Greyhounds and Children

Many greyhounds are used to being around children and love to play and have fun with them. Their gentle and fun nature can make them ideal for family life, and our greyhounds are carefully assessed to consider their suitability for living with children of different ages. It is important to remember though that greyhounds haven’t likely lived in a home with children before, so it is very important that greyhounds have a space of their own that is respected by all members of the family that they can go to for rest and quiet time without being disturbed.

Warning – young children should NEVER be left unsupervised with a dog.

It is very important to ensure that play does not become too rough between a child and a greyhound, and that both adults and children in a home are mindful of a dog’s body language to avoid situations of unwanted attention to a dog from a child.

We would advise children not be allowed to play with a dog’s toys and to try and keep their toys away from your greyhound. Should your greyhound pick up a toy belonging to your child it is important to swap the toy for something more exciting to them, for example a treat or one of their own toys. It can be easy to act without thinking and try and force the toy (or other object) from your greyhound’s mouth, however, they might see it as a game and refuse to give the toy, or they could view it as confrontational which could lead to a conflict situation such as biting or snapping behaviour.