Lolo

Ha! I was thinking more of trying to find a dog that had been in a foster home and had enjoyed cuddles! (As beau was off the track and into a kennel, no other home!) Then I wouldn't be sad that Beau wanted to just chill by himself as the other dog could get my affections!! It would be a nice benefit if it helped Beau settle in the evenings and he enjoyed having another dog around for company and such, I doubt it would change his feelings towards affection though! As I say, my boyfriend minds the lack of affection less and Beau does come and sit on the sofa with us occasionally. Sometimes he will even put his head on us but only if he's in the middle and there is no other space for his head haha. He prefers being on one end with his butt to us! And will often do it for a little bit then get down and pant which makes me think it stresses him out after a while (or he gets hot, but more likely stressed)

Hey, probably long overdue for an update! So beau has been with us for just over 3 months now. He's certainly more settled and there are big positives like being able to leave him for 4 hours now and he is very calm and will just lie down quietly when we are eating (not trying to steal it from our hands etc), he also walks very well! Also, less skittish and doesn't follow us everywhere or bark as soon as we leave the room now (but still likes to be in the same room as us which is fair enough!) With enough chews, a good walk and well timed treats he has successfully sat chilling out in a pub for a few hours too! There are a couple of things that we are still struggling with: - Barking, so much barking! Mostly in the morning when he wants feeding and the evening after he's had his dinner and 2 walks and he just isn't settling. - lack of affection. This is a hard one and I'm struggling more than my other half. I was very much hoping for a dog that would cuddle up by me on the sofa and come over for strokes and attention. This is not Beau! My boyfriend seems to think this will come with time but I'm not so sure. He gets very excited when we get home and likes fuss at this time but not really any other time. I'm honestly wondering if getting him a buddy will help him settle down in the evenings or have someone to play with and might even give me a more affectionate dog so that beau is free to be himself without me pushing attention on him! Anyone have experience of similar experiences that they would like to share? Lolo

Thanks for the replies so far! Its hard when you feel like there are lots of posts where dogs are settled within a few weeks, enjoying super lazy cuddles on the sofa and haven't ever barked! I've been trying to stay positive and do lots of reward based training with him. I struggle with anxiety and most of the training I am working on I feel positive about, but the barking seems to trigger my anxiety, I feel shaky and I'm constantly fighting back tears. After a barking session I just can't relax for a while. I'm sure that this is making him worse as was suggested! I grew up with dogs that barked at the door and when playing etc. Just not used to quite the noise that my grey makes and how often he makes it. I think he barks basically when he doesn't get what he wants. A toy on a high shelf, access to a room, attention, food etc. We are ignoring this at the minute but if anything it's getting worse not better. Any specific advice or suggestions to kerb the barking? For reference: My anxiety was under control before getting the dog and we thought a greyhound was a good fit for us as they are typically quiet, like to snuggle, help me get regular walks which help keep me relaxed and often make good therapy dogs.

Hello! My boyfriend and I adopted a lovely 4 and a half year old male ex racing greyhound just over 4 and a half weeks ago. We think it's going alright but there are some things I would love to know if others have experienced and how it turned out! His routine is currently: Walk at 7.20 (40 min) Food at 8.30 Left 8.45 with Kong Visit 12.30 Walk 12.45 (20 min) Some basic training 13.10 (10 mins) Left 13.30-16.45 Walk 17.15 (40 min) Dinner 19.00 Usually another 10 mins training at some point Sleep 22.00 The kong with kibble and peanut butter (frozen) in the morning lasts him about 20 mins or so maybe and in the afternoon he has other chews like pizzle sticks or tripe sticks that last a short period but seem to stop him whining when we first leave. Without these he whines and barks for a while. Whilst we are out, once he's finished his treats and had a nap, he will start to pace and bark for 20 mins or so then settle for a while and then sometimes bark again etc. When we get back home he barks for about 3 minutes until he settles and throughout the evening he will whine a lot and bark randomly even if he's fed and been to the bathroom. He has toys but only sometimes seems to play with them. When we are out he will roach on the sofa but haven't seen him roach or join us on the sofa when we are home yet! Currently he likes some fuss and will come over for strokes but only for a short time. He follows us about and gets upset if we go out of the room and doesn't like to be outside by himself, we've been throwing grated cheese about outside so he spends time foraging for cheese by himself, which he seems to enjoy! He likes to come up to the side of the bed for strokes and wags his tail a lot when we wake up in the morning. He's learnt down, stay, look at me and come in a very controlled, non distracted setting. He will be lying calm getting stroked sometimes and then will suddenly jump up (sending your arm flying if it was over him) and start barking and bow as if he wants to play- is this likely excitement/ fear/ caused by not wanting fuss/ happy or..? On 2 occasions he has let out a growl with no teeth shown but we're not sure what was unique about the stroking or fuss. Recently, we took him to a pub and he stood the whole time except for maybe 10 mins eating a chew (his bed was there but he ignored it after eating the chew) and he barked a fair bit which was a bit awkward in the pub as he is quite loud! Are these normal things to expect? Will things calm down? Any suggestions for helping him settle? Most people seem to say that greyhounds rarely bark so we're a bit surprised by a lot of barking for reasons we don't understand yet! He does bark at other dogs too if they are chasing a ball or smaller and bouncy. The rescue called him a laid back cuddle monster that didn't need more than an hour's exercise a day and said he was great with other dogs- we havent seen this side of him yet! We're having a bit of a panic that he won't be very affectionate and we're going to struggle to leave the house with or without him for long foreseeable future! I'm so desperate to love him and trying to be upbeat and positive around him but getting pretty anxious, I think that I'm finding it harder to bond as I'm nervous. Any words of encouragement or advice would be much appreciated!