Raising dogs, especially taking care of the greek harehound, is nothing new for people across the globe. Some zoologists postulate that dogs were first domesticated between 12,000 and twenty five thousand years ago—and that dogs evolved from wolves. Since those days, people have selectively bred more than 400 different breeds, ranging in size from 4-pound teacup poodles to Irish wolfhounds, whose three-ft stature earns them the title of the tallest canine. But the most widespread pooches are the non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mixed-breeds. The greek harehound is another favorite pick among canine owners. Many owners are misinformed, however, of some of the most critical greek harehound care tips.
General cost of care for the greek harehound
The annual cost of caring for your greek harehound—which includes everything from nutrition, to vet bills, toys and license—could range between four hundred twenty and seven hundred eighty dollars. This does not even include capital costs for sterilization surgery, a collar and leash, carrier and a crate. Note: Be positive you have all of the necessary items before you get your greek harehound home.
Typical greek harehound Care
greek harehound Feeding Schedule
- greek harehound pups between eight and twelve weeks old need four meals in a twenty-four hour period.
- Feed greek harehound puppies three to 6 months old three meals in a day.
- Feed pups 6 months old to 1 year 2 bowls of food every 24 hours.
- When your greek harehound makes his or her first birthday, 1 bowl every 24 hours is enough.
- Sometimes adult greek harehounds, however, eat 2 lighter helpings. It is your responsibility to adapt to your greek harehound’s eating tendencies.
Top-quality dry food provides a well-rounded diet to full-grown greek harehounds and may be mixed with canned food, water, or broth. Your greek harehound may also enjoy fruits and vegetables, cooked eggs, and cottage cheese, but these additions should be less than ten percent of his daily food. greek harehound puppies must be fed a high-quality, name brand puppy food. You should limit “table food”, though, since it can result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, bone and teeth problems, and may cause some very finicky eating habits as well as obesity. Clean, potable water should be available always, and make certain to clean water and food dishes daily.
greek harehound Care Tips: Make sure your greek harehound does plenty of daily exercise
greek harehounds need daily exercise so they can stay in shape, stimulate their brains, and maintain their health. Daily activity also really helps greek harehounds fight boredom, which can lead to difficult behavior. Outside playtime would quench many of your greek harehound’s instinctual urges to herd, dig, chase, retrieve and chew. Activity needs can depend on your greek harehound’s level of health and his age—but a couple of walks down the street every day and ten minutes in the backyard probably won’t be sufficient. If your greek harehound is a 6 to 18 month adolescent, her requirements will be much greater.
greek harehound Grooming Tips
You can help reduce shedding and keep your greek harehound clean with brushing. Check for fleas and ticks every day during the summer or other warm weather. Many greek harehounds don’t need a bath more than a few times during the year. Before bathing, comb or cut out any mats from the greek harehound’s coat. Carefully rinse all soap from the coat, or the dirt will stick to the soap.
greek harehound Handling
Puppies, as opposed to adults, are obviously the easiest to handle. While carrying the greek harehound puppy, take one hand and place it under the dog’s chest, with either the forearm or your other hand supporting his back legs and rear. Don’t ever try to lift or grab your pup by his front legs, back of the neck or tail. When you must pick up a larger, adult greek harehound, pick it up from underneath, supporting her chest with one of your arms and rear end with the other arm.
greek harehound housing
greek harehounds need a warm quiet spot in order to relax away from all the breezes and away from the ground. You might wish to think about purchasing a doggie bed, or try making one out of a wooden box. Put a clean sheet, blanket, or pillow inside the bed as cushioning. Wash the greek harehound’s bed covering often. If the greek harehound will be spending a lot of time outdoors, make certain he has access to plenty of cool water and shade in hot weather, and a warm, covered, dry area in winter.
Licensing and Identification for greek harehounds
Be certain to heed your city’s licensing rules. You should affix the license to the greek harehound’s collar. The license, together with an identification tag or tattoo, can easily help secure your greek harehound’s return if she happens to go missing.
greek harehound Behavior Information
Thoughts on Training your greek harehound
Well-mannered, companion greek harehounds can truly be a blessing to have. But when left untrained, your dog could be nothing but trouble. Training your greek harehound on the minimums—”Come”, “Down”, “Heel”, “Off”, “Sit”, “Stay”, and “Leave it”—bolsters the relationship with both your pooch and the neighbors. If you’re the owner of a pup, begin teaching him the appropriate responses as soon as possible! Use snacks as an incentive and a reward. Puppies can start obedience classes when they are adequately vaccinated. Contact the community SPCA or humane society for information on training schools. Always keep your greek harehound on a leash in public, even as a puppy. Just be certain your doggie will come to you when you say so. A disobedient or aggressive greek harehound should not play with others.
Your greek harehound’s Health
greek harehounds should see the vet for a thorough examination, shots and a heartworm blood examination every single year, and ASAP when she is ill or hurt.
Knowing Your greek harehound’s Oral Health
Although we might object to our greek harehound’s bad breath, it’s important to be aware of what it might mean. Halitosis is a symptom that your greek harehound is in need of an oral screening. Plaque due to unhealthy bacteria causes a bad smell that can only be cured by the help of a professional. After you give your greek harehound a professional cleaning, her mouth can be maintained by brushing the teeth regularly, feeding a specially formulated dental diet and treats, and avoiding table scraps. The veterinarian can show you more advice for reducing dental ailments and bad breath. You should clean the greek harehound’s teeth with a dog toothpaste or a paste made of baking soda and water twice weekly. Use a child’s soft toothbrush, a gauze pad or a piece of nylon pantyhose stretched over your finger. Some greek harehounds develop periodontal disease, sometimes called gum disease. This painful disease can possibly lead to your greek harehound’s loss of teeth as well as cause diseases throughout the body. Your vet will brush your greek harehound’s teeth as part of the routine health diagnosis.
greek harehound Bad Breath
While oral disease in and of itself is not a serious issue when it is caught early, the foul odors may also be indicative of fairly serious, persistent issues. A fruity, even pleasant smell can frequently be indicative of diabetes, while intestinal or liver diseases may cause foul breath. Kidney disease may be the cause if your greek harehound’s breath smells like ammonia or urine. If you find your greek harehound has bad breath along with other indications of ill health, such as diminished appetite, nausea, loss of weight, moodiness, including depression, increased urinating and drinking, plan a consultation with his veterinarian.
Dealing with Ticks and Fleas in greek harehounds
Daily checks of your greek harehound for ticks and fleas in the summer are critical. Remove fleas using a flea comb. There are several new procedures of tick management. Talk with your greek harehound’s doctor about his or her options.
greek harehounds With Heartworm Issues
This parasite lives in the heart and is passed from an infested dog to your greek harehound by way of mosquitoes. Many greek harehounds die annualy because of heartworm infections. Your greek harehound should have a heartworm screen each spring—this is vital to catch infections from the previous year. You should also give your greek harehound a monthly pill throughout the course of the warm, wet time of the year in order to protect him from heartworms. Should you ever vacation in warmer climates with your greek harehound in the winter, she should be on the preventive medicine during the trip. There are some regions, usually the places with more moderate temperatures, where the vets advise parasite pills be consumed continuously.
Poisons and Medications
If you’re contemplating giving your greek harehound tablets that was not prescribed for him by his vet, forget it. Just one ibuprofen tablet can possibly create stomach ulcers in greek harehounds. Keep rat poison and other rodenticides away from your greek harehound. Make sure to immediately call your dog’s doctor when you have cause to believe your greek harehound has been exposed to a poison. You may also notify the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for twenty-four hour help.
Neutering and Spaying greek harehounds
Male greek harehounds should be neutered – the removal of the testicles – and females spayed – the extraction of the ovaries and uterus – by six months old. Spaying before maturity greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer, a frequently deadly and common disorder of more mature female dogs. The chance of a diseased uterus, which is another serious condition that affects older females, will also be eliminated by spaying before six months. Neutering male greek harehounds helps prevent prostate and testicular diseases, certain aggressive behavior and some hernias.
Immunizing your greek harehound
- greek harehound pups should be innoculated with a combo immunization (called the “5-in-one”) at two, 3 and 4 months old, and then once yearly. This innoculation immunizes your puppy from hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and distemper. Your greek harehound must be immunized for at least the first 4 months of her life.
- If your greek harehound has not been innoculated and is older than four months, she will need to be given two innoculations as soon as possible, 2 or three weeks apart. After that you must innoculate annualy.
- Your greek harehound pup’s socialization should coincide with her vaccination program. Many doctors recommend that new owners bring their greek harehound puppies to socialization classes, beginning at 8 or nine weeks of age. They should have already received their first vaccinations by this point.
Because rules are so different between different areas, call a neighborhood veterinarian for information on rabies innoculation. For example, NYC regulations state that pets older than 3 months be innoculated for rabies. After the first vaccination, she must have a second innoculation the following year, and then every 3 years after that. There are a variety of vaccines, many of which are appropriate for your greek harehound. Others, however, are not. Your vet can tell you about them. Please be aware, if your greek harehound happens to get ill because he is not vaccinated, the vaccination should be taken once your companion animal fully recovers.
Roundworms in greek harehounds
greek harehounds are commonly exposed to worms—in all areas, both rural and urban. Tiny eggs made by roundworms are transmitted through an infested greek harehound’s stool. Even the healthiest of greek harehound puppies carry intestinal worms. The secret to effective treatment is early diagnosis. Early, accurate diagnosis maximizes the possibility that prescribed medicine will be effective against your greek harehound’s worms. A dewormer that eradicates roundworms, for example, cannot kill tapeworms. Your doctor can best define the culprit—and decide the right medication.
Additional greek harehound Care Tips
Checklist of greek harehound Supplies
- High-quality dog food and snacks specifically designed for greek harehounds and similarly-sized dogs
- Food bowl
- Water bowl
- As many safe toys as you can provide, especially chewable
- Comb & brush for grooming, including flea comb
- Collar with license and identification tag
- Leash
- Carrier (for puppies)
- Crate for training
- Box or dog bed with warm blanket or towel
- Dog toothbrush
The no-no list
The following items should never be fed to greek harehounds:
- Alcohol, beer, wine or liquor
- Chocolate, coffee, or tea
- Raisins and grapes
- Spoiled or moldy food
- Onions, chives or garlic
- Bones of chicken, turkey, or any other animal (choking hazard)
- Salt and salty foods
- Tomato leaves, stems or unripe fruit
- Yeast dough
Final Thoughts
Retain your greek harehound on a leash whenever you are outside, unless you are in a secured, fenced-in spot. Whenever your greek harehound does number 2 on a neighbor’s lawn, on the sidewalk or any other public spot, please take care of it! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about greek harehounds
Was this post helpful? If so, please take a minute to Tweet and Share below on Facebook. I would also love to know your thoughts so leave me a comment 🙂
Follow