# Off Lead Greyhound ?????



## nikkijb (Mar 9, 2009)

Just wondered if anyone is able to advise me on the best way to off-lead a greyhound. My girl is 6 years old. Her prey drive is not that of other greys, she lives with 2 cats which she has become very used to. But guaging her reaction to rabbits etc, she would chase them if she saw them. 

I would dearly love to let her have a roam off lead with her muzzle on, but i guess im a little scared of loosing her......

She comes to call but we all know that if she was chasing something my call would mean nothing...... any advice would be greatly appreciated..

We do live right by Twesledown cross country course, which is a race/xc course with a fence most of the way round, do you think it would be worth try????????

Many Thanks in advance x


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## rottietao (Dec 16, 2009)

hi; i had a rescue x racer once, gorgeous animals!! i did bite the bullet and with help and a 'almost' secure area ; allowed her off lead; it did work for us. i've had other owners comment while out with her - how great it was to see her running free, but it was'nt something they would do!! sorry dont feel i can give you 'advice' just my experiences

maybe i was very lucky-but ther was never a problem with Button's she was a darling***


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## Nicky10 (Jan 11, 2010)

There's no problem with letting her offlead if she's in a secure area in fact it's better for her to be able to run. Maybe ask can you let her off in there


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## nikkijb (Mar 9, 2009)

Oh its fine, you can take your dogs in there anyway. There is a fence all the way round, however there are gaps in places and I think all the bunnies live on site!!!!, I dont think she would leave the middle, i guess there is only one way to find out.

I just dont want to compromise her in terms of injury etc... just to let her off. 

I thought about taking her to a beach, where there shouldnt be too many rabbits... xxx

Thanks for your advice x


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## Nicky10 (Jan 11, 2010)

You could maybe try her on a long lead/horse lunge line for a while see how she does with the rabbits


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## nikkijb (Mar 9, 2009)

I do have a lunge line, its worth a go..... 

Rottietao. Did your gh chase anything while she was off, had she been tested with something super fun to chase?


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## PennyH (Dec 30, 2008)

We have a saluki cross (probably greyhound cross!) and we were told we would never be able to let her off and she would be totally untrainable!!!
We finally bit the bullet and let her off on a beach for her first run when she was about 5 months old - best thing we ever did. She loves to run. TBH if she is chasing a rabbit, she does ignore us but we never take her anywhere that could prove to be a problem. She just loves to run and people literally stand and stare - the number of times people have commented that they wish they were artists as they would love to paint a picture of her running cos she is so graceful and beautiful. I would say, if you are sure she cannot escape if/when rabbit chasing (if she happened so see one!) I would definitely go for it and let her off. Good luck and enjoy the beauty you will see when she stretches her legs!


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## leopard_print (Mar 8, 2009)

WE don't let our Grey off the lead. WE tried it a couple of times and to be honest he was never happy off lead. We do keep an eye out for suitable enclosed areas as he would not stop if he ran.

Once when he was loose in a field these Border Collies spooked him and nothing was going to stop him and he ran til he tired out and then stood there waiting for me to get to him. So we still haven't found a suitable place yet.


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## rottietao (Dec 16, 2009)

i understand your concern re' injury; but i think we all risk mishap's with dog's to some degree! i felt with button it was worth the try to give her the freedom she'd never had!!! 

like you say--- only one way to find out !! ditto penny h enjoy the beauty!!


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## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

Does your dog have a good recall in the home and garden etc?

I watched 'its me or the dog' this woman was terrified of letting her 2 greys off and they went to an enclosed area and taught the dogs that the whistle meant a Really tasty treat. It worked (even if the woman was still stupid).

I love to see greyhounds running  I use to walk one and although it wasn't enclosed, we went to the river it was a huuge field and he run about with my dogs for a crazy half hour but always came back


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## rottietao (Dec 16, 2009)

nikkijb said:


> I do have a lunge line, its worth a go.....
> 
> Rottietao. Did your gh chase anything while she was off, had she been tested with something super fun to chase?


she did love getting to the part of the walk where she knew there 
were rabbit's; never got close enough to catch, she never went after any other small animals at all!! 
would you have someone with you at first ? may not be such a worry for you with company


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## rottietao (Dec 16, 2009)

nikkijb said:


> Just wondered if anyone is able to advise me on the best way to off-lead a greyhound. My girl is 6 years old. Her prey drive is not that of other greys, she lives with 2 cats which she has become very used to. But guaging her reaction to rabbits etc, she would chase them if she saw them.
> 
> I would dearly love to let her have a roam off lead with her muzzle on, but i guess im a little scared of loosing her......
> 
> ...


forgot to ask--- will you update with any results!! thanks


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## nikkijb (Mar 9, 2009)

Thank you for your kind responses. I am going to take them down to the xcountry course on saturday morning really early. 
When I think back we have tried off lead before, we were over the common and it was monsoon rain and not a rabbit in sight and she just kind of trotted along beside us. had a bit of a sniff.... it was probs only about 2 mins in all as i was too scared.......

I will practise her whistle recall for the rest of the week and I will let you know the outcome on saturday lunchtime.

Wish me luck......... xx


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## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

Just to give you a bit of faith, my 2 greyhounds get offlead everyday, without muzzles, and in areas that aren't enclosed (purely because there aren't any!). I started it slowly, using long lines, and I ALWAYS have something tasty in my pocket! All I have to do is shout 'BISCUIT' and they are at my side in seconds 

The beach is the worst place, because thats where the wild rabbits live, but they are pretty good. On the odd occasioin they do run off, they always come back when the bunnies have outsmarted them


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

nikkijb said:


> gauging her reaction to rabbits etc, *she would chase* them if she saw them. [snip]...
> She comes to call but *we all know that if she was chasing something my call would mean nothing*... [snip]...
> We do live right by Twesledown cross country course, which is a race/xc course *with a fence most of the way round, do you think it(s) worth (a) try?*


hey, nikki! :--) 
i think U have answered Ur own Q, hun -

she is excited by rabbits, etc; she will NOT recall off a chase; and the cross-country course is not ** Fully ** fenced. 

she only has to take off once to be lost, injured or taken in by someone as a stray - 
or picked-up by ACC. (shrug) if this were my dog, i would find a *completely* fenced, safe area for her to run; otherwise, i would stick to long-leads + gallops inside fences.

jogging her alongside a bicycle is another option - 
Greys can hit 40-mph, so a 20-mph jog with a bike is just a nice warm-up. a k9-Springer is a safe way to keep her with U, hands-free; the Springer attaches underneath Ur center of gravity, keeping the dog from oversetting the bike. 
Guide to Exercising your Dog | Ugodog Blog

swimming or underwater-treadmills (or plain-old treadmills) are terrific for exercise - 
the water is supportive, adds resistance, and decreases joint-loading. 
it is cooling + low-impact + VERY efficient! :thumbup: 15-mins of swimming is the equivalent of 45-mins to an *hour* of dry-land work, simply because dogs are *negatively buoyant - if dogs stop swimming, THEY * SINK. 
do watch for over-tiring --- 
dogs who become exhausted can drown, so a floating long-line + a PFD are not overkill - in rivers, ponds or the surf, those are safety-gear. * 
U can swim a dog in a backyard pool, or jog them by splashing in the shallows at a beach. 
it can be as simple or as elaborate as U want to make it.


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## Cleo38 (Jan 22, 2010)

I don't want to put a damper on things but my dog (although not a greyhound, a fat lab/german shepherd cross) was perfect on recall when out for walk. Neverreally bothered too much with sheep/horses/joggers/cyclists, etc when we were out. ALWYS cam e back as we had a treat for him or when we had his ball he never left our side & kept his eye on it constantly. 
That was until the other week when a muntjac deer shot out from a wooded area & he went! For a fat dog he moved incredibly fast & was off across the other side of the field before I knew it. He didn't bat an eyelid when I called to him & blew a whistle (thati had bought for EMERGENCIES such as this!
The field we were in was secure (ish) it is fenced with hedges but there may be gaps. s he is quite chunky he was worn out quite quickly so rettuned, very happy with his chase although I was feeling sick thinking he had gone for good!
Am still not sure how to recall him from situations such as these & if it realistic to expect him to return to me as after all chasing a ball or a deer?? I'm sure the deer is the mostexisting option every time


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## nikkijb (Mar 9, 2009)

I thought I would post an update to the 'off - lead' capers. 

I did decide to pay it safe for now...I spoke to our local riding school, who have a couple of large 3-4 acre paddocks. They are all post and rail with stock fencing up to about 4 ft high...perfect. 

We (myself and my fiance) took the dogs over on Sunday afternoon and had a lovely time. Lady (greyhound) was off the lead the whole time and to be honest didnt want to leave my side. (i did have treats)

We didnt see a thing she wanted to chase. Although a couple of birds caught her eye which made her trot towards them, very interested, but I managed to call her and she came running back for more treats.

We ended up splitting up and standing at either end of the field and setting the dogs loose to run to the one at the other end, which they both loved!!!!! Of course, there was always a fab treat waiting!!!!:drool::drool:

So the verdict is, im very hopeful that one day she will be able to off-lead properly. For now we will continue to work on her recall in a safe environment and take it a step at a time.

Thanks for all of your help xxxx


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## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

Sounds like she is a good girl! I am sure she will be allowed off lead in future


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

nikkijb said:


> I spoke to our local riding school, who have a couple of large 3-4 acre paddocks. They are all post and rail with stock fencing up to about 4 ft high... perfect.
> 
> We... took the dogs over on Sunday afternoon and had a lovely time... We didnt see a thing she wanted to chase. ...a couple of birds caught her eye which made her trot towards them, very interested, but I... call(ed) her and she came running back for more treats.
> We (stood) at either end of the field and set() the dogs loose to run to the one at the other end, which they both loved!!!!!
> Of course, there was always a fab treat waiting!!!! :drool: :drool:


practice makes perfect... 
and safe is always best! :thumbup: good dogs, good Humans! *> click! < *


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