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Post by charlotte on Feb 9, 2015 13:47:10 GMT -5
I have been looking in to adopting a retired greyhound and find a lot of conflicting information about exercise. I have read Adopting Retired Racers for Dummies and I have read a lot of on-line info. They all say that greyhounds are fine in an apartment and that they may need several walks but not long walks and that they must never be off a leash. Some say they need somewhere to sprint a couple times a week, some say they need to sprint a couple of times a day. All sources say dog parks are very, very bad ideas for greyhounds. They can't be muzzled around un-muzzled dogs but should never be sprinting without a muzzle. So how often do they really need to sprint and how on earth is one going to find a fenced in place with no other dogs when one lives in an apartment?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2015 18:01:50 GMT -5
just like a humans needs are different, so is a greyhound. in my opinion they adjust to your lifestyle, whether that be apartment life with two walks a day or country life where they run more often. either way, your greyhound will love and adapt to your lifestyle. simple but true! there are many, many different groups dependant on your area where organized runs are available. i'm certain other's will be on line to offer more advice. this forum as been a tad quiet as of late, but feel free to join us over at GRA facebook, lot's of stuff going on over there as well. M
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Post by tobysmom on Feb 9, 2015 19:04:42 GMT -5
Charlotte, I agree with Hound Haven. Greyhounds do adapt to your lifestyle. I have had 2 previous grey's and both were quite lazy. I worked during the day and my husband worked shifts, both day and night. Both grey's would sleep all day while my husband slept during the day. I would take them out for walks when I came home and they would sleep all night with me. The Greyhound that we have now is very different. Much more active. We are now both retired and are home much more. We like to go for daily walks in the morning up to around 10 km long and our boy we have now would not stay home. He is coming with us every morning. He has a relatively quiet afternoon and then likes to go out again in the late afternoon as well. We do have a yard so he has that opportunity as well. We also have joined up with a different adoption group that has monthly greyhound runs so he has the opportunity to run with other greyounds in a much bigger area. Because regular dog parks are mixed breed, some greyhounds are not small dog friendly and that can become a big problem. A play chase can very quickly turn into disaster. Again it would really depend on the dog you have as to whether a dog park would work for you. If you do decide to adopt let us know where you are and I'm sure we can point out different locations that are leash free and fenced that people use and groups you can connect with. Good Luck. Do visit the GRA Canada Facebook page. Lots of pics and seems to be more active.
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OwnedBySummer
Hound Nut
"Summer" (aka Coach Standifer)
Posts: 1,392
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Post by OwnedBySummer on Feb 9, 2015 20:04:12 GMT -5
I'm not a dog park person, greyhound or otherwise, and am lucky to have a greyhound running group available to me. If you could update your display information to include your location, we could give you better information.
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lanlove
Junior Grey Lover
Posts: 179
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Post by lanlove on Feb 10, 2015 11:14:19 GMT -5
I have only owned one grey (for 2 years now) and he is not very active. He is 4 years old now and spends most of his time sleeping or following me around the house. He has his active moments but in the heat of summer he is very lazy and in the winter we don't get out much. I am fortunate to live on a farm where he has both a fenced backyard and a 5 acre fenced horse paddock to run in...oddly enough when I take him in the paddock he mainly sticks to my side and just likes taking in the smells, he could run if he wanted but he usually doesn't, we may as well just be out for a walk down the street but he is off leash in the fenced area. He does rip around the backyard but we don't take him for many walks in the winter...just too cold on our open rural road (for me more so than for him). From what I have observed greys are very laid back and happy to just lay around the house with you, they enjoy walks and playing with other dogs (we have a lab). I agree that sprinting with other breeds is not always a good idea. Our lab tends to get fairly jealous of Lanny's speed and she has learned to cut him off when running, Lanny has learned that she does this and just stops running if he sees her with that look in her eye. There isn't a greyhound group or many greys in our area (I know of 2 others that live 30minutes away) and most people that meet him have never seen a greyhound in real life, they are always amazed at how calm and loving he is (he especially loves kids and elderly people). We recently joined a dog social group where a canine behaviourist supervises play and there is a big mix of breeds, they play together in a large room so Lanny doesn't get to sprint (just not enough room to open up and run) but gets lots of play time, he is exhausted when the hour is up and he absolutely loves it...he now has several breeds of friends...beagle, Brittany spaniel, visla, german shepherd, border collie mix, lab, bernese mountain dog, golden doodle and others. He seems to know which ones will play nice and which ones are too rough and he just won't engage in play with the rough ones. Greys seem to be very adaptable but you do need some savvy to avoid some situations that could turn sour. I think Lanny would have made a fine apartment dog but he seems to enjoy the farm life too, as others have stated they are a very adaptable breed. It sounds like you are on the right path by reading all you can and contacting the forum for advice prior to adopting. I think you will find the right personality of grey to suit your personality and you won't regret sharing your life with one of these sweet dogs.
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Post by charlotte on Feb 10, 2015 21:46:52 GMT -5
Thank you all for your responses. I have updated my location. So it seems that the responses say that if I can only take my future adopted greyhound on leashed walks, it will most likely be o.k.? Should I indicate to the adoption agency that I do not have access to a friendly greyhound only space for sprinting? I do not drive. I do have a yard, I live in a ground floor apartment in a house, but the yard is small, has no grass and a big table in the centre, no space for a run for sure. I have spoken to landlord, the yard was fenced in and gated but due to recent waterproofing the gate is gone. I am able to provide a gate at own expense but the yard would be more for a lounge than anything. So for walks on a leash I can do 3o min to 45 in the morning and 20 to 45 in the evening with some really cold days resulting in only a washroom run. On days I won't be working, 4 days out of 7, an hour to 90 min walk is no problem. Is it all about letting the adoption agency know and being fitted with the right hound?
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OwnedBySummer
Hound Nut
"Summer" (aka Coach Standifer)
Posts: 1,392
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Post by OwnedBySummer on Feb 10, 2015 23:25:11 GMT -5
It's too bad you don't drive, as about an hour north of you is our greyhound running group! Also up there is Camp Greyhound (boarding, dehydrated treats, muzzles). Being that you are "city folk", I'll leave the information in their capable hands.
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Post by greyandred on Feb 11, 2015 11:41:52 GMT -5
Hi, when I brought Owen home last May, he seemed to tire out after a 15 minute walk. I guess he just wasn't used to it. So for a long while we had 2-3 short walks a day on leash. Eventually he worked up his stamina (I guess that's what the issue was? A sprinter not a cross-country guy!) and he's fine with nice long walks now, weather permitting. There are other people on this forum who were able to take their greys on hour long walks immediately- it all depends on the pup I guess. We do have a fenced in yard and Owen does do his zoomies and little sprints most days, but other days he just walks out to do his business and wants right back in again. He also has bursts of energy in the house and just runs through the living room throwing toys then suddenly lays down and falls asleep. When we went to GRA we told Heather a bit about our lifestyle and that we were looking for a playmate for our other dog. As Heather knows the dogs well, she selected a bunch to meet us and then ultimately the dog picks the person.
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Tipsy
Grey Puppy
Posts: 91
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Post by Tipsy on Feb 16, 2015 14:18:42 GMT -5
I'm also an apartment dweller in Toronto, so I had all the same worries before I adopted, but rest assured, it has worked out just fine!
We take Booker out for a walk two or three times a day(schedule permitting), usually only around 10-15 minutes, though he'll happily come out for a longer walk as well. I'd planned a group outing that would last all afternoon, and I was concerned he'd get tired, but he was fairly perky the whole five hours of it. On days like these recent cold ones, it's out for a bathroom break, and right back in, and he still doesn't seem to have an excess of energy.
We've had really good luck with off-leash parks. When we first got him, we'd have him wear a muzzle at the park, just in case, but he never showed any indication of being TOO interested in small dogs or being snappy at dogs that might invade his space either, so after a few visits, we gradually stopped using it. Booker is good with little dogs, other than sometimes scaring them by play-jumping. Running with other dogs hasn't been a problem either - either Booker is chasing, and slows down when he catches up to them(possibly a hint as to why he failed at racing), or he just gets excited and goes for a sprint without caring about the other dogs. If a dog chases, that'll keep him going for a while longer than normal, but if they try to cut him off, he'll just veer around them, or do a U-turn and keep going. So running with other dogs isn't strictly off the table, it'll be another case where you have to let the dog show you what it's up for! If you do end up with a pup that isn't as confident around other dogs, I'd recommend checking out schools for spaces. A friend of mine goes to a school soccer field which is totally fenced off, and I know other grey owners who have found baseball diamonds that are fenced off as well.
As for how often they need to sprint, that'll be dependent on what dog you get! Booker will sprint once or twice a week, but only if he feels like it. He's also gone a month or two without going faster than a trot, so I'm sure he'd be fine if we weren't able to get out for a while.
But I agree with all the others that if you communicate what you're looking for in a dog, and what your lifestyle is like, you'll be that much closer to finding a good match. I whole-heartedly recommend greyhounds for city dogs - I know three others that live in on the same block as me, and nearly a dozen in the neighbourhood itself, and they're all quick to recommend greys!
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