How High Energy Can I Expect A 2 Year Old To Be?

[PatricksMom]

The adoption group we're working with has a couple of new dogs in that look like might be a good match for our family in terms of personality and are pretty young. Obviously, we'll be talking to their foster parents and the adoption folks, but I'd like to hear thoughts from you all as well in terms of how hyper a two year old or so is likely to be? Are they mostly out of the landshark phase yet? Both dogs are described as calm.

Edited October 9, 2012 by PatricksMom

[Brandiandwe]

We adopted two who were about 20 months old. They are now just past 2 .75 years old. They have much more energy than friends' hounds who are older in terms of running, playing and general alertness on walks but this might be their personalities rather than age.

 

There's been some chewing and mouthiest but that seems to be partly nothing as well.

 

They both sleep about 20 hours a day, but also get 1.5 hours of exercise a day and do appreciate some extra stimulation.

 

I lovd them!

[Guest goofydog]

I adopted Get Em at 26 months and he is, and has always been, a house plant He has always had moments of frivolity and playfulness just not interested in creating havoc.

 

Good luck with your new addition whomever it may be.

[Guest greybookends]

Depends on the hound. I have seen very young hounds that were total slugs and 14 year olds that still thought they were 14 month olds. Every hound just like every person is an individual.

[vjgrey]

I think it has a lot more to do with personality than with age.

 

I adopted Lucy when she was a year and a half old, and she's never been super high energy. She tended to follow the cues of my other two hounds. If they played, she'd play harder and longer, but if they napped most of the day, she was okay with that, too. She's mellowed out even more since she's gotten older (just turned five), and now my nine year-old is more high energy than she is.

 

My four year-old, however, is the energizer bunny. He's still not convinced he's a greyhound.

[Roo]

It really does depend on the hound. Eli turned 2 the day after I brought him home and beyond a little bit of grazing around the room for anything interesting (leaves, stink bugs, napkins, fluff) and one incident with a brand new ball of yarn that he thought I'd purchased for his own head-shaking pleasure, he doesn't behave like a youngin' at all.

[ShebasMom]

I agree that it really depends on the pup's personality. I got Sheba at 22 months, and at almost 5 years she's still a very hyperactive hound. Sweet as can be but very active. Of course, a lot of the mischeviousness probably is my fault though--ha ha!.

[JohnF]

Peggy was adopted at 18 months and ought to have been renamed 'Akula' as she still was very much of a quick black landshark who quickly got into everything - she even chewed up an electric razor... mercifully not swallowing the bits, a plastic muzzle was eaten ... metal buckle was all that remained. Disembowelling stuffies however can about 2 months later. She had only 2 speeds off leash: flat out or sniffing the ground. She twirled on the leash for the first few weeks too before growing out of it. It wasn't really until she reached 4 that she started to mellow, even now she is still prone to dashing around when first let off the leash and retains an impish cussedness when it comes to 'recall' in the fields. Any hint of a play move from me (real or accidental) and she's off to the top of the steep field where the rabbits are and will not come back from there unless fetched; this means that when stock are in there, which is most of the year, she is on leash in that area. At 5 she still chews on stuffies but the disembowelling has ameliorated to perhaps once ever 3 months.

Peggy was 'calm' in the sense of hanging back in the rescue kennel and had a kind of spooky cussedness; but I like a challenge and she's certainly been an interesting dog.

 

Now... one of her friends, a big dark male, was adopted at the same age and he was described as 'laid-back', and that's how he stayed. Cat-like really.

[PatricksMom]

Great to hear. Patrick was very puppylike in a lot of ways up until he got sick at 13, so I can totally see personality mattering more than age.

[Guest karilynn]

Yeah, I'd have to agree that it really does depend on the hound. My boy is 2 and he is pretty wild and crazy outside when he has space to run, but inside he is a total lazy bum and I'm lucky if he takes the effort to walk from one dog bed to another.

[Guest Dragon]

Dragon was younger than 2 when we got him. I think he was too energetic for most "greyhound" people, but never really having a dog before, he was still the easiest, laziest dog we'd ever seen!

[GreytHoundPoet]

It depends on the hound. I've had 3 of my Greyhounds at 2-years-old (one was adopted at 2, one at 15 months, and one from 8-weeks). One was super calm and laid back, one was playful but not too energetic, and my current one keeps up with Ibizan Hounds all day and is crazy with a capital C. She's my lure coursing Greyhound. She plays most of the day with naps every little bit.

Edited October 10, 2012 by GreytHoundPoet

[Neighsayer]

Mickey was two. He slept 20 hours a day, but did real fast yard zoomies for two minutes several times a day. He is now nine and does the same thing! He sometimes plays with a toy for a minute inside. He tosses a toy from the couch when I come home. He did this at two and does it now at nine.

[Guest PiagetsMom]

My Piaget was 2 1/2 when she came home to me, and she was always a very calm, reserved girl. I agree that it just depends on the particular pup.

[JJNg]

I agree with everyone else who's said that it depends on the individual dog. Willow was 2 years old when I adopted her. She has her playful moments, spinning and circles, throwing toys around, and playing very rough with Corey. But these moments of activity only last 5-10 min at the most, and she doesn't even do it every day. The rest of the time, she's asleep. She's been like this since I first got her and hasn't changed as she's gotten older (she'll be 8 next month).

[Hubcitypam]

Agree it depends on the dog. Did either of these dogs race?

 

After a boatload of 15 -18 month old "beauty school dropouts" from the farms it seems to me that the dogs that have actually been finished and gone to the track (even for a very short time) were generally MUCH easier than the farm hoodlums. Sometimes the hoodlums can still be on the farm at two if the owner hasn't put them into adoption - my first grey was 2.5 and had never left the farm. As in humans, the boys seem to lag a bit behind the girls in terms of settling down.

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

At nearing six, Jayne is pretty much the same as she was when I adopted her at three.

[PatricksMom]

Both dogs raced although not very successfully. I put in a call to the adoption group about the one being fostered near us, waiting to hear back.

[Wonder]

I got Passion at a year and a half and she never chewed.

 

My current foster, Thunder is 2.5 and everything is in his mouth including my cell that I accidently left within reach

[Guest lanielovesgreys]

Laika was pretty much a lab until she was 3. Chewing, social skills, everything. It's cute/annoying. But also temporary.

[cleptogrey]

each dog is different, but if you are considering a 2 year old, even if it's a quiet one, be prepared to exercise the pup and keep it's mind active. annie came here at 2.5 a wierd one- took to playing soccer and catching tennis balls instantly. that's what got her an "in" at our house. she's a shy one, reserved but a spit-fire and needs exercise. at 5 she's still bouncy and catching balls, zipping around the yard and bouncing up and down waiting for her walks.felix was a big baby at 2, hand raised pups are a completely different story- he was bottle fed. meet the pup with your other grey in tow- see how they react to each other(annie also looked up to and followed felix) and talk to the foster parent- how long has it been fostered? do you have a yard? do you have the time for a younger dog?

[Guest Gemma]

I had a 2 year old foster in my house for just a weekend because she was such a high energy menace (and she was bullying Peyton)! Conversely, I had another 2 year old female who was sweet as can be, extremely well behaved in the house, and easy to wear out with access to the yard for zoomies and 1-2 good walks a day.

 

Just this weekend, I met a 4 year old who had the bounce and energy of a 2 year old. It really depends on the pup!

[Guest Leah_siewert]

I adopted a 2.5 year old and sometimes people come over and ask if he's alive because he's cuddled under a blanket fast asleep.

 

If he gets a 20 minute good walk or 30-60 minites at the dog park in a day he will cuddle in blankets the rest of the time.

 

I can tell whbuthelezi is getting restless but he calms so easily after a nice walk.

[PatricksMom]

Red Bull had trouble with his neuter--he had an undescended testicle the vet had to go get and then popped his stitches, poor little guy. But we did get to meet him, and if he continues to heal well the adoption group will bring him by to see how he is in our place this week. Saturday was his first trip anywhere but the vet's office, so it was hard to get a sense of his personality, he was so distracted by everything. He does have very good leash manners compared to other dogs I've walked just off the track and his foster mom said he's very affectionate when he's not so excited by everything new. He had hookworm and is so tiny--64 pounds. He should weigh a bit more, but he has a small frame.

 

We don't have a yard right now, but we also don't have a house or commutes to deal with so we'll have a lot more time for walking, which is one of our preferred activities anyway. DH is working from home probably permanently, so he'll be there for frequent walks and I only work 5 minutes away. There are some other grey parents in town, we met 2 Saturday, so hopefully we'll be able to organize some regular play dates. Our complex is very big dog friendly, but there aren't any greyhounds here.

[GreytNut]

I found Riley to be very energetic by greyhound standards, which is still a slug by normal dog standards.

 

He was very fond of doing zoomies in the yard and was a bit overfond of chewing. I gave him extra play time in the yard and redirected his oral enthusiasm with lots of chewies. Problem solved! He was also the first of my hounds to really enjoy playing with toys. The rest of the time he was/is like any other greyhound... mostly either sleeping or resting on his bed.

 

Now at age 4 he's a bigger slug than my nearly 13-year-old. He has not outgrown his fondness for toys, however, much to my delight.