Change In Activity Level,

[Guest hcsmom]

We have 2 geyhounds Katy has been with us for one year. She is super sweet and loving she likes to come up to you and be loved on, and loves attention, she has no space/sleep aggression however does seem to like her own space to sleep. For example she will jump p on my bed at night to get pet's and scratches and then once she's had enough she will jump off and go over to her futon to sleep. We adopted Peatie about 2 months ago and they get along well. Katy used to sprint around our yard almost daily but once when she was running Peatie took off after her (muzzled) and she put on the brakes pretty quick and had all the hair on her back all raised up, it was the first time that I had noticed that. The only other incident between the dogs was that about a week ago they were both sleep ing on the futon when in the middle of the night I heard snarling it immediatley woke me up and both dog's jumped immediatly off the futon and neither one will get back on at any time of the day now. Before that it was Katy's favorite spot to sleep in the whole house. I do not know who snapped and neither one was hurt. They still will both cuddle up together on the couch share a water bowl, etc. with no problem and do not seem to have a problem with each other but... as I said Katy will not get up on the futon any more, also she seems to be depressed and is back to being more aloof again and not seeking us out as much any more, she had initially become a lot more affectionate after we brought Peatie home. She didn't even come and greet me when we got home form church today, now if I go to her she will still wag her tail. She get's excited for walks and is eating/drinking normally but she is sleeping more and staying away in her own space more, she is not sprinting around the backyard anymore. Does all this sound like typical greyhound behavior or should I be worried that she might have something healthwise going on that is affecting her moods/behavior. Thanks in advance. Also I wasn't sure if this should be in Health and Medical, or Behavior so if this needs to be moved pls feel free to do so.

[TheFullHouse]

It sounds to me as if those two altercations have left a lasting impression on her. She may be adjusting to having Peatie around and Peatie sounds to me to be the alpha. She may not know how to handle him now. A lot of greyhounds will stop when another starts to chase them, especially if they are a new hound to the family. All of mine have done this when we bring in a new hound. It also sounds as if Peatie has a little sleep aggression going on. She may have moved in the night and startled him and he came up ready for a fight, since he's so new to the home and not used to sharing his sleeping space.

 

As long as she's eating well and everything else seems normal, you may want to give her some time. It takes some pups a while to learn how to handle having another dog in the house. Not only is Peatie going through changes but so is she. She was the only one before he came home. Has she ever snarled or snapped at him to put him in his place when he behaves like this? Sometimes it takes one pup to basically tell the other "hey, lay off" and things will settle quickly after that. If she's being totally submissive to him, he may need some correction when he chases after her.

 

Try taking her outside by herself and see if she behaves like her old self. If she does you'll know it's his presence that has her upset. My best guess is that eventually she'll calm down and bond with him and things will be good again.