SIGHT HOUNDS

These breeds of dogs are some of the most ancient pure bred dogs still in existence. They have been bred to be the sprinters of the dog world using their very keen sense of sight to chase and kill the prey. Sighthounds strongest instinct is to run after fast moving animals in an attempt to chase, catch and "kill". It is very important to channel these strong instincts into appropriate things that the dog is allowed to chase AT AN EARLY AGE. If the dog is allowed the freedom to learn that it can chase unsuitable things (eg livestock, traffic, joggers, cyclists, cats etc) and gets the exciting rush of adrenaline as it runs after the moving object, these first impressions will be indelibly etched on the dogs long-term memory and it is very very difficult to retrain them not to chase. By encouraging the dog to chase objects and toys that you have control over so that it fulfills these chase instincts, and restricting its access* to unsuitable moving targets, you can avoid many of the behavioural pitfalls of owning these types of dogs.

*The answer to the age old problem of keeping control of young (or rehomed) dogs while allowing them the freedom to run and explore their environment and other dogs whilst out on walks, is to clip a long line to the dog's harness and let it trail behind the dog as its walks "free". The line should be approximately 10-20m long (the DOG-GAMES Shop often has these in stock at the Shows it attends) as this is most dogs' "comfort distance" from their owners. If the dog sees a sudden movement and begins to run off, the line can be either trodden on or picked up so that the owner can prevent the dog from going further than the line's length as if by "magic" - be careful the dog does not injure itself by jerking on the end of the line. Over a period of weeks and months the young dog comes to realise that there is no reward in trying to chase after these moving things and that it is far more fun chasing the toys that its owner has ready to play with and produces randomly while out on these walks.They can then be allowed free access off the line, and it is very unlikely that they will begin to chase unsuitable "targets".

These superlative sprinters do not have a great deal of stamina for long periods of exercise. They conserve their energy by resting for large parts of the day until they have the next opportunity to chase "prey".

Breeds in this group include -

Afghan Hound Borzoi Deerhound
Greyhounds Lurcher Pharaoh Hound
Saluki Whippet Wolfhound

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