Working with him individually gives you a chance to focus on building a tight bond, which you most definitely need. Though naturally agreeable, your sight hound was not bred for cooperative endeavors outside the home, but rather valued for his natural instincts and abilities. He was never meant to obediently follow your directions in order to accomplish a specific goal. At the end of the day, your sight hound will be pleasantly self-directed, with only minimal inconvenience to you most of the time.

Invest time in establishing consistent and predictable, well-managed routines in your daily life together; and set him up for success with the right collars, leashes, fences, games, and schedules. As well-mannered as most sight hounds naturally are, you will have little need to “get him under control” and are unlikely to encounter the same level of disruptive behaviors common in other kinds of dogs (such as excessive barking, jumping, or chewing). A little bit of training and a lot of good management, one-on-one, with clear, controlled expectations, will go a long way in facilitating learning moments for your sight hound that can make a difference for years to come.

Lifestyle

As long as you remember to respect the instincts lying underneath your sight hound’s otherwise passive demeanor, you will find that life with him can be a total breeze compared with many other kinds of dogs. If you are prepared for his hunting streak and instinct for self-preservation, you can be living the dream, in love with a dog who is well adapted to a pet lifestyle inside and outside the home.

HOME LIFE—Sight hounds have a reputation of being catlike to live with, and in many ways that is true. He is happy to waste the day away on your velour sofa or under the covers while you work at the office. You will be greeted warmly when you return—and probably not to any evidence of mischievous doggie boredom in your absence. The neighbors will not have left you a note on the door about incessant barking, and your dog will not appear to have had a nervous breakdown from spending another day confined at home.

Since he was never bred to work long, intense, and demanding days on the job, he won’t be chomping at the bit to be a workaholic now. That doesn’t mean he is disinterested in doing fun things or using his mind and body on a regular basis. But indeed you can satisfy a sight hound’s need for stimulation with far less time and energy than you might with a different type of dog.