Mary Allen
Greyhounds bring the perfect bodies when it comes to running. But when someone says “Sit!” to them, many of them have a real problem.
Greyhounds are particularly noticeable because of their slim build. These true racing machines among dogs have bodies designed for one thing only: running. And as fast as the wind!
That’s why the dogs
- hardly any body fat (in contrast to the heaviest dogs in the world),
- long legs,
- thick pads of paws (they bounce and push the dog back up again after touching down) and
- Muscles, muscles, muscles!
Even a dog’s spine is made for running: Greyhounds have particularly long and thin vertebrae. They’ve slightly pulled apart in full-throttle mode, allowing the dogs to cover even more ground with each mighty jump!
Greyhounds are therefore no less than aerodynamic darts, which in an emergency can reach a speed of 69 km/h within six jumps. This makes the nimble waltz one of the fastest animals in the world.
This tail-wagging athlete’s anatomy, which is perfectly geared to running, also has a disadvantage…
Greyhounds and the Sitting Problem
Greyhounds can run like no other dog. On the other hand, they have a completely different problem: many greyhounds cannot really sit comfortably.
Dogs often don’t get their pelvis tucked comfortably under the rest of their bodies. The long vertebrae just make it incredibly difficult. And the strong muscles in the dogs’ hindquarters must first be sorted out somehow so that sitting works. You often see greyhounds that try very hard, but always look a bit helpless when sitting with their buttocks just above the ground.
Many greyhounds prefer to lie down sphinx-style or snuggle up on their side. Sitting is simply not the specialty of the nimble runabouts.
You could teach the animals to at least halfway properly “sit” – but let’s be honest: If you can run that fast, you should do what you can do best. After all, you don’t send a 100-meter sprinter to yoga.