Greyhound Dog Breed

Training Greyhounds

Click here to find a review of dog training books and learn why you can save heaps of money by getting hold of one of these books rather than paying for a professional dog trainer. However, some information below and in other artciles within dogguidance.com might also help you.

Greyhound dogs are lightening fast learners. This particular breed of dog will surprise you with how much they can learn and at extremely obedient levels. First you must realize that the old fashioned days of training your Greyhound dogs by force is far from productive. Greyhounds are very responsive to training, so long as only the gentlest of techniques are used.

You don't even have to run your dog though an obedience school if you are the proud owner of a Greyhound. Of course, if you can find a training class that understands the gentle, sensitive nature of these dogs, then attending the school can only be an asset.

Finding such a class that trains in a soft fashion may prove to be difficult, because most are designed to deal with rough and out-of-control disobedient dogs, and not high quality breeds like the Greyhounds that are eager to learn. The methods they use are forceful and with lots of repetition designed to dominate and calm the dogs. These types of training protocols are not good for Greyhounds and if you cannot find a trainer to match your needs then you are better off training the dog on your own.

You will be pleased to know that training your Greyhound will differ from training other dog types because of their genetics. For example, it is normal for most dog owners to train their pets to overcome aggression. Greyhounds on the other hand, have very little aggression in their bloodline and the time spent getting them used to people and other dogs without fear is minimal.

Another key point to know that may help you understand a lack of fear that Greyhounds possess is their history. Greyhounds are natural built race dogs in which increases their tendency to be brave.

5 Greyhound Home Training Guidelines

1. Do not use punishment when training your Greyhound dog. Such negative training protocols are not only cruel but will also hold your dog back from being trained at high levels of esteem and obedience. Such training tactics of 'punishment' include choking, shaking, or hanging. You should respect your Greyhounds like you would a family member.

2. Refrain from making your Greyhound pay for his or her mistake repeatedly throughout the day. In other words, correct the dog and then be done with it. If you have the mindset of thinking that you should make your dog remember a 'correction' by repeating the punishment over and over all day then you are making a huge mistake. Yes, your Greyhound WILL remember something, just not what you are aiming at. Instead of the dog remembering what he did wrong and to not make the same mistake again, all your pet will remember is how upset you were throughout the day with no association to his actions.

3. Do not take shortcuts just to get your dog to stop a certain action. You will get what you pay for. Dogs will repeat certain actions based on what they get out of it regardless if you intend it or not. For example, if your Greyhound is crying to get out of the crate or cage, and you let it out just to stop the crying, then you will be stuck with a dog that will purposefully whine when you cage it, in order to get you to let it out.

4. When you talk to your Greyhound, say what you mean. Greyhounds are extremely smart and will take commands literally. Do not confuse them. For example if you have trained your dog to lie down using the "DOWN" command, then do not say the same thing if your dog is mistakenly up on the couch and laying down. Your Greyhound will already be "DOWN" in its mind so by getting upset at it, you are only creating aggression.

5. Trade places with your dog's mind. Try to think like a dog. Unlike people, dogs revel in the present and when they are getting punished their only thought is that it is because of their current behavior. Take this advice and use it when you discover a mess that it created. You cannot go into the next room and scold your sleeping dog, you MUST drag it (not forcibly) to the mess and then scold it.

For a more comprehensive training guide for Greyhounds, we strongly recommend looking at our dog training book review .

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Click here to find a review of dog training books and learn why you can save heaps of money by getting hold of one of these books rather than paying for a professional dog trainer.

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