The Greyhound breed is known as the fastest dog in the world. It is a very old dog breed with easy going,calm and also temperament. There are top ten interesting facts about the Greyhound breed. 

Greyhound breed


  • 1) Ancient history: Modern Greyhound breed derive from a Greyhound stock registered in the 18th century in the United Kingdom. These dogs were mostly used for coursing and racing. But the Greyhounds history is much older and dogs similar to Greyhounds were found on early Egyptian drawings and artifacts. These are tracking back over 8 000 years. They also appeared in many books and it is also the only breed mentioned in the Bible. 
  • 2) New World: Greyhound breed became the first European dog in the New World when they accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second expedition in 1493. They were accompanied on this trip by Mastiffs. The reason why the sailors brought dogs with them is unknown, but it is most likely that the dogs should intimidate natives and test the safety of new foods for human consumption.
  •  3) Running: 'Greyhound breed' are made for speed and it is really the fastest dog in the world with top speedup to 44 mph, which is 70 km/h. Their long muscular legs and skinny aerodynamic body helps them to reach this incredible speed. They also run in double suspension gallop and when running, their feet are completely off the ground at two points. 
  • 4) Calm dogs: The 'Greyhound breed' is nicknamed as 40 mph coach potato, because even though it is true that they are the fastest dogs in the world, most of the day they are very calm and lazy. Especially indoors, they will prefer to relax and lounge. If you are looking for a big but calm dog that can easily live in apartment, Greyhound may be a good choice. 
  • 5) Eyes: 'Greyhound breed' are hunters and their most important sense while hunting is seeing. They have incredible 270 degree stereoscopic vision and they can easily see anything that moves on long distances. But they need the prey to move, they do not see stationary things that well. By the way, their great eyes and higher prey drive is the main reason to have your Greyhound on leash in unfenced or unknown areas, because they can easily start chasing something and it would be hard to recall them. 
  • 6) Sitting: Greyhound breed can sit, but it is definitely not their favorite thing to do. For majority of them, it is uncomfortable,because of the muscles in their hindquarters and very long legs. Because of that, they will rather lie down instead of sitting for longer time. 
  • 7) Size: This is a dog with streamlined and muscular body, long neck and head and with average height between 68-76 cm which is 27-30 inch and weight between 25-40 kg, which is 55-88 pounds. Females are little bit smaller than males. 
  • 8) Color: The Greyhounds coat is short and smooth. The interesting fact about the coat is, that it is only rarely gray and even if it is gray, very often those dogs are referred to as blue. In fact, there is a lot of different color variations, the most popular including white, fawn, red, gray and brindle 
  • 9) Name: Have you ever wondered why these dogs are named Greyhounds? One theory says, that it is because the original greyhound was mostly in gray color. Another theory suggest, that the name is derived from Old English Greyhound, but the meaning of this word is unknown or debatable. The name also may have come from the term Greekhound, because the dog that first reached England, it is believed that they reached England through the Greeks. It could also be a mistake in translation of the early German name Greishund, which means ancient or old dog. 
  • 10) Health: Greyhound breed are typically healthy and long living breed, and hereditary illness is rare. Average lifespan is between 10-14 years, which is great for dog of this size. Just like all dogs, they can suffer from some health issues, for example from bloating, Osteosarcoma or thyroid disease. Tell me in the comments what do you like the most about the Greyhound and what is your experience with this dog breed.