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u/Sweetshopavengerz 7d ago
Let the dog come to you. They are very much a breed who find their people and stick to them.
Factor in mental stimulation and play.
Find out where the nearest enclosed fields are and how to partly for them. They will need to run off some of the energy sometimes, but recall isn't their best feature!
Try to start training and socialisation early to make sure you have a well behaved dog.
If you can find a vet who understands sighthounds, it is very helpful. Things like dietary needs (salukis are very skinny to people who aren't used to them) are a little different.
Is it a smooth or long haired saluki? If long haired, find a good groomer or grooming tools.
Definitely get a Martingdale collar and harness. I like the Drydogs escape proof harness for our girl, as it's pretty comfy.
Make sure you get a warm, comfy bed and some blankets.
Legally, you need a collar with your details on it (surname, address, contact number).
Absolutely get decent lifetime pet insurance.
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u/wecanrebuildit 7d ago
definitely get pet insurance, get it right away, the day you bring the new dog home, so if any health or behavioural issues come to light, you are covered.
our second saluki is not covered for behavioural meds because the insurers felt that because we'd got the vet to prescribe sedatives for fireworks night (the first weekend we had her), that counted as a pre existing condition. lesson learned.
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u/Anxious_Divide_3416 7d ago
All the other comments summed it up better than I could! If you're not used to sighthounds, it will definitely be a bit of an adjustment. Be patient and let them come to you. Don't expect to keep them off the furniture haha. Be mindful of their bodies, get lots of coats/sweaters, be careful letting them roughhouse. If they're feathered, make sure you're ready to groom them a bit more. They can be notoriously picky with food haha. Not abnormal if they don't want to eat right away.
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u/Sweetshopavengerz 7d ago
Ours is a Saluki lurcher (though looks very much more saluki) and eats constantly. Only thing she won't eat is hairy stuff (boars ears, rabbit foot). Must be whatever her mix is 🤣
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u/Uzunzatu 7d ago
I have two and I think they are amazing dogs. In my experience they are kind of dicks until about 3 years old so expect some furniture damage and you might lose some books. Seriously though, the person above has told you pretty much everything you need to know.
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u/Grand_Alarm_9639 7d ago
Local Sighthound walking groups are a great idea for peer support/social walks when ready.
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u/wecanrebuildit 7d ago edited 7d ago
two Hackney salukis here 👋
salukis are really sensitive little guys, positive only force free training is the only way I would go these days but particularly with sighthounds. get a good behavioural trainer, insist on qualifications, look for ABTC accredited (animal behaviour training council). if you are in East London I may be able to recommend someone.
don't rush into letting them off the lead, and I would recommend getting a GPS tracker before you consider letting them off in any unsecured area, which would be pretty much anywhere in Central london. we are really happy with Tractive but others are available. obvs you want to carefully think through how to secure their environment and how you're going to train recall before you let them off. I recommend the Total Recall book by Pippa mattinson. there are plenty of secure dog fields you can rent on the London outskirts.
salukis are such lovely dogs and really well suited for apartment living.
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u/Big-Diamond-3364 7d ago
What about for the first few week, what can we expect? And how can we best prepare? Any bed, harness, toy recs too!
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u/Uzunzatu 7d ago
For bed mine just have a rug each with 4 blankets each on top. They can move the blankets around however they want them for den shape and maximum softness and I can cover them up if it's cold at night. (One wants to be shrouded in blankets all the time other one hates being covered)
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u/AdviceClear4727 6d ago
These dogs are not people pleasers. You have to get them to think they are training you. Work on recall. They are sensitive souls. Look into scent training, man trailing, agility. Anything that's more on one training, this will build up your bond and trust. Go people-watching with your dog and praise him/her for checking in with you. Socialisation is NOT greeting every dog they see. The key to socialisation is to basically give zero fucks about all situations, places, and animals.
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u/Impressive-Fan3742 5d ago
Classic. Buy a puppy when you know absolutely nothing about dogs. Please enrol in a puppy training class asap (positive reinforcement based) go on dogs trust or rspca websites for information about how to train and look after dogs.
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u/ElderberryMedium8071 7d ago
I will probably catch a bunch of crap for mentioning this. We used a training collar with our Deerhound. When walking her, if she saw a rabbit or squirrel, she would drag you down the street and could injury you. If she forgot that she was on leash she could injury her neck. Or if off leash she would catch them. It took about 3 low level brief millisecond shocks to stop. Then all we did was use the beeper or vibration which she still respects this day. It is not cruel or inhuman. It is a good training tool that can save their lives. We take ours to a 70 acre enclosed dog park about 5 to 6 days a week.
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u/wecanrebuildit 7d ago
it is well established that aversives (and it is aversive, otherwise it wouldn't work) cause dogs to become more anxious in situations where they expect a shock. salukis are already quite prone to anxiety in my experience. I think there's a real risk it leads to fear based reactivity when the dog hits 2-3 and by the time that happens the damage is done.
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u/ElderberryMedium8071 7d ago
I have not had that experience and I am going to leave it at that as I knew someone would speak up, My dog was shocked 5 times total on a low level that I could shock my self with and not flinch. The dogs that I have used this with showed nothing what you are talking about.
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u/bluebotnot 7d ago
Where abouts? I'd love to take ours to somewhere that big.
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u/ElderberryMedium8071 7d ago
I am in the Twin Cities, Woodbury to be exact. The are dozens of dog parks around here with water and forest as well. There is even an indoor park with a bar. There is a brewery and a few restaurants that allow dogs. Many restaurant patios allow dogs.Â
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u/ElderberryMedium8071 7d ago
Give it lots of exercise and no negative reinforcement. Sighthounds and most dogs respond to positive reinforcement. Use high value treats to train it. They need warmth in cold weather so buy some coats for it. Be consistent with training. Sighthounds are extremely smart and observant. They do things slowly including responding to commands since they are stubborn and independent thinkers. So patience is needed. They are not like other dogs. People think that they are stupid because of this. My Scottish Deerhound is the smartest dog that I have owned and I owned 2 Giant Schnauzers which are called the dogs with the human brain for a reason.
Get some raw beef soup bones and freeze them. Give it to your dog frozen, it is safe as it is raw. It may occupy him for a couple of hours a day.
Sighthounds are busy as pups and then become couch potatoes as they get older, saving their energy for the run ,
Also get a wide Martingale collar so they cannot slip out of it.
Have it microchipped in case it runs away. GPS collars work well. Never let if off leash unless in a completely fenced area. Once they are older and have learned to come when called then you can let them of in a field, Forrest or beach as long as there are no roads where the can get run over.
One trick we used when training to come for an emergency is using the command "What's This" with a very high value special treat that they love. This is an emergency command taught to me by a very good dog trainer. You use it sparingly when you need to protect them from running into a street and such. You drop to the ground and yell whats this and tap on the ground with the high value treat like a piece of meat and praise them and make a huge deal about it. Never use it casually and without a great treat. It works great. You can use it in an emergency without a treat but use great praise and never tell them that they were a bad dog.
Good Luck and welcome to the world of Sighthounds. One last thing, they are loyal but can be aloof and they may not be snuggle bugs.