20/06/2022
MYTHBUSTER MONDAY
On this week’s myth buster Monday we want to address a myth that we hear a lot of, that greyhounds don’t get on with other breeds.
We have been horrified to hear, on more than one occasion, that mixed breed rescues (including one of the big national rescues!) have recommended to potential adopters that if you want a greyhound that you must have a secure garden as they cannot be trusted to go on walks due to their prey drive toward other breeds.
This really knocked us over. This level of misinformation really damages greyhound rehoming, but thankfully the people who experienced this did not believe a word of it and decided to come to us and went on to take home their beautiful hounds.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths that float around about greyhounds. That they need huge amounts of exercise, that they are a hypoallergenic breed that don’t moult, that they aren’t affectionate, that they're boring...all sorts.
But it is often the case that it is assumed that, because Greyhounds are used for racing and trained to chase a lure, they cannot be trusted around smaller breeds of dog as it triggers their chase response. Or people will judge a greyhound wearing a muzzle as aggressive when they are purely used as a training aid, as we have discussed in the past.
Somehow greyhounds just get stuck with this stigma! The same goes for people saying that all staffys are dangerous…which, to anyone that has actually met a staffy knows that this is just not true. They are full of love!
Of course, there are always going to be some greyhounds that are not a huge fan of other dogs, but that does not make it a defining breed characteristic. They cannot be defined due to the minority. Any dog, of any breed, can have anxieties or defensive behaviours toward other dogs, either through lack of socialisation, trauma or just a nervous disposition. Greyhounds are no more a threat to other dogs than, a Labrador or a cockapoo if responsibly socialised!
During their racing careers, Greyhounds do not have the opportunity to meet other breeds, so when they go out into the world, they have to learn everything for the first time exactly how a puppy would. And (like any dog, of any breed) if properly socialised in a positive manner, there shouldn't be a problem! Some may take a little bit longer to get the hang of it, but all dogs learn at different speeds.
To ensure that we are responsibly homing our greyhounds, all our dogs go through a series of behavioural assessments, including meeting and walking with a chihuahua, to assess their openness to socialise with other breeds once out in their forever home.
Depending on their response to this process then dictates the experience of the home required but also, we will take them to our local park for positive reinforcement training and socialisation so that they realise other dogs are not scary…and are in fact friends! This helps jump start their understanding of other breeds before going out to their forever homes.
The large majority of greyhounds pass through our doors without a hitch, with very few having problems with other dogs. It is all a matter of time and patience.
We have so many of our greyhounds living very happily with other breeds, and even some other species! Some live with chihuahua’s, pugs and bossy sh*tzus...and then there's the ones with cats, rabbits and ferrets! Just this month we’ve had two go to live with jack russels and another with a cockapoo.
Break the stigma, spread the word: Greyhounds make fantastic family pets!
