Greyhound

History of the Greyhound breed

The past of greyhounds is full of white spots and historical inaccuracies. For example, until the beginning of the XXI century, ancient Egypt was considered their homeland. It was there that the first images of dogs similar to saluki were found, who arrived in the Nile Valley with Bedouin tribes (according to another version – with the caravans of Alexander the Great). However, after a genetic analysis conducted in 2004, it turned out that greyhounds are not related to Egyptian dogs, but they have a lot in common with shepherds. This forced scientists to put forward a new hypothesis about the origin of the breed, according to which the ancestors of greyhounds were brought with them by the ancient Celts.

By the X century AD, the failed relatives of the saluki gained fame in Europe, and especially in the UK, where they were bred for unarmed hunting. Swift and grasping, greyhounds have proven themselves to be unsurpassed runners for short distances, able to get a hare or a roe deer in a matter of minutes. At the beginning of the XI century, after the release of the "Law on Forests", hunting for the lower classes, as well as the maintenance of commercial dogs, were closed. This helped the breed to step up a notch in terms of status, since now only the European nobility was in charge of its breeding.

By the XVIII century, a period of decline had come for greyhounds and, if not for the efforts of the British breeder Lord Alford, the animals could have completely disappeared. It was through the patronage of an aristocrat that a hunting club was registered in 1776, in which the first field tests of greyhounds, including greyhounds, were conducted. In addition, Alford managed to put his own hand to the renewal of the breed, mixing a bit of blood into its genotype English bulldog .

Greyhounds debuted at exhibitions only in the second half of the XIX century, with the growing popularity of such an event as dog racing. During the same period, the English greyhound clan split into three independent branches: exhibition, running and hunting. At the same time, the official recognition of the breed was delayed until 1946, that is, until the first British greyhound lovers club was opened on the initiative of the AKC.

Greyhounds have been found in Russian kennels since the XVIII century, but due to the fabulous cost and elite image, their numbers were small. After the October Revolution, the vast majority of individuals were completely exterminated as a bourgeois relic, so until the end of the 80s of the XX century there was not a single purebred greyhound in the USSR. Only after the collapse of the Union, a stream of four-legged producers from the USA, Germany, Hungary and Czechoslovakia poured into the country, marking the beginning of the tribe of domestic greyhounds.

Interesting fact: Greyhound genes gave the world and saved many breeds from degeneration, including deerhounds, whippets, irish wolfhounds , galgo, Magyar-agarov and others.

Video: Greyhound

Greyhound Breed Standard

This sporty "Englishman" has very few specific breed chips, so in the ring he is evaluated by the overall impression made, without delving into the details of the exterior. If we turn to the standard, then the right greyhound should be distinguished by stateliness combined with the elegance of the silhouette and the indispensable legginess. That is, on the one hand, it is a graceful, slender creature with a noble posture, and on the other – a serious working dog with developed muscles. The balance of the figure is an equally important selection criterion, therefore, breeding specialists reject both excessively tall individuals and short-legged "jocks" who have accumulated excess muscle mass. By the way, about the muscles: they are not voluminous in the greyhound, but stretched in length, which makes his figure refined.

The growth of males should be in the range of 71-77 cm, bitches slightly lower – 68-71 cm. The weight of adults is 29-32 kg and 27-29 kg, respectively.

As in the XIX century, today greyhound breeding is conducted along three main lines.

• Show class - decorative beauties with a glossy appearance, future ring stars, as well as potential "collectors" of diplomas and medals. Mandatory characteristics are high height (in males – 76-77 cm), a beautiful curve of the neck, light, relaxed movements.
• The running branch are born athletes, devoted fans of coursing. Externally, dogs give the impression of lean and light creatures.
• Hunting type – amateur variety. In such "boys" and "girls", performance characteristics prevail over external advantages. These are short owners of wide backs and convex loins.

Representatives of different breed "qualifications" should not interbreed with each other.

Head

Elongated, moderately wide, with a flat skull. The muzzle is elongated, with a smooth transition. At the exhibition inspection, the greyhound's head is not the most highly valued part of the body. The main thing is that it looks textured and lean.

Jaws and teeth

The massive jaws of the greyhound close into full-fledged "scissors" (the upper incisors overlap the outer side of the lower ones).

Eyes

The greyhound's eyes are oval, shiny, set slightly kosovato. Despite the fact that the judicial commissions prefer a dark shade of the iris, lighter eyes are characteristic for dogs with a weakened coat color.

Ears

Neat, thin, reminiscent of a rose. Usually the ear cloth is laid back, but in a wary animal it takes a semi-upright position.

Neck

The correct neck of the English greyhound is long, well muscled, with a soft transition to the withers, without skin folds and suspensions. Unlike the head, the neck, which does not fit into the framework of the standard, can spoil the greyhound's exhibition karma.

Housing

The greyhound's body looks stretched enough, even powerful. The chest is strong and deep, with noticeably arched ribs and a relief undermining (transition from the sternum to the abdomen). The back is elongated, dense, with a massive loin.

Limbs

The shoulder blades of the greyhound stand in an inclined position, distinguished by the muscularity and general dryness of the contours. Forearms are straight, long. The elbows are placed freely, under the shoulder blades, the pasterns are small. The strong thighs and shins of the dog indicate a powerful push. Hock joints are wide, low-lying. The angles of the knee joints are distinct. Paws of the mermaid type with strongly curved fingers and dense claws.

Movements

The Greyhound moves in a linear, sweeping step, which allows it to increase its maximum speed in the first seconds of running. In the force of the push, the hind limbs of the English greyhound are inferior to the paws of trotting breeds, but they move freely, without "connectedness".

Tail

The greyhound's tail is its steering wheel in motion. In pedigreed individuals, the tail is low-set, thick at the base, tapering as it moves away from the croup. Both in the stand and in the run, the tail is carried low, forming a slight bend from the middle (the shape of a crescent is already too much).

Wool

Smooth, tight-fitting and pleasant to the touch greyhound hair has a dense texture. The coat is thick on all parts of the body except for the abdomen and inner thighs. The undercoat is insignificant.

Color

Greyhounds can be red, black, blue, white, tiger, fawn, or they can have a "diluted" suit: all the listed colors in combination with white spots.

Disqualifying vices

Developmental and behavioral defects, in the presence of which English greyhounds are not allowed to participate in exhibition events and breeding, are cryptorchidism, cowardice and gratuitous aggression against humans.

Greyhound character

In the body of the greyhound, two "dog personalities" get along at once, one of which is a merciless hunter and athlete, and the second is an imposing indoor pet, occupying the couch for days. For example, if there is no interesting job looming on the horizon, the dog can get high for hours on the mat, then plunging into the world of sweet dreams, then coming out of it. As befits pack breeds, greyhounds are very dependent on the collective, and the dog considers both the family in which he lives and other greyhounds living in the house to be his own "pack". In the second case, there will be a rigid hierarchy of the type: the leader is one, the rest are on the choruses.

Greyhounds are not irritated by children, but judging dogs as great babysitters is still too much. The Grays were never bred to "herd" the little ones, however, and they were not taught to hunt presumptuous youngsters either. In general, animals are patient with children's pranks, but in sensitive situations they often prefer to retreat rather than fight back. But greyhounds adore their owners to unconsciousness. Attachment is especially pronounced in puppies: branded jumping and attempts to lick the "leader" face is a mandatory point in the relationship of young gray and man.

Greyhounds peacefully coexist with other pets, but they do not like generalizations. So, for example, a dog may seem absolutely indifferent to a cat living in your apartment, but it will deal with a stray purr in two counts. The same fate will befall decorative fuzzies like lapdogs and toy terriers, which English greyhounds identify with small game, so you need an eye and an eye on walks for a pet. Small internal disassembly for greyhounds is a common thing. Light biting of relatives on the sides often takes place during hunting or dog racing, so in the latter case, the participants of the competition act in muzzles.

Greyhounds are not listed as watchmen. Nevertheless, the dog is able to put an impudent stranger in his place by barking at him properly. At the same time, English greyhounds will not mind your guests. More precisely, the dogs are not particularly happy with them, but for the sake of the owner's pleasure they are ready to suffer and even make a mock-indifferent face at the sight of the company drawn on the threshold.

Education and training

Greyhounds are not often found on training grounds, which is why they have a reputation for being difficult-to-educate lazy. However, in reality, everything is not so clear. Like any dogs originally "sharpened" for hunting, English greyhounds cannot execute commands with the automatism with which service breeds manage to do it. But the "British" like to be creative and are very artistic, which gives them advantages when performing in the ring.

Unlike the above-mentioned service breeds, it is better not to rush with the training of English greyhounds. Have patience and endurance, let the puppy grow up. At a young age, greyhounds are fantastically uncontrollable, so trying to curb the irrepressible energy of a three–month-old baby means spoiling the mood for yourself and your pet. It is better to practice the ability to calmly treat dog pranks, which the puppy will generate a pack per hour.

Usually dog handlers recommend practicing with a dog no earlier than that one turns a year old, but do not take such advice literally. Gray is obliged to do something by this age. In particular, the greyhound must respond to the nickname, understand the prohibitions, and also be socialized.

Build greyhound training with an eye on the psychotype of the breed. English greyhounds are not those dogs who are eager to work for food: they will swallow the offered treat and make "adios" with their paw. So the main incentive for classes remains the innate excitement of the breed. Try to "grab" the pet's attention in the first lesson and not let go in the next. Remember, as soon as the greyhound gets bored, he will drop out of school. It is better to choose a moderately patronizing style of communication during training: greyhounds are not dominant, and it is pointless to "press" them. It's better to show your pet how happy you are to work together – the dog will appreciate it.

There are some difficulties in mastering the basic set of commands. For example, greyhounds find it difficult to meet any requirements related to waiting, because due to the peculiarities of their anatomy, it is unpleasant for them to sit for a long time leaning on their hind legs. However, no matter how sorry the pet is, you will have to start training with the commands "Wait!" and "Sit!". The only thing is to be a little lenient to the physical capabilities of the dog. The Greyhound did not take the expected waiting position, but just sat down? It's already good. Give the hard worker a compliment – he deserves it.

No matter what they say about the inattention and laziness of the breed, English greyhounds are capable of such disciplines as agility, OKD and even search work. However, not all owners are ready to give pets to any course, motivating their decision by the fact that professional training will "muffle" the working qualities in the dog. This cliche is quite common among dog lovers, but has no real basis. Do not doubt, the greyhound, who has comprehended the subtleties of the OKD, chases a mechanical hare with the same passion as an untrained animal.

Greyhound at dog races

The optimal age for training puppies of sports lines is 2-3 months. Such kids are not taken to treadmills, but at home they are forced to show interest and chase a rabbit skin tied on a string. You should start running for a mechanical bait from short distances (up to 100 m), gradually increasing the distance. Dogs are good at honing the speed and technique of running on a leash behind a bicycle.

The usual distance of sprint races in which greyhounds participate is 300-350 m. For English greyhounds, this is a normal load, but before the competition the animal is supposed to have a couple of days of rest, and after it – a bowl with clean water. Overload for the greyhound is no less harmful than physical inactivity, so he has nothing to do at the cinema for up to a year. In addition, only experienced, trained individuals who have been engaged in coursing for several seasons can master several races a day. Beginners can't afford such records. Of course, a young dog can try and give his best beyond his capabilities, but such attempts will not lead to anything good, except for the disability of the animal.

Practice shows that it is much easier to train a professional sprinter from a greyhound than to train him to the starting boxing. Once in a locked room, young individuals are frightened and behave stiffly, so at first it is better to leave both shutters open. It is also not worth keeping the dog in the box for a long time: after sitting in a cramped "box", she may lose interest in the pursuit and hesitate at the start. And another thing: young playful dogs on training runs are not chasing a hare, but their rivals, trying to tease them and bite them. If you notice an atypical behavior for a runner behind a greyhound, work with it separately from other dogs for the first weeks, and put a muzzle on the animal before going on the track. You don't want your ward to be disqualified for aggression at the first serious "race", do you?

Greyhound Hunting

The first attempts to train hunting greyhound puppies are made in 3-4 months. This is not a full-fledged hunt, but only an awakening of interest in game. For example, the baby is given to play with a podrank or sniff a bunch of feathers. You can introduce a puppy into a team of adult dogs and take it out to the field in a pack. The baby will imitate the behavior of adults, adopting the experience of older greyhounds. By the year, the greyhound is already able to catch a hare, but is not always able to bring it to the owner. The disadvantage is treated by the accumulation of hunting experience: the more often the dog will be given to ruffle the skin of the game, the faster it will learn to manage it.

Important point: immediately after hunting, the greyhound cannot be fed with raw rabbit giblets or cut off pieces from the carcass. This will disorganize the pet, so in the future, instead of bringing prey to the owner, he will try to "carve" it on his own.

Hunt with greyhounds in the conditions of flat steppe terrain and in the fields. Forests, groves, rocky ridges are potentially dangerous places for the breed. Developing a frenzied speed at the start, the greyhound cannot maneuver between rocks and trees and invariably encounters obstacles. Such "trials" end lamentably for the dog – the animal receives injuries incompatible with life, or remains crippled.

Maintenance and care

Greyhound is a breed that prefers shade in summer and warmth in winter. Ideally, it is better to keep it in heated rooms. Inveterate greyhounds with packs of dogs will have to attend to the construction of insulated booths, as well as enclosures with heated and high floors, since it is unrealistic to place several pets in one house. By the way, the maintenance of greyhounds in city apartments also takes place, since they are not demanding of space and will not get in the way.

As for physical exertion, they are necessary for the Grays insofar as. Take your pet for a walk twice a day, let him run for a bike – for an adult greyhound, such charging is more than enough. Urban dogs are not let off the leash on walks: English greyhounds have no fear of motor transport, and negligent owners often end their lives under the wheels of cars. The greyhound should spend at least 1-2 hours on the street every day, and in good weather it is not a sin to increase the duration of the "excursion", and in cold weather – to reduce it. On rainy and frosty days, the dog's body should be protected with a waterproof blanket or insulated overalls. This, of course, restricts movement, but it will protect the body from hypothermia.

Hygiene

Greyhound grooming is limited to buying a rubber mitt and combing out dead hairs from the dog's body. It is necessary to arrange "bath days" only if the pet is really dirty. But since English greyhounds are innate punctualists, it is rare to drag them to the bathroom. But the claws need to be monitored carefully. Firstly, because the overgrown plate prevents greyhounds from running, which is fraught with injuries. And secondly, puppies whose owners neglect the "pedicure" procedure have deformed paws, becoming more flattened and loose, so the best option is to cut the claws twice a week, polishing the place of the cut with a nail file.

Systematic cleaning of teeth and ears is mandatory for greyhounds. In the first case, it is better to arm yourself with a toothbrush for dogs and veterinary paste (a cheaper alternative is baking soda). Secondly, veterinary lotion and cotton pads. Greyhound eye care is to prevent their souring, for which chamomile infusion and a soft lint-free cloth will be useful. The paws of apartment greys are subject to thorough inspection and washing after each walk, and cracks and wounds on them are wiped with antiseptic. Do not forget about the treatment of ectoparasites, which is especially important for hunting lines: chasing hares through autumn and spring meadows, picking up a tick for a greyhound is a matter of minutes.

Feeding

Greyhounds have no problems with appetite, they do not dig in the bowl, fishing out a tastier piece, so the standard "dog menu" for the breed will be very useful. The bet, as usual, is on lean meat. Wiry, cherished, with a whiff – English greyhounds willingly absorb any noncondition. Two additional, albeit less caloric alternatives to meat are boneless sea fish and offal. As for the game caught by the greyhound, it is better not to give it to the pet without veterinary control. The same roe deer can be a carrier of various pathogens and parasites, and eating its meat will make Gray a patient of the veterinary clinic.

A mandatory product in the diet of a tiny greyhound is calcined cottage cheese, which, as the puppy grows up, is replaced by low–fat fermented baked milk and kefir. It is better to give eggs to greyhounds without protein, which is not digested, and mixed with any milk. To strengthen the teeth, periodically buy beef bones for the dog. Oatmeal, rice, buckwheat porridge are good additives if their share in a serving does not exceed 20%.

Any fruits and vegetables of the middle lane are a source of vitamins and minerals, but it is better to give them raw, grated and seasoned with vegetable oil or sour cream to enhance the taste. If the dog refuses vegan salads, vegetables can be boiled and mixed with animal protein, for example, to sculpt meat and vegetable meatballs. Some breeders successfully transfer English greyhounds to industrial feed, which makes sense: saving time + no need to spend on vitamin and mineral complexes. Many nurseries practice mixed feeding at all, although the method also has opponents.

Greyhound Health and Diseases

Typical ailments of greyhounds are age–related arthritis, deafness (overwhelmingly in white individuals), hypothyroidism, eye diseases and allergies. Puppies from the age of 3 months are sometimes diagnosed with neuropathy: the first symptom is a shaky gait. The disease is not treated, so its logical conclusion for the pet will be fatal.

How to choose a puppy

The principles of choosing a greyhound puppy are the same as when buying any greyhound. Start by searching for a proven nursery that has managed to build up a customer base. If this is your first acquaintance with the breed, invite a specialist dog handler to inspect the litter, who will help you choose the most successful puppy. And of course, always be interested in the sporting and hunting achievements of producers – genetic inheritance of parental talents takes place in most young greyhounds.

• Decide what type of English greyhound you are looking for. For example, it is better to watch show producers at exhibitions, for running greyhounds - at movie theaters, and for representatives of the working (hunting) line – in the field.
• The dimensions of the greyhound lines also differ. The largest dogs are show class, the smallest are hunting dogs.
• If you have already chosen your favorite at an exhibition or a race and are ready to take a puppy from him, do not be lazy to communicate with the breeder and his ward in an informal setting. It is possible that the behavior of the animal at home will be completely different.

Greyhound Price

The most expensive greyhound is an exhibition greyhound: from $600 and above. A baby from a pair of famous runners will cost an order of magnitude cheaper. Well, the most financially economical option is the hunting type: on average – $100 per puppy. There are enough ads on the Internet for the sale of adults without documents – from $50.