A Beginners' Guide To GreyHound Dog by Lea Mullins

Training your dog is always recommended, regardless of the breed, in order to have a healthy and content pet. If you are contemplating about an athletic breed like a Greyhound dog, then you'll need to look in to the appropriate training and their profile.

Greyhound dog training is no different than training another other dog but you might like to keep in mind their personality traits and general behavior to achieve the required training result. These dogs are widely known as racing dogs, and not a boisterous dog. They do not need excessive amounts of exercise but generally walks and to near by parks will do fine to keep your dog healthy and in tip top shape.

They are generally a quiet, gentle and loving dog and respond well to positive training methods. Punishment based training is not recommended especially with this breed. Greyhounds can be easily startled and tend to bolt off without stopping when they are frightened. When you are outdoors with your dog it is highly recommended that you keep them on a leash or a fenced boundary when off leash for this very reason.

Avoid frightening situations if at all possible; take training one step at a time by adding new tricks or things slowly. Training should be a fun and positive experience with a few challenges for mental stimulation. Always reward your dog with treats and praise at the end of their training session or whatever they find enjoyable.

Discipline your Greyhound dog with positive actions. If your dog was to urinate on the carpet inside, it is pointless trying to punish them once the deed is already done. The key is to catch them in the act and with a firm grunt of noise to get their attention, proceed to relocate them to an appropriate spot where they can finish. Then reward your dog for finishing in the correct location. This will avoid compounding any problems and will eventually teach them the correct place to go.

To get your Greyhound dog excited about going to training, sessions should be enjoyable, short, and challenging for them. Do not expect your dog to grasp the tasks quickly; they will get it eventually with positive training. If your dog is having some difficulty return to a simpler task they can comply with then move on to another task to avoid boredom.

About the Author

Lea Mullins, a dog lover, talks about positive reinforcement training for Greyhound dog. Check out TrainPetDog.com to learn more about Dog Training.

Ten Things to Consider Before Getting a Greyhound by Lea Mullins

Contrary to popular belief, a Greyhound can make a better apartment dog than Jack Russell, due to his calm temperament.

Greyhounds have been called the 45 mph couch potatoes, because, although they were bred for sprinting, most greyhound races last less than a minute, and the dogs are content with minimal activity the rest of the time.

Although puppies may be hyperactive until taught good manners, an adopted adult can be expected to be content frequently lying on the couch. Like all dogs, greyhounds need their daily walk and an occasional trip to the park, but do not expect your greyhound to be a partner in any long jogging sessions.

Greyhounds make good family pets, having a friendly disposition and pack instinct, but are not for families with children who want to play roughhouse with the dog. Having been designed for speed, greyhounds have delicate bones that should not be handled roughly. Greyhounds do not make good guard dogs.

Greyhounds can be easily housetrained. Like all dogs, they should be trained as to the rules of the home and to accept the human members of the family as pack leaders.

Some greyhounds have a strong prey instinct, and may tend to chase cats or other small pets. Many have to be taught to leave other pets alone, while some get along well with other animals.

Due to their delicate body type, greyhounds need to live indoors and to have padded beds for their unpadded bones.

Being strong and light, greyhounds are good jumpers, so most breeders recommend a 6 feet tall fence to keep the dog safe.

Grooming is not a big chore, since greyhounds have short hair. They do shed, though, so some dog hairs on the floor or the furniture are inevitable.

Being a large dog with a deep chest, the greyhound is prone to bloat. Bloat is a veterinary emergency that consists of air in the stomach, which blows up like a balloon. If the entrance to the stomach and the exit become twisted, the dog has no way to get rid of gas. When that happens, the blown-up stomach can cut off circulation, causing a heart attack and death. They are not prone to hip dysplasia as are some of the larger breeds.

Greyhounds are fairly long-lived for a large breed, living about 10-13 years. Feeding the dog a balanced dog food, denying it table scraps, keeping its weight normal, and providing regular exercise will help it to live out a healthy lifespan.

About the Author

Lea Mullins specifies ten points that you should consider before adopting a Greyhound. Check out TrainPetDog.com to learn more about different dog breeds and dog adoption.

Greyhound Training For Obedience by Gilroy Hicks

Positive reinforcement is the best way of training any breed of dogs. This works well in the case of greyhounds too. They are sensitive dogs and don't respond well to harsh and punitive measures. In fact, they respond well to only positive methods packed with lots of rewards and praises. You can reward them either with treats or with verbal praises as well. While giving verbal praises, you should speak in a high-pitched energized voice. Give commands in a confident manner and don't confuse your dog with multiple commands for the same action.

If your greyhound does not obey you and comes up with some bad behaviors, immediately reprimand it by saying "No" in a low-pitched voice and ignoring him for a while. But if you hit him to correct his mistakes, then it will just create aggression in him. As dogs can also read the facial expressions, smile back when they do some tasks correctly or obey you. Use treats frequently to motivate your greyhound and to promote good behaviors in him.

Don't use a metal choker to leash your Greyhound as it may damage their throat while pulling it. Instead use a nylon choker or your safety collar. Never pull your Greyhound by the neck. Due to their thin body structure, they are prone to neck injuries when you pull down their choke or collar harshly. The most important fact you must know is that these dogs don't like to sit as their well-developed muscles and long backs make this a painful position for them.

As Greyhounds are scent hounds, they may not obey your commands when they smell something unusual that they would love to track. Sometimes they may even get off the leash to chase something. So, it's a wise idea to get a whistle and do some whistle training for "Come Back" response. It is also important that greyhound training should be done in an enclosed area from where they couldn't escape even if they want to. Always remember to give your Greyhounds a lot of treats when they accomplish the given task.

About the Author

To know more about the dogs and their different type of breeds along with the tips and the steps about how to train the dogs, you can visit our site: greyhoundsavvy.com