Trancing Greyhounds

[Kathy02]

First time greyhound parent here! I'd done a ton of research and reading when we first decided to adopt a greyhound, and I never read anything about trancing (aka weed walking or ghost walking). We've had Zula for just about two months now, and there are a couple different bushes on our usual walking routes where she loves to trance. The first time we saw it, we thought she had gone into prey mode! Now it's just an amusing stop during our walks.

Does anyone know how common this is among greyhounds? It seems like greyhounds are one of the breeds where trancing is more common, but I was surprised that I'd never heard about it until I looked it up.

[greysmom]

It's not uncommon, but I think many people don't know about it.  Out of the 11 greys we've had only one was a habitual trancer.  She would walk through her bushes every day for 15 or 20 minutes until she was close to 11 years old.  Then the frequency started dropping off.  I always wondered if it was due to her nerves not being as sensitive.

 

[rsieg]

Logan trances in those ornamental grass bushes. Not sure the variety, but there are probably a dozen houses on our walking routes that have them, they are belt-height to shoulder-height or so. He won't stop at them all, but occasionally does and may trance for a few minutes. He would probably go longer but I tend to get bored and urge him along (but he is stubborn about it).  

I don't recall Max ever trancing, so based on my huge database of two greyhounds about 50% of them trance occasionally :-)

 

[Kathy02]

Those long grassy bushes are what Zula trances in too! One of them was trimmed back a bunch a couple weeks ago, and she still sometimes goes up to it and tries (spectacularly unsuccessfully) to trance.

[FiveRoooooers]

Aiden also trances in the ornamental grasses, and of 20 campers he is the only who has been a trancer. 

[Remolacha]

I have never had a trancer but I remember a picture of the old lady, Susie? trancing in the citrus trees 

[Houndtime]

Out of 7 greys.  I had one trancer.  Fuzzy was a super slo mo trancer.  You had to watch close to make sure that he was moving.  He tranced around our artificial ficus tree.  When we moved, we took it with us.  It was Fuzzy's tree!  If I could figure out how to post a picture, I could show you.

[EllenEveBaz]

Dear Scout would trance next to nandina bushes.  If I hadn't read about it previously, I would have thought he was having some slow-motion seizure activity.  Milo has recently begun what I call semi-trancing.  He stands in front of me, facing right, and I am supposed to lightly trace my fingers over his hipbone.  

[kronckew]

Poppy, my saluki x lurcher,  off the leash in our Apt. complex's enclosed garden, would head straight for a weeping willow and circle around it, letting the hanging bits scrub her, and not particularly slowly, of a few minutes with a look of bliss on her. Only once per outing. We had a blind man who moved into one of the flats who complained about the hanging bits, so the management trimmed the branches to head height. He moved on a year or two later, the branches grew back and when they touched Poppy's back again she was back in heaven. We had to move 2 years ago, no more weeping willows on our walks. No more bushy back scrubs. She now insists on me scritching, while she stands, her back from head to tail along her spine every evening, accompanied by her bum twerking happily throughout.

[Banjoman]

Chancey does this most days up against the Leylandii hedge in the back garden and will do the same on Leylandii and other hedges when out walking.