Greyhound

Greyhound
Group: Hound
Known as the racehorse of the dog world, Greyhounds are incredibly fast, their sleek yet powerful build allows them to reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. With an estimated 8000 – 10000 of Greyhounds being retired from racing every year there are always adult dogs in need of a home. Greyhounds make loving, gentle family pets, remember every dog deserves a loving home. The Greyhound Hound belongs to the collection of dogs referred to as Sighthounds, which specialise in hunting its quarry by sight rather than scent. Height: Female 68-71cm., Male 71-76cm
Weight: Female 27-30kg., Male 30-32kg
Average Lifespan: 12-15 years
Appearance: The Greyhound’s appearance is of a tall, muscular dog that is powerful and elegant, when they run it appears effortless and truly beautiful. It is a pleasure to watch these dogs race, with their long neck and face set on their long, slender frame.
Coat: The grey hounds coat is very short, fine & close. Colours: black, white, red, blue, fawn, fallow, brindle or any of these colours with white.
Temperament: They are loyal, independent, intelligent, affectionate, sensitive, and good with children. This dog is quiet, calm and extremely well-mannered indoors and reasonably easy to train. They are great family pets; kind and gentle with their families and very affectionate. They may be a little aloof with strangers, but never nasty.
Whilst they are gentle by nature, their natural hunting instinct is always present and owners must be willing to take on the necessary responsibilities that go with the breed. They must be very carefully socialised with smaller dogs and extreme care should be taken around cats.
Despite what most people think, these dogs can be real couch potatoes, although they are very fast, they are not high energy dogs and after exercise will sleep for long periods.
The Greyhound does not fare well outside in a kennel and must be an indoor dog, preferably with a nice warm bed! Fortunately they are very clean dogs and have no body odour.
Training
Greyhounds are fairly easy to train and can learn almost all commands. They can, however, choose to totally ignore you if they have their eyes set on a prey. Obedience classes as a puppy are highly recommended.
Grooming: Greyhounds have low grooming requirements, bruch once a week to keep coat and skin healthy. A very low shedding breed.
Exercise
Because of their racing abilities, people mistakenly believe that these dogs need huge amounts of exercise which is far from true. As long as they have short daily walks and an occasional longer session, the Greyhound is quite happy to spend much of his day snoozing if he has a relaxed and peaceful home. Important: This breed has a thin coat and very little body fat so is extremely sensitive to long exposure in cold weather conditions.
Greyhound Health Issues
Greyhounds are a breed known to have sensitivity to anesthesia

Racing/Retired Greyhounds may suffer from a variety of muscle and limb injuries, althoughthey are among very few breeds not to suffer from hip dysplasia.

Bloat – though not a hereditary condition, frequently affects many dogs including this breed. This is a very serious condition. When a dog bloats, the stomach can turn and block, causing a build up of gas. Unless treated quickly, bloat can be fatal. Signs of bloat include futile attempts to vomit and to salivate. Bloat, which may lead to cardiovascular collapse, usually occurs when exercise too closely follows eating. The incidence of bloat may be lessened by feeding adult dogs twice a day and, of course, by allowing a dog time to digest before taking him for a run in the park. Click Here for more information
Greyhound History
Greyhounds were amongst the most highest-favoured of all dogs; Pharoahs and other Egyptian, Asian and African leaders had images of their dogs engraved into their tombs dating as far back as 4000BC. They used to hunt large prey such as wolf, deer and wild boar. The breed is also mentioned in the book of Solomon of the Holy Bible.
During the ensuing centuries, Greyhounds became extremely popular and spread through the near East and Europe, eventually arriving in Britain where they became a status symbol, so much so that in 1016 only the elite were allowed to own a greyhound. There were once laws Only 500 years later did Queen Elizabeth I reverse this law and allow commoners to own them. Indeed, they are the most common heraldic dogs to be found in the coats of arms of both Charles V of France and Henry VIII of England. They were then used in coursing hares, but only as a sporting event as neither the owner nor his
guests would eat the kill. Later track racing took over which again proved them to be the fastest dogs on earth.
The Greyhound’s name has several theories behind it. Some believe it is derived from an old Saxon word, grei, meaning fine or beautiful. Others believe it originated from the Latin word gradus, which means swiftness, and still others say it is from the Old English language with the word grech or greg, meaning dog. A final theory is that it is a corruption of the word “gazehound” or “great hound”, since it was so revered for its speed and kept by many a hunter.