Whippets and greyhounds.

[gerbo]

We are starting to think seriously about adopting a rescue dog. I'm here to ask about whippets and greyhounds as from all my reading, they seem good breeds to have with children (mine are 11 and 13). They also look very beautiful, seem calm and like to sleep after walks...?

Can anyone with these dogs tell me if they think they're a good pet to have with children? Any information gratefully received. I have gleaned that they're a cliche 'great pet' on Mumsnet. I guess I'd like to ask for experiences of these breeds.

There seem to be a lot of these breeds and Lurchers too, in rescues I've investigated. Is there a reason for this? If they've been racers, so they want to zoom away on lead?

Any info gratefully received!

Ps we're up for good, short or pretty long walks and play but would prefer a calm dog. Does this sound right?!

We got ours from the greyhound trust. She was too timid to race so less than 2yo when we got her.
I asked for a small quiet girl and that's what we got.

7 months down the line and she's loving, cheeky, awesome off lead and so much fun.

Because she never raced she has no prey drive and ignores small furries. She has a walk at lunchtime every day, the rest of the time she goes to the back door to be let out.
She has a mad hour about 6pm and may bark to play. Other than that she sleeps most of the day. She has a coat for walks, if I'm wearing mine, she wears hers.
She also has a jumper for nighttime, if it's not on, she wakes up cold.

I'd recommend a greyhound any day and would love another. The greyhound trust were amazing

PS. We got ours last summer and she's best friends with our 5yo

After so much research and a lot of phone calls, we're almost there!!
It seems we're going ahead with adopting a 4 year old boy! We're having a zoom home check, then hopefully will pick him up at the weekend.

Re things to get ready, I have listed:
3x single duvets to use as cosy beds (on recommendation)
Water and food stand
Treats and couple of toys
Night time fleecey coat
Lead/harness/collar - although I think they give us these
Food (same as they use) - again, think were given some

The charity said don't bother with a crate.

Any other tips for a newbie?!?!

I know we'll need grooming mitt, toothbrush and paste too. Oh and poo bags!

A nice collar - I like Slouching Hound martingales
A outdoor coat Milgi are lovely, but my dogs favourite indoor coats are by Spuds just because pointy hounds in onesies are hilarious. And the dinosaur pjs make everyone laugh
Our hounds love Treats2sit4

Congratulations on your forthcoming pointy! You meet so many lovely people with a hound

If you're going to let him on sofas/armchairs, a couple of cheap throws might be useful. We got the toothbrush and toothpaste but I never quite got the hang of it - regular chews on an ostrich bone have worked wonders.

As well as the kibble you'll get from the Trust, think about what you might put on it. We put half a tin of Butchers on morning and afternoon (subbing with sardines or tuna - not in brine - a couple of times a week). Mornings, we put on a bit of sunflower oil, oats and Greek yoghurt as well. You'll find all sorts of conflicting views! But do look up what they definitely shouldn't have - so grapes, raisins, chocolate, onions and so on.

Remember never to turn your back on a plate of meat, cooked or raw, and a greyhound at the same time......

We found Mary Fox's book "Understanding Greyhounds" really helpful.

Mostly, though, enjoy your hound, try to be chilled and remember it'll usually take several months before they fully settle in.

Plenty of storage space on your phone for the thousands of pics you will be taking!!
Don't forget to share!!

@gerbo - how exciting!!

You will LOVE having a greyhound - but do be prepared for "buyer's remorse" for the first couple/three weeks. I went through a period of hectic panic when we brought out hound home first and was really unsettled. The lovely people on the doghouse here told me this was totally normal and would pass, and indeed it did. We are now 4 years in and love our hound.

For fun, look up Richard Skipworth.

www.ecosia.org/images?q=richard%20skipworth

Re. poo bags, hounds poo quite a lot - we belong to a church and have everyone there collect bread bags which are much better for picking up poo in my humble opinion than the nappy bag type affairs - and also waste less plastic!

Enjoy!!

Oh yes, and don't forget quite how tall they are. The first weekend we had ours she had two victoria sponges (destined for the summer fete) off the side.....

Tall pointy hounds =food thief. At Xmas ddog ate 6 mince pies!
Thankfully still here to tell the tale...
This week she ate 4 hard boiled eggs that were cooling in a pan on the back of the bench...
She stinks!!

Don't forget insurance. Ours is from Bought by many

We also have a vet health plan which covers flea and worm treatments, claw clipping and teeth cleaning, plus as many vet or nurse appointments as we need.

Antlers are great for chewing. We've had ours 6 months and her teeth are in great condition

If you're on Facebook join the retired greyhound group, its amazing for tips and advice

Also, I'm not sure about the wisdom of not having a crate. We had one to start with - it's redundant now but when we first had her and she didn't really know about staying in the house and stuff when we did things like bring the shopping in, it meant we could leave the front door open if we put her in her crate. Now she doesn't even make it off the sofa if the door opens - if she opens an eye it's a bonus.....

If you're anywhere in the West Country I'm very happy to loan (semi permanent as it's just stored in the cellar) the crate.

I would want to meet the greyhound before accepting. Call them back and insist!

I love greys but not their giant sloppy poos.

I have a lurcher, goodness knows what her mix is, she's sort of a small fat deerhound. Lovely temperament, a bit dim but very loveable and friendly. She's a bit scared of children though actually.

@DarlingWithoutYou

I would want to meet the greyhound before accepting. Call them back and insist!

I love greys but not their giant sloppy poos.

We had a home check and then went to the rescue centre and were introduced to 4 hounds of which we chose one and came home. I would imagine the same for the OP.

We only had sloppy poos when she ate a bag of prawn crackers from the Chinese takeout

This popped up on my FB today - thought you might like it - www.bluethegrey.com/10-reasons-not-to-adopt-a-greyhound?fbclid=IwAR11foXQnrVxajD3atNruSDt-hY7-88EVbwKKroyHQE4ykfJ6t4kUhJBzMY

What an amazing link to click!!

Love that Steamfan!

Spent the day preparing our house, and visited the local pet shop for lots of things / grooming kit, toothpaste and brush, toys, treats for training, urine cleaner, etc etc. Have ordered my food and water stand and some shampoo.....the list goes on.

Dunelm has provided Uber cheap duvets and covers which are washing now.

I don't think I'll sleep a lot this week 😊

DarlingWithoutYou, unfortunately due to covid, meeting the dogs just isn't possible. We're going on faith and trust in the professionals.

The time frame is perfect with 2 weeks at home for Easter straight away to work on toilet training etc.

I'm crossing my fingers hugely.