EXERCISE

See also our FAQ on exercise

Greyhounds are built for speed. Guinness World Records, 2006 edition, records the fastest speed for any greyhound at just under 42 miles per hour (recorded in 1994 in Australia).

Greyhounds are “sighthounds”, that means a breed of dog bred to hunt more by sight than by smell. As such they will pay more attention to the things they see than other dogs - they will see small movements, or relate certain movements, to the things you do next. This means that they may seem to read your mind as they suddenly leap out of their basket just before you get up to feed them. They aren't reading your mind, they've seen you put your book down, or turn off the television and have associated that action with the 'reward' of feeding. For this reason, when training your greyhound (or any other sighthound; Whippet, Borzoi, Afghan, etc), be careful not to inadvertently teach them the wrong thing with your body language.Greyhounds are 'power sprinters', this means that they burn all their energy off in one short, furious burst of speed, it also means that they have very little stamina. They can be trained to take more exercise, however this needs time; just like human athletes training for the marathon! Normally, two 20 minute lead walks a day and a good run once a week (off the lead and in an controlled area) is adequate. Like all dogs, they enjoy exercise so if you can give them more, they will be happy.

Most ex-racing greyhounds will have been taught to walk well on a lead.

The more you walk, play, and run with your dog in the first few weeks of ownership, the easier the transition from racing greyhound to family friend.

Your greyhound needs its daily walks. They will look forward to them.

Greyhounds do not need any more exercise than any other dog of the same size, in fact, as a breed, greyhounds are naturally lazy and will happily snooze most of the day.

When walking your dog always check to make sure his/her pads are always free from any burrs or other foreign objects. If your dog limps, stops or starts to lag check its paws.

It may take time for your greyhound to learn to do its business when on a lead. Again be patient. And as a good pet-owning citizen, you should always pick up your dog's 'poo'!

If you do let your dog off the lead for a good run, make sure that the ground is free from rabbit or mole holes. They can easily break a leg if they hit one of the holes at full speed.

Do not give any greyhound the opportunity to get out of your house, car, or garden without a lead on and under control.

We do not recommend the use of extending leads. Use a regular 6 foot lead. Keep your greyhound's head next to your left leg when walking. This is an easy way to earn their respect and position yourself as the 'pack leader'

Do not let your greyhound off the lead near deep or running water, because they have little or no body fat they have little or no buoyancy, therefore, they are poor swimmers and, if they are not on a lead and run into the water, it is likely they will drift and drown.

If you are going to give your greyhound more than average exercise, work up yo it over a period of time. Its footpads are soft and need to adjust to new concrete surfaces slowly. Make sure the concrete is not hot. If its paw pad gets blistered it will be a long time before you will be able to take your dog out for its walk again.

Because greyhounds have virtually no body fat, they are prone to heta-stroke and hypothermia. In the winter time, use a good quality fur lined coat; in the hotter seasons, walk you greyhound at the cooler times of day, and always carry a bottle of water in case your dog gets overheated. Greyhounds may get quite excited in a new exercise area that they overtax themselves. Look for signs such as heaving sides, heavy panting, vomiting and wooziness while standing. If this happens, don't let them drink a lot of water fast (they will vomit it back up); instead, walk them slowly and cool them down.

It may take time for your greyhound to learn to do its business when on a lead. Again be patient. And as a good pet-owning citizen, you should always pick up your dog's 'poo'!

If you do let your dog off the lead for a good run, make sure that the ground is free from rabbit or mole holes. They can easily break a leg if they hit one of the holes at full speed.