Find a Greyhound Breeder
Place an Ad

Rescue a Greyhound
List Your Rescue

Pronunciation

Description

The Grayhound is a tall slender dog. The head is long and narrow, wide between the ears, with a long tapering muzzle. There is no stop. The small rose ears are held back and folded and are semi-perked when they are excited. The eyes are dark in color. The slightly arched neck is long. The legs are long with the front legs being perfectly straight. The chest is wide and deep. The long tail tapers with a slight upward curve. The short, fine coat comes in all colors.

Temperament

The Greyhound is brave, and devoted. Intelligent, laid-back, charming and loving, but their character is often undervalued because of their reserved behavior towards strangers and even their master. They are sensitive to the tone of one's voice and will not listen if they sense that they are stronger minded than their owner, however they will also not respond well to harsh discipline. Owners need to be calm, yet possess an air of natural authority. Socialize well to prevent timidity. As a rule, they are gentle and even-tempered - both racing lines and show lines. Most Greyhounds have a definite prey drive. It is instinctive for these dogs to chase anything that moves quickly. They are extremely fast and some will kill cats and other domestic animals, although this is not the majority (only about 20% of ex-racers are too "keen" on chasing prey to ever be safe with small animals). About 10% are immediately okay due to low prey instinct, and the rest can be trained to leave cats and other small pets in the home alone. They seldom present difficulties with other dogs and are normally good with children, though they do not usually like rough-house play, and would not be a good choice for young children who are looking for a play mate. Indoors, these dogs are calm and sociable to a point where they can even be considered lazy. They bond strongly with their own people, have tremendous stamina, and do not bark much. Show lines tend to be of a different body style than racing lines, and are often more angulated. Racing lines are bred for performance, but often a good by-product are friendly, outgoing dogs, who make wonderful pets when their racing days are over. Greyhounds are not particularly vigilant. Show lines tend to be a bit heavier and bred more for temperament than racing lines, who are bred for speed. However racing lines also make wonderful pets. There are hundreds of adoption groups all over North America, Europe and Australia to place these gentle, loving dogs when they retire. Retired racing Greyhounds are not usually difficult to housebreak. They are already crate trained from the track, so it doesn't take them long to learn that they are not to "go" in the house. The Greyhound needs an even tempered, gentle but firm loving owner who knows how to consistently communicate the rules of the home. A Greyhound who knows his place in his pack and what is expected of him is a happy Greyhound.

Height, Weight

Health Problems

Prone to bloat. It is better to feed them 2 or 3 small meals rather than one large one. They are sensitive to drugs, including insecticides. They are also prone to hypothyroidism.

Living Conditions

Life Expectancy

Grooming

Origin

This very ancient breed is the fastest dog in the world and can reach speeds of over 40 miles per hour (65 km/h). Carvings of the Greyhound were found in tombs in Egypt dating back to 2900 B.C. They are thought to have originally descended from the Arabian Sloughi and brought to England by traders before 900 AD. The breed was first brought to America by the Spanish explorers in the 1500s. They were one of the first dogs ever to be shown in a dog show. The greyhounds natural quarry is the rabbit and hare, however it has also been used to hunt stag, deer, fox and wild boar. The dogs speed along with its keen eyesight helped it excel at its work. The dogs were able to chase and catch the pray without stopping to rest. Today there are two types of Greyhounds being bred. Show lines which conform to the written standard and racing lines bred for speed. After retiring from a racing career, these dogs were often destroyed. With the dedicated efforts of Greyhound Rescue this practice has greatly reduced and the most mellow tempered Greyhounds are found homes. The Greyhound was recognized by the AKC in 1885. The Greyhounds talents include hunting, sighting, watchdog, racing, agility, and lure coursing.

Group

Recognition

CKC = Canadian Kennel Club
FCI = Fédération Cynologique Internationale
AKC = American Kennel Club
UKC = United Kennel Club
KCGB = Kennel Club of Great Britain
CKC = Continental Kennel Club
ANKC = Australian National Kennel Club
NKC = National Kennel Club
NZKC = New Zealand Kennel Club
APRI = American Pet Registry Inc.
ACR = American Canine Registry
DRA = Dog Registry of America, Inc.

The Material contained herein may not be reproduced without the prior written approval of the author. (C) 1998-2010 All Rights Reserved