How much should a Greyhound weigh?
A healthy adult Greyhound typically weighs somewhere between around 27 and 40kg, with males generally at the top of that range and females toward the bottom, standing roughly 68 to 76cm at the shoulder. Because Greyhounds are built to be extremely lean, a healthy one looks noticeably thinner than most other breeds at a healthy weight, with ribs visible rather than just felt — which regularly gets a perfectly healthy Greyhound mistaken for underweight.
Why Greyhounds look thinner than other breeds
Body condition scoring built around an average breed does not really work for a Greyhound. Where most dogs should have ribs that can be felt but not seen, a Greyhound at a genuinely healthy weight normally shows a visible ribcage, a clear waist, and often the outline of the hip bones too — all things that would suggest a different breed was underweight.
This comes from what the breed was built for. Generations of selection for speed and endurance running have left Greyhounds with very little body fat and a lean, functional muscle structure, which is normal and healthy for this breed specifically rather than a sign of being underfed.
What affects where a Greyhound sits in that range
Retired racing Greyhounds and Greyhounds bred purely as pets can differ noticeably in build, with ex-racers often carrying more visible muscle from active training, at least in the period soon after retirement, before a quieter pet lifestyle changes that shape over time.
Sex plays a role too, with males typically sitting toward the higher end of the 27 to 40kg range and females toward the lower end, though individual variation within the breed is genuinely wide given how many different bloodlines and purposes Greyhounds have historically been bred for.
When a Greyhound's weight is worth a second look
What is worth watching for in a Greyhound is not visible ribs, which is normal, but signs that go beyond the breed's usual leanness — very prominent hip bones with obvious muscle wasting over the hindquarters, or a dog that seems to be losing condition rather than simply looking lean.
The opposite problem is common too. A retired racing Greyhound moving into a much quieter pet lifestyle can put on weight quickly if its food is not adjusted down from an active dog's ration, and a Greyhound where the ribs can no longer be felt at all is carrying more weight than is healthy for the breed, whatever the number on the scale says.
Common questions
- Is it normal for a Greyhound's ribs to show?
- Yes. Greyhounds are built to carry very little body fat, so a visible ribcage and a clear waist are normal signs of a healthy weight for this breed, unlike most dogs where ribs should be felt rather than seen.
- How much should a healthy adult Greyhound weigh?
- Most healthy adult Greyhounds weigh somewhere between 27 and 40kg, with males generally toward the higher end and females toward the lower end. Individual variation is wide, so body condition matters more than matching an exact figure.
- Can a retired racing Greyhound put on too much weight?
- Yes, quite easily. Moving from an active racing schedule to a quieter pet life without reducing food accordingly is a common cause of weight gain in retired Greyhounds, and a dog whose ribs can no longer be felt at all is carrying more weight than is healthy for the breed.
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Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.