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?

Exactly @Unluckycat1. Plus my greyhound will be nine this year, she really likes just bimbling about slowly and having a good sniff at everything on a short walk and she would not enjoy a long walks yomping about a forest with a group of young boisterous dogs. Not saying she couldn't manage it, but her face would be saying "Are we lost?" for half of it and she would be lagging behind and sulking like a recalcitrant teenager.

I assumed that most greyhounds are rescue dogs. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one off-lead now I come or think about it. Some of them seem to be aggressive, which I assume is due to poor treatment before being rescued but they’ve always been on-lead so I just smile and scuttle past.

What do you mean when they seem to be aggressive? In my whole life of having dogs I genuinely have never come across a greyhound that has looked or acted even mildly aggressive

I have a schnoodle (rescue- don’t judge me!) who has a far greater prey drive than our lurcher…

I have met tons of other greyhounds and have not met one yet who is aggressive. Haven't met many aggressive other dogs either to be honest, other than a Dalmatian who rushed up and took a chunk out of my dog's backside. But even after that experience I wouldn't assume a Dalmatian was going to be aggressive.

One of the reasons the sighthound walk I infiltrate (my dog really only just qualifies) exists is to show that greyhounds are not aggressive and that they make wonderful pets. It's a huge gathering of rescue dogs and they're all lovely. I'm not saying aggressive ones don't exist, but sighthounds are much more likely to shut down after abuse than develop aggression.

@FastFood I think maybe we're making a similar point. I absolutely agree that we should make our dogs happy. I disagree that leads take away from joy for some dogs. Unless running after a squirrel, my dog naturally loose lead walks, in fact she stops and sniffs and stares so much that the constrained party is me. I think one of the reasons people say greys walk well on the lead is that their lope is very compatible with ours, so they aren't feeling constrained in the way some dogs would.

@caringcarer

With all due respect, it's no wonder why you can't understand why dogs need off lead time, if you describe your dogs as "quite lazy dogs". A LOT of other dogs breeds actually do need some off lead time, it's incredibly good for them mentally and physically.
My German Shepherd is walked off lead the majority of the time. He goes on lead in busy areas and in areas that require it, but other than that I take him to places I can purposely have him off lead because frankly he needs the outlet, if I were to walk him on lead I would be walking for 2/3 hours a day, which isn't doable with a toddler. I will add that in the 9 years he's been with me, we had one incident where he didn't come back to me, and that was when he had actually spot my DH on the other end of the beach. Other than that he has not once run off or not come back when called.

Now while I agree too many people let their dogs off lead when they haven't fully trained their dogs recall, and believe me when I say my DDog has been attacked by many of these dogs. Please don't ignore that there are plenty of dog owners who have trained their dog responsibly and take pride in their dogs ability to respond to them appropriately.

👏🏻

My whippets aren't bothered with prey. Both are off the lead when we walk them ( not roadside walks ) they are very affectionate playful goofy dogs . Depends what they get used to when puppy's I think

Ours has not once made an attempt to go for wildlife or cats etc. he is the most docile and gentle dog I've ever met. Sleeps a lot, enjoys a good walk and impeccably good manners with our children.

I've not met a sighthound who is a family pet who behaves the way you describe and we socialise with a lot of other greyhound/whippet:lurcher owners

Whilst i am one of those nutters who loves my beagle crosses as much as my children, i wish almost daily that i had gone for greyhounds instead (or galgos more specifically). I've met so many and i just adore them. Wonderful wonderful dogs.

Beagles on the other hand...what the hell was i thinking?!

@GSDmom I agree if dogs behave well and have sensible owners who put them on lead whenever necessary. The problem is for every sensible responsible dog owner there is a stupid and less responsible one who lets their dog or dogs run off lead rushing up to small DC and knocking them over. It happened to my own grandson in the park when he was 2. My DD was pushing the baby in his pram and DGS was toddling along next to her and a large dog came bouncing up and jumped up putting it's legs on DGS's shoulders and knocked him over. The dog owner was shouting for her dog to come back and DD said it took no notice of her whatsoever. The owner said her dog was just being friendly! DGS wasn't hurt but was frightened. I've also seen 2 small dogs off lead happily running around and then they saw a lady coming and ran around her legs barking at her for no good reason. Again the dog owner was just not really bothered about their behaviour. Not everyone trains their dog to behave and many owners don't have proper recall of their dogs yet still let them run in busy public places off lead. I don't know the answer, maybe all dog owners should be made to attend training classes, which I know if you're an experienced dog owner you'll know how to train your dog on your own, so might not want or need the classes, so as I say I don't know a definitive answer.

Friends lost their Pekingese to their Labrador. It just wasn't there, bar a bit of fluff, when they got home. There's no guarantees in terms of breeds.

And now I think about we had a whippet that was cornered and killed in our stables by a neighbors collies. But that was a very long time ago.

But if running around is your dog's thing, it's a shame if they're not given the opportunity to do so sometimes.

But you don't know what opportunities a dog is or isn't given from a brief snapshot.

My dog is mostly walked on lead because he can't be trusted, but that doesn't mean we don't have him off the lead where it's safe and suitable - we just can't do that everyday for a whole variety of reasons.

I get a bit sick of people judging dogs who are apparently "stuck on leads".

I highly doubt that anybody is walking past you and judging you for your dog being on a lead..

I wasn't talking about you - I was merely reacting to someone saying "Dogs don't need to be let off lead"
I'm absolutely not suggesting that walking dogs on the lead equals being a bad owner (or else I count myself as one).

@MaloneMeadow unfortunately I've had lots of comments about how I should let him off the lead to play and run - so yes, people absolutely judge it.

I wasn't talking about you - I was merely reacting to someone saying "Dogs don't need to be let off lead"

I know, I was just continuing the conversation.

I don't agree that dogs need to be let off the lead though, it depends on the breed and their personality.

But some dogs do. Or it would be quite a miserable life unless you have a lot of land

Agreed.

Sorry but (as I said upthread) walking a GsD/Collie/Golden on a lead and only a lead is tantamount to animal abuse IMO.

Working dogs/gun dogs need more than lead exercise.

Generally speaking I do agree, but there are ways to exercise dogs safely without letting them off the lead in public.

Cani-cross, bike-joring and swimming are great ways for dogs to get exercise - and there's things like agility, secure exercise areas etc too. I walk a spaniel with appalling recall but because her owner runs with her 2-3 times a week, she doesn't need to be off the lead on all her walks to get what she needs.

I know someone with two greyhounds and they are the laziest dogs I have ever ever met. Both much prefer to sleep.
Rescued because they would have been destroyed as their racing days were behind them. Now that is cruel.

That's fair. But we have fields dogs are allowed off right next to our house so we have never had any need. Though he did used to do fly ball when he was younger

And huskies etc. Dogs that are built to run miles and miles confined to lead walks. Selfish and cruel.