Advice For A Greyhound Puppy Please!

[Banjoman]

I have no experience of greyhound puppies but over twenty years I have had four whippets as puppies & if your daughter is aged 12years I would think that a whippet is a good sized dog for her to learn to handle, it is very much like a greyhound in looks and temperament i.e. fast & a bundle of mischief when awake but happy to spend much of the day asleep once it has grown out of puppyhood. In six months or a year's time it will still be a comfortable size for her to cope with. I have just adopted my first adult retired racing greyhound and trying to keep 60lbs of excitable greyhound under control is quite a handful in comparison to a whippet, although they too can be surprisingly strong!

 

If you think you have the time and space for a greyhound I personally don't see why you would not get one but I think you need somewhere safe for it to run off lead and that can be difficult to find unless you have easy access to a safely fenced field.

 

Can you easily refer back to the breeder of your puppy about any problems you experience or get tips from them to help out? A good breeder will always be happy to support their new puppy owners.

 

Whatever your decision I am sure you will end up as the proud owner of a lovely dog!

[Guest Funkypaws]

Well after a lot of thinking & soul searching, we decided that we could take on the puppy. We should get her in about 2 weeks so I am spending this time reading everything I can get my hands on & enjoying some rest! ( This is not so different than when I had children really! ) I want to thank everyone here for their input, it was really helpful and even though I did freak out initially & take it all as negative, upon further thought I realise how important it is to have people be realistic, so thanks.

 

The muzzle issue is not the ideal situation, but I've seen other greyhounds out & about who seem to cope ok & as it will be on for a walk & only for a walk, I hope it will not be a negative experience for the dog, and we also have off leash areas close by for good exercise. (I'm assuming that muzzles are not actually painful or very uncomfortable for dogs? I'll have to get a special greyhound muzzle)

 

After lots of research I really do think a greyhound is the right choice for my family, I'm so excited for the future & I'd love to stay in touch & post again with some pictures & let you know how everything is going!

[Brandiandwe]

Funkypaws, where are you in Australia? In one, possibly 2 states here greys cannot be let off leash in public places. Where are you getting the puppy from? Is it coming through GAP or another group?

 

Greys are great but it is important to know that Australia has some quirks relating to greys which aren't shared by the rest of the world and the laws do vary state to state (and even council to council).

[Guest Funkypaws]

I live in Melbourne, South Eastern suburbs & rang the local council regarding the muzzle issue. No, she is not coming from an official adopting centre but a friend of a friend who breeds & races the dogs. I made a visit to their kennels recently. This puppy won't besuitBle for racing as she does not have a strong shoulder & won't be able to take bends on a race track. In fact we had to promise we wouldn't try to race her!

 

As far as I am aware, I must muzzle her when out in public, unless she has been adopted from a particular organisation - I think it's GAP? Anyway,I must muzzle her out in public & the council didn't have anything more to say on that issue.

[Brandiandwe]

Get in touch with GAP Victoria. There's also a Facebook group Friends of Greyhound Adoption Program Australia which is mainly Victorian based. They will be able to give you more information about muzzling and being off leash. But in Victoria, I believe you won't be able to run your grey off leash unless it's on private land.

[Guest Funkypaws]

You know, I did think I read that somewhere but then when I rang the council they said no any off leash park was ok - but I have to say I was suspicious, but on the council website I couldn't find anything saying "no greyhounds in off leash parks" either, so a bit confusing! I will ring GAP though, although when I emailed them recently I got no reply so hopefully they man their phones better than their email!

[Scooby172]

Congratulations!!! You won't regret the decision. Greyhound puppies are a lot of fun, watching tham grow and watching their personality develop, you will be busy but it will be very rewarding. Good luck and please post pics!

Linda, Jack and Keeva

[Brandiandwe]

Definitely GAP. Go to gap.grv.org.au and look for the fact sheet. Your council are wrong - it is state legislation. The FB group are very active and includes people who are affiliated with GAP. I don't agree with everything they say about dog training etc - this is a much better group for that kind of information, as well as health care etc - but off the Victorian context they are very good and you can probably meet some local grey owners.

 

It might be worth seeing if your friend could put your pup through GAP so it could become muzzle exempt, but three of my four must be muzzled (I'm in NSW) because 2 couldn't pass the assessment and one hasn't yet been assessed, and it makes absolutely no difference to them. They've worn them all their lives and muzzle = going out and having fun.

[scullysmum]

Congratulations!!! You won't regret the decision. Greyhound puppies are a lot of fun, watching tham grow and watching their personality develop, you will be busy but it will be very rewarding. Good luck and please post pics!

Linda, Jack and Keeva

Ditto to this, never be afraid to ask questions if you need to and please do post pics.

[Guest sireltonsmom]

Congrats on your decision to adopt a greyhound pup. I bet your children will run and play with your new 'kid'! The people I knew who adopted a pup did a fabulous job. The dog, now an adult, is calm, elegant and wonderful. Enjoy your new doggie. Look forward to pics and stories.

[NeylasMom]

But I'm kind of hearing that greyhounds aren't really suitable pets unless they are retired?

Absolutely not. A puppy is a puppy. If you are prepared for a puppy, you are prepared for a greyhound puppy. Just make sure you are really prepared for a puppy.

 

My best piece of advice, get thee to a puppy class with a trainer who uses reward-based training methods as soon as you have your puppy. A good puppy class should include play time for the puppies to wear themselves out, good instruction on proper socialization, instruction on how to start teaching the basics of pet dog behaviors (sit, down, loose leash walking, recalls, etc.) and a trainer who is knowledgeable about dog behavior and can help if your puppy is struggling with something in particular. You don't need to wait until your puppy has their full set of vaccinations before going to a class (if the school requires that, they're behind the times). The puppy socialization window is short and closes early, you don't want to miss your opportunity to get that socialization in when you can to avoid problems later.

 

BTW, I love Pat Miller and I love the book you picked up. I live near her facility and have trained under her. I highly recommend another book, which has a section on selecting a puppy:

http://www.amazon.com/Trainers-Complete-Guide-Happy-Well-Behaved/dp/0312678223/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403116970&sr=8-1&keywords=jolanta+benal

 

I know Jolanta and she too has trained under Pat - it's an excellent book. Packed with info and she has a great, humorous tone that makes it really easy to read. I'm currently apprenticing to teach pet dog classes and I always reread her section on whatever I'm preparing to teach because I can almost always find a line worth stealing.

 

ETA: I almost forgot to answer one of your main questions. If you are required to muzzle your dog, it should be relatively easy to get him comfortably wearing a muzzle. I'd use the same protocol similar to what I'd use for getting a dog comfortable with a gentle leader. Smear PB in the end of hte muzzle and hold it the way you would hold it to put it on and let your puppy stick his nose in, eat the PB and then back out of it. Do that ad nauseum. When he's eagerly sticking his nose in for the PB, while he's eating slip the straps over his ears, pause for one second, pull it right back off before he has a chance to even realize it's on. Repeat ad nauseum. Gradually increase the amount of time before you slip it back off, always making sure there's enough PB in the muzzle (or you can feed treats through the holes) and he's focused on the food the whole time. Eventually you'd leave it on for longer, maybe have him wear it while he gets fed, then take it off, etc. You can put moleskin around the edge of the muzzle that rests on the nose to protect his face.

Edited June 18, 2014 by NeylasMom

[gracegirl]

I got Fenway at 14 weeks old and to my knowledge he had never been muzzled. I didn't know any better so I just started sticking the muzzle on him when I was home with him and could supervise. If he started to paw at it or rub it on the furniture, I'd take him in the yard and play with him.....either get him to chase me or throw a stuffy for him to chase. I may have given him treats through the muzzle, I can't recall.

 

He was a joy to have as a puppy. He could go to work with me so he played and played and played with his buddies all day and was exhausted at night. On weekends we would take long walks and go on adventures to new places. The car ride plus a new place added to his exhaustion. I just always made sure he was very tired, and he was a very easy puppy. He wasn't without his faults though. He loves to shred paper. And he will get into any food that's left out, no matter if I think it's not interesting for dogs (like the dried soup mix that was mostly spices and dried beans....or the avocado that he mushed into my carpet with his muzzle on.)

 

I think you will have a lot of fun with your puppy and I think your kids are at great ages to help out. Once you show them how to properly walk the pup, the kids can take the pup separately (assuming your area is safe) for long walks. Definitely have both kids get involved with dog related chores, water bowl filling, feeding, poop scooping, training, playing, etc. You have two great little helpers, put them to good use!

 

And most of all, enjoy! Like I said, I didn't know what I was doing when I raised my boy and he's turned out to be a great dog. He's 7.5 years old now and he's just a happy, joyful dog.

[galgomum]

As others said, a puppy is a puppy.
Greyhound puppies are no different from other puppies. And if you prepare yourself, you'll have the unique experience of raising and bonding with your dog from early age on.
I have found that my bond with the ones I got as a puppy is deeper and different from the ones I adopted as adults.

Take Jen's ( Neylasmom) advice and find yourself a puppy class. It is fun, and besides getting advice on basic training, you'll learn a lot yourself.

Most of all, enjoy the ride, take lots of pictures because they grow up really fast.