GREYHOUND INFORMATION
When Your Geryhound First Comes Home . . .

THE ADJUSTMENT PERIOD:

Recognizing the adjustment period and successfully managing it is a very important part of any Greyhound adoption. It must be remembered that becoming a pet owner involves a dramatic change in routine which can be stressful to you as well as your new Greyhound. Your pet must be given time to adjust to his new surroundings. In this regard, a quiet dog may be fretful, a good eater reluctant to eat, or a housebroken dog may have accidents. Give your new pet time to get settled and don't worry abut any odd behavior during the first few weeks. Your love, patience and understanding will help your Greyhound through this adjustment period which usually lasts from a few days to a few weeks.


Your Greyhound will bond with you quickly and easily. If possible, ease into the separation encounter. Start with several short separations - increasing the time left alone with each departure - until you feel the dog's anxiety fading. Use the same words each time you leave so the dog becomes familiar with what they mean. As an example, you might say "Stay, we'll be right back." ALWAYS keep a radio on when you leave. The music and human voices should help keep your dog calm and relaxed while you are away.


Rather than have your new Greyhound in bed with you, invest in a large dog bed. It should be soft (fleece), with sides that he can curl up against. Place his new bed next to yours, and he should be happy sleeping there all night.


Your Greyhound will also like his own toys. A small stuffed animal - a Teddy bear or dog - will thrill your pet. They love to share their bed with these little "friends," and will also carry the stuffed animals around in their mouths. They also enjoy pressed rawhide bones, which will not only exercise the jaw muscles, but help clean their teeth.


Your Greyhound is very sensitive. When a reprimand is required, the sound of a firm voice is all that is needed to stop any unacceptable behavior. If the reprimand is too harsh, your Greyhound will go into a depressed state and it will take time and gentle persuasion to bring him out of his shell. The following are words that your Greyhound is familiar with:

• WAIT - This is used when dinner is served and promotes patience.
• STAY - Used to avoid bolting out of the gate or front door.
• COME - Used when the dogs are turned out in a large fenced area fro exercise and it's time to come back inside.
• NO - A required word. Use in a firm voice only, but never harshly.
• GOOD DOG - I use this a lot. Greyhounds love being good dogs.

HOUSEBREAKING:

Introduce your greyhound to the house gradually. Confine him/her to one area at any given time, preferability the same room or area where you are. Do allow your dog to follow you around the house - this will help the bonding process - but never allow your dog full access to the house. This is especially important with males, as they may feel the need to 'mark' their new territory, not realizing this is unacceptable behavior. As dog becomes familiar with what you expect, and you feel comfortable with the dogs progress, you may broaden the confinement area.


For the first few days, it is a good idea to accompany your Greyhound outside so that you can lavish prase on him when he 'goes' in the proper spot. This also helps minimize the stress and tension he may feel being in a new environment. Remember to praise his with "Good Dog" at the approate moment - all Greyhouds love to be told they are Good Dogs.

STAIRS:

Your Greyhound has never had to go up or down a flight of stairs, or even climb a few steps to enter his new home. He may find them intimidating at first, but with patients on your part, he will learn quickly. If you do encounter a problem, you may wish to carry him almost to the top of the stairs (you may need some help with this), then allow him to climb the last few steps by himself. Over a period of time, gradually increase the number of steps until he becomes comfortable negotiating the stairs by himself. Reverse the procedure for going downstairs. Remember - DO NOT PUSH - if frightened, he may try to jump all the way down the staris.

EQUIPMENT:

Your new Greyhound requires a lead (leash) with a heavy-duty clasp. His collar should be kept tight enough so it won't slip over his head if he backs up on his leash. Keep the collar with the rabies tag or dog license on him at all times. Also purchase an ID tag with your name and number on it.


When outdoors, NEVER tie your Greyhound to a chair, tree, stake, runner, or other item. Greyhounds are not use to being tied - they can easily become frightened and get tangled in the rope, causing injuries. Because they are sprint runners, they could also take off running at full speed and literally break their neck when the rope fully played out.


Acquaint your Greyhound with his new outside fenced yard or run area by keeping his on a leash the first two or three times. Make him aware of all obsticles - trees, bushes, large rocks, etc - that could cause him injury. NEVER take him outside an enclosed area without his leash on. He may spot a cat or other small animal and take off running. With a top speed aproaching 45 mph, he would be very difficult to catch. He is unaware of the dangers of streets, and could easily run into traffic with disasterous rusults.


A small child's wading pool (made from heavy plastic - not inflatable) filled half way, is an excellent way for your Greyhound to keep cool druing hot summer afternoons. Because of minimal body fat and thin skin, Greyhounds are suseptable to heat stroke and heat exaustion. He will enjoy laying in a small amount of water, and this will help regulate his body temperature.

EXERCISE:

In retirement, a Greyhound's exercise needs are no different than any other dog. It helps during the initial adjustment period to keep your new friend well exercised, to help work off any tension and nervous energy. Greyhounds make excellent jogging companions once they learn to adjust their stride to yours. Remember, they have been sprinters - not endurance runners. Start with short runs and allow your Greyhound to build up his endurance. Summer heat and winter road salt can cause injury to his pads. Please keep this in mind when choosing a place to jog. Whenever your Greyhound does any strenuous running, allow him the opportunity to relieve himself immediatly afterwards, and again about an hour later, to help prevent kidney or bladder problems.


Remember, your new dog is a sighthound - he hunts and tracks by sight and not scent. He can detect movement of a small animal from a distance of up to a half mile. If he sees a squirrel, rabbit or your neighbors cat, he'll not only chase after it, but will probably catch it.

DIET:

Because Greyhounds have relative small stomachs, it is recommended that you split their daily rations into two separate feedings - early morning and early evening. This should prevent digestive problems and minimize hunger related behavior problems during the day. Your Greyhound has been on a diet of Nutro-Nuggets dry (small chunks) mixed with canned Pedigree (chopped cuts). The smaller size will help prevent chocking. Depending on their size, a Greyhound will need between four and siz cups of dry food daily. You may also supplement your dogs meal with chopped carrots. A raw egg, a couple of times a week will help maintain a shinny coat and help fight dry skin. Table scraps should be kept to a minumn however, as "people" food can cause serious digestive problems. Individual dog feeding requirements will be provided to each adoptor at the time of adoption.


Your Greyhound as enjoyed extra treats and snacks while living at Retired Racers. A quality brand dog biscut - especially lamb and rice biscuts - is very good for them, and helps keep their teeth clean. And they ablolutely love Pigs Ears! Use these for special treats.

YOUR VETERINARIAN:

Make sure the veterinarian you choose is familiar with the Greyhound breed. Your dog is an anesthesia risk because of his large body structure and minimal body fat. ISCOFLOURIN is the only recommended anesthesia for all Greyhounds. They recover very quickly from this anesthesia, with minimal side effects. Don't be led to believe that a 'generic' brand of iscoflourin is just as safe. I allowed one of my Greyhounds to be altered under the generic brand, and she was extremely ill for three days afterward.

This information was furnished by
Retired Racers Inc.
6027 Valley Sage Road
Acton, CA 93510

(818) 347-3407
(661) 269-2544

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Greyhound Links

• Wings For Greyhounds
  
  
• Needle Nose Crew  --  A Greyhound adoption information organization located in Laguna Hills, CA

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GREYHOUND INFORMATION http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/2574/
Copyright © 1999 by Jim Tejada. All rights reserved	Site Created April 6, 1999 Latest update: April 7, 1999

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