Retired greyhound - as first dog?

[Ginandcolic]

Actually asking for a friend ...

My friend and her partner want to get a dog and they are interested in a retired racing greyhound. I've had dogs for 20 yrs now but only labradors so I can't really advise them.

Can anyone with experience of retired greyhounds tell me a bit about them? specifically if they are suitable as a first dog? My friend has been told they are but I'm unclear about whether they will need to transition from athlete to pet and how easy that is to support?

Thanks for any wisdom you're able to share :)

They are very lazy and must have a very comfy bed !!! Really gentle and funny dogs. So many needing a home and most have lived a very sad life. More people should offer them a home they really are the most neglected dogs yet the most adorable in my opinion.

Thank you for all of these comments - really useful and my friend is very grateful! I think the point about getting them settled in and getting used to a home vs a kennel is a big one and all your posts have made her reflect on this. I think she's going to speak to a rehoming centre / kennels to understand more about what to expect so she's got more info to work with.

Thank you SO much for taking the time to help. My only problem is that now I want a greyhound as well as my Lab 😆

Oh yeah, our greyhound used to point blank refuse to leave the house if it was raining, although he didn’t quite understand it would be raining at the front as well as the back garden until you showed him, lol!

Very lovely but quite dim 🤣

Mine has taken to standing by the sofa, staring intently at whoever is sitting there until they get up and lay his favourite blanket out!

Definitely - my son has a retired greyhound and he's the sweetest dog. He doesn't need a lot of walking - 2 x 30 minutes per day and is very low maintenance - no shedding hairs and grooming needed. He rarely barks and loves nothing better than lolling around on the couch or bed.

I have a cat, so unfortunately he can't come to visit us but if I was thinking of getting a dog, I'd definitely go for a greyhound.

I have a vague plan to look into getting a retired racer when my kids are older.

But are there still many around, given how many of the tracks have shut?

Obviously we might just get a bog-standard, non-athletic greyhound. But as ‘retired’ ones are always talked about, it’s something I wonder about.

We've had 3, laziest fuckers in the planet 😂 gorgeous, sweet animals though. Will also swipe food like a ninja.

We got a retired racer for our first dog. Intended to get a young one with low prey drive....got the opposite. We sadly lost him last year and I miss him so much its still heartbreaking, he was honestly the kindest soul. We'd get another tomorrow but we just can't commit at the moment as DCs are 1 and 6 so it'd be too much. Be prepared to give him/her time and patience and love, and you won't regret it.

Our latest one (now 13) is an ex, very successful, racer. With him it was like taking a race horse into a house - he had no idea what was what and was scared of everything, because he'd spent eight years in kennels. He's still wary of most things (after five years), and doesn't want other people to have anything to do with him, but he trusts us implicitly, and that is so satisfying. To @Shelinaa > I think there's probably still loads of ex-racers languishing in kennels

@Xmasbabyxmas > Thoughts with you; it's heartbreaking x

There's plenty, believe me. There's still 21 tracks and there are plenty of breeders. And for every successful dog, there will be plenty of other unsuccessful dogs that are bred and ditched. 'Retired' just means unwanted for racing, not a comment on their athleticism. Ours was an ex-racer. Originally adopted at under 2 (by her owner before us, who passed away). No Prey drive whatsoever so she was a 'failed' dog. I'm in Kent and there a lot of dogs coming through Kent Greyhound Rescue and also, the smaller, Retired Greyhounds Canterbury.

I’m just back from dog sitting my son’s greyhound all week. I’m used to Bichon Frise who are lap dogs and all soft and fluffy, so when I saw my son’s greyhound who is huge I was a bit taken aback! But he is the sweetest, gentlest, easy going dog ever. He was rescued but had been living with a family since very young until their circumstances changed. He absolutely loves a fuss and is very affectionate. He saw me packing my stuff up this afternoon to go home and ran out into the garden and refused to come in! It was almost like he was saying you can’t go if I don’t come in 🤣

There's loads of greyhounds waiting homes @Shelinaa In fact most greyhound rehoming kennels have waiting lists of dogs waiting to come in.

We got our first dog, who is a retired greyhound, nearly 2 years ago. You have to be prepared for the fact it takes them a while to adjust to home life. Many ex-racers have never been a house before and never had to deal with steps, laminate floors the noise of hoovers etc. Our girl had also I think not been treated so well in her former life and was terrified of my husband for the first few months and used to flinch from him (as though expecting to be hit). However she's now a dream dog. She's loving and affectionate, and doesn't need much exercise or grooming etc. She doesn't like being left though but that has improved. She's a real character. She's a bit of a diva and hates rain and cold!

Some of them can live very happily with cats.

Tbf many have had a great life as racers. They generally stay with mother/siblings for up to a year, compared with pet dogs who are taken from their mothers after a few weeks. They play with toys and run about in paddocks. While racing they’re generally treated very well - a badly treated hound isn’t going to race enthusiastically. Though there are always bad apples. Certainly our two seem to have had the life of Riley. Greyhounds generally wouldn’t have the good reputation they have for being calm, nice hounds if their previous life was traumatic. Most really are retired not rescued.

They are delightful dogs: mine is a big boy at nearly 40kg, but he’s a total baby. Loves his blankies, his pjs, his soft toys and his bedtime treats. Doesn’t flinch with injections, rain doesn’t bother him and adores cuddles. Teen son misses him far more than us when he’s at uni.

We have a greyhound/deerhound mix rescue and he's the best thing that's ever happened to us. I can't imagine another dog who'd have been so easily assimilated into our family. Contrary to popular belief he doesn't need an extreme amount of exercise but he's genuinely the most gentile and docile dog I've ever met in my life. A lot bigger dog than we'd ever planned to give a home to, but I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

Also want to add... no hardcore prey drive that we've seen. He's pretty terrified of cats and small furry animals. Walks well on lead and is generally an all round awesome guy lol

My mum has one and he is an ex-racer. They are the most docile, beautiful and affectionate breeds out there. Very very easy to manage (my mum is in her 70's and wanted a calm dog).

They actually don't need a lot of exercise (they are 40 mph couch potatoes 🤣). They just need need a good run to get it out of their systems.

One thing to note however, they do love company, typically their own breed. I think maybe getting two greyhounds would be good if your friend can afford it.

Yes they are fantastic dogs and very easy to be with.
Prey drive can be an issue as can reactivity to breeds that aren't greyhounds (they might not have seen them before) but a good greyhound specific rescue will match you with one that suits you.
I'm a total convert! They're also very good with children which is always a relief.

I have a greyhound although I've had her from a puppy so she was never a racer.

She's lovely and quirky and can be quite aloof at times just like a cat 😂

One thing they should be aware of is they'll need high fences because if their dog is anything like mine, she's got a pair of pogo sticks for back legs, and can jump ridiculously high.

We have 6 ft garden fences but had to get trellis put on the top, as one night she heard foxes and sprang over the fence like it wasn't even there.

We had a greyhound as our first dog and he was the perfect dog for our family. I'd encourage your friend to adopt from a greyhound-specific rescue charity if possible. They'll have a much better sense of which of their greyhounds are most suitable for a first-time owner and should have put more work into supporting the dogs with the transition from racer to pet. For example, the charity we adopted from makes a point of feeding dogs treats in their laundry room, so the dogs have positive associations with washing machine and tumble dryer noise.

Your friend should be aware that many greyhounds can't be safely off-lead in an unenclosed space. Their recall can disappear if prey drive kicks in and there are too many stories of hounds getting hit by cars because they were so intent on catching the squirrel that they failed to notice the road. It's useful to have a well-fenced garden to let them have safe zoomies, or else you can hire secure dog-walking fields to let them enjoy a good run (for ten minutes, before they're ready for their next snooze!)

Overall, they're fabulous, affectionate and often hilariously goofy dogs. We're complete converts!

Are all greyhounds divas or just mine?

She's got two food bowls - one for wet food and one for dry.

My DH put her dry food in the wrong bowl one night and she kicked it across the floor....sending the biscuits flying everywhere until he hurriedly cleaned them up...apologising the whole time and put them in the correct bowl 😂😂

Thank you SO much for taking the time to help. My only problem is that now I want a greyhound as well as my Lab 😆

I knew this Askin; for a friend was a decoy

I don't have dogs but my DS used to be a complete magnet for the Pointy Ones who were in the park , they engulfed him in The Lean and he loved it .

@Ginandcolic

I find the lack of PointyHound Photos on your thread unacceptable .

I mean how hard can it be to take a picture of them, they're either sleeping on the sofa showing their teeth ( don't even THINK about waking me ) or staring whistfully into the yonder . About 3% of the day zooomie-ing .

If anyone wants a lump in the throat the video of Walnuts Last Walk ( ok he's a whippet) will melt the stoniest heart .