Greyhound \ lurcher owners needed?

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ZaraD
Posts: 577
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 10:06 am
Location: Staffordshire, UK

Greyhound \ lurcher owners needed?

Post by ZaraD »

Hi all

I had a couple enquiring me on greyhounds and they said they wanted to know if it was true that greyhounds can be left on there own for 8-9hrs a day while they are working as this is what a greyhound rescue had told them. My answer was I don't know and talking to greyhound owners would be the best thing to do. I don't really know why people do keep asking me as I'm only a groomer but if I can help I will and it got me thinking is this true that greyhounds are great for working families as they sleep all day? We're talking about rescue greyhounds.

And are there any other breeds that are good for full time working families? Incase they ask again or for the future if anyone else asks?
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Nettle
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Re: Greyhound \ lurcher owners needed?

Post by Nettle »

If the greyhounds come from racing kennels, they have never been left alone ever. Personally I think if people have to be away for that long, it isn't the right time in their lives to have any dog. IMO people shouldn't dog-shop with the idea of "How far can I avoid giving this dog what it needs" but "How well can I fulfil this dog's needs".

And from Emmabeth's maths a long time ago:

Work 8 hour day = 8 hours
Travel to work and back = 1-2 hours in ideal conditions
Sleep = 8 hours
Buy food/cook/eat = 2 hours

Total remaining = 5 hours. That's to walk the dog twice, do laundry and other household chores, talk on the phone, watch TV, surf the net, shower & wash hair, other personal tasks. We haven't even touched training the dog or gone out with friends.
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ZaraD
Posts: 577
Joined: Sat Feb 04, 2017 10:06 am
Location: Staffordshire, UK

Re: Greyhound \ lurcher owners needed?

Post by ZaraD »

This is why I was surprised that a rescue would say it's ok to leave the dog for 8-9hrs a day. To me I told them that if they really want a dog I would recommend either waiting until one of them is either at home more or dog daycare can be useful but then it depends on how good the dog daycare is and it depends on the dog.
emmabeth
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Re: Greyhound \ lurcher owners needed?

Post by emmabeth »

Theoretically, particularly if you had a pair of greyhounds AND they had a dog flap to go out and pee, that could work...

However..

Greyhounds may well tolerate something they do not like, in silence, because they have long ago learned that making a racket about it does not achieve anything and because they are not naturally noisey dogs anyway. So a dog alone all dayt hat does not howl and bark is not necessarily a dog htat is HAPPY with that.

Whilst many rescues will send greyhounds off in pairs, frequently those are newly formed pairs and not a pair of dogs who have known and liked one another for a long time, because whilst greyhounds are often kennelled in pairs at tracks, they are not often retired together!

Taking on a pair of greyhounds that may well NOT actually know each other well or like one another is a recipe for disaster, whilst they are generally gentle creatures they are also reknowned for having rubbish spatial awareness or understanding of personal space and fights can occur when one just tramples the other and causes them pain! These can be VERY serious indeed as greyhound skin is very thin and tears easily and they have no body fat.

Finally - greyhounds are NOT the same as lurchers. It is like comparing a marathon runner to a sprinter, or even a Tour De France cyclist to a sprinter... yes they are all athletic, but the difference in how they think, their endurance, their stamina, their ability to problem solve is often HUGE.
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
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