Why would anyone want a greyhound/ whippet?

[Nightshift24]

In my experience the prey drive is so strong in these dogs that they will hunt wildlife to the point that they cannot be let them off the lead incase they go for a rabbit or squirrel. That’s fine if they have responsible owners but many people continue to let them off. I know greyhounds that have killed cats. They have even been known to go for small dogs. What are the redeeming features?

I had no idea they were that bad. I through all dogs had a strong prey drive tbh.
From my pov I’ve always thought they look lovely and need less walking than other dogs. I haven’t got one though as really don’t know enough about dogs!

@Nightshift24 Are you a dog owner? Or are you just making up stupid suggestions which in fact you actually know nothing about? It seems to me like this would be the case

so which dogs are good boys? 🤣

When people actually want to keep local rabbit and grey squirrel populations down they tend to get lurchers not greyhounds.

I think a thread attempting to demonise them is awful as so many need homes, and if a significant portion of dog owners were really honest with what they can give to a dog, what needs they can actuallymeet, they would get a greyhound rather than a cockerpoo, working spaniel, working lab, pointer, working gsd etc.

This is perfectly put.

I know SO many dog owners that bite off more than they can chew. A great big GSD or xl bully, or Rottweiler, or badly trained working dog. Dogs barking their heads off in the garden at all hours of the day. Dogs that pull on the lead and bark at other dogs. Owners that can’t go to a pub or cafe because they can’t take their dog, they wouldn’t behave. Dogs that hate being left alone.

All of these people would be better off with a greyhound! They don’t mind only two short walks, they don’t mind being left alone, they will just sleep on the floor in a cafe/restaurant, they don’t pull on the lead, don’t bark, not fussed by other dogs. They are not very intelligent and don’t need a huge amount of mental stimulation like a collie etc would.

It’s also a moral decision to adopt an adult dog waiting for a home, rather than support puppy farms or breeders. A retired greyhound would be thrilled with a folded old duvet on the floor to sleep on, in a one-bedroom flat. As long as there is someone to love them, and a warm bed, they are content. And there’s so many of them waiting for homes. Yet people will get unsuitable badly bred puppies in unsuitable homes instead. And then can’t cope with them and sell them on gumtree, or dump them. Or leave them locked up all day barking.

Hear hear.

Absolutely.
I went for a big walk in the forest this weekend, with friends and our dogs. Dogs were naturally let off lead, and gosh the look on their faces, they were just so happy running, swimming, jumping and sniffing everywhere. Just pure joy.
You can't have such a happy face with a walk on the lead.
I can't imagine having a dog and not trying to make it as happy as possible.

Some do, lots don’t. That’s why many end up in rescue at a young age - little, to no, prey drive so no good at racing. I had a failed racer, she use to play bow next doors cat to try and get her to play. Cat was singularly unimpressed and would quite often give her a bop on the nose for her trouble.
Some breeds of Terriers would probably be worse - though I’d consider a Lakeland or similar to deal with the rat problem around my outbuildings. The foxes seem to be help keep numbers down for now.

Absolutely this. We weren’t able to let our retriever have ‘fun’ or off lead walks for a few weeks as she was in heat.. it broke my heart and she was almost a bit depressed looking!! In my opinion if you get a dog it is your duty to make their short life as enjoyable as possible

Sighthounds will often go for small dogs.

Sorry @Nightshift24 but it’s an untrue statement and you shouldn’t be making it.

Sighthounds will not “often” go for small dogs at all. Majority of sighthounds will never “go for” a small dog in their life. Many sighthounds barely even acknowledge other dogs existence apart from other sighthounds. They’re totally aloof.

A small % of greyhounds and whippets have an interest in small dogs. What they DON’T have is violent tendencies, and as PP have said, if they ever actually caught up to a small dog, squirrel, whatever, they don’t really have the instinct to kill it.

OF COURSE it happens sometimes, but it happens with every breed of dog sometimes. The statement “sighthounds will often go for small dogs” is absurd. And tarring like six separate dog breeds with the same brush.

Fucking hate dog owners.

There we have it. As always happens, what starts out as a wide eyed, faux innocent "I don't understand why..." becomes clear it's a thread with a nasty agenda.

Boring.

My greyhound will bark and growl at a small dog or puppy if it has been in her face for several minutes, but I think she shows remarkable patience and calm and I get her away from the irritating dog asap anyway.

She also doesn't bother one tiny bit about fireworks, it's amazing.

So you specifically only care about wildlife dying if it's bigger than say, 300g?

You don't care about the absolute wiping out of British garden birds to the point of endangerment thanks to way too many cats in this country?

We have a whippet, had him from about 12 weeks of age. Almost always let him off the lead under strong vigilance. He’s a really easy dog to own, very chill, sleeps loads and his recall is excellent. We also have a greyhound cross but got him a bit older. He’s an utter tool but still gets a good run round.

Rescue sighthounds are a different thing entirely and should only be off lead in enclosed fields

Rescue sighthounds are a different thing entirely and should only be off lead in enclosed fields

Ours is fine off lead on country walks. The advice from the rescue place which we stuck to was not to let her off the lead for a few weeks and then do it at first in an enclosed place to see if they are a bolter. I tend to keep her on the lead sometimes anyway, but more because she dawdles than runs off. Some people don't let their hounds off at all but it very much depends on the individual dog.

To be fair I don't think the dog owners on this thread are keen on you either, and for good reason.

I find terriers worse than greyhounds/whippets/lurchers - who are very docile, friendly dogs and can be quite lazy.

Cat poo is absolutely revolting. I’ve had to put spikes all around my garden borders to stop them pooing there. And this is despite having a greyhound !! I cannot fathom why this is deemed ok!

Do you eat meat? Dairy? Eggs?
Feed your dog meat?

I pick dogs by choosing the rescue dog that fits best with my needs, lifestyle, and experience rather than choosing a breed, per se, but I understand why sighthounds are popular.

They are typically calm and gentle, shed very little, and don't need much exercise. They're about as low maintenance as a dog can get.

I agree that they can be dangerous around small dogs and prey animals. I pick DD's chihuahuas up if I spot a sighthound off-lead. They make me far more nervous than other large breeds do around the chis.

I don't believe that a small minority of irresponsible sighthound owners should ruin it for everyone else. Most sighthound owners understand their dog's drives and behaviours and train and control them accordingly.

Yep.. I’ve lost count of the amount of terriers who have either gone to bite or have aggressively lunged and growled at our dog for simply walking past them. No issues with any other breed!

On the off lead thing. I do take my gh to an off lead field, or I used to. He just lies down after a sniff around the edge. Which is exactly what he does on a walk with me - he’s on a long lead and he can go where he likes (it’s not a walk so much as an explore on his terms) and he much prefers to sniff than walk. We do a 30 min sniff around a fairly small area twice a day. He doesn’t like mud but when it dries up a bit he can go to a secure field and sniff there. But he won’t run and he’s really not that fussed about the walk aspect of a walk!! In the summer he will also lie down on the walk 🤨

So you "hate" around a third of the UK population? You sound delightful.

Most sighthounds don’t go for small dogs. They’re not prey. But they may get quite cross with a small dog in their face and I don’t blame them. That’s on the owner of the small dog .

All of these people would be better off with a greyhound! They don’t mind only two short walks, they don’t mind being left alone, they will just sleep on the floor in a cafe/restaurant, they don’t pull on the lead, don’t bark, not fussed by other dogs.

But none of that is true for all greyhounds.

I know one with horrendous separation anxiety and another who barks and pulls constantly on walks - she's had her retired owner on the floor several times. I've also seen plenty of threads on here who have really struggled to get them house trained as they've lived in kennels all their lives.

I'm obviously not saying all greys are like that but equally I don't think they're always as placid and straightforward as people try and make them out to be.