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How does your grey get along with non-grey doggy siblings?


SMOJ

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Still considering adding a greyhound to our family...  Of course all dogs and situations are different, but if you have dogs of other/mixed breeds, how did it go when you introduced your greyhound to the family?  We have a sweet 6 year old lab mix female who loves other dogs but is easily intimidated.  She welcomes visitors with open paws but then is unsure about it all if they stay for more than a little bit!  Thoughts?  Fun stories?  Not so fun stories?  Thanks!!

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I think you’ll find it depends on the individual dog. Greys that are raised in racing kennels are generally thought to get on better with other greys as this is what they are used to but it doesn’t mean that they won’t get along with other breeds. Some dog personalities are stronger and they rule the roost while others are much more laid back, a bit like some people! You’d be encouraged to take your current canine buddy along for a meet and greet, which I’m sure you’re already planning to do. It might take a few meetings to work out if they are going to get along and suss out the dynamics of the relationship but there is no reason why you should be able to find your perfect match in a greyhound. Good luck!

In my (limited) experience, I have found that my grey gets along better with other greys and will even engage in a little mutual bum sniffing with them. He ‘tolerates’ most other dogs but there are some that he will just not accept, and it doesn’t seem to be breed dependent, and more to do with their personalities (Buddy is a bit of a grumpy old man.

What I will say is: beware! If this is your first greyhound, you might find yourself hooked and may never want another breed. They’re addictive!

Buddy Molly 🌈 5/11/10-10/10/23

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See “Cute & Funny” forum here for “Cletus” threads. :thumbs-up

Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. :heartThank you, campers. Current enrollees:  Punkin. AnnIE Oooh M

Angels: Pal :heart. Segugio. Sorella (TPGIT). LadyBug. Zeke-aroni. MiMi Sizzle Pants. Gracie. Seamie :heart:brokenheart. (Foster)Sweet. Andy. PaddyALVIN!Mayhem. Bosco. Bruno. Dottie B. Trevor Double-Heart. Bea. Cletus, KLTO. Aiden 1-4.

:paw Upon reflection, our lives are often referenced in parts defined by the all-too-short lives of our dogs.

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We had a 13 yr old GSDx and a 10 yr old PointerX when we brought nearly 5 yr old Nixon home and they all got along just fine.

You will hear of Greyhounds that are 'breed snobs' and don't get along with any other breed, but I have not found this at all true.

My Greyhounds have / are all certified Therapy Dogs and part of that testing and certification is getting along with other dogs. 

 

 

Nancy...Mom to Sid (Peteles Tiger), Kibo (112 Carlota Galgos) and Joshi.  Missing Casey, Gomer, Mona, Penelope, BillieJean, Bandit, Nixon (Starz Sammie),  Ruby (Watch Me Dash) Nigel (Nigel), and especially little Mario, waiting at the Bridge.

 

 

SKJ-summer.jpg.31e290e1b8b0d604d47a8be586ae7361.jpg

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The 3 Greyhounds I had during the life of Winston, my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, all got along quite well with him.  As MersyGrey mentioned, I think the way to ensure that is to choose the right Greyhound and handle introductions wisely.  

gallery_2398_3082_9958.jpg
Lucy with Greyhound Nate and OSH Tinker. With loving memories of MoMo (FTH Chyna Moon), Spirit, Miles the slinky kitty (OSH), Piper "The Perfect" (Oneco Chaplin), Winston, Yoda, Hector, and Claire.

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Make sure your adoption group knows about your first dog and her personality so they can match a greyhound to fit in with her.  Also have your first dog be a part of choosing your greyhound, if possible.  Take her along when you meet prospective dogs and watch how she responds.

Most greyhounds get along fine with dogs around their size or bigger.  So there shouldn't be any problems if your first dog is larger.  Reputable adoption groups will test their greyhounds for tolerance levels with both cats AND smaller dogs, so talk with your group about how they vet their animals.

I will say that greyhounds can and do lie on their cat and small dog testing, so if that is going to be an issue with your first dog you will need to monitor them closely until you're very certain they won't have issues.  It's also possible that a dog that should really be an only dog will slip by the testing.  Don't hesitate to be in touch with your group if you feel the levels of not-getting-along is higher than you feel comfortable with in your house.  Your first dog's safety should absolutely be your priority and responsibility, and there's no shame in returning a greyhound who really doesn't fit into your household.  Another, better fit will be just around the corner.

Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora)

52592535884_69debcd9b4.jpgsiggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr

Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly

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I think it all depends on the dog. Each of my three Greys got along with the non-Greys in the family but related to them in different ways.  Wendy was the fun police. No shenanigans when Wendy was on duty. Lola was so playful it sometimes became annoying.  Jenny is more interested in people than in dogs and has been known to snark on occasion. None of them showed any aggression towards others. 

Irene ~ Owned and Operated by Jenny (Jenny Rocks ~ 11/24/17) ~ JRo, Jenny from the Track

Lola (AMF Won't Forget ~ 04/29/15 -07/22/19) - My girl. I'll always love you.

Wendy (Lost Footing ~ 12/11/05 - 08/18/17) ~ Forever in our hearts. "I am yours, you are mine".

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Thanks for the tips and adorable photos!  I really want to do this but want to be sure my original girl is happy and content and will get a new friend in the process.  She's smaller--35 lbs, so I hope that doesn't present an issue.  She seems to love big dogs.  Especially big male dogs.  She loves to run and chase and be chased so that might be a good match for a grey who loves to play chase--she's super fast, she'll be surprised not being the fastest around!!  haha!!  

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Edited by SMOJ
grammar, add photo :)
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Remember that the staff at the adoption kennel are familiar with the dogs’ temperaments and can guide you towards an appropriate match. 

Irene ~ Owned and Operated by Jenny (Jenny Rocks ~ 11/24/17) ~ JRo, Jenny from the Track

Lola (AMF Won't Forget ~ 04/29/15 -07/22/19) - My girl. I'll always love you.

Wendy (Lost Footing ~ 12/11/05 - 08/18/17) ~ Forever in our hearts. "I am yours, you are mine".

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We've had 4 different greyhounds along with an assortment of dogs, mostly westies, about 20 pounds max.  The adoption group knew we had the little ones so they could give us greyhounds that were good with little dogs.  3 of the greyhounds have totally ignored the little ones; 1 greyhound actually ran in the yard with the little ones.  We watched their interactions very closely at first to make sure no snarking or inappropriate behavior.  Currently we have a senior greyhound and 3 westies, 1 shih tzu, and one 12 pound mutt.  Ivy - the greyhound - pretends she's the only dog in the house.  Most of the time the others pretend she's not here.  Maybe we've just been extremely lucky with our dogs, but we have never had any problems between big ones and little ones.  At one time, we had 3 greyhounds and 5 westies and they all got along just fine.  

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All good things here.  We have Marvin, the 10 y.o. big brindle boy, and his brother, of 1.5+ years, a young adult chihuahua terrier mix (~ 3-4 y.o. Toxirn?), Bertrand.  They are definitely brothers, even if they largely co-exist and don't interact other than the occasional sniff about.  They *almost cuddle, and we think they eventually will.  Bertrand did try to climb into the slumber ball with Marvin on his first night with us, and that was a mistake, but no harm done.  Otherwise, we had one accidental snark that ended up with Bertrand's head in Marvin's mouth, while Bertrand's mouth was around Marvin's leg, and they both panicked.  Everyone was totally fine, and then they right after wanted to be near each other.  Bertrand is 12 lbs of scruffy, fluffy sometimes/mini-lion other times, ter-hua-hua crazy, but they nap together all day, every day, and he's never once been mistaken for a toy.  We like having such a visually mismatched pair of quirky pups.  Marvin has also, unexpectedly, protected his little brother from a couple of off-leash dog events (Bertrand has bad leash reactivity).

We took Marvin with us when we went to the adoption event so that he could pick (or just not un-pick, as he's more or less just ignores other dogs) a potential sibling.  We walked them together inside and outside for about an hour, and I guess boys that pee together stay together?   It doesn't sound like any more requirements than anyone else, definitely not like needing a cat-safe hound, and there are plenty of those out there too!

 

24232747_10106590392781888_9042567502348

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My Greys have done well with non-Grey roomies. We've had different mixes of medium and large roommies, some were just fosters others permanent. Picking a good candidate and, of course, careful intros and close supervision in the beginning goes a long way to making the transition easier. It's all the usual precautions you would take when helping two strange dogs adjust to each other.

One Grey related thing you need to be really cautious about in the beginning is running loose together. Once my Grey zigged when my parents 35 lb mutt zagged. To avoid the collision, Venus tried to leap over Blossom but still clipped her with one foot. Venus had been going fast enough that Blossom was barrel rolled. When she stopped rolling she was very, very still. Scared the bejeebus out of me. Then all of a sudden she started gasping. All the wind had been knocked out of her but she was otherwise okay. Accidents happen sometimes and it seems to me that is more likely in the beginning when they are learning each other's play style.

Your girl is adorable., btw.

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When Mac (greyhound) came home, Logan (Chesapeake Bay Retriever) gave one low quasi growl, and the two went in the back yard to play.  They sleep together when it's cold and get along fine.  Occasionally a food issue because Mac savors each individual kibble and Logan inhales the whole bowl, but a NO from me is all it takes to keep the peace when Logan offers to help Mac finish his meal.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

We had a 3 yo Corgi and an 11 yo Cocker Spaniel when we brought our 2 yo female Grey home.  That was 3 months ago.  There were some initial reservations, a couple of snarks (from the Cocker) but all are best buddies now.  The Grey and the Corgi are inseparable.

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