Exercise and Enrichment
Greyhounds need both physical and mental stimulation to stay happy and well-adjusted. Learn how much exercise they actually need, where to walk them, and what enrichment activities work best.
The benefits of a walk
Slow down and give your greyhound time to use their amazing sense of smell to explore the environment. Although walks provide physical exercise, walks should also allow enough time for mental stimulation.
- Sniffing is calming: Studies show sniffing lowers the pulse rate and promotes calmness
- Reduce stress: Sniffing reduces stress and lowers cortisol levels - the stress hormone
- Promotes wellbeing: Important for mental and emotional wellbeing - provides an outlet for natural behaviour
- Choice, freedom and agency: The freedom to choose to stop and sniff helps dogs feel more in control of their environment and builds self confidence
- Reduces cognitive decline: Sniffing different things and interpreting that information requires mental effort which helps reduce cognitive decline.
How often should I walk my greyhound?
Although greyhounds are the fastest breed of dog, they achieve their incredible speed in one all out sprint and do not have a lot of endurance. For this reason, greyhounds require less exercise than breeds of dogs and are generally happy with one or two short walks per day of around 15-20 minutes. If you intend to walk your greyhound for longer periods, you will need to start at 20 minutes and gradually build up their stamina.
Where should I walk my greyhound?
Greyhounds have often not had recall training so ensure you walk your greyhound with a good quality lead under effective control. Due to your greyhound's speed, retractable leads are not recommended as they can cause injury to you, your dog, other people and animals.
Remember your greyhound must be kept on a leash at all times when in public. While there are off-leash dog parks in Victoria, it is illegal for greyhounds to be offleash in them.
There are also many greyhound walking groups around Victoria which is a great way to socialise for all involved. You can find groups listed in the Walks tab, found here: https://gap.grv.org.au/news-events/upcoming-events
What about other mental enrichment?
Soft toys, puzzle toys with food treats, daily exercise and training are essential in creating a mentally enriching environment for your greyhound.
Toys could include chew toys, rope toys or kongs (rubber dog toys in which food can be hidden). Other activities you may include are hiding small amounts of food around the outdoor area for the greyhound to find or freeze a treat in an ice block (water or stock) for the greyhound to lick and chew (also good for cooling in summer!).
Remember to avoid feeding immediately before or after exercise.
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Meet our dogs ready for adoption
All greyhounds adopted from GAP are de-sexed, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and health checked.
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Sylvie
Pearl Jam
Marn
Henry ARP
Henry might look like a mini horse but he is one of the most gentle giants you will meet. Henry is a quiet and polite young man who is theright height to nuzzle your hand for a pat, keep an eye on your pockets thoughbecause if there is something delicious in there he might just sniff it out! Wethink Henry may suit living with children 5 and over and with or withoutanother canine friend of any size (just no old or frail friends as he likes tohave a play!). Henry may be ok for full time workers.
Bruce
Cynthia ARP
Cynthia is a pretty and personable 6 year old girl whose puppy days are well and truly behind her. Sweet-natured and affectionate, she enjoys the company of people and has a gentle charm that is easy to fall in love with. While she can be anxious at times, Cynthia always tries hard to be brave, approaching new situations with quiet determination and doing her best to navigate the world around her.
As a mature lady, Cynthia appreciates a calm and understanding environment where she can feel safe and supported. With patience and kindness, her confidence continues to grow, allowing her sweet personality to shine through. Cynthia is a lovely companion who would reward her future family with loyalty, affection and plenty of gentle companionship.
This dog is part of our Assisted Rehoming Program (ARP). ARPdogs are kept with their racing owners until they find an adoptive home, atwhich point they are brought back into GAP. This means that should you beinterested in adopting this dog, we are bringing the dog into GAP on theunderstanding that you will be adopting them. As such, you will not be able tomeet any other dogs, as you otherwise would be able to.
Inny
Lizzie
Micky ARP
Micky is a handsome and affectionate greyhound with a calm and gentle nature. This sweet boy loves spending time with his people, seeking eye contact and wanting to please. While he can be relaxed and quiet, Micky does have a puppyish side and likes to stretch his legs with zoomies. He also loves treats and has shown interest in bird watching and believes that backyard zoomies are more fun with a bird nearby. He is looking for a home with a secure backyard. He would suit being an only dog or he may be suitable to live with medium or large canine companions. Micky may also be suitable to live with children aged 5 and over.
This dog is part of our Assisted Rehoming Program (ARP). ARP dogs are kept with their racing owners until they find an adoptive home, at which point they are brought back into GAP. This means that should you be interested in adopting this dog, we are bringing the dog into GAP on the understanding that you will be adopting them. As such, you will not be able to meet any other dogs, as you otherwise would be able to.
Uganda ARP
Are you looking for a quiet and sweet girl? Uganda might be the one for you! She can be a little shy when she first meets you but doesn’t take long to warm up. She is quiet and really wants to please her owners. She may suit living with children in their teens but would prefer to find a home with a canine companion of any size.
This dog is part of our Assisted Rehoming Program (ARP). ARP dogs are kept with their racing owners until they find an adoptive home, at which point they are brought back into GAP. This means that should you be interested in adopting this dog, we are bringing the dog into GAP on the understanding that you will be adopting them. As such, you will not be able to meet any other dogs, as you otherwise would be able to.