If you have had some thoughts lately about bringing a Greyhound into your family, then this article might help you to understand the breed more and decide if they would be the ideal pet for you. As with all breeds of dogs, the question often asked is "Do Greyhounds make good house pets?" Hopefully you can find the answer to this question and many more in our in depth look at this gracious animal.

Greyhounds have many qualities as a pet, they are very easygoing, intelligent, sensitive to other dogs and to humans, very loyal to their owners, brave and an incredible lust and devotion to life in general. This breed of dog learns from the beginning the rights and wrongs and has a lot of respect for its owner and other members of the household - often being very loving towards children and not over-forceful with them. Physically, greyhounds are built to run like the wind and are very alert to their surroundings - which is why so many are used in dog races. Their qualities don't end there either - they are great protectors of their home and are not all bad at hunting either. From reading the aforementioned, you can already see that in answer to the previous question - yes, they do make great house pets!

The one thing that is often seen as the worst element to their personalities is their timidness, especially with strangers but also with their owners. They are very sensitive creatures and don't accept punishment very well - they might choose to ignore their owners if they sense that they are unhappy with them. On a good note though, they are very beautiful dogs - tall and with a slim build, they look very gracious.

We have to give the Greyhound credit for its impressive capabilities on the field - this superb breed can reach speeds up to forty-five miles an hour! They are fascinating to watch and their differing colour combinations can add to their appeal. The coat is made up of short hairs that can range and combine such colours as black, white, blue, grey, fawn, brindle and fallow. Short haired dogs such as our Greyhound, don't need high maintenance grooming - combing the coat twice a week is thought to be more than acceptable.

Another advantage to these dogs, is that they don't have a heavy shedding of hairs and so people with allergies can get along well being in their company. Where they lack the need for regular grooming, they do need a lot of exercise and will be happiest when they get out for long walks or runs during the day.

Greyhounds are most content when they have access to both indoor and outdoor areas where they can play in a garden. When feeding them, you should try to split meal times over the course of the day - two or three times would be much better for them than just on the one occasion. If they have only one meal a day, they could be so excited on receiving it that they wolf it down and consequently suffer with bloating. When giving any treatments to your pet Greyhound, seek advice from the veterinary clinic first - as they can be sensitive to certain treatments. A happy and healthy Greyhound can live on average up to 12 years and give up their days of racing around 4 years of age. On that note, an ex-racing dog can be a perfect choice of pet as they are extremely well mannered and trained.