IN-HOME GREYHOUND RE-TRAINING GUIDE · 4 In-Home Greyhound Re-Training Guide Version - March Give...

IN-HOME GREYHOUND RE-TRAINING GUIDE

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Contents

2

Index ....................................................................................................................................... 2

Bringing home your greyhound ............................................................................................... 6

The Life of a Greyhound born to race ...................................................................................... 7

Settling in your new greyhound .............................................................................................. 8

Settling in – First week ........................................................................................................... 9

Settling In – Night time ......................................................................................................... 10

Encouraging appropriate behaviour ...................................................................................... 11

Introducing Dogs ................................................................................................................... 12

Predatory drive in Greyhounds .............................................................................................. 13

Understanding your Greyhound’s Emotions and Reactions ................................................... 15

Normal Dog Behaviour – what to encourage ..........................................................................16

Exercise .................................................................................................................................17

Leash Manners ...................................................................................................................... 18

Off-lead Dog Parks ................................................................................................................ 19

Life experiences .................................................................................................................... 20

Greyhounds and Children .......................................................................................................21

Introducing Your Greyhound to Cats & Other Animals ............................................................ 23

Detecting Anxiety and avoiding escalation (and Aggression) ................................................. 25

Separation Related Distress .................................................................................................. 26

Hoarding or Collecting Items ................................................................................................. 27

Training your Greyhound ....................................................................................................... 31

Basic Manners Training .........................................................................................................32

Getting dogs to come when called i.e. recall ............................................................... 32

Further training ............................................................................................................ 33

Lying down/drop .......................................................................................................... 33

Sitting .......................................................................................................................... 33

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Toilet Training ........................................................................................................................ 34

Preventing Mistakes .................................................................................................... 34

When Accidents Happen .............................................................................................. 34

Crate Training .........................................................................................................................35

Entertainment: Keeping your dog’s mind active .................................................................... 36

Activities ...................................................................................................................... 36

Stairs .................................................................................................................................... 37

Going Up ...................................................................................................................... 37

Going Down.................................................................................................................. 37

Greyhound Health and Welfare .............................................................................................. 39

Feeding ................................................................................................................................. 40

Body Condition and Weight ................................................................................................... 41

Emergencies and Veterinary Care ......................................................................................... 42

Bloat/Gastric Torsion ............................................................................................................. 43

Continuing Care..................................................................................................................... 44

Pannus ......................................................................................................................... 44

Intestinal worms, heart worm and fleas ....................................................................... 44

Ticks ............................................................................................................................ 44

Preventatives ............................................................................................................... 45

Safety Issues-House and Yard ............................................................................................... 46

Responsibilities and Ownership ............................................................................................ 48

Stay In Touch!........................................................................................................................ 51

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In-Home Greyhound Re-Training Guide Version 7 - March 20164

Give your new greyhound every chance for success

Congratulations on adopting a greyhound, a gentle and magnificent breed.

Greyhounds do make wonderful pets, but like any working dog, a period of transition to be expected. Whilst many greyhounds will settle into their new home with ease, a significant number will find the experience traumatic. It is important to recognise that rehoming is a stressful event for any dog, but particularly so for greyhounds who unlike other breeds of dogs, have rarely been provided with prior exposure to a domestic situation.

Fear, anxiety and predatory aggression are amongst the more frequently encountered behavioural problems for retiring greyhounds. You will be taking on the responsibility of caring for a dog during a period of rehabilitation. It is critical that you have patience, understanding and a desire to help your greyhound learn what they need to know about what you want from them.

We have developed this handbook for two reasons:

1. It gives you an insight into the process of settling a new greyhound into your home. We recommend that you complete the Behaviour module BEFORE you bring home your new family member. Contact GAP for a link to this online course.

2. It becomes your guideline for your Greenhound Assessment (see Section 4). Once your greyhound passes this assessment he or she will not have to wear a muzzle in public.

If you have adopted your greyhound through GAP (Greyhounds as Pets) your Greenhound workbook will be included in your adoption package.

This manual may look daunting but all the information is presented in an easy to read format and is the most important resource you will have to give your new greyhound the best start in this new chapter of his or her life.

GREYHOUND BEHAVIOUR


Imagine how you might feel stepping out of a plane and finding yourself in a different country. While you may find some comfort in the few things that seem a little like home, much of what you encounter will be very new and unfamiliar. How will you know what is safe and what isn’t? Each of us will react differently to this, some better than others. Your new pet is about to experience a very similar situation as it settles into its new home.

It is well documented that early socialisation and habituation are vitally important for puppies. In order to be a well-adjusted canine citizen, dogs need to be exposed to a wide variety of sociable and friendly dogs and people as well as sights, sounds and smells during the early socialisation period (up until approximately 8 weeks of age).

The first few months of a dog’s life are the most important for providing the best chance of normal social development. In addition, continued exposure to new and novel things is critical during the first 12 months of life. During this period, most greyhound puppies are being raised in a rural environment, devoid of normal everyday household sights and sounds that other dogs take for granted such as washing machines, television, traffic, busy streets etc. Put simply, many ex-racing greyhounds are not adequately prepared for life as a domestic pet. This can be very stressful to greyhounds and can result in fear and anxiety. Behaviourally, this can manifest in a myriad of responses from very subtle reactions

akin to unresponsiveness (the greyhound ignores or avoids certain stimuli) to distressing repetitive acts of self-harm (stereotypies that result in injury).

Greyhounds do amazingly well when you take all of this into consideration. If you are prepared to work with your greyhound intially, you will be rwarded many times over.

Anxiety is a very common behavioural problem in both racing and retired greyhounds. Indeed, it is very common across the canine spectrum, accounting for up to 90% of referrals to veterinary behaviourists. Greyhounds are no exception.

We know that pet owners are far more likely to relinquish their recently adopted greyhound if it demonstrated:

• inappropriate soiling;

• destructiveness;

• excessive vocalisation;

• predatory aggression and;

• if the effort to care for the dog was more than the owner had initially expected

This module is designed to prepare you for some of the challenges that owning an ex-racing greyhound can present. Applying this knowledge can:

• give your greyhound the best possible opportunity to transition to its new life and;

• assist you in identifying and seeking appropriate treatment where necessary.

Bringing home your greyhound

In-Home Greyhound Re-Training Guide Version 7 - March 2016 7

Whilst greyhounds do make wonderful pets it is important to recognise that the husbandry practices within the industry don’t allow for the same experiences that a puppy coming into a pet home is exposed to. Things like a lack of handling and the opportunity to meet lots of different people and places can have life-long implications for these dogs. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they cannot learn and transition into a new environment as an adult, however it does mean that it is your responsibility to understand and be able to cater for their individual needs.

Not all greyhounds that are available for adoption have raced. Many have spent a significant time of their life in a paddock with other dogs but very limited contact with people. Those that have raced will have had more contact with people during kennelling, handling and transport. Remember that not all these interactions may have been perceived as pleasant by the dog, so your new pet needs to learn not only who you and your family are but also how safe and predictable being around you is going to be.

In addition to the limited contact, greyhounds in kennels don’t have much experience of a very complex environment. This means that there isn’t much to provide mental stimulation, much of the time they get plenty of physical exericse and are encouraged to rest in between. When we bring them home we often want to give them lots of enrichment and attention. The new environment, atmosphere and everything that comes with it can often be very overwhelming. The good news is there is lots that you can do to help your dog to transition to this new life.

The most important first step is to make their world ‘smaller’ NOT’ bigger’. Even though we want to ‘socialise’ them and teach them about their new world - don’t try and do it all in the first week, or the first month! Like people, dogs learn best when they are calm. Give them a chance to learn about their new environment so that you can build on this foundation and allow them to accept all the changes that are ahead.

The Life of a Greyhound born to race


Settling in your new greyhound

Your new dog doesn’t know the house rules and is going to be a little unsure about what is expected of him. Some dogs respond to this by becoming quiet and withdrawn. Others will release nervous tension through excitable behaviour.

The most important thing that you can do for your new greyhound is build a predictable environment. It is easy to assume that your home will automatically feel comfortable for your new dog. The opposite is actually true. They have to learn to interpret the body postures, actions, words and wants of you, their new owner/s whilst simultaneously trying to get used to life in an urban environment. Other dogs get the opportunity to do this much earlier in life. They do amazingly well once you understand this and take it into account when helping them to adjust.

Often, a lack of understanding of what you want and communication inconsistencies in owner response can lead to conflict, anxiety and uncertainty. This anxiety is heightened if shouting at, growling at, using spray bottles and other deterrents are used.

The key message here is that you should always reward good behaviour. This will not only help to strengthen the bond between you and your new greyhound, but will improve communication through predictability. Don’t forget to tell them they are wonderful when they are doing something you like.

Don’t leave ‘forbidden’ objects lying around the house. This will only encourage your dog to put them in his mouth. Instead, give him access to lots of appropriate toys.

Don’t wait for your dog to have a toileting accident. Help them get it right from the outset.

Give them a very comfortable bed that is close to the family. If they don’t have their own bed which is close to you when you are watching TV or eating dinner, they will assume they should sit on the couch with you. Instead, keep a good dog bed in the family and/or dining room, and show them where their bed is and reward them for going there. If your dog gets on the couch, lure them off the couch with food and give the treat to them in their bed.

Provide a consistent rule structure so that your dog knows what is expected of him. Write a list of appropriate and inappropriate behaviours. Next to each item, indicate how you are going to encourage or discourage a behaviour from occurring.

Reward with tasty treats and attention whenever your dog is doing something ‘good’, this can be investigating, resting calmly, allowing you to walk past - in the beginning the more you reward your dog the better!

PLEASE NOTE: you should not physically punish your dog or yell at him. He is new to your home and doesn’t know what you want, and punishment will only serve to scare him and hinder the bonding process between you and him. He will become stressed and anxious and therefore more likely to chew more things or urinate in fear.


Settling in – First week

When you first bring your greyhound home the first few weeks can be very unsettling. This applies to any dog and greyhounds are no exception. Greyhounds have often never been entirely alone as they have more often than not had the constant company of other dogs in kennels. Knowing how to prepare and cope during this time can help you and your new housemate adjust.

Remember also

1. Keep the initial arrival low key - although everyone will be excited (especially if children are part of the dog’s new family) try to understand that your new greyhound needs time to settle into what is essentially a very different environment to anything he has ever been used to.

2. Greyhounds don’t need a lot of space but they do need a safe area to retreat to. This can be:

• an enclosed garden or outside area with shelter and bedding

• a dog run with a kennel

• a laundry or small room with a child gate so the dog can see out but cannot get access to the rest of the house (and other animals and children can not get in); or

• a crate (see crate training as this is not appropriate for every dog and will take some time to implement)

Most people will provide a combination of the above and this works well too. Whilst you may think that your greyhound will feel most comfortable near a couch, remember that particularly for those greyhounds that have always run in paddocks they may feel trapped, especially if they are in a small living area with tv’s, ceiling fans, small people playing nearby, banging pots and pans and possibly resident pets to contend with.

Keep in mind that your greyhound will usually be most familiar with an outdoor environment. In the initial 2-3 days they are most likely to feel comfortable outside and they can be brought inside to settle under supervision. Crate training and child gates are often used to manage behaviour but bear in mind that they do sometimes contribute to anxiety and frustration. Ensure that they are introduced carefully if you choose these options or they are recommended to you.

Try to ensure that you and your family loves your greyhound from afar to begin with. Allow them to come to you when they are ready, use some of the simple training in this course to begin with. Refrain from kissing and cuddling your new pet, no matter how adorable he or she is. Whilst they may seem to tolerate this give them time to get used to this type of affection.

Give the dog time to explore and have time alone as well as with the family.

During the day, direct your dog to this safe area and then drop some treats inside - make it something tasty that they wouldn’t usually have access to (roast chicken, cheese, ham are great options).

Don’t close or lock the door during this time – you just want him to associate moving to this area and settling calmly with good things.

Do this 5-10 times during the day to ensure that your dog moves happily into that area and then receives a treat. In addition, you can ‘secretly’ place treats in this area throughout the day. You will find your greyhound will start to choose to go to this area and when you notice this happening make sure you praise him or her and provide further treats or toys.


Settling In – Night time

Ensure your dog has a bed in a quiet area of the house and outdoor area. This allows them to choose where they feel most comfortable (most will change from outdoors to indoors within the first couple of weeks!). Ensure the bed is not near doorways or high traffic areas of the house, away from noise (tv’s and kitchen). You may like to use a crate with the door open or a bed with defined sides to give security.

Always practice calling your greyhound off their bed for food rewards and also give them a treat for going to their bed, and periodically when they are lying on it as a reward for staying there.

To further help settle your dog during the first nights, place some food (or left over dinner) as well as their water bowl in the area with your dog. This gives them further opportunity to snack during the night.

Leaving a light and radio/TV on and providing your dog with a soft toy may also help, although this will

depend on how much your dog has been used to this in previous environments.

Try and give yourself an hour before you go to bed to help them settle. Read a book, or watch TV. Leave the room and then come back immediately. Repeat this and gradually allow longer periods of time. Always wait until they are settled on the bed (lying down) before you leave. When you go to bed, some dogs become anxious because all of a sudden you’ve disappeared and left them alone for many hours.

Some dogs will be restless or unsettled, particularly if their arrival was late in the day (so he has had less time to become accustomed to his surroundings), placing a crate or bedding near or in your bedroom where your dog can see you often helps him to settle. In the following days, set up a safe area as described above and follow the same process.


Encouraging appropriate behaviour

DESIRABLE BEHAVIOURS How to promote / encourage

Lying quietly Reward with treats every time we see this.

In his bed Reward with treats every time we see this.

Chewing or playing with toys you’ve provided Make sure that toys are rotated so that there is some variety otherwise the dog will get bored and redirect his/her energy to doing something else.

Moving towards people in a friendly/ non-boisterous manner

Reward with gentle pats and praise (not over the top excitement as this may frighten or over excite the dog).

Toileting in the right place Reward with treats and verbal praise.

UNDESIRABLE BEHAVIOURS How to prevent / discourage

Toileting inside Clean area thoroughly and appropriately, take dog outside more often and at regular intervals, wait with him, praise and reward when him goes in the right place.

On the couch or your bed Provide a comfy bed near that area for your dog to enjoy. Coax the dog off the couch/bed with treats and place them in his bed. Gently pat and quietly/calmly praise the dog. Do NOT physically drag the dog off the area as this can frighten the dog or cause pain! If the dog won’t budge, carefully clip on his lead to encourage him off.

Chewing inappropriate items Provide a range of toys that you rotate regularly to prevent the dog getting bored. Any time you see the dog use these, praise and reward. If your dog has an inappropriate item, exchange it for something that your dog likes better (toy or treat). Don’t ‘steal’ it from your dog or he may feel he needs to guard it from you.

Frightened or wary behaviour Let your dog explore the new item or situation in its own time. Don’t drag the dog towards the source of his fear or frighten him further. Instead, provide food and verbal rewards for any acts of ‘bravery’ when your dog moves close to the area.


Introducing Dogs

Introducing dogs to one another should always be done one at a time on lead, muzzled and in a wide open, area. If you have obtained your dog through GAP (or indeed some other rescue organisations) you will usually have been given the opportunity for your current dog to help you ‘choose’ your next pet by making sure that they seem to get on well together.

If this has not happened initially introduce them on neutral territory and away from other dogs (i.e. not an off leash park). An unused sporting oval or quiet street is ideal. Begin with the dogs 30 metres apart with the handlers walking in the same direction. When the dogs are paying each other very little attention, gradually drift in towards one another a little as you continue walking. If the dogs get over excited, move apart again. When in the home, ensure that you always feed the dogs separately and that you carefully supervise the dogs’ interactions for the first week or so. If you can’t supervise them for a period, keep them physically separated. You might find that a crate may come in useful for this (see the ‘Crate Training’ section).

Remember that whilst they are learning to co-habitate you may see anxiety in one or both of these dogs. Once they have met it can help to take your existing dog for a quick walk whilst the newcomer explores their new environment. Try and keep this first meeting relaxed and playful. Bring treats to reward both animals for good behaviour.

Initially ensure that any objects that either dog may compete for are kept hidden. This would include toys, chews (bones) and food. Ensure the following:

Always supervise your dogs whilst they explore the house and garden (and each other) together.If you see initial aggression distract them without punishment.

Punishment will cause further anxiety in the new addition (because you will be seen as an unpredictable and possibly threatening element in their environment). It can also be associated with the other dog and make the behaviour escalate.

Ensure good things happen when the dogs are together; treats and attention.

Provide your new dog with his own area (see the ‘safe area’ information for sleeping and eating.

Feed your dogs separately.

Be very careful about letting your pets interact freely until you are sure that they enjoy one another’s company and do not find interactions stressful.

Pay close attention to your dog’s behaviour and watch for ‘prey drive’ (see the next topic) not just at the beginning, but for the first months and ongoing if necessary.

Your Greyhound should never show signs of ‘prey drive’ (see ‘Prey Drive in Greyhounds’ section) including overt reactions of a fixated stare, trembling/shaking, body tension, salivating, baring teeth, snap/bite when introduced to or observing another dog, particularly small and ‘fluffy’ dogs. Your dog should view another dog as in fact another dog, and not ‘prey’ or something they want to attack, harm or consume. If such behaviours are observed, please contact us.

‘Prey drive’ should not be confused with normal dog inquisitiveness, curiosity, excitement or playfulness.

Your Greyhound’s behaviour and interactions with other dogs, particularly small dogs, is a key component for their success in the ‘Greenhound’ collar (GAPNTT) assessment.


Predatory Drive in Greyhounds

Greyhounds belong to the sight-hound group, thus a moderate level of prey drive should not be unexpected. Their vision has evolved differently to dogs with flatter faces (brachycephalic breeds), with a visual streak that facilitates better peripheral vision and a propensity to chase fast moving objects. However, every dog is an individual and the potential for a particular behaviour will depend on a combination of genetics, learning and the environment it finds itself in.

Predatory behaviour is normal; without it a dog would soon die of starvation. Depending on the intended target though, it can be a worrying and even an unacceptable behaviour for many owners.

Prey drive is a term loosely used to describe a dog’s motivation to chase. This high internal drive inherent in certain breeds is exploited in many contexts; for example: herding, fly ball, Frisbee, a game of fetch and a greyhound chasing the lure (with or without the opportunity to catch or grab it at the end of the race).

Predatory drive (also called predatory aggression) describes the motivation to attack or grab with or without the intent to kill or ingest. It generally involves a quiet attack with at least one bite and fierce shaking.

Predatory drive is one of the most misinterpreted aspects of a greyhound’s personality. This is understandable given the huge variation between individual dogs with regards to frequency, intensity and even triggers for the behaviour.

Predatory behaviours differ to inter-dog aggression in that the underlying emotional state is invariably positive. It is likely that it is part of the emotional ‘seeking’ system in the dog, the purpose of which is to motivate animals to find and consume resources they need for survival. Predatory behaviour is adrenalin fuelled and involves neurotransmitters such as dopamine. It therefore offers a chemical reward for the dog, increasing internal motivation for the behaviour with each opportunity to practice.

For many greyhounds, the opportunity to express this behaviour in an otherwise socially devoid racing kennel environment may enhance its intensity. As already mentioned, behaviour is always a combination of genetics, learning and environment. Genetics tell us what a dog might do, not what it will do.

When we make a decision to bring an animal such as a greyhound into our lives, we must understand and accept that this predatory drive is at times very much a part of what they are. Therefore we all must take appropriate steps to minimise the risks to other people and their own much loved family pets. Understanding risks and early warning signs is a very important part of owning a greyhound..

A greyhound allowed to chase small dogs around the park is a completely different scenario to one that remains under control on a leash. Muzzle free status generally means the dog has only been assessed as being a low risk whilst on a lead. This is reasonable, given otherwise it is a fairly unattainable standard for a significant percentage of the greyhound population. It must be remembered that this is a one off assessment, offering no guarantee of safety in all situations; this remains the responsibility of the owner.


Predatory aggression has variable thresholds too. Greyhounds can live harmoniously alongside one small dog, yet may not be reliable around other unfamiliar small dogs. For a variety of reasons, familiar dogs and cats may become targets as well. Greyhound engaging in predatory behaviour are acting on impulse, rather than using the logical, thinking part of their brain. Familiarity and former friendships may well be forgotten in the heat of the moment. However, individual differences aside, as the dog becomes more excited, the higher the risk it will be pushed over threshold. The behaviour is a continuum, and play may turn to prey. This is why off leash environments may be more risky for some greyhounds.

Some signs of prey drive may include some or all of the following:

• Fixed and focused eyes

• Stalking

• Freezing

• Lip licking

• Salivating

• Jaw trembling

• Lunging

• Whining

• Pawing

• Body/muscle stiffness

• Tail often wagging, may be excessive

It is important to note that your greyhound may be fine with other household dogs that it knows, however it may be a different story with strange dogs, for instance those met on the street or at the park in day to day occurrences.

It is in the interest of public safety and that of other animals encountered on a day to day basis that greyhounds exhibiting any of the previously mentioned behaviours not be unmuzzled in public, and it is advised for strict supervision and muzzling to occur should any of these behaviour be present regardless of muzzling exemption status.


Understanding your Greyhound’s Emotions and Reactions

Like us, our greyhounds experience a wide range of emotions. When we observe our dogs carefully they will almost always give us cues as to how they are feeling. Also, like us, when they begin to become overwhelmed they will express this by displaying behaviours that we need to take notice of. Usually these indicate their desire to end an interaction or remove themselves from a situation (with a person, a dog or even another species or environment), however we don’t always recognise it as such.

These behaviours are also known as ‘displacement behaviours’. These are normal behaviours that occur in an abnormal context, for example:

• Scratching• Yawning• Stretching/play bowing• Licking or chewing at paws• Lip licking• Body shaking.

When you see these behaviours it is a sign that your greyhound’s emotional ‘sink’ (© Heath 2016) is approaching full. Once it reaches overflow you are likely to see behaviours that indicate that your greyhound really is unable to cope. You may see this expressed as panic and attempts to escape (avoidance), aggression (repulsion), freezing (inhibition) or attempts to appease or exchange information with you (leaning, licking, rolling over).

It is also important to remember that individual dogs will respond differently to stress. This will depend on their genetics, their past experience and the current situation they find themselves in. The hormones that are activated during stressful evens will dissipate over many days providing there are no further events. This means that your dog may still be experiencing stress for days after it has encountered something it perceives as frightening. What this means is that your new greyhound will become overwhelmed very quickly.As a new greyhound owner setting it your dog up for success and ensuring prevention, particularly in first year, is your responsibility. AVOID situations that you feel will be upsetting or stressful for your dog, choose quieter options and reward with food/attention and toys. Once the dog can tolerate and shows some emotional resilience or ability to manage its own emotional level you can slowly increase to more challenging environments. Initially AVOID people, dogs and places that create ANY displacement behaviours in your dog. Make a note of them and gradually associate them with something positive. If you are not sure of how to do this refer to the GAP office for assistance. NEVER punish your dog for these behaviours. Remember that this is the dog communicating how they are feeling. If you punish a dog for growling, it will no longer growl, it will likely escalate its response to make its intention very clear.

Normal Dog Behaviour – what to encourage

What is considered as normal dog behaviour in response to the previously mentioned situations may include:

• Curving (not approaching other dog head on)

• Head lowering

• Bottom sniffing

• Soft eyes

• Low-medium height wagging tail (not excessively)

• Play bow

• Friendly interest shown

• Soliciting polite interactions

• General relaxed body language

• Able to be easily distracted


Exercise

Despite the fact that Greyhounds have an athletic physique, they are short distance runners as opposed to marathon runners. Consequently, they do not require nearly as much exercise as you might expect. A walk on lead each day (for 15-20 minutes, once or twice a day) is usually sufficient to keep them happy and healthy. In the case of younger or more active dogs, they may need a little more than this (approximately 2 x 20-30 minute walks).

As Greyhounds are not endurance dogs, they are not the ideal pet if you are an avid, long-distance jogger who wants company on your trip. However, most Greyhounds will build up stamina over time if started out slowly, but they will still tire much more readily than other dog breeds. This is what makes them such great (and sometimes lazy) pets!

Greyhounds tend to be affected adversely by temperature extremes, so heat and humidity during exercise should be avoided by limiting it to the cooler parts of the day or evening.

We highly recommend that Greyhounds are exercised on lead at all times in public places as these dogs have no road awareness and with their ability for exceptional speed, would almost certainly be severely injured or worse if allowed to venture near a road. They can also do serious damage to themselves should they be allowed off lead and encounter posts, sticks or fences at speed. These dogs are accustomed to walking on a lead and generally heel readily, without pulling.

Your Greyhound does not require regular free running exercise for his physical or mental health, but he may

enjoy the occasional burst if you have access to a fully fenced and safe area, such as a fully enclosed yard. However, even in these environments, please be conscious of any council restrictions, potential hazards on the ground and avoid off leash running if the safety of the environment is in doubt.

For some dogs, muzzling exemption assessment does not provide a green light for frolicking freely with unfamiliar small dogs in an off leash park. The green collar assessment, when performed correctly, should be an assessment of the dogs safety whilst on a leash and for polite interactions in passing. To expect the assessment to extend to off leash safety is grossly unfair on the dog and highlights a fundamental misunderstanding of the green collar assessment process, and prey drive/aggression.

Whilst instilling a recall into your greyhound is a very useful tactic to employ, it should be noted that a recall should never be relied upon (e.g. to protect your dog in an off leash setting or near a road etc)

Many rural properties are not considered safe areas for Greyhounds to gallop, due to barbed wire fences (which a Greyhound could run straight through) and other obstacles such as tree stumps and low hanging branches) that may cause serious injury. As Greyhounds can run at speeds up to approximately 65-70km/h and are thin-skinned with little thickness of coat to protect them from cuts and scrapes, they can do themselves a lot of damage in an unsafe environment). We ask that you carefully inspect any area in which you are considering allowing your dog off leash to ensure his safety at all times.


Leash Manners

Walking your greyhound can be a rewarding and stimulating experience for both you and your dog, but there are some important things to remember.Ex racing greyhounds tend to be fairly accustomed to walking well when on lead. Much of their training during their racing careers may have involved being walked on a regular basis on lead for exercise/fitness purposes. Additionally greyhounds are led to the starting boxes and from the catching pen at the race/trial track on a lead and collar and therefore have generally had a lot of exposure to this kind of activity. Alternatively, unraced, young greyhounds and puppies which have not been subject to as much, if any, training or racing may not be as familiar with both walking on the leash and exposure to a wide variety of environments when on lead as their racing/older counterparts.It is important to note that a greyhound whose emotional state is overwhelmed, or one that shows high motivation towards predatory behavior, may have seemingly desirable leash manners until something changes in their emotional state. This means they can be under control one minute and intent on pursuing or escaping the next. Dogs that prove challenging on the lead and want to pull excessively may be a good candidates for the utilisation of a front attach walking harness, readily available at pet supply shops. It is important to note that, like any breed, there is a level of unpredictability therefore it is important to always have a firm, conscious and sensible (i.e. not wrapped around the arm or held too loosely) grip on the lead.

Be very aware that when the environment becomes overwhelming many greyhounds will freeze on the end of the leash. If they get to this point and are unresponsive they are in extreme distress. All animals will respond to overwhelming emotion in four ways - avoidance, appeasement, inhibition or repulsion. Freezing is part of inhibition. In this state the dog is trying to gather information to decide how to respond. This is a sign that the environment is far too challenging for your greyhound. Allow your dog to recover (if they will) which may take some time. If this happens revisit the behaviours you saw leading up to this response (re-read Understanding your Greyhounds Emotions and Reactions). Make your greyhounds world smaller not bigger. If it happened in busy or built up areas, go back to quiet routes. Keep the route the same. If necessary stop walking your greyhound and engage in mental stimulation at home until your dog has the ability to regulate their emotional response. Contact GAP for further information and advice.

• Automatically extending/retracting leads are not recommended for greyhounds, as they can quickly take off after something and injure themselves on nearby obstacles or when the lead comes to full extension and rapidly holts their journey.

• We recommend the martingale style of collars which are the safest for greyhounds, as when the dog pulls in any direction the collar tightens slightly to the neck of the dog and they are unable to slip out of the collar.


Off-lead Dog Parks

We highly recommend against off-lead dog parks. Greyhounds are sighthounds and even though you may feel that he is quite safe around other dogs, it only takes a second for his prey instinct to kick in and for him to mistake the quick fluffy dog running around as something he wishes to chase.

Additionally, off-leash dog parks are a common place for injury or incident which in many cases is not the fault of the Greyhound owner. By letting your new friend off-lead at the local dog park before you get to know really him, you can actually cause more behavioural damage than good despite your intentions.

Some Greyhounds can become intimidated by the array of different dogs rushing at them and this may lead to them forming a negative association with dogs of a certain breed or demeanour.

If you do wish to take your Greyhound/s to the dog park, we only recommend that this is done in an area that is fully fenced. Greyhounds can run extremely fast and often have no road awareness therefore adequate fencing is paramount to any area you wish to let your dog of lead, for its own safety.

Furthermore, we recommend commencing this process by taking your Greyhound to the park muzzled and on-lead. This allows you to gauge how your Greyhound may behave in such an environment and allows you more control of the animal.

If you feel your Greyhound is behaving and socialising appropriately and safely you may wish to progress to off-leash after a number of exposures and once you are confident how your dog socialises. We strongly recommend keeping your Greyhound muzzled, even if they are a Greenhound, if let off leash.


Life experiences

Greyhounds’ lives are often a little sheltered and quite structured during their racing careers. Where the life of a racing greyhound involves kennel time, time spent with other greyhounds, chasing moving objects and travelling, the life of a pet is undoubtedly more varied. Pet life generally involves indoor and outdoor time, interaction with a larger number of people, furniture, stairs, outings, distinguishing between their food and human food, glass doors, cars, slippery floors, toilets flushing, vacuum cleaners, time alone, other breeds of dogs and, sometimes, other species of animals.

Ensure that your greyhound is introduced to everything ‘novel’ or new in a calm and patient manner. Write down all the objects in and around the house that they will not have encountered (it will be a long list!). Work out a timetable or list so that you can tick off a positive interaction with each object in the first weeks and months. What you will need them to get used to will depend on your lifestyle. Do you have lots of people over, how many dogs are in the neighbourhood and so on. For each situation you will need to build up slowly. Newcomers to the house should say the name of the greyhound and offer food, ensure that there are not too many people at once to begin with. For an object, allow the dog to approach from a distance and investigate. If it is a noiser appliance, allow the dog to investigate when it is turned off to begin with, and from a safe distance that allows retreat when it is turned on eventually. Use praise and reward. If your dog they show fear at any step, then discontinue immediately and leave for a day or two before starting again at the previous step.

You will need to get them used to:

•- Glass doors

• Slippery floors (use mats and rugs in the beginning to help them become accustomed to this)

• Stairs

• Household objects

• Ceiling fans

• Radios/televisions

• Doorbells

• Phones and many other things most other pets will have encountered much earlier in their life.

Many greyhounds take introduction to these stimuli in their stride. However, for others such situations may be stressful. It is important that if your dog is worried by a situation that you:

1. Don’t panic or overly fuss over the dog

2. Allow the dog to move away from the frightening object/situation (or assist the dog to relax by removing either it or the object from the room).

3. Once everything has settled (this may be minutes, hours or days later) re-introduce your dog to the stimuli very gradually, safely and from a distance. Make the experience positive (using food rewards. Any investigative behaviours or curiosity shown by the dog should be rewarded with food and praise)

4. If, after one or two attempts, your dog is not improving (or your dog worsens at any stage), you may wish to seek some advice from our program, or canine behavioural trainers or veterinary behaviourists. The longer these problems persist, the harder they are to change.

If you are having difficulties socializing your greyhound, not sure where to start or you simply want to be around other greyhound owners for support, there are plenty of greyhound support groups online. A growing group of our adopters regularly get together for a greyhound walk once or twice a month in the Parramatta region (North West Sydney). You can find out about their walks by searching ‘Hills Hounds’ on Facebook.

There is also a great website to find a social walking group and dog “meet-ups” in your area – www.meetup.com/topics/dog-play-groups/au

Other examples of exposure to incidents/situation that are imperative to your dogs success in the ‘Greenhound’ collar (GAPNTT) assessment include reaction to: loud noise (e.g. metal object dropping on a concrete surface), unusual behaviour (e.g. people waving arms and strange voices), mildly threatening behaviour (e.g. dog being reprimanded in a firm voice and with hand signals) and general handling including a brief physical examination of ears, eyes, teeth, bite and muzzle, feet, tail and all over physical contact.

http://www.meetup.com/topics/dog-play-groups/au


Greyhounds & Children

Some of us have been lucky enough to experience a loving relationship with a dog during our childhood. To obtain such a relationship, children need to learn to respect their dog and be taught to recognise body language and canine communication.

During the racing career of a greyhound it often receives only limited socialisation and might not have met a child until he has left the racing kennels. It takes time and patience from both parties to build a relationship.

It is also difficult for children to appropriately read the cues that the dog is displaying when they are uncomfortable, scared or anxious.

The whole family should follow the following Greyhound rules:

• Please don’t cuddle me or hug me especially around my neck

• Please don’t kiss me or rub your face into mine

• Please don’t approach me when I am lying down, especially when I’m sleeping. Call me over when I am awake.

• Please don’t approach me when I am eating

• Please don’t tease me, or play roughly by pushing me or grabbing my nose, face area or legs.

It must also be stressed that regardless of how long you have known your new family member or how good either the dog or child is, they should NEVER be left alone unsupervised. Incidents between dogs and children often come about when adults become complacent and neglect to remember the importance of supervision.

When introducing children and dogs, there are some steps you might like to follow.

1. Explain and discuss with your child the need for calm and quiet behaviour around the dog, especially during the first days.

2. Teach your child to be considerate and respectful of the dog.

3. Do not force your child to interact with your greyhound. Let your child stand behind you or a baby gate, if this will make them feel more confident.

It is also very important that your children learn to recognise the signs that show that the dog is uncomfortable or anxious about being approached.

Greyhounds (or any dogs) should NEVER be awoken by children (or adults) by touching them. If they are sleeping deeply, they may be severely startled by such an awakening and may inadvertently lash out via a snap or bite. If you wish to wake your greyhound, stand a distance away and call their name, do not approach until they are fully conscious and sitting up. The saying ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ exists for a reason!

Always reiterate the Greyhound Rules to your child(ren). Ensure that they understand that some areas such as beds and crates are off limits to them. If the dog is in his bed or crate, or even just laying on the floor this is ‘out of bounds’. This ensures that your dog can retreat.

Greyhounds are more likely in the early stages to retreat from small children, which is why it is sometimes easy to make a mistake and assume that they are enjoying the interaction.

If you see any:

• yawning

• blinking

• lip licking

• turning their head away

• showing the white part of their eye

Stop the interaction and ask the children to give the dog time to recover.

Reward both child and dog when they are quiet when they are together. It is important to teach the child to stand still if it gets a fright and play ‘statues’. The child should stand still, turn his back to the dog and cross his arms whenever you say ‘statues’. Then, if


the dog jumps up and inadvertently gives your child a fright, your child will know what to do to discourage this behaviour in the future.

Discourage loud and boisterous play between dogs and children. We suggest that the child does not roll around on the floor while playing with the dog, instead, playing fetch or hide and seek are fun and controlled games. Never allow your child(ren) to lay on your greyhound. Rolling/laying on feet/tails etc could cause the dog to snap, no matter how tolerant the greyhound is.

Whilst greyhounds may be a little fussy at first, they generally love their treats (especially BBQ chicken) and such special treats from your child will build a special bond between the two. Firstly, the dog has to learn to take food from your hand gently as many greyhounds have never been fed from a hand before. Place a few treats on the ground for the dog to eat. Then, place some treats on your upward facing, flat palm and put the back of your hand on the ground so the dog is almost eating off the ground. When your dog is confidently eating off your

hand whilst it is on the ground, you can gradually start raising your hand up. To teach the dog to eat gently from your child’s hand, you can ask the child to put their hand UNDER yours and continue feeding in this way. This will enable the child to ‘help’ feed the dog without coming into direct contact with him. When your child is confident, they can progress to place their hand on top of yours with the food on the flat palm. The dog is now taking food directly from the child but with your support and assistance.

Children love to teach dogs new tricks such as “shake hands” and “lie down”, but often do not have the skill or patience for the exercise. It is suggested that an adult teaches all tricks first with the dog, and when a new behaviour is mastered, enlist the help from the child to “polish” the trick. Remember, not all greyhounds can sit, do not force it to be a chore or unpleasant for the dog.

There handouts available (from Veterinarian and Animal Behaviourist, Dr. Sophia Yin’s website) that visually outline how children should and shouldn’t interact with dogs.

http://DrSophiaYin.com/blog/


Introducing Your Greyhound to Cats & Other Animals

Introducing any dog and cat to each other is a delicate issue. Whilst it is not essential as part of the ‘Greenhound’ assessment for a Greyhound to tolerate cats, it may be desirable in your family environment.

Most dogs naturally want to chase a moving object. The particular issue to introducing cats and Greyhounds is that if the Greyhound wants to chase, it can do so at speeds of 65-70km/h. For this reason, the following section has been developed to assist you with the safe introduction of your pets.

Curiosity is a perfectly natural reaction in response to something that the dog has never seen before. This natural curiosity may result in acceptance of the cat as the novelty wears off, thereby making it suitable to live with cats. However, for some dogs the curiosity may not decrease to a level that they will be safe in a home with cats. It is not possible to determine which curious but not fixated dogs will relax around cats and which others will remain overly interested. For this reason it is important that dog and cat introductions are undertaken slowly and carefully. It is critical that this process is not rushed. Sometimes, a negotiated settlement might be a safer alternative, with environmental management rather than forced, potentially unsafe, interactions.

If you are going to proceed with introductions, please try to follow the guidelines below. Do not rush the process.

INDOORSStep 1 Fit your dog with a heavy duty muzzle as a safety net for early introductions. The dog could also be fitted with a harness to which the lead attaches at the front to give you more control.

Step 2 Conduct the first introductions slowly, ensuring the safety of all parties.

Step 3 Until you feel completely comfortable (2-3 weeks plus), ensure that your Greyhound is muzzled and leashed when introducing them (and that you maintain a hold on the leash) unless he is in his crate or the cat is securely locked in another room. Please note that the room the cat is in, should be locked with a sign on the door so that it is not accidentally allowed out. Please ensure that your Greyhound is given the opportunity to have a drink (i.e. that you take its muzzle off and take it to its water bowl) every 30 minutes to prevent dehydration. When you go out, ensure that the

dog and cat are physically separated (so they are safe) and the muzzle and leash taken off the dog to allow it to move freely and drink.

Step 4 If after 2-3 weeks (or whenever you are comfortable) of having your Greyhound muzzled and leashed around your cat it has shown no:

• Chasing• Stalking• Staring• Freezing• Excessive interest• Aggressionand you are confident to do so, you may take the leash off. Ensure that the muzzle is still securely fastened and make sure that you supervise interactions carefully. You will still need to allow your dog the opportunity to drink with its muzzle off every 30-60 minutes.

Step 5 If after 2 weeks of having your Greyhound muzzled and leashed around your cat it has shown no signs of behaviour as listed in step 4, and you are confident to do so, you may take the muzzle off and put the leash back on (attached to the front of the harness).


Some Greyhounds behave differently when their muzzle is removed, so it is crucial that it has its walking harness on and the lead attached to the front at all times during this next phase. Supervise all interactions between your dog and cat and ensure that an adult has a firm hold on the leash at all times.

If after 2 weeks of having the leash on (but the muzzle off) and your Greyhound has shown no signs of behaviour as listed in step 4, and you are confident to do so, you can allow the dog to be unleashed and un-muzzled whilst indoors and supervised with your cat.

It is recommended that dogs and cats never be allowed to be in proximity of one another without supervision. That means that when you go out they should be physically separated to ensure safety of all. If you want your dog and cat to be outside together, it is important that you start this process from the beginning and follow all the instructions as you did indoors.

If at any stage your dog is continuing to show behaviours from step 4 and not improving (or your dog worsens at any stage), you may wish to seek some advice from our program, or canine behavioural trainers or veterinary behaviourists. The longer these problems persist, the harder they are to change.

OTHER ANIMALSIf your Greyhound is regarded as “cat tolerant” this gives no guarantee that it will be safe around other small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and birds as they are all different. They should always be kept separate and under supervision at all times. A small animal can be under extreme stress just by being in the presence of a dog even if they are safe in their cage or enclosure.

If you live around horses, cattle and sheep, it may be a good idea to introduce your Greyhound to the livestock so it can get used to them but always do so in a safe controlled environment, i.e. dog on lead with a fence in between. Allowing your Greyhound off lead where it might follow its natural instinct to chase livestock could not only result in injury to your dog and/or the livestock but may get you into trouble with the farmer and possibly the law.


Detecting anxiety and avoiding escalation (and aggression)

As we have already seen in the module on greyhounds and children It is vital to recognise that you can avoid a dog feeling the need to show aggression if you watch it very carefully and change your interaction or the environment if you see an escalation of behaviours from the lower to the middle rungs of the ladder.

As a dog owner setting your dog up for success and putting in place preventative measures, particularly in first year, is your responsibility.

1. AVOID situations that you feel will be upsetting or stressful for your dog, choose quieter options and reward with food/attention and toys in these stages and once the dog can tolerate this slowly increase to more challenging environment.

2. AVOID people, dogs and places that have created ANY of these behaviours in your dog. Make a note of them and gradually associate them with something positive. If you are not sure of how to do this refer to the GAP office for assistance.

3. NEVER punish your dog for these behaviours. Remember that this is the dog communicating how they are feeling. If you punish a dog for growling, it will no longer growl, it will go straight to the next behaviour on the ladder.

4. ALWAYS understand the meaning of these gestures and encourage family members and friends to be aware. This will avoid the dog’s last resort (aggression).

You may also like to watch some of the videos on this site: https://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/preventing-dog-bites-stop-dog-aggression-before-it-starts/ to learn more about the different methods that are used in treating aggression and how dogs can respond to behaviour modification.


Separation Related Distress

As we have already seen earlier in this manual some greyhounds will have had a very different upbringing to prepare them for life as a pet than others. The new home environment they find themselves in is very different to that which they have grown up in. An abrupt change in environment, such as rehoming, can also put a dog at risk of separation related distress as they are generally very scared about their new situation and like all of us, we find it hard to make decisions when we are overwhelmed. They find it hard to decide what is potentially threatening and what is safe. This includes being confined in a situation (a house or environment) that they cannot remove themselves from. Consequently it may take a little while for them to get accustomed to spending time on their own. There are several ways we can help them make this adjustment

• Follow the gradual ‘setting in’ advice in this booklet very carefully. Watch your greyhound’s body language (see chart below) to ensure they are not displaying any signs that suggest they are not coping in their new home.

• If they enjoy a walk and are not showing any signs such as freezing, yawning, over-excitability or reluctance to leave the house you can encourage your dog to feel tired when you leave him. If you can take your dog for a good long walk before you go, they are less likely to get overexcited or stressed by your absence if they are sleeping.

• Don’t engage in prolonged goodbyes as this may distress your dog. Instead, just get up and casually leave.

• Don’t attempt the ‘desensitise’ or ‘counter condition’ your dog to departures (unless directed by a veterinary behaviourist during a treatment program). For these dogs this can make their environment even more unpredictable. They never know when your leaving and their fear and anxiety can grow rather than improve making the problem potentially worse.

• Don’t make your return (or departure) exciting – Just say ‘hello’ to the dog and make a phone call or put the shopping away for example. Five to ten minutes later you can calmly greet the dog in a low key manner, only when he has settled. Your dog will always be pleased to have you come home, but don’t encourage him to become

overexcitable as this can make their time alone at home more difficult to cope with.

• Don’t allow your dog to get accustomed to your undivided attention – when you’re at home, your dog doesn’t need to be with you at all times. It is healthy for them to remain asleep and warm indoors or outdoors whilst you do the laundry or pick up the mail. Allow them to spend time outdoors while you are indoors and provide them with things to occupy themselves with outside to make the experience rewarding and positive for them. Encouraging your dog to be your shadow will make him emotionally dependant on you that he won’t be able to cope without you hence separation distress. If he follows you around, ignore him and only give him a pat when he is calm and settled.

Once your dog has settled in, is resting and sleeping alone of their own choosing and accustomed to the outdoor and indoor environment, you can gradually start spending some time away from them. Initially, only leave your dog for a minute or so (perhaps when you go to get the mail from the letterbox). Then, slowly increase the length of time for which you are away so your dog learns how to spend time by himself. If you have other dogs in your house, teach your greyhound how to spend time away from them too. Have a friend or partner walk your other dog(s) whilst you take your greyhound. This way your greyhound learns how to be an individual (rather than always being part of a doggy family). You can also take each of your dogs for separate walks, first taking the greyhound (so he’s tired) and then your other dog once your greyhound has settled down for a nap.

• When you leave (even for just a short period) ensure your dog(s) have some activity or food toys. Bear in mind that if they are too fearful or anxious they will not eat or engage with these as they will not feel anxious

• Make sure your dogs are warm, safe and dry when you leave them so they are not distressed.

Greyhounds that exhibit extremely high levels of distress may have difficulty in completing the ‘Greenhounds (Links to an external site.)’ assessment successfully. We recommend you seek advice from your vet (to ensure that there is not a medical reason for the behaviour) and ask for a referral to a veterinary behaviourist for treatment.


Hoarding or Collecting Items

Some greyhounds will accumulate quite impressive piles of toys, household items and other possessions that they appear to seek out and collect during the day. It is important not understand that this is NOT resource guarding. Those that do will target various items, such as shoes, soft toys, etc.

If the behaviour is not harmful or destructive, it shouldn’t be discouraged or be of undue concern. The best approach is to manage it by keeping precious items out of reach. Be particularly careful to keep items such as remotes and glasses in a safe’ dog proof’ place, these items are often a target for chewing, possibly as they have your smell on them. Whilst it can be worrying and concerning (especially if you cannot find the items) please ensure that you don’t chastise your dog for this, it will only cause them further anxiety when they are attempting to increase their feelings of comfort safety in their new environment.


Behaviour Quiz

Tick the boxes that represent the best answer to the following questions.

1. The best way to make your environment predictable for your greyhound is to ensure (choose 1):

You give him lots of attention at all times, whenever he wants it, because you want to show him how much you love him.

He gets praise and attention for doing what you want him to and ignored when he does something you don’t want him to

You leave him to work it out for himself and tell him off when he makes a mistake

2. How much exercise does a healthy greyhound need? Choose one

2 hours a day

None

At least 30 minutes daily

3. Which of the following are signs of anxiety? Choose all that apply:

Lip licking

Yawning

Following you around all the time

Excessive panting

Diarrhoea

Panting/Salivation

Muscle trembling

Not settling

Decreased appetite

Dripping nose

Vomiting

4. Introducing your dog to another dog should be on (choose 1)

Neutral territory

Your dog’s territory

In your loungeroom

5. Greyhounds have high ‘prey drive’

True

False

6. Which of the following are signs of prey drive? (choose all that apply)

Stalking

Salivating

Fixated stare

Rolling around on the ground

Barking

7. Which of the below would be considered normal behaviours when your greyhound meets another dog? Choose all that apply:

play bowing

can be distracted

friendly interest

Soft eyes

Bottom sniffing

Head lowering

low medium height wagging tail

8. Retractable leads are recommended for walking your greyhound?

True

False

9. Greyhounds should never be woken by adults or children touching them?

True

False

10. Greyhounds are tolerant dogs and able to withstand lots of boisterous play from children including rolling around on the floor, rough housing and lying on top of them.

True

False

11. A greyhound can run at speeds of up to 65km/h.

True

False

12. Dogs need lots of ____________ as well as physical exercise:

mental

sleep

regular

food


13. Some good examples of entertainment for my greyhound are (choose all that apply):

training sessions

paddling pools

Treat balls

Kong toys

sandpits

Iceblocks with diluted chicken or beef stock

14. When a dog shows behaviour such as walking away, turning body away, turning head away and creeping about, what is he trying to tell you?

He is anxious and would like to be out of the present situation

He is guilty and knows he has done the wrong thing

He is pleased to see you

He is bored

15. When you adopt an adult dog you don’t have to worry about toilet training or chewing like you do with a young puppy:

True

False

Please contact GAP if you have any questions about the above quiz!

BASIC TRAINING


Training your Greyhound

It is not a requirement of the Greenhound (Links to an external site.)program that your dog receive any formal obedience training. However, basic training is great for building stronger bonds with your Greyhound and gives them mental stimulation as dogs learn something every time they interact with us or their environment. Consequently, what they learn might as well be something of benefit to them from a safety perspective.

The principle behind all training is that:

• Your dog will continue performing behaviours which result in a good outcome for him (i.e. he is rewarded).

• Your dog will cease performing behaviours that do not result in rewards.

We can therefore alter our dog’s behaviour by rewarding those behaviours that we like. This now makes the behaviours we like also the ones that ‘pay off’ for the dog so he now wants to perform them more often - everyone wins!

To make this easier, make a list of behaviours you want you dog to perform. These might include:

• Lying on their bed.

• Being quiet.

• Toileting in the right place.

• Staying out of the kitchen whilst you are cooking.

All of these behaviours should be rewarded with treats and praise.


Basic Manners Training

It is not a requirement of the ‘Greenhound’ program that your dog receive any formal obedience training. However, basic training is great for building stronger bonds with your Greyhound and gives them mental stimulation as dogs learn something every time they interact with us or their environment. Consequently, what they learn might as well be something of benefit to them from a safety perspective.

The principle behind all training is that:

• Your dog will continue performing behaviours which result in a good outcome for him (i.e. he is rewarded).

• Your dog will cease performing behaviours that do not result in rewards.

We can therefore alter our dog’s behaviour by rewarding those behaviours that we like. This now makes the behaviours we like also the ones that ‘pay off’ for the dog so he now wants to perform them more often - everyone wins!

To make this easier, make a list of behaviours you want you dog to perform. These might include:

• Lying on their bed.

• Being quiet.

• Toileting in the right place.

• Staying out of the kitchen whilst you are cooking.

All of these behaviours should be rewarded with treats and praise.

It is also worth making a list of behaviours that you don’t like. These may include:

• Barking

• Jumping up

• Being over excitable

These behaviours should be ignored and one of the aforementioned desirable behaviours rewarded instead. This will help your dog realise that there are more ‘productive’ behaviours which could be performed that benefit him (and also benefit you).

It is critical that you don’t yell at or punish your Greyhound as this will frighten him and possibly make the situation worse. Instead, keep your dog out of trouble with ideas from the ‘Entertainment’ section, set your dog up so they get the right answer and reward behaviours that are incompatible with the behaviour you don’t want (i.e. if your dog is rewarded with food and attention for lying down or sitting calmly he is much less likely to jump or

become over excitable in an attempt to get your attention).

Should you choose to take your Greyhound’s obedience beyond the basics, there are many opportunities to become involved with clubs who offer training and run competitions.

GETTING DOGS TO COME WHEN CALLED I.E. RECALL

Hide and SeekThis exercise is fun, but it also has a very practical application further down the track for when you teach your dog to come to you. Since “come” is so important, we thoroughly recommend that you spend considerable time playing this game with your dog in lots of different places at home (make sure they are safe places though). This should only be taught in a home environment, strictly no off-leash parks or public unfenced areas. Greyhounds have no road awareness, are sight hounds that can switch into chase mode quickly and are one of the fastest land animals therefore recall should not be relied upon at any time.

Start in one room (or a hall way) and call your dog’s name, when he comes towards you, reward. This game is best played between 2 or more people, each one taking it in turns to call the dog, (however it is possible to play the game as a single person). Play this game in one room or area until you are sure he understands that he is to go to the person calling him. When this happens, spread out further (maybe to different rooms) and start the game again, calling in turn and rewarding when your dog goes to the right person. When your dog is confident in this, you can gradually increase the difficulty of your hiding places. After you have called your dog, reward it, someone else will then call your dog. Whilst your dog is away finding them, you can change your hiding position to keep the game going.

ComeNow that you have been playing hide and seek for a few weeks, ‘come’ should be easier. This is just an extension of hide and seek, that we can move outside. Call your dog between members of your family. Start close together and gradually move further apart. When the dog goes to the person who has called, take the dog’s collar and reward lavishly. Hold the dog’s collar until the next person calls your dog.


FURTHER TRAININGYou might like to introduce some distractions when you ask your dog to come. Remember not to call your dog whilst he’s playing or looking busy. Try to call at a time when you think he is most likely to come back. This is setting your dog up to succeed so he doesn’t learn to ignore you. This will also give you lots of opportunities to reward him. Remember, the more often you can reward a dog for the right behaviour (i.e. coming back) the faster it will learn. You may also want to make use of ‘jackpots’ (large amounts of food given when your dog does something particularly good) for running (rather than walking) back to you, responding quickly etc.

LYING DOWN/DROPTeaching your greyhound to lie down is important for a few reasons:

1. People want to take their dog to places such as cafes, their kids’ sporting games or a friend’s place and they want their dog to lie down and relax when they get there.

2. It will help you to teach them to sit (see further on).

3. It helps the dogs understand that they can relax and that nothing will be happening for a while.

There are two ways you can help teach your greyhound to lie down:

1. You’ve probably noticed that greyhounds will lie down a lot! You can use this to your advantage. Each time you see your dog about to lie down, reward them. After a week or so of rewarding them when they lie down on their own, add in a hand signal when they lie down. This should not take too long for the dog to catch on. After the dog has successfully understood the hand signal, add in the words “lie down”, and always reward. They will slowly recognise the word with the action.

2. Pat their bed and encourage them to lie down on it by saying ‘lie down’. If they do so, reward with a pat, praise, or a treat. You can then move the bed to different areas and practice this in their kennels, beside some chairs, in your room etc. Once you think they understand what the patting motion and words ‘lie down’ mean, you can even try it without the bed present.

SITTINGTrick training may seem like a silly waste of time, but it is a wonderful way to attract the attention of potential adopters for your foster dog or to

show off your new greyhounds abilities.

Sitting can be a very difficult behaviour for greyhounds to learn as their large hind muscles can make the process of sitting awkward. It is for this reason that for greyhounds, we consider ‘sit’ to be a trick. The awkwardness of this behaviour can be seen even in this photo with the pups – greyhounds just look odd when they sit – as though their bodies just weren’t designed for it!

How to teach a sit: With greyhounds, it is often easier to start with

the dogs lying down, then coax them into a sitting position with a treat luring their nose up (and very slightly backwards – just so they don’t stand up). Then, when they do sit, say the word and lavish them with pats, cuddles, praise and treats.


Toilet Training

Greyhounds are generally quite clean dogs but as they are unfamiliar with indoor living, you will need to spend some time teaching them where the appropriate places are to toilet at their new home.

In order to avoid toilet training accidents from occurring, it is essential that dogs are given lots of help and information to teach them where they are to toilet. You also need to ensure that your dog is given sufficient opportunity to toilet in that area. After all, humans don’t automatically know where the bathroom is in a strange house until they’ve been shown. Greyhounds are the same, but may need to be shown many times before they’ll get it right all the time.

Once a dog learns to toilet in the wrong place, it quickly becomes a habit that can be difficult to break. Conversely, each opportunity your dog gets to toilet in the right place is an opportunity for him to learn the right thing and form a good habit.

PREVENTING MISTAKES• As soon as you get your dog home, take him

straight out to where you want him to toilet. They may have had a long car journey and you can’t be sure when they last toileted.

• Watch your dog – if you see him circling, sniffing or he become restless, take him to their toileting place immediately.

• Use common sense – if you know your dog hasn’t eliminated for several hours i.e. during the evening or whilst you’ve been out shopping, don’t delay in taking them outside. This should be your first task.

• Put your dog on lead and stand with your dog while he toilets to prevent him from becoming distracted.

• If your dog doesn’t toilet, you can try walking in circles, starting at about 3-metre diameter and gradually making the circles smaller and tighter (replicating your dog’s sniffing and toileting behaviour).

• Prevent your dog from going into rooms where you can’t watch them. You can keep doors closed or restrict areas with the use of baby gates. You may also like to employ the use of a crate to

confine your dog when he is asleep or when you can’t supervise him (i.e. for half an hour whilst you’re bathing the kids). To make use of a crate, read the ‘crate training’ section of this guide.

NOTE: whenever your dog toilets in the right place, reward them with pats, praise and treats as soon as he has toileted. There is no point giving your dog a treat when he comes back inside. If you do that, you are rewarding him for coming back inside, not toileting.

WHEN ACCIDENTS HAPPEN• Do not punish your dog for toileting in the wrong

place! This is crucial. If you yell at, smack or chastise your dog, he will believe he is being punished for what he’s is doing (i.e. toileting) not where he is doing it. This will make your dog reluctant to toilet in front of you for fear of punishment.

• Soak up whatever you can with paper towel and then clean up using an enzyme based cleaner from your vet or pet shop. Alternatively, Biozet (laundry powder) can be diluted and used in a similar manner. Do not use common household ammonia based cleaners which attracts dogs back to that area to toilet again. Remember, when a dog urinates, there is often a large volume that soaks in and under the carpet so you need to use a considerable amount of product to cover the area completely.

• Change your dog’s meal times – by changing the time of day when your dog eats, you will also change the time of day when he needs to eliminate. If your dog is unable to make it through the night without toileting, try moving dinner forward or backwards to change the pattern. Alternatively, you can try feeding a larger proportion of your dog’s meal in the morning and less at night or feeding a portion at lunchtime.

• If you have had your dog for some time and accidents begin to happen out of the blue, the first point of call would be a vet check up to rule out any underlying causes such are urinary tract infections or incontinence.


Crate Training

In a natural situation a dog would have a safe place called their den, to which he would retire each night. Dens are generally small caves or covered areas that are cosy, comfortable and safe. In their racing life, his kennel was his den. Now, as a pet, your Greyhound will also benefit from having a small and cosy safe haven that he can snuggle up in.

In addition to providing security for your dog, you may consider crate training as crates also help with their toilet training, since Greyhounds are clean dogs that don’t like to mess in their immediate vicinity. A crate also facilitates interactions between your Greyhound and children/other pets and also provides your Greyhound with a safe, bedtime area into which you can place him at night (so you know he is not wandering the house).

Greyhounds that have raced generally take very well to their new crate because of their racing history (including kennelling, starting boxes, travelling etc). Therefore, small enclosed areas are familiar and welcomed. However, it is important that your dog is given the opportunity to explore this new area at their own pace. It’s vital that they want to enter this area (rather than being forced). Placing food, toys and treats into the crate often make it more appealing for them to enter and explore. Once your dog is comfortable in entering his new crate,

you can gradually accustom him to having the door closed for increasing periods of time.

It is very important that dogs are placed in their crate with the door closed for no more than about 4 hour at a time (except at night when they can generally remain in there for up to 9 hours). It is also important that your dog’s crate not be used for punishment. Your dog should only associate good things with their crate and it should be a safe haven from everything else going on in the household.

If you think your dog might not cope or will be over excited in certain situations such as when there are guests, small children or tradesmen in the house, you can tuck your Greyhound in its crate ahead of time and then let them out later when things have settled.


Entertainment: Keeping your dog’s mind active

All dogs need mental exercise as well as physical exercise to make them a happy and well adjusted member of the family. In the wild, dogs would spend the majority of the day in search of enough food to survive. In our homes, dogs are generally fed twice daily and spend the rest of the day with little to occupy their time. Instead they often resort to destructive behaviours, digging in the lawn, barking, following their owners like ‘second shadows’, pulling washing off the line or doing ‘zoomies’ around the yard. To prevent these often undesirable behaviours, we have to give dogs tasks on which they can focus their energies. Below are some examples of challenges that you can use to keep your dog busy. It should be remembered that any food used in these activities should be deducted from the dog’s daily meals to prevent them from becoming overweight.

ACTIVITIES• Kong™– Kongs are cylindrical rubber dog toys

in which you place your dog’s food or treats. It is important that when you first give Kongs to your dog that they are very easy. Food should easily fall out. A good mixture for this is 80% dog food and 20% treats. This encourages your dog to continue working at the ‘puzzle’ for his everyday food as well as something special. As your dog gets better at extracting food from the Kong, you can increase the level of difficulty, including canned fish, yoghurt, wet food, roast chicken and eventually freezing the contents to make it even more challenging. However, if you make this toy too challenging in the early stages, your dog will lose interest in it quickly.

• Treat balls – Similar to Kongs, the objective is for your dog to extract the contents from inside the toy. These toys are commonly spherical, but may also be a cube (this increases the level of difficulty). Again, dry food mixed with some treats (such as dried liver or kangaroo) is ideal for this toy.

• Scatter feeds – Rather than giving your dog his food in a bowl, you can scatter it on the lawn. When you start doing this, scatter it in a reasonably small area (approximately 1m x 1m).As your dog learns how to use his nose to find kibble in the grass, you can scatter the food further, increasing the complexity of the task as the dog’s skills improve.

• Iceblocks – Freezing treats or toys in a large block of ice is a fabulous game, especially in summer. To add additional interest to the task you can flavour the ice with diluted chicken or beef stock or puppy milk. The more treats you add to the ice, the more easily the iceblock will crumble. To increase the difficulty, reduce the number of treats, or increase the size of the iceblocks.

• Digging pits – if your dog loves to dig, you can purchase a hard sided children’s paddling pool. This can be filled with sand and treats placed on the surface of the sand. Gradually, you can place the treats deeper and deeper, so that your dog realises that digging in that area is productive and fruitful whereas digging elsewhere is not.

• Paddling pools – the same children’s paddling pools can be filled with water and treats (including some fruit and vegies) thrown into it for the dogs to catch and eat throughout the day. Please be aware that this shouldn’t be used if you have young children living in or visiting the house as it can pose a drowning hazard.


Stairs

Stairs are a common source of concern for some Greyhounds. Most Greyhound properties are flat, so many dogs have never had to negotiate more than one step at a time. Stairs are also a challenge for Greyhounds because of their physique. Their long legs and small feet can make them feel unsteady especially on slippery stairs. In addition to this, their deep chest means most of their weight is forward from their waist. This means that, when coming down stairs, all of their considerable weight is unevenly balanced and over their front feet (making them feel as though they will fall forwards). Consequently, many Greyhounds will baulk at stairs and/or try to rush them (jumping down a whole flight). Because of the dangers associated with them rushing stairs (such as broken legs), it is important that we help guide and show them how to negotiate these.

GOING UPThere are many ways to teach your dogs to negotiate stairs. Below are two good options to try:

1. If possible/practical, carry your Greyhound to the second top step and put them down gently. Then, holding the lead loosely (no pressure on the dog’s neck) walk up the one remaining step and encourage them to join you. Then, carry them to the second bottom step, place them down and, holding the lead, walk down the one remaining step, encouraging them to follow. Repeat this process, having your dog walk up/down one extra step each time. Once they have learned to negotiate about 5-6 steps, they will take the whole flight with few difficulties.

2. Start with a short, and easy flight of stairs (concrete or carpeted) on which the treads are widely spaced. Keep your hand on your dog’s collar to help steady them. You might also find it helps to fashion a sling out of a towel or sheet to place under their tummy or use a harness to help support them. If all else fails, you may have to physically show your Greyhound how to position its feet. Dogs will often get their front feet too far forward without allowing their back feet to join them. Have one person stand next to the dog, holding its collar. Then, have a second person position your dog’s front feet on the second or third step. Then, move its right back foot up onto the first step, then its left back foot onto the first step. Then, position its left front foot up onto the next stair, then its right front foot. Repeat the process until your dog starts to understand how to negotiate this challenge. Again, use a short flight of non slippery stairs to begin.

GOING DOWNGoing down can be more challenging because of the position of your dog’s weight. Hold your dog’s collar with one hand and support its chest with the other. Again, a harness might assist in supporting your dog’s forward weight (so they don’t feel as though they will fall forwards). Then gradually make your way down the stairs, one step at a time. Don’t try to physically move your dog’s feet when going down as this reduced stability will make your dog even more worried. Instead, move down the stairs in a zig zag pattern using their whole width of the flight so your dog is not looking straight down, rather they are looking and moving on the diagonal which is less steep and scary and gives them more space on which to place their feet. Do not allow your dog to rush down the stairs or lose their balance or they may injure themselves or get a terrible fright (making the whole process more difficult next time).

Only do 1-3 repetitions each time and try to finish on a good note. So, if your dog does really well on a set, don’t push your luck by trying to repeat it. Dogs seem to improve at tasks when they are given the opportunity to go away and think about their progress. Then, the next time you come to repeat the activity they will often have improved significantly and gained additional confidence.


Training Quiz


1. It is a requirement of the Greenhound Program that your greyhound receives formal obedience lessons:

True

False

2. We can alter our dog’s behavior by ____________ behaviours that we do like?

Rewarding

Punishing

Ignoring

3. What is a strategy that you can use to provide your greyhound with a safe place for him to sleep and/or rest in when you are unable to supervise him?

Undertaking crate training

Leaving him alone in the house in the hope he will behave

Not leaving him alone

4. Greyhounds do not need toilet training in a new home, they will already know where to go to the toilet:

True

False

5. What are some of the signs your greyhound may need to go the toilet? Choose all that apply.

Circling

Sniffing

Restless behavior

Looking for an exit

6. Stairs are a common source of concern for some greyhounds?

True

False

7. If your greyhound shows any of the following behaviours:

Barking

Jumping up

Excitable behavior

What is the best approach to dealing with it?

Ignore these and reward something else that you do want instead

Tell them off, they will know they are wrong and stop it in future

Give them lots of attention for everything they do

8. How should you reward your greyhound in training or when he does something you want to encourage:

Food

Attention (as long as he is comfortable with it)

Toys and games

All of these will be rewarding

9. It is easier to each a greyhound to sit by starting them in the ‘down’ position:

True

False

10. Using punishment to train your greyhound can lead to conflict and anxiety in your new pet. Which of the following are considered punishment in training? Choose all that apply:

Tapping a dog on the hose

Telling it ‘no’ in a loud voice

Smacking your dog

Throwing a noisy object near the dog to startle it

Squirting water at the dog

Contact GAP if you have any questions about this quiz.

GREYHOUND HEALTH AND WELFARE


Feeding

Your Greyhound will be happiest if fed twice a day in roughly equal amounts. For the average Greyhound, 2-3 cups of a well balanced, quality dry food along with 400-600 grams of quality pet meat) is sufficient per day. This is across TWO meals per day (e.g. 1 cup of dry food and 300g pet meat per meal). While under our care, our Greyhounds are fed a diet of fresh chicken meat, as well as a good quality dry dog food. They also get regular sardines and a weekly brisket bone.

You can add warm water to the food to ensure that your Greyhound remains adequately hydrated and to bring the meat to a more acceptable temperature (rather than cold, right from the fridge). You may add ‘extras’ to improve palatability and prevent boredom. Some Greyhounds are accustomed to eating vegetables, pasta, rice and the like cooked up into a ‘stew’. You can also include cheese, partially cooked eggs, milk, raw or cooked meat and raw bones especially if they are having trouble eating whilst they settle in and in moderation. Partially cooked eggs and boneless fish (such as sardines) are generally loved by Greyhounds and are wonderful for their coats! These extras or the meat from a BBQ chicken (make sure there are no bones) are great tools to help encourage your Greyhound to eat over the first few weeks.

If you are having difficulty getting your Greyhound to eat, you can try changing the amount of water that you use to moisten the food and/or add some stock to make it more palatable. You may like to try exercising your dog at different times of the day (to stimulate their appetite), adding Weetbix with some milk or try different types of meat (chicken, beef, turkey or roo etc.). Some dogs eat better if the meat is cooked before feeding. If your dog is eating very little he can be placed on a rice and meat diet or rice and BBQ chicken. Then, you can try adding the kibble in gradually to familiarise him to it. If you think your dog is losing weight and his appetite is not returning, please contact us or your veterinarian.

Raw bones can be offered regularly to help maintain healthy teeth and gums. No cooked bones of any type should be fed. Cooking renders the bone indigestible, often resulting in splintering or impaction in the gut. It is important to be aware that some dogs may become constipated or may form loose stools from eating bones.

Whilst large bones can be great, some Greyhounds cannot handle large beef or lamb bones and will sometimes vomit small bone fragments along with bile a few hours later. Raw chicken bones, are much

softer, and rarely seem to cause gastric upset. Chicken carcasses can be bought at most poultry outlets relatively inexpensively. These can

be fed whole, as a meal, but can also be cut into smaller segments with poultry shears. Small sections such as chicken wings should be avoided on their own as they may be swallowed whole. Instead, leave them attached to the carcass so they are part of a larger object.

Certain food should never be given to dogs. These include raw or cooked onion (can cause blood disorders), chocolate (contains a toxin even in moderate doses), grapes, macadamia nuts and avocado.

Many Greyhounds are grazers and may benefit from being left with their food bowl overnight or for a few hours in the morning. Others are easily distracted from their meals so consumption may be assisted by placing breakfast or dinner in their crate/crate with them for a while. If you have multiple dogs in the household, feed each dog separately and never leave uneaten food available as this may cause dogs to fight.

It is essential that a supply of fresh clean water is available at all times. If you have multiple dogs, it is important that there are multiple water bowls in several places, so that each has ready access to the resource.

As with all large and giant breeds of dog, exercise, excitement and drinking excessive quantities of water around meal times should be avoided to prevent ‘bloat’ (gastric dilation or torsion). This is a life- threatening condition and is a true medical emergency, which will result in death within a few hours if untreated. Symptoms include a swollen abdomen, unproductive attempts to vomit, restlessness, rapid pulse and respiration rate, leading to death. If you suspect bloat, get your dog to the nearest vet immediately (regardless of whether it is day or night).

A key component for your Greyhound’s success in the ‘Greenhound’ collar (GAPNTT) assessment, allowing them exemption under the new muzzling laws, is their reaction when ‘boring’ food (e.g. kibble), high ranking food (e.g. a bone or liver treat) and toys are given to them and then attempted to be removed by the assessor. In order to be eligible for the ‘Greenhound’ collar your Greyhound must not exhibit any resource guarding or aggressive tendencies, as deemed by the assessor.


Body Condition and Weight

A Greyhound is a naturally lean, athletic animal, especially during their racing careers and this physique should be respected in retirement also. It is acceptable and recommended that a Greyhound is allowed to put on some weight and ‘let down’ in retirement and be a few kilos heavier than their racing weight.

Your greyhound should never be allowed to ‘get fat’… yes, Greyhounds can get fat! An ideal weight is one that is visually pleasing, as opposed to their physical weight on the scales. A Greyhound in ideal ‘retirement condition’ is a few kilos heavier than its racing weight, has the last rib or two defined without being prominent and where the tips of the hip bones can just be noticed, again without them being prominent. When you look at your Greyhound from above, you should still be able to make out a slight waist and not a ‘plank-like’ back. Below are some reference pictures highlighting an ‘ideal pet weight’.Due to their light frames and lack of body fat, greyhounds feel both the extremes in temperature, hot and cold. In winter or during colder weather, if not kept amply warm, greyhounds can quickly lose weight and condition. A winter coat is recommended

when temperatures fall below approx. 15 degrees Celsius. Winter coats will often be available through Greyhounds as Pets, so speak with staff about availability. Alternatively, we recommend Australian made, ‘Dishlicker Coats’ for great quality greyhound specific coats. You can order online at www.dishlickercoats.com.

Image courtesy of: ‘How To Know If Your Greyhound Is At A Proper Weight’

http://www.dishlickercoats.com

http://www.greyhoundcrossroads.com/index.php?page=weight

http://www.greyhoundcrossroads.com/index.php?page=weight


Emergencies and Veterinary Care

Greyhounds have a unique physiology that makes them quite different from other breeds of dog. They can have sensitivity to certain drugs and anaesthetics. It is recommended that you take your Greyhound to a vet who is familiar with the breed.

PHYSIOLOGY• Greyhounds have a larger heart and higher blood

pressure than other breeds of dog.

• Their blood is extra rich in oxygen carrying red blood cells and they have about 4% more blood than other dogs. The special qualities of their blood makes Greyhounds highly valued as canine blood donors. For more information about the lifesaving opportunity of canine blood donation visit www.sashvets.com/blood-donor-hero or call the Small Animal Specialist Hospital (SASH, Sydney) on (02) 9889 0289.

• Their body weight is on 16% fat which is less than half the amount of other dog breeds of similar size.

• The high percentage of fast-twitch muscle fibres in their bodies aids speed, not endurance.

• Greyhounds run and hunt using their sight (60%), sense of smell (20%) and hearing (20%). Other dogs use their senses differently depending on what they were bred to do.

GENERAL HEALTH• Due to centuries of selective breeding, Greyhounds

have very few inherited health conditions. The most common breed ailments are digestion related and they can be susceptible to bloat. They can be prone to some forms of bone cancer.

• Some Greyhounds can be fussy eaters and they are generally not prone to overeating and becoming overweight.

• Greyhounds can often suffer from plaque and dental disease, especially if their diet and maintenance of their teeth is insufficient. Your

greyhound will come to you having recently had a scale and polish of their teeth and can usually be easily maintained with regular bones, dental chews such as ‘Dentastix’ and ‘Greenies’ and regular brushing if you condition your greyhound to accept this.

• They can suffer a genetic eye condition called Pannus (developing between the ages 2-5years). See ‘Continuing Care’ section for more information.

• Bald thigh syndrome is common in greyhounds as they naturally have a low thyroid level. Unless particularly predominant or indicated by blood tests, no intervention is required.

• Greyhounds are known to have the occasional foot problem, in particular corns.

• They can have sensitivity to certain drugs (including some flea treatments) and anaesthetics.

STOMACH UPSETS• Stomach upsets are quite common in

greyhounds, especially whilst adjusting to a new home, routine and diet. It is also a common side effect of stress. If loose stools or diarrhoea become evident, switch to a very bland diet of boiled chicken meat and rice with some warm water or stock. Alternatively a low fat canned or dry food such as Hill’s Digestive Care I/D (available online or at your local vet) will work. Keep them on this diet for 2-3 days and slowly reintroduce their usual diet. If diarrhoea persists or other symptoms are evident such as dehydration or lethargy, see a vet. (When in GAP’s care, greyhounds receive two meals a day of equal quantities containing a high quality premium dry food and fresh or cooked meat (generally chicken). We routinely add in cod liver oil and a multivitamin powder. They also receive a fresh chicken carcase weekly.

http://www.sashvets.com/blood-donor-hero


Bloat/Gastric Torsion

Bloat is a disorder which is sometimes seen in large dogs with deep chests, such as the Greyhound. Bloat is often associated with a twist in the gut which inhibits breathing, damages the gut and can result in rapid death.

Bloat is often characterised by a restlessness, swollen stomach, shortness of breath, attempts (although often unsuccessful) to vomit and/or passing of larger amounts of faeces and gas often within a few hours of eating. If your dog shows such signs, this is a medical emergency and the dog should be taken to a vet immediately (regardless of the time). You should also call your vet before leaving home or whilst you are on route to ensure that they can prepare for your arrival. Many dogs with this condition die within 1-2 hours of showing signs so it is crucial that veterinary attention is sought immediately.

Prevention of bloat involves the following:

• Do not feed large amounts of food in one session. Instead, spread smaller meals out over the course of the day (i.e. a breakfast and dinner rather than just one big meal).

• Do not exercise your dog ½ an hour before eating or 1½ hours after eating.

• Ensure that water is readily available at all times (so that he can lap at it throughout the day) and that your dog does not gulp large volumes in a session

• Know who your local and after hours vets are so that you can contact them quickly in an emergency.

• If your dog is a rapid eater, special bowls which include obstacles to slow your dog’s eating can be purchased.

Photo credited to Dr J. Vidt

http://www.drjwv.com/article.php?view=0014.php&name=Bloat


Continuing Care

PANNUSPannus is a disorder that affects the eye of some greyhounds, and will eventually lead to blindness if not managed. It usually onsets between 2-5years of age It is not painful in its early stages, causes no discharge from the eye, and may be hard to see unless you look closely at your greyhound’s eyes in good light. If it is not diagnosed or treated, the disease progresses, slowly covering the clear part of the eye (the ‘cornea’) until the dog can no longer see in severe cases.

There is thought to be a significant genetic inheritance, with certain families and lines within a breed more severely affected, but environmental factors such as UV light also play a part in the development of the disease. In the beginning you may only notice that the edge of the cornea seems more pigmented (coloured) than before – kind of like ‘freckles’ developing near the edge of the eye – or there may be a hazy/greyish colour to the edge of the clear part of the eye. It has also been described as having an “oil-slick” or textured appearance creeping over the eye. Generally the disease will occur in both eyes, starting at about the same time, but the lesions do not necessarily look the same.

Figure 1. Arrow pointing out the Pannus in a greyhound, seeing clearly the “oil-slick” appearance of the pigment.

As the disease progresses, Pannus lesions may simply look like brown pigment ‘growing’ onto the eye surface, or it may appear more inflamed with a ‘greyish-pink’ colour (which is the eye’s version of scar tissue). If you look

closely, you might even see small blood vessels growing onto the eye surface. The colour change to the clear part of the eye starts at the outside edges and spreads in until the entire eye surface is covered, leaving no clear window for light to enter the eye – making the dog blind.

Pannus is very easily managed and relatively inexpensive. Greyhounds are notoriously very good to administer the eye drops to, so please don’t overlook adopting a greyhound with Pannus.

INTESTINAL WORMS, HEART WORMS AND FLEASDogs require regular worming and flea control in order to remain in good health and to prevent some types of worms being passed on to humans and their environment. There are multiple products available on the market that control intestinal worms and/or heart worms, as well as combination medications that in some cases also control fleas and mites. They come in various forms ranging from tablets and palatable chews to topical applications (often applied to the back of the neck) and medicated collars. An annual heartworm injection is also available. If you have any questions about flea or worm control, please contact Greyhounds as Pets or your veterinarian.

TICKSThere are three main types of ticks that affect dogs; the brown dog tick, the bush tick and the paralysis tick. The first two can prove carriers for a range of infectious agents, but rarely cause fatalities.

The paralysis tick is a deadly parasite found in many areas in and around Sydney and New South Wales. They are at their peak from October through to April, however, can be present at any time of year. As the Greyhound has a short coat, ticks may be obvious upon inspection. Check and feel your dog daily for ticks (which look like blue or grey lumps ranging in size from a few millimetres to approximately 1.5cm on your dog). Ticks can be anywhere on your dog and it is recommended that you check the head, ears, gums, neck, under the collar, body, ‘armpits’, between their toes, along and under their tail – basically everywhere!

If you find a tick, the best course of action is to remove it immediately (if possible). Tick removing devices are available inexpensively for purchase from veterinarians, pet and produce supply stores,


and make removing ticks straightforward. If you can’t remove the tick, please take the dog to the vet as a matter of urgency to have it removed. If you have removed the tick yet your dog is already suffering the effects, or begins to suffer once the tick/s is removed, get him to the vet without delay.

Signs of tick poisoning include:

• Unsteadiness on their feet particularly in their hind limbs

• A dry cough• Diarrhoea• Vomiting• Lethargy• Change in their “bark” i.e. unusual sounding barkIf you notice any of these signs (even if you’ve already removed the tick) it is imperative that you get the dog to the vet immediately! Tick poisoning can lead to death in a matter of hours. If you suspect tick poisoning or you are unsure, please err on the side of caution and seek veterinary advice straight away. Multiple products are available on the market to assist in preventing ticks, however nothing can be guaranteed and it is crucial that you check your greyhound daily for ticks, particularly during the peak period. Examples of such products include ‘spot on’ treatments, chewable tablets and tick collars.

PREVENTATIVESThere are a range of products on the market that cover the main parasites such ticks, fleas, heartworm and/or intestinal worms. You will need to choose a product/s which works best for you and your dog. Also note that many products have a different time period in which they protect your dog for these particular parasites for example from one to three months worth of protection.

Some of these products include Advocate, Heartworm vaccination (done by your vet), Advantix, Nexgard, Comfortis, Sentinal Spectrum, Panoramis, Drontal, Preventic collar, Seresto collar and Bravecto, each covering different parasites for various amounts of time.

Advocate (topical), Sentinel Spectrum and Panoramis (both chewable tablets) are effective monthly, 3 in 1’s that cover fleas, intestinal worms and heartworm. Please note that ticks are not covered by these products and can be used in conjunction with a tick collar such as Preventic collar, topical treatment such as Advantix or a chewable tablet such as Bravecto or Nexgard (please check with your vet first).

Preventic is a preventative tick collar worn by your dog that lasts up to 2 months. It prevents and kills ticks ONLY. The Seresto collar is a newer product on the market. It is a non-odorous and water resistant collar that controls fleas for 8 months and ticks for 4 months. Bravecto is a chewable tablet that covers fleas up to 3 months and ticks up to 4 months. Nexgard is an ingestible treatment in chewable tablet form. It covers fleas and ticks ONLY for a full 30 days. Advantix is a topical treatment used to repel ticks and fleas and lasts one month (be warned if there are cats in the household as Advantix, if ingested by cats, is toxic, but completely safe to use on dogs).

There are also preventatives that concentrate on one parasite individually i.e. Comfortis, which is a chewable tablet concentrating on fleas only for a month. This can be given in conjunction with an all- wormer, heartwormer/injection, and tick collar/tablet (please check with your veterinarian first). Others include the Heartworm vaccination is an injection called Proheart SR-12 that is done by a veterinarian or veterinary nurse. This lasts 12 months and ONLY prevents heartworm. It saves the hassle of remembering monthly tablets. There are heartworm tablets on the market that ONLY prevent heartworm and are once monthly. Drontal All-wormer is a tablet administered every 3 months to adult dogs that covers all intestinal worms. It is not flavoured or chewable.

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the types and numbers of products available for preventing and treating internal and external parasites. Your greyhound will come to you with one months supply of flea, heartworm and intestinal worming treatment. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact your veterinarian.


Safety Issues - House and Yard

Around the house we often keep many products that are potentially toxic to our pets. Ensuring that these products are out of reach and locked away is crucial. Poisons and hazards can come in many forms. They may include:

• Drowning (never leave dogs in and around swimming pools unsupervised)

• Hills hoist (the handle should be tied into the upright position to prevent your dog running into it)

• Building material and rubble which may lacerate your dog

• Stakes and other obstacles that Greyhounds can run into

• Holes in the ground and other trip hazards

• Fertiliser Rat bait Snail bait

• Cleaning products (generally from bathroom and shower cupboards but also garages)

• Antifreeze

• Paint

• Nail polish and remover

• Shoe polish

• Matches

• Chocolate (or cocoa mulch)

• Onions or garlic (causes anaemia)

• Avocado (the leaves, fruit, seeds and bark contain a toxin dangerous to dogs)

• Grapes and raisins (less than 10 is fine but more than this can cause kidney failure)

• Dental floss, string and other elongated objects (gets stuck in the gut and severs it)

• Drugs and medications (including pain killers, contraceptive pill, vitamins and some herbs)

• Asthma inhalers (they might look like a fun toy but can be fatal)

• Moderate size objects (like corn cobs) that get stuck in the gut

• Poisonous plants (see your local vet or nursery for common plants of concern)


Health and Welfare Quiz


1. How often should your greyhound be fed?

Once a day

Roughly twice a day

Three times a day

Once a week

2. It is a good idea to feed greyhounds cooked bones?

True

False

3. It is essential that your greyhound has access to clean fresh _______ at all times?

Water

Milk

4. Greyhounds never get fat, no matter how much you feed them.

True

False

5. What is important to make sure your greyhound is wearing when it is under approximately 15 degrees?

A warm coat

Hot food

A bed

6. Which of the following symptoms could indicate bloat – a condition that is often seen in large dogs with deep chests like greyhounds?

Restlessness

Swollen stomach

Shortness of breath

Attempting to vomit

Passing larger amounts of faeces and gas within hours of eating

7. What is Pannus?

An eye disorder that affects some greyhounds and leads to blindness if not managed

A type of greyhound food

A greyhound coat colour

8. Which of the following intestinal worms do dogs get unless they are regularly controlled with worming treatment?

Roundworms

Hookworms

Whipworms

Tapeworms

All of these

9. Which of the following sumptoms may indicate tick poisoning, which needs to be seen by a vet immediately?

Unsteadiness, particularly in the hind legs

A dry cough

Diarrhoea

Vomiting

Lethargy

All of the above indicate tick poisoning

10. The best place you can go to get advice on preventative healthcare for your greyhound is:

Your greyhound’s veterinary practice

At the local park

On the internet

From your friends

Contact GAP if you have any questions about this quiz

RESPONSIBILITIES AND OWNERSHIP


Responsibilities and Ownership

WHAT IS THE GREENHOUND PROGRAM?The NSW “Greenhounds” program was launched in October 2011, marking the start of a positive new era for the welfare of pet Greyhounds in NSW.

• Previously the NSW Companion Animals Act required all Greyhounds to be muzzled when in a public place. Introduced in the 1960’s, there have been long-standing concerns that this requirement unfairly painted all Greyhounds as dangerous and provides a disincentive for people to adopt them.

• To address these concerns, the NSW Companion Animals Regulation 2008 was amended in October 2011 to exempt certain Greyhounds from the muzzling requirement.

• To be granted a muzzling exemption a Greyhound must successfully complete a re-training program (and be Lifetime Registered, desexed and microchipped). These fit into two categories:

– Existing pet greyhounds (retired dogs or ones that have never raced who are already living in pet homes) undergo a 6 week in-home re-training program.

– Greyhounds that are recently retired which have been accepted into an approved re- training program will undergo comprehensive socialisation and behavioural training prior to be adopted into pet homes.

GREYHOUNDS AS PETS HAS GONE GREEN…Greyhounds As Pets is the FIRST program to become an APPROVED RE-TRAINING PROGRAM under the GREENHOUNDS initiative.

This means that our program, procedures and protocols have been extensively scrutinised and has been deemed compliant and in most cases exceeded, Government and RSPCA standards. Greyhounds successfully passing through the Greyhounds As Pets program are able to be assessed for a muzzling exemption prior to adoption (when eligible), thus hopefully increasing the number of Greyhounds re-homed, as the breed stereotypes are slowly being broken down. Exempt Greyhounds must wear a distinctive “Greenhound”

collar with ID tag attached at all times when in public. The collar allows council officers and members of the public to easily identify Greyhounds that have earned the right to be muzzle free.

By working through this guide and the associated Greenhound workbook your Greyhound will have the opportunity to be assessed and if successful, achieve a ‘Greenhound’ exemption. He/she will not have to wear a muzzle when in public whilst under the effective control of its owner i.e. whilst on lead. All other Greyhounds in NSW must continue to be muzzled.

When in public, ‘Greenhounds’ are required to wear a distinctive ‘Greenhound’ collar approved by the DLG. This makes the dog easily identifiable by council rangers and the public as being exempt from muzzling requirements. To comply with the Companion Animals Act, a tag with the dog’s name and the owner’s phone number and/or address needs to be attached to the collar when in a public place.

Most racing Greyhounds have had a very structured routine in their past life. During this time they have not had to make any decisions for themselves. Instead, when they are given food, they eat it, when they are let out side, they toilet. In comparison, pet dog homes and the stimuli that they may encounter vary dramatically. Walks to the park, beach, coffee shop, or encounters with other animals are quite complex situations that Greyhounds need to be able to adjust to in order for them to fit into everyday lifestyles.

The aim of this guide is to assist you and your Greyhound into being able to interact in public in a way that is taken for granted by many other breeds and owners alike. In addition, this guide provides assistance and helpful hints, as well as highlighting the key assessable components of the ‘Greenhound’ collar assessment (GAPNTT). The bolded comments within several of the sections will assist you in preparing your Greyhound for the ‘Greenhound’ collar assessment.

At the completion of the six week program your Greyhound will be eligible to be assessed by an approved assessor for the issuing of their ‘Greenhound’ collar, if they pass the assessment (if not already conducted prior to adoption).


Responsibilities Quiz


1. Which of the following sets of legislation must be complied within keeping a greyhound?

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (POCTA), Companion Animals Act, Local Laws

Domestic Animals Act and Greyhound Racing Act 2009

Livestock Disease Control and Domestic Animals Act

POCTAA and Greyhound Racing Act 2009

2. Which of the statements below state greyhound requirements for microchipping?

All greyhounds for the first time with local council

Only greyhound puppies need to be microchipped

All greyhounds were microchipped when they were registered to race, so I don’t need to microchip them

Each and every time a greyhound moves to a new owner it needs to be done again.

3. Which of the following areas are all dogs (except guide dogs) prohibited from?

Children’s play areas

Food preparation/consumption areas

Recreation areas that prohibit dogs

Public bathing areas

School grounds and child care centers

Shopping centers where dogs are prohibited

Wildlife protection areas where dogs are prohibited

4. When in a public place with a greyhound which of the following apply?

The dog must wear a collar identifying its name and owner’s address and/or phone number

The dog must be attached to an adequate leash

The dog must wear a muzzle unless exemption status has been achieved.

You must dispose of any feces immediately

All of these are required.

5. There are serious consequences, including fines, loss of rights or jail for not complying with relevant laws with regards to dog ownership:

True

False

Contact GAP if you have any questions about this quiz


Stay In Touch!We love keeping up to date with all our Greyhounds’ adventures in their new homes so please stay in touch here:

F | facebook.com/GAPNSW

I | instagram.com/GAPNSW

T | twitter.com/GAPNSW

Feel free to share photos or videos of your Greyhound/s on our page and stay in touch with all the events and new faces coming to Greyhounds As Pets at the same time!

LICENSING Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike CC BY-NC-SA

This work by GRNSW is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Outside these guidelines, all material is subject to copyright under the Copyright Act 1968.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSGRNSW would like to acknowledge the valuable contribution of the following individuals and organisations –

DEVELOPED BY:

Name: Lori McKern

Organisation: Greyhounds As Pets NSW

TECHNICAL INPUT:

Name: Georgina Caspar

Organisation: Greyhound Racing NSW

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

Dr Karen Dawson B.V.Sc.

52

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IN-HOME GREYHOUND RE-TRAINING GUIDE · 4 In-Home Greyhound Re-Training Guide Version - March Give...

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