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Blog Entry 26 of 35 Ask the Dog Guy
The Dog Guy (me) answers questions about dog behavior/misbehavior.

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~AsktheDogGuy

Patience is golden

Contributed by: Dave Pearson   on 7/12/2008

Dear Dog Guy... (No response to a question today, but rather just an observation from a book I just read).

I was reading a book about Greyhounds today (Adopting the Racing Greyhound, by Cynthia Branigan), in preparation of becoming a foster for one, and a few things stood out. First of all, I had no idea that Greyhounds in particular (and other sight hounds in general) are a bit unique in both their physiology and their Psychology.
They are a very gentle breed, which I found a bit interesting given their racing history and they are the oldest purebred breed in the world.

However the thing I found most interesting was the use of the word patience by the author. She used the word over and over again in describing how to deal with a "retired" competitive athlete like the racing greyhound.

Nothing in the book did anything to dissuade me from becoming a foster, but I was impressed with the author's emphasis on having patience.

Think about a greyhound's life. Try to put yourself in his/her place. You spend most of your life running in a pack after a mechanical rabbit, and then all of a sudden you are with strange people, in a strange place, with strange smells and strange demands (maybe even strange other pets). I think a little patience on the part of the stranger (in this case me) is to be expected.

I counsel people all the time that patience is needed in training their pooch. Their dog (any dog) is being asked to do things that directly violate his/her instincts and it will take a little time for the new behavior to become normal. For the Greyhound, who must overcome not only his/her "instincts," but his/her trained behavior (chasing after mechanical rabbits) must also be overcome.

I read and am told that for most Greyhounds, this will be the first time in a house (as opposed to a crate... which he/she will also use). I read and am told that many have never seen stairs, which in my house is a definite issue (we live in a 4-level). And, while Greyhounds are used to being around other Greyhounds, it is doubtful that he/she has ever seen a Norwegian Elkhound (my other pooch). Other than the word "hound" in their name, the breeds could not be more different.

I like to believe that I have a great deal of patience when it comes to canine behavior. We'll see. I know I plan to try and practice what I preach.




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Showing 1 of 1 comments
Submitted By: Kate Jones
posted on 7/24/2008 @ 1:37:00 AM
Rated Blog Entry
Best of luck fostering! I haven't ever tried it (too busy with cats and rats), but I'd love to someday. I know a lot of lovely greyhounds, though; they're very sweet. Enjoy it! Kate
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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Dave Pearson

Arvada , CO

Dave Pearson has posted 35 blog entries and 0 comments since joining on 1/7/2008. Dave Pearson 's average blog rating is 5.
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