Breed of the Month–Greyhound

5January 2010

Greyhound


Color:  White, black, fawn, brindle, blue, red, fallow, or any of these broken with white.
Height:  Males:  27-30 inches/  Females:  26-28 inches
Weight:  Males:  65-75 lbs/  Females:  60-70 lbs
Life Span:  10-12 years

Breed Health Concerns:  thyroid problems, bloat, osteosarcoma.

Coat:  Close lying, firm, short, smooth coat
Country of Origin:  Great Britain

Visit the American Kennel Club for breed standards and more information.

As far back as 4th century BCE, Egyptian tombs show drawings of dogs very similar to the appearance  of todays Greyhounds and Salukis.  Sighthounds became very popular over the next several centuries and the breed was eventually refined in Great Britain.
Greyhounds are extremely fast runners and can reach speeds up to 45 mph.  Racing Greyhounds has been popular for 100s of years.
Even though the Greyhound is a good hunter, they are playful yet docile, compassionate, and easy to manage.  Greyhounds have an extremely high prey drive and should never be trusted off leash.

Exercise:
Surprisingly Greyhounds do not need as much exercise as you would expect.  Even though they can run faster than any other dog, a regular high-energy walk every day will keep him happy.  Greyhounds do enjoy being able to run (in a safe enclosed area) and owners would do well to indulge their dog in this respect.

Grooming:
The short coat of the Greyhound needs barely and brushing, but requires occasional rubbing with a currycomb or hound glove.

Training:
To prevent fearfulness, Greyhounds should be socialized at an early age.  Positive reinforcement training is necessary to properly train a Greyhound.  The easily take to using a food lure in training.  It can be somewhat difficult to teach the Greyhound to sit.  His large but lean size can make this position somewhat uncomfortable.