A Dog is a Man's Best Friend

Key Facts:

Size: Medium - large Height: 68 - 76 cm (27 - 30 inches) Weight: 27 - 32 kg (60 - 70 lb) Life Span: 15 years Grooming: Minimal Exercise: Essential Feeding: Medium Temperament: Affectionate & even-tempered Country of Origin: England AKC Group: Hound

Physical Characteristics:

General Appearance: Sleek, muscular and active. Colour: Blue, white, red, black, brindle and fawn with or without white patches. Coat: Fine and close. Tail: Set low, long, tapering, curved slightly upwards and carried low. Ears: Rose shaped, small and set high. Body: The body is tall and elegant and the chest is deep and wide. The ribs are well sprung, deep and well back. The back is broad, muscular and well-arched and the shoulders are well laid back, muscular with good angulation.

Temperament: Gentle, intelligent and affectionate. Greyhounds are very good-natured and gentle with people of all ages. They are an intelligent breed and use their own initiative, especially if they believe they are given pointless instructions. They need gentle and persuasive handling. They tend to quite cautious with strangers but get on well with children.

Grooming: Occasional grooming with a soft brush is sufficient. The ears should be checked often and the claws kept trimmed.

Exercise: Exercise is essential for Greyhounds with their tremendous stamina. They enjoy going for long walks or runs, but should be kept on a lead as they are likely to run off. Having them run alongside a cycle is a good form of exercise and a way to burn off excess energy.

History: Greyhounds can be traced back to 4000 BC where they are depicted in Egyptian carvings. It is believed that the Greyhound arrived in Britain in pre-Christian times when the seafaring Phoenicians used the dogs as goods for bartering. Despite the Greyhounds long history their breed type has hardly changed. It is believed that the name Greyhound originated from the words 'great hound', 'Greek hound' or 'gazehound'. But one thing for sure is that the name has nothing to do with the colour.

Additional Comments:

If Greyhounds are given the chance they will chase and kill small animals. Due to these natural instincts, they are not ideal pets for people who own cats or other household pets that are likely to be chased by these dogs. These dogs are suitable for living in an outdoor kennel as they are reasonably resistant to the cold.

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