Greyhound Training and Adult Adoption Manual

Breed profile

Training group

Sighthounds

Origin

An ancient sighthound developed for visual pursuit; in Australia, many Greyhounds enter homes through retired racing-dog adoption.

Shoulder height

68–76 cm

Weight

25–40 kg

Coat

Extremely short coat with low body fat

Coat care

Build calm consent for gentle coat, body, paw and nail checks. Provide soft bedding and introduce any cold-weather clothing through voluntary, low-pressure handling.

Drive keywords

Visual lock-on · High-speed pursuit · Short-burst movement

Handling practice

Use gentle, low-pressure whole-body, coat, paw and nail handling: one brief touch, marker, reward and release before avoidance begins. · For a newly adopted adult, generalise handling separately across the actual home, vehicle and care settings; familiarity in one setting does not prove familiarity in another.

General reference range only; individual dogs vary considerably.