We have a footpath down the side of our garden but hardly anyone uses it because it is always overgrown. However, when anyone walks down it, our BT does bark. But then he is doing his job! He also barks at woodpeckers when they squawk. But, hey, he is a dog, dogs bark.
Yes dogs bark, but one or two barks to let you know someone is there. Not bark bark bark all the time at every little thing.
GibsonGirl - how old is your girl? my 3 girls were more energetic when they were younger but as they've hit middle age they've turned into couch potatoes. I think the lads are often lazier. If she's an only one she might be a bit more demanding than one with other dogs to play with, not that play ever lasts very long here.
The points you raise were why I said that they are great as long as you know a bit about them and it really is best to get your first greyhound from a good greyhound rescue rather than an any breed one as they will know far more about them, ideally one that uses foster homes so the dog will be used to a home and be if not house trained, well on the way to it.
They will know their dogs well and be able to match energy levels to the prospective adopters lifestyle.
However as has been said they are very adaptable.
My girls are gobby demons who bark a lot I'm afraid! I think that's something about having similar aged girls which some people wouldn't recommend but they get on ok. They did steal but we've worked on it and now they no longer counter surf and we got a greyhound proof bin which made life easier!
I think it would be a poor rescue that homed a fairly fresh off the track greyhound to a first time dog owner - even an experienced dog owner but first time greyhound owner as you do need to know what you're doing but it's so rewarding and they are wonderful companions.
Riversmum, mine will be six in December. My Mum and I adopted her from the Reston branch of the Retired Greyhound Trust at the end of July 2013. She had been raced hard and after she was handed in to be rehomed she spent a good number of months at the Trust. She is black so that might have been why she was overlooked as often.
Anyway, we fell in love with her and decided to take her round to meet our Lurcher. It was a good introduction. We even got her into the car to see how our Lurcher would react to her being in a small space with him and they were fine. We also thought that since our dog accepted her that we wouldn't introduce him to anymore dogs. We decided to take her.
She had not been in a foster home and since she had always been in kennels it was obvious that she would not be toilet trained. She is quick at learning things and it didn't take her long to get the hang of going outside to do the toilet instead of doing it in the house. In hindsight we might have gone for a dog who had been in a foster home and who had already been toilet trained, but getting our Grey has been very rewarding.
She can get quite intense when she is playing. Like I said before she will bark at our other dog to try and get him to play with her. For the first few months of us having her she would nip around his face and neck as well. She would also take toys out of his mouth (which resulted in a few spats) and there is still the odd time when she will do that. She has also knocked him over several times. The pair of them can play roughly with each other. There can be quite a bit of growling and snarling, but they never take it to the next level when they are doing that. In fact until we got her, our Lurcher had never played with another dog.
They do on get on well with one another apart from the odd scuffle over a toy. There hasn't really been anything over food either.
So getting our Greyhound has definitely been worth it.
I will also agree that a rescue centre should be able to match dogs with potential adopters, but I have to say that the branch of the Dogs Trust that my Mum and I have been to are pretty hopeless with their matchmaking. When we first started to look for a second dog we went to the DT and the Staffie who I mentioned before (the one who had been a stray) was still there but at that time had been in a foster home. It turned out he would have been a good dog for us after all. He was laid back, great with other dogs, travelled reasonably well in the car, etc. So we introduced our Lurcher to him to see if they got on. Our dog growled a couple of times, but then ignored the Staffie. We took them into the training barn and played with them. There was no interaction between them. We thought that might be a good thing and so did the member of staff (who was also the centre's behavioural 'expert'). She even said she could imagine the Staffie sleeping on top of our dog (as this is what he had done with the other dogs in foster). How wrong she was. When we took him home our Lurcher simply would not accept him. He had to go back the next day. We put our plans of getting another dog on hold for a while.
About a year later we got a phone call from the DT to say they had an elderly female Lurcher. We went to see her and introduced our dog to her. All was going well until she yelped when ours was sniffing her. It was decided that ours might be too much for her. So we didn't look again until we went to the RGT and got our Greyhound.
We did contemplate a third dog earlier this year after the DT phoned us to say they had a male Lurcher who might do us (they didn't know we had another dog). We visited him and he was a lovely boy. We asked the DT if it would be possible to try the three of them in the car together to see what their reactions would be, but they said that is something they wouldn't do. However we didn't think our Lurcher would accept him so decided against introducing them. So between that and all the finances attached to a third dog we have decided that we definitely will not be getting another dog.
It just goes to show that some rehoming centres don't get things right. The DT in particular needs to employ people who can actually make a match. The DT failed to do that on four occasions with us. But then again the RGT managed to get it right first time.
Do get a Grey, if you really want one.
Ours have been from S.P.C.A Shelters, not from specific Greyhound charity places, like a previous poster said, you can sometimes tell if they are the right dog. The dog's reaction to meeting you will also have some bearing. We have a friend who went to a well known Grey re-homing trust, told them her needs dog-wise and unfortunately the dog they seemed "suitable" for her was far from it. Sometimes your own instincts are better. We've had our latest boy 6 months or so now, and is lovely, definitely quirky, but going to be a cracking family pet. Already he is learning recall, off-lead, when the park is quiet, thanks to his love of titbits & a squeaky ball
And I was told that greyhounds can never learn recall and should never be off the leash...
OP puppies are a LOT of work. For first time Owners I would always suggest an older, calmer dog that has already learned the basics. Puppies need toilet training, socialising and can be very very boisterious and needy. Once you have an older dog and learn more about dogs and their behaviors then you can understand and better tackle the extra commitment in training and socialising a younger pup.
What is your lifestyle like? Do you have a large home or a small home? Do you live near a road? Do you have the time and patience for grooming? How active is your lifestyle? Do you want a walking companion or couch potato or energetic or intelligent or strong willed or yappy or barky type dog?
And I was told that greyhounds can never learn recall and should never be off the leash...
Don't listen to people who say that Greyhounds can't be trained. Mine has great recall, knows how to pee on command, goes and gets her ball when asked also learned how to move off the sofa when asked pretty quickly too. Some Greyhounds might have issues and can't be off lead in non-enclosed areas, but a lot are fine when off lead.
Absolutely agree. These days quite a lot of dogs are going into rescue through no fault of their own because of things like marriage break up or people having to go into rented accommodation where they can't have dogs or having to work longer hours and can't cope with a dog any more.
Don't listen to people who say that Greyhounds can't be trained. Mine has great recall, knows how to pee on command, goes and gets her ball when asked also learned how to move off the sofa when asked pretty quickly too. Some Greyhounds might have issues and can't be off lead in non-enclosed areas, but a lot are fine when off lead.
Ours go off lead every day but not in places like woods with a lot of wildlife to distract them. However there are some that can't ever go off lead safely unless it's fully enclosed because of their high prey drive and they can chase for miles so get lost, as well as harming prey. That's why I always advise going to a really good greyhound rescue that fully assess their dogs and can tell whether they're likely to be able to go off lead if that's what you want.
There are people who are quite happy with a dog that never goes off lead. People sometimes think this is awful but lots of greyhounds are quite happy without going off lead and given that the alternative is life in kennels or death it's not so bad is it!
One of our girls was dumped because she has no prey drive or chase instinct so was no use to the industry, she's lucky she wasn't PTS because of it and there are plenty like her. I don't think much of the RGT but you are more likely to get a dog that has raced so has the prey drive from them as they in the main take dogs when they've finished racing. An independent rescue is likely to greyhounds from all sorts of situations, the pound, dumped at vets to be PTS, both ex racers and 'rejects' etc.
And I was told that greyhounds can never learn recall and should never be off the leash...
Not true. Our previous boy and one of our girls if fine off the lead, they will happily slink around not going far. Our other girl is quite nervous and runs if spooked so is always on a long lead. Think she's had a bad time that one She's also a little bit OCD but with love and reassurance is slowly coming out of her shell.
Thank you so much for all your messages! - I only came back to the thread once on the day I posted it, and didn't think there would be any more replies, so I'm sorry for the delay in replying.
We're still thinking about getting a dog, but we don't want to rush into anything - for the dog's sake, as well as our own.
I think we will go to a dog rescue and speak to someone there, as many of you suggested, and see if any of the dogs like the look of us.
If I were you OP I would research the characteristics of different breeds so that you know whether you can offer a lifestyle to meet the needs of the dog. My current dog is a border collie - totally wonderful but active and intelligent and not a dog that should be left alone for long periods of time.
I wouldn't be put off getting a puppy because it is so very rewarding bringing them up from scratch. Just be aware of the demands this will make in the early months. Plus often there will be a bit of destruction as they explore and chew everything in sight. I once dozed off and woke up to find my collie pup chewing a £20 note!
That said a rescue can also be rewarding. A neighbour has a blind collie that she rescued from captivity and another one from the Border Collie Trust. The first one should have been a disaster but they are both wonderful dogs with good temperaments.
Also how houseproud are you? Would a dog that sheds hairs like crazy drive you nuts? What about giving them free reign of the house, letting them on the furniture etc?
I know lots will disapprove but mine is allowed on the sofa and sleeps on the bed with me. The latter helps me monitor her breathing as she has some health problems. I use those fleece throws that are easy to wash and dry.. She also has a bed upstairs and one down so she has her own 'space' if she wants.
mrsg, we're not house proud and wouldn't mind the dog snuggling up on the sofa (I don't think there would be room in the bed, though).
I have researched different breeds to an extent, but I don't necessarily want to set my heart on a particular breed. Most of the ones that I like when out walking are cross breeds of some sort.
I think we will go to a dog rescue and speak to someone there, as many of you suggested, and see if any of the dogs like the look of us.
Best plan!
Must admit though with my cat she was the only one I did meet - she came out of her shelter and let me stroke her so I thought - do I really want some sort of "Sophies' choice"? - so I took her without meeting any others. I was also worried I might've ended up with a houseful if I met too many:D
Well good luck whatever you decide. Imo a puppy is wonderful providing you have time and energy. That was my first time choice for a dog and I don't regret it. But rescue also has a moral dimension in that you are giving a dog another chance.
I have known people have rescue dogs that are wonderful and puppies that grow into a nightmare dog despite the most skilled care. You don't necessarily know what you are getting with a puppy either.
Ours go off lead every day but not in places like woods with a lot of wildlife to distract them. However there are some that can't ever go off lead safely unless it's fully enclosed because of their high prey drive and they can chase for miles so get lost, as well as harming prey. That's why I always advise going to a really good greyhound rescue that fully assess their dogs and can tell whether they're likely to be able to go off lead if that's what you want.
There are people who are quite happy with a dog that never goes off lead. People sometimes think this is awful but lots of greyhounds are quite happy without going off lead and given that the alternative is life in kennels or death it's not so bad is it!
One of our girls was dumped because she has no prey drive or chase instinct so was no use to the industry, she's lucky she wasn't PTS because of it and there are plenty like her. I don't think much of the RGT but you are more likely to get a dog that has raced so has the prey drive from them as they in the main take dogs when they've finished racing. An independent rescue is likely to greyhounds from all sorts of situations, the pound, dumped at vets to be PTS, both ex racers and 'rejects' etc.
One of the dogs the lady at the RGT had selected for us to look at was used for breeding and had never raced. She said she gets quite a lot of dogs who have never been raced. I guess that's because they get their dogs from the racing industry itself. So they will get the ex-racers, the ones who were used for breeding and the ones that didn't make the grade. Thankfully that is down to there being more decent trainers, etc who want them to find homes. Unlike the ones that do all sorts of nasty things to the dogs when they are no longer of any use.
I have to ask but what is it you don't like about the RGT. I do know that some branches have kill policies and I am vehemently against that. I don't think the Reston branch does as the woman there seemed to deeply care about her dogs and quite a few of them had been there for a while.
I also said previously that mine had been raced a lot (check out her racing form here) and while she does have a prey drive, she does get let off in woods and she is fine. There was one time when she and our other dog took off after something (I think it was a squirrel), but they came back a minute or two later. However they only get off in more remote woodland away from roads and where we are less likely to meet other dogs.
One of the dogs the lady at the RGT had selected for us to look at was used for breeding and had never raced. She said she gets quite a lot of dogs who have never been raced. I guess that's because they get their dogs from the racing industry itself. So they will get the ex-racers, the ones who were used for breeding and the ones that didn't make the grade. Thankfully that is down to there being more decent trainers, etc who want them to find homes. Unlike the ones that do all sorts of nasty things to the dogs when they are no longer of any use.
I have to ask but what is it you don't like about the RGT. I do know that some branches have kill policies and I am vehemently against that. I don't think the Reston branch does as the woman there seemed to deeply care about her dogs and quite a few of them had been there for a while.
I also said previously that mine had been raced a lot (check out her racing form here) and while she does have a prey drive, she does get let off in woods and she is fine. There was one time when she and our other dog took off after something (I think it was a squirrel), but they came back a minute or two later. However they only get off in more remote woodland away from roads and where we are less likely to meet other dogs.
All your pictures are available to view on photobucket.
Bugger!
I thought I would have more privacy since I had used the direct image links. I even tested the links and they went straight to the pictures and not the pages they have gone to.
The thing to remember is that we all think our dog is best. I have toyed with the idea of a retired greyhound but my other half does not want a second dog. Most sensible choices of dogs will suite most sensible people. Obviously a retired single lady with a bad leg would be ill advised to get a working Springer spaniel. And a couple who spend all their spare time fell walking and want a dog to go with then wouldn’t get very far with a Pekinese. I do like the terriers, borders, fells and PRTs in particular as they are easy to transport, great with kids if you bring them up right and are OK with short walks but can go for hours – my Fell x BT comes fell running with me and loves it, his recall is crap though and earlier this year he disappeared for 12 hours down a fox hole which was slightly worrying.
The OP is doing the right thing though and providing they take their time they should end up with a great companion.
Comments
Riversmum, mine will be six in December. My Mum and I adopted her from the Reston branch of the Retired Greyhound Trust at the end of July 2013. She had been raced hard and after she was handed in to be rehomed she spent a good number of months at the Trust. She is black so that might have been why she was overlooked as often.
Anyway, we fell in love with her and decided to take her round to meet our Lurcher. It was a good introduction. We even got her into the car to see how our Lurcher would react to her being in a small space with him and they were fine. We also thought that since our dog accepted her that we wouldn't introduce him to anymore dogs. We decided to take her.
She had not been in a foster home and since she had always been in kennels it was obvious that she would not be toilet trained. She is quick at learning things and it didn't take her long to get the hang of going outside to do the toilet instead of doing it in the house. In hindsight we might have gone for a dog who had been in a foster home and who had already been toilet trained, but getting our Grey has been very rewarding.
She can get quite intense when she is playing. Like I said before she will bark at our other dog to try and get him to play with her. For the first few months of us having her she would nip around his face and neck as well. She would also take toys out of his mouth (which resulted in a few spats) and there is still the odd time when she will do that. She has also knocked him over several times. The pair of them can play roughly with each other. There can be quite a bit of growling and snarling, but they never take it to the next level when they are doing that. In fact until we got her, our Lurcher had never played with another dog.
They do on get on well with one another apart from the odd scuffle over a toy. There hasn't really been anything over food either.
So getting our Greyhound has definitely been worth it.
I will also agree that a rescue centre should be able to match dogs with potential adopters, but I have to say that the branch of the Dogs Trust that my Mum and I have been to are pretty hopeless with their matchmaking. When we first started to look for a second dog we went to the DT and the Staffie who I mentioned before (the one who had been a stray) was still there but at that time had been in a foster home. It turned out he would have been a good dog for us after all. He was laid back, great with other dogs, travelled reasonably well in the car, etc. So we introduced our Lurcher to him to see if they got on. Our dog growled a couple of times, but then ignored the Staffie. We took them into the training barn and played with them. There was no interaction between them. We thought that might be a good thing and so did the member of staff (who was also the centre's behavioural 'expert'). She even said she could imagine the Staffie sleeping on top of our dog (as this is what he had done with the other dogs in foster). How wrong she was. When we took him home our Lurcher simply would not accept him. He had to go back the next day. We put our plans of getting another dog on hold for a while.
About a year later we got a phone call from the DT to say they had an elderly female Lurcher. We went to see her and introduced our dog to her. All was going well until she yelped when ours was sniffing her. It was decided that ours might be too much for her. So we didn't look again until we went to the RGT and got our Greyhound.
We did contemplate a third dog earlier this year after the DT phoned us to say they had a male Lurcher who might do us (they didn't know we had another dog). We visited him and he was a lovely boy. We asked the DT if it would be possible to try the three of them in the car together to see what their reactions would be, but they said that is something they wouldn't do. However we didn't think our Lurcher would accept him so decided against introducing them. So between that and all the finances attached to a third dog we have decided that we definitely will not be getting another dog.
It just goes to show that some rehoming centres don't get things right. The DT in particular needs to employ people who can actually make a match. The DT failed to do that on four occasions with us. But then again the RGT managed to get it right first time.
And I was told that greyhounds can never learn recall and should never be off the leash...
Ours only gets off his lead in an enclosed space, with no other animals or people around.
What is your lifestyle like? Do you have a large home or a small home? Do you live near a road? Do you have the time and patience for grooming? How active is your lifestyle? Do you want a walking companion or couch potato or energetic or intelligent or strong willed or yappy or barky type dog?
Don't listen to people who say that Greyhounds can't be trained. Mine has great recall, knows how to pee on command, goes and gets her ball when asked also learned how to move off the sofa when asked pretty quickly too. Some Greyhounds might have issues and can't be off lead in non-enclosed areas, but a lot are fine when off lead.
There are people who are quite happy with a dog that never goes off lead. People sometimes think this is awful but lots of greyhounds are quite happy without going off lead and given that the alternative is life in kennels or death it's not so bad is it!
One of our girls was dumped because she has no prey drive or chase instinct so was no use to the industry, she's lucky she wasn't PTS because of it and there are plenty like her. I don't think much of the RGT but you are more likely to get a dog that has raced so has the prey drive from them as they in the main take dogs when they've finished racing. An independent rescue is likely to greyhounds from all sorts of situations, the pound, dumped at vets to be PTS, both ex racers and 'rejects' etc.
Not true. Our previous boy and one of our girls if fine off the lead, they will happily slink around not going far. Our other girl is quite nervous and runs if spooked so is always on a long lead. Think she's had a bad time that one
We're still thinking about getting a dog, but we don't want to rush into anything - for the dog's sake, as well as our own.
I think we will go to a dog rescue and speak to someone there, as many of you suggested, and see if any of the dogs like the look of us.
I wouldn't be put off getting a puppy because it is so very rewarding bringing them up from scratch. Just be aware of the demands this will make in the early months. Plus often there will be a bit of destruction as they explore and chew everything in sight. I once dozed off and woke up to find my collie pup chewing a £20 note!
That said a rescue can also be rewarding. A neighbour has a blind collie that she rescued from captivity and another one from the Border Collie Trust. The first one should have been a disaster but they are both wonderful dogs with good temperaments.
Also how houseproud are you? Would a dog that sheds hairs like crazy drive you nuts? What about giving them free reign of the house, letting them on the furniture etc?
I know lots will disapprove but mine is allowed on the sofa and sleeps on the bed with me. The latter helps me monitor her breathing as she has some health problems. I use those fleece throws that are easy to wash and dry.. She also has a bed upstairs and one down so she has her own 'space' if she wants.
I have researched different breeds to an extent, but I don't necessarily want to set my heart on a particular breed. Most of the ones that I like when out walking are cross breeds of some sort.
Best plan!
Must admit though with my cat she was the only one I did meet - she came out of her shelter and let me stroke her so I thought - do I really want some sort of "Sophies' choice"? - so I took her without meeting any others. I was also worried I might've ended up with a houseful if I met too many:D
I have known people have rescue dogs that are wonderful and puppies that grow into a nightmare dog despite the most skilled care. You don't necessarily know what you are getting with a puppy either.
One of the dogs the lady at the RGT had selected for us to look at was used for breeding and had never raced. She said she gets quite a lot of dogs who have never been raced. I guess that's because they get their dogs from the racing industry itself. So they will get the ex-racers, the ones who were used for breeding and the ones that didn't make the grade. Thankfully that is down to there being more decent trainers, etc who want them to find homes. Unlike the ones that do all sorts of nasty things to the dogs when they are no longer of any use.
I have to ask but what is it you don't like about the RGT. I do know that some branches have kill policies and I am vehemently against that. I don't think the Reston branch does as the woman there seemed to deeply care about her dogs and quite a few of them had been there for a while.
I also said previously that mine had been raced a lot (check out her racing form here) and while she does have a prey drive, she does get let off in woods and she is fine. There was one time when she and our other dog took off after something (I think it was a squirrel), but they came back a minute or two later. However they only get off in more remote woodland away from roads and where we are less likely to meet other dogs.
Here are a few pictures of the pair of them.
The other dog is a friend's Westie.
Going through the Lead Hills on the way to Thornhill.
Also on the way to Thornhill.
Lying together just before a walk.
All your pictures are available to view on photobucket.
Bugger!
I thought I would have more privacy since I had used the direct image links. I even tested the links and they went straight to the pictures and not the pages they have gone to.
Damned Photobucket!
The OP is doing the right thing though and providing they take their time they should end up with a great companion.