Are rescue greyhounds okay with children? When any dog enters a new home, whether it is a puppy that the parents have bought, or whether it is an older rescue dog, it is important that parents put the rules in place to help keep their children safe. Just like us, dogs sometimes do not like to have their space invaded. For more information read our fact sheet Homing a Greyhound with Young Children.
Should I crate my greyhound? Dogs in the wild will find either a cave or dig a small, secluded pit in the ground in which to sleep or just relax, away from the world. A crate will become your greyhoundâs den â it will be seen as a safe place to be â it is a retreat from the world. It is a safe place to leave your greyhound when you are out, until they are housetrained and can be trusted not to destroy your home. Even after he is trained and trusted, you may find your greyhound curled up happily asleep in an open crate. The crate should never be used as punishment. Read more about this on our fact sheet The Indoor Dog Crate.
My greyhound growls at me when lying down. Why? Sleep aggression is quite a common behaviour in all dog breeds, but especially in retired greyhounds. Retired greyhounds must get used to sharing household space with other members of the family, including children and other pets, rather than having their own private âdenâ. They may feel that they need to be âon their guardâ, even subconsciously while theyâre napping. Many retired racing greyhounds exhibit sleep aggression for reasons related to their background, not their personalities. Like all post-adoption adjustment issues, dealing with sleep aggression involves time, patience, awareness (of yourself and your dog) and common sense. Ensure your greyhound has their own bed, and discourage them from sleeping on spaces used by humans to avoid territorial issues. Some greyhounds will overcome their sleep aggression as they gain confidence as a pet, but many will always require careful management. Read our fact sheet for more information about dealing with sleep aggression and your greyhound.
My greyhound is aggressive over food. What should I do? Some greyhounds coming out of racing may display food possession problems. They are kept at minimum weight to race. Every piece of food in their kennel has been for them. If your greyhound is possessive of food, NEVER touch him or his food bowl while he is eating. Keep everyone in the family, especially children, well away while you are preparing his food and while he is eating. More information to help your dog learn to be around food safely can be found on our Rescued Greyhounds and Food fact sheet.
Can I take my greyhound to the dog park? Many things can go wrong for your dog at the dog park. We believe âbad things happen to good dogsâ in a dog park. Uneven surfaces, dog agility platforms and jumps, together with holes dug into the ground by other dogs, can all present a very real danger to your greyhound when he is running at top speed around a dog park. Do not worry if your dog is only getting lead walks. This is what they are used to. The world outside kennels is a big scary place and they feel safer on a lead beside you. Read more about responsible ownership on our fact sheets Responsible Ownership and Greyhound Care & Ownership.
How Many Hours Do Greyhounds Sleep?
Greyhounds usually sleep for between 16 and 18 hours per day. Brief 20-minute walks and food typically break up their sleeping pattern.
You might even find that they sleep for slightly longer in the winter too, as it takes them longer to recover their energy in colder temperatures.
Despite their 16-18 hour sleeping time, they aren’t in full REM sleep for the entire time. They have a deep sleep cycle of just 20 minutes before they wake up gradually and fall back to sleep again.
Humans have a deep sleep cycle of 90 minutes, meaning we briefly wake 5-6 times during our standard 8 hours.
Comparatively, greyhounds would wake up 24 times within that period, so they naturally need much more sleep than us.
Without talking or making a fuss, clip their lead on and walk them outside as they may need to go to the toilet. Ideally choose the place where they have been to the loo before bed. Allow at least 5 full minutes before you come back in and pop them back in their crate with something to do for 5-10 minutes.
If you are uncomfortable with the dog sleeping in the same room as you, you can try them just outside the door or somewhere you can hear and reach them quickly if they become distressed. Alternatively, you could sleep in the lounge beside the dog in the crate, and then over several days move further away from their crate in the lounge and then finally back in your bed.
Night 7 – On night seven, we suggest trying the hound out in the room you wish to have them sleep in the future.
Note: If you have another dog, your hound may happily settle down in a crate in the same room as them or loose in the same room, as sleeping near other dogs is what is familiar to them, in which case there may be no need to follow this plan.
Sometimes the plan doesn’t go to plan. If we allow the dog to continue being distressed, their body’s flight or fight response kicks in and provides them with energy – which is the last thing we want when trying to get them to go to sleep! With that in mind, we do want to give them a little time as on occasion a dog might vocalise and then return to sleep, but if they begin to escalate (increased movement, louder, longer, and higher pitched vocalisation) we need to intervene.