Greyhounds are known for their energetic nature and their ability to run as fast as the speed of light. In terms of a greyhound’s temperament, are greyhounds loyal companions?
Greyhounds can be very loyal dogs in the most heartwarming way once they’ve bonded with you. Greyhounds might be known for racing, but they are dogs that have made excellent companions to people for many, many years.
These sweet pups love nothing more than making their families happy and are known to make fantastic pets for families of all sizes. Knowing how to nurture your greyhound’s gentle side will help increase their sense of loyalty to you.
Are Greyhounds Loyal?
Greyhounds are devoted dogs that adore connecting and interacting with their pet parents. When you make an effort to treat a greyhound with kindness and affection, they will trust you completely and won’t let you forget it. You can depend on this dog to dedicate themselves to you and your happiness.
It can be assumed that one treat that inspires a greyhound’s sense of loyalty is their need for consistent affection. Greyhounds are not immune to becoming anxious if they are left home alone a lot. While they are known to sleep quite a bit, they would feel much more comfortable dozing off knowing you’re in the room or not too far away.
Loyal greyhounds aren’t necessarily going to attack people that come to your door. Their sense of loyalty to you unfortunately doesn’t mean that they make apt guard dogs. There is a good chance that if you’re in danger, they would protect you, but trying to train them to stand guard at your home would be fruitless.
Are Greyhounds Friendly?
Greyhounds are incredibly friendly dogs with both strangers and people they feel loyalty towards. They might not necessarily cuddle up into a stranger’s lap, but they are likely to happily sniff out a stranger that approaches them cautiously.
They are known to be a little bit nervous at first, so you want to be sure no one runs up to them aggressively, or they will get scared and lose their trust in others. They aren’t likely to attack people when they feel threatened. Instead, they will retreat, most likely behind you, and might end up being more afraid of strangers in the future.
The socialization that starts when you adopt your greyhound and continues throughout their younger years can help them become more easily acclimated to other people as well as other dogs. They can be friendly with other animals, though cats and small critters might trigger their inner predator.
How Greyhounds Show Loyalty
Greyhounds are big into cuddling. Given that these dogs can get cold easily, they are content climbing into your lap to warm up. They might even want to climb under your blanket and snuggle under the covers with you. If they feel comfortable enough to get up close and personal with you for a cuddle, that’s a surefire sign they feel a sense of loyalty towards you.
Your greyhound will also show their loyalty by wanting to stick by your side constantly. They’ll happily trot by your side when you take them for a walk, and they’ll want to follow you around the house when you’re doing chores or wandering about. They will be like your shadow and will be trying to help you out in their own special way.
Unless you know what to look for, it can be difficult to know what a loyal dog presents like. As you might expect, they will outwardly show affection towards you. They will stick by your side and stand guard for you. They’ll respond to your emotions and try to take care of you in their own special, endearing way.
Signs Of Loyal Greyhounds
As expected, loyal greyhounds are excited by your presence alone. They will get happy when you come home from work, and even when they wake up from a nap and see you close by. Happiness manifests through perked-up posture, big eyes, and wagging tails.
You will also be able to physically see their bodies relax around you when they are close by, whether sitting beside you or snuggling up close. They will also hold eye contact with you and give you some slow blinks when your eyes meet.
An ultimate sign that they trust you and will always remain loyal is if they expose their bellies to you and let you touch it. Dogs will not do this with everyone, since it’s such a vulnerable spot for them to show to those they are wary of.
How To Encourage Loyalty
You don’t have to work too hard to encourage your greyhound to feel loyal towards you. There are ways to help navigate your relationship towards becoming a bonded pair. One method many pet parents use is to keep a consistent schedule with your pup.
When your greyhound knows they can rely on you to do certain things with them every day, their loyalty to you will become stronger because they know they can depend on you just as much as you depend on them.
Your body language, your mannerisms, and your words will also have a great impact on your greyhound’s overall temperament with you. Dogs are smarter than they are given credit for, and will sense your emotions and can read your face. Speaking in a low, gentle voice, smiling at them, and showing your excitement when you see them will work wonders for your relationship.
How Loyalty Helps With Training
When a dog feels loyalty toward their pet parent, they are more likely to want to please them. The praise they get from their pet parents when they do something well is one of their favorite things. When a greyhound feels very close to you and trusts you, they are going to pick up your training cues much more easily.
Your greyhound also enjoys getting treats as confirmation of a good job. They develop positive regard towards people who feed them and give them treats which is good to keep in mind when getting them attuned to other people.
You also have to be sure that, regardless of their behavior, you remain gentle with them. These dogs will not respond well to anyone who raises their voice to them. They are not dogs to punish, especially since they don’t act out of defiance. Using positive reinforcement rather than punishment or ignoring will ensure that loyalty stays intact throughout training.
How To Bond With Your Greyhound
In order to foster loyalty between you and your greyhound, you want to develop a strong bond with them. Bonds have to be created over time, but greyhounds are a little easier to bond with than some other dogs that can be more cautious about people.
Greyhounds are very gentle dogs that are in tune with their emotions. They need to be treated with a lot of kindness and consideration for their softer personalities. Making sure you respond to their needs, whether it be some head scratches or some playtime, will enhance that bond and sense of loyalty they feel towards you.
Even though greyhounds once were athletic dogs, they actually enjoy loafing around and sleeping more than anything. However, in order to keep them healthy and get them to exercise, taking them on walks is highly recommended.
They enjoy walks, so going for a walk with your greyhound is an excellent way to bond with them. Participating in an activity that is good for both of you and that you can both enjoy together fosters that closeness that is needed to encourage loyal behavior.
Do Greyhounds Develop Loyalty For One Person?
Like many animals, greyhounds can gravitate more strongly towards one person. That doesn’t mean they won’t bond with the rest of the family or develop loyalty towards other people. It just means that their attachment towards one person could be intense with one pet parent.
In order to try and promote that loyalty towards yourself, spending more time with them and being one of their main caretakers could help. If you are the one that feeds them, walks them, or that plays with them, this could strengthen your bond.
You can get a good sense of their attachment through how often they interact with you. They will come to you more often with nuzzles and kisses and will cuddle up to you when it’s bedtime or when you’re on the couch.
Final Thoughts
So are greyhounds loyal, or are they just nice? They are absolutely some of the most loyal companions you could have in your home. Every day with a greyhound is a rewarding one full of snuggles, interaction, and friendship.
While you can’t always predict exactly what every greyhound will be like, you can rest assured that greyhounds are some of the easiest dogs to learn and adapt to. When you take the time to bond with a greyhound and show them loyalty back, you will have a best friend for life.