How Are Greyhounds As Service Dogs?

[Guest zombrie]

OP, what did you mean by "too sensitive" when you wrote this?

I've already evaluated one Greyhound and found that he was a big too sensitive for service dog work, so I'm still looking!

Was it kind of a shy dog? Greyhounds are a sensitive breed, but they do run the range from spooks to bomb-proof as you'll find from many discussions here. Even the bomb-proof dogs are sensitive in the manner that they don't need strong corrections. For example you never need to jerk the leash to get their attention.

 

The Greyhound that I evaluated, Jake, was a small male (~55-60 lbs, I think). It didn't really become obvious how shy he was until I saw him next to a bunch of other Greyhounds. When a new person or dog would arrive, the others would greet them happily but politely, and Jake would stand away from the group with his tail between his legs. We were at Petco for a Meet & Greet, and I had the chance to walk him around the store. There were some men loading big bags of dog food onto the shelf from a cart, and the cart and the noise the bags made when they were dropped startled Jake but not the other dogs. It concerned me, since a service dog has to have solid nerves.

 

I don't know much about service dogs, but I can tell you about my grey as a pet. My grey is very easygoing and fairly bomb-proof. She's only shown a bit of nervousness about a few things, but generally gets over it with a little help from me. (E.g. she's hesitated to walk past the first snowman she saw, but once I walked her up and introduced her, she never paid them any mind afterward).

 

Jayne generally lazy and laid back. She is always ready for a walk, or an adventure out, but doesn't need one every day to keep her calm and happy. If the weather is horrid, we can stay home and do some training or a puzzle toy instead. We can walk just once around the block, or a couple miles. She's more tired after the longer walk, but she's still happy after the shorter one. She's most energetic when the weather is turning from HOT to cooler. She'll have a couple days where she needs a good run in the yard, or a long walk to get some of the squirreliness out, but after that she's back to normal.

 

Jayne is a loving dog, but fairly independent too. She'll happily join us in the living room on the couches, or she'll be alone in the spare bedroom. Occasionally she throws "fits" for attention, where she'll lay on the bed kicking and barking until we come in and pet her and play with her on the bed for a bit. We could probably extinguish that behavior by ignoring her, but we think it's adorable, so we oblige her.

 

When we're out and about she seems to max out her stamina at about 3-4 hours, then she just wants to go home and nap.

 

Jayne sounds like the perfect energy level for me! I hope I'm as lucky! I've heard that females are more independent than males (in all breeds, not just Greyhounds)--would you guys say that's true? I seem to bond best with male dogs (again, of any breed) because they just seem more interested in following me around and being joined at the hip! I really love that in a dog. When I'm at my computer, I love having my feet snuggled under them, or having them spoon with me in bed.. It's the best! All the female dogs I've known have never been interested, or they're interested only on their terms.

It depends on the dog, not the gender. I have a pair of littermates, one male and one female. They are both super friendly and affectionate. But my male is much more independent than my female. My female is what we call a "velcro dog" Sometimes I wish she would be a little more independent!!

Edited September 11, 2012 by zombrie

[Guest Kaila]

@Zombrie: You're lucky! All of my female dogs have ended up bonding with the men in my life. They will be sort of velcro-y with THEM (my step-dad, boyfriend, grandfather, etc.), but not me! Meanwhile all the male dogs I've known have bonded more closely with me and my mom.

[Guest piper1822]

Read Comet Tale's. It is about a rescued Greyhound that becomes a service animal, which in turn rescues her owner. True Story

[sarabz]

I'm another one that doesn't know much about the requirements for service animals, but can tell you that I live in the middle of Manhattan with my grey. She's always up for a walk, a car ride, etc but very mellow while at home. Definitely confident - she's had absolutely no problems living in the city from the minute we brought her home, so it is really about the individual dog. Sounds like the right grey might be a good fit for you - kudos to you for doing so much research on the breed and good luck!

[Guest piper1822]

Check out www.cometstale.com

[Guest Kaila]

Thanks! I added that book to my wishlist!

[gr8kids]

I know someone who has MS and has a service trained dogs and they all have been greyhounds. She is on dog # 4. SHe has had to retire the last two b/c of old injury weakness w/age and another has an illness that he fatigues quickly for her. SHe also trains them for reading w/kids at the library and goes to Miseracordia a special needs home for kids and young adults. THey love the greyhounds.

 

They do great as therapy dogs too.