Dogs make perfect additions to the family, but there are so many dog breeds to choose from, how can you decide? You can always head to your local animal rescue center, but one dog breed does stand out. Greyhounds can make the best pets. These types of dogs can just be called greyhounds, or the English Greyhound. Originally, they were bred for racing and hunting, but today are bred due to their popularity as a family pet.

What Do Greyhounds Look Like?

Contrary to their name, not all greyhounds are grey. These dogs are tall with long legs, and have a short smooth coat, and long tail. Male dogs weigh slightly more than female dogs, at 88 lbs compared to 75 lbs. Their short hair is easy to maintain. They have many variations of coat colors, such as white, tan, and dark red, not just grey-beige as their name suggests. They can grow up to 28 inches in height.

Their Gentle Temperament

Greyhound dogs are known to have a gentle temperament. They are also highly intelligent, so they’ll get along well with young children and people of all ages. This type of dog breed is known to make a good pet. They are naturally affectionate too. Depending on their training will depend on how well they get along with your other small pets, as they were originally trained to hunt small animals. If they are the type that lacks a high “prey drive”, then they’ll get along fine with your cats or rabbits. (Tip, introduce a potential adoptee to your family first to see how the dog behaves.)

This type of dog does prefer a more quiet environment. It’s important to train children to treat dogs and cats with respect.

They’ll Keep You Active

Greyhounds were originally bred for hunting and racing, due to their ability to run at 40 mph or 64 km per hour on average. They can reach up to 43 mph or 70 km per hour. Today, most dogs are bred to be pets. If you adopt a greyhound, you can expect to get plenty of outdoor exercise. You should also have a spot set aside where they can run around to work off their energy, on a daily basis. They’re highly intelligent, so you can have fun training them, and teaching them tricks.

They’re a Quiet Dog Breed

Greyhounds aren’t big barkers like other dog breeds, so this makes them suitable if you have a lot of neighbors surrounding you who could potentially complain. They do still bark, but only on occasion. This is great if you have to go out to work, so the neighbors won’t complain when you go away. They won’t bark at strangers as they go past your house or window. This type of dog breed is one of the least aggressive towards strangers and other dogs outside.

Greyhounds do stand out as one of the best dog breeds. Do your research first to determine if a greyhound would make the perfect pet for you and your family!