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How to Prepare for your New Arrival
Here are some tips to help you prepare for bringing your new hound home. Please also consider supporting purchasing products or supporting the merchants who give back to GG.
 
Study!
Purchase a copy of Adopting the Racing Greyhound by Cynthia Branigan or Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies by Lee Livingood. If you have young children, we highly recommend that you read Childproofing Your Dog by Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson.

Branigan's book is available in many libraries. Read these books and keep them close by when you bring your Greyhound home.

Notable Internet Resources:
Greyhound Resources and Answers is a site developed and created by Owen Johnson, an avid greyhound lover, who lives in Washington State. Owen brings together numerous sources of information for the person considering adoption of a retired racing greyhound and also answers questions you may have if you already own one or more of these wonderful dogs. The areas on Medical & Diet and Training & Behavior are particularly significant and important.

Adopt a Greyhound.org: provides a ton of information about greyhounds!
 
Leash and Collar
A Martingale (humane choke) collar and leash. (Martingale leash and collar is provided Free of charge as part of our adoption package).

Regular buckle collars may not be used as a Greyhounds head and neck are almost exactly the same size and regular collars slip easily over the dogs head. Use of proper equipment insures your Greyhounds safety!!

*Important Note! Before you place your Greyhound in his crate, be sure to remove his martingale collar. Greyhounds have been injured and even choked to death when their collars have become entangled in their crates.
 
Name Tag
Purchase a tag with the dog’s name, your name and address and telephone number. Place this on the ring with the GG ID tag. ALWAYS KEEP BOTH ID TAGS ON YOUR DOG AT ALL TIMES.
 
Crates
We recommend that you rent or purchase a crate for the first few weeks of adjustment. Your greyhound has always lived in one so it is very familiar and comfortable for your dog. It can be used to make the transition from racer to retirement easier. If you’re not too sure about when to use the crate, a general rule of thumb is, if you can’t watch your dog, crate it. For the first two weeks, crate your dog every time you leave the house, particularly if you work all day and the dog will be alone. This will help your dog become familiar with the family routine. When you feel the dog is adjusting, put the dog in the crate but leave the door unlatched. This gives your Greyhound a choice. After a couple weeks of using the "open door" policy, you can usually eliminate the crate.

Be sure to have the crate on hand before you arrive home with your dog so that you can begin using it right away. The crate should be at least 48 x 30 x 35

*Important Note! Before you place your Greyhound in his crate, be sure to remove his martingale collar. Greyhounds have been injured and even choked to death when their collars have become entangled in their crates.
 
Food and Water Bowls
You'll need one bowl for food and one bowl for water—be sure to purchase large bowls. The food and water bowls should be elevated. You can either purchase an elevated feeding/water dish, or improvise by sitting the bowls on a child's stool, box or an inverted bucket bucket (12-18 inch elevation is suggested).
 
Dog Food
Decide ahead of time through consultation with Lisa, your vet or your adoption rep. (or even other Greyhound owners) what type of food you will be feeding your Greyhound and purchase it before you bring your Greyhound home.
 
Rice
During the first couple weeks, as the dog is transitioning to his/her new diet, your Greyhound may develop diarrhea. Consult your books--switch to a diet of boiled rice and chicken. This will help eliminate the diarrhea.
 
Dog Bed, Pillow or Thick Quilt
You'll need to provide something soft for your Greyhound to lie on. One tip: purchase or use something that is washable. This will allow you to clean it regularly.
 
Toys (Optional)
Greyhounds love toys, we recommend NO squeak toys as that sound emulates an animal in distress and brings out a stronger prey drive. Greyhounds love fleece toys to toss around but it should not be a squeaking toy.
 
Dog Biscuits
Choose a quality dog biscuit in the Large or Extra Large size.
 
Pooper Scooper and Plastic Bags
Please pick up after your pets on your neighborhood walks. Be a responsible Greyhound owner.
 
Enzymatic Cleaner
A good cleaning solution to effectively remove any "accident" spots of odors. Nature’s Miracle and Simple Solution are very effective.
 
Dog Toothbrush and Toothpaste
For the weekly tooth brushings.
 
Hound Grooming Glove
It's a rubber glove filled with "bumps" that you slip on your hand. You just "pet" your Greyhound and off comes all the loose and dead dog hair. This will also reduce shedding.
 
Nail Clippers
Be sure to maintain your hounds nails through regular clipping. If you are uncomfortable clipping your hounds nails, please have a professional do it such as your vet or a groomer
 
Cold-weather Coat
Rule of thumb; if you need a coat, so does your hound. GG has a wonderful selection of fall/spring as well as winter coats for you to choose from. See our "Support GG" section for colors and sizes.
 
Muzzle
Muzzles* are provided by GG as part of the adoption package.

*Until you can trust the dog, a muzzle is essential if you have a cat or small dog in your home. Muzzles are also required if you plan to participate in an organized playgroup for Greyhounds.
 
House Rules
Review the rules of Greyhound ownership with your children. Remind them to keep outside doors closed and latched; gates closed and locked. Remind them that when the Greyhound is sleeping or resting on his bed, or eating anything, you don't bother them. Children should never approach the greyhound, instead wait for the hound to approach the child. In this way the hound is letting you and your child know that he is comfortable by asking for attention.
 
House Preparation
Prepare your house for your new family member by removing any fragile knickknacks that can be easily knocked over or broken by a happy, wagging tail.

Clear your kitchen counter of any treats that you routinely might leave out to remove any temptation to start "counter surfing".

Cover your waste container in the kitchen with a secure lid, or better yet, try to store it away in a cabinet where your Greyhound cannot gain access to it.

You might want to secure cabinets with childproof latches that contain food or cleaning chemicals to protect your Greyhound. Greyhounds are experts at learning to open unsecured cabinet doors.

Consider keeping bathroom doors closed to remove the temptation of getting into the trash can. Keep toilet lids down!

Electrical cords should be out of sight and removed from areas close to where the Greyhound will be lying on his pillow or comforter to remove the temptation. If bored, your Greyhound might start chewing on the cord.
 
Veterinarian's Appointment
Set up an appointment with your Veterinarian to have a well-dog checkup so that your Vet can meet your Greyhound. You can use this as an opportunity to discuss the special needs of Greyhound anesthesia with your Vet. Don’t wait until your Greyhound becomes ill or an emergency arises for the first introduction. It’s important that you feel comfortable with your Vet and your Vet’s understanding and knowledge of the special needs Greyhounds have.

Choose a Vet who has worked with Greyhounds. Don’t be afraid to come right out and ask:
    How much experience do you have with Greyhounds?
    Do any of your clients have Greyhounds?
    Are you familiar with the recommended guidelines for using anesthesia with Greyhounds?

If for any reason you are uncomfortable, now is the time to make the switch to another Vet.
 
Inspect Your Fence and Gate Latches
Check your fence for holes or weak spots and repair them before you bring your Greyhound home. Purchase clips for all your gates so that your Greyhound cannot open them. Always keep your gates latched.
 
Sliding Glass Doors
Place static cling decals or a large "X" with masking tape at the dog's eye level on any large windows or sliding glass doors so the Greyhound does not run through the glass window or doors until he learns that this is a hard surface.
 
 
 
 
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