Walking Your Greyhound
When you first take your Greyhound home this is one of the most important days of his life so, before you take him into your home (his new kennel) you should go for a short walk with him because it's this walk that will help bond him to you.
Walking your Greyhound is very important. Even if you have a large garden your Greyhound still needs at least one structured walk a day.
If your Greyhound runs to the end of the lead then from side to side he is anxious of his new surroundings. Make his lead shorter and have him walk by your side to show him you are there. Turn his unstructured walk into a structured one and he will settle quicker.
Never ever use an extending lead that winds itself back up. If a Greyhound is on one he can believe he's off lead. If something catches his eye and he sets off he will be at 40 miles an hour by the time he's done 5 steps. He will have pulled you over, snapped the lead and the extending bit will fly back and hit you in the face, or made you drop the lead. If the latter happens the lead bouncing behind him will make him run all the more to get away from it and it will be difficult to make him stop. Never ever use one.
Don’t fall into the trap of believing a Greyhound MUST run off the lead everyday – it does not, and should not if you as the owner don't have him under your full control. This takes time. You need to establish rules, limitations and boundaries, ensure he understands your commands and fully understands recall before you even attempt to let him off the lead, which should be firstly in a small enclosed area with a muzzle on. Should you allow him to run free everyday from the outset before establishing the above rules and limitations you are showing him your weakness as the pack leader and he WILL exploit it – all dogs do!
90% of the connection between your Greyhound and you as his owner is during the walk so walks should be structured to reinforce leadership in yourself and trust from your Greyhound. This way you can help your Greyhound overcome any fears or phobias he may have and reduce the risk of any occurring in the future.
When a pack walks together, and by a pack we include dogs and humans they become a team. A team is what we are aiming for as it shows they are happy and as one. Packs that walk together are happy, therefore, walking together is essential to building a happy and balanced team and a happy and balanced team can resolve behavioural issues, which may have come with your Greyhound or, which may arise in the future.
What is a Structured Walk?
A structured walk is when your Greyhound is focused on you, the handler and not on the walk itself. You are calm and relaxed yet assertive and in control so you’re Greyhound should be either walking by your side or just behind you, but NEVER in front of you.
Your Greyhound shouldn’t be allowed to sniff, urinate or associate with another dog for the first 10 minutes of the walk because the first 10 minutes he should be walking by your side and doing as you say.
When you walk he walks, when you stop he stops. There is no need to say anything to him but you are determining what happens on the walk, not him. As pack leader you decide when he can go to the toilet, when he can wander on the grass etc.
A structured walk is when your dog is walking with you, not wandering off sniffing here, there and everywhere, wanting to meet other dogs or people, running round in circles or going off to mark his spot every few feet along the walk.
An unstructured walk is the opposite so the dog doesn't accept its owner as being the pack leader and generally the owner has very little or no control over what the dog is doing. The dog pulls on the lead, sniffs everywhere as and when he wants, doesn’t come back when asked to do so, runs off to bother other people and other dogs or walking on a long lead out in front. A series of unstructured walks can often produce issues, albeit small at first but if allowed to continue they can result in members of the family not wanting to take the dog for another walk as this is the easy option - by not having to face potential problems. It is the easy option for people but it will NOT help your dog.
Walks that are structured help to reinforce rules, limitations and boundaries – they know what is expected of them and what is not allowed, therefore they will be happier because all they want to do is please you. As a result they will do things that please you and gain them affection. When establishing these rules, limitations and boundaries you are relieving him from all unnecessary worries he may have and will help him relax and enjoy life more.
Most Greyhounds are very laid back but if you have a very playful, excited, anxious or nervous one then walking him, as with any dog will get rid of all the pent up energy he has acquired. If this pent up energy isn’t released and if you do not exhibit leadership skills then if you are not careful he can bottle it all up and under the wrong circumstances it may produce anxiety issues later on.
Autumn and Winter Walks
Darker mornings and evenings can be dangerous, so make sure you can all be seen.
When walking on pavements and roads ensure you are walking between the vehicles and your dog. Drivers will be able to see you before a dog who is nearer the ground. It’s the same way as if you are walking with children.