Greyhound puppies

About the Greyhound

The Greyhound is the classic British sighthound, bred to course game by sight over open ground and later shaped by track racing. Everything about them serves that one purpose: a deep chest, a long flexible spine, a tucked waist and long legs on a frame of 27.2 to 31.8 kg carried at 69 to 76 cm. The coat is short and fine and the skin is thin. Indoors the dog is almost comically quiet, sleeping most of the day and asking for very little.

Exercise is about quality rather than hours. A Greyhound wants a chance to sprint flat out in a securely fenced space, then a sofa. Off lead running in open ground is not safe, because the chase instinct outruns any recall. Grooming is a weekly rub over with a hound glove. Thin skin tears easily and there is almost no body fat, so they need padded bedding and a coat in cold weather. Most new owners assume the dog needs marathon walks, but a Greyhound does not.

What to expect at eight weeks

At eight weeks a Greyhound puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A large breed puppy at eight weeks looks deceptively normal sized and will roughly double every few weeks for a while. Keep exercise short and low impact, the growth plates are wide open. This is a high energy breed. At eight weeks that shows up as intensity rather than stamina, and they will need a job to do long before they need long walks. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything they meet calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of their life.

Health worth knowing about

Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.

• Greyhound polyneuropathy, an inherited nerve disease seen almost only in this breed, detectable by DNA test
• Gastric dilatation volvulus and bloat, a surgical emergency, risk rises with deep chests
• Cardiac disease, screened by a cardiac exam on breeding stock
• Inherited eye disease, screened by an ophthalmologist evaluation
• Osteosarcoma, a bone cancer that shows as persistent limb lameness and is confirmed by x-ray
• Thin skin and low body fat, which means tears need veterinary attention and drug doses need care

Your Greyhound puppy's first six months

• Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
• Worming and parasite schedule.
• Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Large for a Greyhound.
• Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 27.2 to 31.8 kg adult range.
• Puppy names and the first week checklist.

Kit sizes: crate 36 inch (36 x 24 x 26 in, 91 x 61 x 66 cm) for an adult of up to 31.8 kg; chew toys made for large breeds. Worked out the same way as the crate size calculator. PetMD bases a crate on the dog's own measurements, not weight or breed alone, so measure once the puppy is home.

Buying guides for this

• Do slow feeder bowls work? Choosing one for a puppy that gulps
• Best crate for a puppy: wire, plastic or soft, and how to size one with a divider

Other large breeds

More on the Greyhound

Previous: Greenland Dog · Next: Griffon Fauve de Bretagne

Sources

• akc.org for adult weight and height, life expectancy, energy, grooming, shedding and the temperament ratings, coat type and health notes
• fci.be for country of origin
• Health notes from Greyhound breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/greyhound/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.

Photo: Neurodoc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped. All photographers are listed on the photo credits page.