What Constitutes "big" For A Grey?

[greysmom]

I've got pretty average weight greys:

 

Dude - about 78 pounds but he's pretty tall - almost 33 inches, and 30 in long

Copper - weighs 78, he's the opposite of Dude in measurements - 30 in tall an 33 long

Cash - about 73, and probably 26 or 27 inches tall

Toni - about 68-70 and shorter than Cash - maybe 25 inches

 

Our first foster (and only succesful) foster was a HUGE boy. Jack was about 36 inches tall and weighed 95 pounds. We tend to not think of greyhounds as big around here. We had three Great Danes for many years before losing them. The placement people with our greyhound adoption group thought it was hilarious we were "down-sizing" to greyhounds. Dogs that most people consider to be a large breed. We could have six "average" size greys and still not equal the sheer poundage of three average Danes!

[Guest SpicyMom]

My girl is about 31 at the shoulder, 32 neck to tail and 75lbs of solid endurance - easy to see the hunting hound in her. She's AKC and can run/play for a solid 1 1/2 hours.

[Guest FordRacingRon]

I knew some foster parents with a 97 pound boy that was one of thier's. He counter surfed the top of thier refridgerator. They thought it was high enough so that he couldn't do it,,,wrong.

[Guest Whistle]

My boy Stopper is just over 31" at the shoulder. He raced at 84 pounds and weighs a healthy 89 now. All the grey folks we know comment on how big he is. I have seen healthy greys who are more stout and weigh more and some who are equal in height, but I have not seen a taller hound (but they are obviously out there).

[Guest sorenkkg]

I wonder if I measured right? I went for the shoulder, but turns out Haka is only 28" where I measured, and Aleeya is 27". Funny, I knew there wasn only an inch separating them in height even before today. He is just much wider than she is.

 

I have to agree-- I know greys are a "large breed" and obviously they are pretty big compared to the little fluffies everyone is into now, and taller than labs and goldens and whatnot... but I don't think of them as big. Weird? I guess I'm just used to them all at this point, until you see a really big guy and then it's like, OH right, they are big dogs.

 

 

[tydyelady]

Opie (Wine Sips Away) raced at 88, and now weights 95 lbs. He is very tall, and extremely LOOOONNNNG! He is my big sweetums.

[DevilDog]

Roscoe is a big boy. He's always the biggest at a M&G and people always comment on how they've never seen a greyhound so big! He is very solidly built, about 85 lbs.

[Wendie]

 

I know at the vet, they have a poster that says greyhounds are supposed to be between 60lb and 70lb I think?

 

 

 

Every greyhound book I've ever read seems to give 55 - 70 as the common weight for girls and 65(not positive on this one) - 80 as the common weight for boys.

 

Joe is 68 pounds and often mistaken for a girl because he's on the smaller size

[LaFlaca]

My Wendy is the smallest grey I've ever seen - 24" at the shoulder, 55 lbs. Many folks think she's a whippet!

[Guest twhitehouse]

Well I can't really tell you about big.

 

But we always get comments on how small Lexi is. She's about 23 1/2 inches to the shoulder and about 52 lbs. When we first adopted her, she was skin and bones at only 45 lbs. She doesn't know she's small though. She'll tell any dog off, no matter what their size is when we go to the local greyhound meetup.

[Guest simile]

The weight listed on the poster at your vet's office is the AKC Standard range - dogs 65-70lbs, females 60-65lbs - but as you can see, the size and weight for greys (especially racers) varies widely. I've got a 55lb female and two 80lb males in my house.

[LaFlaca]

Well I can't really tell you about big.

 

But we always get comments on how small Lexi is. She's about 23 1/2 inches to the shoulder and about 52 lbs. When we first adopted her, she was skin and bones at only 45 lbs. She doesn't know she's small though. She'll tell any dog off, no matter what their size is when we go to the local greyhound meetup.

 

 

 

Kiowa Sweet Trey must have made small girls! Your Lexi is even smaller than Wendy. Wendy weighed in at a whooping 47 lbs. when we adopted her. But you're right about these pixie girls...they are firecrackers!

[Guest sorenkkg]

I know at the vet, they have a poster that says greyhounds are supposed to be between 60lb and 70lb I think?

 

 

 

Every greyhound book I've ever read seems to give 55 - 70 as the common weight for girls and 65(not positive on this one) - 80 as the common weight for boys.

 

Joe is 68 pounds and often mistaken for a girl because he's on the smaller size

 

I gotta say, that's a pet peeve (ha! pet peeve in talking about pets, that's funny ) when people ask me if mine are whippets. I know they don't know better, and there aren't a lot of greyhounds in Canada still.... but geez, whippets are so small!

 

I also think it's funny when they ask me if Haka is a girl! He's very beautiful, I have to say, but he's such a BOY!

 

I guess not the biggest, but I'm with you guys on the "solidly built" part. I'm just happy that both come up to about where my hands fall at my sides, so I don't have to bend to give the love

[Guest Gideon]

Tankala (Tank) is 31" at shoulder and weight a hefty 88-91 lbs right now.

[KF_in_Georgia]

Both of mine are small. Jacey is 25" at the shoulder, 52 pounds. Sam is 28" at the shoulder, 64 pounds. He never raced (his sire raced at 70 pounds); she raced at about 56-57 pounds.

 

But I'm short--and I'm happy that I can lift each of mine if there's an emergency.

[Guest RocketDog]

Cass is 26" at the shoulder and weighs about 52lbs right now; raced at 55-56 and was spayed at 48lbs. She's got a big booty but that aside she is a very dainty girl, fine-boned and delicate.

 

Rocket is 28" at the shoulder and weighs 80ish; raced between 77-81lbs and was neutered at 77. He's short but has a very, very long back and he's really thick through the loins. Big bulky chest and thigh muscles, too.

 

Our foster, Grand Alliance, is a TEENY boy, just 26" at the shoulder! He raced at 69 and I think he weighs the same now. He has a broad chest and looks very 'masculine' to me, but he gets mistaken for a girl due to his height.

Edited December 22, 2009 by RocketDog

[Guest sorenkkg]

 

Rocket is 28" at the shoulder and weighs 80ish; raced between 77-81lbs and was neutered at 77. He's short but has a very, very long back and he's really thick through the loins. Big bulky chest and thigh muscles, too.

 

Yes, this is how I would describe Haka too-- man, the muscles he had when we first got him! Big old muscle boy, just not tall I guess

[Pepperjack]

I have had 7 male fosters--

 

Shark and Scout are what I consider 'small' around 67 pounds each.

Bootsy and Falco were pretty average--Bootsy should be around 75, but it's impossible to keep weight on him (one vet visit he was 69 pounds, I felt like a bad foster papa). Falco was around 76 pounds.

 

Bauhaus was slightly larger than average and was close to 80 pounds.

 

Prairie Dog and Goliath were 'bigger,' PD was just over 80 and raced right around there, Goliath's sole training race was listed at 85 pounds, he was 18 months, and could probably be comfortably 90. He's probably 32 inches tall.

 

Goliath with small Zuni, and smaller Cat.

 

[Guest Harry702]

I've never had a really big guy in the house, but I'd love to change that someday.

 

Harry is solidly average at about 69-70 lbs.

 

We did have a spunky little foster girl who weighed in at 58lb, but wow... the she fit about 90lbs of personality in that little package!

 

And I also can't stand it when I get asked if Harry or foster pup is a whippet. I mean really? He's not huge for a greyhound, but he's easily 30 lbs heavier a large whippet. And whippets aren't exactly that common...

Guess it's better than the folks who mistake him for a Great Dane.

[Guest Bang_o_rama]

Bang is a 65 lb female; offhand no idea how tall she is, but her nose easily reached our countertops. The other grey we were considering was a BIG male; nearly 90 lbs and a couple of inches taller and longer than Bang. We would have gladly adopted him but Bang promised to be less of a counter-surfer than that big galoot....

[LaFlaca]

Guess it's better than the folks who mistake him for a Great Dane.

 

Yeah, what's up with the Great Dane thing? Folks have asked me if Wendy, all 24", 55 lbs. of her, is a Dane.

[Pepperjack]

It's the GR thing. People start saying gr...eat dane. And I go 'greyhound' and they go 'oh, right, that's what I meant.'

[racindog]

Minny is my big guy. He has won the "tallest hound" at the Festival of the Bluegrass for the last 3 years. He is around 31" at the shoulder and around 85-90 lbs and lean. I have never been able to smooth over the pointy parts-even though he eats well. He does get quite a bit of exercise though. My soulmate Slim was a little taller and even skinnier. He had been a starvation case and bore effects of that on his body his entire life. No telling how tall he would have been had his mother and he not been starved. With the help of his holistic vet Dr. Boswell and accupuncture he did become very strong and pretty healthy however.

[Guest caelanarcher]

My big guy is about 80 pounds, and 30-31" at the shoulder.

 

Since he's an only dog, I don't look at him and say "Oh, he's so big." Instead, I go and see my boyfriend's Airedale and say "Oh, she's so small!"

[Guest OMGiluvgreys]

I have a 95 lb male who is not much taller then your average male. But he is longer and broader. he does not look like 95 lbs.

 

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