NewGreytOwner

My husband and I are new greyhound owners. We have a 6-year old daughter. We’ve never owned big dogs before, but we did have 15+ years with our former dogs. We adopted Max two months ago. He has not displayed sleep startle. From the beginning, we allowed Max up on furniture. The first week, he slipped on our wood floor. Then my husband sat on the couch (but away from Max), and he lunged at his face. Though he was hurt, he did not require medical attention. My husband felt betrayed and confused. We called the rescue center. They suspected that Max responded like this due to pain. We reached out to our vet and gave medication. We assumed it was an anomaly. A week later, he snarled at my husband when he reached to grab one of my daughter’s toys from his mouth. We sought counsel from a certified behaviorist who suggested “trading up.” We did this, and Max even started to enjoy fetch. Two weeks later, we were all on the couch. Max rested his head on my daughter’s lap. Then I got up. He was fully awake. His head was up, and he looked at me. Suddenly I heard a loud snarl, and my daughter began crying. He did not bite her, but he scratched her face and head so forcefully that she bled. I cried from guilt. I should not have left her for a second alone with him. He had been attached to her prior, and I was ignorant. Last week, we gave Max a new toy. He took it to a different room to play. Then he jumped with it on the couch (nothing new). When my husband sat down, he lunged at him. Then a week later, my mom sat on the couch, and he growled. our vet recognized this as resource guarding (like the behaviorist). He suggests that because we have a child, we should return him to the rescue. I’m torn. I love him (we all do). He’s generally so affectionate. For the past two days, he’s not been allowed on furniture, but is this enough? I don’t know if I’m putting our daughter in a too risky situation. What should I do? We’ve always been so attached to our animals, and I had never until now considered returning a dog. But, if we need this for safety, and if he needs a more experienced and childless home, could this be the best response?