Hoping I Am Very Wrong.

[Guest Ola]

How about meeting some greyhounds or volunteering with a group? They really are different from many other breeds. For example, our other dog is a norwegian elkhound mix (most likely, we got her from the pound). Chaos thrives on training classes, wants things to do, her brain is always working. Our grey (Mayhem) is a very mellow guy, nothing like Chaos - he is content to lay on his bed watching us.

 

We taught him to sit, down, and shake a paw, though he responds much better to the hand signals than the words. It's not something we've done a lot of work on but we do use it on a daily basis when he gets cookies, and just for fun. We didn't have to teach him heel as it's something he always does (like most greyhounds), in fact I have a hard time getting him to leave my side and explore when we go on hikes (on a longer lead). We've also never taught the come command as he comes flying at the sound of his name, so I never get to the second word.

 

So unlike Chaos who knows a lot more commands and the names of many of her toys, Mayhem's idea of fun is different (though he loves a game of hide-and-seek, romps in the backyard, and going on walks and meeting new people and dogs). If you'd like a dog with the personality of a border collie or another working breed, a greyhound just won't work. Although I have one of each and I do enjoy the diversity. The two words I would use to describe our mixed breed are "playful" and "curious", and the two words for our grey are "sweet" and "zen".

[vsrenard]

My experience, I am no expert so take it for what it's worth:

 

I have two GHs. Zola I have had for 7 years. She is now 9, and she and I are very in tune with each other. I have never taught her any commands but always spoke to her in a normal tone of voice--please do this, don't do that. She does not know the words sit or stay, or even leave it, but will do as I ask (in a conversational tone) because she has gotten used to me. She's really laid back but she still has a mischievous style. I let her get away with a lot so long as she listens when I need to her to (and she does, based on tone of voice). For example, when I am eating and she is begging ( a no-no here), i will tell her to go to her bed. She knows what I want but she'll sit on the spare couch--just to get her own way.

 

I just got Brin 3 weeks ago. She is a lot more stubborn and we don't have a bond yet. Her foster family taught her 'sit,' which i have been reinforcing. With her, I will definitely use commands as a way of setting expectations and giving praise as I think this will strengthen our bond. But already I can tell she does what she wants when she wants--it is up to me to set the boundaries of when and how that is acceptable.

 

Our house is a quiet, be-yourself kind of place. I demand obedience only for certain situations, conveyed by tone of voice. In other cases, I request and make it worth their while to comply. From my experience, this style works much better than the standard training I have used with other breeds.

[dlgwarner]

Yes, I am mainly looking to teach commands that EVERY dog should know for their safety. These include "stay" "heel/dont pull" "come" "down" "leave it" and "wait". If my dog can succsessfully learn those, I will be happy with that.

I haven't had a chance to read the entire thread, so I apologize in advance if this has already been mentioned. While most any greyhound can learn the basics that you mention above, it is critical that you ALWAYS remember that "stay" and "come" with the best ever trained, most obedient greyhound is NEVER a substitute for a leash. Greyhounds are instinctive prey hunters and if something engages their instinct to chase, you can not expect a command learned months or years ago (even if practiced daily) to override a genetic trait that has been emphasized through hundres of years and thousands of generations of breeding.

 

While I am "sure" that my greyhound is such a "velcro" dog with such a low prey drive that he would never venture far from me, I have read enough Greyhound Amber Alert heartbeaks to NEVER test that certainty.

 

Aside from that, I'll just add that greyhounds are awonderful, but fairly unique breed. They are very smart and learn quite well. They will learn what you want if you engage them in their terms. They can be frustrating at times with their seeming independent mindedness, but its one of their endearing traits. I could not imagine wanting another breed more than I would want another greyhound.

[Guest Snazzy_Chloe]

These dogs are INDEPENDENT hunters - which means they think for themselves, and act accordingly. You earn their respect, you can train them, they will come to you (most of the time), but when most of them hear the rustling of leaves, or see any kind of movement, they are alert and back into their own instinctual wild dog world. That's why they shouldn't be off lead as MOST of them cannot be completely trusted to come to your beck and call all the time. You get the idea -

There are a lot of posts with great feedback - but my first reaction to your first couple of posts was that this was not the breed for you, since then you have moderated your positions.

They are smart aloof dogs, but independent enough that they will not do what you say everytime - sometimes they can be a challange...to me that is what makes them a great breed. I don't need a dog that pitter patters around beside me and does everything that I say, when I say it - that would be a robot. These guys, once they have grown comfortable with you in your home, will light up your life with the sparkle in their eyes and their silly antics, their twirling, and their individual personalities that just come out and shine - that just makes us love them all the more. This respect is a mutual thing that we each learn and gain appreciation from each other, and it takes a long time for a grey to gain this for the human, as he has generally lived his whole life with dogs instead of humans when you get him/her. My point is they will train you (if you will allow yourself to be flexible enough in your life and how you live to accomodate these guys to a small extent) to be appreciated by them. They study us, they know our every movement of our bodies and actions and can tell what we are going to do sometimes before we are going to do it. So, owning these dogs is a life changing event in that both the dog and the human can work together and gain a respect and love for each other that you will carry with you long after they have passed on.

You are the alpha only beacuse they are living in your world, you are smarter, and you control the food and water, if you were living in their world - they would be the alpha, they are faster, stronger, can see, hear and smell better that you---the only thing we have on them is our brain. They know it and we know it --- another version of mutual respect, its a good thing that we are better lovers instead of fighters. Greys are very eager to please humans and comply with our rules as long as they are given love and care- that is all they ask.

[Guest sneakers]

My greys know and understand basic commands - sit, stay, come and speak. They learn surprisingly fast. When teaching, it helped to combine the word with the gesture. Also - even if your grey knows "come" - NEVER let them off the leash unless you are in a fenced in area. Once they give chase, there's no coming back no matter how many times you say the word.

[3greytjoys]

Yes, I am mainly looking to teach commands that EVERY dog should know for their safety. These include "stay" "heel/dont pull" "come" "down" "leave it" and "wait". If my dog can succsessfully learn those, I will be happy with that. I would be devastated if I had a poorly behaved dog (any breed), or if not knowing a simple command caused an injury or death. To me, obedience (commands I listed above) when asked is an absolute must.

Thanks everyone for your input, it makes me feel better! I was really hoping I didnt have to scratch this breed off my list over this worry.

More advice/input still welcome!!

 

Greyhounds are VERY smart. My Greyhounds are obedience trained quite well verbally, and with hand-signals. (I taught them everything inside my home.) They will quickly respond to: Come, sit, down, heel, stay, wait, leave it, let's go, off, etc... I just happen to enjoy the special bond and the dog's extra self-assurance that obedience training offers. I agree with you re: safety. It also makes life easier for the dog to understand life living in a home with humans. I've trained many different breeds in formal classes (large and small) and found that Greyhounds are so sensitive and eager to please that they are quite easy to teach. Learning obedience helps keep their minds alert, and enriches their lives which helps any dog feel happier, IMO. All of my Greyhounds sit automatically before every meal, or if I am about to offer treats. They are whistle trained to "come" in the event of an unlikely loose hound emergency (hopefully it will work if they're not chasing something, but recall is never guaranteed in any dog). They respond very well to clicker training, and some Greyhounds (not mine) do advanced agility in a fenced enclosure. I have obedience trained other retired racing Greyhounds as well (ages 1.5 yrs. to 8 years old). The most important things to remember training Greyhounds: Be happy, patient, and use very gentle, positive reward methods only. Keep daily training sessions short 5-10 minutes (a couple of times day). Set them up to succeed with something easy (example: "come" to food). If you show them something they have trouble grasping, take a break until the next day, then try to show them what you want in different still very gentle way (especially with "sit"). Greys can sit just fine assuming they don't have an injury that might make it more uncomfortable for them. (I don't ask mine to sit for long periods of time, since they are more comfortable lying down.)

 

Sit: If holding a treat over the head and moving back a little near a corner doesn't work... Another method for "Sit:" Be ready to reward them if they are just about to lie down. After they place their rear on the floor naturally as they are about to fall into a lie down position, stand directly in front of the dog and block dog from lying all the way down on the floor; at the same time say "sit" and offer them a treat before they lie all the way down on the floor. This is only a short moment of hesitation for them until your sit request "clicks" in their mind. Be ready to catch them to reward them for their natural "sit" a few times a day. They will quickly learn the connection to their rear being on the floor with the verbal word "sit."

 

Try not to allow yourself to get frustrated, and never punish any dog for not understanding what you are trying to teach or else the trust relationship will be damaged, and the dog will shut down. Greyhounds are usually so mellow and easy to be around, it's not worth risking your relationship. They need love and understanding.

 

Good luck with whatever breed you decide to adopt. Greyhounds are one of the best breeds, if not the best breed ever!

[Guest twhitehouse]

Lexi knows several commands and listens very well. She's comes when called, sits, lays down, shakes, crawls, and jumps on command. It helps to have a very food motivated hound!

[Guest wmlcml6]

Batmom and Gazehund both sound like me. For the most part, I let my dogs be dogs, but they also have manners and we have a bond that makes them (most of the time) want to please us. I apologize in advance, but this turned out to be longer than I expected.

 

I have said many times that I'm so glad Rosemary usually wants to do what I want her to do, because otherwise she would just ignore me. That said, she is one of the most well mannered loyal dogs I've ever had. She broke her leg at 11 mths old at the training farm, so other than the three months she was there before the injury, I have had her since the day she was born. She is 7 yrs old now, and is my canine BFF.

 

Hope will be three in April, and she was the runt of her litter. She is spoiled completely rotten because we have had to nurture her daily for her to survive. What Hope wants, Hope usually gets. She is the most unique hound I've ever owned. I call her our alien greyhound because she is nothing like most greyhounds and if I hadn't seen her birth with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe she's the same breed as her littermates. Part of that is because she wasn't raised like a normal greyhound. She was too small to hang out with her littermates; she didn't go through training and never had the routine of kennel life and racing. She is hard headed (but it's because she knows what she wants and apparently we are still in training). She is not very affectionate (doesn't give kisses, rarely wants to snuggle on the couch) which seems odd as much as she's been doted on by everyone. That said, she does know the routine of our house. She knows how to tell us she is hungry (she gets fed about 4 times a day), she will walk to the front door if she has to go out off schedule (and she doesn't go to the door for any other reason so it's a giant sign that it's time to go out), and she hummmmmms at us if we aren't paying enough attention to her. She loves walks, going for rides in the car, and is very entertaining in her own way. She is very smart, and as long as we do what we have to do to keep her safe since she has limited recall, she is well mannered and a pure joy to have in our family.

 

Grandy raced for us until she was a little over 4 yrs old. She never needed a muzzle at the kennel because she was so well behaved in the pack of girls at turnout, and she also jumped into her top crate without issue. Now that we have her at home (waiting to be a mama), she will not jump into a vehicle, and she won't stop getting uber excited when it's time to go outside (and we've worked on curbing this a lot). She also is extremely smart, and has fantastic recall. She comes every single time she's called, she walks great on leash, and entertains us daily with her crazy antics. So we work around her crazyness as she waits to be leashed to go outside, and everything else works great between us.

 

I think my point here is that we spend a lot of time with our greyhounds both in the racing kennel and at home. Although they are all greyhounds, they each have their own personality and the trick is to know their idiosyncrazies (ok, that's a typo, but since it kind of fits, I'm leaving it!!) and that helps you know what works for them and what won't with regard to meeting your expectations. If you can handle that, you'll be fine.

 

My suggestion to you is to meet as many adoptable greyhounds as possible until you meet one you bond with. See how they interact with the kennel people and how they act with other dogs. You can get a good sense of what their personality is by watching them with the people they are used to. It might take a few visits, but follow your gut instinct. I always tell people to let the dog pick the human. I know some groups don't allow that, but hopefully you are going to one that does. When a potential adopter comes to look at our retired racers, I take each one out to meet the people. They get a few minutes with them, and then we bring another out. I watch the entire time to see how my dog is reacting to these new people. When I see an immediate bond, I push a little harder because that's a special thing. If a dog responds to you that quickly, you have something special to that particular dog. and the chances are you'll have a great relationship at home.

 

Camille, one of the members here, can attest to this story. She came out to meet our adoptables. As I brought out each dog, I would tell her about my interactions with the dog. I brought out MiAmi and told her "MiMi is very shy and she probably won't give you the time of day". NOT! She walked right out and met Camille with interest and didn't do her usual shy away from the strange human routine. They went home together and I think it's worked out beautifully.

 

Another family, also on GT, wanted an awesome red fawn boy named Abbott. Her greyhound Flower had other ideas. Flower was completely smitten with Viktor. It took 3 visits I think for Stacy to realize that Flower had already made a choice, and Viktor was the dog she wanted as her brother. Now Viktor is a big time mama's boy and Stacy hasn't regretted the decision once.

 

If you follow your heart, and patiently wait until you find a greyhound you can relate to (and vice versa), I think you and your future greyhound will be very happy together. You do need to pick carefully since this will be an only dog for awhile, and most have never been without another greyhound in their midst. You will need to be the dog's buddy, and that means spending time doing things together so he/she won't be bored or lonely. Hopefully the group you will work with for the adoption can point you in the right direction. In my opinion, greyhounds really just want to be with people and to be treated with love and respect. Good luck.

[Guest Harry702]

Harry is an only dog and I'd consider him well trained. He knows all the basics you require "Here" (recall), "Sit," "Down," "Stay," "Leave it," "Bed," "Kennel up," "Up" (jump into the back of the Subaru)... and we've even taught him to obey a string of commands... for example, he has to go into a sit or a down and "stay" on a rug in the kitchen while we get his food dish ready... when we tell him "Kennel up" he can run to his crate and go into a down and wait for his food dish. He has good days and bad days... but for the most part, he does really well and listens to what we ask him.

 

The key for him was time, patience, positive techniques (clicker training) and understanding his motivation (FOOD!). I'll be honest, the patience can be difficult... I do think greys can take a little longer to train than other breeds, but if you find what motivates that particular dog, and you set him or her up for success... greyhounds absolutely can be trained.

 

ETA: Don't let anyone make you feel like training your dog isn't good for him or her. I know many people have said "why bother training?" or "let a dog be a dog." I don't agree. Dogs like having structure and they like being able to communicate with their pack leaders. It's tremendously satisfying to me to know that Harry understands what I want from him... and I know he's bonded more closely to us knowing that he's able to do what we ask. I also think training gives a dog a chance to use his brain... something I think many dogs don't get enough of. Just my two cents.

Edited January 27, 2010 by Harry702

[Guest barkdogs]

Is there a rescue kennel near you? I would recommend spending time with them before you make a decision. They are not like labs and retrievers--Mine are well behaved and they do listen and they are intelligent. They are also sensitive. If you get to know some that may answer for you if they are a compatible type dog for your needs.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

There is someone with UD, CDX, MACH, and even dock diving retired greyhounds! They certainly can be trained.

[Guest widowcali]

Any dog will learn basic commands if you work with him/her.

 

Cali and Widow were never trained, at least not formally. However, they did learn getting in the car, leash walking, waiting for dinner, not jumping, and house training. But I never worked with them. Brighid the Wonder Puppy did go to puppy class (before I realized that I knew more than the puppy trainer, which irritated him). So she learned stay, down, sit, no, and wait for dinner. I still need to practice leash walking with her, and she needs to learn to not jump, but she's getting better.

[fsugrad]

The one thing you will get from greys that I have not seen in other breeds (Dobes come close) is that for your friendship, they will share their soul with you. What more could a person ask?

That just brought tears to my eyes. So very true.

[Guest spider9174]

So...my experience with greyhounds is that they are able to be trained however there are a few things that you need to know first:

1) food motivated dogs will train a little faster. You have to be able to find something that will motivate them.

2) one time through obedience doesn't cut it. my experience is that you have to do obedience a few times. you'll need to work with your pup a few times a day a few minutes each time rather than an hour at a time. my pup checks out 15 minutes into an obedience class. it isn't that he doesn't care, he's just bored.

3) you have to give them a lot of grace. they don't know anything when you get them. you can't make them sit by pushing their but down. they don't heel, but most will walk well on leash, etc.

 

my pup is ready for a canine good citizenship class. he won't do a sit/stay (although he does sit), he will do a standing stay. I wouldn't trust him to stand/stay in an open field with lots of distractions, but in my yard or at the class he was good. we did small obstacle courses with him too and he did fine. sat on a box, backed through things, went over stuff (not agility, but small obstacles). he can differentiate between sit and down. I taught down through a sit. Eventually he thought they were the same. But now, I can say sit, he sits or down and he lays down.

 

eta in addition he knows...walk, up up , outside, insdie, move, off the couch/bed, no jump, settle.

 

I would also like to add...if you are really wanting to do obedience a grey might not be the best choice. They can do it, it just takes longer.

Edited January 27, 2010 by spider9174

[Guest 2greygirls]

My dogs don't sit, but they do "down", and " No"..they come when called, and this sounds strange, but they seem to know what I'm asking, whether they choose to do it is another story. They always let me in first through a door, they heel on their own, unless there is prey..They instinctively understand " careful" ( we have some icy patches and they slow down when I say careful) They like it when we work on things like down and stay, but they are not overly treat motivated, they do it because they like the interaction, greys are very different from other dogs I have had experience with, they are not dumb, on the contrary, they are smart, self-aware little beings, who have strong ideas about what they want.. I am sure you will be fine with a grey.I don't htink you should over think the obedience issue.

[Guest spider9174]

that's very true. I've found for the most part, they are very smart. And some are more like cats then dogs in their choice to do/not do things.

 

I rode and showed Arabian horses for years. Along the way I also rode Thoroughbreds, Quarter horses, various ponies, etc. I found Arabs very people oriented compared to the other breeds and very smart. Some trainers will say "I spend 1 hour teaching something, then the rest of the week they are trying to figure out how not to do it." Interesting challenge, compared to other breeds.

 

I find that mentality of the Arabian horse, to be the same with greyhounds. Their attention span isn't as long and I, for one, know my male has spent a lot of time trying to show me he can't do something. He's wicked smart in ways. Our female, very respectful but has spent more time training us on proper handling than we have of her. She sits, when my male sits. She knows the command, but won't do it if I tell her to sit.

 

It's a different type of challenge training a greyhound. They get it, but they aren't the "pleaser" type dog. They aren't OCD like a border collie or lab. They don't really care if you throw the ball over and over for them. Because they have a more take it or leave it personality, you have to vary your training methods and be creative.

[Guest maggiemay]

Yes, I am mainly looking to teach commands that EVERY dog should know for their safety. These include "stay" "heel/dont pull" "come" "down" "leave it" and "wait". If my dog can succsessfully learn those, I will be happy with that. I would be devastated if I had a poorly behaved dog (any breed), or if not knowing a simple command caused an injury or death. To me, obedience (commands I listed above) when asked is an absolute must.

 

My hound knows all those commands plus a few more. She was 3 1/2 when we adopted her and she learned them all quick smart (including "sit"). However knowing and doing are two different things and often depend on what reward is being offered! But I do feel I can keep her (and others) safe.

 

She aint like my mother's lab who does everything bar the washing up, but I never wanted a performing monkey. I guess it all comes down to the expectations you have for your dog whether you would be happy with a grey.

[Guest LynnM]

My Louis has his CGC and was making excellent progress at agility before a he broke his leg running in a field trial. With work, and figuring out what motivates him, we had no problem working circles around Goldens, Poodles, etc at obedience class. That said, if I have one dog that's most likely to get in trouble, it's Louis. Like any smart dog with a bit of drive, he can be very inquisitive and sometimes push his boundaries. Having tons of brains can be a mixed blessing, LOL.

 

On the other hand, when my old man Joplin was alive, his motivation was always something of a mystery. If it didn't have to do with running or resting in his crate/mealtime, he wasn't very interested. Even he learned a few commands, though sometimes I think he just did them to humor me, so he could get back to running or resting in his crate. He was a running dog through and through.

 

Long story short, different dogs, different personalities. As their owner, it was my job to figure out how to teach each in a way that he could understand.

 

They are also very intuitive and will pick up on your cues whether you're intentionally training them or not.

 

Lynn

[Guest NeverSayNever]

I know you already have a bunch of responses and that someone already pointed you towards my blog and website.... so I'm sorry if I am repeating something someone has already said. If you want a greyhound that is fun and easy to train, look for food motivation when you check out adoptables. If the greyhound is sniffing your pockets, will eat treats outdoors, and will follow a treat in your hand (i.e. will turn around and circle to follow the treat), then you may have a good training subject. The greyhound that is too lazy to turn around for a treat or who does not care, will generally be more difficult to train.

 

There are plenty of greyhounds that need more stimulation and activty than a couch to lie on. If training is important to you, find a greyhound that will enjoy and benefit from the additional work you want to do.

 

Good luck!