Caption: Reggie, one of Joanne and Andrew Wooler’s greyhounds that has been successfully adopted.
Many factors influence the success of a greyhound in the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission’s Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) including socialisation and ‘winding-down’ activities.
North Queensland greyhound trainers Joanne and Andrew Wooler have rehomed 12 dogs in the past two years through the GAP.
Joanne credits this to socialising, ‘winding-down’ and desexing their greyhounds prior to the GAP pre-assessment.
“By having the greyhounds desexed and encouraging them to be friendly and sociable prior to their assessment gives them a better chance of success,” she said.
“Our greyhounds get along really well with our family cat and have gone on to find forever homes with cats and smaller dog breeds,” she said.
GAP would like to remind owners that socialisation and ‘winding-down’ is very important. Greyhounds that have interacted with other dogs and cats early on have far greater socials skills, making their transition from a racing career to a family pet smoother.
Owners are encouraged to practice these ‘winding-down’ activities with their greyhound:
- Exposure to different flooring surfaces;
- Exposure to a variety of noises (traffic, ocean and other day-to-day noises);
- Short daily periods of isolation from other greyhounds and people;
- Walks to socialise the greyhound with other dogs;
- Exposure to people outside of the training environment.
These activities help set greyhounds up to succeed by encouraging them to be well-mannered and easy to live with.
For more information about socialisation see the GAP website – gapqld.com.au
To find a retirement home for your greyhound, you can contact our GAP team on 1300 087 021 or email gap@qric.qld.gov.au.