The Secret to Rehoming Retired Racing Greyhounds: Insights from Sydney Behaviour Expert Monika Monikin
On a damp morning at Centennial Park, Sydney, two nervous greyhounds circle cautiously through the grass while their owners watch closely.
One-year-old Girlfriend is alert to every movement around her, especially other dogs and small animals. Nearby, three-year-old Winnie hangs back anxiously, unsure of the world unfolding around her.
In the middle of it all is dog behaviour consultant Monika Monikin, moving calmly between dogs and humans with quiet reassurance.
“There’s no rush,” she says, as Girlfriend glances nervously at another passing dog. “We just want them to feel safe.”
The session looks nothing like old-school dog training. There are no sharp commands or leash corrections. Instead, Monika coaches Rachel and Jacques, Girlfriend’s owners, to create predictability and emotional safety for their young ex-racer. Girlfriend’s owners have just completed a six-week course with Monika on social skills, and now they want to build on her progress.
“She’s a bit reactive to other dogs and smaller animals like cats and possums,” Rachel says. She and Jacques fell in love with greyhounds while living with a flatmate who had two. “As soon as we got our own place, we wanted to get a greyhound of our own.”
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| Behaviour expert Monika Monikin (centre) guides Rachel and Jacques with ex-racer Girlfriend (left), alongside Jessica with her rescue greyhound Winnie (right) at Centennial Park. |
“She has never been with a foster family before we took her on from Greyhound Rescue,” Deanne explains. “She’s been a bit stressed.”
Watching Monika work, it becomes obvious that her real gift lies not in controlling dogs, but in helping them feel understood. Through her Sydney-based business, Understanding Canine, Monika works with dogs of all breeds, but retired racing greyhounds have become her passion.
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| Understanding Canine founder Monika Monikin sharing a tender moment with her adopted rescue greyhound, Mozart. Photo credit: Cristal, Love Tails Photography |
“They’re incredibly sensitive dogs,” she explains.
“A lot of behaviour that people see as stubbornness or reactivity is actually fear or overwhelm.”
That understanding has made Monika highly respected within Australia’s growing greyhound adoption community.
From Wolves to Dugongs: Monika's Journey
Monika’s journey into animal behaviour began long before greyhounds entered her life. As a child, she attended agility trials with her dog at just 12 years old before studying canine and equine science at the University of New England.
But it was a troubled rescue horse she bought as a university student that changed everything.
“I realised I was completely out of my depth,” she laughs. “It made me fascinated by how animals learn and how we communicate with them.”
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| Monika gaining first-hand experience with wolves at Wolf Park in the United States, mastering the principles of positive reinforcement. Photo credit: Monty Sloan. |
Determined to master positive reinforcement training, Monika travelled overseas to work with wolves at Wolf Park in the United States, before later training dolphins in Bermuda and Palau.
She even trained a dugong at the Sydney Aquarium.
“I wanted to learn how to work with animals without relying on force,” she says. “I wanted to understand how to build trust.”
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| Monika working with a dugong at the Sydney Aquarium (left) and training dolphins in Bermuda (right) refining her force-free communication philosophy. |
That philosophy would eventually shape her work with greyhounds. Her first greyhound, Mozart, arrived as a foster dog in 2021. Like many foster carers, Monika quickly fell in love and adopted him herself—a classic ‘foster fail’.
“He was anxious and overwhelmed by the world,” she says. “But seeing him slowly come out of his shell completely changed me.”
Today, most of Monika’s work comes through word of mouth among greyhound owners and rescue groups. She has also become heavily involved in rehabilitation work with long-term rescue dogs struggling to adjust to life outside the racing industry.
Overcoming Big Feelings: Olympus’ Story
One of those dogs was Olympus, a greyhound who spent almost four years waiting for a home at the Greyhound Rescue kennels at Bargo, south of Sydney.
“He had what people called behavioural problems,” Monika says. “But really, he just had very big feelings and didn’t know what to do with them.”
Olympus would jump at people, mouth clothing, and become over-aroused in stressful situations. Instead of labelling him aggressive, Monika focused on helping him regulate stress and feel safe in the world around him. Eventually, Olympus found his forever home.
“That’s the best part,” she says. “Watching them realise they’re finally safe.”
Greyhounds, Monika believes, are among Australia’s most misunderstood dogs.
“People think they’re going to be high-energy because they race,” she says. "But a lot of them are content to sleep for many hours a day and don't have the demanding, high exercise needs that many other pet dog breeds have. When they're comfortable with you, greyhounds can be great co-napping buddies—but they can also be very goofy and playful. They're great communicators and will let you know how they feel about something."
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| High-speed happiness: Monika utilising positive reinforcement to recall an ex-racer in a secure paddock. Photography by Mia Smith, Pawtraits and Pawprints (including hero image). |
Monika notes that many retired racers arrive in homes with limited experience of everyday life.
“Their whole world has usually been kennels, paddocks and racetracks,” she says. “Then suddenly they’re expected to understand traffic, cafes, apartment buildings and busy parks.”
The result can be fearful or reactive behaviour that is often misunderstood by the public. Monika believes one of the biggest issues within parts of the racing industry is poor early socialisation.
“Puppies need positive exposure to the world during critical developmental periods,” she says. “A lot of racing greyhounds simply don’t get that.”
Navigating Industry Welfare and Physical Trauma
The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG) has long raised concerns about welfare standards within the racing industry, including the socialisation and long-term wellbeing of dogs bred for racing. The organisation also advocates for stronger transparency around injury rates, wastage, and rehoming outcomes.
Monika sees the emotional consequences first-hand.
“A lot of these dogs live in what we call a pessimistic emotional state,” she explains. "They expect something bad to happen because they are rarely given opportunities to problem solve or experience new things in a positive way.”
So now any change to their world feels unsafe and scary. They have lived such an institutionalised life with very minimal environmental change and novelty that life in a dynamic home environment feels overwhelming and difficult to predict."
Loud noises, unfamiliar environments, and sudden movements can trigger fear responses in some ex-racers, particularly during the early stages of adoption. Physical injuries are another common issue Monika encounters.
“Greyhounds are incredibly stoic,” she says. “They often hide pain very well.”
Many retired racers suffer chronic injuries, arthritis, or muscular damage caused by the repetitive strain of racing. CPG has repeatedly highlighted concerns about injury rates within the industry and the long-term physical impact on dogs’ bodies.
Last year, 287 dogs were killed as a result of the racing industry in Australia.
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| Credit: Love Tails Photography |
“He’s now a tripod. And honestly, he’s amazing.”
Despite losing a leg, Mozart still runs happily and adapted far better than Monika expected. “They’re such resilient dogs,” she says.
Becoming More Thoughtful Owners
Yet, Monika is quick to stress that greyhounds are remarkably adaptable.
“With patience, they can do incredibly well,” she says. “You just can’t rush them.”
“Sometimes they just need to watch the world for a while,” Monika says.
Over time, many nervous greyhounds gradually gain confidence and begin enjoying outings they once found terrifying. “I’ve worked with dogs that initially refused to leave the house,” Monika says. “Then a year later they’re happily going to cafes and group walks.”
Australia’s greyhound community has become known for its supportive culture, with regular social walks and adoption events helping new owners navigate the transition from racetrack to home life.
“It’s such a lovely community,” Monika says. “Everyone understands that these dogs often need time.”
While rescue groups pour their energy into healing the dogs directly in front of them, advocates argue that we cannot ignore the
While the mismatch between the sheer number of retiring dogs and available homes remains a massive challenge for the community, the profound resilience of these animals is the exact reason greyhound owners often become fiercely devoted to the breed.
“They teach you to slow down and really pay attention,” Monika says. “You learn to read body language, facial tension and stress signals in a way you never noticed before.”
Greyhounds, she believes, ultimately make people more thoughtful dog owners.
“You can’t bulldoze your way through with them,” she says. “You have to build trust. They’ve spent so much of their lives just coping. Seeing them finally feel safe enough to explore the world—that’s everything.”
Behind the statistics, welfare debates, and racing controversies, these dogs are learning how to be pets with the right humans—patient enough to help them get there.
This article was written by Sue O from the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG), with editing and layout by Australian Dog Lover.
How You Can Help
As we celebrate National Foster a Pet Month this June, it is the perfect opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of these gentle hounds. If you would like to welcome a resilient ex-racer into your life, you can support, foster, or adopt through these dedicated independent rescue organisations across Australia:
- New South Wales: Greyhound Rescue NSW
- Victoria: Greyt Greys
- Queensland: I Want a Greyhound (IWaG)
- Tasmania: Dogs' Homes of Tasmania
- National / Multi-State:
