Should you train a greyhound to sit? A Comprehensive Guide

Is It Possible For a Greyhound To Sit?

Since adopting my greyhound – Tipps, I often hear the question: is it possible for a greyhound to sit? It was not something I had thought about before. Now, after living with Tipps for many years, and watching his ungraceful attempts at sitting, my answer is Yes – it is possible but it looks somewhat uncomfortable for him.

Due to the greyhound’s impressive aerodynamic shape, the sit position is not physically easy to adopt. Most prefer the sphinx position or just to simply lie down.

Their long spines and tight muscular hind quarters prevent a full sit. If a greyhound does sit, it is quite noticeable that their butts do not actually touch the floor.

It will hover a few inches above as the rear end is not capable of completely touching the ground.

If you have never seen your hound naturally in either of these positions then the odds are they will find correct sitting difficult:

And if you look really closely you can see that her butt is actually off the ground and she is carrying all her weight on her bony back legs not her butt. So is it really a sit? And is it any wonder the majority of hounds do not like hard ground?

Do remember that to get consistent behaviour you need to train in different areas and if you move areas go back to the beginning of the training sequence to start with. Your hound will catch on quickly if you set him up for success by taking your time so he truly understands. If hes not getting something, go back a step, your hound is not stupid, he just needs a bit more time to understand what you are asking of him.

Then repeat. At this stage there is no use whatsoever of the word Sit. I like to hold my hand in a loose fist as this has now become my cue to get my hounds to sit. You can use any hand gesture you like though.

It took me a very long time to get Blondies trust back after that day and I still kick myself for not going with my gut instinct. If you are ever in the situation when you are unsure about a technique or method in training dont make the same mistake I did – Force is not Training and will only land you with a very resentful greyhound.

Should you teach a greyhound to sit?

Anyone who tries to teach a greyhound to sit will know it can be a challenge, but contrary to popular belief greyhounds can sit. They can learn the command with patience and encouragement like other dogs. … The sit position is not naturally adopted by their bodies as it is with other dogs.

Teaching a Greyhound to sit

After all, a Greyhound is a dog and, therefore, should be able to sit. However, if you own a greyhound from the racetrack, you know that sitting can be easier said than done.

Despite a commonly held belief to the contrary, Greyhounds can sit, although it is awkward to behold at times. Their streamlined physique, muscle-bound haunches, relatively long legs, and coiled spine make a Greyhound’s initial attempts to sit clumsy and sometimes even unsuccessful.

Over time, Greyhounds learn to sit as gracefully as any other dog. They require sensitivity, patience, persistence, and consistency in your training methods.