If you are interested in a Greyhound it can be very difficult to impossible to find this dog breed in any store, humane society, or animal shelter. The place to go if you think a greyhound is right for you is one of the greyhound rescue organizations throughout the United States or whatever country you may live in. Some are shown at the bottom of this page.
The greyhound is a very tall, muscular dog breed. Male greyhounds weigh on average between 65 and 80 pounds, where the females are usually 5 to 10 pounds less. Males can reach twenty-seven to thirty inches in height (females a couple inches less on average). They are a short-haired dog with black, white, grey (blue), red, fawn, and several other color choices to choose from. The coat is really soft and is in fact very pleasing to pet for long periods of time.
One thing you need to know, they are NOT long distance runners. Distance running and jogging with your greyhound should be avoided under any circumstances, no matter how well-conditioned a greyhound is, it must be remembered that these dogs are sprinters and are not physiologically suited for long distances. Anything over a mile is a long distance for a greyhound, and most greyhounds have never run over half a mile.Some people have been able to overcome this and have greyhounds as “jogging buddies”, but care must be taken to train them to these longer distances and slower paces as it is not natural to them.
Greyhounds absolutely thrive on human attention, they do not like to be left alone for long periods of time because they want to be a part of the family and they also will get along very well around other dog breeds, once acquainted, in your household…but love to be with their own kind. Greyhounds are very sensitive, so you need to be able to devote plenty of time with your dog and make sure your children respect them and play gentle with them as well.
Care for these dogs in the grooming category is very simple, as mentioned, their coat is short and soft, which means a brushing every once in a while will help them to get rid of dead hairs. You should bathe them as little as possible as they do not have the amount of oil in their skin as other breeds, oils that are the cause of the “doggy smell”, so unless they get into something really foul or get extremely dirty, baths need not be high on the priority list for a greyhound. You will need to have a backyard or other area where you can take them a couple times a week to let them really stretch their muscles and run full out. You should also plan on having a morning and evening walk to help them expend their energy.
Training is also important as part of the exercise regime. You will find intelligence behind the dog but, as mentioned, they are hounds and hounds are well known for their stubborn streaks as greyhounds, they can be very sensitive. They need a person to be firm, but gentle and affectionate during any kind of training. Training should also keep the greyhound interested. They can become bored if the activity is not fun or challenging enough.
Greyhounds are one of the best pets you can have and especially when you want a pet that is very affectionate, with the greyhound you don’t have to worry about that, but remember don’t leave them alone for very long as they are “velcro” dogs and want to be with you as much as possible.
Planet Greyhound 