep a lot! So have available soft bedding and be prepared for a sofa-crasher. Ours personally doesn’t, however we do have a stair gate to prevent her from going upstairs.

Brief the children to allow the dog to approach them for cuddles/kisses etc, rather than overcrowding them.

They also have a fun quirk called roaching, which means when they are comfortable they will quite often lie on their backs and roll around demanding cuddles and strokes!

The greyhound scream.... anything from standing on a leaf to tripping over....

Good luck, and I’m sure you’ll have loads of fun! Feel free to PM me for any other info. Oh... and definitely get a squeaky snake toy!

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Somethingkindaoooo · 11/07/2020 23:31

The skin on the pads of their feet are quite thin- so prone to splitting.
I took mine to the vet the first few times but then just let heal.


Lotsa bedding- ideally an extra thick cushion...

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Sunnydayshereatlast · 11/07/2020 23:32

Apparently their farts are noxious...

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Longdistance · 11/07/2020 23:40

I absolutely love greyhounds. I was in awe when actor Annette Crosbie (Victor Meldrews wife from One foot in the grave) was on a programme about her love of rescuing retired greyhounds. We saw one today and dh had a twinkle in his eye when I said I’d love to adopt one.

As you were...

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relievedlady · 12/07/2020 00:01

Got two of the lazy buggers Wink

The greyhound scream of death will scare you to places you never knew existed just for tapping a toe nail on something Grin

Mine have no special awareness and will walk into most things on a daily basis.

They always trip up and down steps and knock things over (mainly cups of coffee Hmm)

Don't be tempted to off lead walk until you have done good recall.

Mine both recall well in the garden then when we get outside they go totally deaf.

They search and prowl
For cats everywhere you go.

Both mine have double clip harnesses and leads as they are very strong especially when just out of racing.

When they are asleep never let the dc approach them to wake them up. They scare very easily and will jump and bark at defence.

We have a specific area in the corner of the lounge that's totally taken up with their beds,soft blankets and many toys and bones. It's their area and when they are in it everyone leaves them be.

Anywhere else is fair game Wink

I often end up sitting on the floor at night because they've stretched the length of the sofas to roach

They absolutely love a neck massage and to lean on people Grin

Mine chatter their teeth when happy or excited.
We thought they were cold at first 😂

Absolutely adore them. They are stupid and docile but so affectionate and soft and loving.

Get good insurance as they can hurt themselves a lot. One of mine ran up the garden straight into a door once and I had a £400 bill for a sprained shoulder Hmm

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Hedgesfullofbirds · 12/07/2020 00:04

Ah, the best dogs ever, 40 mile an hour couch potatoes, comfort loving, gentle, loyal, happy to spend 23 hours out of 24 blissfully sleeping the day away in a somnambulant haze of leg twitching, rabbit chasing dreams!Smile

Can have a tendancy to be inveterate food thieves, given the opportunity and, given their long, gangly legs, they can reach surprisingly high surfaces and help themselves to whatever takes their fancy.

Unfortunately my work/life balance precludes me from having any at the moment, but my last pair were chalk and cheese - the girl was fearful of nothing, brave as a lion, too adventurous for her own good, a terrible food thief and, on several occasions, when I foolishly left my lunchbag by the front door for a few moments, came back to find it empty (bar the fruit!) and my girl standing with a smug, self satisfied 'how clever am I' grin on her face, waiting for praise😂!

The boy, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck when I first had him, scared of his own shadow, terrified of brooms and shovels ( tells a story needing no words😥) and it took him a long while to learn to trust. And, yes, the greyhound 'scream of death' - the slightest knock, bump or scrape and he would scream piteously and one would think an air ambulance and life saving surgery were required, at the very least, if not the imminent preparation of an obituary announcement to be published in 'The Times'!

They are all different, with their own little quirks, but the most wonderful dogs. As soon as I retire one of the first things I shall do is fill my house with greys again.

Good luck OP, with your grey or greys, enjoy them, your life will never be the same again, in a positive wayGrin

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Hedgesfullofbirds · 12/07/2020 00:08

Goodness, yes, their farts are noxious - how on earth can I have forgotten that😂😂

And the teeth chattering when happy or excited which seems to be a perculiarity of greys and is mentioned by so many owners

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Youmeanyouvelostyourkey · 12/07/2020 00:08

We have just adopted two. One two months ago and the other a month ago. They are lovely dogs. Crafty (nothing is safe), funny, lazy, I love the barking whilst they are asleep and the side puffs of air when they are dreaming. One is quite cocky, the other quite unsure. Both are great with the kids and agree with pp who said their farts are noxious.

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spottygymbag · 12/07/2020 00:36

Vet insurance. DB has three and they are so gorgeous and much loved. He has spent thousands on trips to the vet as their skin can split quite easily. One is very much accident prone despite the house and property being dog proofed.

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Sunnydayshereatlast · 12/07/2020 19:00

Dpuppy has a greyhound dgp..

Greyhounds...
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Berthatydfil · 12/07/2020 19:29

Fridge lock and childproof kitchen cupboards - mine got in the fridge and cupboards.
Be careful with their skin it is very thin and delicate and because they have very little body fat it’s difficult to stitch if they get a cut.

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Marahute · 13/07/2020 12:23

@Sunnydayshereatlast - thank you that is just the sort of photo I was hoping for.

I've found all these replies very helpful (and entertaining), thank you. I feel like I was aware of most of these things already (which is making me feel good that I am actually reasonably well prepared), although I was non-the-wiser about their craftiness and noxious farts. Shock I am not put off though! Grin

Very helpful to know they can fit into a smaller boot too!

The more I read about the quirky ways of the greyhound, the more excited I get.

Thanks again all!

P.S. MOAR photos please! Smile

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Marahute · 13/07/2020 12:27

Also excited at the prospect that becoming a greyhound owner may finally result in keeping the neighbourhood cats out of our garden!

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sunshinestanley · 13/07/2020 13:33

I second the caution over children waking the dog from sleep - our first grey was bombproof and wouldn't flinch but our second can be reactive if the children wake her suddenly from a deep sleep. Remember ex-racers are usually permanently kenneled and will have never been woken by a human hand (always just the sound of an approaching vehicle/person).

Also, they will probably steal food especially when just rehomed. And they are tall so they can reach surprising areas (ours have taken frozen bread, frozen burgers, raw eggs from the kitchen benches).

We've had an estate car and an MPV. In theory they should all be good travellers but our current greyhound hates the car - she won't jump in despite being more than capable, stands up all the way, won't ever lies down in the boot and seems fairly stressed - so we don't go far. She does seem to be fairly unusual in that though.

We rehomed our first when we had an 18 month old and a 4 year old and she was an absolute angel. Good luck! Smile

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Sunnydayshereatlast · 13/07/2020 13:37

From sloth pose to dcat..

Greyhounds...
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Sunnydayshereatlast · 13/07/2020 13:38

Her spot at the window!
My bloody new chair!

Greyhounds...
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tabulahrasa · 13/07/2020 13:43

@Marahute

Also excited at the prospect that becoming a greyhound owner may finally result in keeping the neighbourhood cats out of our garden!

Um... it probably won’t btw, cats still come in gardens with dogs in them.
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Marahute · 13/07/2020 14:29

Um... it probably won’t btw, cats still come in gardens with dogs in them.

Ah well, one can only dream of a garden free of cat shit! Envy

@Sunnydayshereatlast she's gorgeous! Ah. I honestly can't wait.

Very good point about children waking the dog too, and part of the reason we've decided to wait until our youngest is a little older. Not that they'll be left unsupervised anyway, but I think the situation will be easier for everyone with slightly older children.

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Scattyhattie · 13/07/2020 15:57

I found with the greyhounds we still had cats coming into the garden as they often only wanted a quick zoom then back on sofa. Only when mutt pup came and liked to spend time out playing & patrolling did they keep away more.

Unfortunately it meant I had to take the dogs out on lead & check wasn't any cats before letting them loose after I opened back door one day to see neighbours cat. I wrestled new high prey drive grey back behind baby gate and as saw cat had now got on fence I wasn't too worried when my lad slowly trotted out. When I went out to get him he was laid, wrestling the cat under his chest & came off quite badly with bites, scratches chunks of skin missing on legs/armpits, £65 trip to vets for antibiotics & painkillers. The cat was fine btw a little fur loss (sadly he was then killed on the main road only few months later Sad).

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