Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Greyhound Breed Overview
- History of the Greyhound Breed. Where Greyhounds came from
- What the Greyhound Looks Like
- How Much is the Greyhound Puppy?
- Best Greyhound Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Greyhound
- Greyhound Growth
- What Colors do Greyhounds Have?
- The Temperament of the Greyhound
- How Long Greyhounds Live
- Greyhound Litter Size
- How Fast Greyhounds Can Run
- Good Names for Greyhounds
- How Intelligent are Greyhounds?
- How Popular are Greyhounds with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Greyhounds and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Greyhound
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Greyhounds
- Other Things to Know About Greyhounds
Greyhound Breed Overview
The Greyhound is a large-sized dog.
The adult Greyhound stands 2 feet, 1 inch to 2 feet, 6 inches tall at the sho.
The Greyhound belongs to the Hound Dogs group.
Dogs in the Hound Dogs group, like the Greyhound, were bred to pursue and hunt warm-blooded animals. Hounds hunt by using their good sight or their good sense of smell. Dogs that belong to the Hound Group have strong prey drives and often will stop at nothing to catch what they are pursuing.
The fact that the Greyhound belongs to the Hound Dogs group is one of the reasons why Greyhounds have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Greyhound is generally described as:
- Affectionate
- Athletic
- Even Tempered
- Gentle
- Intelligent
- Quiet
History of the Greyhound Breed. Where Greyhounds came from
These dogs are an ancient breed that has been depicted in Egyptian art as well as mentioned in the Bible, Greek literature, and Roman poetry.
The Greyhound arrived in Europe during the Dark Ages.
These dogs were, and continue to be, incredibly fast and incredible hunters.
To protect the royal game reserves, anyone living within 10 miles of the king`s forest was prohibited from owning a Greyhound bus.
These dogs grew in popularity in England due to the sport of coursing, which involves chasing prey and racing.
British colonists and Spanish explorers eventually brought them to the Americas.
The dogs would roam the open space there.
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What the Greyhound Looks Like
These dogs have short, smooth coats that come in a variety of colors.
This includes fawn, black, blue, white, red, or gray, as well as a brindle pattern or parti color, which is a white with at least one other color combination.
The Greyhound is a tall, slender creature with long legs and a thin body.
Their heads are long and narrow, but their ears are wide, and they have a long muzzle with no stop.
The rose ears are small and folded back, but when the dog is excited, they stand upright.
The dark eyes will be arched, as will the long neck.
Greyhounds have broad and deep chests, as well as long tails that point upward.
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How Much is the Greyhound Puppy?
The average price of a Greyhound puppy is $660. The price of a Greyhound puppy ranges from $500 to $800.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Greyhound. These factors include what health records the Greyhound puppy has, the lineage of the Greyhound puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Greyhound based on the many factors that determine the price of the Greyhound puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Greyhound puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Greyhound breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Greyhound Breeders
We have researched reputable Greyhound breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Greyhound breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Sky Hi Hounds- Anita Pugh
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Diane Jorns – Running to Stand Still
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
WINDROCK LLC
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
J Waylon Ramming
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Stephen Smith
Puppy Price: $3000
Adopting or Rescuing the Greyhound
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Greyhounds included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male Greyhound named Dobby that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Greyhounds like Dobby on pefinder.com.
Billy is the name of another Greyhound (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.
You can find more Greyhounds that are available for adoption on petfinder.
Greyhound Growth
New Greyhound owners need to know about the growth of their Greyhounds. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Greyhound will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Greyhound early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Greyhound puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Greyhound at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Greyhound
What Colors do Greyhounds Have?
Greyhounds come in the following beautiful primary colors:
- Black
- Brindle
- Harlequin
- Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
- Red / Chestnut / Orange
- White / Cream
- Bicolor
- Golden
- Tricolor (Brown, Black, & White)
- Gray / Blue / Silver
The Temperament of the Greyhound
The temperament of the Greyhound based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Greyhound for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Greyhound here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Nonsocial Fear | 56.1 percent |
| Stubbornness | 55.1 percent |
| Prey Drive | 50.9 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 42.7 percent |
| Excitability | 35.1 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 34.9 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 34.8 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 33.7 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 31.3 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 2.5 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 19.8 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 18.0 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 13.3 percent |
| Energy Level | 11.7 percent |
How Long Greyhounds Live
The lifespan of the Greyhound is typically from 12 to 15 years.
Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Greyhound. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 69 pet Greyhounds lived.
From the study, it was found that Greyhounds have an average lifespan of 9.08 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Greyhounds to live as long as 14.1 years.
Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Greyhound to live long.
Greyhounds live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
There are also dog supplements that you can give your Greyhound to improve your Greyhound`s quality of their life.
Click here to learn more about how to make your Greyhound live long.
Greyhound Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 8 different Greyhound birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Greyhounds can have is 8 puppies. Also, the Greyhound can have as few as 5 puppies per litter and as many as 14 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Greyhound will have depends on factors such as the age of the Greyhound, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Greyhound will have and how the litter size of the Greyhound compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Greyhounds Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 172 different Greyhounds, the average speed of the Greyhound is 33.1 mph (53.3 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Greyhound ran in a race is 40.09 mph (64.5 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Greyhound is 18.3 mph (29.5 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Greyhound compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Greyhounds
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Greyhound ranked by popularity:
- Wiseguy
- Dobby
- Chancellor
- Mike
- Digby
- John
- Allen
- Archie
- Billy
- Oakey
How Intelligent are Greyhounds?
| Greyhound | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 46 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Greyhound has an obedience intelligence rank of 46 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Greyhounds in the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.
This means that Greyhounds tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Standard Poodle | 2 |
| Golden Retriever | 4 |
| Shetland Sheepdog | 6 |
| Rottweiler | 9 |
| Pembroke Welsh Corgi | 11 |
| Belgian Tervuren | 14 |
| Belgian Sheepdog | 15 |
| Brittany | 19 |
| Belgian Malinois | 22 |
| Giant Schnauzer | 28 |
| Airedale Terrier | 29 |
| Dalmatian | 39 |
| Boxer | 48 |
| Skye Terrier | 55 |
| French Bulldog | 58 |
| Old English Sheepdog | 63 |
| Bullmastiff | 69 |
| Bloodhound | 74 |
| Borzoi | 75 |
| American Bulldog | 77 |
How Popular are Greyhounds with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Greyhound.
The popularity of the Greyhound averaged over the years is Number 147 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Greyhounds and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Greyhound is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Greyhound puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Greyhound breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Greyhounds for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Greyhounds here.
How to Take Care of Greyhound
To take good care of your Greyhound, you need to make sure that you groom your Greyhound regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Greyhound regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Greyhound`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Greyhound daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Greyhound.
Also, you need to feed your Greyhound high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Greyhound from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Greyhound and how much food to feed the Greyhound at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Greyhound has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Greyhound needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Greyhounds
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Greyhound.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Greyhound:
- German Shorthaired Pointer (70 percent match with Greyhound). Learn more about the German Shorthaired Pointer here.
- Bull Terrier (71 percent match with Greyhound). Learn more about the Bull Terrier here.
- Weimaraner (69 percent match with Greyhound). Learn more about the Weimaraner here.
Other Things to Know About Greyhounds
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Greyhound that you need to know about the Greyhound breed: