Adopting a retired racing greyhound

[KitKat1985]

After much research and thought, we have reserved to adopt a 2 year old retired female greyhound (retired young due to injury). If anyone has also done this, how did you find it and how did you make it easier for them to transition from 'kennel life' to 'pet dog' life? Is there anything I need to particularly do, or not do, in the first few weeks?

This is a good place to start:

greyhoundgap.proboards.com/thread/29756/new-hound-home

Forget stretching out on the couch. Greyhound doggos love to sleep.

We have two ex racing greyhounds and it was the best decision we ever made. They’re such characters and it’s such a joy to watch them come out of their shell once they settle and realise they’re home.

A couple of things we found from getting ours, they are expert counter surfers so keep anything you don’t want to end up in their mouth/tummy firmly out of reach. Stairs are often a challenge when they first arrive home, some like our older boy suss them fairly quickly, whereas others take a while to get to grips with them, either refusing entirely or going up and then getting stuck coming down. Same goes for hard floors, we ended up picking some carpet off cuts up cheaply to cover up ours and help them find their way around. Finally the greyhound scream of death is very much a thing, the first time you hear it your blood will run cold and you will assume they’re dying, they’re not, it’s usually a stubbed toe. In our experience the injuries where they’re quiet have usually been the worst.

All that said, they’re honestly the most loving, rewarding dogs out there and I have no doubt you’ll have lots of fun with your new girlie.

We once calculated that our retired greyhound lay horizontal at least 22 hours out of a 24hr day on average!

She is likely to not be used to different types of dogs as she has been in racing all her short life. We used a muzzle for the first month (was used to it from kennels) and never let him off the lead generally. Just as well because the first time he met a Yorkshire terrier he thought it was a rabbit! We did a lot of safe and controlled socialisation with a group in the local park soon after that.

Enjoy, it was fun having a greyhound

We love our greyhound, he's been with 2 years. They can vary quite a bit in terms of how they adapt to life in a home. We're in contact with a few rehomed greys and their families now. They all have some things in common: uncertainty around other breeds, and prey drive, as well as being sofa hogging gorgeous pets, calm with people.

We hire a secure field to let ours off lead. This is only worth it if we're prepared to run too, otherwise he just sniffs around next to me! However I can't let.him off lead anywhere else, he'll charge off after anything he sees and has very dubious recall.

Yes to greyhound scream of death and eating anything he can reach (which is most things!).

Some people advise not going for walks for a week or two, to allow them to decompress. Just go steady and remember it's takes a long time for them to feel at home. We thought ours settled in straight away, but looming back it was 6 months before he started playing and getting more character.

Enjoy your new addition.

I wish I'd really thought about what a huge change it is for them. I have a very nervous hound who freezes on walks all the time and I've had to go back to square one and I only walk some days and then for about 20 mins in a quiet carpark. He's just been too triggered. Rescue didn't help at all and said he was bullet proof. I spent so many hours stuck with a dog who would not move.

I regretted it for a long time but have turned a corner now and I adore him, and he makes my life so much richer . I hope that at some point we can enjoy walks together but for now I am taking it at his pace. If I was to start again that's what I do . Look up trigger stacking .

Greys can also get separation anxiety so be aware. Mine does but I am working through it and he is fine with 30 minutes now and I am gradually extending by following the Julie Naismith plan and I think this is going to work. He's on anxiety medication which js allowing the training to work.

Mine learnt stairs of his own volition, when he was ready. In fact I'm learning this is how he operates best ! Everything on his time.

He does the scream but it doesn't bother me now, he does it a lot as he's a drama queen, sometimes it's just when j pick his foot up gently, or other times it's when I stand on his toe. Each time he screams he then leans in for a cuddle!

I have several friends who’ve adopted greyhounds and they’re absolutely delightful as pet dogs. I’ve considered it myself after watching a programme with Annette Crosbie (one foot in the grave) who rescues greyhounds.
Now to go part time at work…

There are 2 rescued, retiredgreyhounds on my estate & I just love them both, they have both adapted well it seems with a bit of patience! 1 is absolutely full of scars & is a bit nervous but wants to have a fuss off me but just can’t quite do it!

both are totally dedicated to their owners & you can tell they love them completely- the literally look up to their owners every few seconds, they’re beautiful dogs!

good luck 😃

@stillherenow it's so difficult when they freeze on walks, sounds like you've been through it with your boy. I've know if others who freeze and it can be a long route to get through it.

Not too much to add that others haven’t. We’ve only got the one, and we love him so.

Possibly never off leash (we aren’t willing to risk it), and a muzzle for the first while at least as they get used to other breeds. Then you will know if on or off is doable. Some may never get past seeing small dogs as prey.

Plenty of space as they settle in. Let them explore but be firm about keeping them off the bed and such. You’ll probably see them open up a bit after two weeks but it really does take a full six months or more before their full character starts showing. They’ll have been moved around a lot, especially just as they’ve retired. So they are probably expecting to be carted off again.

They probably will freeze. Long term I find you’ve just got to show them you will be willing to drag them. Sounds awful (and you’ll get funny looks), but ours froze up because we took a left when he wanted to take a right. He wanted to be in charge of the walk (and still does, so he tries a little non-commital freeze but gives up on it and happily joins me when I pull him for a few steps)

Absolutely no regrets though. I feel it’s better to have a dog that struggles to keep up with me rather than one that I can’t give enough exercise too. Plus they tend to be nice and quiet and gently affectionate rather than jumping all over you.

We had one. She slept a lot and hardly walked anywhere. She always ran.

She passed away after 4 months. Vet thinks it was a heart attack.

@TigerRag thats incredibly tragic. I’m sorry for your loss

@Roodog thank you yes it's been hard. I've found it seems to work best if he can still see the car . He was always worse coming back so I thought it was part stubbornness but now I think it's because he's been scared on the way (without any obvious signs ), and doesn't want to go back that way , but if he can see the car he's fine and trots along no problem . So carparks work well. I have tried dragging which works to an extent when he's thinking about freezing but not most of the time and not if he's stopped. The worst freezes are when he's totally overhreshold and he won't move for love nor money and I have to lay a treat trail for every single step. I do all I can to avoid these now. He's much better if it's not just me - so summer hols should help us do a few longer walks with dd in tow .

Yes to everything people have said. You definitely need raised water and food bowls, lots of soft places around the house for them to flop and roach in (they are too bony to be comfortable on the floor), and positive training only. Best dogs I've ever owned. True soul dogs.
Just to add, if you are on Instagram, there is a really helpful and active rescued greyhound community. Most are very experienced and you'll find support and advice if you need it at any time of day or night. I would also say that most vets I have come across aren't that familiar with greyhounds and I found I had to shop around a bit to find someone who knew what they were doing.
It's so rewarding - I'm a bit jealous!

For the first few days just let her do her own thing. My first grey wouldn’t get off his bed for 24 hours, wouldn’t eat and wouldn’t wee. Decided he was scared of the kitchen (where the door to the garden was) but we just gave him space and he quickly realised that we were friendly. He’d had a hard time before we got him but once he felt safe he was fine. I agree that it took about 6 mi the first his full personality to shine through and then he was such a clown.

They are opportunists and no food or sleeping surface is safe. We used to close our bedroom door to stop him making nests out of the duvet. You can bet the one time the door didn’t click shut he was right in there. He also trapped himself in there by kicking a pillow off the bed and wedging the door shut…

They’re generally not the brightest but they do thrive on consistency and routine. We couldn’t train ours like you can a Labrador, but over time of saying ‘wait’ when we waited to cross a road, and ‘back’ when he was trying to squeeze out of the door before I could open it he actually learned what these ‘commands’ meant.

We let ours off lead in certain places as he was a bit nervous and would always come back to us for protection! It’s not for every dog, and certainly not every location, but you might find a situation that works for you. They look beautiful when running (for 5 minutes and then they’re tired).

We lost our last greyhound in November but will hopefully be adopting again early next year. I’ve been fostering some little dogs in the meantime and although they are tiny, cute fluff balls that will play fetch and you can pick up when they get into mischief, nothing beats the tall grace (and clowning ability) of a greyhound. Good luck.

My DD used to be terrified of dogs when she was little ( we found out later it was the spit and dribble so when owners said "Oh he'll lick you to death" it wasn't what she wanted to hear )

We used to meet some in the park , these beautiful , elegant , quiet , non dribbly dogs gradually won her round
(Ds got PowerLeaned on ! He loved it)
One owner with a muzzled dog re-assured DD by telling her the hound would hoover up any food which was why she was muzzled (but told me later the dog would kill anything small if not muzled )

We've had a retired racer for a couple of years and don't regret it at all. We were very well matched with a greyhound who was good for first time owners - he's very charming and amiable. I don't think they're at all dim but they are a bit like cats - they tend only to do things on their terms. Ours got house training and stairs straightaway and fairly quickly got the hang of getting up (a lot) later than he was used to in kennels. He was perfectly happy with a muzzle when we walked him from the kennels but really objected when we got him home, so we didn't bother. They do seem to calm down on the prey drive front over time.

We started recall training after about 3 months and he's (mostly) very good and will either come back or go past an on lead dog without stopping. Depending on the type/severity of the injury that yours had she may not be safe running, but if she is, it's amazing watching them run at full pelt either on their own or doing it to tease other, slower dogs.

We didn't leave ours on his own for a long time until we thought he was secure enough to deal with it, popped out for half an hour, rather than building up (and he was fine) and now we are able to leave him for up to a couple of hours. We have a camera but he basically doesn't move.

Thank you for all of your replies. It's been really helpful. We have a second 'date' with our greyhound today (sadly too hot to take her for a walk) but we are in love with her! Have our home check on Tuesday so fingers crossed that goes well. x

Don't think anyone has mentioned 'Retired Greyhounds' by Carol Baby yet. I found it very useful (preciously had dogs but not greys).

We've rescued three, sadly our first died in January. They are fantastic pets, but quirky, so you will need to spend time getting used to each other. Never force anything, is my advice. They think a lot for themselves, and spend a lot of time observing and absorbing in the first months, and I find them an incredibly stubborn breed. Frequently on walks both of mine decide they want to go different directions to each other and I'm stuck arms out with a dog facing different directions for ten minutes while they battle it out (the girl always wins). My three have very different personalities. The boy follows me everywhere and hoiks his 35 kg on me the minute I sit on a sofa. He doesn't even let me pee in peace. Mine live with two cats, so prey drive isn't that bad for all of them. Squirrels are a different matter, though,

There's a YouTuber called JennaMarbles who no longer posts. She and her partner Julien rescued a retired greyhound after a lot of research and vlogged some of it. Those videos may help! I think it was monthly for a while. They now also foster.

Mary Fox’s “Understanding Greyhounds” is really useful - lots of historical context as well.

And one of the best things I insisted on from the start was not letting ours follow me into the bathroom, even though he used to whine outside the door. He doesn’t do that now but will still often bound upstairs with me and sit outside in the chicken pose.

DD and her husband went to look at young retired greyhounds but fell in love with an old lady of 7 whose first adopter had gone into a nursing home.

Lazy is an understatement, but she is the centre of their life. One thing that worried them at first was her chittering teeth, but then they found out she was expressing happiness!

Getting a greyhound is one of the best things I've ever done. She's my best mate and cuddles up on the sofa every night.

I bought all the gear in anticipation of ours and wasted a lot of money. She never went in the crate, ate her beds, ignored toys for a long time.

I recommend a cosy dogs harness, all the others were a waste of time. We have a coat for out doors (if you wear one, so does she).
She has a fleece onesie to sleep in, in winter, plus a couple of jumpers that people have knit for her.
Don't buy any clothes that aren't meant for greys, they will be too big on the chest and probably not long enough.

Ours was too timid to race and has no prey drive. She went up to sniff a cat, which swiped her and now she's terrified of all cats.

She's very anxious when out, something will freak her out and set us back. Consistency is key. She used to refuse to go for a walk but I put her harness on and took her anyway. She is not keen on other dogs so if she's off lead, I put her back on if one approaches - she has been known to run home.

If you're on Facebook, there's a good group for retired greyhounds. They've been very helpful with advice in the past.

Feel free to PM