Ever Been Bit By A Greyhound?

[Guest DoofBert]

All dogs have teeth. Dogs with teeeth bite; greyhounds are dogs and therefore can bite. Yes, greyhounds can bite, show teetth and be agressive in the right circumstance.

 

Yes, we have been bitten -- and some were nasty. It was usually a case of resource guarding .

 

 

[PatricksMom]

Yes, once before Patrick got treated for a thyroid disorder and once when his levels got screwed up with a change in generics. Both were really snaps to the face and weren't serious at all, thankfully. He's never bitten anyone but me.

[KF_in_Georgia]

My guys have never been snappy with me, fortunately, but I'm a dog groomer and have been tagged by several clients. Most give some warning. Occasionally, there's no warning...except my knowledge that certain breeds can be cranky--and fast.

 

When my dogs were new to me, I never touched them with my hands while they were sleeping; I always nudged them with a shod foot. Happily, no bad reactions. Once, when I was removing a bandage from Sam's foot, I looked up and saw him with his lips curled, showing every tooth in his mouth. Oops. I muzzled him to finish the bandage removal, and I think we both were happier with the muzzle in place.

 

When I haven't been sure a dog would happily tolerate a kiss--maybe wasn't sure the dog was awake enough to realize what was happening--I've laid my fingers on the top of the dog's snout, then kissed the forehead or cheek. The fingers on the snout would give me some warning if the dog started moving his/her head, and might give me a chance to push the dog's face aside if trouble started. I do this at work--not kissing dogs, but just having to work close to a dog's head--to keep the dog's teeth away from my hands, my clippers, my shears, etc.

 

But resource guarding goes on around here occasionally. Sam snags something he's not supposed to have--sometimes, chicken bones that someone has tossed on the ground outside--and he doesn't want to surrender them to me. I grab hold of the bone, and Sam growls. Then he's stymied. He can't open his mouth to snap at me without losing his grip on his treasure. So we walk home, both of us holding onto opposite ends of the prize. When we get home, I get a cookie (still holding my end of the bone) and hold it in front of Sam's nose. You can watch the wheels turning in his brain as he tries to figure out how to get the cookie and keep the bone. I keep cheerfully saying, "Take the cookie, Sam." Eventually, he turns loose of the bone, and I make sure he gets the cookie but not my fingers. And I tell him he's a good boy.

[Sambuca]

No. but I've been bitten by a lab 3 times, an australian shepherd, a great dane,a cocker spaniel, a lab pit mix, a jack russel mix,a lhaso apso,chessie and have had tons of goldens try to bite me. The dane, spaniel and pit bites were my fault, the others were dogs with major issues. I only needed medical care for the pit and lab bites. The aussie actually dragged the kid it was walking over to bite me. The lab was pure evil, it bit me on 3 occasions I was ignoring it. The jack didn't want me there so he ran down the stairs bit me and ran off. The lasso turned on me. The chessie got me while I was cleaning up a shredded paper. Turned resource aggressive over it over half way of me cleaning it. Dogs have teeth so they can bite.it's not a breed thing, it's an individual thing.

Edited July 31, 2011 by Sambuca

[3greytjoys]

I've never been bitten by any Greyhounds (our own or fosters). I find most hounds quite docile and more tolerant than many dogs when their space is respected.

 

We have a senior hound that has always warned of biting during nail trimming, so he gets muzzled and his human dad feeds him non-stop high value treats while I trim nails. We have others that are unusually highly affectionate and frequently approach us to bury their heads in our laps (sometimes almost pushing us over). Nothing phases those hounds. One hound has very mild sleep aggression so we steer clear of her when she's sleeping.

 

I did have a severely life-threatening large dog bite to the head from a DIFFERENT needle-nose breed as a child. Dog was sleeping in car, and the opening of the car's back door awakened him. He lunged and aggressively attacked in one instant. Also as a child, I witnessed one large dog kill another large dog over a bone (each dog had their own bone but one dog wanted both bones).

 

My personal general rules of thumb for my behavior around most dogs:

(There are exceptions within our own family pack who have lived together for years and know us well.)

 

Always Let Sleeping Dogs Lie. (Especially Greyhounds who never had anyone scare them awake by getting right in their faces during in their years in racing kennels. They hear plenty of kennel noise to awaken them long before their crate door is opened in their pre-adoption life. Their crate is their safe place, best to respect their private personal space.)

 

Avoid leaning over a dog. (It is a highly dominant behavior in dog language.)

 

Avoid getting directly in a dog's face, and don't lock eyes. Look away often.

 

Safer to approach from side to pet a shoulder before petting head area.

 

My affectionate attention towards any dog is fairly brief, and I am constantly watching their cues. I stop giving attention before they feel uncomfortable.

Thus, the need for more Greyhounds in the family!

 

Took a year or so for our most reserved boy to feel comfortable with brief kisses on the head or cheek. When he begins to feel uncomfortable he will turn his head away, yawn, or lick his lips. That's when I stop giving him attention for a while. If he approaches me, he will hug me and is affection tolerance is longer. If I don't back away first, he can walk away when he's had enough.

 

BTW, if anyone needs to break up a dog fight inside - good to grab a high-back chair to turn sideways as a shield between the dogs faces, or other wooden or solid divider (even an oversize pull-out cutting board). Whatever allows you to keep yourself at a safe distance. Do not stick your arms in the middle of a dog fight. If you're outside, a high pressure of water from a hose can help.

[Guest mbfilby]

As a very young child my cousin and I were attacked and mauled by two working GSDs. They got loose from the police (RCMP) compound behind our cabin which resulted in them moving the detachment out of town. I was only about three and don't remember much but we were bitten up pretty good.

 

A few years later I was again bitten through the lip by another working GSD who was my uncle's security partner. That one I do remember, and it was my fault (or more accurately the fault of my parents for allowing a child to be unsupervised) I did something to annoy him while he was on his bed.

 

I have never been bitten by a grey, but our youngest DD was scraped by a flying tooth when she startled Mickey soon after coming home. Mickey had three instances of sleep aggression with that incident being the last one, and became so comfortable that we could actually move her without even waking her up.

 

I've said before that I think it's pretty common for greys new to the home to get snippy over couches and beds. Most of these hounds have never had anything other then a scrap of carpet or some shredded paper for comfort, and they have never shared sleeping space.

Edited July 31, 2011 by mbfilby

[Guest lizmego]

I haven't read through all the responses, but I think it needs to be stated really clearly - ALL dogs bite regardless of the breed. So greyhounds being a dog, yes, they will bite you when startled, scared, being protective, whatever -- just like any other dog would.

[Guest WhiteWave]

I've been bitten 2 times, by the same Greyhound. He was a senior bounce with major sleep aggression. First time, he was asleep infront of the tv and I bent over to put a DVD in the player and patted him. He snapped my forearm and dug his teeth in. And they were nasty teeth too. Hadn't had his dental yet! 2nd time, it was during an evacuation for hurricanes and he has gotten his muzzle off in the back of the van and I didn't know it. He was sleeping behind my seat where the leashes were and we were pulling over b/c the spook Greyhound we were fostering had explosive diarreah due to the stress of traveling. I reached for the leashes and Linus grabbed my arm and tore it up pretty good. He also almost scalped my Mother when she laid down beside him b/c she didn't know about the sleep aggression! He also bit the other dogs if they touched him. They all learned to avoid him as well!

 

I learned to poke him with something or kick his butt lightly and move back if I needed him awake. He always came awake snapping!

 

Ronon growls a lot if you try to make him move or do something he doesn't want to, but has never tried to bite. He just voices his dislike for what is going on!

[Cindy_Hanson]

In 15+ years of living with greyhounds, I've been bitten once. And yes, it was my fault.

[Jiffer]

Any animal can bite you if you aren't careful. (Heck most people would if it was appropriate for society )

 

I have never been bitten by any greyhound. I have four of my own greys (plus two angels) and I volunteered at a local kennel doing turnouts for 6 years (and trimmed toenails frequently during turnouts) so I was very intimately involved. There is no magic or tricks to it, you simply read the dog's body language and act accordingly.

 

I have been bitten by an 8lb shih-tzu who decided she didn't want me to cut her nails. She never drew blood but, man, did it smart!

[Guest mysymba]

I think Symba is truly the most laid back grey around..have had him six years and no bite or aggression towards any of his humans and we certainly love on him enough, he get lots of kisses and hugs.....he snapped at two little dogs in the years but they were being very annoying....

[TheFullHouse]

Valentino tried to bite me once, when he first came to live with us. I got to the door before he did and went to open it up for him. Valentino at that point had to always be first and when I tried to open the door, he tried to bite me. I pulled back before he could. He's never tried it again so technically I didn't actually receive a bite but I could have.

[Charlies_Dad]

DW was 'bitten' and had a fingered severed by Jack....albeit it was trying to remove a little white fluffy dog from Jack's mouth. Not intentional and the finger was saved but it is pretty useless now as not all the nerve endings mended correctly.

 

Any dog can and will bite no matter the breed. Some are more prone but I believe a lot has to do with the dog's character and how they were raised/treated, i.e. their environment. It's a way of communicating for them and usually it means, I'm scared or hurt/in pain or it can be just plain aggressive behaviour.

[Guest Coldkrelik]

I read some of the previous posts mentioning muzzles, is this a term for the dogs mouth or do your grey's wear muzzles all the time? I don't even own a grey yet but i'm just wondering if this is a standard protocol for most greyhound's so i can be prepared when i get mine home.

[Guest LindsaySF]

I read some of the previous posts mentioning muzzles, is this a term for the dogs mouth or do your grey's wear muzzles all the time? I don't even own a grey yet but i'm just wondering if this is a standard protocol for most greyhound's so i can be prepared when i get mine home.

There are certain times when muzzling your Greyhound is advisable: In close quarters (vehicles), when grooming/trimming nails, when introducing to small animals, when in a fenced area running with other dogs, etc. They wear muzzles in the turn out pens at the track so they are used to them.

 

See this thread for more info: Let Me Show You Why They Give Us Those Muzzles

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

 

 

 

[Guest burgerandfrey]

Any dog can bite (same with cats). My brother had to get stitches in his face as a small child after the family toy poodle bit him. The poodle moved in with our grandparents, and after that we had some terriers who would bite as a sleep-startle response. My non-scientific observation is that most bites involve sleep-startle responses or resource/food guarding, and some are the result of trying to break up a dog fight. Fortunately the worst injury I've ever sustained from a pet was not too serious, and it actually came from our cat. Cats can do a lot of damage with their claws and teeth, and they can lead to nasty infections (I had to take antibiotics).

 

Greyhounds are known to be gentle and not very aggressive as a breed, but there are always personalities and moods that can lead to occasional conflicts. And even though they are generally not aggressive, greyhounds are large and powerful dogs that can act faster than you can react. Out of the three greyhounds we have had, only one has been a repeat snapper (he never bit hard enough to cause significant injury, but he could be scary at times). Our first grey would only bite if you tried to get a bone, or some other nasty snack she found on the street, out of her mouth. She never had any sleep aggression (other than perhaps a growl). Our grey who was a repeat snapper had sleep aggression that was worse when he was new to our home. He would also growl and snap if you stared at him from too close a distance (they see that as a challenge) or tried to push him off the furniture. Fortunately he was always clear about his boundaries, and he was the easiest dog to train I've ever had. He quickly learned to get off furniture with a voice command, and then he stayed off all-together. We gave him his bed as his space and over time he grew more comfortable and stopped snapping as long as you didn't approach him while sleeping. He was even okay with one of us sitting next to his bed, although we tried to never overstay our welcome. Dogs need their rest.

 

Even for people who don't have kids, the book "Living with Kids and Dogs" by Colleen Pelar has some good advice for recognizing why some dogs bite and how to avoid putting them in situations where they feel like that is their only option. She also has good advice for how to decide if a dog is too aggressive to be around children, but stresses that in most cases both the child and the dog can be trained...but the parents are responsible for always supervising their interaction. Even the most cuddly dog doesn't always want to be snuggled...especially when it comes to people they don't know well. And even the most playful dog doesn't want to be anyone's toy all the time. Heck my wife and I can get snippy with each other if one of us is doing something to keep the other awake

 

Sean

[Guest maidmarcia]

I was bit on/through my lip by my grey who had gotten up on my bed and decided he did not want to get off. Getting him retrained to understand that the furniture is not his was a battle which is why there are definitely some greyhounds who are not furniture "safe". I was new to having greyhounds and just didn't believe that they could ever become possessive of my bed (stupid I know). I have worked with him extensively and through consistency and patience and training and time he now knows what is expected. But it took lots of training and practicing how to "get off" the furniture without becoming possessive and how to stay off. We are still working on the stay off part, but I am happy that he understands the command to get off the furniture. I set my dog up for failure by allowing him to think the human bed was his bed and I am very open with potential adopters about that story. I do have greyhounds that are fine on furniture, but he should never have been one of them. In allowing him to get on the furniture before I really knew him, I set myself up for this. I always hope that by sharing that story future adopters will learn from my mistake and not end up returning a dog that will be labeled a "biter".

 

Hmm, I find this very interesting. My grey just started sleeping on my couch recently. My sister was home alone with him one night and she decided that she wanted to sit on the couch he was sleeping on (even though there was another free open couch, don't get me started on that...) and she sat beside him on the couch and started whacking his butt to get his attention. She kept telling him to get off the couch and continued smacking him until he reared up and full out barked loudly at her, as a warning I think.

He's never barked at anyone before...she freaked out, jumped up, ran into her bedroom and slammed her door... She texted me and told me what happened and I told her that if she wants him to get off the couch she should take him by the collar and lead him off, not hit him repeatedly on the ass.

I dunno, what do you guys think?

I know it's a bit off topic from the original post. To bring it back around, Licorice has never bitten anyone or come near to it, although I'm wondering if I should be concerned about that warning bark...

 

 

 

Any dog can and will bite no matter the breed. Some are more prone but I believe a lot has to do with the dog's character and how they were raised/treated, i.e. their environment. It's a way of communicating for them and usually it means, I'm scared or hurt/in pain or it can be just plain aggressive behaviour.

 

I had a husky for over ten years and she never once growled or bit anyone. Ever. I don't agree that every single dog per se WILL bite. Of course it's a possibility, but not every dog does.

[Guest Gemma]

She texted me and told me what happened and I told her that if she wants him to get off the couch she should take him by the collar and lead him off, not hit him repeatedly on the ass.

I dunno, what do you guys think?

 

Taking hold of a dog's collar can be threatening/scary to many dogs. I don't recommend grabbing collars for anything except restraint, as a rule, because I've seen too many dogs become defensive when this is used.

 

Instead, you can teach him an 'off' command. Easiest way to do this: grab some treats, show him one, and then toss is away from the sofa/bed whilst saying "off" (or your chosen command). Keep using treats until you feel that he understands then mix things up. Use the command and don't treat (but still praise) and then next time use a treat. Eventually, you can stop using treats altogether. The good thing about this command is that you start by teaching him when you are standing. This is safer for you and less intimidating should he bark or refuse to comply. If he's very stubborn, you can calmly clip on his leash, stand back, toss the treat, say the command, and gently tug on the leash to guide him down. Once he knows the command with you standing, you can try it with you sitting on the sofa.

 

Our boy, Peyton, knows 'off' but it's still a work in progress. He knows the command and will follow it UNLESS he is in our bed with us. If we get out of the bed and tell him "off", he'll get down. If we are IN the bed, he often pretends not to understand (and I know he does because sometimes he'll obey and other times he is too comfy and conveniently 'forgets') so it's something that we're trying to correct.

 

Good luck!

[Maddiesmom]

Yep, they can bite. I did not actually see it but I was at a GH event in 2007 and 2 greys got into a fight and a human went to grab one of the greys to break it up and it bit her. I don't know all the facts like where the owners were etc so don't flame me, I just heard the fight and the commotion. The woman that got bit had to go to the hospital and the owner had to produce the proof of rabies. It was awful.

[Guest LindsaySF]

Maidmarcia, the couch is a whole other ballgame. Even some dogs that don't mind you touching/grabbing their collar at other times, will get defensive if you grab their collar when they are on the couch (OR on their dog bed laying down). If the dog must be moved off the couch, loop a leash around their neck and get them off that way, or go into another room and get them interested in something in there. But the best long-term solution is to teach the "off" command, as Gemma said. If the dog keeps growling over the couch, then the dog shouldn't be allowed on it.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest maidmarcia]

Maidmarcia, the couch is a whole other ballgame. Even some dogs that don't mind you touching/grabbing their collar at other times, will get defensive if you grab their collar when they are on the couch (OR on their dog bed laying down). If the dog must be moved off the couch, loop a leash around their neck and get them off that way, or go into another room and get them interested in something in there. But the best long-term solution is to teach the "off" command, as Gemma said. If the dog keeps growling over the couch, then the dog shouldn't be allowed on it.

 

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to start teaching the off command. So far the collar hasn't elicited any growling from me though, especially if I speak quietly and apply a gentle pressure. I think he dislikes my sister because she yells at him and was being too rough.

[Gryffenne]

Think you need to start training your sister, too. NO ONE is rough with my dog. No one hits her on the butt or yells at her.

 

 

And tell sis to sit on the other couch next time.

 

 

 

So far, no one has been bit by my dog, but then again I don't allow roughness with her either. Sometimes, bites happen, but I do my best to ensure that my dog feels safe even if it upsets the people I am also keeping safe. No one leans over her, but me. No one cuddles with her like I do. No one reaches into her dish or takes high value items from her but me. (Then again, there are multiple kids/adults in this household, not just Sammi's "Pack" -DS & I)

Edited September 14, 2011 by Gryffenne

[Guest iconsmum]

everytime I teach a new class I make everybody remember my safety motto, which is "if it's got teeth it bites"

[Hubcitypam]

My sister was home alone with him one night and she decided that she wanted to sit on the couch he was sleeping on (even though there was another free open couch, don't get me started on that...) and she sat beside him on the couch and started whacking his butt to get his attention. She kept telling him to get off the couch and continued smacking him until he reared up and full out barked loudly at her, as a warning I think...I had a husky for over ten years and she never once growled or bit anyone. Ever. I don't agree that every single dog per se WILL bite. Of course it's a possibility, but not every dog does.

Did your sister ever sit on the couch with the husky, yell at her and continually smack her on the butt???? If someone did that to me I'd rear up and growl at her too. The warning bark was a good sign -- he could have just bitten her (as my beagle did to me when I was 5 and I bothered him on the couch). Instead he said "BACK OFF".

 

Your sister needs some serious dog training -- not just greyhounds, but dogs in general -- before something bad happens.

 

If she could sit neat to him to smack him there was space for her on the couch. Did she want to make him get off so she could have the whole couch? Why?

[Guest iconsmum]

if you don't think that every dog will bite given the right impetus then you need more dog experience - dogs will avert till they're blue in the face, they'll put up with, they'll move their lines in the sand back for you, but when they have nothing left people get bitten.