Considering A Greyhound: Running Question

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

I have never owned a dog that would be spooked off leash and end up in Amber Alert. Perhaps my standards are too high. All my dogs trust humans. Is that so bizarre? Maybe it is. And I have one I won't off leash. But NOT because he'd be afraid... he's just dumb! LOL Fearless but stupid!!! (he's a Borzoi). He would go to any ass that looked at him... but he will wander. He is not allowed free.

[Guest BrianRke]

I feel as the human "owner" of my dogs, it is my duty and privilege to love them, provide for them, and PROTECT them from harm. I believe keeping them on a leash is one way I can protect them.

 

There are too many variables involved with off-leash dogs. Too many unexpected things can happen.

 

Off-leash dogs die every day because they are off leash. Mine will not be one of them!

[gazehund]

1) Krissy, I agree. The people who disagree will never change their minds. I will never change mine. There you have it.

2) I didn't sign an agreement of any kind.

3) See the above poster who lost her dog out a gate that she neglected to notice was open

before she let her greyhound loose in an "enclosed" ball field. It was enclosed. Except that it wasn't. I do believe Mike McCann could quote some numbers of how many greyhounds are lost in Amber Alert THAT way vs a hound being lost off leash. Lesson to take away; walk the perimeter of any field you are planning on using to run your dog BEFORE you let him loose. Check for holes in the ground while you are at it.

4) Jey, I agree and mileage definitely does vary.

5) Donna, you are correct. The OP never did ask about off leash. Apologies OP ( who never has come back to the thread)

6) Carry on.

[Brandiandwe]

I'm a relatively new owner and own 2 2 year olds. They are allowed off -leash in our backyard, maybe once a month. They go to a dog park to meet up with other greyhounds once a fortnight. They run at the dog park for perhaps ten minutes max, then lie down and wait for the humans to be ready to take them for a stroll around the park before heading home for a pre-dinner nap. They are not off-lead at any other time. They don't seem to need to run - ours are happy with two long-ish waks each day and perhaps two minutes of zoomies with stuffies in the house.

[MaryJane]

are those off-leash agreements in any way enforceable? my assumption has always been that they're a more or less token gesture. not that i don't support the idea -- but is there some sort of legal recourse that would allow the agency to repossess a dog at some point if they found out it was off leash?

 

 

First, you have signed a paper agreeing to some type of action - why would a person not keep the agreement they made? What could people infer about a person that does not keep their promises? What does it say about someone that lies to an adoption group about their intent?

 

Second, as to being enforceable, that's always been controversial ... does a "title" to a dog pass to an owner so they can do whatever they want? Does the agreement mean nothing? When you think about it logically, any agreement (not just one about keeping a dog on a leash) is potentially enforceable but, you would need to go to court and have a judge decide the merits of the case and if the judge rules for an adoption group, then the next step is what would the damages be? Could a judge order a dog to be returned? Could a judge throw the case out? There are many scenarios that could result but, it would be misleading to assume that a person can simply ignore any agreement that they sign their name to because no one is going to enforce it.

[Yamaha_gurl]

I think some greyhounds CAN be offleash, and some can't, IMO.

 

I was always under the idea that my greyhound doesn't need recall training cause she won't be offleash, my mind changed a few weeks ago. We were at the local diamond with 2 other greyhounds when one somehow pushed the gate open and ran off, his dad when running after him yelling his name...he didn't listen at all. After about 2 scary minutes, I got a hold of him by cruching down and saying his name in a super happy tone. Anyways...point is, ALL greyhounds should learn recall...that day was an eye opener for me. That's my little story that's somewhat related to the topic Oh Krissy, come see Bella's recall this weekend? You will be proud

[Trihounds]

While I didn't really want to get into the discussion, I will for just one short second .

 

We know some hounds have great recall in most situations and I've been impressed about what I've seen from Summit (Krissy's hound's) recall (videos). I have 2 that could care less what I would ask of them and one (smart little girl!) that hangs on every word. None are off leash, but that's my choice. I agree with Nancy, mileage varies.

 

I've mentioned this before and it's worth mentioning again. I helped look for a lost hound that "always went from the car to the house, religiously" until the day he decided to walk into the woods and never return. Temps got down to 0F and below in the weeks following and his body was found about a month later, ironically not too far from home. Point being not that all dogs will do that, but that we can't predict with 100% certainty that our hounds won't be part of that 1% that do strange things - amazing recall or not. Those that do allow their hounds off leash know and accept the risks, however small or large they may be - their / our decisions as guardians of these pups.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

My experience is most lost hounds are accidents, not off leash hikers. But hey, go figure. You never know.

[Guest mariah]

People like to make an example of the Amber Alerts page whenever this issue comes up. The thing is...if you go and look at the (admittedly unscientific) poll right at the top of the Amber Alerts page, the number one reason a dog goes missing is by slipping out through the gate (109 votes), followed by slipping out through the door, followed by slipped collar or dropped leash. "Let run off leash" has a total of 3 votes, the least out of any of the categories. So if an overwhelming majority of dogs are lost due to unsecured doors and gates, or improperly adjusted collars, or not a good enough grip on the leash, why do so many folks have the biggest ax to grind with people who choose to off-leash their dogs?

 

I think recall is the most important thing you can teach any dog. Even if/especially you never intend to have that dog off leash, because the take-away I get from the Amber Alerts page is that things happen, most often when you least expect it. I don't plan on having my dog off-leash. But we work on her recalls every day, because if god forbid she ever get away from me, I want her to come back.

Edited March 15, 2012 by mariah

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Amen Gussie's person

[Trihounds]

People like to make an example of the Amber Alerts page whenever this issue comes up. The thing is...if you go and look at the (admittedly unscientific) poll right at the top of the Amber Alerts page, the number one reason a dog goes missing is by slipping out through the gate (109 votes), followed by slipping out through the door, followed by slipped collar or dropped leash. "Let run off leash" has a total of 3 votes, the least out of any of the categories. So if an overwhelming majority of dogs are lost due to unsecured doors and gates, or improperly adjusted collars, or not a good enough grip on the leash, why the do so many folks have the biggest ax to grind with people who choose to off-leash their dogs?

 

I think recall is the most important thing you can teach any dog. Even if/especially you never intend to have that dog off leash, because the take-away I get from the Amber Alerts page is that things happen, most often when you least expect it. I don't plan on having my dog off-leash. But we work on her recalls every day, because if god forbid she ever get away from me, I want her to come back.

 

Agree....though when you look at the math, the number of people who have hounds with: gates, front doors, windows, etc is exponentially higher than those who off leash their dogs....hence the math / poll is "unscientific", as you pointed out and not an accurate % of those lost due to X reason.

 

Recall is the best safety net any of us could provide for our hounds, for sure - total agreement there!

 

As much as isolated cases of dogs gone missing isn't enough to 'scare' into someone the idea it could happen to anyone, those relatively few situations of perfect off leash greyhounds doesn't mean it applies to everyone, either. The point many are making here is just that - it depends on the dog.....and I can see and support that position wholeheartedly.

[Guest Angelique]

Welcome and it's great that you are interested and considering adopting a Grey. They are incredible, marvelous, wonderful, dogs! Keep the questions coming.

Greyhounds are LAZY by any standard, no other breed enjoys sleeping and chillin' half as much. They sleep, sleep and sleep some more. Think of hobbits but switch the meals for naps and multiply it by 5.

I think an occasional run is healthy, but by occasional, it can be once a week, once a month, every couple of months. They DO enjoy running, but they enjoy sleeping and sniffing just as much. I think allowing them to sniff, and socialize is MUCH MUCH MUCH more important than running. My boy goes for a 30 minute walk every day, 15 of which is spent sniffing.

I take my dog to a park everyday where he could run if he wanted to, he probably runs once a month for all of a minute, and i usually have to coax him into it. We also have a medium yard, he probably plays in it once a month.

 

Bella has no desire to run. We now have a large fenced in yard and she goes out and lays down ! She hates to go for walks too.

She is the laziest greyhound I have ever owned !

This is not an exception. When you are looking into adopting, they will match you with a dog with an energy level that is a "fit" to your lifestyle and your time/space. After the pup phase, about 2.5, 90% chill out and calm way down.

 

I find this topic fascinating, because so often I think people treat sight hounds as if they are entirely different than other dogs. From what I see, a greyhound who was not raced and raised as a pet its whole life can be trained to be off leash like any other dog. The worry of a dog running off and getting lost is common to all dog owners. I think the issue is that raced greyhounds haven’t had the lifetime of training and person-dog communication to give that comfort level to know not to run into traffic or take off after a squirrel for a mile or two.

Greyhounds are VERY different from other dogs. They always remind me more of cats than of other breeds of dogs. They sleep a lot, they love their food, they are easily distracted, they are elegant and beautiful, they have prey drive, they are very independent, they not as willing to do anything to please master human, most are regal, standoffish, skiddish or downright spooks.

Physiologically they are also different: their blood composition is different, their drug tolerance is different, etc.

I think very little has to do with them racing or not; they missed the bonding. A dog fresh of the track is like a puppy, everything is new to him, and he just then begins to bond and learn to be with his human. There are lots of breeds of dogs that can't be allowed off lead, and lots of dogs that just shouldn't EVER be let of lead, independently of their breed. And that leads to:

 

I think recall is the most important thing you can teach any dog. Even if/especially you never intend to have that dog off leash, because the take-away I get from the Amber Alerts page is that things happen, most often when you least expect it. I don't plan on having my dog off-leash. But we work on her recalls every day, because if god forbid she ever get away from me, I want her to come back.

x 10000. Train your hound. Bond with your hound. Know your hound. Sit, down, shake, roll over are all nice parlor tricks but stop and recall can/could/will save your dogs life. Train RECALL even if you never ever ever plan on letting your dog off lead, because things happens and they happens fast (faster in greys than in most other breeds).

 

See...I don't buy the "they have to run" concept. All animals-- all life-- work on fundamental principles of motivation and energy management. A dog runs, a cheetah runs, a person exercises because they believe that it is necessary. Either because they genetically believe that they have to be fast to eat, or their muscles just feel antsy because they are bred and trained to move.

Agree, and the amount they "need" and want is minimal. Stimulate their mind, spend time with them, bond with them, I think this is much more important to having a balanced dog. An yes, they do need exercise, but walks are plenty.

Edited March 19, 2012 by Angelique

[Guest Jacks_Human]

 

Also not every dog nor every situation is appropriate for being off leash. You have to know your dog and know the area. Use commonsense.

 

TRUTH.

One of my previous dogs could not go offleash in an unenclosed area or he would take off, while two others could always be trusted to stick close.

I live in a 1-bedroom flat in a busy urban area, so Jack is on-leash most of the time. We go on walks in the park, and he does 100m sprints with me (I ran track in university). If it's rainy, he'll do his 'zoomies' indoors, chasing toys I throw and racing around the living room like a maniac for about a minute or two before flopping into his bed.