The Do's and Don'ts of Greyhound Zoomies

By gapnsw.com.au

July 15, 2022 19:05

What are greyhound zoomies?

Zoomies is a colloquial term for frenetic random activity patterns,

Zoomies are a behavior that dogs (and sometimes cats) do where they run around in a seemingly random fashion. It is a behaviour that is seemingly associated with excitement.

Let’s learn the do’s and dont’s so we can help our beloved greyhounds live their best lives!

Are greyhound zoomies a good or bad behaviour?

For the most part, zoomies are a good thing!

It's a way for your dog to express their emotions. It's a good energy outlet. In a safe and controlled environment, zoomies are a great thing.

Risks of zoomies

The only times when zoomies could pose a potential hazard would be in environments that are not secure or environments with particular hazards.

Greyhounds are bred for high speed, not so much agility, dodging and navigating obstacles.

We want them to be doing their zoomies in an environment that's safe - in an place where there is minimal/zero hazards that they might accidentally injure themselves by running into.

Times a greyhound might do zoomies

Usually your greyhound will conduct zoomies in periods when something has suddenly changed or their lives have become suddenly more comfortable.

This could be going to the toilet, you coming home, or after a meal (ps - we don’t really want zoomies after a meal, because greyhounds are a deep chested breed, this can cause bloat).

Creating safe environments

There canbe risks such as sharp obstacles (i.e. pokey tree branches, benches, tools) and likewise that can be a risk to the greyhound, so it’s worth auditing their area before adopting.

GAP NSW suggests that zoomies are best conducted in an outdoor area that is fully fenced off and has no potentially hidden obstacles that a greyhound might easily miss and run into.

When adopting, will GAP NSW like to inspect my property or backyard?

This can depend.

In many cases, if you give us details of your yard and send suitable photos, we should be able to gauge whether your outside space is safe for a greyhound.

However, we will use discretion and may need to organise an inspection, which we will indicate during the application process.

How to respond to zooming greyhounds

You should respond to excitement in your greyhound depending on the particular context.

If your dog's in a safe environment, that's fine to encourage them, to praise them for being excited. Some say, the meaning of life is to have fun at all times.

If you're in a situation where the dog could potentially injure themselves or others, it's always a good idea to dissuade them from that excitement but without punishing them.

Try to adopt a more neutral, calming tone and try to encourage lower key, lower intensity activities like sniffing and slow walking as opposed to zoomies.

Other ways to help greyhounds release energy

You can encourage your dog to perform what we call low-intensity seeking behavior.

A great way to do that is through the provision of enrichment.

Tasks like treat scatters, giving your dog something that they can lick and chew etc, helps use energy.

Low intensity seeking behaviour helps to dissipate fascial tension, which can be great for dogs that are prone to anxiety/stress.

Adopt the right age/energy level greyhound for you

When you apply to adopt a greyhound, you'll fill in an application form, which will help us to determine what kind of greyhound is suitable for you in terms of age and energy level.

It’s not necessarily how excitable the dog is in their day to day, but it’s also about their prospective new environment and how much exercise their new owner can commit to.

It's not just about how excitable the dog is in their day-to-day, but it'll also be about whether that dog might benefit from multiple walks per day

If you have behavioral questions, get in contact with the team at GAP NSW and our behavior team will be able to support you with any queries you might have.