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.