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The doghouse

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Any Greyhound owners around?

47 replies

blackgreyhound · 04/04/2018 14:54

We are going to meet a little greyhound tomorrow who we are hoping to adopt. I've always wanted an ex-racer but because of our circumstances it wasn't really possible (old dog didn't like other dogs, have a cat, have small children) but I've found a young girl who was never raced as she doesn't have much of a chase drive.
Anyway, please tell me everything I need to know! I've done research of course but I don't know anyone who actually owns one. AS on here tells me they often sleep with their eyes open- is this common?
I've heard a bit about them having really sensitive stomachs and easily getting stomach upsets?
Also I see a lot of people in our local park with greys off lead, does anyone have one that can be off lead and if so how did you get there? (We're a loooong way off that, I know!)
Any other quirks/ common problems or issues you've experienced?
Thanks!

OP posts:
Flippetydip · 06/04/2018 12:08

re. home check - they will mostly (if ours was anything to go by) be looking for a safe and secure garden when she can't get out of. Have you got relatively high fences?

Whydidyoucallmethat · 06/04/2018 12:41

When I read threads like these, I’m always amazed that anybody would choose a dog that isn’t a sight hound. I’m biased of course but they really are the perfect dog - laid back, loving, happy to be left, don’t need too much excercise. Yes, the less said about recall the better! We have lurchers and they have cast iron stomachs - they will literally eat anything (whether they were meant to or not!) and have never been bothered, even after the half block of Parmesan. They are so lovely I have to stay away from rescue sites as I would take them all if I could.

MiaowTheCat · 06/04/2018 12:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Earthmover · 06/04/2018 13:05

My whippet gets on fine with cats indoors but let her out in the garden when the cat is there and blood will be spilled.
Totally different reaction.
Just a word of warning.
Some of the families cats have had a few close calls despite a seemingly pleasant introduction indoors.

blackgreyhound · 06/04/2018 14:31

Flippety yes, we have high fences. Over 6ft.
The cat thing's really making me anxious to be honest, we have quite a small and oddly laid out flat- I've got ideas for the short term but long term it'd be difficult to keep them completely apart. I'm thinking now it might be better to have the dog in with us (in her own bed!) overnight but she won't be toilet trained and we have carpet in the bedroom! I'm overthinking it, we'll have to play it by ear a bit but I'm worrying!

OP posts:
baublegirl454 · 07/04/2018 12:41

We have a lurcher and cats, they are fine but it took a while. We have a pet gate to close the dogs in the kitchen at night, and it has a cat flap in the bottom so the cats can still get through. I'd recommend that. Also do you have high places where you could feed the cat and put abed, so it has safe space? That will help

user1494670108 · 08/04/2018 03:29

A lot depends on the cat to be honest, some cats run, some cats hiss and put the dog in its place. The latter will mostly be fine - we had a Lurcher and a cat and still have the dog and also a guinea pig, while I wouldn't entirely trust the dog with the g pig, he doesn't bother with it at all and the cat was sleeping on him within about a week.
They both wanted to sit with me on the sofa, dog got there first so cat climbed across dogs head to get nearer, we couldn't believe it!

ThePlatypusAlwaysTriumphs · 08/04/2018 03:39

Congratulations! Retired greys make the best pets! I do a lot of work with them (vet) and they are my recommendation to everyone.

I've not found too many of them with sensitive dtomachs, but they do have sensitive ears and they are always prone to injury! Have fun!

MiaowTheCat · 08/04/2018 07:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TangledSlinky · 10/04/2018 15:29

Greyhound mumma here! And definitely agree greyhounds make the best pets!

We've had our boy just over a year now and wouldn't change him for the world. He's such a character and so full of love. I can't comment on the cat front as our boy would scale a 6ft fence to catch a cat if he saw one, but our learnings so far have been...

The scream of death will chill your blood the first time you hear it...honestly nothing can prepare you for it and you will expect to find limbs hanging off...invariably it'll turn out to be a stubbed toe! Silent injuries are by far the worst, we can usually tell he's hurt as he'll just run to us and demand to be cuddled better. Our biggest injuries to date have involved zooming into fences that he hasn't realised are there and eating mouldy food that we thought was out of reach during a fridge clearout. If your bin is in sight I'd also recommend hiding it!

Equally there is no smell like a greyhound's butt! Ours can clear a room in seconds and tends to wait until we have friends over or are out in company before unleashing his special brand of chemical warfare!

No work surface will be safe! Our boy will merrily counter surf given the opportunity, often evidenced by a hotchpotch of items being hidden in his bed when we return. We've basically learnt that nothing is safe from his clutches if he wants it and that he has slightly klepto tendencies but generally he just likes to keep them safe rather than trashing them. He also loves soft toys and will steal them wherever possible...sadly he's not quite as gentle with these and will usually leave a trail of stuffing in his wake so worth bearing in mind if you have little ones about.

Recall can be patchy and prey drive is generally pretty strong (although this can vary hound to hound). We don't let our boy off lead unless we're in an enclosed area as we know his recall isn't 100% and we have no hope of getting him to pay attention if he spots a rabbit or squirrel as he becomes blinkered to anything else. This is getting better with training, but for some it's nigh on impossible to train a recall response over their natural prey drive.

Greyhound cuddles make the world a better place! Our boy is often convinced he's a lap dog despite his size and loves a good snuggle! It's particularly special when he comes over for a lean. Don't be alarmed by the chattering of teeth, it's a sign of contentment. As is nibbling/nipping or "knitting" at arms, sleeves or in our boy's case duvets! Although he tends to be worse if I'm wearing a baggy jumper/batwing style top. Usually it's cute, but sometimes he can go a bit overboard which hurts a little but is usually rectified with a little yelp.

They do feel weather extremes worse than most dogs, so invest in a good wardrobe. We found Redhound to be great for outdoor coats and fleeces. In summer heatstroke can be a worry so we tend to wet a tshirt and pop it on him or soak a tea towel to lay over him whilst he sleeps. We also have a paddling pool for him to play in.

Greyhounds do have a habit of sleeping with their eyes open and can easily startle if approached whilst asleep without warning. Our boy thankfully isn't too bad for this, other than the occasional jump, but I have heard of owners being bitten by a startled greyhound so it's worth being mindful of not doing anything that might surprise her.

If you have any glass patio doors or the like you're best taping them with a criss cross of masking tape for the first few weeks as greyhounds in full zoom don't tend to register glass and can make for a nasty accident. We tend to avoid shutting the door when ours goes out for a wee, much for the same reason.

I'm sure there's a million other things I've forgotten, so will update if anything else comes to mind. Best of luck with your girly!

blackgreyhound · 13/04/2018 21:35

Just to update- she's here! We picked her up on Wednesday, she has had 2 wee accidents in the house, and done the rest outside, all poo in the garden and one in the street. She's amazingly beautiful, fantastic with the children, holds in all her wee/poo during her long walks until we get home but she's getting there. She's doing so so well with the cat and I can't go anywhere or do anything in the house without her stuck to my right thigh. She's always after a fuss, pinches dummies and slippers and plays so nicely. I love her!

Any Greyhound owners around?
OP posts:
blackgreyhound · 13/04/2018 21:38

Thank you for all the advice, I feel like I knew what to expect a lot more!

OP posts:
Bringmejavabringmejoy · 13/04/2018 21:48

Oh congratulations 😀 Lucky girl to have found a lovely family - enjoy!

Wolfiefan · 13/04/2018 22:07

Oh she's a beauty. I'm not surprised you're in love. I too have a Velcro cuddle hound. They're the best! Grin

MyGirlDaisy · 14/04/2018 22:42

Gorgeous girl, glad to hear she is doing so well, fabulous dogs!

wooster16 · 14/04/2018 22:49

Best dogs ever! So loving cuddly and with such gentle temperaments. Love mine.

Flippetydip · 16/04/2018 14:42

She looks just like mine!

Enjoy your lovely hound :)

Any Greyhound owners around?
blackgreyhound · 04/05/2018 21:18

I wanted to update this thread in case any of you see it because you were all so helpful! We're 3 weeks in and she's fantastic, will mostly go to the toilet in the park, going less in the garden and nothing in the house this week. Muzzle indoors unless the cat is in (which he usually isn't because our balcony type garden is in the full sun so he's out there mostly in nicer weather). They've been left inside together when I do the school run and she hasn't been too near him so as to upset him which I can be sure of because he lays on the back of the sofa with a side door escape route and he's been there when I got back. She nicks shoes, slippers or socks when she's unmuzzled. She leaves dummies alone now. I still can't do anything without her following but I'm used to it! We love love love her 😍. Thank you for giving me the confidence to go for it!

OP posts:
SooChef · 04/05/2018 21:41

I was thinking about you today, OP, and wondering how your girl was settling in 😊 So glad she's found a loving home and that you're besotted with her. We told you greyhounds are the best dogs ever 😀

userxx · 05/05/2018 23:32

Pointy dogs are the best 😍

Wolfiefan · 05/05/2018 23:34

Lovely update OP.

Tatie3 · 07/05/2018 20:08

Congratulations op, greyhounds are just the best pets ever! We have have a 4 year old retired racer and he's the calmest most gentle and loving creature.

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