| One, who owns a Greyhound or is looking to own | | | | beasts. Owing to his reserved behavior towards |
| one, should be aware of the fact that socialization | | | | his master as well as others, he tends to be |
| is a very important factor, where these dogs are | | | | undervalued. |
| concerned. The Greyhounds, as the statistics | | | | Greyhounds are programmed as racers. Unless |
| support, have been mostly racing dogs, and 95% | | | | warned, they would probably even run through a |
| of them have made a transition from racers to | | | | glass door. They need specific care to the extent |
| pets. They are never really friendly with people | | | | that even the general dog collar or leash can do |
| whom they don't know and owing to their | | | | them harm. |
| background as racers they tend to chase them | | | | Before taking a Greyhound, one should be |
| off at first sight. | | | | perfectly conversant with the methods to train |
| In fact, there appears to be a direct relationship | | | | him into domestic life. Adoption centers with |
| between their chasing nature and unsocial attitude. | | | | experts at handling animals are the best possible |
| About 20% of these dogs have an extremely | | | | options to turn to when one is at a loss with a |
| high prey instinct. | | | | Greyhound. |
| A newly trained pet, or rather a Greyhound that | | | | These professionals understand the mind of the |
| has just turned into a pet, after a long life on the | | | | dog. A dog that is used to a schedule of running |
| racing tracks, is bound to be skeptical of | | | | at a particular time of the day and then again |
| strangers. You will find it playing to its heart's | | | | staying locked in a room for the rest of the day |
| delight with the people in the house, but the mere | | | | is bound to feel ecstatic when set scot-free. |
| sight of an outsider, an individual, a dog, a cat or | | | | Domestic life for him would mean running around |
| even a rabbit will set him off. This happens | | | | in his owner's house all throughout the day, |
| primarily due to the fact that he has been used | | | | without really having to follow too many ground |
| to running along the tracks all throughout his life | | | | rules. |
| when he had probably been given specific objects | | | | This however, has its pros and cons. Settling into |
| to keep sight of, which he could track down and | | | | domestic life calls for certain norms to be adhered |
| thus win the race. | | | | to as well, aside from being just a household pet. |
| Once trained into a domestic animal, the | | | | All these norms can sum up to what we call |
| Greyhound makes a wonderful pet. Its | | | | socialization. |
| transformation from a racer to a pet requires | | | | Indoors, within the household, they are calm and |
| diligent training. Owners are almost always | | | | adaptable to the point of being lazy and are not |
| successful in taming them but when it comes to | | | | even watchful or alert. But outdoors, they need |
| socializing them, they are faced with quite a | | | | special care to get accustomed to the life outside. |
| challenge. | | | | While interacting with people who are not family |
| The Greyhounds are usually sensitive and elegant, | | | | members, they need to be molded into warm, |
| and very brave but they can be quite willful too. | | | | friendly animals that know how to be at their |
| They are to be socialized at an early age before | | | | best possible behavior even when confronted with |
| its too late and they end up turning into timid | | | | a stranger. |