The Greyhound

The fame of the Greyhound can be traced in the varying terrain's of almost every country, on every continent on the globe. The first knowledge of the breed comes from the Tomb of Amten, in the Valley of the Nile, regarded by Egyptologists as belonging to the Fourth Dynasty in which in modern chronology would be between 2900 and 2751 BC The carvings in this old tomb show dogs of unmistakable Greyhound type in three separate scenes. In two of those scenes, the Greyhound is attacking a deer. In the third scene they are attacking an animal in horns which is somewhat similar to the American Mountain goat.

The origin of the name has been disputed. One thought is that it is derived from Graius, which means Grecian because the dog was in high esteem among the ancient Greeks. Some say the name comes due to the fact that gray was once the prevailing color in the breed.

The breed has been used in all kinds of small game from time to time, including deer, stags, foxes and so forth, but the hare is his natural quarry. Greyhounds came to America long before 1776. They were brought to this continent (along with Mastiffs) by Spanish explorers in the early 1500s to guard, hunt, intimidate and punish their enemies, which at that time was the Indians. One of the most celebrated Greyhound owners in history was General George A. Custer. He was especially fond of coursing breeds.

Greyhounds were among the earliest at American dog shows. The catalog of the first Westminster Kennel Club show in 1877 includes the entry of 18 Greyhounds.

The Greyhounds coat is short, smooth and firm in texture, and can be any color or combination of colors. Grooming is very simple-washing, nail trim and ear cleaning as needed.

Both parents should have yearly CERF certificates (eyes). Also ask about bloat, low thyroid, and bone cancer in the lines.

Like all sighthounds, Greyhounds are sensitive to anesthetics, vaccines, and chemicals and should never be casually medicated or sedated. They need a sweater in cold weather, and to avoid pressure sores they require soft blankets to sleep on.

About Racing Greyhounds

Racing Greyhounds

Most Greyhounds have a definite prey instinct. It is instinctive for these dogs to chase anything that moves quickly. They are extremely fast and some will kill cats and other domestic animals, although this is not the majority (only about 20% of ex-racers are too "keen" on chasing prey to ever be safe with small animals). About 10% are immediately okay due to low prey instinct, and the rest can be trained to leave cats and other small pets in the home alone. They seldom present difficulties with other dogs and are normally good with children, though they do not usually like rough-house play, and would not be a good choice for young children. Indoors, these dogs are calm and sociable to a point where they can even be considered lazy. They bond strongly with their own people, have tremendous stamina, and do not bark much. Show lines tend to be of a different body style than racing lines, and are often more angulated. Racing lines are bred for performance, but often a good by-product are friendly, outgoing dogs, who make wonderful pets when their racing days are over. Greyhounds are not particularly vigilant. Show lines tend to be a bit heavier and bred more for temperament than racing lines, therefore dogs from show lines often make better pets, but racing lines can also make wonderful pets. There are hundreds of adoption groups all over North America, Europe and Australia to place these gentle, loving dogs when they retire. Retired racing Greyhounds are not usually difficult to housebreak. They are already crate trained from the track, so it doesn't take them long to learn that they are not to "go" in the house. There are several books on the market, written by highly experienced adopters and adoption workers to help new adopters through this process, and answer almost any question that can arise.

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