Remember that up until the day he/she comes home, your greyhound will have lived in a kennel with their pack, having everything decided for them in terms of when they eat or go out etc. They will probably never have been alone before in their whole life. So this new environment will at best be very unusual for them and at worst overwhelming.
Greyhounds are incredibly adaptable and with patience and understanding, will cope with all these changes. It may just take a little time.
Many adoption groups adhere to the popular 3-3-3 rule. The basis is the first three days; it can be strange for your greyhound taking in their new surroundings and learning a whole new routine. It’s important to allow your new friend space in the house and to not force interaction. Allow them to come up to you and know their boundaries with the new routine and rules. Furthermore, three weeks down the line, your greyhound is still adapting to home life. This stage they will be more settled and will begin to push the boundaries and let their guard down. You will start to see your greyhound’s true characteristics around this time as they navigate home life. Finally, three months is when your greyhound should be fully settled and happy in their home environment. Being fully comfortable by now, your greyhound will have funny quirks and their personality will be really shining through, allowing you to be happy with the effort and progress you both have made.
There is a brilliant article written by Kathleen Gilley which provides a wonderful insight into how your greyhound may be feeling…. (through the eyes of a greyhound link)
Feeding
What you feed your greyhound will depend on many factors, including your personal preferences, but having an idea of their diet before they join you, as well as their experience when racing may be useful. When racing most greyhounds are fed a complete food that is soaked in water or stock. This is so their water intake can be monitored to maintain their ideal racing weight and avoid the possibility of dehydration. They will also have a good quantity of cooked or raw meat and often pasta, vegetables and wholemeal bread. Most homing kennels feed similar, although are on the whole less likely to feed raw meat. It is a good idea to try to continue with the kibble (complete food) they are on when they come home, at least for a while – vets recommend that if you change a dog’s base food then it should be done gradually over a period of at least a week. Some homing centres will even send you home with a small supply of their current feed. We would recommend that you soak the kibble and add other bits and pieces to give variety. Some greyhounds are real foodies and will accept just kibble day in day out, others will want it mixed up a bit. Adding boiled mince, with the natural gravy, sardines or other meat will be well received, as will wholemeal bread (they prefer toast!) or pasta. Initially, try to keep to the timings of feeds that they have in the kennels too, if you possibly can. Again, adjust to suit you over time.
The choice of kibble is an absolute minefield. You only have to go into a pet superstore, or look online, to see the choice of products and associated costs. A word of caution would be that the most expensive doesn’t necessarily mean a product that has a better nutritional composition, or will agree with your dog more. Unless advised otherwise by the homing centre we would suggest Time Maintenance and Retired. Time also offer free nutritional advise should you need it. Their products can be sourced online through various stockists. However, do consult the homing first centre because, even if they feed Time, they may well be a supplier themselves and be able to sell to you.
Most kennels will also feed a small breakfast. This might be a handful of cereal or part of their daily kibble allowance, along with any supplements or oils you choose to add. Greyhounds love, and are used to, honey. As per most of our guidance, the homing centre or trainer will know your dog best so will give you additional advice.
Grooming
Greyhounds only have a single layer of fur, which is short haired, meaning they’re pretty low maintenance when it comes to grooming. A brush every couple of days along with good food will keep their coat looking beautiful. Greyhounds are used to being handled and groomed from a young age. Allowing them to usually be very compliant when it comes to grooming, teeth cleaning and nail clipping. Most homing centres will welcome greyhounds back for nail clipping if that’s not a task you’re comfortable with (it secretly gives them an opportunity to check the greyhound is thriving). As they have a predominantly wet diet greyhounds’ teeth need to be maintained carefully. It is important that a daily brush with a good pet toothpaste and toothbrush is carried out, this will maintain teeth at the standard they are when adopted.
Vets
You should register your hound with a vet as soon as possible but do also be guided by your homing centre. There are several vets around the country who deal predominantly with greyhounds, so if you live within reach of one of them it will be great for you and your dog. Greyhounds are in so many ways like every other dog but they do have their differences. Particularly regarding blood levels, so going to a vet with knowledge of that could save you some unnecessarily expensive tests. Also ‘greyhound’ vets will be better versed in the anatomy and physiology of the breed, occasionally avoiding the need for specialist referrals. Research shows greyhounds to be among the healthiest breeds as they are bred to run, so vet visits on average are less for their owners.
Prey drive & small furries
The nature of their job and natural instinct means greyhounds love to chase. They are big dogs who can reach high speeds very quickly. Upon retirement some will maintain a high prey drive while others will become quite unreactive to small creatures. Until you know which category your greyhound falls into, you should be extremely cautious around other small animals, including cats and small dogs. Muzzles are recommended while out walking as a greyhound has an uncanny knack of spotting something in a hedge and diving in. However, quick we think we are, we aren’t as quick as them! That said, many greyhounds live very happily with other small animals including tiny dogs, cats and even rabbits.
Corns
Greyhounds have very little fat between the pad surface and the bone, so some have a tendency to get corns, greyhounds being the ultimate drama king/queens, they “suffer” from them! If your dog appears to be limping, then it may be worth suggesting looking for corns to a vet. This is because corns aren’t common in other breeds.
We have probably all gone down the scan and x-ray route to diagnose lameness only for it to be a corn. There are various treatments and coping aids from boots, creams and a circle of duct tape (don’t ask!!) to tendonectomies. Once diagnosed your vet will give you the best guidance but don’t be afraid to turn to your homing centre or online greyhound groups for advice too.
Children
Majority of greyhounds make brilliant pets for families with children because of their lazy disposition and gentleness. However, as with any animal, they could be unpredictable when provoked or disturbed, so it’s advised young children should never be left unsupervised with a dog. It is particularly important that children living with greyhounds know that they should not disturb them while sleeping or eating. Having their own space to sleep is really important. Many like a crate that they can choose to go to. Some people have them and the door is never closed, but the dog feels safer knowing it won’t have a paw trod on or be startled in another way.
Centres vary as to the minimum age child in a family that they will consider adopting to, but all will be very careful to match the right dog with families of young children.
Exercise/ Off Lead
Despite being the greatest athletes of the canine world, greyhounds are only required (and built) to run short distances so they are trained for short bursts of energy. As such two twenty minute walks a day are sufficient to maintain their stunning figures. That said, most will happily build up to much longer walks if that’s what you as a family or individual enjoy doing. Beware, though, that walk will be punctuated with sniffs and if it can be broken up with a pub or café visit you will have a very happy hound!
It’s not recommended to let your greyhound off lead unless in a proper secured field. They are sight hounds so will chase and reach high speeds very quickly. Even in an enclosed field, be careful. When greyhounds race it is round a track with no obstacles either around them or on the surface. If your dog catches sight of something they will just flat out chase, not being aware of things they may crash into. Also, be aware of their lack of stamina, if you hire an enclosed field for an hour, give some thought to what you will do with it for the other 55 minutes.
Interactions with other dogs & Playing
If you meet someone with a dog when out walking then the likelihood is that your dog will aim straight for the human for affection rather than the other dog (unless it is another greyhound which would be a whole different story). Majority of greyhounds will happily meet and tolerate other breeds, but they seem to know their noble heritage and give the impression that other dogs just aren’t worthy. So don’t think your greyhound is weird or unsociable if they don’t want to play with other dogs, that’s just how they are. Give them time and, should you wish, a circle of potential friends and they will adapt and learn to follow the behaviours of others.
Older adopters
Majority of greyhound homing centres also won’t have an upper limit on the age of people they adopt to. Decisions will, as always, be on an individual basis. For example some people in their early 80s may be more active and capable of looking after a dog than someone in their 60s. What will be discussed, though, is that person’s support network; who will help walk the dog should the adopter be unable to on occasions, who will help in the event of illness etc. Sometimes a more elderly adopter can be matched to an older dog that is looking for their forever home. What is certain is that greyhound homing centres will do all they can to help.
Stairs/Flats
A garden is not a prerequisite for greyhound adoption, although obviously desirable. If someone who lives in a flat wants to adopt then it’s a case of working out how they greyhound will get out for comfort breaks regularly etc. Ground floor flats are generally fine, but upper floors pose the inevitable “stairs” discussion. Greyhounds are very unlikely to have ever experienced stairs in their racing days so encountering them as fully grown gangly dogs can be daunting. Some just (literally) take them in their stride while some never get the hang of them or even try to. Most will learn in time, but that learning curve would have to be very quick for a dog to be homed in an upper floor apartment. There are several things to consider. A young dog may be able to cope with stairs but what about when they get older? If the block doesn’t have a lift, or if the lift breaks, that could become unmanageable. These are all things that can be discussed with the homing centre you choose, and guidance will be on a case-by-case basis.
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