Greyhounds (retired Racers)

Lburton

Member
Hey everyone! I've been going back and forth with seriously thinking about adopting a retired racer. If you have one, please respond!!

  • What is their exercise requirement?
  • Does it take them a while to acclimate into home life?
  • Do they have personality?
 

charmedwolf

Moderator
Staff member
I don't have one but I have helped train those off the track so I know a little. Suprisingly even though they are retired racers they are complete couch potatos if there is nothing to chase. My grandmother's is perfectly content laying at her feet all day. Granted they should be taken for a walk every day because it relieves stress for them.
Depending on the dog's personality will show you how long it will take to get them acclimated. Some aren't potty trained, they don't know what stairs are, don't understand windows or sliding glass doors, some haven't touched grass. It's a lot of learning that they have to do. Others will never be acclimated to the house life.
They definitely have a personality just like an other dog. They're just a little different in their upbringing. Most I know are really relaxed and easygoing.
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
I once dated a guy who had adopted a retired greyhound, wow, was it a gorgeous and stunning dog, i think greyhounds have most beautiful faces. Have you seen one up close yet? WOW, such a lovely face, wow and wow.

This greyhound was total couch potato, he got 2 walks a day, and otherwise, was very very very mellow dog, rarely barked at all, went Everywhere his human went, liked ppl okay, but mostly adored his own human the best, never destructive, had just no behavior problems at all that i was aware of, EXCEPT---- most sight hounds are difficult to train to come when called IF they are chasing anything. Other than that, perfect lil dog, with lovely manners.

HOWEVER, my friend had to build especially TALL fences, taller than normal, i think the fences were over 5 feet tall, as his dog would jump the fence to chase bunnies he spotted. Like many sight hounds, Bolt loved to chase things if he got a chance to. Otherwise, Bolt was lil sweetie pie who did whatever he was asked to.

I think these dogs would make great pets, so long as you are able to protect the dog from chasing things, like, don't have him off-leash outdoors, and he'd need a micro-chip for sure to be safe,

but, Charmed Wolf knows a lot more than i do.
 

Anneke

Honored Member
Most people think Greyhonds need a lot of exercise, but they are sprinters. Which means they run as fast as they can and get tired real fast. So they need a good walk every day, preferably with the opportunity to race around for a bit.
I walk a greyhound three times a week. She has been racing, but wasn't good enough. She comes from Spain and was one of the lucky one who got rescued. Most dogs just get thrown away or the are killed:cry:
She has a great personality, is very gentle and... yes she is also a couchpotato:D
She is very well behaved, but if something moves away from her full speed, she will chase it. That something can be a rabbit, a deer, a cat or... a small dog.
And, like Tigerlily said, they can jump really high!
I don't think she was badly treated, but for some people who race their dogs, they are just things they make money with. So they are not socialized, like our housedogs are, like Cahrmed Wolf said.
It can be hard to train such a dog to be able to live in a house with us
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
but, it can be done, Anneke and CWolf know a lot more than i did about bringing home a retired racer,
however, i brought home a dog who had never much seen a human, spent his whole life in cage, 24/7, had been beaten, etc,
and he is a great pet! Yes, it did take him a while to get the hang of being inside of a house, he spent first 3 days staring at and behind the tv set (imagine a dog who had never seen a tv set?) and we had to turn it off so he'd stop looking behind it to find the source of the noises.
He was much like a lil alien who had just arrived on earth, evvvvvvvverything was brand new to HIM, although, he was an adult dog, he'd seen nothing but the inside of a cage in a dark barn his entire life, not even let out to pee or poop, not ever.

He is perfect lil dog now, really, the best behaved dog we've ever ever had ever, (except he is dog-aggressive, but, most of the other dogs rescued from that puppymill were not dog-aggressive, and most of the others all turned out just fine, once they got a chance to be loved).

so, even if your dog IS a hot mess, dogs can adjust pretty well, if anyone just gives them a chance. (the exceptions are the inborn aggressive dogs, but, if the dog you are looking to adopt *is* aggressive, it'll show by now, you'd hear about it, or see it yourself.) Feel free to ask them about any issues the dog may have, rescues tend to be very honest and up front on this, as they do want a good match, too.

i say, put up a fence, and go for it!! Write down all your questions so you don't forget to ask them, and do google "Bringing home an adult dog" (it's slightly different than bringing home a puppy) and go meet them!! or google, "bringing home a rescue" or "adopting a retired greyhound" etc etc, there is a ton of info on the net to help you learn what to expect,
and what are best moves you can do to help make the transition easier for you both.
 

running_dog

Honored Member
In my experience greyhounds are gentle, fastidious, talkative, quirky, lazy, quietly cunning (ever seen a greyhound sneak a sip from a mug on a coffee table?). They scream in case they are going to get hurt. They have a strong chasing instinct (a securely fenced yard is essential). Many older greyhounds get arthritic. Other dogs are often un-nerved by greyhound play as it includes a lot of growling. It is not a good idea to assume that greyhounds will be safe with small dogs (especially if these are fluffy). Something that is rarely mentioned but that has become obvious to me from talking with different greyhound/whippet/lurcher owners is that if you let these dogs off leash only occasionally they don't have the muscle tone to run and play without straining ligaments etc so when you let them off they WILL get injuries, gangly dogs which are daily off leash to play rarely have significant ligament problems.

I don't own a greyhound but I have met many of them, my own dog is part greyhound and I know of one man who adopted a retired greyhound because he liked my dog so much. The greyhound/whippet/lurcher owning fraternity is in it's own way as loyal and devoted as the border collie fraternity. I have never met anyone that has regretted owning a greyhound but I have met very many who recall past greyhounds with wistful pride and pleasure. The opening owners description of greyhound/whippets/and related crossbreds is almost always "they're so gentle."
 

Anneke

Honored Member
Pfff I know that scream, running_dog!!
Izzie was running through some bushes and I don't know what happend, but it sounded like she was about to die!!! I nearly had a heart attack! I checked her over 3 times to make sure nothing was wrong and kept a close eye on her walking. But there was absolutely nothing wrong, not a scratch, not a limb.:D
Even the other dogs came running to see what had happend...

And yes mostly you can get these dogs adjusted to our way of life, but I just wanted to point out, that it can be hard to break some habits;)

I would grab the chance to own one of these beautifull dogs, but... my partner in life won't let me!
Which is a good thing, because if he did, we would have a zoo in no time:whistle:
I am a succer for sad cases...
 

sara

Moderator
Staff member
From everyone I've ever talked to about them, I've heard they make the best pets! So easy and laid back, but there is one drawback... You will lose couch space! I would get one, if I didn't already have 5 :)
 
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