An individual racing owner may have one or more Trailhounds which are normally kept in outdoor kennels. Some are kept indoors, but this is more the exception than the rule. So when first re-homed they are not normally house-trained. However, they are very quick to learn, but for the first few days big dog equals big puddles or poos!

For any dog that is re-homed, it is a big change in it's life. Trailhounds are no different. Many settle into their new home very quickly, but for others it takes longer. At first your Trailhound may be a little nervous in the house, but this is only because they haven't been used to ordinary noises, such as the washing machine, TV and vacuum cleaner, etc. This soon settles as they get used to a domestic situation and realise that warmth and comfort are a definite plus.

They may be insecure about being left alone at first. Trailhounds have the ability to jump very high obstacles if they choose to (often over 5-6 feet). We have witnessed this first hand, as have several of our friends who have hounds, so we can confirm this as a fact! You should not rehome a Trailhound unless you have a totally secure garden on all sides, by secure we are talking close board fencing or close mesh fencing at least 6-7 feet high, with a strong gate. Most rehoming centres will insist on this anyway before allowing you to rehome a Trailie. Boundary fence lines of Leylandi and or mature hedges will pose no barrier to a Trailie, so be warned, they can go over, under, or through when the mood takes them. Likewise low brick walls and or ranch type fencing are not suitable.

Trailhounds, like all hounds, have an independent streak, and may try to go off following their noses, given the opportunity. They have little or no road sense, our own won't even move their backsides in on the narrow lanes when on the lead and cars come past. They will have had little formal 'domestic/pet type' training but are exuberant rather than naughty. Until such time as you have trained them to recall you would be well advised not to let them off the lead. To help with training to recall, a device known as a 'plunge line' or 'long leash' which is used for training and controlling gun dogs when putting them to water is very useful and costs under £20 from most larger pet stores.

Extending leads (hated by professional dog trainers it seems) make walking and exercise much easier as Trailhounds like to sniff and explore, so short leads limit their style somewhat, which also makes them prone to pulling you along. We can also offer advice that soft harnesses are an absolute godsend if your hound is a puller, as their strength and stamina will tire you otherwise. Some take easily to normal collar and lead, others to choke collars, but these are particularly not recommended due to the low position of the neck as the hounds are always nose to ground. The commercial device known as a 'Halti' which can be bought at any reputable pet store is successful in many cases, being much gentler than the choke collar, our own hounds have taken to the harness and the 'Halti' quite easily. The other alternative is the large broad collar normally associated with the Greyhound breed, this type of collar protects the hounds neck. Like with most things, every hound will be different and it is a case of trial and error.