Greyhound Dog

Greyhound Dog Breed

Known as the racehorse of the dog world, Greyhounds are incredibly fast, their sleek and powerful build allows them to reach speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. With an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 greyhounds withdrawing from competition each year, there are always adult dogs in need of a home. Greyhounds are loving and good family pets. The Greyhound dog belongs to the collection of dogs known as Sighthounds, which specialize in hunting their prey with sight rather than smell.

Greyhound Dog Size / Height

Male: 71-76cm

Female: 68-71cm

Greyhound Dog Weight

Males: 30-32kg

Females: 27-30kg

Greyhound Dog Average Life Span

12-15 years.

Greyhound Dog Coat

The coat is very short and fine gray. They can be black, white, red, blue, fawn, fallow tabby, or any of these colors mixed with white.

Greyhound Dog Appearance

He is a tall and muscular dog, powerful and elegant that when he runs he seems effortless and is really beautiful. It is a pleasure to see these dogs with their long necks and the face that as a whole is long and thin.

Greyhound Dog Temperament

They are loyal, independent, intelligent, loving, sensitive and good with children. This dog is calm, peaceful, with excellent manners to keep indoors and reasonably easy to train. They are great pets for the family being kind and gentle with all its members. They can be a little aloof with strangers but never unpleasant.

Although they are gentle by nature, their natural hunting instinct is always present and owners must be willing to take on the necessary responsibilities that go with the breed. Care must be taken when socializing them with smaller dogs, and great care should be taken with cats. Despite what many people think, these dogs can be true couch potatoes, although they are very fast, they are not high-energy dogs and after exercise they will sleep for long periods.

The Greyhound does not do well in a kennel or outside the home, it should be an indoor dog, preferably with a warm and pleasant bed. Fortunately, they are very clean dogs and have no body odor.

Greyhound Cleanliness

Their grooming needs are very low, brushing once a week to keep the coat and skin healthy is enough. It is a breed that sheds very little hair.

Greyhound Exercise

Due to their racing abilities, people mistakenly believe that these dogs need an enormous amount of exercise, which is far from true, with short daily walks and an occasional longer session is sufficient, the Greyhound is very happy to have a great time. part of his time sleeping in a relaxed and quiet home. Important: this breed has a fine coat and very little body fat making it extremely sensitive to cold weather conditions.

Greyhound Health

Greyhounds are a breed known for having sensitivity to anesthesia. Once retired from racing they can suffer from a variety of muscle and limb injuries and are among the few dog breeds that do not suffer from hip dysplasia.

Gastric torsion

Although it is not a hereditary condition, it frequently affects many dogs, including this breed. This is a very serious condition. When a dog has it, the stomach can twist and become blocked, causing a build-up of gas. If not treated quickly it can be fatal. With this disease there are also futile attempts to vomit and salivate. It can also lead to cardiovascular collapse, which usually occurs when you exercise after eating. The incidence of Gastric Torsion in adult dogs can be controlled with healthy eating twice a day and, of course, by allowing time to digest before taking him for a run in the park.

Greyhound History

Greyhounds are reputed to be the favorite dogs of pharaohs and other Egyptian, Asian and African leaders, which had images of their dogs engraved in their graves dating back to 4000 BC They used to hunt large prey such as wolf, deer and wild boar . Race is also mentioned in the Book of Songs of the Bible.

During the following centuries, it became very popular and spread throughout the Near East and Europe, eventually reaching Britain, where it became a status symbol, so much so that in 1016 only the elite were allowed to own a Greyhound. Only 500 years later, Queen Elizabeth I had this law reversed and allowed commoners to own this breed. They are the most common heraldic dogs found on the coats of arms of Charles V of France and Henry VIII of England. They were later used in hare hunting, but only as a sporting event since neither the owner nor his guests were going to eat their prey. They later returned to racing proving that they were the fastest dogs on earth.

There are several theories about the origin of the word Greyhound, some believe that it is derived from the Saxon word “grei” which means good or beautiful, others believe that it originated from “gradus”, a Latin word that means speed and others maintain that comes from the Old English language. A final theory suggests that it is a corruption of the word “gazehound” or “big dog””, since it was so revered for its speed by many hunters.