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Hi silverstream, I can totally understand that you are concerned. When we adopted our greyhound a year ago he showed strong resource guarding tendencies. To me it felt super random what he guarded. Sometimes he would come over with his treats and sit next to me eating it, other times we were not even close to him and he growled and barked at us for being in the same room when he ate something. It was scary! He was so gentle most of the time but suddenly he was like a different dog and I was worried he would bite me. Reading in this forum about resource guarding helped me a lot. The things I took away from it were: 1. It is normal dog behaviour 2. it's understandable that my feelings are a bit hurt by his behaviour (it's just not nice if your dog growls at you!) but it doesn't mean he doesn't like me, it's his way of communicating because he can't talk to me. 3. training is important and helps but it maybe never goes away entirely but there are ways to manage it. My partner didn't know anything about greyhounds and he was really concerned and sad I guess. I shared a lot of what I read here with him to reassure him that our dog is not 'bad' and nothing is wrong with him it's just a case of learning to manage the situation. How greysmom handles the situation at home is very similar to how we do it. I know him well enough now that I know what items he would guard! In the first few months it happened once a week that he would growl at us, now we haven't had a 'guarding incident' for a while! we just know what we can give him now. And he is also only allowed to eat in a certain area, this is because we can make sure he is undisturbed there. In our case it is very manageable. At the beginning I felt he is unpredictable but after a few months I didn't feel that way anymore. Honestly, take it easy. 4 weeks is not a long time at all. It is great that you started training already, it sounds like you do what you can to form a relationship with him. He needs time to adjust though. He is still trying to figure out the new routine and what is expected from him. Take it slow. Don't expect too much too soon. He sounds like a fast learner, that's awesome. I said it before, Johnny needed 6 months to learn any kind of basic commands. The only thing he did in the first 2 months was laying on the sofa, looking depressed and ignoring us he is not like that anymore at all. We know his quirks and I guess he also knows what he can expect living with us. But, of course, if you feel resource guarding is an absolute no go and you don't want to deal with it, then you probably need to return him. Just because others are managing it doesn't mean you have to live with a dog that shows that behaviour. Sometimes it's just not the right match and it's ok to feel that way! You have to live with the dog for the next years so of course you want a dog that fits your lifestyle. But like greysmom said, resource guarding is not only a greyhound behaviour, it could happen with any dog, especially if you adopt an adult dog.

Hi Mary, I'm actually jealous that your dog is doing 8 minutes training haha. When I got my greyhound Johnny he seemed to be so not interested in any training that I thought he will never ever learn anything. It was a bit frustrating because I'm keen to spend time with him and put effort into our training so it felt like a one way thing. It only got 'better' when I lowered my expectations. A lot . After talking to a dog trainer I tried the 'nothing in life is free' method and instead of training 'sessions' I just asked for certain behaviors whenever he gets anything. It seemed to work better for him because he doesn't enjoy training sessions as such and gets fed up with it after a minute. When I realised that I have access to all the resources he wants and needs (food, cuddles, walks, car rides, being allowed on the sofa) I used it to reward him for showing certain behaviours/responding when I ask him to do something. t took around 6 months till he learned the basics (sit, lay down, come, stay, on your bed, up (go on the sofa or car), off (go off the sofa)). I prioritized 'come' and 'stay' because I find it important for his safety to respond to those words. At the moment he gets no food whatsoever without doing one or two commands. (just like your dog, my dog has a sensitive stomach and i can't feed him treads all day long to keep him motivated). It doesn't seem like a lot of training but it really adds up. If your dog does 5 minutes training every day, that will make a difference in a few months time. Stop before she gets frustrated and end when she is still enjoying it, makes it more likely for her to do it again the next day. Its great that you want to teach her something and I'm sure if you are patient she will learn. I know progress seems slow, especially if you are used to train other dogs. I was dog sitting for a Labrador recently and he learned in one afternoon what Johnny learned in 6 months. But that's ok, Johnny did enough in his life for us people, he was a racer for most of his life. he is retired now so good on him for setting some boundaries towards his humans

Hi, I'm sorry that you have to go through that. I can imagine that the situation is scary and overwhelming. I adopted a greyhound just before lockdown and due to being in lockdown I felt quite isolated and anxious. Johnny is huge, like a horse! He was a nightmare on the leash, the walks were not enjoyable at all. Also, he has sleep startles (I didn't even know what sleep startles are before I got him) and resource guarding. I had a few days during lockdown were I wished I could give him back but because of covid and travel restrictions I had to stick it out with him. I felt guilty about my thoughts but also he was not quite the dog I've imagined he would be. After the lockdown I got an experienced greyhound trainer, who really helped me lots. Without going into too much detail, it really helped to go back to basics and to start really slow all over again. Crate training, really short walks in familiar environment with little to no distractions (were I was able to communicate with him what I expect him to do when walking on the leash), simple routine every day. I just wanted too much too soon and overwhelmed him. It wasn't always easy but the dog who is sleeping next to me on the sofa now is nothing like the dog I got beginning of the year. He can still be a dick sometimes but mostly he is a very chilled, good natured boy and I love him to bits. Don't be ashamed if you come to the conclusion that he is not the right fit for you. It doesn't mean you failed. You deserve a dog that fits your lifestyle and he deserve an owner who meets his needs. You sound like you are going through a lot to try to make it work somehow. Your feeling of safety needs to come first. But if you want to give it another shot, I would highly recommend getting professional help (your adoption group can probably help you with finding a trainer who is experienced with greyhounds). For me it felt like Johnny will never change and the progress didn't feel like it's coming fast enough. When the trainer came to my house and explained Johnnys behaviour, it all made sense and I understood he is not a really weird dog, just a normal greyhound with a few quirks I'm not saying it always works out, I just want to let you know that there are cases were it seems difficult at the beginning and it works out at the end. No matter what you decide to do, please get in touch with the agency. It will be relieving to get another opinion and you shouldn't be alone in your doubts and insecurity. all the best to you