Lethargy

[christinepi]

We got our first dog/greyhound, Tracker, 3 months ago. Initially, he had a fair amount of energy, but since he came with a toe injury, we needed to have his toe amputated, which of course required several weeks of taking it easy. Everything has healed, though there still seem to be some on and off limping issues that our vet will have to check him out for. But what I've noticed most since the surgery is his much lower interest in going for walks. He loves his morning walks, as long as they're not longer than 40 minutes, but for the later two walks he doesn't have much energy left, so the walks are only about 20 or 30 minutes each. So he gets a total of 80 to 90 minutes a day, during half of which he's dragging his feet. Sometimes, when I take him to a new location to walk, he'll be more energetic, but not always. Like I said, the vet will see him next week, and we'll ask the same questions; his blood panel right before adoption was normal.

 

Medical issues aside, assuming this dog was healthy, what is "normal"?? I do clicker training with him to mentally challenge both of us; we work from home so we're around a lot; the only thing he hasn't been exposed to yet because of his foot issue is other dogs, so he hasn't really played with other dogs yet (although it took him a good 2.5 months to even show any interest in play with other dogs, which I understand is totally normal with greys), but that'll change soon. He loves people and is incredibly mellow otherwise.

 

He just loves his sofa and clicker training--to hell with the walks.

 

What gives?

[Guest greytgreys]

When I got my first grey, I set out on a three mile walk! Needless to say, 1.5 miles into it, he laid down in the street and wouldn't get up. I had to carry my 85 lb. boy home. I think it took us almost three hours to get back with me carrying him. After that, we built up to a nice 2 mile walk. My second grey hated to walk. It seemed to take all her energy just to get up off the couch and walk off the patio to potty. When all the greys would run in the yard, she would take a few steps each direction, but showed no interest in running. She was retired and she was no longer going to exert herself. We had her for 5 years and I always said if she were anymore laid back, she'd be asleep. She was by all means a couch-potato!

[Hubcitypam]

I might think a bit before expecting an hour and a half a day out of a grey (or any dog) who has recently has a toe amputated. and don't know why you'd want to push a dog that is limping and/or dragging its feet to walk more.

 

My greys run in the almost 1/8 acre yard at will and get one 20-30 minute walk a day. I'd say give your guy some more time to heal and listen to what he is trying to tell you.

Edited July 10, 2010 by Hubcitypam

[Guest MyBoys]

You said he loves his morning walks but not much interest after that, if it is hot where you are it could be he just does not like the heat, which is not uncommon for greys. Between the heat and his toe which may still be a bit sore he was smart enough to find the best spot in the house, the sofa Of course I would have his toe checked when you go to the vet but don't expect a lot of high energy from him if it is hot where you are and remember greyhounds basically love to lounge, and he probably needs more time for his toe to heal, even though it may look healed on the outside I am sure the nerves and tissue on the inside still need more healing time.

Edited July 10, 2010 by MyBoys

[Guest 4dogscrazy]

One of mine will walk forever, Tempe walks 4 blocks and wants to go home. She takes "retirement" seriously!

[Guest buttonwillow]

When I got my first grey, I set out on a three mile walk! Needless to say, 1.5 miles into it, he laid down in the street and wouldn't get up. I had to carry my 85 lb. boy home. I think it took us almost three hours to get back with me carrying him.

 

 

This made me laugh. I have been worried about Josie because I enjoy walking with her so much that I think I am wearing her out. I just got her on Saturday and today we walked about five miles and I for one am exhausted. Tomorrow is going to be a rest day for both of us. I know five miles is too much for both of us right now, we need to work up to it! But your story about your dog lying down and refusing to move makes me feel better and I hope Josie would do the same if she had enough. She is a trooper and has not even slowed down today, but I worry that she's so shy and compliant she'd walk herself to death if I wanted her to.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

90 minutes of walking, WOW thats a lot of walking. You realize when they race it is about 30 seconds, right? Not to say they cannot be worked up to 90 minutes of walking, but they are conditioned as sprinters, not distance endurance. Also the heat can be a huge factor as well. the other day my wife and I took our four for a walk in the forest preserve. We did a 1.25 mile walk in 80 degree weather. They were spent. They had no more energy for anything for the rest of the day. And two of my hounds are LGRA racers, so they are close to race condition.

[silverfish]

Yep, what others have said.

 

Greyhounds are not endurance dogs. They sprint (which they LOVE) and they enjoy walks as much as any dog, but it's a very unusual greyhound who'll enjoy long hikes. When he's fully fit (unless he's a puppy - under three years old), he won't need more than 45 minutes to an hour at any one time and to be honest, most greyhounds are happy with a lot less.

 

The adoption groups here will tell you that retired greyhounds need two twenty minute walks a day, so that should give you some idea of what they actually need. Anything more, they'll need working up to slowly and gradually, and you need to remember that many greyhounds retired with injuries and may never be able to do even as much as that. They'll get very tired and sore if you try to push them.

 

Your boy needs a little more time, especially after a toe amputation. And remember it wasn't so hot three months ago when you got him and he seemed lively. Greyhounds do NOT do well in the heat. In fact they are more prone to heat exhaustion (very serious medical problem) than most breeds. Mine is missing a leg, so he gets tired and hot a lot more quickly. We are in England and only walk for twenty minutes during the day at this time of day, and we've had him a year.

 

Don't feel 'stupid' after reading all these replies. He's your first, and you aren't to know how different greyhounds are from other breeds (Oh, gosh, I made a lot of mistakes with mine - and yes, I ended up carrying him home once or twice!). But if you stick around here, you'll find out.

 

Edited to add: we only walk Sid for twenty minutes during the day at this time of year in the shade. We drive him a short distance so we can walk through a little wood where it's cooler.

Edited July 10, 2010 by silverfish

[TheFullHouse]

When I got my first grey, I set out on a three mile walk! Needless to say, 1.5 miles into it, he laid down in the street and wouldn't get up. I had to carry my 85 lb. boy home. I think it took us almost three hours to get back with me carrying him.

 

 

This made me laugh. I have been worried about Josie because I enjoy walking with her so much that I think I am wearing her out. I just got her on Saturday and today we walked about five miles and I for one am exhausted. Tomorrow is going to be a rest day for both of us. I know five miles is too much for both of us right now, we need to work up to it! But your story about your dog lying down and refusing to move makes me feel better and I hope Josie would do the same if she had enough. She is a trooper and has not even slowed down today, but I worry that she's so shy and compliant she'd walk herself to death if I wanted her to.

 

Oh my gosh, you just got her and she's walking 5 miles! I think I'd slow down a lot! Greyhounds are sprinters, they run for 30 seconds and the race is over. They usually run every 3 to 4 days and may be sprinted in between so 5 miles is a marathon for your dog. I'd slow it down a lot and work up her endurance or you may find she collapses on you and you'll be walking her home or to an e-vet, especially in the heat, and yes some of these dogs would do anything to please you so she needs to take her cues from you.

[Guest Energy11]

WHEN mine CAN walk (heat), they walk around the property twice, and that is IT. Of course, they are all 8-10 yrs old, but they are not into long walks. MOST greys aren't. And, if it has been hot where you live, that is most likely why he only wants to walk in the mornings and not later.

 

If the bloodwork is fine, he is a just like most greyhounds, to me. Good Luck!

[christinepi]

Thanks for all the replies--it really helped. One thing I failed to mention is that Tracker doesn't WALK the entire time we're out--he spends a lot of time sniffing and checking out stuff, and I let him do this as long as he likes. He also clearly slows waaaay down on the way back (we don't do loops that often since we live way out in the boonies where there is no opportunity for that--it's one way and then go back the same way), which seems to me to be saying "what, we need to go home ALREADY"? But what seems definitely to be the case is that temperature affects him. I thought living in the coastal fog in Northern California, where 68 degrees constitute a heat wave (seriously), would be amenable to a greyhound, but obviously I was wrong. So I'll keep the walks longer in the morning, when it's still foggy, and keep the later ones much shorter and let him be the guide.

 

The thing that has been confusing to me so far is that he will get restless throughout the day and velcro himself to me (something he never does otherwise), which in the beginning always meant "take me out, PLEASE". But then when I pick up the lash and open the door, he's more like "Huh? You mean I have to leave the house?!"; he has a little fenced in area right outside the door, but he'll not go there on his own or even with me, so that's clearly not of interest. So I'm not sure what he's telling me when he's kind of restless. It's perhaps more mental restlessness, since when I then proceed to do some clicker training, he's all for that. I guess his needs then are not so much about physical but rather mental exercise. Since people always say that a tired dog is a happy dog, I ASSUMED that's what I should do, too, tire the pooch out, but that's not what he seems to need. And yes, as somebody wrote, I need to simply take into account that even though his limping has been very intermittent (he hasn't for many days now at all), there have been race track injuries plus surgery, therefore I should give him much more time. So I will; it's just so hard to know what does he need, want, and what's the right thing for him? Since everybody says greys are stoic and will do things against their own better judgement when it comes to pain... Anyway, we'll take it easy and see how it goes.

[silverfish]

The quote I've always heard - and used - is 'A tired dog is a good dog', meaning that bored dogs with spare energy will find things to do that might not always be to your liking! But it is also true that dogs do love their outings and usually a tired dog is a happy dog too. The point is, I suppose, that with greyhounds, there's a fine line to be walked because they can get exhausted quite suddenly, and also quicker than most breeds.

 

The restlessness probably does mean he wants or needs something, and the best thing to do would be to watch him carefully and see if you can work out what. It's quite possible he's a little bit bored and might find a few clicker training sessions a lot of fun - Sid certainly does!

 

If you want to read up on dog behaviour, body language etc, there are some excellent books out there which will give you a few 'Aha!' moments. One I like is Stanley Coren's 'How To Speak Dog', and another is Patricia McConnell's 'The Other End of the Leash'. Both are very readable.

[jetcitywoman]

I highly recommend Nina Ottosson dog puzzles. You can get some of them on Amazon.com, or google the name and her website lists other retailers. They're well-designed puzzle games that you play with your dog. Some are easy and others are very challenging. You can set aside 15 - 20 minutes a day for indoor fun when your dog starts to get restless. I have a couple for Capri and she LOVES them.

[Guest ELD]

I'm so glad this subject has come up. My reason for getting Tessa was so I would have a dog I could walk. Lately I haven't been walking her as there are flowers to water, weeds to pull, & the temperatures in the Chicago area are soaring to 90 in the afternoons but a 20 minute walk at 8:00 A.M. we can do.

 

Thanks for all the good information.

[Guest buttonwillow]

When I got my first grey, I set out on a three mile walk! Needless to say, 1.5 miles into it, he laid down in the street and wouldn't get up. I had to carry my 85 lb. boy home. I think it took us almost three hours to get back with me carrying him.

 

 

This made me laugh. I have been worried about Josie because I enjoy walking with her so much that I think I am wearing her out. I just got her on Saturday and today we walked about five miles and I for one am exhausted. Tomorrow is going to be a rest day for both of us. I know five miles is too much for both of us right now, we need to work up to it! But your story about your dog lying down and refusing to move makes me feel better and I hope Josie would do the same if she had enough. She is a trooper and has not even slowed down today, but I worry that she's so shy and compliant she'd walk herself to death if I wanted her to.

 

Oh my gosh, you just got her and she's walking 5 miles! I think I'd slow down a lot! Greyhounds are sprinters, they run for 30 seconds and the race is over. They usually run every 3 to 4 days and may be sprinted in between so 5 miles is a marathon for your dog. I'd slow it down a lot and work up her endurance or you may find she collapses on you and you'll be walking her home or to an e-vet, especially in the heat, and yes some of these dogs would do anything to please you so she needs to take her cues from you.

 

Fortunately there's no heat here, it's in the 60s. I think I may be a neighbor of the original poster! As I mentioned we would, we have cut back a lot. It's about a mile now and more of a stroll.

Edited July 12, 2010 by buttonwillow

[Guest gecko_foot]

Yep, what others have said.

 

Greyhounds are not endurance dogs. They sprint (which they LOVE) and they enjoy walks as much as any dog, but it's a very unusual greyhound who'll enjoy long hikes.

 

I have one of those unusual greys that likes long hikes. Tumnus and I get up early in the morning and head out to a local nature sanctuary and hike for a good 2 hours (with plenty of rest stops and water breaks). He passes out when we get back home, but then he's ready to go again after a few hours of sleep. Tumnus isn't a high energy dog, but he seems to enjoy being outside as much as I do.

[arandomchic]

Since people always say that a tired dog is a happy dog, I ASSUMED that's what I should do, too, tire the pooch out, but that's not what he seems to need.

 

It's true a tired dog is a happy dog, but mental stimulation is just as tiring as physical stimulation, maybe more so. So doing some quick training with him when he gets restless is a great way to "tire him out" when a walk isn't wanted.

 

 

Molly is good with a 30-40 minute walk in the AM and a 15-20 minute walk in the evening. Occasionally she'll get a mid-afternoon walk of about 20 minutes as well. When it's hot or humid out, the afternoon walks go away completely. Heck, when it's hot/humid out, she'll hold her bladder as long as possible before going out *lol*

[Guest SusanP]

In addition to what others have said, you might consider temperature. Ours walk a lot faster and further in the early morning before it gets hot out this time of year. In the afternoon, all we can do is go up the block and back, because my guys do not "do" heat!

[Guest Energy11]

All five of mine are totally STIR CRAZY!

 

We just can't walk them. Today, temps were a bit lower, but the HUMIDITY was HORRIBLE! Summer HAS to end! This is THE WORST summer I have seen since living in Florida, too.