How to Train a Greyhound to Be a Family Pet

If you are considering a Greyhound adoption for a new family pet, you may be wondering about training the Greyhound and how difficult it will be. Most Greyhounds are bred and raised for racing. If you are looking to get a retired racing hound, then the chances are that your Greyhound was not previously trained for domestic behavior or living in a home.

Training your new Greyhound adoption will take some time to do. You will need to have and show patience with your Greyhound as well as beconsistent. Training your Greyhound will also form a bond between you and him.

Greyhounds are not used to a lot of noise. More specifically, they are not used to noise that a family makes - children are laughing, dad is hammering in the garage and mom is running the noisy washing machine. Some Greyhounds may need time to adjust to the noise, and may be startled by loud noises that they are not used to.

If there is a room in your home that you do not want your new Greyhound adoption to go into, the best way to train him is to say "NO" firmly and a little louder than your speaking voice. Also, use your hand to block him from going into the room. Repeat this until he understands. Your new Greyhound adoption will eventually catch on to what he is allowed to do and what he is not; being consistent with training is key.

You need to decide whether or not your new Greyhound adoption is going to be allowed on the furniture. Decide from the start, and train your Greyhound to reflect your choice. If you ever give in and let your new Greyhound on one of the pieces of furniture, he will think it is OK from then on so stay consistent.

Your new Greyhound adoption will make a great family pet once you have him trained. You should also train him to return to you when called because if he is ever let loose and takes off then the chances are that you are not going to be able to catch him. Retired Greyhounds are trained to run and are known for their speed, and some will never come back no matter how much you train them. This is a trait of the breed. Keep this in mind when you take your Greyhound out for exercise or bathroom time. Always keep him on a leash or in a fenced in secured area to keep him from running off and chasing after something that has caught his eye.