"S65" (granthp)
10/18/2016 at 10:25 • Filed to: Dog
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"S65" (granthp)
10/18/2016 at 10:25 • Filed to: Dog | 0
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Margaret Gorman with her pet Greyhound.
There’s this Greyhound I think I wanna adopt her, but I’ve already got a Pit Bull. I’m not sure how well that Pit Bull interacts with other dogs... if that Pit Bull attacks that Greyhound, well I’d prefer not to think about that...
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Any what kind of things should I know about Greyhounds or Greyhound mixes?
Arrivederci
> S65
10/18/2016 at 10:29 |
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Greyhounds are among the most docile doggos on the planet. They’re meek and somewhat shy, but have a tremendous amount of energy. You will need to run them daily.
If you are unsure how your pit would interact with another doggo, I wouldn’t adopt this one. My $0.02.
CalzoneGolem
> S65
10/18/2016 at 10:31 |
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Greyhounds, in my experience, are exactly unlike pit bulls in every way except for the boundless energy.
Trevor Slattery, ACTOR
> Arrivederci
10/18/2016 at 10:32 |
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Right on. They are overgrown housecats and would be perfectly happy to lounge around the house on a doggie bed or couch when not running at 35mph. Extremely docile and meek. If you have a mellow pit, might be worth introducing them to see if they get along.
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S65
> Trevor Slattery, ACTOR
10/18/2016 at 10:34 |
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My Pit is pretty mellow
Funktheduck
> S65
10/18/2016 at 10:40 |
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I don’t have a ton of experience with greyhounds but all the ones I’ve met are super calm. I used to walk one that was a little on the crazy energy side but only when you first let him outside and brought out the leash. They just want to lounge around.
Unlike a pit, they’re kinda fragile. Because they’re sight hounds they can see something before you (like a squirrel) and may want to chase. That usually means no off leash unless in a fenced in area. I knew one at the dog park that had to be muzzled at the park because it’s prey drive was so strong she worried it might try to catch a smaller dog running.
Overall, great dogs. They have quirks like any breed but usually not anything serious.
Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
> S65
10/18/2016 at 10:48 |
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Neighbour used to have one, was a very chill dog as long as it got its run in. Without that run it was pretty skiddish and jumpy.
All depends on how the two interact, every doggo is different
MUSASHI66
> Arrivederci
10/18/2016 at 10:50 |
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Weird. I live right next to a vet school. They always have adopted racing greyhounds and they walk them around the neighborhood twice a day. You simply can’t walk by them without them trying to rip my dogs throats. It is so bad, the walkers cross the street every time they see a dog.
bonofasitch
> S65
10/18/2016 at 10:52 |
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My parents have 2 greyhounds, and had 2 prior to the current ones. In general they are 30mph couch potatos. Yes, they can run fast, but they are sprinters. They do not need to run to stay in shape, 2 short walks a day is all that they *need* (less than a mile).
They are more like cats than dogs in that they sleep most of the time (even without rigorous exercise). If you are getting retired racers, then you must have a fenced yard (or only allow them outside on a leash). If they get free, they will run, and depending on where you live, you may not find them or not find them alive.
They typically do not know how to handle long staircases, but can be trained - a second dog that does do stairs helps with this.
All dogs have personalities, but greyhounds are different - more like cats again, and their faces do not show expressions. I have 2 Lab mixes, and both of them have very expressive faces.
They are typically heathy, but also have bad teeth due to feeding practices when they are racing.
While greyhounds are typically docile, this can change in an instant, especially when they are running. This is why they wear muzzles when racing. If your not sure how your pit is around other dogs, if there ever was an incident with a greyhound, the pit would come out on top, and you would either have a very expensive vet bill, and/or need to put the greyhound down. If there is any question, I would not recommend even trying.
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S65
> MUSASHI66
10/18/2016 at 10:52 |
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Oh god..
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MUSASHI66
> S65
10/18/2016 at 11:03 |
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Based on the other comments, this might be very unexpected behavior. Just take your pit before you decide to adopt and see if they get along. When I got a puppy from a rescue place, I came with my adult German Shepherd, just to see their reactions. They became brothers in no time.
Grindintosecond
> S65
10/18/2016 at 11:08 |
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(edit: that’s a mix with a pointer! Wow i’d love to see what that temperment is like. That could be a really perfect mix, or not. worth going to see. My Oppo greyhound review below is based on a pure bred racer, your results will most likely vary with Cupcake.)
I had a retired D-level racer. You can look up their ear tag and see their race results and their whole family line (26 gens for mine) and he wasn’t even that great of a racer. D-level means he was just fast enough to race and the results? 2 won in 120 ran...so he loved to run with other dogs but that’s about it.
Once we showed him a couch and how to get on it, he quickly took the couch over and would look at us when we sat on it like, “uh, that’s my place...” They never sit cause they don’t have a butt to sit on and lay around or stand.
As far as temperment , he was a giant cat and a perfect dog. I never heard him bark unless the big dog at the dog park tried to do the hump[-dominance thing and thats when he would spin around and let out a really big bark/growl. So, he didn’t take any shit but it would have to be a bunch of it to get any response. it took 8 months for him to learn to ‘play’ any sort of game and some never learn how. He would fetch the honking duck and liked to run around with the kids a little bit. some can be nippy and some aren’t.
A walk a day is really all they need or they’ll start getting a little bit heavy and you do have to watch that, it’s a bad thing for them where some dogs can handle the pudge lots better. The dog park is great if you have one, otherwise plan the walk or some sort of outdoor fun for both of you. They’re more of a mid-level maintenance dog.
Feed them medium dog food even though they’re technically a large breed. Ours could bloat if we weren’t careful because he didn’t know how to eat slowly. We put a tennis ball or a large kong ball in his food bowl so he had to slow down and work around it. Oh, and if you don’t have the right dog food that works for their stomach, be prepared for the most amazing gas that can peel wall paper. In the collegiate sense, I’m no slouch, but he puts any college frat guy to shame. Oh god it was bad.
They’re amazing dogs but you have to be a dog person. When you wake up, the first thing you better do is let them outside of theyll make a VERY BIG puddle on the floor, and it baffles the mind, “How in the hell does that much fit in that tiny waist” because Greyhounds are all lungs and heart (30% bigger than a humans) and muscle.
But, their ears are so soft and they like to lean into you when you pet them and they don’t know what other dogs are because they’ve only seen greyhounds. So they seem shy and meek. They don’t like sharp loud noises that startle. Some never become cat friendly and although some owners pride themselves as having off-leash dog trainability, these guys can be up to 40+mph in three leaps so if they start off after a squirrel, it can be bad news if a car or kid crosses their path. Same thing with staked leash, they can jump up to speed by the time the leash goes taught.
Not high maintenance in the classic way , but they do have to be part of your life and are not really the kind to be left outside with a doghouse.
interstate366, now In The Industry
> S65
10/18/2016 at 11:14 |
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My parents have a Lab-greyhound mix. He gets along well with their other dogs, but he does get into mischief.
BritishLeyland
> S65
10/18/2016 at 11:18 |
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Arrivederci
> MUSASHI66
10/18/2016 at 11:20 |
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Really?? Wow - that’s the first I’ve heard of that. Damn. I’ll have to circle back with my greyhound source, lol.
Batman the Horse
> S65
10/18/2016 at 11:22 |
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I don’t think it would work. Their skin is thinner than paper and their bones are very fragile. Everything is reduced to make them faster. Any sort of squabble with the other dog could kill the greyhound.
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MUSASHI66
> Arrivederci
10/18/2016 at 11:23 |
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If you google it, there are many results that come up. Then again, I am a strong believer that dog aggression is usually the owners fault, and not the dogs fault.
Nibbles
> S65
10/18/2016 at 12:05 |
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They are lazy and happiest when laying around all day. If they’re over 4 years old, that is. Young ones are full of energy and very stupid.
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S65
> Nibbles
10/18/2016 at 12:08 |
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Oh
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Nibbles
> S65
10/18/2016 at 12:14 |
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We adopted our Grey at 9 months old and it was hell. She was our only and, since she didn’t have any other dog to base her behavior on, she was an absolute terror. We did get a Border Collie later on to help learn her and that did make a huge difference - having your Pit to help the Grey understand how to dog will be a boon.
They are late bloomers; until 4 they are considered pups, hence all the youthful energy, ambition and stupid. Once they hit 4 though, you see what everyone else is talking about. They lay around and do nothing until you take them outside. Then it’s 15-30 minutes of pure stupid, and they’re ready to hit the sack again.
Best dogs. I love ‘em and will be adopting more.
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S65
> Nibbles
10/18/2016 at 12:18 |
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Anything else I should be aware of?
DipodomysDeserti
> S65
10/18/2016 at 12:34 |
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Just be really careful with your pit. If they’re the opposite sex it will help, but it is not a guarantee. Plan on crate training them, as there is always a risk the pit could go after the greyhound, and you wouldn’t want it to happen when you’re not around. I have two pits, and socialized them properly, but didn’t take any chances with them for the first two years I had both of them. I leave them out now, but my male pit has started getting grumpy with the female while eating within the last few months despite them living with each other for eight years. Remember, pits were bred to fight other dogs, so you shouldn’t expect them to get along with other dogs. Doesn’t mean they won’t get along, you just don’t want to put your pit in a situation where it goes after the other dog. I’ve had to break up a fight between one of my pits and another pit that attacked it. We didn’t have a break stick, so my friend ended up having to choke his dog out to get her to let go.
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S65
> DipodomysDeserti
10/18/2016 at 12:41 |
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Break stick?
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Nibbles
> S65
10/18/2016 at 12:43 |
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Nothing off the top of my head. They’re very healthy dogs and one of the few with no real purebreed issues.
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DipodomysDeserti
> S65
10/18/2016 at 12:49 |
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It’s a wedged-shaped piece of wood used for getting pits to release once they’ve lock-jawed onto something. You slide it behind their teeth, forcing their mouth open. It’s really the only way (other than a rear naked choke) to get them to let go. You just have to be ready to pull them off because they’ll jump right back in.
skycake
> S65
10/18/2016 at 13:08 |
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I fostered for a Greyhound rescue for a while. They need a few minutes of running or a decent walk once a day, but beyond that they’re the laziest dogs.
The ones that I fostered were perfectly happy to run around in the back yard for about 10 minutes once a day then chill on the couch or a dog bed the rest of the day. There’s a reason they’re called 40 MPH Couch Potatoes.
That said, I’m not sure how a Grey/Pointer mix like you found would do. Hunting breeds tend to be more high-energy, so this one might not get tired as quickly as full Greys.
If you aren’t set on this particular dog, there should be a several Greyhound rescues in your area that adopt out retired racing Greyhounds.
Cash Rewards
> Funktheduck
10/18/2016 at 13:20 |
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I’ve heard you have to be pretty careful with their being sight hounds and so fast. A smell hound can always sniff its way home, but the greyhounds are so fast that by the time they stop and turn around, they’re lost.
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Funktheduck
> Cash Rewards
10/18/2016 at 14:34 |
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Maybe. All dogs have amazing sniffing abilities.
I’d be more worried about them having tunnel vision and not seeing the car coming as they bolt across the road
nafsucof
> S65
10/18/2016 at 15:30 |
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They are fast!
mtdrift
> S65
10/18/2016 at 15:33 |
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It looks like you’ve gotten a lot of good greyhound advice here. We had three greyhounds over the course of 12 years, and they are deeply, deeply lovable, and very dignified dogs. I agree that after 4 years their energy level plummets. They are like 60 lb. cats after that. Make sure you leave plenty of couch space.
For most of them, a quick run or a short walk and they are done for the day. They are indeed fragile, and they can be susceptible to weird health problems like bone and liver cancer (which cut one of our boy’s lives way too short). They are also weirdly stoic. If they are in pain, or suffering, it’s very, very hard to tell.
A couple of things I’ll mention that haven’t been suggested yet.
- They are most comfortable in households with other greyhounds. At the track and the kennels they live their lives surrounded by their own kind. Our greyhounds were bonded far more closely to each other than to us. That said, they can learn quickly to live with other breeds.
- On a related point, they can be a little bit aloof. If you’re looking for a cuddly dog, greyhounds aren’t your answer. They like their own space.
- With the closing of tracks across the country, the breed’s future is very much up in the air. A rescue of a greyhound will count highly on your karma score. We miss ours so much.
I like to let Hank Green tell the story. Poor Lemon passed on last year:
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mtdrift
> S65
10/18/2016 at 16:24 |
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Oh! Also, this. So, so funny, so, so true. Greyhounds aren’t the sharpest saw in the shed.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/07/dog.html?m=1
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Nibbles
> Funktheduck
10/18/2016 at 17:10 |
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All dogs have great sniffers but most sighthounds don’t know how to utilize it properly.
Greyhounds are notorious for getting lost so much that many places have a leash-at-all-times rule for them. Our grey got out one day and bolted through the neigborhood after [something, I didn’t see it]. She couldn’t find her way home, we found her an hour later sniffing the ground frantically a street over, knowing she was close but not able to find home.