One of the questions you’ll be asked most often is — Don’t greyhounds need a lot of exercise? Once you live with a greyhound, you’ll know the truth — this is a very lazy dog.
Lazy or not, your pet will need physical activity — just like you do! The most obvious and easiest answer is in your own backyard. However, most greyhounds will not play with themselves. They will want you to play with them and walk them around the block, on leash.
On-Leash
Your greyhound is leashed trained. You need to keep him on leash unless he is in a totally fenced area. And he needs to stay on leash until he’s obedience trained, and even then, you need to be extremely cautious.
Most greyhounds walk very well on a leash. If your pet starts to pull or freezes as he sees something on the horizon, just change direction, or get his attention, and give the command, “heel,” “let’s go,” etc.
If you plan to use your greyhound as a partner in a walking or jogging fitness program, you need to make sure your greyhound can handle it and use a common sense. Greyhounds are bred to be sprinters, and aren’t used to distances. They exercise primarily on sand in their kennel situation, which means the pads on their feet are smooth and soft. A little time must be taken to build up the calluses needed to exercise on cement or blacktop. Start your dog’s regime the same way you did yours — slowly. Walk or jog 2 or 3 blocks at first and then gradually increase. Heat can kill a greyhound, so don’t EVER jog them distances in heat.
Off-Leash
Care should be taken to introduce your new greyhound pet to your yard or any new fenced area before turning him loose in it. This means that you need to check the entire fence for potential openings (because if there is one, he’ll find it and he’ll be gone quicker than you ever thought possible). While you’re walking the fence with the dog on leash, it also enables him to familiarize himself with the boundary. You should also let the dog investigate hazards in your yard such as a barbecue or planter. The first time your dog exercises in your yard off the leash it should be daylight and you need to be there and watch him.
Surprisingly, you may need to restrict your dog’s activity in a new area. For example, when you take your dog to a fenced football field, you’ll want to monitor the running your dog does. Greyhounds have been conditioned for sprinting and may be so excited and interested by a new exercise area that they overtax themselves. If this happens, they’ll react just like any athlete who’s over-extended himself — heaving sides, heavy panting, vomiting, wooziness while standing. You’ll need to walk them very slowly to cool them down, and dowse their feet in water. Don’t let them drink a lot of water fast, as they will choke and vomit it back up.
Weather
Care should be taken during extreme temperatures. A greyhound is more susceptible to heat stroke, than other dogs because they don’t have the layers of fat as insulation. During hot weather it is wise to exercise early and easier. Make sure your dog is completely cooled down before feeding.
Cold weather presents other hazards for this desert breed. A coat made for greyhounds is an excellent idea for walking in winter. Check you dog’s feet for snow packing, which can split webs, or ice cuts. It’s also a good idea to swish the dog’s feet in lukewarm water to rinse off salt and other ice melters after your walk.
Each dog is an individual with different activity levels. Generally younger dogs enjoy higher activity levels.
Warning
It cannot be stressed enough that exercising your dog off leash in an area that is not entirely enclosed is asking for a disaster to happen. Your pet may be entirely devoted to you and never leave your side at home, but you must remember that this pet is the product of centuries of specialized breeding to produce a lightning fast hunter. The greyhound has been bred to scan the horizon and run after anything that moves. A paper cup blowing across the street from the park could mean your dog’s death. This is not about disobedience. The explosive hunting run is instinct. Once your pet is focused in on a moving object, he is running on pure instinct and he’ll no longer hear you. The car driving down the street does not expect to see a 45 mph blur of a dog bounding after the paper cup crossing in front of it. Don’t take the chance.
Playing
Your greyhound may not know how to play because no one has ever taught him or showed him how. He was bred as a business, not as a pet, so it’s your job to teach him to play. And it’s the ‘funnest’ job you’ll ever have!
I recommend a box or basket of toys that are just his. He’ll get the idea quickly and pick and choose his playthings when he’s in the mood.
You may not get to see the silly side of your greyhound for a while. He will probably not feel like letting his puppy personality out until he feels quite secure. When you see the classic bottom up, front end down pose bouncing in front of you, you’ll know it’s time to play. One of my favorite pictures from an adopter is when the human is on the floor with elbows down and butt up in the air facing off with their greyhound who’s in his play posture.
Toys
Greyhounds love to adopt stuffed animals, pillows, etc. Tag sales are great places to pick up an inexpensive toy for your greyhound. Just remember to remove the eyes or any other part that could cause damage to your hound.
Additionally, little squeaky toys will get any greyhound’s attention. When they were trained to chase a lure, squeaky noises were part of that training, so you’ll see them become very intent on the squeaky toy.
Bones
Pick and choose your rawhide purchases carefully. American-made rawhide is the best type to buy. Inexpensive rawhide is cured overseas, often with dangerous chemicals like arsenic. Also, the compressed rawhide is safer than the ones with the knots on either end.
To keep your hound’s teeth clean and gums strong, give a turkey neck every week or two. Yes, a turkey neck. RAW. Never cooked. Put your dog out in the yard, and watch him go at it. Soup bones or marrow bone are also OK to give hounds. I do pick those up after an hour or so, and throw them out.