Greyhound
Breed at a glance
- Origin
- England
- Weight
- Males
- Height
- Males
- Litter size
- 1–12 pups
intro
The Greyhound is a breed of dog and a sighthound . It is an ancient breed historically developed for hunting game by sight and speed, and has later been used in organised coursing and greyhound racing . Greyhounds are also kept as show dogs and companion animals. Greyhounds are characterised by a tall, muscular, smooth-coated build, a long tail, tough feet, and a distinctive flexible, "S-shaped" outline typical of sighthounds. They are a distinct breed from other related sighthounds, such as the Italian Greyhound . [ 2 ] [ 3 ] The Greyhound's long legs, deep chest, flexible spine, and slim build enable high sprinting speeds. In racing contexts, Greyhounds can reach peak speeds of at least 69 km/h (43 mph) , [ 4 ] with typical winning speeds of approximately 58–61 km/h (36–38 mph) . [ 5 ]
Racing
Until the early 20th century, Greyhounds were primarily used for hunting and coursing . During the 1920s, modern greyhound racing was introduced in several countries, including the United States and parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland, beginning with England in 1926. [ 70 ] Greyhound racing later became established in Australia and other countries. [ 71 ] [ 72 ] [ 73 ] Throughout the 20th century, Greyhound racing expanded as a popular spectator sport and gambling activity, influencing the widespread use of Greyhounds for racing rather than hunting. [ 74 ] [ 75 ] The sport reached peak popularity in the mid-20th century before declining in several countries from the 1960s onwards following changes in betting practices and competition from other forms of entertainment. [ 76 ] In the early 21st century, the scale and geographic distribution of commercial greyhound racing changed significantly. In several jurisdictions, including parts of Australia and the United States, the number of operating tracks declined or commercial racing ceased altogether, while legislative bans or phase-outs were introduced in some regions. [ 77 ] [ 78 ] [ 79 ]
Origins
"The true origin of the Greyhound is unsure, but drawings of findings from the Çatalhöyük site in Turkey (6000 BC), the finding of a Greyhound- like dog in a funeral vase in the town of Fusa in Iran (4200 BC) or in rock art in Tassili (dated at 5000 – 2000 BC) indicate that the Greyhound is indeed one of the oldest breeds of dog." [ 50 ] The ancient skeletal remains of a dog identified as being of the Greyhound/ saluki form were excavated at Tell Brak in modern Syria, and dated as being approximately 4,000 years old. [ 51 ] [ 52 ] Dogs that look similar to Salukis and Greyhounds were increasingly depicted on Egyptian tombs from the Middle Kingdom (2134 BC–1785 BC) onward. [ 53 ] Historical literature by Arrian on the vertragus (from the Latin vertragus , a word of Celtic origin), [ 54 ] the first recorded sighthound in Europe and possible antecedent of the Greyhound, suggested that its origin lies with the Celts from Eastern Europe or Eurasia. Systematic archaeozoology of Britain conducted in 1974 [ 55 ] ruled out the existence of a true Greyhound-type in Britain prior to the Roman occupation, which was further confirmed in 2000. [ 56 ] Written evidence from the early period of Roman occupation, the Vindolanda tablets (No. 594), demonstrate that the occupying troops from Continental Europe either had with them in the North of England, or certainly knew of, the vertragus and its hunting use. [ 57 ] During the Middle Ages , Greyhounds could only be owned by rulers and nobles, having long been associated with heraldic symbols of the ruling class in England, France, and the Czech lands. [ 50 ] The earliest archaeological discovery found conclusively to be a Greyhound specifically was at the Chotěbuz fort in the Czech Republic . This comprised sighthound type "gracile" bones dating from the 8th to 9th century AD. These bones matched those of a 70 cm (28 in) high "Greyhound", and were also genetically compared with the modern Greyhound and other sighthounds, and found to be almost completely identical with the modern Greyhound breed, with the exception of only four deletions and one substitution in the DNA sequences, which were interpreted as differences probably arising from 11 centuries of breeding of this type of dog. [ 50 ] All modern pedigree Greyhounds derive from the Greyhound stock recorded and registered first in private studbooks in the 18th century, then in public studbooks in the 19th century, which ultimately were registered with coursing, racing, and kennel club authorities of the United Kingdom. [ 58 ] Historically, these sighthounds were used primarily for hunting in the open where their pursuit speed and keen eyesight were essential. [ citation needed ]
Coursing
The Greyhound has long been used for hunting by sight in open country, including the coursing of game for meat and sport. In Britain, this later developed into organised competitive hare coursing . [ 67 ] Some Greyhounds continue to be used for coursing and related activities, including lure coursing . Modern racing Greyhounds may descend from bloodlines developed for coursing competition, including Irish events such as the Irish Coursing Derby and the Irish Cup. [ 68 ] [ 69 ]
Companion
Historically, the Greyhound has, since its first appearance as a hunting type and breed, enjoyed a specific degree of fame and definition in Western literature, heraldry and art as the most elegant or noble companion and hunter of the canine world. In modern times, the professional racing industry, with its large numbers of track-bred Greyhounds, as well as international adoption programs aimed at re-homing dogs has redefined the breed as a sporting dog that will supply friendly companionship in its retirement. This has been prevalent in recent years due to track closures in the United States. [ 18 ] [ 19 ] [ 20 ] Outside the racing industry and coursing community, the Kennel Clubs' registered breed still enjoys a modest following as a show dog and pet. [ 21 ] As a result of their breeding and training, Greyhounds can have a strong prey drive, but little or no recall response. This puts a released Greyhound at risk of injury or death if they run into a wire fence, or traffic. Further, other small pets may be mistaken for prey. Greyhound re-homing bodies therefore recommend that Greyhounds remain leashed at all times unless inside a fully secure and fenced area. [ 22 ] Some jurisdictions, such as Victoria and Western Australia mandate leashes for Greyhounds when outdoors. [ 23 ] [ 24 ]
Etymology
The name Greyhound is generally believed to come from the Old English ' grighund ' . Hund is the antecedent of the modern "hound", but the meaning of grig is undetermined, other than in reference to dogs in Old English and Old Norse . The word "hund" is still used for dogs in general in Scandinavian languages today. Its origin does not appear to have any common root with the modern word grey [ 59 ] for color, and indeed the Greyhound is seen with a wide variety of coat colors. The lighter colors, patch-like markings and white appeared in the breed that was once ordinarily grey in color. [ 60 ] The Greyhound is the only dog mentioned by name in the Bible ( Hebrew : זַרְזִיר מׇתְנַיִם , zarir mosna'im ) in Proverbs 30:29–31 . [ 61 ] In context, Proverbs 30 discusses "three that are stately of stride", one of which translates literally from the Hebrew as "that which is tight/girded in the loins/waist". Many versions, including the Jewish Publication Society and King James Version have translated the latter as "greyhound". However, other biblical translations, including the New International Version , have translated the original Hebrew to 'strutting rooster'. [ 62 ] According to Pokorny , [ 63 ] the English term 'Greyhound' does not mean "grey dog/hound", but simply "fair dog". Subsequent words have been derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *g'her- "shine, twinkle": English 'grey', Old High German gris "grey, old", Old Icelandic griss "piglet, pig", Old Icelandic gryja "to dawn", gryjandi "morning twilight", Old Irish grian "sun", Old Church Slavonic zorja "morning twilight, brightness". The common sense of these words is "to shine; bright". [ citation needed ] In 1928, the first winner of Best in Show at Crufts was breeder/owner Mr. H. Whitley's Greyhound Primley Sceptre . [ 64 ] Greyhounds have won the award three times in total, the most recent being in 1956. [ 65 ] Historically, English Greyhounds were grouped: two for coursing, as a "Brace", three for hunting, as a "Leash", otherwise known as a "couple and a half". [ 66 ]
Appearance
Males are usually 71 to 76 centimetres (28 to 30 in) tall at the withers , and weigh on average 27 to 40 kilograms (60 to 88 lb) . Females tend to be smaller, with shoulder heights ranging from 66 to 71 centimetres (26 to 28 in) and weights from 25 to 34 kilograms (55 to 75 lb) , although weights can be above and below these average weights. [ 1 ] Greyhounds have very short fur, which is easy to maintain. There are approximately 30 recognized color forms, of which variations of white, brindle, fawn (pale tan to dark deer-red), black, red, and blue (gray) can appear uniquely or in combination. [ 6 ] Greyhounds are dolichocephalic , with a skull which is relatively long in comparison to its breadth, and an elongated muzzle. [ 7 ]
Temperament
Greyhounds are gentle and affectionate. [ 8 ] They do well in families with children, as long as the children are taught to treat the dog properly with politeness and appropriate respect. [ 9 ] Greyhounds have a sensitive nature, and gentle commands work best as training methods. [ 10 ] [ 11 ] Occasionally, a Greyhound may bark; however, they are generally not barkers, which is beneficial in suburban environments, and they are usually as friendly to strangers as they are with their own families. [ 12 ] A 2008 University of Pennsylvania study found that Greyhounds are one of the least aggressive dog breeds towards strangers, owners, and other dogs. [ 13 ] However, Greyhounds can be prone to sleep startle/sleep aggression if suddenly disturbed while napping. Owners can encounter this problem, as many Greyhounds sleep with their eyes at least partially open, appearing awake. [ 14 ] [ 15 ] A survey of those adopting rescue Greyhounds found that Greyhound adoptions have higher short term adoption success than shelters. The survey also found reported hyperactivity levels to be below that of shelter dogs. [ 16 ] Greyhounds tend to be outgoing, happy and sociable with people and seem to relish human contact, even following owners from room to room at home (known colloquially as being a "Velcro dog"). Small animals including cats may be the subject of prey-driven behaviour by Greyhounds. [ 17 ] : 58–60