Guest lyndajgil Posted April 3, 2010 Share Posted April 3, 2010 Here I am talking about my Grey, Ross. He has been very aggressive towards company, mostly men but also has been aggresive and barking at my 13 year old daughter's friend. Today the cable guy came to the house and he was okay with him at first but as soon as the guy started talking, Ross began barking like crazy. I held on to him as he sniffed him and Ross seemed fine then he went to nip at his shirtsleeve. This behavior seems so unusual for a Greyhound. He has gotten very friendly with the kids at the bus stop. I was wondering if maybe he was abused in some way at his time at the track. Any ideas would be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scfilby Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 Can you be more specific about his behavior? Is he simply barking or is he growling, barring teeth, snapping etc? If you can describe the behavior someone may be able to give some advice.. Fear based..excitement..etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lyndajgil Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 Can you be more specific about his behavior? Is he simply barking or is he growling, barring teeth, snapping etc? If you can describe the behavior someone may be able to give some advice.. Fear based..excitement..etc.. Well, whith the cable guy...no baring teeth just barking then a surprising nip. Same with other dogs. Seems it is mostly fear based to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ohiogreymom Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 How long have you had him? Chances are, he's just getting used to home life and having strange people around. If you can have your daughters friend give him treats for good behavior, he'll soon learn that good things come from having people come over. Until you get it under control, you should separate or muzzle him when you have service people in your home, as YOU are responsible for anyone being bitten. I can almost guarantee you he was NOT abused at the track. It's in their best interest to take care of these dogs so they can do their job, which is to be the best racers they can be. Darlene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 I agree, I'd have a bag of treats handy and have all new people to the home treat the dog. Once he figures out that good things come from those who enter the front door, he should settle down. In the meantime, his muzzle is your friend. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lyndajgil Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 The treats sound like a great idea. However, one time my husband's friend came over and Ross would not stop barking at him, We gave his friend a couple of treats to give Ross. Of course Ross loved that..but after the treat was eaten, he started barking again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 It will take time and believe it or not, some greyhounds are protective of their homes. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lyndajgil Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 Thank you for all your help Darlene...I will keep you posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Giselle Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 First, if he's uncomfortable in a situation (barking, growling, tenseness are all signs of serious agitation), remove him. He won't learn anything when he's that riled up. That's just not how our brains work, unfortunately =P It sounds like he's extremely new, so I'm not sure what kind of behaviors you've been able to work on. However, if you can begin teaching "Focus"/"Watch me", that would be fantastic! I've written several posts on how to freeshape a very strong "Watch Me", so I would suggest searching this forum for that. If you can't find it, let me know and I'll post it again. Basically, whenever he's that agitated, remove him from the situation and work on "Watch me" in a nearby room until he's noticeable calmer and more attentive. Then, reintroduce him back to the situation BUT continue grabbing his focus. Then, have your visitors toss him treats in a non-threatening manner. Leaning over, trying to pet him, etc. are not okay at this point. Just have him stand next to you, focusing on you, while your visitors toss him treats from the side. Once he associates them with nothing threatening, he'll stop going on the defensive. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scfilby Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 It will take time and believe it or not, some greyhounds are protective of their homes. Our spook Cy will growl and bark at anyone who dares to walk on our street or close a car door. Neighbors arriving and departing get full warning that there is a big scary dog in the house. If someone comes to the door, he growls and barks like crazy.. from a distance.. then retreats to his safe room peeking around the corner of the door like a spying child. The growling is deep and scary but without teeth. In Cy's case it is fear based alarm, not aggression. We like the behavior and do not discourage it since he flees once people and in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lyndajgil Posted April 4, 2010 Share Posted April 4, 2010 Hi Gisele...thanks for the advice. We have had Ross now for 10 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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