Apollo_the_Grey

so much good advice on these threads. I had freezing issues with Apollo as well. Even to the point where he actually sat down on a walk and just watched the world for a few minutes. Like was said before, things are new to him... sights, sounds, movement and especially smells. He is developing the "filters" to understand his new baseline of normal. It takes a while for all that stimulus overload to relax and be processed and new mental filters brought alive. I agree with the short walks, shorter leashes (under 6ft/2m) and lots of praise when he does things well and tons of patience when he's not too sure.

I know I'm late to the party but here's my take. I adopted a 5 year old cirneco that pulled like she was a husky. Literally 22lbs of "we are going my way." The method I used to untrain that behavior is very very simple, but requires patience. I turn into a tree. I stop moving, sometimes I'll change direction, sometimes I just stop. The second she relaxes, I "good girl" her and we move on. The second the leash gets taut again, I stop. Rinse, repeat. Additionally, you can add something further: as the human, you can wait for your dog to look at you, or even turn their ear towards you. Once you get that little bit of attention: start moving again and praise verbally. It takes about 1 week for most dogs to figure this out. My headstrong little Cassie took about 3 weeks, and she still occasionally relapses when there are squirrels about. But generally she is a treasure to walk with, just as Apollo is.

For how long does she freeze? I'm still a new greyhound owner (a little over 2 years with Apollo now) and every now and then he freezes on a walk. (He actually sat down once, and just kept sitting there for about 5 minutes.) He'll stand still and listen or sniff or look. At first it was about every 10 steps. I had to realize that the little things I take for granted and filter out, are completely new and unusual and maybe alarming to him. A car driving by, a plane, a bark in the distance, a car door slamming, people out for a run, the smell of bacon or an fireplace fire. If she's only freezing for a moment or two, then speak gently to her and slowly coax her to move on. The first walks should be short, and I wouldn't go more than a block or so from the house. Basically down to the corner and back. Once she masters that, maybe add another block. A month is right around the time she's starting to understand that her old life is gone. She's going to need time, and patience to adjust. As for the collars: you could use the slip lead but I wouldn't recommend it. Here's why: A slip lead can choke or harm her trachea, but most importantly it can cause pain and constriction. She will begin to equate going on walks with pain and and constriction. This isn't a way to foster a love of walks, but rather a way of fostering a love of staying inside, where she isn't choked or corrected for just standing. If you can be patient, and wait for her to unfreeze it will be better for the both of you. Always be positive and encourage her to come along. Reward her with pats or chin scritches when she complies outside.

Ignoring a dogs growl leads to escalation. Growling is your doggo's way of saying "hey, this is NOT okay." If you ignore that communication, the next step in escalation is usually showing teeth. After that air snaps and biting. A dog's bed, a dog's sleep are both supposed to be in a safe area. Don't take that idea of safety away from your grey. And definitely don't give your dog a reason to not trust you. If you need to get her up, macoduck gives some great advice. Keep a short lead on her and use that to coax her awake. If you don't like leaving a leash on her, then maybe you can keep a slip lead handy. Out times should be on a schedule. Try to adhere to that schedule as much as possible. Dogs seem to do very well with schedules and reliability.

here's a bit more from the pair of them... She's a barky girl, and sounds like he is mauling her when she plays. In fact he never touches her. Instagram video of the two of them playing. another instagram video of them playing at a park I do take him on solo trips, and take her on solo trips as well. To give them both a little bit of a break from each other..

Once I discovered sighthounds, I NEVER looked back for anything else. I love the challenge but even more I love the reward. I hope you're alright! Oh that's so awesome! Horses always intrigued me especially since they have some very complex personalities. Cassie went from being Cassandra (her show name) to Lucinda / Cindy (her former name) and now back to Cassie because my dogs need interesting names (Xerxes, Gaia, Spartacus, Apollo...) She is a handful already, but watching her start to break out of her shell has been very rewarding. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cwc_OahruFU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== ^^ That's a normal walk with Cassie. We are learning to walk nicely on a leash but boy it takes some serious patience. Thank you for the well wishes and congratulations everyone. I'll keep you all posted if anything changes.

Think terrier energy. I describe them as a 70s stoner vibe (Apollo who just wants to be one with the world) and a 2020's crackhead (because she will chase a leaf and remember where she saw a squirrel last week.) She can run circles around Apollo as far as that goes. But I mean, he gets to sleep 20+ hours a day so... (but he's still the fastest dog at the park, though he only runs 200 yards or so.) Cirnecos at first glance look like a miniature Pharaoh Hound but they are not. The ear set is different, the tail is shorter, their body is more lengthy with shorter legs than a PH. And the gait is tremendously different, as they use more "elbow" than shoulder drive. They still have the double suspension gait that all sighthounds have.

The informal sighthound group at our local park includes 4 galgos. The boys seem to be the most balanced and the girls seem to be friendly but bitchy. One of the males is about the size of a grey and has a lot of energy around puppies but it more reserved around adult doggos. The galgos also have a "bitey face" play style that they seem to enjoy and they like to wrestle and run. Zelda, the larger female, doesn't care much for other dogs, but prefers to spend time with people and get her scratches rather than play. All 4 of them have a rough coat, though I've been told that there are some soft coated galgos out there.

I know it's a greyhound forum, so please don't be angry with me for not getting another grey, there's just not enough room in the place for 2 big dogs. Anywhoo.... Apollo and I have been really cool together but I miss having my "red dogs" (I had Pharaoh Hounds for 17 years.) Anyways there weren't any Pharaoh litters from any of my trusted friends, but a friend of a friend had a 4 year old Cirneco that needed to be rehomed for various reasons. She's a tiny little thing at 21lbs, but acts like she's 150lbs sometimes. She's a wonderful sighthound addition to my family. After a little over 2 weeks I've learned that a lot of the reasons she was rehomed all disappear when she gets proper exercise and mental stimulation. The 2 of them get a long fairly well, though when he wants to play, he really does intimidate her. (She's a tiny bit shorter than a whippet, but a bit heavier build.) It's taking a lot of my time to get her used to routines, and used to me, new food, new everything. Anyways... There's a photo I took of her on our visit to my folk's place. Please say hello to Apollo's new sister: Cassiopeia aka Cassie, the Cirneco D'ell Aetna.

This. He doesn't have the filter of "this is normal" yet so everything...and I mean everything is stimulating him. Birds, insects, the feeling of the carpet on his feet, the sounds, the sights, the smells... every single sense he has is being assaulted by our "normal" and he just needs to learn to absorb this. Apollo was super timid, and still is to an extent. Sometimes he still sees something new and has to stop, stare, and figure out "friend" or "foe" or what strange thing this is... But literally, he got plenty of quiet time and insulated time before we started slowly expanding our circles. Walks were: go out, potty, come back in. Then they progressed to "down to the corner and back" and then "around the block." I've watched his confidence grow and it's amazing. But the main thing is... slow down, or stop. Keep every experience positive, every good step comes with a reward. I think as humans we feel we need to solve the "problem" quickly. In reality, we can let the dog work things out, it just takes time and every dog has his/her own timeline.

When I adopted Apollo he was as timid as can be. He didn't want food, water or attention. So other than taking him outside for walks, I let him do his thing. Gradually he got used to the routine. And he's still timid, but he is gaining confidence with every positive interaction. Just remember that EVERYTHING is brand new to your greyhound. Imagine what it would be like if every time you went outside you had never smelled grass or trees or seen the sun, or heard a car drive by or seen a squirrel or smelled the mulch, or heard a bird, or saw other dogs walking by or seen stairs or .... Basically, the first few days/weeks can be overwhelming to all of their senses.

It's all inclusive... so everybody was running... only there were a few that were running much faster. As far as pics... We are trying to make this a weekly thing, so I'll try and get more pics next weekend. PS: there's a couple of corgis who absolutely adore Apollo, and it's pretty funny to watch. I just enjoy watching him interact with other dogs, or when he's overwhelmed...the park is so large he can just be 100 yards away sniffing the pee mail.

So there was a sighthound takeover of our dog park this morning. Completely non-planned but it was very nice. The park is HUGE, big enough for greys and galgos to hit top speed and maintain it for a few seconds, also big enough for them to turn around. 2 greyhounds, 3 whippets and 4 galgos. There was a lot of running, a lot of chasing, and there will be a great deal of snoozing this afternoon. That's all. PS: I didn't get any pics but there's always next sunday! PPS: There were other non-sighthound doggos there too.

Apollo has sleep startle and sleeps with his eyes open. (tongue hanging out too, but that's for another thread!) My solution to the startle problem is this...I start by saying his name as I approach..."Apollo, are you sleeping? Hey buddy, I'm coming up here, what are you doing?" Then I start rubbing his hind leg and then up to the chest and back, talking the entire time. Usually I wait until his breathing changes. Usually it's a sigh or something. That's when I will rub on his neck or head and he's aware that it's me. If I need him to move while he's sound asleep, I get a high value treat and place it a few inches in front of his nose. When he wakes up I toss it to where I want him to go. He doesn't like couches though and prefers his bed... or my comfy bed.

This. Hounds are hunters. It's their nature to hunt. Apollo loves to hunt for treats on the counter, a loaf of bread on the counter, boxes from the recycling, the little plastic packing material that has the air bubbles...and lots of other stuff. It's my responsibility to keep that stuff out of reach. It's not his. He's a dog doing what dogs have done for thousands of years to survive. As far as negative reinforcement goes: it's ineffective. There's tons of books and research done on this. Rather than negatively reinforce (aka punish) re-direct the behavior and reward the redirected behavior.