greytluck

I've had pretty average weight greyhounds. My male were Hobbes at 73lbs, Wally was 68lbs and Cole is 70lbs. My 2 females were average too, both 60lbs. My heaviest foster was 90lbs, and he seemed huge to me. I had another foster that was straight off the track and quite lean who weighed 82lbs. He was much taller then the other one but a much different body structure. I couldn't even imagine 102lbs for a greyhound.

Very neat! My husband is a pilot and recently brought me home a trading card from the Ottawa airport. Apparently all the airport dogs are getting them across Canadian airports to collect. I hope he finds a greyhound one day.

I've owned 5 greyhounds over the last 12 years and fostered 17 straight off the track within the last 2. Most important thing is Relax. If you're stressed and anxious they will be too. When you first bring your dog home make sure it eliminates before going inside the apartment. Once you bring the dog in, keep it leashed to initially explore around the apartment( first 10 minutes or so). If you have a male watch for signs they may mark on furniture. (Sniffing a spot and then going to lift a leg). If you see it, say No and move the dog away and outside. From personal experience it only usually takes a couple days for them to figure out house breaking as long as you set them up for success. In the beginning I do a lot of short bathroom breaks. They go out a lot more frequently then I would an established hound. They go out pretty much any time they've been sleeping and then get up or if I notice any pacing. Always praise for doing their business outside. Utalize the crate if you can't actively watch them. Most greyhounds will not ask to go out when they need to, as they've never been required to. Pacing, whining, panting and not settling down to sleep is very common and normal the first day or two. I'd say the vast majority of the fosters I had wouldn't lay down initially until put in the crate, also expect some noise and whining the first couple nights. If you adopt a dog that is fostered already they probably will be far more comfortable in the home environment then a dog straight off the track. Keep walks really short and try to keep to quieter areas at first. Less is more in the beginning. I've often seen with new adopters, that they will bring the dog all over the first couple days, so impressed how their brand new dog is handling city life. Then two to three days later they can't get the dog to leave the apartment and can't understand what happened. Simply the dog was overwhelmed and once they figure out what will happen once they go out, they put the breaks on. On that note don't overwhelm the dog inside either. Let sleeping dogs lie, as the saying goes, let it come to you for affection. Go about your normal routine as best you can and give the dog space to just figure things out on its own. Some will be velcro hounds that follow you everywhere and then some hide out in the crate and want nothing to do with you and then there everything in the middle of that. All will settle with time and patience. Everyone's day will be different but this is basic routine, obviously you'd adjust it for your schedule and your dogs needs. Get up, go outside with dog to potty right away, feed breakfast, get ready for the day, potty/walk again, go to work, (possibly use a dog walker midday if long work day), potty break/walk when you get home, feed dinner, potty break/short walk before bed. The majority of greyhounds don't have SA. If you do have a long work day it's something you should discuss with your adoption group so they can find you a dog that is more comfortable being alone from the start. To help a dog out though have lots of comings and goings in the beginning and don't make any fuss about it. I've found just jumping in to my regular routine works best although I know a lot of people like to take off the first few days to week to get the dog adjusted to home too. I will say it's easier for me as I have two resident greyhounds that show the fosters the ropes and also just the familiarity of another greyhound being around helps with the transition to home life. Good luck and do post when you get your hound

Personally I like 2 better then 3. I've been fostering greyhound for about a year and a half now, so I often have my 2 and a foster at home. I know it might not be a fair comparison as the fosters are always in a transition and not settled into home life yet, but I find it easier with just my 2. Some of the fosters I've been very tempted to keep despite this, lol. I don't find much difference at meal times and for the most part they've all got along fine. The biggest thing for me is walking 3, I know lots of people do it successfully but I find walking 2 is pleasurable, 3 is a chore. I don't have time to do 2 separate walks and untangling leashes is a pain. I also don't have room in my car for 3 dogs which is probably the biggest reason I didn't foster fail with a third. I could buy a bigger car but that's another expense along with more food and vet bills. You could always try fostering to see if 3 dogs would be a good fit for your home.

I completed renamed my first 2 greyhounds. This was before I was aware they actually knew their names. My 3rd dog I had planned to rename as the adoption kennel had her name down as "risk" and that wasn't happening, lol. But when I got her paperwork, hand written on the top was "Corinna". She definitely responded to it and it was clear that is the name she was being called. I liked it and kept it. My 4th greyhound Honey, knew her name very well. I wouldn't personally name a dog Honey but it does suit her perfectly so I didn't really consider changing it. My 5th was called Colt and knew it. I just changed it ever so slightly to Cole. I just think it has a nicer sound to it and he didn't seem to notice the change.

Here is Cole as a 3 year old, with significant white on his face. Not as noticeable as she's a lighter colour Honey was completely white faced as a two year old.

Great news! I lost my first to hemango, and although not confirmed, most likely lost my second greyhound to it too.

I'm so sorry for your loss. Having lost a seemingly healthy greyhound in matter of hours, I know the tremendous pain you must be going through. Hugs. Run free River.

She's 7 and has the kindest disposition. If I could have 3 dogs she wouldn't be leaving, lol.

My foster Rico's Tihance. She's a beautiful broodie, inside and out. My boy Cole,looking as handsome as ever. multi image uploader

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I think space guarding is a very difficult thing to manage with kids around even in the best of homes.

It could just me a matter of him getting used to kids and will relax in time or maybe not. I do think there are other greyhounds that would be more comfortable around kids to start with though. If I was you I'd want to get a greyhound that is happy around kids to begin with then have positive interaction with your grandchild to reinforce that attitude.

I had greyhounds before I had children and my kids have always lived with a greyhound or two since. I never adopted a new greyhound when my kids were toddlers but the two I had were both very good with the kids. I constantly reminded the kids of the dog rules and always closely watched them around the dogs and never had a single issue. Now the kids are 5 and 8 so past that stage but we've adopted 2 hounds in the last year both of which would be fine with toddlers I'm sure.

Wow, what a misinformed article. I think it rare that a greyhound would think of children as prey. The high energy comment just proves they don't know what they're talking about. Although I see a lot of negative comments on this board about greyhounds and kids, I've personally found most greys are actually quite good with kids. I have owned 4 greyhounds and fostered another 6 since having kids. Of all of those only two would not have been good living with young children. Actually one of those two really liked the kids but was a resource guarder so a home with kids wasn't ideal for him. The rest have ranged from being indifferent towards the kids to absolutely loving them.

I have 2 white cats (17 and 19 years old) and have had 5 greyhounds plus several fosters over the years. I've found cat safe greyhounds are typically fine regardless of the color of cat.

Thank you so much for taking the time to to do this. They play in the yard pretty much the same way they raced, lol.

This is so great of you to do. Can you tell me about RTR Honey Bee and Jhawk Colt Ford please?

I've had greyhounds before I had kids, so the kids have always had a greyhound or 2. From my experience greyhounds mostly do get along with kids. They are all individuals so I don't think there should be a hard rule with regard to children. My kids have lived with 4 greyhounds over the years plus some fosters. The dogs have ranged from outwardly seeking the kids affections to mostly ignoring the kids. I've only had one foster that I didn't work in my home because of the kids. My kids now 8 and 5 can get rowdy and loud but know very well not to bother or goof around near the dogs. The rule in my house is you NEVER pet/touch a dog while on their dog beds. One of my greyhounds does love to cuddle on the couch with the kids but the kids don't fuss much with her even then. I think it will be important for your sister to understand that you can't bother the dog, especially when brand new. If she can't respect a dogs space, a greyhound most likely isn't the best choice. Also asking the adoption group for a dog that was fostered with children and likes them would be a big advantage to ensure a good match.

Time and patience and then some more time and patience, I speak from experience, lol. When I adopted my first greyhound 12 years ago I wrote almost the exact same post as you. Hobbes was at the adoption group for quite some time before I adopted him. He was shy and quite fearful, especially of noise. I lived in a condo in the city and the area had tons of construction as there were many new buildings being put up the entire time I lived there. Thinking back he was a terrible choice for my situation but in the end we made it work. For the first couple weeks I could barely get him out of the crate for walks or anything else for that matter. I discovered a few things that helped out along the way. Like you I also walked him early in the day (4am actually) and late at night. He gave me a lot less resistance when he knew it was going to be quieter outside. I also found out he LOVED car rides, I used this to my advantage and started driving him to quieter areas for short midday walks. I also happened to meet a lady in the condo next to mine that also owned a greyhound, we would try to walk them together as often as possible as Hobbes was a lot more relaxed with a buddy with him. Unless he was sick I also kept potty breaks to maximum 3-4 daily, the less times I had to stress him out the better. I won't say he ever got over his noise phobia or his shyness but it did get a lot better with time. He had some good times and then some regressions too, but with time he learned to trust me and I learned not to push him to far. He taught me so much and honestly it was the most rewarding experience I've ever had. He went from a dog who was completely shut down when I first got him and transformed into a happy, loving and playful dog. He passed away 2.5 years after I adopted him and I still miss him like crazy all these years later.

Have you considered feeding raw? My greyhound came with hookworm which caused vomiting and bloody diarrhea. We switched her over to raw and honestly the next day thing improved drastically. She hasn't vomited since and her poop is firm and finally with no blood. She is also on advantage multi + Dolpac. We will be doing a fecal soon as she's now been on the protocol for 3 months. I'm crossing my fingers for a negative test.

I had greyhounds before I had kids. When we brought my eldest daughter home both greyhounds reacted very differently. Corinna my female was very interested in my daughter initially. The little squeaks and sounds a newborn makes excited her, more then I was comfortable with. That didn't last very long though, maybe a few days. Pretty quickly she began to really like the baby and as my daughter grew they were always very close. Corinna in many cases taking in a protective role of her. Wally was indifferent towards the baby and remained that way as they grew. I did more training of the kids as the grew then I did the dogs and knock on wood I've never had any issues between them. Congratulation on the new addition, I hope things go just as smoothly for you too.

I'd just leave her loose and muzzled in the house. Make sure there are areas for your cats to escape to if neccassary. If she has lived in peace with the cats for 8 months it's pretty unlikely she would do anything now anyways.

I second a vet visit. It sounds more like a medical issue then a behavioral problem.