GreytHoundPoet

Yay! Congrats!!!

Lucius (Closin Time) had Gable Dodge and HB's Commander. His littermate sister that we fostered also got Osteo (Ninetytonothing). Timmy (Demon Dancer) had HB's Commander. He had Onie Jones too, a name I remember being thrown out there in cancer speculation threads in the past. One thing to consider is that popular sires are used an insane amount of times so it'll be a huge undertaking to track and make connections. Dr. Lake is working on it and she has my info.

Congrats! I adopted my Galgo back in 2008. He was a very special dog and I miss him very much. I am on a committee of a local, well-established Greyhound adoption group that is getting into Galgos. It is my way of paying tribute to a great dog. I have a few Podenco Ibicenco (Ibizan Hounds) and some Greyhounds now.

I forgot to mention, if your yard is small but big enough space for a lure pole, that is great way to tire them out. I spent an hour outside this morning with a lure pole and my Ibizans and now they are napping happily in a pile on the couch.

It depends on the dog. Once again, I can only speak for Podenco Ibicenco, but it is not unusual to meet one and be greeted in an accepting manner with some interest. Most are polite and friendly, though not pushy or crazy jumping all over you. I have not known many that are aloof or unfriendly, though some exist. I have had Ibizans I just met that day on my lap while we sit ringside at a show or at a performance trial as well. It depends a lot on genetic temperament, socialization, and personality. I have both types here. Nova is rather shy and will accept strangers petting him but can do without it. Finnegan will launch himself into a stranger's arms if they baby talk at him or lean toward him. He greets new people enthusiastically. They have the same dam and different sires. I raised Finn and I got Nova at 2. The first one that I ever met was a Spanish rescue and he walked up to me in a curious fashion and greeted me. I blame him for my life now. They are classified as a primitive hunting breed, not a sighthound, in their country of origin (Spain) and a lot of them tend to be "doggier" than the typical sighthound. A friend of mine joke that they could be the sighthound breed for the non-sighthound dog person.

The only time mine are off leash in an unfenced area is at lure coursing trials. I retrieve them at the end of the course. Quite frankly, I would not trust them otherwise. I have friends who have successful off-leash Ibizans but I would never attempt it personally because I worry too much, I don't have a safe place or the background in training off-leash hunting dogs, and I don't have the technology (fancy GPS collars and the like) needed for me to feel comfortable. I'm a worrier and protective. I do train recall but if they go off hunting I fear that it won't be enough with my dogs. I don't think any rescue would allow it either.

I have no idea why I can't receive messages, but thanks for messaging me on FB. One of mine literally sleeps on top of my chest and stomach. They also snuggle around me or snuggle each other. They certainly like high places. I have to constantly clean my half wall because somebody keeps standing on top of it and then napping there.

Disclaimer: I can only speak for Podenco Ibicenco (Ibizan Hounds) as they are the only Podenco breed that I have owned. In addition to living with some, I am in the breed club and active in the breed community. I’ve spent a ton of time with a lot of Beezers and their people. The description I give you is of a typical Podenco Ibicenco and does not include variations of individuals or anything specific to being rescues. My only Spanish rescue has been my Galgo. My Podencos are American-bred. Podencos coming from Spain may be pure or mixed, as you know. The Podenco breeds are all regional and their differences stem from specific breeding for various purposes and terrain. Contrary to popular belief, they are not all Ibizan Hounds or even just one breed. They are a family. However, much like any family of dogs, there are similarities. I would recommend researching which Podenco breed would best fit and working with the group to find one that fits your needs. Just like any dog, differences happen and not all fit the "mold". Ibizans are super affectionate (lots of love and kisses), snuggly, goofy, comical, intelligent, energetic, engaging, active (mind and body), mischievous dogs. They live to entertain and to hunt. My husband and I are so incredibly smitten that we will always have some. However, they are not for everyone and most of my Greyhound-owning friends say that they like to visit and play but would not want to live with them. They are known as "Peter Pan dogs" because they are forever puppies. They need extensive physical exercise. Some are low-key, however, just like there are high energy Greyhounds, they are not the norm. This is not a breed family to get into if you are not very active yourself because it is unfair to a high-energy dog to get them and force them to be a couch potato. Plus, they want to do stuff with you! Mine love to go on adventures with me. Exercise needs will vary by dog but most folks end up with walks/hikes of 5-10+ miles, biking with them, structured running (not just putting them in a yard), agility, etc. Basically, tire those bodies and know it takes a lot more work than Greyhounds. They are specifically bred for a hunting style that incorporates both high and long continuous jumping and endurance, so I certainly would not be comfortable with anything less than a 6’ fence and I wish I could go higher. Mine jump up and grab birds out of the air and they are higher than my 6’ fence when they do it. In addition to active bodies, they have very active brains. I find them to be both intelligent and biddable (for a hound). They are major problem-solvers. They still have their independence but, at least all of the ones I know and my own, love their people and want to make them happy…most of the time. You know, when there isn’t anything more exciting going on and it doesn’t inconvenience them too terribly much. Because they are intelligent problem-solvers they need their brains engaged a lot. A Podenco that is not getting enough brain challenge will find ways to keep themselves active. This can include opening crates from the inside and getting on top of the fridge and opening cupboards, etc. Finn’s sister, at 8-weeks-old, literally pushed a chair across a floor to place it next to a counter and use it as a stepping stool to get on said counter and try to grab butter. One of mine opens kid gates that adults can’t get through without asking how. I joke that they would make fantastic evil geniuses if it wasn’t for the “Yay” factor. That’s right…Yay. As soon as I brought home my first I coined the term “life is YAY”. Basically, they are happy, happy, happy, dogs and make it difficult to be in a bad mood around them (well, if you have patience and a sense of humor anyways). You can come home and find that they ate part of the wall (not typical, just an example) but they are so darn happy to see you that you can’t be mad between the dancing, leaping, flailing, and kissing. They also make great alert dogs. They can be noisy when they spot something exciting and when they play. That is my only complaint about them, actually. Podencos play differently than typical Greyhounds (rougher) but, fortunately, they are much hardier. Their skin is not as thin and they don't have a lot of the feet/toe issues that Greyhounds tend to have. They typically are good with all types of dogs but I will say that a common sentiment in the community is that they have special relationships with their own breed. Mine are super snuggly and spend a lot of time bathing our faces in kisses. They actually spend a good deal of time hunting in the yard. My Greyhounds will course something if they see it. My Ibizans go looking for the thing that they want to course. I will say that I absolutely love them and think they are nearly perfect dogs. However, I can certainly see how a lot of people don't want to deal with them. Check out Ella (not mine, bred by a friend): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB4uBSOrQ0I Yup! After a 10 mile hike and several runs.

I share my life with a few Podenco Ibicenco (Ibizan Hounds) and am involved in the breed community. I can post after work.

This has taken a long time to write. Mostly it was because I keep reliving the end of the story and it didn’t have a happy ending. It is also partly because we suffered two major losses in less than six months. Feeling numb does not begin to explain it. We lost Lucius suddenly on November 1, a day after he was diagnosed with early stage Osteosarcoma. We had planned to let him go just a few days after diagnosis, to maintain his quality of life and let him go peacefully and dignified. He was not a candidate for amputation due to advanced lumber sacral stenosis so his options were limited. Fate had other plans than ours and we ended up at the emergency vet the next night after he fell and destroyed the shoulder that his tumor was in. We were with him every moment until the end. I stayed next to him on the ride to the emergency vet and my normally non-snuggly dog let me hold him and keep him close the whole way. His last night still haunts me as if it just happened and I never wish that kind of passing on any dog or family. Lucius is the reason that we walked down the path that we did with our canine family. He was our first Greyhound and he started a great love for Greyhounds and, by extension, sighthounds in general. Because of him we fostered for years and placed more Greyhounds than we can count. He was the flame that started the fire in our lives. His name means “light” or “illumination” and he was every bit of that. He was the most beautiful dog that I have ever laid eyes upon, a uniquely colored blue fawn brindle with entrancing golden amber eyes. His coat was a beautiful blue fawn with blue stripes overlaid on his body. He was difficult to photograph because of this. In person he would shift from a golden blue to a dusky blue depending on the light. He had blue pigment and light, amber eyes and was simply a striking dog that drew attention from almost everyone who saw him. More than that, he was strong, proud, dignified, confident, and regal with a definite dash of goofy. He commanded a room or space with a glance and body language. and got fawned over almost everywhere he went. Luckily he was incredibly sweet with people and loved to lean into you as you pet him and hugged him. He was well behaved and would never steal food, destroy things, or get into much mischief. He was gentle on walks and walked right next to me with ease. He loved walks and would shove his head through a color and then zoom, dance, and leap about with joy when he knew he was going somewhere. His excitement was always contagious! Lucius won “Most Unique” our first year at Greyhound Planet Day (2008) and was voted King of Greyhound Planet Day in 2009. The way he strutted around you would think that he knew how special he was! He had an intense prey drive and was a sight to behold when he spotted prey. He would go still, muscles tensing in a very powerful, dignified way. He was fast, a successful AA and A racer at Gulf Greyhound at some points in his career. A kennel favorite, we got a hand written note from his racing owner after we adopted him and did the necessary paperwork to get his blue slip. I always wanted to let him chase lures but he has some old injuries that acted up with too much intense activity in a short period of time. Lucius and I were particularly close because I was his lifetime advocate. He presented some challenges as a pet, particularly with reactivity issues. He had difficulty controlling himself when he got over amped and would lash out at the nearest dog. Unfortunately that led to a few attacks in our home over the years. It was a serious learning curve. This was a dog that many said they would rehome or put down but I saw the good in him and refused to just cast aside my “problem”. We took precautions to minimize any issues and I learned to read him at every level, down to slight body shift changes. I also learned his triggers and worked hard to counteract impending situations. This led to a closeness preserved by a large dose of trust and respect between him and me. Through this our bond grew and the situations became less and less and, in the end, he had much better control over himself and came to me when a situation would arise. He went from trying to jump other dogs to grumbling and removing himself from the situation and coming to me to calm him down. This close bond led to my detection of his illness at the end. He developed a limp and it actually got better over a couple of days. Most people would have looked at that as a minor issue that healed. His behavior, however, was off. Lucius was not a snuggly dog and would ask for attention by standing on my lap or coming to be petted. It was rare for him to snuggle me and I remember on a few occasions waking up in bed with him next to me but as soon as I would shift he would move. So, when my normally aloof dog who only asked for occasional attention and had a large bubble was suddenly crawling on my lap much more than usual and cuddling up next to me often I knew something was up. Clearly he was telling me that things were not right. Lucius had some really fun quirks. When he was really excited he’d walk in this long, tall goose step and cover tones of ground while bouncing. He had a very princely prance. Once I was trying to get Lorelei to come to me in the yard and I said “who’s my pretty lady?” and Lucius ran to me. It earned the nickname “Prince Fancy Prance”. His highness also wanted to be towel dried when he came in from the rain and wrapped in blankets when it was cold. He loved collars and would shove his head through a collar if I held it out. He also loved jackets and pajamas and would ask to wear them when it got cold outside and he saw me pull them out. He loved going places but got bored quickly if he wasn’t getting tons of attention or doing something very fun. He was a Hounds of East Fairhaven veteran and we started the group as a team the year that I adopted him (2007). He was a natural at the event and really loved the belly dancers, the petting zoo, and Spyglass. He'd get bored sitting around pretty quickly though and was ready for new adventure. When we first got Lucius he wanted to jump on me when I came home. He’s a big dog, relatively speaking, and would knock me over so I decided that we needed to stop his jumping. We started keeping toys by the door and tossing them when we walked in the door. He loved toys when he was excited so it was a perfect solution. After that he always showed his excitement by grabbing the nearest toy, flinging it about, play-bowing, and zooming all over playing. It was so delightful and filled with joy. I miss it greatly. Lucius loved small toys the most and would often do zoomies with them. He would also keep toys with him and snuggle them. He loved playing inside, leaping from bed to bed, and running full, crazy zoomie circles outside while tossing toys around. He always chose favorite toys and would play with them until they were beyond saving. A stuffed flea, an eggplant that giggled, a Pound Puppy and Kitty, and spider were among his favorites. Lucius’ nickname was Boo and he loved to sing (roo). He was a very quiet dog normally but loved to start or join in a choir of hound singing. When he wanted to get our attention and was not succeeding in his polite manner he would softly roo at us. It sounds like “Mm’boo”. It was adorable. He would Mm’boo at us and then try to show us what he wanted. Sometimes he drew out the sound in an adorable fashion. His mouth would chitter when he was excited as well. He always chittered when he sang. He loved me singing to him as well and we had a version of the Winnie the Pooh song (Lucius the Boo) that I sang to him. He was my Boo Bear. I sang it to him while petting and kissing him as we said goodbye and he was content despite the pain. He knew he was loved. ​He was our first hound and taught us so much about life, hounds, patience, trust, respect, behavior, and the simple joy in taking a walk. He graced us with his regal presence and took us on many adventures. We miss his songs, his "mmmbooos", his prancing and zoomies, his way of showing affection by climbing on my lap, his gentle manner when being pet, taking treats, and his politeness on walks. We miss the simple joy that he showed when we came home, when we went on adventures, and when we brought home a new toy or treat. His high stepping prances and extremely soulful glances are missing from our home. He could be difficult at times but delightful otherwise and I'll never regret the decision to bring him home and share my heart with him. Run free, handsome boo bear. May the fields at the rainbow bridge be filled with bunnies, small toys, and zoomies and I hope you have found Timmy, Argos, and Lucky Girl by now. I'll see you again someday.

We love walking and hiking but I have to drive them 30-40 minutes to somewhere safe. My road and this area in general is littered with unsocialized and (some) dog-aggressive loose dogs. I take them as often as I can to parks and such. We do have a fenced yard and my dogs get daily hard running in (three cheers for lure poles, balls, and tireless Ibizan Hounds that get those lazy Greyhound butts moving until they drop) but walks give such a nice change of pace, scenery, and overall experience. They are very important.

My LS boy is 11. He's lost 12lbs of muscle while wilting away and his back legs shake all the time.

I am so, so sorry for your sudden loss of sweet, beautiful Beth. Cousin Lucius and I are sending you many hugs and healing thoughts.

Plenty of mental and physical exercise, puppy training, and good toys made raising mine relatively easy. I will happily raise more in the future. I never had a puppy destroy anything that wasn't theirs to begin with. I had a couple close calls but, because I supervise them when they are loose, I was able to stop them from getting into trouble and redirect them to appropriate things. Supervision, training, exercise, and mental exertion can do a lot to make life with a puppy easier.

None of my sighthound puppies were big chewers so they did not care for hard chew toys. They did like rubber kongs, stuffed toys, lure poles, and water bottles (just make sure that our pup does not swallow any of the pieces). They all liked tennis balls too. We used some frozen soft toys and teething rings during teething times. I would love to see pictures.

Thank you for including Timmy. I'm still as raw as I was in May.

I am so sorry for your loss.

Thank you all so much for your kind words. I miss him so much and I hurt so badly.

This has taken me a long time to compose. Writing it meant that it was real and, quite honestly, I’m still not ready to face that. I kept putting it off, delaying the inevitable, because deep down I hoped it was a terrible nightmare that somebody will wake me up from soon. What does one say when a huge part of their heart leaves them? Timmy was a once-in-a-lifetime dog. He was my heart dog. Not everyone is blessed with one, and so few saw what I saw in him, but there is no mistaking how special he really was. He was like an extension of my soul. Truly, no animal has ever, or will ever, hold my heart that way that he did. I can barely find the words to express the deep sorrow that I feel losing him. Osteosarcoma is the embodiment of evil. The bond he and I shared was strong and special and he should still be with me now. He was Timmy Poppins - "Practically perfect in every way". Timmy had my heart from the moment that we met. From the second that I saw his adoption picture my heart wanted him. When I finally met him we connected on such a strong level that there was so denying that he chose me. His heart wanted mine too. He was an extremely shy dog and was very reserved and unsure. During the meet and greet he stayed back from everyone. I had went on that fateful day to meet him even though I could not have him. He came up to me and we clicked in mere seconds. He willingly walked around the store with me and, when I got down to his level, he leaned into my open arms and just stood there hugging me. It took some major manipulating with our living situation, and a car accident, to get the ok to bring him home. It was one of the greatest decisions of my life. He was the third dog that we welcomed home. Timmy did not do anything that could win ribbons or required training. He was a mediocre racer in his 10 starts and was not a good candidate for performance sports or companion activities. Despite that he was the greatest champion I have ever known. He was, and is, the champion of my heart. He was a champion snuggle bug and best friend. He taught me patience, compassion, love, the meaning of true trust, and the ability to love deeply, freely, and unconditionally. He taught me how to work with reserved, shy, and downright spooky dogs so that I was able to help so many others, including Argos. Because of him I have helped, and placed, so many dogs like him. He taught me that dogs can go beyond the typical owner/pet relationship and form deep bonds. He showed me undying devotion, commitment, and love. He showed me that dogs can be gentlemen with the patience of a saint. He taught me to value alone time and how to live in the moment. He taught me to smile, to open up my heart, and to value every day. Timmy was extremely empathetic for a dog. He could always read my emotions and was always there to comfort me, make me smile, snuggle me when I needed it, make me laugh, etc. He was like a living teddy bear and was amazing at comforting me. Watching him blossom like a flower, growing in confidence and strength, was one of my greatest joys. He started off so reserved and shy and developed over the years into a more confident, happy, affectionate, delightful dog. He remained shy with friends and in strange situations but at home he was a totally different dog and I cherished every moment that he opened up. He was one of our best kept secrets because so few saw the "real" him. It took over a year for him to accept Justin even though he lived with me the entire time. Once you won him over he was incredibly affectionate and snuggly. He was the only dog who would not only follow me around the house but also lay down on the hard floor, rugs, or whatever was there just to stay at my feet. He just wanted to be near me and was content to hang out wherever I was. Almost every single night we snuggled on the couch. I would lay down and put my pillow and head on Justin’s lap and Timmy would get up and stretch out beside me. We would often fall asleep together. Back when the dogs were allowed in the bedroom he would get up in between Justin and I every single night and snuggle into me while beating Justin up with his legs. I’d often find him under my covers and/or pillow and I’d pretty much never need a blanket of my own because he was always so incredibly warm. No matter what kind of day I had his mere presence was enough to calm me. There are things that are uniquely Timmy that I miss so much and always will. We always said that Timmy loved big toys and he could not lie. He preferred toys that were much larger than he was and he would flop about wildly with them and snuggle them after defeating them. I would go out and buy giant kid toys and the giant Petsmart charity toys for him and he would be so incredibly happy. Even once they were destuffed he loved them. The big exception to this was a tiny dreidel toy that sang. He loved that thing. It would sing “dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made you out of clay” over and over and he happily chomped it to make it sing. He played with the other dogs sometimes, and would run with them until things got too intense, but mostly he just wanted me to throw a toy and watch him play wildly. He did like playing with Finn his last few years because he had finally found a dog that spun and boxed and played like he did. When he played he wanted me to watch him. I would go outside with him to watch and if I went inside he’d stop. He’d also want you to grab a toy and pretend to tug or toss it and then he would get back to business. He made some crazy sounds when tugging. Outside meant zooming fast and crazy with a toy and leaping wildly for it. His crooked, cured broken leg was no thing. Inside he was even more hilarious. He would only play on beds (human or dog) and would leap from dog bed to dog bed wildly flinging and sliding them across the room while zooming all over. That dog could mess up a human bed in seconds and would leap on and off the bed going crazy. He always wanted me to watch and would stop if I looked away. He was the roaching king of Casa de Bridwell and spent the most time on his back of any dog we have ever had. He’s snuggle with me roached too. When he was happy he roached more and smiled. He loved when I was home for the summer or spring break. He was also the snuggle king and, even though I had no idea that the word “numpkin” already existed, I made up the term “nuggle numpkin” instead of snuggle pumpkin. I was probably sick or something when I first invented it but it stayed. I would ask him if he wanted to “nuggle” and he would snuggle me. He was so incredibly warm that I normally did not need a blanket but he liked to get under them. He would often snuggle his head and neck into mine and we would fall asleep. He would climb up on papasan chairs, couches, beds, and anything where we could snuggle. He fell asleep across my lap on the floor at meet and greets and at the Renaissance Festival too! He was polite and as much of a gentleman as a dog can be. He was excited about collars and walks but he would wait patiently until I showed him his collar and then he would help me by putting his head through it. He was perfect on walks and would pace himself right next to me in a natural heel. When I praised him he put a spring in his step and got a little ahead and then would fall back. He would often walk close enough for me to pet his back while we walked since he was just the right height. He always waited patiently for treats and meals and was happy to do whatever we asked of him. He was an exceptionally good boy. He loved walks and they were thoroughly enjoyable with him. Super rare Timmy kisses were the best. He gave them sparingly and each was a special gift. He would also show affection by getting in your face and then sneezing. He would also sing when he was happy and loved “rooing” with us. Often, I would get him started and he would get everyone started. He would throw his head up and sing with his tail going wild. He was not a very vocal dog all around and he had a deep, scary bark on the rare occasions he chose to use it. He also had a heart-wrenching cry that he would occasionally use to make me jump to his every need. If I was sleeping in and he needed me, or if I was spending too much time in another room, he would cry and I would drop everything and go to him. He had me wrapped around his paw. He whined so rarely (unlike some of our others) that I know he needed or really wanted me at that moment. He would cry when I pulled up into the driveway too and he was always so excited to greet me that he would jump up and come to the gate with his tail going wild and a huge smile on his face. Sometimes he would even do an awkward jump up to hug me. Timmy did enjoy going outside and liked water in natural settings. He went swimming in a river at Mountain Hounds and jumped in the lake at Paris Mountain. he would climb into the kiddie pool in the yard as well. However, he really only liked to go outside with me. He would sometimes humor Justin and go out for him but it was rare. Justin and Timmy took a long time to build a relationship. Timmy eventually accepted him after about a year and over time they grew to love each other. Timmy would rest his head on Justin’s lap when he was on the couch prior to him and I snuggling. Justin made an awesome emergency backup human. Timmy is featured in the Masquerade Hounds logo. It was a no-brainer. My heart dog needed to be the Greyhound representative in our logo. I don’t think that I can love anything in this world as much, or the same way, as I loved Timmy. You can see more pictures on his memorial page: Timmy i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling) i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true) and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart) - e.e. cummings

Some dogs become pals and some don't. Some dogs are more snuggly and playful than others. There are a lot of factors. I've adopted without meeting the dogs prior, kept a foster, and raised puppies. I have 6 (and have had 8) personal dogs. I also fostered for years and took care of other people's hounds. Some were fast and immediate friends and some exist in the pack and get along but aren't snuggle and play buddies. My 2 Ibizans and 2 of my Greyhounds form a fairly close play and snuggle group. The other 2 Greyhounds do their own thing. Their ages are spread across the board. The 2 who do their own thing are 11 and 7 and the other 4 are almost 3, 5, 6, and 9. My Galgo was big-time integrated into the play and snuggle group and took both puppies under his wing (for better and worse LOL!). I know they missed him when cancer took him. My old Dalmatian was the grumpy matriarch who thought she was an only dog most of the time but sometimes, when she did not think I was looking, I would see her sneak in some play and snuggle time. Oddly, despite the fact that she did not really integrate into the rest of the pack that much, they all took her death very hard. Sometimes they have an attachment even if you can't see it.

Poor guy. I hope he heals up soon. We know dislocations well, unfortunately. My girl is an over-achiever though and has added ligament avulsions before.

I run my Ibizan Hounds and was running one of my Greyhounds (I recently retired her due to soundness in the yard issues). I would be happy to answer any questions that you have. You are in region 9 for ASFA and can see clubs here: http://www.asfa.org/clubs/region9.html This is a nice starting point article to get you some basic info: http://greyhoundcrossroads.com/index.php?page=lure-coursing Lure coursing and straight racing are something you do with an already fit, sound dog. If the dog is not in good, hard running condition it is more likely to sustain injuries. Straight racing is a lot less "intense" as it is much shorter with no turns, but the dogs still go all out. I often hear people complain that they went for a fun run and their dogs were sore for days. This should not happen and is a sign that the dog is not at the fitness level needed for these sports. My performance Greyhound can, and has, run back to back days of lure coursing trials, with minimum of 2-3 runs each day, and never been sore like that. Maintaining hard racing/performance condition is actually possible off the track, despite popular opinion, and just takes a lot of work and most adopters simply don't do it (and usually have no reason to if the dogs are just pets). Nail length is important, as is getting a good vet check to assess soundness. They are super fun sports and the dogs get to simulate what they were bred for.

We hike. My home-raised girl is extremely high energy for a Greyhound and she's always been able to go all day. We take her and my Ibizans on long hikes over various elevations as often as we can. She thinks she is one of them. My retired racers can all hike with us too but I don't take them anywhere as intense. I just slowly built up their endurance and the distance over time. My one girl swims and will jump in any natural body of water. My others, not so much.

Honestly, if I had to use a head halter I would use the Bold Lead Designs Infinity Lead (or Perfect Pace as they call it now). It does not turn the dog's head/neck to the side when they pull like the others do. The correction comes from behind the head, it adjusts to any nose/head shape, and has a part that snaps to a collar in case the worst happens and the head halter came off. I have used it on hounds with great success when working on leash training.