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How long can I leave a greyhound for?

I'm thinking of getting a retired greyhound, I was just wondering what the maximum time for leaving it alone would be? My dad works 7-6, and my mom is out most days, but my sister and i are only out during school time 8 - 4 ish. We would have the weekends and evenings with the dog. As there is nearly always someone in in the evenings.

Public Comments

1. Leaving a dog alone for an extended period of time can result in extreme physical discomfort for your dog, as well as emotional distress. Your dog knows he is not allowed to relieve himself in the house, but he has no concept of time, and if you're gone too long, he may first become physically uncomfortable if he needs to relieve himself. Compound this with his emotional distress over being punished for having an accident, and you've got an extremely stressed out dog!
2. I'm not actually sure what you mean by your question. You or somebody would need to be there twice a day to feed and water it. But - you must spend lotsa time with your dog - or why have it.
3. There is no real answer to that. You should probably get to know your new dog before leaving it for more than four hours. My dog is part greyhound and sometimes she is left for over eight hours alone. It really just depends on how much it drinks and eats. You can ask the vets opinion.
4. Greyhounds can be couch potatoes, they need regular walking & exercise, but don't have limitless energy like a young labrador. Talk to the people at the greyhound rescues about the dogs' behavior, needs, etc. Most adult dogs who have been housebroken for a long time, can be fine left in the house during a workday. Although having someone to come in & let them out at lunchtime makes it easier for them. Good luck.
5. A retired greyhound is a dog that thrives on companionship. They don't do well being on their own day and night. While they can certainly be adopted by people who work, you need to commit to spending time with them - you need to clarify your question a bit. How much time do you have to spend with a dog? How much time would you be leaving the dog alone on a daily basis? during the day, evenings and weekends?
6. If i remember right when i was gonna adopt from have-a-heart greyhound rescue. There was a lot that had to go into adoption. They did a house visit, made sure the yard was fenced, and i had a book to read, and a lot to absorb. Like most greyhounds no nothing but the track. They have no experience living in a home with windows, doors, the sounds of the phone, doorbell, microwave, alarm clocks. So almost the first month or so there had to be constant supervision, and training about where windows where and showing the dog there is something there. Long periods of time no matter what group you get the dog from will be almost impossible for awhile atleast. And kenneling the dog isn't a good idea at first either, cause they spend most of there days from birth in a coped up kennel. You need to discuss everything with the organization first and see if this is a good fit for you. And also they require a lot of exercise unless adopting a older more lax greyhound. I would voice my concerns with the rescue group first for best answers to your question. And thank you if you do adopt a greyhound they are wonderful dogs and family members.
7. Speak to the people you are adopting her from. The rule of thumb is that a dog can usually hold their urine when they are a puppy for the number of months old they are. A two month old can hold it two hours. A 6 month old can hold it 6 hours, so 10 month old puppy should be able to hold it for 8-10 hours while you are at work. An adult dog with no health problems should be fine during the day while you are gone if you feed it and take it outside first thing in the morning, then let it out as soon as you get home. You will need to verify this with the greyhound rescue group, but it should work fine for you. Also, you need to find out if the dog needs to be crated in your house, or if you can leave him or her out in the house all day. Good luck. I hear they make great pets.
8. 8-10 hours should be fine
9. It would be best to install a dog door so the dog can have access to the outside. That's a long day to leave any dog alone. Maybe a neighbor can come over & let the dog out. Or hire a pet sitter. Maybe you should think about holding off on adopting a retired racer. They are not used to being alone & have been raised around lots of other greyhounds all of their life. They can learn to be alone during the average work day, as long as they get let outside (without a dog door) about every 4 hours. If you have other questions, you can refer to the Greyhound Adoption Center. I am currently a placement rep for them in the Sacramento CA area.