Perhaps I can help with some of your questions......

Puppys on the farm get a lot of attention - afterall, they are puppies and the future of the breed..........Everyday the people or kennel hands or whatever you want to call them feed and water the dogs, clean the runs......There is much interaction on the farm between dogs and humans - since the runs must be weeded along the fence line, fences mended and houses cleaned and re-bedded. Living on a dog farm in the middle of nowhere offers limited entertainment............you make close friends of your dogs.

I would say the least amount of time humans interact with the dogs is when they are in the long runs - from the age of 6 months to say 10 months when they begin lead training and easy, light lure training. Based on my experience, and weighing about 110 pounds, they are just to strong and rowdy to spend much time with...........they cause danger to humans and themselves.

Once they are moved in the kennel training begins in earnest and they are with humans most of the time. They are fed one on one and turned out in small groups four or more times a day. They are handled atleast three times a week for morning work-outs and training. They are handled and spoken to like normal pet dogs and by this time everyone has a name and knows it.........

During turnouts - or group airings - humans are present at all times to prevent trouble among dogs - usually they stand in the middle of the pen and are surrounded by dogs..........

Greyhound pups bound for the track are trained in the art of leash walking just as any other dogs are. Greyhounds should be able to walk on a lead since much of their time at the track and in the track environment depends on them being able to be handled on a leash (we call them leads) in front of a crowd and in most situations. Most greyhounds are excellent leash walkers.

Having spent 25 years training and working with greyhounds, I tend to disagree with your last statement. Greyhounds are amazing amimals because they CAN come from a working environment and easily make the transition to a home animal. They are already on a good schedule which they are used to, they are used to walking on leads and with humans, they are used to being with other dogs and are very social...........They are smart and quick to learn.......attributes which make them so adaptable in the home or at the kennel....

And lastly,yes, they get "real leash walks". Walking is one of the best forms of exercise - dogs are worked for a variety of reasons and one of everyone's favorites is simply taking them for a walk.....while trotting is a dogs natural gait, walking exercises the muscles in the shoulders, hind quarters and neck and back. It's good for humans too!!!