Dog Breed Guide

Greyhound

Profile

Size

Large

Country of origin

United Kingdom

Origin

Ancient

Bred for

Sighthound hunting, Racing

Height

male 71 - 76cm (28 - 30in), female 68 - 71cm (27 - 28in)

Weight

male 29 - 32kg (64 - 71lb), female 27 - 29kg (60 - 64lb)

Life span

10 - 13 years

The sprinter of the dog world, with a streamlined, lean body, a deep chest and long, supple legs. The short, smooth coat comes in many colors, including black, brindle, fawn, blue and white.

Its top speed reaches 64 to 72km/h (40 to 45mph), and it is said to accelerate to nearly 50km/h (30mph) in just three strides. It has little stamina, however, and specializes in short, all-out sprints.

For all its speed, the Greyhound is very calm and quiet at home and spends much of the day asleep on the sofa. The contrast has earned it the nickname "the 45-mph couch potato." It is gentle with its family and almost never barks without reason. With little body fat and a thin coat, it is sensitive to cold.

Good to know

Dogs resembling it appear in ancient Egyptian wall paintings thousands of years old, making it one of the oldest breeds in the world. In medieval England there was a time when keeping Greyhounds was a privilege of the nobility.

It has a long history as a racing dog as well. In late-1920s Britain there was a legendary racer named Mick the Miller. Born in Ireland, he won 19 races in a row and took Britain's top race, the Greyhound Derby, two years running. He was so popular that he even appeared in a film.

On the other hand, the fate of the many Greyhounds left with nowhere to go after retiring from racing became a social issue, and today adoption programs that find homes for retired dogs are very active in Britain, the United States and elsewhere. Because of their calm, low-maintenance nature, retired racers are popular as family dogs.