hey everyone,

just looking for some opinions about raising a greyhound pup from 3 months of age from people that have raised there dogs from a smallish property in the suburbs.

this would be my situation to give you some idea.

i have a large (empty) single car garage (enclosed)
would have to keep the pup outside of the house to sleep etc
have a large park across the road
small (U) shaped backyard
no children

work full time as does my wife so would be able to feed the pup morning and night however if needed can organise a family member to feed more regularly with the pups early developement if needed.

can walk extensively before and after work.
would also be able to invest in a walking machine if needed.
would also be happy to invest in other things as my dog's well being is my TOP priority.


the reason i'm asking is i have my first pup which is with his trainer and after 6 months of asking questions and observing thought i would really like to train 1 or 2 dogs from home myself.

just wondering if this is at all possible before i start getting all the required paperwork and find out that my situation wouldn't be suitable.
if you need more details from me to answer my question please let me know.


i welcome all feedback and advice.

thank you in advance.

kind regards,

ghlover86

Ghlover, I expect there will be others on the site coming forward with more expansive responses but in essence, I think you are with your circumstances, going to find it very difficult to realise the full potential of any pup(s) you purchase and you are likely to strike problems. Can you depend on the family member to continue to provide that necessary 3rd feed a day, what is the pup going to be doing during the day when you and your wife are at work and maybe there is good reason for there to be 2 pups not one, are you worried about your backyard being destroyed, is your backyard completely secure whilst you are at work and is the park across the road really suitable for providing your pup(s) with the all important galloping. For more reasons than one I doubt the latter point very much. Many decades ago what you are contemplating may have been feasible and many would have done it but with modern day regulations and the propensity of the public to complain to authorities, particularly where a greyhound is involved, I do feel pessimistic about your proposal. Sorry, it sounds in many ways, a lot of fun to me but I am not optimistic about success nor the absensce of major problems, maybe even divorce is your wife was not "fully on board". Whatever you do I really hope it works very well.

Thanks for the reply,

the park would not be ideal for galloping as the council laws are fairly strict. That's kind of why I was thinking maybe a dog walking machine, however I'm not sure how good/bad they actually are. I don't have anything in my yard that I would be concerned about the pup destroying as it's pretty much empty. My family would be able to feed them the third time a day as they're only a 10 minute drive away. The neighbours I don't think will be a problem as a couple of them have dogs themselves. The backyard itself is well enclosed with 6 foot wooden fences.

A couple more questions I have would be how long from 3 months of age would the pup need to be fed more than twice daily?

Also what would be a good fitness option for the pup considering I would be able to walk the pup twice daily, provide a walking machine and would be happy to drive him on weekends somewhere for a gallop.

Thanks for the last post and for all the feedback

First of all, if you are getting a young pup, the main thing would be plenty of exercise playing with another puppy, as it would just wreck your backyard and sit howling all day, upsetting your neighbours.
A walking machine is only designed for adult greyhounds in training, not for young pups, you don't want them developing physical problems from being walked to much solely for their exercise.

If you want to start training your own dogs, you would be much better off starting with an adult dog to learn on, as they are easy to train from a suburban backyard and don't require constant attention like a young pup.

Would you consider that option instead of the hassles of looking after a young pup? My best advice, considering your circumstances, would be to leave the pup on a rearing farm or with someone that has an acreage and could provide the time and company for the pup. Then when the pup reaches 10 months or so, you can bring it home and begin its early education by plenty of handling (walking etc, taking to trial tracks to watch the action, getting the pup keen) so by the time it's 12-13 months old you can then send it away for breaking in, fully able to break in without too much drama.


A pup doesn't need to be fed more than twice a day from 4 mths onwards, so it is ok to feed in the morning and afternoon, as long as the pup gets plenty of bones, or has a snack midday like a small bowl of kibble chucked in. But company is a must, as well as a safe, warm kennel within a small enclosure. NEVER leave the pup in the backyard all day and night to roam. Even on bigger properties, pups are locked up every night in small yards, then let out in the mornings into bigger yards to play all day.


regards

Hi Lily,

that sounds like a great idea. That may be the best option considering my circumstances. It does seem like I don't have the facilities to care for a pup or two however a juvenile may be a good option. Does anyone know a website or a book that I can purchase that covers feeding and excercise regimes for a greyhound through their various stages?

Thank you very much for your post Lily.

Kind regards,

ghlover86

You can check out this website, it is very handy.

The Health of the racing Greyhound - The Health of the Racing Greyhound

hey Lily,

had a quick look and it looks pretty good. i'll have a good look hopefully in the next couple of days.

thanks Lily,

ghlover86 =]

mate if you can get the dogs plenty of excercise and obviously fed well i cant see a problem.dogs need plenty of galloping especially pups (every day)from about 5 to 6 months.even as a learning factor to yourself,give it a go.in my experiance rearers can stuff dogs up or make a dog.i sent dogs out and then i was totally dissapointed in them and they were never galloped properly.aswell they need to be handled by people ,ive bread nice dogs that werent handled and turned out spooks and turns out to be untrainable.cheers jimdog

hey Jim,

thanks for your post. the galloping room is ultimately the big downfall. it's just something i dont have at my current house. i may have to have a chat with my trainer and see if we can strike a deal when i get my next pup to use his facilities for rearing and let me do the breaking in and training from his property etc. his currently looking after my first pup and his nearly 10 months old now and he is looking really well looked after.
i'm going to the grv workshop in a months time so i'll learn a lot from that and go from there i think.

thanks again for your post.

kind regards,

ghlover86 =]

yes mate see if you can ,maybe give him a pup or a share.