We greyhound owners are a fun and friendly bunch, so much so we have created our own vocabulary! To get you up to speed as you venture into life with a hound, we’ve put together a five-part series listing some of the terminology you’ll commonly hear used within the greyhound community.
Here’s part one:
Noodle: A greyhound! Greyhounds are affectionately referred to as “Noodles” because – as anyone who has seen one knows – they are long, skinny, and wiggle themselves into weird shapes.
Blep: When the tip of a hound’s tongue sticks out of their mouth, and they forget to put it away (see example in image above).
Chattering: That beautiful sound you hear when your greyhound is very happy and content. It may be when they’re about to go on a walk, or simply when they’re enjoying a good belly rub.
Ear Hat: When a Greyhound’s ears are shaped in such a way they form a cute little hat on their head.
Foot Fold: When a hound awkwardly bends their foot inwards while resting. Incredibly uncomfortable to look at but they don’t seem to mind it! Also known as a toe tuck.
GSOD: The Greyhound Scream Of Death – generally indicative that something not so fun has happened to our poor houndies. The spine-tingling scream brings on intense panic on the part of their owners, often to find the GSOD is an extreme overreaction to a minor incident (think stepping on a bindii). Trust us when we say the first time you hear it is terrifying, so be prepared!
Noodlewhip: Because an excited hound’s tail can move at the speed of a whip. Which leads us in to..
Happy Tail: A tail that is not so happy. As mentioned above, our hounds’ beautiful long tails tend to whip around like helicopter rotors when they’re excited. Unfortunately, this means when they come into contact with hard or sharp household items, trauma and injuries can occur. Hence, injured tail = happy tail.
Toe Beans: Not exclusive to greyhounds, toe beans relates to the pads on a dogs paws.
Long boi and lengthy girl: These don’t need much in the way of an explanation, because we all know greyhounds are long!
The paw of more: This is your beautiful pooch telling you he or she isn’t quite ready for you to finish with those pats just yet. So you better keep them coming!
Prawn: The shape a hound makes when laying on their side and curled up, just like the shape of a prawn.
Roaching: Dubbed ‘roach’ because of the likeness to a writhing cockroach, this is when your hound rests on their back, legs splayed out. This is a sign of ultimate comfort, and witnessing your hounds’ first roach is a huge milestone! But don’t worry, if your hound doesn’t roach it doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t happy or feeling safe, it may just not be their style.
Rooing: Aka singing the song of their people, your hound is showing off their vocal stylings! This may be in response to other dogs howling, a siren, or they might just feel the need. It should only last a minute or two.
Stain glass window: The thin skin near a hound’s hock. Especially noticeable when the sun shines through.
Poot: When your hound passes wind, often powerful enough to clear a room.
Stay tuned for part two!