Feefee147

84lb - wow! He's even bigger than mine!! Still - plenty of limbs to cuddle (if he ever decides he likes cuddles)

As someone who has grown up with, looked after, fostered many breeds...greyhounds are (in my opinion - don't shoot me, good people, I come in peace!) DEFINITELY the hardest breed! Especially for a first time owner. Any other dog will adjust to a new life in days/weeks, irrespective of any past life and horrors. Whereas these lovely greys take a VEEEERY long time to adjust. Add in the size of them, chase drive and their lack of social skills ... it's quite a challenge! I did in the first few months quite often panic, wonder if I was giving him what he needs and think 'ohmygodwhatthecrappinghellhaveidone'! That said, watching my boy go from a terrified, aloof, panicky (and sometimes snappy) freezing alien into a lovely, farty, gentle, cheery bundle of toy tossing sweetness has been an absolute joy and I wouldn't change anything. I love the smelly bones on him Well done on cleaning and dressing his wound - see, improvements already

Yes - I much prefer the full muzzle, mainly because my boy is reactive with small dogs and can get a nip in with the gentle muzzle guard (assuming it's not so tight it's clamping their mouth shut). I also tried a different full muzzle which is less rigid with bigger gaps...again, he could nip through it if he wanted. My OH gets frustrated with treats through the muzzle, but I've cracked it now - tell him a treats coming and pop it through one of the top holes. He usually manages to grab it :-)

Brilliant idea, but sadly we only have the one door out. The garden door doesn't go anywhere. We're in Central London and don't have a car (although if it might help I'd go and buy one ;-/) Good idea re feeding though. My OH does the morning feed. I'll suggest he does the evening feed too and pass that job over - maybe that will help ..... time will tell

Hahaha brilliant! I especially like 7 - fickle thing! :-)

We've tried this a bit. If either one of us disappears mid walk he will stop and just look around for the other one, reluctant to move on. Eg if we walk with my OH to the station, he'll go in and Samson will stand outside for ages staring in and waiting for him to come back. He's a big 37kg chap so I can't just pick him up and carry him away, and I don't want to drag him around so it takes a lot of patience and cajoling to get him to move again! It's worth us trying it again, perhaps on a more regular basis. Thank you for the suggestion :-)

Blimey! I've never heard that (keeping the dog crated for most of the day for the first week or so) from a rescue place before! Seems a very bizarre thing to do. They take a long time to adjust to their new surroundings and bond with new people. Wouldn't it be better to let them go where they want, hide away in a quiet space if they need a breather and also let them have the freedom to approach you if/when they start to feel confident and wish to interact? Ours has free roam of the whole place and can sleep/interact/play whenever he wants. Initially when we were brushing up on his toilet training and counter surfing issues we did restrict where he could go a little (eg no kitchen and bedroom unless we were in there) but we certainly never kept him shut in a crate. Especially not all day! I think if you're only using a crate with the door closed for bedtime and alone time they are, of course, going to very quickly associate that with being left alone and resist going in there!

A week - ahh, you're in the early days. It's tough but don't let any of it get to you (easier said than done), especially if he gets snappy or cranky. I found with my nervous grey that touching him, trying to move him or pushing him from something was a HUGE no-no. He wasn't used to being handled and would panic, react and sometimes snap. It took weeks, possibly months, before I could touch him easily in any situation and truly trust him/and him me. 'Leave it' training mentioned above is definitely the way to go. That way you can tell him something he is doing is wrong without having to invade his space if necessary. I also have a very firm "no" used sparingly (he hates stern voices) kept for extreme situations (eg grabbing something he shouldn't have...etc) which comes out if he doesn't listen. On the rare occasion that leave it doesn't work - he knows that "NO!" means business and will jump in surprise and wander off nonchalantly with a "what?? I wasn't doing anything" face :-)

Excitement! Took me a while to figure it out as he's usually a very quiet boy but.... once he knows a walk or dinner are coming he'll whine. If he sees a squirrel and can't get to it he'll whine the place down. And, embarrassingly, if we spot another greyhound whilst out walking he'll speed up to catch up and greet it, whining the whole way :-)

Haha yes! Mine too, but it took a while. He doesn't do it a great deal, he's too lazy for that and would rather be lying down :-) I read somewhere that if you have an ex racer their bottom and back muscles start to relax and so they can physically sit, whereas before when newly retired they couldn't. But I don't know how true that is. It's a bizarre sight, isn't it!

It's hard to reinforce the good behaviour without a tasty treat. We use a standard cage type muzzle - https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/300893899860?chn=ps&var=600226490813&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=600226490813_300893899860&targetid=938486033460&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9045957&campaignid=10199638297&mkgroupid=101938342477&rlsatarget=pla-938486033460&abcId=1145987&merchantid=119360265&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8rT8BRCbARIsALWiOvSYNxVj3uNZGcluQZq0_bTqPg06PasKdsCJd6Js34ljQN9mCDQu-GcaAl_YEALw_wcB I've found it took a bit of practice but actually its very easy to get a small treat in the gaps - although it did take a week of us both constantly rummaging around on the floor trying to pick up a treat before I mastered it :-)

Exactly what everyone else said! It just takes time. We did considerable 'leave it' training and that seems to work in a variety of situations (squirrel, dog leaping about in his face....etc). I also keep mine on lead and muzzled. I know a lot of people aren't a fan of muzzles - and I agree that in some situations its not always good - but I have found that a) I can relax (and therefore not tense up and impact him) knowing that if he does snap for any reason he can't do any damage and b) when people see a muzzled dog they tend to be more sensible, call their dogs in and ask first if they can approach which usefully gives the chance to introduce the dogs gradually, briefly and calmly. My boy is absolutely ecstatic if he sees another sighthound, confident and very social. With any other breed he ranges from excited to terrified/slowly backing up behind me. We took a step back, avoided all dogs and walked around the field peripheries for a while, gradually closing the gap over a period of at least a month - that helped too. If yours is still reacting you could try taking a step back and keeping a bit of distance, and then build it up again slowly. Feisty Fido is a must read! And i'm sure in time your boy will start to be a bit easier. Meanwhile enjoy the arm workout :-) Good luck!

Ok. So we're 8 months in with our lovely boy. He's doing brilliantly, relaxed and playful now. Nothing like the terrified, introverted creature that first turned up. My partner and I both take him out daily and he's a happy lad - confident, cheery and will walk for as long as we want, wherever we want. He's still a little nervous with loud noises, other dogs, kids and raucous groups but overall a lot happier when out and about. I walk him alone every day also - not quite so confident, leans in a lot if people or dogs approach him head on, and is reluctant to walk in busy areas. He's clearly most comfortable when his whole 'pack' are with him. He Is more content with a short 15 minute toilet trip, sniff and wander before heading back but it's a nice and easy, no major problems. However - he will NOT go out with just my partner. He'll get excited at the mention of a walk, but the second he realises I'm not going too he'll dash over and stand in front of me with this lovely big eyes looking at me pleadingly, and statue when it's time to go. I work from home and he's very clingy with me (I'm working on that, leaving him each day for increasing increments of time...etc) and is generally sprawled out nearby. My partner is either out for the day or working in the makeshift office/2nd bedroom. He's a hoarder so Samson can't really get in there, which I suspect is why they aren't as close. But if we're all out for a walk and my OH nips into a shop Samson will wait in the doorway watching and refuse to budge until he reappears. When my OH comes home he's (Samson!) excited, tail waggles and throws his toys around. So clearly they have bonded. I am the main source of training, play and interaction so that's probably why we've bonded more. But everything I see between Samson and my OH is fun, relaxed and playful. Nothing worrying to imply that Samson is wary or untrusting of him. I have grilled my partner (probably quite harshly!) on if something has happened whilst out. I'll be honest - I'm the patient, sensitive and calm one, he's definitely an impatient sort who would get frustrated with a statuing dog. But he swears he has been nothing but gentle and encouraging. I've sent him out with tasty, smelly treats and a list of dos and don'ts (don't drag him, wait patiently and let him take a moment to look around and assess if he's nervous, maintain a cheery voice..etc) but nothing is working. I don't know if the problem is walking with him or walking without me. I've tried not being around when it's their walk time, to see if that helps, but he just dashes around to find me and tries to herd me out also. I'm pregnant (another thing to worry about - Samson is terrified of kids. But I'll fret about that later!) and there will eventually be times when I possibly can't walk him. So I really need to try and sort this out now - I'm sure it will take some time to resolve. Does anyone have any ideas?? Anything at all? I'm genuinely all out of suggestions and I hate the idea of Samson either going without a walk or going out and being upset/nervous :-( Thank you!

"he looks like reject from the 80's with a leg warmer on" ......hahahahaha brilliant! They're definitely not easy dogs to start with. But so worth it. And it's so true - the dog I have now (8 months) is so different to how he was at 1 month/3months/6 months. I could kiss whoever on here gave me that bit of wisdom in the early days! Deep breaths and enjoy!

We just told him “off - bed time” and jiggled the duvet (he doesn’t like the ‘ground’ moving so jumps off), and when he obliged praised him. He seems to understand that bedtime = his own bed. He also gets off when told to at any point during the day (eg changing the bedding etc so that helps 😁)

It's terrifying when it happens. We (grey rookies) did disturb him a couple of times in the early days accidentally (leant over him, tried to move him as was falling off the bed..etc) and nearly lost our noses or fingers as a result. We learnt quickly :-) Our grey sleeps in our room on a separate sofa. He's allowed on the bed during the day but come "bed time" is not allowed to sleep with us. I was worried I would send mixed signals and he wouldn't be able to get the difference but he actually did pick it up quickly. He does, when he has woken up and is doing his adorable "I'm hungry feeeeeed me" staring, nudging and grovelling, get on the bed in the morning. But only when we've called him up. I also would love to take mine camping and think it probably is a case of having separate compartments as MerseyGrey has suggested. Let us know how you get on!

We’re now seven months in with Samson and he’s actually doing really well. He went from foster to adoptee 😁 I bought a good harness so I can get a strong hold on him if necessary without hurting him and still do leave it training with him daily, just to reinforce what it means. I backed away from all dogs (mainly because he was very nervous with bigger dogs but also because I wanted to see smaller dogs from a safe distance and work on that) and gradually walked him nearer and nearer over a long period of time. He’s still on lead and muzzled, prey drive still *very* strong, but he doesn’t fight and howl to get to small fluffies and understands that “leave it” means back away and walk on rather than lunge, snap and try to get them. He rarely takes a treat outdoors if he is fixating on something, but the repeated indoor leave it training has gradually stuck in his brain somewhere and even if he is too excited to want a reward, he will still begrudgingly oblige. Now if a small off lead dog comes bounding over it’s much less stressful 😁 It’s worth persevering with leave it training. It’s also worth trying all sorts of different treats (cheese, ham, good smelling food) in the hope something will engage her? Let us know how you get on 👍🏻

I read that on here quite a bit and realised i was tightening the grip. It’s hard not to, but since leaving a tiny bit of slack I’ve found it much better. Great advice!

Your poor girl! That’s a lot of upheaval for her to cope with. Our boy was rehomed and instantly attacked by another grey. So he was removed and brought to us with stitches all over his face. He was terrified of other dogs - initially freezing and then, once he was more relaxed with me, leaning in or hiding behind me. I found ‘leave it’ training at home has helped (if he is anxious or fixating I can now say “leave it”, walk on calmly and off we go). I also found gradually decreasing the distance between him and other dogs was helpful - so we started off at a fair distance just cheerily walking along, no fuss no bother. And gradually over 6 months we’ve got closer. We can now walk past other dogs, even grumpy shouty ones, and occasionally say hello and have a sniff, without any fuss. Initially he just couldn’t cope being near any other dogs so we took a big step back and worked from there. It’s a slow road but I’m sure with all the helpful tips you’ll get there. 😁

It is lovely to see the excitement, especially as it’s all still quite new for him and he’s quite a meek, quiet chap most of the time. GSDs - how lovely!

He’s five, just turning into a super excitable chap 😁 I’m being sensible and getting ready first before the walk word is mentioned, and it has helped. No little accidents. So I’m confident it was me causing the problem rather than a urine/bladder issue. Lesson learned 😁

Yeah. I figured it was my fault for being a big kid and watching the excitement 🙈😁 i’ve just never known an adult dog dribble wee when excited before. Poor sod. I’ll take him straight out in future and keep an eye out to see if it happens at other times. Thank you 🥴

Our lovely boy is doing really well. He's come out of this shell a lot, relaxed and is starting to get very excited for various things - dinner, playtime, walks..etc. However, over the last week or so I've noticed that when he is doing a pre walk zoomie he is peeing a little. It's my fault - I love that he gets excited when I say 'walk' and enjoy watching him get up, leap around, bark excitedly...etc. However, I then go to the toilet and get ready and I think I'm giving him too much time to whip himself up into a frenzy! When I go to the toilet he zooms around on the bed and twice I've noticed a wet patch around the size of my palm. It's obviously not a full on urination (he's a big boy and when he goes he REALLY goes) so I'm not sure if it's normal for a dog to pee a little when overexcited (I think being excited is still a bit new and alien to him) or if I need to get him checked out. He's not struggling to urinate, licking his bits excessively or anything else to imply there may be a problem. Any ideas or thoughts gratefully received!

Aw bless him. Poor thing. He's obviously struggling outdoors. Another thing to consider - have you tried all going out together, the whole 'pack' taking him out? Oddly, I've found (and a few other greyhound people have said the same thing to me) that my boy is much happier and far more relaxed when both my partner and I take him out, rather than just one of us. So we used that to build up his confidence and get him used to routes, sounds..etc. He still statues and startles a bit with just one of us but is gradually improving. Good luck! Freezing greyhounds are not easy!