Greyhound Lifestages

In  conducting many adoption applicant interviews over the years, the large  majority request a greyhound that is as young as possible.  Is this  always for the best?

There is no  right or wrong age when it comes to adopting.  Every hound is  individual in their personality, temperament, and suitability to  different home environments.  Each home is also different, and every  family is individual in their preferences.  

However,  there are generalisations and assumptions around different age groups,  such as the idea that young unraced greyhounds are going to have a low  prey drive or that adopting an older hound means you won’t have them as  long.   
These assumptions can have a big impact on  the dogs waiting to be adopted, with certain age groups being overlooked  despite their suitability for the home environment and thus spending  extended time in kennels that further impacts their adoptability.

The  most requested preference we hear is for dogs no older than 4 years  old, more specifically between 2-4 years, with 4 being the absolute max.   The expectation being that the dog will be past the annoying puppy  stage but that they aren’t too old to enjoy a full life with them.

The  reasoning behind these requests is that people want to adopt a dog in  need, rather than buy a puppy, but want to have them for as long as  possible.  Logic would suggest that taking on a young dog means you  would have them for longer, but there are no guarantees in life…

Many  applicants become hesitant in discussing dogs that are 5 years old, or  older.  Psychologically, it makes sense.  5 is halfway to 10 and with an  average lifespan in greyhounds of 12-14 years, it can feel like you’ve  missed most of their life.  5 years old just ‘feels’ too old for a lot  of people.  

These age requests  are often particularly important to applicants with children, as they  want the kids to grow up with the dog and not experience their passing  too early on.

While responsible  rehoming centres will take individual preferences into account, younger  doesn’t always mean better and taking on a more mature dog can have many  benefits!

You may or may not be  aware that greyhounds (and other sighthounds, particularly lurchers) are  referred to as landsharks when they’re puppies.  They are velociraptors  on speed!  They are mouthy, energetic, and very naughty…and are not  considered to be adults until they are 2 years old.

Taking  on a puppy sighthound is not for the faint of heart, with most landing  in rescue before they reach 1 years old due to their behaviour.   However, due to greyhounds being bred for the racing industry it is  almost impossible to find or adopt a greyhound puppy…which, given their  lack of manners is probably a good thing!

At  the earliest, greyhounds may be moved to a rehoming centre from 12-15  months old if they show absolutely no affinity for the chase, or that  they’ve injured themselves running around the paddocks.
Though  even for those that have poor aspirations when introduced to the  concept of racing, they will continue to be schooled in the hopes they  get the hang of it!
Most non-chasers will be retired  into rehoming centres at 17-18 months old, but it can be anywhere up to  24 months if early trials on the track continue to be unsuccessful.

The concept of these unraced greyhound is highly sought after.  

It  is believed that these young greyhounds will make wonderful family pets  that can go off lead with great recall, be unbothered by wildlife, live  with cats or other small animals and young children because they don’t  have ‘the drive’ in them.

Unfortunately,  many a rescue and rehoming centres continue to encourage this  misconception…but not all unraced greyhounds fit into this perfect box.   While a percentage of these young hounds may go on to be exactly what  people expect, it isn’t universal across the board…It’s 50/50 at least!

We’re  about to generalise quite heavily based on our past experiences  regarding unraced greyhounds, but it isn’t to put you off the idea, just  to give you food for thought because they aren’t for everyone!
We  have seen many unraced greyhounds go on to be the wonderful pets,  literally perfect, but for the most part they’ve been real labours of  love!

There are many reasons why a  greyhound will be unraced; they may have been injured, they could have  been disqualified for distracting the other racers or they are just too  smart to chase the lure and would be more than happy to chase the real  thing!

Being unraced doesn’t mean  they don’t have that drive in them.  We have seen countless unraced and  so called ‘non-chasing’ greyhounds go on to be highly prey driven and  dog reactive once entering the rehoming centre and subsequent homes.  

As  such, it should never be assumed that greyhounds labelled as a  non-chaser in the race setting are going to be sound with everything in  the domestic setting.

Though  quite ironically, we have seen greyhounds with the most glittering,  successful, championship careers go on to live with cats and be  completely unfazed by anything that moves…it makes no sense, we know!

The  other problem with taking on a young greyhound is that they are quite  often very under socialised.  Before moving to the rehoming centre, they  haven’t experienced life past being in a paddock with their siblings.
As  such, they are quite often much more nervous than the retired racers,  due to their inexperience, and are less adaptable to changing  environments.

They aren’t used  to travelling, being handled for vet visits or for being groomed and are  often very dirty in kennel.  A large percentage of the unraced  greyhounds we have seen over the years have been terrified of water and  are incredibly difficult to nail trim or brush their teeth.  

The  under 2 years old category might be more hassle than it’s worth for a  lot of people!  Basically, you’d be taking on a fully grown puppy!
This  can be perfect for people who have the time and want to put the work  in, and for those who want a more energetic dog who will go for long  walks and adventures (assuming they aren’t nervous) and then crash out  to sleep afterwards…but it is important to make sure the dog has been  fully assessed before taking them on to ensure personality-wise they are  what you’re looking for and that any behavioural issues or quirks have  been identified, so you know what you’re getting in for!

Personally,  we wouldn’t adopt from the under 2s age category.  They aren’t as  compatible with many home environments as that of the ‘older’ greyhounds  and are more time consuming, which isn’t always suitable for people  that work full time or that have young children.

For  the most part 2-3 years old is a great age for people looking for the  interactive and outgoing nature of a young dog, but without that  immature mouthy full of beans business!

While  it may sound counterproductive, at 2-3 years old, a greyhound will have  had a little bit more life experience, had a few goes round the track  (even if they were unsuccessful), and will be more well-rounded and  socialised.  
Though dogs retired in this age bracket  will only be mid-way through their racing careers so are most likely to  have come off the track with an injury.  This can impact on the amount  and type of exercise they’re allowed.  For instance, if they broke their  hock, it is not advisable to allow them to run off lead or take them  for long walks.  So, it’s important to get that information from the  rehoming centre.

While people do  start to get hesitant when discussing dogs in the 4–5-year-old bracket,  they shouldn’t be ruled out!  They are still young, fit, outgoing and  happy dogs, but are much more balanced.  All round they will be calmer  but still very much up for walks, will still get the mad zoomies, enjoy  chucking their toys around and be the proper lovebugs that everyone  knows greyhounds to be.

At 4-5  years old, a greyhound will have had a full racing career and will be  retiring for age, slowing down, or losing interest.  Some will still  come off with injury, so this should be considered, but they generally  retire around this age as a matter of course.

This  is a great age to adopt, as they are the ones that are generally  overlooked in preference for younger dogs…but also in preference to  older dogs!  The dogs that fall around 5 years old are in this awkward  bracket in between families looking for a young outgoing companion and  older couples looking for a senior sweetheart to plod around and keep  them active.

You’ll generally  always see a larger proportion of greyhounds at this age sitting on the  rehoming websites for long periods as they are less sought after.  Which  is disappointing because it’s a really good age to adopt!

They  just have more of a (albeit silly and happy) maturity to them that is  desirable for a lot of families, particularly those with children who  don’t want anything too crazy.

But  let’s not forget those senior hounds…now this is where we get into the 8  years plus, though they are typically considered to be older dogs from  6.

Some greyhounds don’t move  from their racing kennels until they’re 6-7 years old, sometimes up to 9  years old if they’ve been kept back for breeding but for the most part,  any senior greyhounds in rehoming centres are returnees, and adopting a  returnee comes with many benefits!

While  you may not get as long with a senior dog, there is something very  special about adopting them.  No one wants to see an older dog land back  in a kennel environment after years in a home due to a change of  circumstances or because their owners passed away…it can be immensely  stressful for them when all they want is their comfy sofa back.

These hounds are perfect for older individuals, but also first-time owners.  That may sound like an odd concept but hear us out!

Returnees  are already domesticated, house trained, usually separation trained and  are already familiar with other dogs, children, and traffic, which for  first timers dog owners can be a really nice and much less stressful  introduction to dog ownership.
While you won’t have  them for as long, the learning curve won’t be so steep, and you’ll be  giving a hound a second chance at their forever home!

Seniors  have still got so much love to give and are so grateful to be adopted  back out into a home.  They will still enjoy their walks and get the  zoomies and be all silly…but in a much more respectful and self-aware  way…as opposed to those nut job puppies who send your furniture and  children flying!

While there is  the likelihood of veterinary costs in taking on a senior dog, a  responsible rehoming centre will make sure the dog is sound before  adopting them out.

We would  absolutely recommend adopting a senior dog, they are literally the best.   They slot into any home so easily, it’s very rewarding and in even if  you only have a year or two with them you can show them the best time  and even do a bucket list with them!