Puppies?

[DogMom]

About a year ago we lost our sweet, giant rescue mutt. We've started looking into getting another dog and a Greyhound seemed like it might be a good fit for our family. Our shelter mutt was pretty big (about 90 pounds) and we had a Great Dane several years ago. We love big, lazy dogs! We've discovered we don't do well with high energy dogs like Boxers or Pitbulls. I can't seem to find any Greyhound puppies for sale though. I wondered if anyone knew why that was. All I seem to be able to find are retired racers for adoption. We don't mind adopting an older dog but since I'm just now starting to learn about the breed I did wonder if an adult dog could be properly socialized to a family with kids (they are 11 and 8). Some breeds can be rehomed with ease and some can't. I wasn't sure where Greyhounds fell on that spectrum. Any advice would be appreciated!

[Hubcitypam]

NGA puppies stay on the farms with their littermates for more than a year.  I have adopted out a few puppies with health problems that precluded them being racers but they are few and far between..  You may find AKC puppies but they will be expensive.

 

[Houndtime]

Your greyhound adoption group will help you with your requirements.  You will want a dog that is good with children, or, you may have other pets.  Do you need a dog that is good with cats?  The group will test the dogs and show you which ones will fill your needs.  Greyhounds are very good with kids, for the most part.  Some are not.  A good majority are good with cats and other pets.  Don't let age deter you.  These dogs are a breed apart.

[palmettobug]

There was a breeder of AKC who posted on another board, those puppies were spoken for before they were even whelped! I have seen exactly ONE rescue group with a litter of pups, they were an OOPS litter of uncertain parentage from (IIRC) an abandoned mother.

I got both of my boys at the age of 4, which I have found is just about right for me. Yes, it will take some time for them to settle in and bloom, but it is WORTH IT!!

[Bizeebee]

55 minutes ago, DogMom said:

We love big, lazy dogs!

 

57 minutes ago, DogMom said:

We've discovered we don't do well with high energy dogs

Then by all means stop looking for a greyhound puppy. A greyhound puppy will be the complete and total opposite of this. Our group had a dog come in pregnant and would only adopt out the puppies to people with considerable greyhound experience and a fenced in yard, because of the level of energy that they must be able to get out. This requirement obviously isn't everywhere, but they don't call them land sharks for nothing.

Greyhounds become big lazy dogs largely as a result of their training environment, and most retired racers can easily be brought into a family with kids the age of yours, or even younger. Check out "Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies" it's recommended reading by our adoption group and will help a lot in figuring out if they are the right breed for your family (they probably are).

[BatterseaBrindl]

2 hours ago, Bizeebee said:

 

Then by all means stop looking for a greyhound puppy. A greyhound puppy will be the complete and total opposite of this. Our group had a dog come in pregnant and would only adopt out the puppies to people with considerable greyhound experience and a fenced in yard, because of the level of energy that they must be able to get out. This requirement obviously isn't everywhere, but they don't call them land sharks for nothing.

Greyhounds become big lazy dogs largely as a result of their training environment, and most retired racers can easily be brought into a family with kids the age of yours, or even younger. Check out "Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies" it's recommended reading by our adoption group and will help a lot in figuring out if they are the right breed for your family (they probably are).

     

 

 

 

[greysmom]

You will generally not find greyhound puppies readily available.  Litters of NGA (racing) and AKC (show) are few and far between, and are usually spoken for long before they are born.   You will occassionally find single NGA puppies who are being adopted due to health or other issues. There just aren't very many AKC breeders.    Check the AKC website for breeders closer to your area, though most will ship puppies in the US.   See Cashel Farms Greyhounds, for instance   Cashel Farms

We've had two greyhound puppies and what Bizeebee says is ABSOLUTELY true. They are not called "Landsharks" for nothing.  They are all sharp teeth and they never stop moving! They bite, they nip, they bark, they runrunrun, they want to play and wrestle and play and wrestle all the freaking time!!!   There's a good reason they make puppies cute - it's so you don't kill them inside of the first week!     (JOKING!!)   

And this is also true - most greyhound adoption groups will not adopt out puppies to first time greyhound owners.   They want people to have a good grounding in greyhound behavior and the breed.  Groups do get puppies, but they generally don't advertize them, and generally have adopters lined up before they bring the puppies into adoption.   Our group is getting a haul this weekend with, I think, 4 puppies under a year old, and that's very, very rare.

And the "lazy couch potato" greyhound is really a myth.  They are as active as any other dog, given the right environment.  Yes, they can and do laze around all day, and do just fine with a couple walks and some yard play, but they also thrive on doing activities with their owners like hiking, running, obedience and rally sports, nose work, and just about anything else you can do with a dog.

A retired racing greyhound is a wonderful comapnion for kids - given the right personality match.  Not every dog (greyhound or not) is good with children.   Greyhounds DO have some behavioral issues that can make living with kids problematic.   Things like sleep startle and resource guarding are the top reasons greyhounds are returned to their groups. So make sure you objectively evaluate your children's level of knowledge and ability in handling large breed dogs.   Do your research, set up some non-negotiable rules, and you and your kids should be just fine with a greyhound.

 

[sobesmom]

Retired racing greys are enormously adaptable.  A 3 year old is just getting past the horrible, crazy puppy stage, and would be perfect if you want a young dog.  I once fostered a 2 year old grey and swore I'd never go near one that young again!  Way too high an energy level for this household.  

 

 

[krissy]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 3:08 PM, Bizeebee said:

A greyhound puppy will be the complete and total opposite of this. 

Greyhounds become big lazy dogs largely as a result of their training environment

Yes, this. Also, many of the trainers have children and bring them to the track. Our first greyhound was a retired racer and he was great with kids. Our two that we raised from 8 weeks old, less so because they had limited exposure to children with us (we don't have any, don't really know any).

On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 10:57 AM, greysmom said:

We've had two greyhound puppies and what Bizeebee says is ABSOLUTELY true. They are not called "Landsharks" for nothing.  They are all sharp teeth and they never stop moving! They bite, they nip, they bark, they runrunrun, they want to play and wrestle and play and wrestle all the freaking time!!!   There's a good reason they make puppies cute - it's so you don't kill them inside of the first week!     (JOKING!!)  

Yes, but also I feel like greyhound owners overstate this because they're used to retired racers. Yes, my puppies nipped and chewed and had tonnes of energy... but I also think they are on par (if not better) than many other large breed puppies. Compared to the grown up greyhound, yes, they are complete terrors. But for someone who is used to raising other large breed puppies, I would say most greyhound pups are a dream. 

So really it depends on what you want. If you WANT a puppy that will eventually grow up into a relaxed adult then a greyhound puppy might be perfect. Personally I love raising my guys from pups and will probably continue going that route in future, and I'll just foster racers for my adoption group. If you just want a laid back dog and don't really want the puppy raising... adopt a retired racer! Just make sure you let the adoption group know what your requirements are (namely good with children from the sounds of it) so they can match you with the appropriate dog.

Edited May 16, 2019 by krissy

[kolarik1]

My 2 youngest were flunkees....they retired at age 14 and 14.5 months......I now only want adult dogs, as in age 2.5 years or older!  I had fostered some pups who were around age 13 - 15 months before my boys, but they were from different bloodlines!

The bloodlines of my boys go back to a sire who was known to have pups that were hard to train at the track (coming from a former greyhound trainer/now vet).  I kid you not, if things weren't tied down, my boys would take them out through the dog door WITH THEIR GREYHOUND MUZZLES ON!  Same person also told me greyhounds don't really "grow a brain" until age 4 and if they flunked, at least in this bloodline, that definitely seems true!  Thankfully my one boy is now 6.5 years and the other will be 4 in July....and I finally seem to be coming out of the puppy antic terror zone.

I probably could write a book on what the boys put me through...I probably even earned some gray hairs over it!  

My other 3 greyhounds were adopted between 2.5 - 3.5 years of age....PERFECT age!  All 5 of mine have loved kids, and it helped that I would give kids dog treats to give to the pups.  However, I also expected the kids to respect the dogs as others have mentioned.  Also, greyhounds don't have the body fat of other breeds, so they can't really have the rough/tumble that other breeds can, and don't particularly care for kids falling/tripping on them

FWIW, I had a german shepherd puppy show up across from my driveway yesterday....probably 3 months in age.  My heart broke as I felt it was my recently passed pup's way of telling me she was ok (that's a different story), but I in no way have the time for that  young of a pup right now.  I am grieving her, as are my 3 pups that I currently have...so spending time with them is my top priority.

[Rustyroo]

I adopted all of my greyhounds at 6 or 7.  I fostered a 13 month old.  Holy Smokes what a difference!  He was super sweet, but I was glad when he went to his home.  I had to keep a constant eye on him at all times...he was a big boy too, 80 plus lbs.  I will stick with 3 or older.