Important hypothetical training question

Question:
 My husband and I are considering adopting a greyhound, and we are looking for some insight into whether a certain scenario is possible.
Eventually we would like to start a family, so some time during the hound's life, he would have to share a home with baby/toddler/young child. I feel very strongly about leaving children alone with hamsters, much less dogs, and there would be extremely paranoid supervision occuring.
That being said, after talking to the rescues, and reading articles, it seems like the most common scenario of a greyhound and a child having a bite incident occurs when a child wakes a greyhound suddenly, by randomly hugging it or jumping on it while it's asleep. This is supposedly due to greyhounds being crated separately while sleeping, so being woken like that is something they never experience before coming into a home situation.
My husband is very worried about this happening despite lots of precautions because, "even when you're really careful, sometimes things just happen."
We are wondering if there are measures that can be taken to desensitize a dog to being suddenly woken by getting petted or something of that nature. I would still be supervising heavily, gating rooms, etc. but if we could do something to help the dog respond in a way that doesn't involve snapping when woken up, just as an added measure of safety, that would help us rest a lot easier. My husband is so freaked out about it right now, that he says we won't get a greyhound at all if desensitization is not an option. That may be the best thing if it's not possible to do, but we want to try and explore all the possibilities and make the best most educated decision possible. Thank you for all your time.

Answer:
I've heard that about all dogs, and I think it isn't particularly about greyhounds. You really shouldn't wake up anything suddenly, especially if the animal or person is dreaming or in a deep sleep. Why not just have the dog sleep in his crate? Or when a dog is sleeping, teach the child to call out its name and approach it only when it is fully awake.

Answer:
I agree with Animalcrackers. I haven't heard of this issue of a startle reflex as being related specifically to grayhounds. I have seen this issue as a trainer, across all breeds. Some dogs never have the startle reflex while others do.
I do think you have reason to be concerned however. You are correct to realize that interactions between dogs and kids can be unpredictable no matter how many precautions you take.
As with any dog breed, I suggest you choose a dog who seems to have the most ability to deal with stresses and changes, including being woken up suddenly. Work with a competant Dog Trainer on a program that will include many aspects of socialization and desensitization with or without children.
Good luck!

Answer:
When you have any dog and any child in the same house, there is always a level of bite risk. ALWAYS. Dogs bite, period. Just because a dog has never bitten before does not mean it will never bite if the "right" situation was to occur.
That being said, in a house where canines and children are combined, it is the parents' responsibility to teach the child about the dog. Children must be taught not to hug dogs, not to roll on dogs, not to step on dogs, not to get into the dog's face. And, as you said, supervision is vital. If the dog and child cannot be watched, the dog should be crated. And in the case of particularly precocious children who don't listen to the rules, maybe the dog needs to go.
Dogs don't place children on the same level as adults. They often times see the child as just another member of the pack, and some will consider the child as lower in pack order than themselves. Small children are not "leaders" in a dog's mind. They smell different, move differently, sound different than adult people. This is where the trouble comes in. Children love to look at things, and being right on eye level with the dog, their curious gaze can be mistaken for "hard eye contact" which, in dog language, is a challenge. Teaching a dog that eye contact with people is a good thing can help, but still, the dog considers adults and children as seperate entities.
I am not trying to be a doomsayer. Canine/adult/child families are everywhere, and it does work. The combination is most successful in homes where strong leadership is established with the dog, where supervision is paramount, where the adults don't get complacent about fact that Rufus has never bitten and never will, and where the children are taught respect for animals, and the proper way to interact with them.

Answer:
Thank you so much everybody. The precautions taken with a greyhound would be the same whether we had a chihuahua, or a bullmastiff. That incident a couple of years ago when the pomeranian killed his family's infant when they were left alone for the time it takes to go to the bathroom really, tragically, drives home how important it is to be super vigilant.
That being said, I was told by local trainer that one method we could try, specifically with being suddenly woken up, is to gently wake the dog by laying a life sized baby doll on/near him. Giving treats when he wakes up calm. Does this sound like a hokey counter productive tactic? Or might it actually help condition the dog to responding safely if something like that were ever to occur due to unforseen circumstances?

Answer:
Great advice so far and I'm glad you'll be paranoid and watchful. That advice of the trainers, IMO is sound. I was going to say, before I got to your last post to walk past him while he's asleep (not so often that you harrass him) and wake him up a little bit...not all the way (you know....that groggie state) and drop a good sized hunk of meat for him. Do it once or twice a day. A stuffed toy might indeed help too. Or, maybe you could borrow a piece of clothing or toy from a friend with a small child so that type of smell becomes part of his world. It won't be exactly the same as when you have babies, but they all probably smell a little different than adults. You could put that next to him while he sleeps or drop it down with a high value treat while he's waking or even sometimes while he is asleep, so upon waking, it's ALWAYS a fantastic thing that is happening. He'll begin to associate being awaken with nothing but good stuff. Use especially high value treats; fresh meat, cheese, hot dog pieces...whatever his (or her) favorite thing is.
Once he seems OK with you waking him up from a sound sleep without touching him and after you've done the treats for some time, and you can see that he is perfectly comfortable with that, you can begin to squat down and wake him gently and then hand him a goodie. Let him go back to sleep if he wants. (he'll probably be looking for more food. LOL) While he's napping on the couch while you watch TV (if you allow couch priveleges) you can stroke him softly while he sleeps. Get him use to being touched while asleep. It will get into his subconscious. My dogs are all absolutely fine if awaken from a sound sleep. They're never startled or upset.
Still.....you would never want to trust that with a child so your description of extreme diligence is still needed. But, if ever there is a mistake, it is a good idea to get the dog use to that.
And when you have a child, there will be conditioning things you can do where the child is in the picture, but very carefully, of course.
I don't know why Greyhounds would be any different than another dog. I think that's just a normal response for any living thing to be surprised like that when sleeping. Some individuals might be more affected than others.

Answer:
Thanks Doberluv, I wasn't really sure exactly what kind of reaction to reward, or if I should just reward every time. Those are all really good suggestions about the children smells too. I've worked in child care for the past 7 years, and yes children do have their very own brand of smell, lol. There are a lot of ladies at church with babies, so I am sure I can get them to smellify things for us. :D
There are two rescues in town since we've got a greyhound track here. They both mentioned that one should call a sleeping greyhound's name and get it to come instead of reaching down to wake it, and to be very vigilant about small children and sleeping hounds. It makes sense to me, because at the track the hounds are all crated individually while they eat and sleep. Being touched while sleeping is something they have never experienced after weaning. It makes sense that a dog who spent the first 4 years of it's life with no contact during sleep might be startled or defensively snap while still half asleep. These poor guys have a lot to learn! I guess it's common for them to try and walk through sliding glass doors and across the surface of pools too.:rolleyes:

Answer:
It makes sense to me, because at the track the hounds are all crated individually while they eat and sleep. Being touched while sleeping is something they have never experienced after weaning. It makes sense that a dog who spent the first 4 years of it's life with no contact during sleep might be startled or defensively snap while still half asleep.
Yes, I see. So, some gradual conditioning would be a good idea. It is more difficult when you don't have a clean slate to start with. But, any little bit should help.