A gathering of hounds

Greyhounds are an amazing breed. They're so like other medium to large dog breeds in many ways but in others, they're also completely different.

This crossed my mind over the holiday break. Bomber (AKA Tinklebert Woofledink) turned 5 so we held a small birthday party. 10 of his fellow greyhounds turned up along with a dozen or so of their humans.

Most dog owners would see this as a potential recipe for disaster. Yet excluding one or two incidents, the hounds all got on pretty well with each other.

So well in fact that we arranged dog beds along the length of a hedge running across our back lawn. Each hound sat back on their bed and did what Greyhounds love to do - sleep.

Several days later a friend's hound turned 10 so she also held a gathering of hounds and humans at her place. Once again, the hounds behaved. 

So why do greyhounds tend to get on so well together?

Greyhound pups often spend a lot longer with their mothers compared to other breeds. This means they're usually well versed in canine etiquette. They're also raised in kennel environments. Which translates into them being well socialised with other Greyhounds.

This said, nothing is perfect and as will be with any large groups of dogs, there is the odd snarl or snap. Making the hounds wear muzzles is always a good idea, even if the dogs are being quiet and well behaved.