# The Retired Racer — Greyhound Starter Pack

> A practical starter pack for people adopting a retired racing greyhound (ex-racing greyhound) as their first dog. Four day-by-day guides plus an overview covering preparation, the first week (3-3-3 rule), toilet training and skills training — crate, alone time, leash, muzzle, handling, stairs and prey drive. Built on Greyhounds as Pets NZ (GAP NZ) and Greyhound Trust guidance. Sources, checklists, schedules and printable logs included.

Primary audience: first-time dog owners. Site language: English (en).
Publisher: The Retired Racer (https://greyhound.kitzo.work/).

## Guides (read in this order)

- [Overview](https://greyhound.kitzo.work/overview.html): greyhound basics in 60 seconds, the 3-3-3 rule, GAP NZ "go slow" principles, week-by-week timeline, daily routine, costs and commitments.
- [Guide 1 — What to Prepare](https://greyhound.kitzo.work/01-what-to-prepare.html): adoption checklist before pickup day, mindset shift from kennel to house, GAP NZ top-10 settling rules, body-language table (fidget/freeze/flight/fight), greyhound-proofing, XXL 120 cm crate spec, shopping list, vet and insurance prep, common first-owner traps.
- [Guide 2 — First Week Agenda](https://greyhound.kitzo.work/02-first-week-agenda.html): 3-3-3 rule, GAP NZ 30-day settling video-diary milestones (Coby), day-0 arrival protocol, daily template, 3-step bedtime routine (Train → Toilet "busy" → Chew), nights 1–7 crate plan, sleep-startle rule (talk, don't touch), days 1–2 decompression, days 3–7 checklists, week-1 playbook, red flags.
- [Guide 3 — Toilet Training Plan](https://greyhound.kitzo.work/03-toilet-training-plan.html): why kennel dogs toilet indoors (substrate preference), empty-bladder rule, five principles, step-by-step toilet trips, 4-week schedule, night routine, accident protocol, marking fixes, apartment adaptation, daily toilet log.
- [Guide 4 — Other Skills Training Plan](https://greyhound.kitzo.work/04-other-skills-training-plan.html): marker "Yes!" as camera shutter, 2–5 minute sessions, priority order name/settling → alone time → leash/muzzle → handling → stairs/household → social/prey drive/recall, crate 4 steps (max 4 h daytime), alone-time ladder, cooperative care, 4–8 week progressive plan, enrichment and common behaviours.

## Key facts (frequently asked)

- Retired greyhounds usually come home at 3–5 years old and can live 10–15 years.
- Exercise: two 20–30 minute on-lead sniffy walks a day; they sleep 16–18 h/day while settling.
- 3-3-3 rule: 3 days to decompress, 3 weeks to learn the routine, 3 months to feel at home.
- No walks for at least 3 days after arrival (GAP NZ: 3–7), then quiet routes only.
- Crate: XXL ~120 cm, max 4 hours daytime without a break; never as punishment.
- Toilet training: most reliable in 2–4 weeks with the empty-bladder rule; never punish accidents; clean with enzymatic cleaner.
- Thin skin/low body fat: thick orthopaedic bed, winter coats, gentle handling, bloat caution around meals.
- Prey drive: always on lead in public until recall is bombproof; muzzle initially (must allow panting and drinking).
- Sleep startle: greyhounds may sleep with eyes open and snap if touched awake — talk to wake, don't touch.
- Off human furniture for at least 3 weeks; supervised child contact at the dog's pace.

## Site files

- [Home](https://greyhound.kitzo.work/): cover page with guide index and FAQs.
- [Sitemap](https://greyhound.kitzo.work/sitemap.xml): all six URLs.
- [Keywords](https://greyhound.kitzo.work/keywords.md): the SEO/AI keyword list used across meta tags, headings and FAQ JSON-LD.
- [Deployment notes](https://greyhound.kitzo.work/deployment.md): static HTML on Cloudflare Pages.

## Primary sources

- [GAP NZ — Settling In (About Greyhounds)](https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/info-resources/about-greyhounds)
- [GAP NZ — Behavioural Advice](https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/info-resources/behavioral-advice)
- [GAP NZ — Settling Video Diary (30 days)](https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/blog/settling-video-diary)
- [GAP NZ guide 1 — inside a house for the first time](https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/1-being-inside-house-first-time)
- [GAP NZ guide 2 — fear and anxiety](https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/2-fear-and-anxiety)
- [GAP NZ guide 4 — crate training](https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/4-crate-training)
- [GAP NZ guide 5 — toilet training](https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/5-toilet-training)
- [GAP NZ guide 6 — learning to be left alone](https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/6-learning-be-left-alone)
- [GAP NZ guide 7 — freezing on walks](https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/7-freezing-walks)
- [GAP NZ — Social Hound](https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/social-hound)

This pack is general guidance, not veterinary or professional training advice; local adoption-group instructions for the individual dog take priority.