Greyhounds have low body fat and high muscle mass. This means they are very sensitive to a variety of medications and anasthesia, and they can NEVER wear a flea collar.
Greyhounds do not make good guard dogs. Generally greyhounds are quiet and friendly dogs, who will not raise any sort of alarm upon a stranger approaching. Most strangers are met with a happy smile and a wagging tail.
Greyhounds have very tight skin. Their skin can tear easily, so you need to make sure that your grey is muzzled when playing with 2 or more other greyhounds.
Greyhounds are sensitive to temperature. Due to their low body fat (16%), greys can be quite susceptible to extreme heat or cold. The good news is that there are very easy ways to deal with this. In summer, if you don’t have air conditioning, a kiddie pool or cool-down coat can work wonders. In the winter, a warm coat will do the trick.
Greyhounds have a few specific needs to make their homes comfortable. Due to their long legs, greyhounds need their food and water dishes raised off the floor (12 – 14 inches is standard). Due to their low body fat, a soft bed to lay on is also important to protect their hips and elbows.
Greyhounds need a specific type of collar. Greyhound’s heads are smaller than their necks, so a regular buckle collar can easily slip off with very little effort. A martingale collar is designed to tighten down (safely) around the neck and makes it nearly impossible for the dogs to pull their heads out of the collar. Every Needle-Nose dog will come with a martingale collar and a leash.
Your greyhound will need a vet that is familiar with greyhounds or sighthounds in general. Because of their more specialized physiology, greyhounds need vets that are aware of their special needs and will treat them appropriately. When choosing a vet, ask if their clinic has treated greyhounds or other sighthounds. If you would like some suggestions for greyhound-savvy vets, ask your Needle-Nose adoption rep.
Even greys that test as safe with small animals will need some time to get used to your other pets. At a racing kennel greyhounds are not exposed to many other types of animals, including other breeds of dogs. Most adjust to other large dogs very quickly and get along well with them. Teaching them about smaller dogs, cats, and other small animals can take a little longer. All Needle-Nose dogs have been profiled before being brought to Canada, and this profile will be verified in their foster home. However, you must still be careful and aware when introducing your new grey to any other animals in the home. Needle-Nose will be happy to help you with this process.
A new greyhound will need a transition period. Though all greys adopted out by Needle-Nose will be fostered in a home before their adoption, every grey will still need time to transition to their new home. Some dogs embrace the change from working dog to pet eagerly and need a very short time to adjust. Other greys take longer to get used to life in a house. This is a normal process and should be expected.
Greyhounds can reach speeds of 64kph / 45mph in 3 strides. This means that they can NEVER be off leash unless in a completely fenced-in area. They can NEVER be tied up outside. A grey can break his/her own neck if he/she starts to run full speed while tied up. For the same reasons a greyhound should NEVER be walked using a flexi-leash.
