Anya

Give him more time. His world has changed drastically and he's still getting used to his new surroundings, his new people and new distractions, so he very likely is still nervous and afraid. If it's any consolation I had/have the same problems with my grey. Adopted just 5+ months ago, she would bark, lunge and bare her teeth at any dog we met on our walks. It got to the point where I was afraid to walk her (twice she took off and dragged me along the ground!). I'm still working on this, but she has improved immensely since the early days. When I see a dog approaching, I shorten her leash, talk to her, tell her what a good girl she is, use the "look at me" command and just keep walking. I also have treats handy, so that if she is more focused on the other dog than me, I wave the cookie in front of her nose which breaks her concentration and she focuses on the treat. I also kept her muzzled for the first month +. He may sense your fear too, (they are very sensitive dogs) so project an air of confidence and leadership when walking him and he will feel protected. Keep working with the behaviourist. My girl also had separation anxiety, so I got her a Kong, stuffed it with kibble and topped it off with peanut butter and froze it. That keeps her busy for awhile. I also leave the radio on for her. He will come out of his shell. it just takes time. Give him lots of love and positive reinforcement and I guarantee you, you will have a completely different dog. Best of luck and keep us posted!

Thanks for updating us Karolintschka. Glad the initial introduction went well - it's about the same as my two. I have Cleo since September and they pretty well still ignore each other. Cleo will let out a bark at Kali every now and then for no reason and poor old Kali runs for the hills. I wish they would be buddies . So Faye has been with you for a couple of weeks now. How is it going with both of them?

There's little to no interaction between the two of them. My poodle is 13, very timid and laid back and isn't in the best of health unfortunately. Cleo is 9, so they're both senior dogs, but Cleo has firmly established herself as the Alpha. I'd imagine if your pinscher is a younger, energetic dog they will eventually play together. I'm not holding out any hope for my two to become best friends - I was hoping they would. Oh and I forgot to mention in my original post - keep your grey muzzled for a couple of weeks until you know her/him better and can trust him/her with your pinscher. Keep us posted on their progress.

This is how I introduced my miniature poodle to my grey when she came to me about 3 months ago. My poodle is white and I was nervous that Cleo might mistake her for a rabbit . Luckily everything went smoothly and there have been no incidents. They just about tolerate each other and honestly, I think my poodle is intimidated by Cleo's size - something I hadn't thought of before adopting her. Just keep the introduction on neutral territory and I'm sure all will go well. Good luck and congratulations on your new Irish grey!

It worked..... temporarily. I put a slip lead on her, dangled a cookie and she hopped off instantly. I woke up this a.m. and there she was, head on the pillow next to me!! I'm using "off" as my verbal command and hopefully in time she will learn. Oh and I also used the slip lead to get her off the couch too, so it's a work in progress for now. No duvet per se Gail, but she does have a selection of throws all over the house. On her bed in the living room, on her bed in the bedroom, and on my bed of course. Once again - thank you all for your replies and good advice.

Sad news for greyhound lovers everywhere. We owe a debt of gratitude to Teddy in OK and all greyhound adoption groups throughout the US. With tracks closing all over, in time the bloodlines will be lost completely. Adopting from European sources is very cost prohibitive unfortunately.

I hadn't thought of leashing her, so that's a good idea, will definitely give it a try. I can't see me using a baby gate though because I know she will whine like mad to be let in and I can't stand when she whines. FeeFee: I have a throw on top of the duvet which she lies on after she "makes her bed with it" and I had tried pulling it out from under her but she won't be shifted! Keeperdean: Too funny :-). Macoduck: She must have known I was posting about her because last night she slept in her own bed. (She rarely does that). I'll keep a slip lead handy and keep you posted. Thanks again everyone for your help.

I made the mistake of letting her sleep on the bed when I first got her 3 months ago, but it's becoming a real problem now. I have a queen and she stretches across the bed leaving me about 6" of space! No amount of cajoling will get her to move and she's too heavy for me to push her off. Usually I will try to beat her to it and get into bed before she notices! Once I get comfortable I don't move (I'm not a restless sleeper) but she will growl and snap at me for no reason and of course I'm afraid she'll actually bite me when I'm asleep. She's 9 years old and was apparently "bounced" from her previous owners. I don't know why and the adoption group aren't able to give me any history on her. Apart from this 'snapping' she's a perfect dog and I'm not giving up on her, just wondered if anyone has any ideas on how to get her off the bed. BTW, she has her own bed alongside mine. Thanks for any advice.

I'm experiencing the same issues with my grey too. She's 8 years old and I got her almost 3 months ago. She has several issues, some of which I addressed in an earlier thread in this sub-forum and I'm working on those (sleep startle being one of them). Lately though on multiple occasions when she's sleeping she growls, bares her teeth and snaps - even though I'm not touching her or near her. One time she bit me on the elbow, another time she snapped at my small elderly dog when she came too close to her. The rest of the time she is the sweetest, most affectionate dog, loves to cuddle and be petted. I'm learning to live with her quirks but I give her a wide berth when she's asleep!

I took her to Petsmart....once, but we didn't make it inside. The sliding glass doors freaked her out and as I had my other (non grey) dog with me it was turning out to be a spectacle. So I left them both in the car while I got their food. Home Depot up here doesn't allow dogs unfortunately (except service dogs). Thanks for the suggestions though rsieg.

Those are some great ideas. I have the treat mat but some additional training time should keep her mentally active. Thank you!

I've had the same problem. Pools of water all over the floor so I put a basin under her elevated water bowl which didn't work either. I found this on Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07J4PJNZF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Lifesaver! Works like a charm, no more wet floor, problem solved. That's a link to Amazon.ca but I'm sure you can find it on any Amazon site.

Another Ontarian here! Well I feel a lot better having read both of your replies. Thank you! I was feeling horribly guilty for not taking her on her usual 30-40 min. walks, not that she minded! She came up from Florida and I'm sure those cold winds (and eventual snow, slush and salt) were not what she signed up for . She's got a thin coat and when I take her out for a pee break she shivers, so I don't think she has much tolerance for cold. I have fleecy PJ's on order, so they'll be her indoor wardrobe until Spring rolls around. In the meantime I'm glad I have a backyard where she can get some exercise. Thanks again guys.

As winter is upon us here in Canada and as someone who hates the cold weather, I was wondering what you do to make sure your grey gets exercised. It's been really cold and very windy here for the past few days (the wind is the worst), and I've been letting Cleo run in the back yard. Do you think that's enough? I know as winter progresses we will have huge dumps of snow and the temps will be even colder.

Aww, he's gorgeous! Congratulations!

Thanks for your replies and recommendations. I'll sweet talk the vet into doing them initially as the groomer I use for my other dog only does small dogs. Meanwhile I'll loosen the purse strings and check out those brands you mentioned

Cleo will not let me near her with the clippers. 2nd time I tried to clip her nails she went ballistic and almost bit me. I've had to return 2 different models to Amazon and am now looking at using a Dremel. Which brands would you Dremel users recommend? Ideally it should be quiet, FAST and not too expensive. Thanks!

I'm having some success with my girl since I posted on a similar topic in this section of the forum. She's also reactive to small dogs especially and it's scared me to death. I'm training her on "Look at Me" indoors but when I'm out with her and she's gearing up at the sight of a small dog, I nudge her with my knee to break her focus, "look at me" command and if she looks in my direction she gets a treat and lots of praise. It's mostly working, but Rome wasn't built in a day, so patience is called for. I hope you've muzzled him on walks.

I'm a stay-at-homer and when I initially left Cleo she shredded my "Retired Greyhounds for Dummy's" book. There were minuscule bits of paper all over the floor and a very sheepish looking dog! I got a Kong, stuffed it with peanut butter, froze it and gave it to her next time I had to go out. I also put the radio on and so far so good. I'm never gone for much more than an hour at a time, so I don't know how successful the Kong will be if I'm gone for longer.

Ellen I know exactly how you feel but you made the right decision. You and your husband's safety are paramount and not all dogs are a good fit. Luckily you recognized that early on and did the right thing by him. It's much better to give him another chance with another family than keeping him and being scared of him, right? My girl is making some progress on walks. As soon as I spot a likely victim I either do a U-turn or if they are too close, immediately distract her with the Watch Me command and a cookie. Fortunately she isn't interested in squirrels otherwise I'd really be in trouble as there are hundreds around these days! I tried to brush her teeth yesterday and it didn't end well - she went berserk and bit me on the elbow. I'm going have to take baby steps with that....one of these days. All the best to you and hopefully you will find a new grey that presents less challenges.

I feel so bad for him NewGrey2017. If only we could wave a magic wand to get rid of their fears...life would be so much easier for them (and us). I've no idea how Cleo will react to other people once the lockdowns are lifted. The only other person in my house in the past 8 months is my BF and she's used to him now. I have an invitation to his family's house next month where there will be 4 - 6 people and I'm mulling over whether I should go or not. If I take her with me she might react negatively but I don't want to leave her at home alone for so long. Ack! Decisions. decisions!

HeyRunDog I'm using a harness with 2 rings - one at the front and the other on top. I find the harness gives me more control than just a collar alone. Besides if she takes off I think the collar would do her more harm. FeeFee147 I'm only an inch taller than you, so you know how walking 60 lbs of pure muscle pulling with full force can be scary! Yesterday when I was getting ready for "walkies" I noticed her hind quarters were trembling like a leaf which told me she was nervous about the walk. Luckily we didn't run into any dogs and she quickly calmed down. Poor thing, I feel so badly that walks are a form of torture for her. I took her out to the back yard and she did her first zoomie! What a treat that was to watch. Greysmom My sister lives 3,000 miles away, and in all likelihood she and Cleo will never cross paths :-). Nevertheless your advice is good and taken on board. Many times I've been approached by kids wanting to pet her, but I've always told them its not a good idea (even though she's muzzled). Thanks everyone for your continued interest in my grey ownership growing pains!

Feefee147 Thank you so much for your post and your encouragement. You're describing Cleo to a "T"! I spoke to my sister yesterday and told her about my experiences with Cleo and she's practically begged me to return her to the adoption people. Not happening! I'm not giving up on her because for the most part she is a very affectionate cuddle bug and smart too. Your comment (quoted below) is exactly where I'm at at the moment, so it's very encouraging to know that it can take several months to arrive at the "perfect dog" stage.

Kinda limits your social life. Have you tried having your guests give him treats when they arrive? Our walks in the last few days have been uneventful because we haven't run into other dogs but I'm always on edge that a small white barky dog is going to round the corner and all hell will break loose!

Cleo has been a cuddler since day one. Every time I sit down she’s right there insisting I pet her. If I don’t cooperate I get nudges. She’s pretty scarce with kisses though!