Please note that only non-racing greyhounds (i.e. retired racing greyhounds, those kept solely for the purpose of being a pet and show greyhounds) are eligible for a muzzling exemption.
STEP 1
Contact Greenhounds to enrol a greyhound in an in-home re-training program. This is a self-guided course designed to help owners prepare their greyhound for the assessment.
In order to participate, an existing pet greyhound must be:
- Microchipped
- Lifetime registered with a council
- De-sexed (unless the greyhound is registered with Dogs NSW for the purposes of showing).
Note: Unlike the procedures in some other states, it is not a requirement that a greyhound is kennelled away from home at any time. This is an in-home re-training program.
There is no charge for participating in the in-home re-training program, however, there is an assessment fee (see list of current assessors for rates) and if successful a $49.50 fee for the green collar and associated administration costs.
Before an owner can proceed with the enrolment they will need to supply some basic information so the ownership of their greyhound can be confirmed. Owners can do this electronically by completing the required fields below. Greenhounds will contact an owner once the status of their dog has been ascertained.
STEP 2
Greenhounds will contact an owner to confirm their greyhound's enrolment and that they can commence the in-home re-training program. Owners will be provided with an In Home Re-Training Guide (which can be downloaded here).
The aim of this guide is to assist owners and prepare for their greyhound's green collar assessment. It covers many different situations that a greyhound may come across in its daily life as a pet. Greenhounds acknowledge that if a greyhound has been a pet for some time, parts of this guide may seem very basic. However, it has been written to also take into account the greyhounds who are new to pet life, some of whom may have come straight from the race track or an impound facility.
Owners will also be sent a workbook which will enable them to record and self-assess their greyhound's progress through the program.
This program is intended to take a period of six weeks to complete and owners will not be able to have their greyhound assessed until the end of this time. The reason for the six week period is again to take into account that some greyhounds may have recently come into a pet home straight from the race track or from an impound facility. This will give them time to relax and unwind and assimilate into pet life and give them the best chance of a positive outcome on assessment.
STEP 3
At the end of the six weeks and upon completion of the workbook, an assessment of the greyhound can be undertaken by an authorised Greenhound assessor to determine if a greyhound is suitable for a muzzling exemption.
An authorised Greenhound assessor is a suitably qualified person approved by Greenhounds to conduct behavioural assessments on greyhounds. A list of current assessors and their fees can be found on the "Find an Assessor" page.
The assessor will use the Greyhound Adoption Program National Temperament Test (GAPNTT) to assess a greyhound. The focus of this test is safety and socialisation in public. For this reason the assessment will not be carried out at an owner's home and, instead, the assessor will discuss a suitable venue. Please note that as pets will act differently in the presence of an owner, owners are expected to be absent during the test which takes approximately 90 minutes. It is expected that an owner will present their greyhound for assessment in good health and a clean condition.
The GAPNTT is designed to identify that a greyhound is:
- Friendly, approachable and manageable;
- Shows no aggression towards other dogs (particularly small ones); and
- Shows no aggression towards humans (particularly in the presence of food and toys etc.)
Immediately following the assessment, owners will be advised of the outcome.
If a greyhound is found to be suitable, it is eligible for an exemption from muzzling when in a designated off-leash dog area.
If a greyhound is found not to be suitable, it will not be eligible for the muzzling exemption, however, the greyhound will able to re-take the assessment at a future time. The assessor can provide feedback to owners as to the reasons why a greyhound was unsuccessful, advice on how to overcome the issues and when it might be appropriate to re-book an assessment. Owners may choose to enrol the greyhound in an approved greyhound re-training program to assist.
STEP 4
If a greyhound has passed the assessment, the assessor will advise Greenhounds of the outcome and the greyhound will be recorded on the Companion Animals Register as “muzzle exempt”.
Once Greenhounds has received the completed workbook and assessment documentation, the Greenhound collar with ID tag and certificate will be issued. The fee for the green collar and associated administration costs is $49.50.