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You've probably heard that when you adopt a greyhound you join a cult. It's true. The cult of greyhound fully embraces the breed and all of its wonderful idiosyncrasies - it's something of a lifestyle choice. One thing you'll notice quickly is the "greyhound speak," a special vocabulary describing the unique traits and behaviors of greyhounds. If you're struggling to keep up with it all and want to fit in with the fast dog crowd, we can help you out. Read on to learn all about chattering, roaching, derp, ETS and more!
Bed Fail - No one has ever made a bed big enough for a greyhound. Invariably, part of the greyhound, and it's usually the head, ends up hanging off on the floor. Sometimes a greyhound fails to hit the bed entirely and lays on the hard floor next to the soft spot. We call this "bed fail."
Bounce - A greyhound is a bounce if he goes to a forever home and comes back for another try at it. Usually, the first home doesn't work out for no fault of the greyhound and bounces are often said to make the best companions for their second (or third or fourth) adopters.
Chattering - Chattering is like shivering, but totally unrelated to cold. When greyhounds chatter, they express sublime contentment or maybe excitement. Watch a short video of Marley chattering while getting his belly rubbed on GALT's YouTube channel.
Cow Dog - A cow dog is either a white greyhound with black spots or a greyhound who is grazing on grass in his yard. The ultimate cow dog is a white greyhound with black spots grazing on grass in his
yard.
Derp - To go with their long snouts, greyhounds have long tongues. And those tongues are always hanging out. Derp refers to that silly tongue out look greyhounds often have.
ETS - ETS stands for Escaped Tongue Syndrome. ETS is closely related to derp and refers to a long greyhound tongue that has escaped the greyhound mouth to loll about on the floor, bed or couch.
Greyhound Pattern Baldness - Bald butts and tummies are socially acceptable in the cult of greyhound. The typical pattern is anything from a small oval bald spot on the back end of each butt cheek to a mostly bald butt and tummy. Some humans find greyhound pattern baldness pleasantly warm and intimate for rubbing.
Needle Nose - Greyhounds have that wonderful long, pointy snout that they love to stick in your eye and in little blanket crevices.
Nitting - Greyhounds nit when they lightly nibble on their humans with their front teeth. A greyhound might also nit on a favorite stuffy or sometimes a blanket. Nitting is an expression of true love but, oh my, it can smart a bit.
Potato Chipping - Yes, greyhounds are just like chips. Many adopters think one will be enough, but within a short time end up adopting a second, and a third and a fourth and then.... You can't have just one. They are like eating potato chips.
Roaching - Greyhounds love to flip on their backs with their legs in the air when they sleep. It's called roaching because it resembles the position of a deceased cockroach. "Advanced roaching" might include a one legged salute, cocked head, and can be combined with derp, ETS and a bed fail .
Roman Nose - A Roman nose is a bird beak like, aquiline needle nose with a prominent bridge. A small, very special, percentage of greyhounds have Roman noses.
Rooing - Of course greyhounds don't bark (well, much), but they love to howl in a sweet siren like "roo" for all to hear. Often times, greyhound festivals will conclude with a group "final roo" to send everyone off. #TOT - #TOT is a common hashtag used in social media to accompany a picture of a greyhound with derp or ETS on Tuesdays. It stands for "Tongue Out Tuesday," although ETS happens every day. Velcro dog - Many greyhounds are Velcro dogs because they do not leave their human's side and often lean against them to stay in contact. They are stuck like Velcro. And it goes on all day and night. Zoomies - Zoomies are those few high energy play moments most greys have daily and include running around in small circles, laps around the table, and tossing a stuffy around. Watch Katie's play gradually explode into full blown zoomies! The greyhound language is constantly evolving. If you know of a term that is becoming common place in the community, let us know so we can update this article on Tumblr. | 
