Tell me about greyhounds...

[Boynamedsue]

Please DH and I would love a dog. We both work full time but I would be working from home once a week and would pop home at lunchtime on the other days for a quick walk and a cuddle . We are thinking about rescuing a greyhound. Anybody have one? Would they be OK for a few hours alone? We have a big garden but it's not really secure so I'm also worried rescues might not be keen to rehome to us. Would be grateful of any knowledge you have to impart!

My friend has two. They take up so much space! Their breaths stink, and they eat lots.

But they are placid calm friendly giants who only need 20mins walk twice a day.

If you've got a big car, wide hallway and large living room I'd say go for it!

A secure garden is a must - absolutely essential. Most greyhound rescues insist on a minimum of 6ft fencing usually for very good reasons. Get that sorted before you start approaching rescues.

I have 2, i adopted the first pair (my first ever dogs) whilst i was out working full-time (8hrs)& could pop home for lunch to take them out, not all the breed rescues are ok with those hours but many are. It depends on the dog how they cope, many do fine but some may need more human /dog company. Your best to work on alone training early on to try to avoid separation anxiety issues arising anyway . Have a read through the pinned help topics on new hounds greyhoundgap.proboards.com/board/50/advice-help

Generally if you have a garden it needs to be secure (either in full or area nearest house ) to pass a home check and a 6ft boundary will allow much more choice with regards rescues/suitable dogs. Check the rescue is assessing the dogs well, you want to know what their character is like and prey drive (it varies) and how they are around other breeds as they often don't meet any whilst racing so may not view them as dogs. If they need to get along with children some are better suited.

I love Greyhounds, find them very calming and easy to live with, maybe large (breed size varies greatly my male is 26" 27kg friends male is 32" 45kg) but they don't move about a great deal indoors. I think most healthy greys would enjoy more than just 2x20mins but they tend to be happy with whats on offer & still sleep 23hrs a day. Most don't like getting wet even with a coat on. Greys are sneaky thieves so if you leave food in reach (even in bin) they may help themselves. They're trainable, but you have to make it worth their while & are prone to selective deafness if something catches their attention.

Healthwise, there more prone to running injuries and have paper thin skin that tears easily. Sensitive to heat/cold due to lack of insulation and can overheat with exertion when warm. Teeth can be poor, Arthritis from past wear & tear, corns on paw pads & like many long limbed breeds are more susceptible to bone cancer .

Thanks everyone for your replies. Unfortunately due to the layout there is not much we can do to secure the garden. I did think it might be a problem but I know our local rescue will rehome to apartments so thought if no garden is an issue maybe unsecured would be OK.

Call your local rescue, most are open to questions and will be honest. We were a failed foster family with our hound (she passed away last year) and had no intention of getting a dog due to my long work hours.

Our hound was happy to be left up to 7 hours (with tv or radio on) with 2 long walks either end of the day. I have never known a breed of dog to sleep as much as a hound does!

She was a perfect family dog for us, she died have a massive desire to be a lap dog though!

You'll just have to check with rescue involved it may not be an issue for them, but i know they can be more suspicious when its an unsecured garden over no garden at all because the adopter's are more likely to be tempted to let the dog off when they've a garden, they may believe the dog will stay within the boundary until it strays & the outcome can be tragic.

It does help having place dogs can toilet nearby even if it does mean leashing up every time they need to go out any time of day/weather, when they've dire-rear or feeling sick & feels like endless trips out usually during the night or when its chucking it down with rain. On the plus side i find when you accompany them out you know they've definitely gone, not just dithered about or rushed back in to avoid wet/cold & it helps if they need some toilet training refreshing as difficult to reward when they go if your still indoors .

Thanks Scatty, that does make sense I guess. We would never let the dog in the garden unleashed (we are surrounded by dog tempting fields!) but the rescue would only have our word for that. I'll give them a call today, see what they say. Thanks everyone.

Don't know if you are in the SE, OP, but if you are, it's the Great Greyhound Extravaganza this weekend at Newmarket. There will be loads of stalls there from SE based greyhound rescues - you'll be able to meet lots and lots of dogs (some needing homes) and chat with the various rescues about their homing policies. There's also lots of nice stalls to browse round, a dog show and a general nice day out.

Spare a thought for a lurcher too... many have similar characteristics to greyhounds (mine is currently asleep on the sofa next to me), they take up a bit less room on the whole, and some of them have slightly tougher skin. The rescue we got ours from rehomes to apartments, and if an owner has to walk out with the hound mornings and evenings, it's not a problem as long as they have thought through the issue.

Not SE scuttle, unfortunately because that sounds like just the sort of thing we need to go to! Funnily enough mistle I was looking at lurcher link today. We've definitely not ruled our lurchers!

lurchers (dependent on their cross) are beautiful dogs - all the grace and dignity of a greyhound with often the furry/fluffy coat of a collie or other cross. Do check out the lurchers on the rescue sites.
my lurcher (prejudiced I know) although now old is as others have said - snooze a lot, loyal, rarely bark and once you have experienced these beautiful hounds you will be smitten.
Collie/greyhound cross

We're very fortunate - got a mixed household here of greyhounds AND a lurcher. That's even better.

OP, there's a Northern Greyhound Gathering, a Scottish Greyhound Gathering and the Great Greyhound Gathering at Stoneleigh in September. So lots of lovely events to look forward to . There is also a Sighthounds Walks and Events page on FB which is worth a look as that lists lots of pointy events. One nice thing about pointies is that owners are very sociable folk and we spend the summer going to masses of walks, picnics, events etc.

Thanks again everyone, you've given us a lot to think about. Looked up the northern greyhound gathering and we'll definitely go along, sounds like a great opportunity to chat to owners and rescues (and fall in love with some dogs!)

I totally love my lurcher. She's a greyhound crossed with...other stuff. (Rescue really didn't know.)

Positives: loves everybody, especially children; gentle; fun-loving and bouncy; cuddly; not greedy about food; not slobbery or smelly.

Negatives: recall is dreadful, v prey-driven, stubborn, LOTS of energy - has to be walked much longer than average greyhound! (1 hr a day bare minimum, ideally 1.5 - 2)

I have lurchers too - one more greyhoundy, one more whippety. I luffs them, even though ddog1 is a bit dim. They have all the positives Koala lists, but mine recall, don't have prey drive (we have 3 cats, they are currently bimbling in the garden with the chickens), and though they love a big run in the woods, are quite content with a quick trundle or no walk at all if life works out that way. Or its raining. DDog1 in particular doesn't do rain at all.

They do like company though, so in your situation I would think about getting two so they have each other. Ddog1 really is so much happier since ddog2 arrived to run round with, and argue with over toys