Ex-Racing Greyhounds...

I think the reason Greyhound pups got such a bad reputation was the general public was used to adopting older, mature, calmer retired racers and had no idea that they could be 45 MPH hurricanes instead of couch potatoes!

Some of Joey in action (which I enjoyed and never had a problem with)

Here is one of Joey and a St. Poodle puppy!

More Joey

Joey is gorgeous Whitewave!!

Could you tell me a bit about greyhound puppies? Anything that stands out with them?

ETA: If you don't mind me asking on your thread SillySally!

That has always been my thinking as well.

I have raised one, had a few here, and spent a lot of time with a lot of them and none of them have been as awful as people make them out to be, even my extremely driven, bossy, high energy performance girl.

Greyhounds puppies are fun. They are active and playful. My Boston Terrier Jack was my saving grace when they were tiny. He played with both Riddick and Joey 24/7.

I never crated either puppy. They were given free reign pretty much from the get go. Riddick was 7 weeks old and Joey was 8 weeks old when I got them. Both NGA (racing) lines Riddick had on accident. Joey had a few, but both were quick to housetrain. They followed what the other dogs did. Riddick used a doggie door, but I had to take it out after someone stole my French Bulldog.

Riddick never chewed anything. Joey chewed the corner of the couch, but he did so while I was home and in the same room and didn't even notice. They were good to play with their toys.

They are sweet, goofy, silly pups, a bit devilish at times, but what puppy isn't.

I have raised Dobermans, Dogo, pit bulls, Great Danes, Italian Greyhounds, Min Pins, and mix breed pups and Greyhounds will always be my favorite. I would take another in a heartbeat.


Joey learned sit and down in his foster home before I got him and I picked him up the day after he turned 8 weeks. He never forgot either even when I didn't use the commands for weeks after getting him.

Greyhounds themselves are naturally well mannered and easy house companions. They do tend to be velcro, at least my boys have been. You do not do anything without them. They are bed hogs too. A 75lb hound can take up an entire king size bed.

I lost Riddick at 10 months, he had cardiomyopathy and dropped dead running across the yard.

Joey just turned 13 months. He has 2 brothers who will be racers and I hope to adopt one or both when they retire. His 1/2 sister is racing at Derby Lane she is adorable, but she is doing very well running. The fastest dog there right now!

That sounds so perfect and kinda what I was hoping you would say! High energy is no issue at all but I'm hoping for less of a dog than my Koolies as far as crazy goes.

My hope is to have an easier going dog that isn't going to implode when they don't exercise or work for a day. I mean, of course puppies are going to be MORE but I love that they sound overall like rather polite dogs naturally.

My girl Kaylee is hitting the end of her time, Bone cancer, and I adore having a big cuddle bug dog that isn't tiny and pokey (I'll take big and pokey thank you very much). A dog that likes to go do stuff but isn't make or break the day by it.

Best dogs. My first dog as an adult was an ex-racer. One of the things I adored about her was that she was not busy in the house. She was always up for going outside and doing something active, but once everyone else settled inside the house, so did she.

Part of the reason I chose Pip, who was her successor, was that I was so heartbroken when she died that I couldn't bear the idea of having another and I was looking at the most ungreyhound-like dogs I could find.

IME Grey puppies are...well puppies. So yeah, they might puppy bite or chew on stuff. They can get very wild and silly and race around faster than they can actually go. But all in all, they're pretty easy puppies. They generally housetrain quickly and can sleep uncrated early on. Hannah slept loose (and in bed with me LOL) starting at 4 months I think. Not only did she not move from the bed all night, I had to convince her to get up in the morning.

I find Greys to be quite trainable over all, when using marker training. Hannah learned just as much as any other puppy I have had and had dozens of behaviors by time she was 4 months old. The cutest was her go to the mat behavior because she did it in reverse. They aren't wired to tolerate much aversives in the way of training and will shut down easily. They do tend to be naturally good house dogs and be willing to walk on leash with you pretty readily, so many Greys aren't really trained at all because they aren't really ever a problem. Even if they don't "listen" they aren't generally getting into trouble.

A bunch of my neighbors have had them over the last 15 years or so, and they have all been great dogs. King was "in love" with one of them, a dark brindle female who had a limp from a serious racing injury. They always all seemed so calm, it was kind of spooky sometimes. I was offered one recently, but like the others I've come across, I turned him down. It's not fair to get a dog right now, I can't walk them due to my mobility issues. If I was going to take any of them, it would have been the last one, a slightly heavier version of King, supposedly a Lab/Husky mix, who was being fostered by a friend and his wife. They are working on me to take him, but it's not fair to the dog.

I almost went with a Greyhound before I got Mimi. The rescue and I had a bit of a difference of opinion and Mimi was offered to me, so no Grey right now (I wanted a smaller end female, rented and did not have a fenced yard, they wanted first-time adoptions to take a male, preferably two, and have a fenced yard).

Ultimately, I'll probably adopt a Grey down the road when I have my own fenced yard etc., but I do appreciate the portability and slightly higher energy level of Whippets (though in comparison, they're just as cool with miles of walking as they are staying in bed all day or going racing for the weekend).

Sighthounds in general do well with positive training. Greys and Whippets both seem generally motivated to participate if there's something in it for them and I've found that they're, in general, softer in terms of temperament.

What? Why the heck would they want a first time adopter to take TWO dogs. And why a male? Good dog, I love my retired racer, and will probably have more in the future because the puppy has been A LOT of work, but sometimes I wonder about the adoption groups....

NO idea, that's what irked me. I came to them wanting a smaller female... offering a home to a dog who needed one.. and they wouldn't let me? I know they had girls.. apparently their logic was 'boy is easier' since girls can be bitchy? I don't know. I had explained that while I may be a first time potential Grey adopter, I was experienced with dogs in general, particularly sighthounds. I have a friend who used to breed Ridgebacks, which, IMO, are more 'difficult' than a retired Grey.

Unfortunate that I couldn't give a dog a home at the time, but I ended up with two stellar Whippets that both needed homes. Eventually I'll have a Grey.. once my 'credentials' are better.