Greyhound, outdoor living? Questions

Hello everyone, this is my first post on the Dogsey forums.

A bit of background first of all:

I am in the process of selling my garden-less home and moving into a house with a garden. We (my girlfriend and I) are making this move (as is almost always the case) for a combination of reasons, one of which is so we can bring a retired racing greyhound into our home.

We were introduced to the world of greyhounds through some wonderful friends a few years back who currently have three retired racers. We've both had dogs in the house as family pets before moving into our own place together several years ago. At the moment though, the only pets we have are some gerbils (adopted from a small animal rescue centre!). However, we often house sit and walk dogs of family and friends. The decision not to have a dog of our own was due in part to the fact we don't have a garden and previously had inflexible working arrangements.

We do volunteer work for the local(ish) Greyhound Rescue Trust. This usually involves a 80-mile round trip each Sunday to walk and make a fuss of the 16 - 20 retired dogs kenneled there. As well as talking to our friends with the three ex-racers and the trainers at the kennels, I've a number of books on Greyhounds including "Adopting the Racing Greyhound: Cynthia A. Branigan", which is excellent, incidentally. Mainly on more broad topics, haven't yet discussed the specifics of this approach I am considering.

The dog we'd likely end up adopting would come from this rescue trust. They are kept in pairs in living quarters aprox 7ft x 4ft. Outside in the summer months (06:30 - 15:00), inside all day in the winter months. Most retired dogs only get walked at the weekend. They are kenneled and without human contact from 15:00 until 06:30 the next day.

I wonder what the opinion of the members of the community are on continuing to keep a rescue dog outdoors (weather permitting) during the day? The houses we are looking at have fair-sized gardens and I'd be looking to get a decent kennel but giving the dog the run of the garden (when we're sure it's secure).

The welfare of the dog is my chief concern. I'm not considering this approach to save the house (and transversely, save the bedding plants) from a dog that isn't house trained, purely if it is the lesser of two evils for a dog being left on it's own for 7 - 9 hours a day. Our work arrangements are now more flexible, and we'd be looking for this to be as close to 7 hours as possible most week days, but there would be infrequent occasions when it would be more like 9.

So presuming the garden is a decent size, that it is secure and that the likely hood of cats etc getting in are remote, and also remembering that the dog is already accustomed to being outdoors for much of the day as it is, which approach would you choose? Also consider the fact we'd be taking the advice of the trust on which dog would be least likely to suffer anxiety and would be broadly best suited to either living situation.

Richard

One of the problems I can see is that these dogs are used to being kenneled in pairs and one on its own may not be happy . A dog which is not happy may bark and that would most probably annoy the neighbours .:?
Welocome to the forum by the way

Thanks for your response and welcome.

Despite the fact that I said they are paired, most spend prolonged periods by themselves at some point.

One of the main qualities we will be looking for is a dog that doesn't bark when left alone. We often borrow a dog or two in order to socialise, house train etc for prospective owners to ease their transition. So for us, finding a dog that manages on its own and doesn't bark won't be an issue (some of them simply do not bark, even if 10 other dogs round them are barking with a passion!)

Richard

Has the rescue itself said what they think about your situation as i am guessing you have been home checked.

I have recently got a greyhound and found he has adapted brilliantly to home life. I got him from a racing kennel where he lived out 24/7 and barked constantly, to being housetrained and living on my sofa!!!! He is very happy and doesnt bark at all now!

i am no expert but do know you will have to be careful with a greyhound that they dont overheat in the summer or get cold in the winter.

Personally i prefer my dogs living in and if i had to leave them to work i would get someone to come in and walk, check and play with them during the day.

The thing is though you are used to seeing greys in a kennel environment you will find that the majority like nothing better than to sleep all day on a sofa!!
Just my opinion and wish you luck, cant wait to see your new dog

Thanks for your response.

We haven't been checked interestingly enough (perhaps because we've been involved for so long and frequently take dogs away and bring them back happy and healthy?!) Saying that, I assume we'd still be subject to an assessment of some sort should we take on a dog on a permanent basis.

I'm glad your greyhound is adapting well, this seems often to be the case. The friends that I mentioned, two of their dogs barked none-stop at the kennels like yours and both like yours don't bark at all now!

I take note of what you're saying about overheating, getting cold etc, and I'd have to pay particular attention to that if outdoors was a consideration.

Yeah, I guess you're right, they are 40mph couch potato's and even given the run of a garden, they may not make use of it. I'm just at odds with taking them from 'outdoors' as it were, and keeping them indoors.

The two people at the trust seem to be people of few words despite their expertise and I'm really after a more thorough answer (they simply said, "You can do whichever you like, but what about cats getting in?")

Richard

Well firstly, well done for thinking it all through and for your commitment to volunteering at the rescue

I do agree with Fernsmum that if they live in pairs, they might not like being on their own. However, as you have a very good relationship with the rescue and are being open and honest with them, I would hope they would find you a dog that was used to life alone. Have you considered getting two? Evidently the double costs are quite an issue, but otherwise, if they are two dogs that are used to being together, it could be quite nice to rehome a pair.

In terms of living outside, if they are used to it, I would think it feasible but there are some BUTs.

(1) I really do think you would need a proper weather protecting, secure kennel/run - not just rely on the dog being out in the garden with a 'dog house' type kennel

(2) Greyhounds have pretty thin coats - even though housed outside, it woudn't surprise me if their kennels had some kind of heating. I'm not sure it would be fair to keep a greyhound outside in the winter in an unheated kennel.

(3) once the dog is home and part of your life, personally I think you will find it more and more difficult to put him/her out in the garden when you go to to work - the dog will get used to the creature comforts of the house when you are there (I assume the dog would be in the house when you are there?)

If it was me, I would look at taking a couple of weeks off work to get the dog settled in. With committed training, most dogs pick up house training pretty quickly and I would've expected them to have the idea within the 2 weeks (though there may be ocassional accidents). If I didn't have friends/neighbours/family locally that I could ask to pop in every day during the day, I would hire a dog walker to come in. As you say, they don't necessarily need a lot of exercise, but someone coming in part way through the day would mean tha the dog only had to hold on for 3 or 4 hours before being let out to relieve themselves.

Good luck

I would firstly speak to the Greyhound Trust or whichever rescue you are thinking of getting your greyhound from, and see what their policy is on keeping the dog outdoors. I personally wouldn't have a problem with you keeping your dog outside during the day, so long as you had a well-made kennel that is warm, clean, dry, comfortable and free from damp and draughts.

Have you thought about getting two greyhounds and keeping them outdoors together? I have always found that dogs being left for longer periods alone almost always do better with a second dog for companionship.

Just one additional comment re 'outdoor dogs' coming to live in a house.

I'm fairly sure my latest rescue (albeit a border collie rather than a greyhound) was an outside dog. The TV, stairs, mirrors (even doors) all spooked her originally. However, she settled into indoor living very quickly and definitely loves it

Thanks again for thoughts.

The Trust don't seem to have a policy per se, as they advised me to do whichever suits best. And I take your point about the workmanship of the kennel, that would be the main criteria when getting it.

After all's said and done, the earlier comment about it being more and more difficult to put the dog outside will probably turn out to be true, so I'm already coming round to indoors perhaps being the better option.

Yes, two greyhounds. That's exactly what I was going to do, and certainly what the literature recommends. The overhead of a second dog is probably fairly small when you have the time and expense outlayed for one anyway.

The main reason I've come back round to having only one dog is the point about leaving the dog(s) with my parents. Whilst I haven't asked their standpoint, I assume they'd be happy to take one dog from time to time, much less happy to take two. I realise this shouldn't really stop me, and afterall, it will be my dog not theirs, but practically it would make my life a lot easier. I do work away from time to time, having my parents as a fall-back would be brilliant.

Richard

As for your parents, you probably won't know their real thoughts until you have the dog or dogs.

My Mum is in her 80s and can't cope with my brother's one dog, but could cope (and loved) my original two - because even though there was double the number, they were only half the hassle of my brothers one!

I wouldn't be surprised if your parents were the same - two quiet, well behaved dogs would be much more appealing to them than 1 roudy one

Hi welcome I have a retired greyhound, i have had her for about 9 months now and she has fitted in perfectly into our home - its almost like we have never been without her. We are over the next few weeks hopefully getting a second as a companion for her. (well thats my excuse anyway !)

I work but only part-time so i am only away from her for 4 hours max and i walk her for a hour before i go out and then again in the evening and shes fine.

Personally i would not keep her outside and think they deserve a bit of comfort ! thats all they've known all their lives and like to think of them having some home comforts after having none - including human contact/bonding which i think would suffer if they lived outside. I only really think of working dogs living outside not pets. If they are going to be left for long periods of time perhaps a dog walker would be a good idea to break up the day and allow them to relieve themselves. Good luck !

You're right Hali, it's just speculation. Even so, it would still probably be the right approach to begin with one and introduce a second later like greyhoundk has done.

When people are mentioning dog walkers, are you meaning organisations or individuals? What sort of arrangement/cost would you expect for something like that?

Just to clarify, I'm only considering the garden as as an alternative to the house for 4-5 days a week for 7-9 hours a day and only in the summer months. The dog would be walked immediately before work and immediately after regardless and would sleep in the house in both scenarios.

Richard

I am pretty sure that the contract for most Greyhound Rescues stipulates that the dog shouldn`t live outside. I`m quite surprised yours are happy with this arrangement TBH.

Firstly welcome to Dogsey and to the wonderful world of owning a greyhound. However, as a fosterer and home checker for greyhound rescue’s Im afraid I would have to be rather harsh and turn you down with those arrangements.

Regardless of whether a greyhound or not I don’t really think any dog especially a rescue will do well with being left for up to 9 hours a day without human contact and especially if kept outside.

Specifically to greyhounds, they are very susceptible to temperature both hot and cold and indeed like above are fairly lazy and love nothing more than a sofa, however like any dog they do need a toilet break more often than 9 hours and human contact to make that bond they have not had before. However as suggested above if you did have arrangements in place for a dog walker or someone coming in to let them out to toilet stretch legs etc I would certainly reconsider as it sounds like you really do want to do right by the dogs.

Agree very much with the above, it would be harder to work up the wonderful bond greyhounds have with their humans because they have had so little before hand and they certainly deserve their comforts.

Must say C&D Im a bit surprised too.

OK, that's interesting. I haven't been privy to 'the contract' so it might well stipulate that outdoor living isn't appropriate.

I think from the sounds of things, even if it's allowed, the consensus is that indoors is the better option. And indoors means I'd need an arrangement to break up the day when it would be somewhere approaching 9 hours?

If I walked the dog before leaving at 8.30/9.00 and my girlfriend walked the dog immediately upon returning at 16:00, that would be just shy of 7 hours alone. If I was able to ensure this is always the case, are we still saying it's too long, and if so, by how much?

I take your point about the living arrangement not being ideal, and I'd certainly get someone to come in to break up the day for the dog if I can.

Some of the dogs at the rescue centre have been there for years and the size of the waiting list means only 1 dog in 10 on the list ever makes it through the door and ultimately finds homes (as was made clear last week when a local trainer removed a racers ears with a blade and dumped it in a field rather than put it on the homing waiting list). RGT report some 12,000 dogs a year don't find homes. Take that to mean what you like.

So in conclusion, yes, I want to do right by the dog, but if the living situation is remotely workable, I'd rather this than the alternative which many dogs face.

This is the story about the trainer, off-topic and distressing so use your discretion before visiting this http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/8017738.stm .

Richard

The policy at the RGT kennel I used to volunteer at was that they aren't allowed to be kenneled outdoors, and you have to show that you have arrangements in place in case it turns out that the dog can't be left alone for more than four hours before you're allowed to adopt.
It would depend on the dog as to whether 7 hours is too much I think... I wouldn't leave a dog for more than 7 hours unless in an emergency, even if they were a grey. In your case I would certainly suggest an older dog/s. Jobie gets left up to 7 hours in the worst case scenario and he doesn't mind, but he'll be 9 this year so he sleeps a lot anyway whether we're there or not. He's never chewed or destroyed anything, but I really think we struck lucky with him being so chilled out. If you got two you would possibly be able to go a bit younger if you wanted to, but I wouldn't say any younger than 5 or 6 unless you're really lucky and come across a nice laid back youngster. As you say, I always think that in any case it will be a huge step up from what they're used to or the alternative to retirement! good luck
Oh and about your parents... Just tell them two greys are no different from one, they even curl up a bit tighter on the bed so they don't use up any more floor space

... Just tell them two greys are no different from one, they even curl up a bit tighter on the bed so they don't use up any more floor space

Thats what i keep telling my OH !!!

I agree with most of the advice you have been given. I would never keep a greyhound or any dog outside for that matter. When greyhounds are given a chance at living in a home then i think thats what they deserve, they do bond closely and can take time to do this so lots of human contact and plenty of home comforts are whats needed. I am a volunteer for Greyhound Rescue North Yorkshire and i know that we wouldn't rehome if the dog were to be kept outside. They do also do better in pairs or more.

Good luck, i hope some of the advice will help you come to the right decision and find something that suits you but more importntly suits the dog/s.

Thank's everyone, I have some considering to do.

Richard

Hi there Richard,
Welcome to Dogsey!
First of all i would like to say what a brilliant choice you have made in which breed of dog to get! They are so laid back and relaxed, and very low maintenance.
As you have said, if the garden is secure and fully enclosed at all times of the day, and there is a locked gate that cannot be opened (so no-one can attempt to let your dog out as a joke - we have had that. We live next to lots of children who once let our dog out for fun. He is old though, so he barked at them and they ran away! )
If you are still not sure, maybe you could do a few trial days. Ask your neighbour politely if they would tell you if the dog was any hassle. If not after a few days, then maybe they would be ok. As a greyhound owner i do not recommend that you leave the dog outside, but working 7-9 hours a day... It is obviously needed.
Well, i hope this has helped!!
Good luck xx