Teddy -Reserved

About Teddy -Reserved

Teddy is an ex racing greyhound. He has run 11 races before retiring. When he arrived to the SGS kennels he was not in the best conditions, certainly in need of a good amount of TLC. It is an understatement to say that home life has changed Teddy completely. While in kennel Teddy was truly too excitable, kept jumping up, way too much, and could be difficult to handle at times. The first couple of days in foster were pretty much the same. And yet, once in a calm household, he started to relax and be able to sleep properly and this has changed him a lot. He is relaxing more and more and, just over a week after being in foster, he is a completely changed dog. What happened is this: Teddy loves people, he really does; and being in kennel meant he had no access to the thing he wants the most: human contact and the love of a home. Now that he has this, he is such a happy dog, and does not need to jump up anymore to attract attention. Here is what we have learnt about Teddy. Out and about, he walks very nicely on the lead, people who meet him always describe him as being a calm dog. He loves to meet people, which he does politely, hoping for a cuddle or two, and is very good with all sorts of dogs. He has very little prey drive, only vaguely interested in squirrels/rabbits/similar (though we have not encountered deer yet 😊) He has also been good with the kids he has met so far, he would just lean against them, hoping for an extra cuddle. He is not bothered by traffic noise or similar, and he loves his walks, being partial to walks in the countryside or in large green spaces. He responds remarkably well to positive training methods; he is very very very smart and has already learnt that sitting down is the fastest way to get what he wants (rather than asking by jumping up). He is both emotionally and brain-intelligent. He is still a little excitable in the morning when he wakes up (can’t wait to say good morning 😊 ! ) and when we get the leash out to go for a walk, but also this is easing down, matter of time. He eats everything, like a piglet, and eats very quickly, but there are relatively easy ways of slowing him down; and again, we think that he will keep improving in this respect too. He no longer jumps up when food is served and waits nicely while his food is being prepared. He is starting to do stairs and he does go up and down, but it's not his thing, and this probably won’t improve much. So he will need a house or ground floor flat with easy access to garden. His time alone will need to be built up, as often is the case, but he will get there. What Teddy cannot do without is a family which is a truly loving one; most of what he responds to is love, kindness and a little piece of chicken 😊

As written by Scottish Greyhound Sanctuary.