Retired Racer Vs. Non-Racing Greyhound

[Guest Harvardton]

I adopted a retired racing greyhound a couple of months ago and many times I've been surprised by his manners (he's 7 years old, spent 5 years racing and 2 years waiting for a home). Everything has been going great and it made me wonder how much of his personality has been shaped by his racing career. How different are greyhounds that do not race in terms of their temperament? I'm sure most of the qualities still exist but it seems like some of them are a result of a lot of early handling.

[Guest IrskasMom]

Mine never raced,lack of Interrest of chasing a Bunny or just simply low( no )Preydrive.So from very early on mine was very laid back , because he was just

"hanging " around until the Rescue Group picked him up ( Age 1.5 )Some Dogs are more Highstrong then others.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Are you asking about hounds that have been through racing school, but didnt make it as "official" racers, or are you asking about AKC Greyhounds that are never put into schooling to begin with?

[Guest Greytluv]

Four of mine never raced. Doni Rae ran 11 races and she won 1

[CaliforniaGreys]

Two of the Greys I've had were non racers, and to be honest, I saw no difference between them and the ones that raced.

 

Maybe a little muscle development but that's it

[Guest KennelMom]

I don't see much difference in our flunkees vs graded racers other than normal variations in personality. A lot of what we love in greyhounds are really true of most of the traditional sighthounds. Heck, our staghound could probably pass for a retired racing greyhound if we shaved him down...and somehow made him fast He has the temperament of a lot of greyhounds I've known over the years. Probably the only thing he doesn't have is a competitive bone in his body which is something I see even in greyhounds bred for racing that never made the track.

 

One benefit that greyhounds have that many other breeds do not is they spend their formative living in a pack and, therefore, tend to have excellent doggy skills. This can sometimes be an issue when they encounter dogs who were removed from mom and littermates at the traditional 8-12 weeks and don't have proper doggy manners. Many folks assume it's the greyhound...usually it's the other dog that's being terribly rude.

[Brindles]

Most ex racers that didn't race officially were at least trained to race. So even though they didn't race, they still have a lot of the background that experienced racers have.

 

In my experience, the ones with lengthy careers have been much more laid back than those with short careers.

[Guest gurehaundo]

I agree with the doggy manners comment. Both of my boys (Ace and Jac) never raced, but are NGA Greyhounds. Their personalities are very laid back and they get along with all dogs even if they can be shy with people. Tenn was a coyote-hunting Greyhound and is way more needy than Ace and Jac. She is always all up in my face. She also sometimes has poor doggy manners, but is very friendly with women though often afraid of men. Tenn is our resident barker, too. It's kind of hard to explain, but Tenn is more of a typical dog while Ace and Jac are...so easy! Tenn needs to be entertained more than Ace and Jac - who are content just lying around all day. I'm not sure if it's a racing vs. non-racing personality thing or a male vs. female thing or an Ace and Jac vs. Tenn thing. Yeah, that doesn't really help, does it?

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

I have 3 hounds, the older 2 did race and came home with awsome manners. my 3rd is a pup we got a 3 months old she does a lot of the same things the older 2 do but she can be way more need and gets into trouble way more often. the biggest thing i had issues with was leash training, she gets way too excited sometimes and jumps around.

there isnt too much difference if both dogs were raised at the farm and only one raced because they were raised the same way but when the come from other places they can be a bit different and be more of a challenge.

[Guest desertdog71]

I have had two greys now. The first one I had was a beast and all Alpha Male, successful racer. My second one, never raced, never schooled, he has been our lap dog since 4 months old. They are almost identical in behavior except one thing. My first one, had amazing prey drive and desire to chase everything. The one I have now, couldn't care less about squirrels or bunnies or anything else. LOL

[Guest Mom2Shiloh]

I honestly Do think that the amount of early handling, the length of time they stay with their litter mates, the attention and training they get as they learn how to be racers does make a difference. Whether they race or not, NGA Greyhounds who come from good owners/breeders/farms are not all the same... but there's a certain something that I don't find with AKC greys. That being said, I have friends with AKC dogs and there again it depends on where they come from and how they were raised. I just prefer NGA greyhounds.

 

I'm friendly with several families who raise and race NGA greyhounds and the amount of attention the pups get on an ongoing basis is amazing. My very first greyhound never raced because he was injured in a training accident at 12 months... but he came from NGA 'stock' and grew up and trained with his litter until that point. He would have been an amazing racer, gimpy foot and all ... he had High PLAY drive and -0- prey drive. My second NGA greyhound had a career that spanned almost 6 years at Lincoln. He was in a mediocre to poor home for 3 years and then had almost 4 years at my house.. where he lived with 2 other greys, a lot of cats and children in and out... No prey drive there either. Then of course there was Shiloh who was in a home for four years that I still have nightmares about before he was rescued and came to me for his last 6 years -- none of those boys were the same. But they all had a certain something.

[Guest 2greygirls]

I've only been around a few AKC dogs, so I'm no expert, but I believe NGA dogs get their amazing personalities from their puppyhood spent being part of a pack- that develops them into these wonderful little people. They don't get messed with like so many puppies raised without other doggie guidance. Unfortunately, the hound skills Stretch learned does not extend to any other breed with him, but he is wonderful with other greyhounds, or sighthounds. (I know- he's a weirdo )

[Guest Hoolyghans]

Abba only raced a few times but she was raised/trained in the typical setting.

We got her a month after her 2nd birthday, she just turned 4 last month.

 

Then we have Spike who was an oops puppy. We got him at 7 weeks old, he'll be 2 at the end of this month.

 

Their basic dog-ness is very similar. Spike can hold down a couch with the best of them. He definitely has the drive of a racer, he loves to run and he's a joy to watch at the dog park. He's certainly the kind of greyhound we all know and love. The differences between them are subtle and could be more about individuality rather than upbringing. Or maybe it's a boy/girl thing? These two are my first two so it's hard for me to say.

 

Abba is not exactly shy but she can be a bit reserved in new situations/new people. She will relax in a short time but she's got to take it all in first. She's much more tuned into what's going on around her at home. Not hyper-vigilant, not spooky but clearly she's got one eye/ear on the situation.

 

Spike on the other hand thinks life is an adventure. As far as he's concerned no one is a stranger. He'll go anywhere with anyone.

And when it's time to relax, he is REEEE-laxed. Has utter confidence he is safe & secure here. If I had to describe Spike in one word it would be "Duuuuuude...."

 

I'm not sure exactly when he separated from mom but it had to have been around 5 weeks and the pups were kept in separate crates at the rescue kennel. This shows with his dog manners. He loves other dogs, loves them! He isn't very good at reading "ENOUGH!" signs while they are still subtle though. He's still very mouthy too, even with us (and yes, we do everything we can to discourage this!)