Pointy hounds thread! For new, old and prospective owners!

[SpaghettiTwirlerAndProud]

Share stories, advice and ask for help if you need it! There are a few resident hound experts (myself not included) in the doghouse, so, feel free to share! :)

Please can I join? (I thought this thread was for owners of pointers...)

I wanted a Bedlington terrier, but we couldn't agree as a family, as everyone else was suspicious of it being 'too small' and 'looking more like a lamb than a dog'. I still think they are gorgeous and will have one, one day.

We compromised with a Bedlington whippet cross. He is fantastic. I can't believe how well he has fitted into our family. He is the most sociable dog ever, and tolerates being cuddled and petted all the time. When we go on walks he does mad running and wears himself out.

I think Bedlingtons are kind of "honorary" pointys.

So will you get one?

I'd like to. They seem fairly rare as rescues though, which is a pity, whereas greyhounds (dp's prefered choice of 2nd hound) are fairly common as rescues. I think if we got a greyhound to go with the whippet, whippetty would be even more prone to "power sleeping" than he is now i.e. he may never move again - such is his pure and utter laziness.

I know there is a Bedlington rescue association. The last I heard there was a waiting list. Has to be a good sign - such is the popularity and 'keepability' of the breed. A Bedlington would shake things up a bit, especially if it was fairly young - I'd love to see the whippetty trying to get some zeds with a bouncy, fluffy character, trying to play.

Um, don't think I'd want to put a very bouncy dog with a quiet pointy. Neither are going to be happy.

Nothing wrong with a whippy/grey combo - know quite a few and they generally work very well. Greys seem to adapt well to a smaller Mini-me!

I've seen a few people around with pointy/bedlington combo's - in terrier terms, they are supposed to be calmer and less energetic than most other types of terrier (but obviously not couch potatoes, like pointys).

At the moment, I'm at the stage of pondering whether another one would be nice and if so, what type. When we got whippetty, it took us a good year to get from that stage to actually bringing whippetty home (we didn't even think for that long about having children!!! ) - so it will probably be a while from dreaming of the next dog, to actually having another in the house.

Just have to share our first trip to our busy market with our month in greyhound today. We'd been saving him for this for a while - lots of people, smells, other dogs etc etc.

He got BIG LOVE from all and sundry. And almost a sausage from the very generous, very smitten man at the pie cart (he couldn't have it as we're in the midst of dicky tumminess and it's plain kibble all the way.)

Just have to teach him stairs now. And should probably start the clicker training thing to lie down. And get ready for Xmas. And tidy up the kitchen.........

Just signing in here. We've had our grey for just over a year now, a gorgeous grey/white ex-racer. He's adorable, brilliant with our three boys (3-9). Only two issues with him, one he's like a bloody supermodel and rarely ventures off his bed (walks are just so beneath one, doesn't one think?) and two, OMG his farts are toxic!

Monkey - ah, the joys of a grund bottom in full flight!!

Satanic.

Betsey, sounds like he'll be making a repeat visit to his admirers at the pie stall!

Oh monkey grey and white? He sounds gorgeous!

betsy I take it he enjoyed his trip to the market then? I bet he really milked it!

Just waiting for a phonecall about Socks, I think he arrived at Jills today and she's going to child test him and let me know how he does! Hopefully he's a good boy

Scuttlebutter they are truly eye-watering. Am currently sat in the kitchen gagging as we speak.

Spaghetti he really is gorgeous, grey with a white chest and markings. And a missing toe, poor thing . Will have to find a picture. DH was determined he wanted a black dog, but we will have to wait for him!

I'd love to see a picture, I love grey dogs, any grey animal aswell really! They just look so snuggly! Why do grey animals always look snuggly?

How did he lose a toe?

I'd love a black dog, but due to our specific requirements we can't be picky on colour

Oh my, he loved it. Good to know he can hack it too as Sunday market's a regular thing for us and it'd be nice to work it into a walk instead of dropping him off home first.

4 weeks in, I can't believe it. I'm sort of realising that he is very different to the other dogs we meet. They're all, well, doggy. He's so aloof. I'm not sad for myself but just sort of sad for him really as being a dog looks like a lot of fun. He's great if we meet other dogs who are calm and just want to stand around with him but as soon as we meet an even slightly lively dog who wants to be friends he's on edge with often a bark and even a little growl. I can't believe that there will ever be a time when he will be ready to go off the lead and be free to dog about with other dogs unmuzzled. Maybe it just won't happen - don't get me wrong, I'm prepared for this and it's fine by me but I just can't help thinking his life would be more, well, fun?

So today I saw a teenager walking a lurcher and a greyhound and I grinned at him maniacally presuming he would be able so spot another pointy hound pre owner from a distance. Poor boy, I let him on his way with a brief 'lovely dogs'. He looked relieved to see me go

Oh, Betsey, reading that made me very sad and also very hopeful. One of the most moving things about owning a greyhound is watching them learn about the whole wide world and gradually "unfurling" as a personality as they engage with it. Because of their previous life, they genuinely are shocked that dogs come in a non-pointy form - they have to start from scratch. I don't think you can ever expect spaniel type "Oooh, come and play with me, it's all SO exciting, oh my oh my oh my" type behaviour but the unfurling takes place over a longish period of time - a year to eighteen months. Fast forward to this time next year and I bet you'll find your grund is a lot more comfortable with these other dog things.

The other thing to remember if you really want to see him goofing about and letting his hair down completely is to take him to a greyhound playdate. Quite a few greyhound charities run these, and I guarantee you will have a huge lump in your throat and an unexpected piece of dust in your eye when you see these elegant, aloof creatures suddenly turning into manic chasing zooming puppies as they hurtle round doing Wall of Death circuits and playing with each other. It's quite amazing and very, very wonderful.

Lost, yes, completely agree about talking to other pointy owners - we do too. It's a very special club.

Loss of toes is quite a common racing injury. One of ours is missing a toenail on one of his front feet (again very common).

MissBetsy,

My grey is EXACTLY the same on the lead. However, she is completely fine off the lead in doggie socialisation- she'll run around with the 'doggie' ones for a bit and then she'll growl or bark if they get on her nerves. No aggression though, most greyhounds are able to stand their ground off-lead, but onlead they're not so much in control and don't like it.

I doubt your boy is aggressive to non-greys- just vocal and wary for the moment. If you go to doggie socialisation avec muzzle you'll be able to work more about him. I was amazed at how little meek quiet girl became a growling, barking, no-nonsense lioness in a field full of other breeds.

My whippetty seems nervy and aggressive to non-pointys (though he was attacked a couple of times). However, even before that, he was nervy on lead, but we couldn't allow him off lead with other dogs, as he would do "fly-bys" - as in "I want to play, I run fast, do you run fast, do you, do you, let's run, come on, let's run", which we decided was not good doggy manners, so could not allow him off lead like that. I spoke to our trainer who thought the fly-bys could not be trained out of him, so now we keep him on lead. I'm trying to train him to sit whenever another (especially small, furry) dog walks past.

Thanks all. He's very relaxed and affectionate at home, especially with me and DH and increasingly with the children.

He has the odd hilarious playful moment with little things that take his fancy (one particular Xmas decoration for eg) and it's a joy to watch. It's as though his brain doesn't quite reach the end of his legs, iykwim.

He only ever meets other dogs on the lead at the moment as it's really early days so I can understand he feels at a disadvantage. My neighbour's long legged Jack Russell was out and about this evening on the street and poor old Billy did not like it at all. He was really nervous and had a right growl. I gave him a little cuddle and we turned in for home quickly.

It's really tricky for us to get to other greyhound dates at the kennels. DH works away a lot at the weekends and it would be just too much to pile the kids and the dog in to the car and get up there. DS2 has SN and mobility problems and getting him around on the fields up there would be really hard. I think perhaps a training class could be a good thing to start up with him, just us, while the DSs are at school and nursery. I keep hoping to bump into the greyhound enthusiasts he met before on our local walk!

Thanks again all.

"I want to play, I run fast, do you run fast, do you, do you, let's run, come on, let's run"

MissBetsy, I'm in no way knowledgeable about greys but yours sounds so lovely, really elegant and calm. I'm picturing a 20's lady with a chic bob in a flapper dress smoking a cigarette in a very long holder and raising one eyebrow! (I know he's a he but I can't find a male image that goes as well)

Two weeks tomorrow and we get our new boy. I have bought him two bowls today and a soft little bedroom similar to this. It feels a bit like when I bought my first pram for DS1

Oh, I want a dog bedroom. Bliss it would be to crawl in, seal that little flap and be undisturbed for 10 minutes. Looks lovely!

Yes, another for the "I want to play, I run fast, do you run fast, do you, do you, let's run, come on, let's run". Just showed that to DH and we had a bit of a chortle.

Billy and I went out for an evening walk and foiled a burglary! No joke, someone was trying to prise open our neighbour's front window with a chisel. We sort of stood there, thought 'That's not right' and ducked into our corner shop. The whole corner shop family, me, Billy and a couple of passers by all went up in a gang and confronted them and they ran off! So yes, lost, Billy did have a rather Lord Peter Whimsey evening! He can have a cigarette holder and a smoking jacket in his stocking.

"I want to play, I run fast, do you run fast, do you, do you, let's run, come on, let's run"

Ohhh, those words could have come out of the mouth of my whippety lurcher!!

It is particularly amusing when he is running with my friend's labrador who is ball mad. Sam will hare off after Finn only to be left very confused when Finn catches the ball and returns to my friend. You can see the bewilderment on poor little Sam's face: "You have stopped running, why have you stopped running, we were having fun, I can run fast, so can you, why have you stopped running, what is that in your mouth?"

Oh the joys of being a pointy owner

Yes, ball retreiving seems lost on whippetty. Running after balls he can do, but bringing them back? No. He genuinely doesn't see any reason at all why to do that.

I recognise the "I want to play" too - normally accompanied by the famed greyhound grin!

I'm afraid our boy is very, very nervous - not around other dogs but around strangers, especially men. He literally shakes with nerves if an unknown man comes into the house. He's also scared of vans and slamming car doors.

He's happiest at home relaxing on his luxurious bed, with family around him. Happy to go for a walk, but not too far mind .

On the Evil Bum front, we've found a wheat free food that seems to suit him much better, with a drastic reduction in flatulence! With one son allergic to nuts and the other to wheat/gluten, he fits right in!

Not sure about the toe, but he was a very successful racer until he was five, and apparently toe injuries are very common (and often treated by amputation).

Ah, the grin!

And the bow. I love the bow. So... genteel!