The Wonderful Life of Adopted Greyhounds

By gapnsw.com.au

September 15, 2022 09:09

At GAP New South Wales, we're very passionate about greyhound wellbeing - from entry to our program to post-adoption.

In this article, we will highlight the ideal life of an adopted Greyhound, which is why we do what we do.

Differences between kennel life and domestic life

Daily schedule

A typical racing Greyhound will have a set daily routine.

They will sleep in their kennels from a set time each night. Let out to go to the toilet at a set time, have dinner at a set time, and exercise at a set time.

This can vary markedly from what a domestic pet experiences in our homes, where there may be a routine, but it's a bit more flexible. There's also a lot more in terms of stimulation, sights and sounds in a home versus the very controlled environment that your typical racing greyhound would experience.

Relationships

The relationship with their new owner may also be quite different to their past life. As pet owners we expect a lot more interaction and attention one on one from our dogs.

At GAP NSW, we equip our adopters with a wealth of knowledge so they can form the best relationship with our wonderful dogs.

Moving between locations

Every dog is an individual and will adapt to new locations differently.

Generally speaking, like all dogs, greyhounds don’t particularly enjoy frequent location changes or drastic environmental differences.

However, our lovely greys can definitely move well from racing to pet life. This transition is bolstered when it is done gradually, with everything being positive and as controlled as possible. We do advise adopters to try and keep their world small initially to help them transition well.

Forming new bonds

The formation of a bond between an adopted Greyhound and its new owner would usually form quite quickly, although don’t be disheartened if it takes a little longer. The best things come with a little time and patience.

Naturally, it also depends on the behaviour and personality of the particular owner as well as the dog.

At Greyhounds As Pets, we always try to educate adopters on best practices in terms of interacting politely with their dog and upskilling their own dogmanship to increase the speed of bonding. Providing those requirements are met, the relationship should be positive and form quite quickly within a matter of weeks.

At GAP NSW, we call this becoming “new best mates!”.

The human qualities that maximise dogmanship

At GAP NSW, we acknowledge that everyone is different both human and dog. We would generalise the qualities of an ideal adoptee candidate as:

Those who are open to learning about their dog as an individual
Those who are open to learning about dog behaviour and using the educational materials we provide with every adopted greyhound
Those who can be conscientious and reward their greyhound with positive experiences where possible
Those who can expose their dogs to unfamiliar sights and sounds in a gradual way

These types of people tend to be much more successful compared to those who have a set idea of what they want their dog to be. Reflective dog owners often achieve dog-human relationship goals quite quickly, which is the ideal outcome!

Settling into new homes

The settling-in period that each Greyhound experiences as they're first going into a home can vary. This depends on:

The individual greyhound
Whether or not they have been in foster care before being adopted
Their unique learning experience at our centres or regional programs

It's important that our kind adopters are willing to spend a few weeks settling the dog into their new forever home and GAP staff are always available to provide support and troubleshoot any concerns. The greyhound’s behaviour and ongoing wellbeing with you are our priorities.

Thanks to our matching process and supportive procedures, most dogs are successfully place in their new homes and very few are returned, which is a great result!

Routine versus dynamic lifestyles

These lifestyles are not mutually exclusive. Every dog’s temperament will be advised to an adopter in terms of what they will prefer.

Having said that, most greyhounds will prefer a routine lifestyle in terms of waking up, meals and activities of daily living.

As human dog owners, naturally there will be variations in our schedule. Sometimes things happen and everything won't always fall into a perfect routine, however, where possible, it's best to keep a routine (especially while the dog's settling) just keeping their world small and avoiding too much novelty.

Signs of a happy greyhound

Well, we'd say a happily adopted greyhound would show behavioural signs that they're in a positive emotional state for the most part. So that means the dog will have relaxed body language. They should be

Eating and drinking and sleeping normally
You should have a dog that is existing within your current lifestyle without difficulty
General positive body language like a low wagging tail and wanting to be patted

At GAP NSW, we’re proud to support people post-adoption, both in the initial settling-in period, as well as all the months and years after adoption that you suspend with your greyhound.

Our team are always contactable to see what support can be given to our amazing adopters.

Helping greyhounds learn independence and choice

Autonomy is something that is increasing in importance in the dog training world, and it's vital for most of us as dog owners to foster some level of autonomy in our dogs, and that includes greyhounds (largely because many adopters work part time or full time).

We need to teach our dogs what we want them to be doing or what they can do in our absence or in our passive presence. One key thing that you can do to help foster autonomy is to give your dog outlets for low-intensity seeking behaviour through the provision of enrichment.

Usually, enrichment is opportunities for the dog to sniff, chew, and lick.

Those provisions help the dog relax and give them something to do without an active owner's presence telling them do this at this time and do that at that time, because that way the dog will have tasks that will make them feel good while (you) the owner isn't there.

Further reading: 4 Great Interactive Dog Toys

Want to be part of our greyhound wellbeing story?

At Greyhounds As Pets, we're always promoting the positive wellbeing of our dogs and dog ownership in general.

One of the key messages is for people to employ best practices in terms of dogmanship (woof, that’s not just for greyhounds, it’s across the board for all dogs).

If readers are thinking of adopting a greyhound or want to learn more, we've got plenty of resources on our website for people to consult and that might help them refine their own skills.

Together we can improve wellbeing for greyhounds throughout NSW!