Do greyhound dogs make good pets?

Answer 1

I personally love Greyhounds, but here's something better than my opinion:

Greyhounds have a very gentle and quiet disposition. They are very pack oriented dogs and will quickly adopt human masters into their "pack." To allow different greyhounds to hunt and race together, aggressiveness toward other dogs and people have been nearly eliminated from the breed. Some do retain a strong prey drive, (which is a component to their racing) and are sometimes unsuitable for houses with other small pets such as cats or rabbits. On the other hand, some greyhounds love being around smaller animals.

Greyhounds are smart, sweet, calm and gentle. The notion that Greyhounds are hyper because they love to race is incorrect. Although Greyhounds are the fastest breed of dog, they do not have a lot of endurance and therefore tire quickly. They are very content being a "Couch Potato" and spending most of their day sleeping. Since they do not have a lot of endurance, Greyhounds tend to need less exercise than most of the popular breeds such as Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Rottweilers and Dalmatians.

Greyhounds are very eager to please so they are very trainable. They respond best to positive reinforcement (operant) training. This means the more you praise your hound for doing things correctly, the more they will want to please you! House breaking can take two to three days.

Answer 2

As an owner of a retired racer, I can say you have some great answers here, except from SheltyK. I don't know where to start with correcting him/her. (Why do people answer with such blatantly FALSE crap?)

The top speed of a racing greyhound is 43mph. (A retired one will be slower, although not much).

They are VERY lazy, but almost always have a strong prey drive - so usually inadvisable if you have a cat. Some aren't great with really small dogs either. That said, I know one person who has successfully rehomed an ex-racing greyhound with a cat, and a few others who have re-homed with small dogs - but I'd never trust mine.

They are affectionate but sometimes aloof. They are quite independent. Because they are usually ex-racers, they will not have been taught to play. Teaching mine to play has been one of the most rewarding parts of greyhound ownership.

Recall is likely to be a problem, so if you let the dog off lead, make sure you are in an area that is fenced off.

Exercise? 20 minutes twice a day minimum (plus extra toilet breaks when necessary), although he/she'll accept a really long walk if you want to, and it's probably in the dog's best interests to give the occasional longer walk or short burst off-lead. They'd certainly appreciate it.

Overall though, if you rehome a greyhound, you'll have a wonderful, placid companion, who'll love nothing more than curling up on the sofa next to you.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Greyhounds are excellent. Contrary to what many believe, these are NOT high-strung dogs. They are naturally very lean and incredibly muscular animals. They are also lazier than any dog I have ever come across.

Most greyhounds are rescued dogs from race tracks. Once a hound is too old or worn to race, most often they are destroyed because they are of no use to their trainer anymore. Rescue societies have been set up so that people may adopt the hounds and allow them to live out their days being pampered. Something they definitely deserve.

My greyhound, who since passed away in 2004, was a rescued one. He had the sweetest disposition, no temper whatsoever, loved treats and lived on the couch.

They almost don't shed at all, either, which is a bonus. As for exercise, greyhounds are not needy for it. Like a cheetah, they are built for speed and only endure quick bursts of energy. One or two laps around the soccer field or a few romps in the backyard 2 or 3 times a day is all they need, aside from bathroom breaks. They also don't seem to bark much at all.

Remember, though, they they are sight hounds. Two hound types are: sight, and smell. A hunting dog, such as a beagle, remembers things by scent, while a greyhound is much more alert to what he sees. With that said, they can be wary of strangers so always remind visitors within the home to approach so that their presence is known. A greyhound will not show aggression but they will be spooked if someone manages to sneak up and attempt to pet him before he realizes they are there; especially if it is someone they don't see often.

But yes, I would highly, HIGHLY recommened one as a pet.

Answer 4

GREYHOUND FACTS

Loyal, beautiful dogs, Greyhounds have fallen from being the companion of kings to serving man as a commodity in a huge racing industry. Once their money making career is over (and that can be when a dog is as young as 2) many Greyhounds are callously discarded by the owners they have worked so hard to please.

Over 30,000 Greyhounds are bred for racing each year in Britain and Ireland. About 10,000 are destroyed as puppies. If the remaining 20,000 enter the industry, then about 20,000 must leave each year. Those that are retired from Registered Tracks have a chance of being helped by the Greyhound Trust. Sadly, however, many leave the Registered tracks to continue racing on the Independent Tracks where there are few regulations to safeguard them while they are racing or when they retire.

More and more people are discovering how Greyhounds make wonderful pets and repay the love shown them a thousand times. With gentle temperaments, sensitive and sociable natures, Greyhounds are good with children, and surprisingly perhaps, need no more exercise than the average dog. They are animals with big hearts that continue to trust man despite all they have known.

Here is another site that may prove helpful :

http://www.greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/

Answer 5

Greyhounds make excellent pets for most anybody! They are healthy, have great manners with just a little training, fast learners, excellent on the leash and very, very affectionate.

Contrary to what some who've never known a greyhound will tell you, they do not all have high prey drives. Of my 3, 2 of them love cats and small dogs, and only 1 can never be trusted around cats although she can be trained to be small dog safe.

They are happy with one good walk a day, love to play with stuffed toys (which they don't wreck), are very soft dogs - meaning they don't like being in trouble, they're not dogs you need to use any harsh methods with, in fact, they wouldn't tolerate them.

The only downfalls to a greyhound are that some of they have bad teeth and they need to be cleaned regularly. The other is they can not be let off leash in an unfenced area. If you're thinking of adopting a rescued racer, the group you're adopting from does a great job of matching a person to the right dog for them.

Answer 6

My vet has adopted a retired greyhound and she believes they make wonderful pets. They require very little exercise and sleep most of the day. They are not an aggressive dog and as such are good with children.

Adopt away

Answer 7

they are wonderful pets. Calm, not neeing much excersize, very affectionate indeed. They are the perfect lazy person's dog as they are happy with a couple of ambles about on a lead and like to curl up and snooze for the rest of the day when they are not pressing right against you for some affection. Lovely dogs. All of the longdogs are the same. I have a large smooth coated lurcher which everyuone mistakes for a greyhound and he is as I have described.
If you are considering taking on an ex racer, there are some issues you need to be aware of. You can NEVER let him off the lead in a public place as his training will make him chase and kill cats or small dogs. Usually because they have been in kennels all their lives, they are not housetrained. The problems can be overcome but you need to be aware of them. If you want to let them off the lead in public, he MUST wear a muzzle.
A maroon with an ex racer was walking it off the lead past my brother's house and it came into the garden and killed their cat in front of their 3 year old son's eyes.
Not the dogs, fault as that's what they are trained for, but definately the owner's fault. So if you get an ex racer, keep him muzzled if he is off the lead in apublic place. If you get one from a pup, this would obviously not apply as long as you have taken him to socialisation classes and allowed him to play with small dogs from early on. My large lurcher doesn't chase my cats, nor the rabbit and guinea pig who live loose on my land. He loves all the other animals, but I had him from a pup and he was brought up with small animals from the start.

Answer 8

Yes! brilliant pets, but just remember to ALWAYS keep your greyhound on a lead - think about it - they are mostly racing dogs that have been trained to chase after an electric hare with the intention of catching it and killing it! You don't want it to do this to your, or your neighbour's cat, or heaven forbid, a child.

Answer 9

Yes,most definitely.Ihave had 2 rescue greyhounds and a 3 legged lurcher who is also a rescue. They are among the most placid of dogs and should be afforded a decent home when they are disposed of .My dogs only require two or three walks a day,as long as they have access to toilet area they are quite happy.

Answer 10

Oh greyhounds can be the sweetest dog ever. If your interested in one I suggest are large yard. Greyhound need people because alot of people put down their dog after they are done racing. Cheack out a greyhound adotion place near you.