Should I get a greyhound?

[AlreadyGone]

There's a greyhound thread a few years old which I've read and found very helpful. But there's still a few questions I'd really like help with.

We've been thinking about a dog for a while but couldn't decide / settle on the right breed.

Then a couple of weeks ago we met a beautiful greyhound. He was so calm and peaceful and friendly and tolerant I totally fell in love!! And then I find out they don't need hours of exercise - bonus!!!!!

But we do have 2 DCs, 7 & 5. We have a piano and a drum kit and generally sometimes they want to make quite a bit of noise.

Am I kidding myself? Are we just totally unsuited to have a greyhound?

Is it true they all need quiet homes?

Can they be trained to get used to kiddy noise?

Can they be taught to play?

Will they go to chase when on the lead and pull me over?

Where is the best place to buy pretty greyhounds coat?

Yes, mine (both boys) cock their legs all the time. They do little wees to cover where other dogs have been and seem to save their wee so it can last a whole walk!

My collie aged 9 is a boy and pees on everything everywhere when we r out.
He's also not very friendly with other male dogs.
My rescue collie that passed away last summer was a girlie and although she came in second she was in charge from day one.
We wanted a girl grey as we knew our collie wouldn't take as well to a male.
She's not pushy in the slightest. She's just happy to have a friend in the house
My female collie was always protective of the dc and wherever they were she was. She used to sleep under the Moses basket when youngest dd was born bless her.
Our grey seems to migrate towards the kids aswell so I think it's a natural instinct.
My male does pootle with the kids but grumps off to a corner for peace.

I genuinely find that the dog we bought as a puppy can be bearish and fussy where as all the rescues have always just been grateful for food a warm bed and cuddles.
I'm sure they really feel a bond as you have adopted them so they show their appreciation with affection and behaviour.
Ours has started a routine whereby when we get in the door we crouch down to her height and she will sniff and rub our necks and hair whilst wagging her tail ferociously and chattering her teeth so she's really coming out of her shell now.

I have a boy but he very rarely cocks his leg at all, most of the time he slightly squats to wee.

Mine did not cock his leg until he was well over 2yo - now he usually dose, but sometimes still crouches down to pee.
He does 'proper wees' to actually empty his bladder AND marks - distinct differences

He walks beautifully on lead, never pulls and although he will chase a squirrel going from 0 to 100mph when off lead, he does NOT give chase while on lead. I did not train him to do that - he came like that; lucky me.

Oh gosh, yes, the chattering of teeth: anything that exited him causes v noisy teeth chattering: me coming home, it looking like we're going out, anybody approaching the place where his food is kept at dinner time, a boy picking up a ball ready to throw it for him... anything can cause teeth chattering! or an inappropriate erection although that seems to have pretty much stopped since he turned 3

He is not very assertive to other dogs and will hide behind me if a small terrier or other small dogs barks at him.
He has (once! - but was very terrifying for all concerned) chased a submissive small white dog who did not come to any harm but it has made me more cautious about when/where/in what circumstances I let him off lead. I do think he now understands better that dogs come in all shapes and sizes (a lot of greyhounds only 'know' other greyhounds and don't understand other dogs' shapes/body language), but I'd rather be safe than sorry with smaller breeds.

Oh, in theory I always said that I would prefer a girl dog (4 DSs, male DH , male guinea pigs, so I feel a bit outnumbered...); in practice there are more male dogs in resuces (AND more black dogs. Nobody wants a black dog... ), so a boy it was because he matched what we were looking for (young, not raced, playful).

So...

We went to the kennels today and looked at our shortlist of 3 dogs. One boy was a bit too barky, the girl was a bit too jumpy and the last one (boy) was just right!!

He's really calm and gently and quiet. AND can play fetch with a ball!!!

He comes home at the weekend.

Thank you everyone for your help.

Yay
Congrats to you all 😀

Brilliant news! Let us know how you get on, and of course this is a great place to come if you need more advice when he's home.

Amazing!!! Congratulations 🐺

Oooh, lovely news! Congratulations

Congratulations! We'll need photos of course

That is wonderful news! Congratulations.

OK, I'm really starting to panic now. 😟

How can I train him to sleep downstairs, on his own?

Do I need a crate?

How often do I need to take him outside for 'toilet training' to begin with?

How often do I need to bath him?

I really don't want him upstairs. Am I really unrealistic?

Totally normal panic - you will be fine.

Our upstairs is dog-free zone - totally doable. We had a baby gate at a strategic junction in our house; he now knows he's not supposed to be upstairs (as an aside: he did not know what stairs were to start off with, then learnt how to go UP, but could not manage back DOWN. I carried all 5 1/2 st of him downstairs again more than once. Now, of course, he's fine to gallop down like a frigging deer if he does sneak up and gets told off...)

Bath - ours has never been bathed. Greys are so shorthaired that it is really easy to keep them clean and smelling nice. I have one of those rubber glove things - be prepared that yours is going to moult, losing his kennel coat once he adjusts to living in a warm house rather than a cooler kennel.

We had a crate to start - it was a good way to know where he was and to ensure he would not soil in the house. Our did one wee and one poo in the house in the first 24 hrs and that was it. He was very stressed and clearly this was an anxiety thing. He's had 2 further accidents in the house but those were both illness related. He is very good at letting us know when he needs/wants out.

When you first get him home, walk him around your house on a lead, giving treats all the time. Some will advocate to not let him inside until he has peed outside and you have treated him for that - I can in all honesty not remember whether we did that?
They catch on very quickly - they don't want to do their business where they live, and they would never have soiled their kennels. You just have to teach yours that your whole house is now his kennels

You do need to learn to 'speak dog' - everything a dog does is by 'what is in it for me?' which is why positive reinforcement works so well with dogs (treats/attention/favourite toy/favourite game).

Don't overthink it either - he will soon have you trained

Oh crap, another one of my essays - sorry

Thank you Pacific!!

DH seems to think crates are a bit ott and unnecessary. but then his childhood dog got expelled from obedience class I'll get one.

I think a crate is a good thing for a grey fresh from the track, but I wouldn't shut them in it, just leave it open as a place they can retreat to when they are overwhelmed.

If you don't want him upstairs, that's fine. He will get the idea pretty quickly. Our foster greyhound pooped in the house once, and then realised that she had done it in the wrong place and never did it again.

The first one couple of days you will be terrified and wondering if you've done the right thing. After a week, you should be feeling better.

I have a deerhound greyhound cross. He's very placid very chilled. He was 2 when our dc was born amd 6 when dd was born. He's 9 now. He loves them to bits but he does leave the room often when they come in to it, he's not too fussed about cuddles or attention. He has free roam of the house so I usually find him hiding on my bed sleeping.

Hates noise! In particular the pots and pans so he often runs from the kitchen at dinner time. He hates thunder and fireworks too.
He's my big softy, I love him and wouldn't change him for the world.

Congratulations! You'll be fine, they aren't the brightest of dogs but understand "no".

Would a babygate be out of the question? Crates I think are fine, but I'd leave the door open.

A really comfy dog bed in the corner somewhere would be better than a crate I reckon. They're proper comfort freaks and often like to lie on their backs with legs sticking in the air, something they can't do in a crate

They can also be fast when off the lead. They lack stamina which is why they don't need long walks. But somewhere where they can run full pelt is good. They're a bit dopey and can get injured easily as they run in to stuff or turn too quickly.
But they are so graceful when walking to heel, my dog has never pulled.

good luck - please post photos
They are wonderful dogs and once you understand they are not like dogs in many ways and see him running full pelt when he can do so safely you will be absolutely smitten.
They are good on the lead and both of mine rarely bark(ed) (so no annoying yapping).

They can roll in a crate if its big enough, but not all greyhounds do roach on their backs from past experience. Covering the crate makes a nice safe den for them to hide out in, useful if they're scared of fireworks/thunder.

You may find the greyhound gap advice stickies for new owners useful
greyhoundgap.proboards.com/board/50/advice-help

I bought the retired racing greyhound for dummies book pre getting my greyhounds years ago and that was very comprehensive & useful for lots of stuff.

Its much like getting a puppy early on with the socialistation to various things, teaching them what the house rules are & toilet training, its same principle take outside frequently & plenty of praise/treat rewards when the go and it also trains you to recognise the signs they want to go out which from experience can be quite subtle.

Don't be afraid to make use of the muzzle on walks, you'll get the odd comment but it does allow you to relax while your not 100% sure of how your greyhound will react to things & they're used to wearing them so isn't a hardship, though they'll try to rub it off on your legs when not busy walking.
i found clicker training has worked well with my greyhounds, Kikopup has lot of good videos & can explain it better than i can.

You're right mollie they're not like dogs in so many ways. Dogs annoy me and I don't actually really like them but I love my deerhound/grey cross. The only other dog I've been fond of was my friends rescuee grey.

Yes they do like a dark space to hide, a crate is good for that. We have an under the stairs den so never needed one.

How exciting OP. Is the boy you picked the one in the photo you posted?

I think greyhounds vary much more in temperament than many people realise. My four year old foster boy was like a very overgrown puppy! He loved to play and nothing in the house was safe from him.

Enjoy, and try not to stress too much. You'll be fine.