Greyhounds are low maintenance in the grooming department thanks to their tight, short and close coats which means a once over with a bristle brush once a week would keep them gleaming. It's also important to keep an eye on their ears and to clean them on a regular basis to make sure there are no infections taking hold which can be very hard to treat once they flare up.
Greyhounds need to be given a minimum of an hour's exercise on a daily basis. However, they do not need to be given a tremendous amount even though they look so athletic. Ideally, a shorter walk in the morning followed by a longer one in the afternoon of around 40 minutes would be enough to keep them fit, happy and healthy. They also love to be able to run around in a back garden where they can really let off steam as often as possible. However, the fencing has to be high and very secure to keep a Greyhound in bearing in mind that these dogs are very good at jumping great heights.
It's also not a good idea to let a Greyhound off a lead when they are being exercised in any public places unless, that is they are extremely well-trained because their instinct to chase anything that moves may well get the better of them. The other thing to bear in mind is that Greyhounds are very good at injuring their legs all thanks to the fact they run so fast even over rough ground when allowed to.
If you get a Greyhound puppy from a breeder, they would give you a feeding schedule and it's important to stick to the same routine, feeding the same puppy food to avoid any tummy upsets. You can change a puppy's diet, but this needs to be done very gradually always making sure they don't develop any digestive upsets and if they do, it's best to put them back on their original diet and to discuss things with the vet before attempting to change it again.
Older dogs are not known to be fussy, finicky or big eaters, but this does not mean you can feed them a lower quality diet. It's best to feed a mature dog twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, making sure it's good quality food that meets all their nutritional requirements. It's also important that dogs be given the right amount of exercise so they burn off any excess calories or they might gain too much weight which can lead to all sorts of health issues. Obesity can shorten a dog's life by several years so it's important to keep an eye on their waistline from the word go.
Because Greyhounds are prone to suffering from bloat, it's really important not to feed them just before they go out for walk or when they just get back from one. Feeding a dog before any strenuous exercise or when they have just come back from a walk, puts them at great risk of suffering from bloat which can prove fatal.
