When you think of a Greyhound, you may well think of racing and six of these animals chasing a mechanical bunny, but it’s also worth remembering that dogs of this breed make exceptional pets. In this post, we’re going to learn a little more about the Greyhound.
Origins
At an archaeological dig in Syria some years ago, the skeleton of a dog was unearthed, and that dog was a Greyhound. And because of that dig, we know that there have been Greyhounds on the earth for at least 4,000 years. We know that they came to Britain with the Romans, and as hounds would have been used for hunting, especially small mammals (hence the rabbit at the track). The one odd thing though is we don’t know exactly where their modern name comes from. We know that it’s Old Norse and would have originally been “Grighund” but no-one’s sure who or what “Grig” is (the “hund” bit is pretty self explanatory though).
Appearance
Greyhounds grow up to 75cm in height and come in a wide variety of colours. They are sleek and slender with very little body fat, and they have a long-ish, slender tail, and long legs. They also have a long thin muzzle, and when you look at the amount of times we’ve used the words “long” and “thin” to describe them, you can see just why they are so good at running – it really is their natural state.
Temperament
Greyhounds are real sweethearts. Yes, they have a natural urge to hunt, but they’re incredibly affectionate and timid dogs at heart, that enjoy relaxing and saving those spring-loaded muscles for a good run. Generally speaking, they are not aggressive dogs at all, and while they’re not usually fond of strangers, they show this by being stand-offish rather than aggressive.
Exercise
Let’s talk speed then. In terms of land animals, the Greyhound is No.8 on the all time speediest list, just behind Hares and just in front of Kangaroos. Greyhounds can run at 46 miles per hour which makes them insanely fast for anything that doesn’t have an internal combustion engine. With all of that being said, these animals are sprint specialists, and would prefer to do a couple of high velocity dashes to any prolonged running. A couple of quick runs and maybe 40 minutes of walking in a day, and your Greyhound will be spent, making them excellent dogs for those of us who don’t have the time to go on long hikes every day.
You can help to keep your Greyhound in tip-top shape by giving them an excellent diet and at tails.com we can help with that. Just take our short survey, fill in your dog’s details, and we’ll prepare a unique recipe just for your pet, and deliver it every month to your door.