Guest Ummon Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Relatively new Greyhound owner here, Ace came home about 3 months ago. In any case we have started to go to the local dogpark. He loves it. The problem is I cannot tell if he is playing or not. When I first brought him I kept him muzzled (which he does not like). One of the "regulars" seemed to think he was just trying to play and suggested I try him without the muzzle. Things did go fine for the most part. The only thing that I get really nervous is when he runs down a smaller dog. (there is a separate area for rat dogs). He likes to nip them in the neck. He doesn't break skin and it only results in a dog getting slimed but I have watched hare corseing on the internet and seen that this is how greyhounds kill. Thoughts from the more experienced out there? is this just normal greyhound play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I wouldn't let him play with small dogs, especially if he's chasing them down like that. If he gets carried away one day and hurts one of them you could have real problems on your hands from the other dogs owner. All it takes is one good bite and you find yourself with a dog having a "vicious" label placed on them and risk losing them. If you want to go to the dog park, I'd stay on the big dog side. 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...
gazehund Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 It's not clear from your post if your dog is the only one muzzled? All the dogs should me muzzled or none of them muzzled. One dog muzzled has no way to defend himself if a pack turns on him. That said, I would also not let him play with dogs smaller than he is. Keep him on the big dog side. Better yet, if you can, find an all greyhound play group to run your boy. The more experienced members are better able to evaluate your boy's behavior and advise you. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jbbuzby Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I second the big-dog side. My cat-safe greyhound can get quite rambunctious when at play, so I never let him outside with my parent's westie when he is that way. We've never had an incident...I just don't trust his judgement when he's all hyped up and silly. Inside the house, they completely ignore one another, but it's not a risk I'd be willing to take. It DOES sound like he is playing, but even a grey with the best intentions tend to get a little competitive (*nip* "Ha! C'mon! Chase me! I bet I'll win!!!") which could be too much for a small dog. As for the muzzle, I always leave it on my grey when I know he'll play, though I often just let him play with other dogs I know personally. He seems annoyed at wearing it, but acts the same way with it on as it would without...just instead kinda gently clubbing the other dog instead of nipping . Dog park situations take a lot of scanning to make sure the situation is right. Generally, I'd avoid them if there is a small dog. It's definitely a case by case basis thing. No muzzle if you're in a group of big dogs though...having all dogs wear muzzles would of course be more ideal, but don't make him a target. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 I would never in a million years recommend muzzling JUST your grey in the dog park. That leaves him defenseless. I don't do dog parks so I can't comment on the style of play (or not play) that he's displaying. I know a lot of people do take their greys to dog parks but I've also heard a lot of horror stories about them. I'd be very, very careful. Does Ace play with toys? -- you could go when no one is there and play with a Chuck-It. Or have 2 people, one holding Ace and the other way across with a squawker and lure and run him. Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IrskasMom Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 (edited) I avoid Dogparks.I will never forgive myself if another Dog attacks my Dog ( mine is very passive) .Having said this, your Dog enjoys going there while mine hides behind me and gets nothing out of it. For over two Years now, I take my Grand-Dogs ( a Shipoo and Cockapoo ) to the Park , where we always go. Morty was always chasing the Cockapoo down and try to nip or pin him to the Ground. I had to interveen right away as it maybe could have gone out of Control.Now it is playing with him but before it was more serious. I wanted to mention ,they were originaly Hunting Dogs. Edited October 15, 2011 by IrskasMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallgreydogmom Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 (edited) This is the link to a former thread on dog parks. We do not take our greyhounds to dog parks. It is our job to protect them and keep them out of danger. Taking them to a dog park is exposing them to the dangers of other dogs and disease. Always know where the nearest Emergency Vet is located when you use a dog park. Things can go terribly wrong with the blink of an eye. The Lexus Project came into being due to a greyhound/dog park incident. http://thelexusproject.org/ http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/276211-greyhounds-dog-parks/ Edited October 16, 2011 by Tallgreydogmom Quote Then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and remember. And when the Day comes, God will call the Greyhound to give Testament, and God will pass judgment on man. (Persian Proverb) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ummon Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 He is always on the big dog side. I am starting to call it Knee height chase. If a dog is lower than his knee he tends to want to chase it. Yes he was the only dog muzzled so far I haven't seen a problem with it. Most of the dogs there are smaller than he is and he probably can do considerable damage with the muzzle on. Its usually only put on now in a "time out" situation. The regulars are pretty tolerant of his behavior since he is still learning. He does better with dogs that will give just as much as receive. He also seems to go after the "meeker" ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuff Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I would be extremely careful. I have one who is a nipper (Juju). If another dog is running or moving quickly she fixates on the back of their neck and nips. Sooner or later it annoys the other dog who then nips/bites back. It can escalate very quickly and your grey will lose, even against a smaller dog due to his thin skin. I don't think taking a dog with that play style into a dog park is a good idea, JMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 (edited) I do take Beth to the dog park because I don't have any other place for her to run and she plays well with most big dogs, but I never EVER let her loose with a small or even medium-small dog because she is much too fast and aggressive in her play. Yes, she'll run them down and flip them and then chomp on them a bit. That's what's a fun game for greyhounds -- yes it's normal play, BUT that doesn't make it safe! Greyhound play style is all about chasing and biting -- it's too intense for many dogs of all sizes (I've found even some bigger dogs are intimidated by Beth -- I also don't let her play with puppies of any size because they are in this category, they get submissive and scared which brings out more intensity in Beth). It's a pain to leave (or go to the empty small dog side myself) if some "oh my dog is fine with big dogs" idiot comes in the big dog side (which they do all the time, and act totally entitled to be there) BUT if anything were to happen then your poor grey is in a world of trouble. And other dog owners will assume their dog will be fine with a greyhound, but they don't have the slightest clue what a sighthound is like. Not worth the risk, and I agree it's not safe for your dog to be the only one muzzled. We go to the park early in the morning with regulars and small groups only, and I am extremely cautious when any new dog comes. Edited October 16, 2011 by PrairieProf Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Not much to add other than that you've gotten some great advice you should heed. Oh, and "play" hunting is how your hounds learn the skills for hunting prey "for real.". The more a hound plays this way, the more it reinforces for the dog that that is appropriate and the further along they progress to actual succeeding. Training a hound on live game such as rabbits in a field is one thing. Conditioning them to treat other dogs as such is another - and very dangerous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallgreydogmom Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 (edited) The regulars are pretty tolerant of his behavior since he is still learning. He does better with dogs that will give just as much as receive. He also seems to go after the "meeker" ones. This sounds like he is learning to be bad. Greyhounds are very disciplined. He is learning to be aggressive. You are encouraging his hunting skills. You adopted a retired racing greyhound. It sounds like this might not have been the right choice for you. Greyhounds have very thin skin so expect some vet bills when he is clipped by another dogs nail. If he decides to take his muzzle off he will have small dog for a snack. Did your greyhound grade off the track or does he have a hidden injury? Most greyhounds are retired for a reason. One usually will never know about it until they pull a muscle or start limping. Have you thought about enrolling him is a therapy dog program? I'm sure he will enjoy visiting retirement facilities and being loved on. Edited October 16, 2011 by Tallgreydogmom Quote Then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and remember. And when the Day comes, God will call the Greyhound to give Testament, and God will pass judgment on man. (Persian Proverb) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieProf Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 The regulars are pretty tolerant of his behavior since he is still learning. He does better with dogs that will give just as much as receive. He also seems to go after the "meeker" ones. This sounds like he is learning to be bad. Greyhounds are very disciplined. He is learning to be aggressive. I've got to say I really don't get this. Greyhounds are disciplined?? What does that mean? I don't think he's "learning" anything one way or another. He's being a greyhound, and being a dog. Submissiveness brings out increased intensity in lots of dogs -- that's why it's dangerous when a bunch of dogs pack up on a scared one. The assertive dogs can take his style, the meek ones can't. Beth is exactly the same way, hence I am careful to only let her off leash with dogs who are OK with her style -- she's got some Doberman play buddies she does fine with, for example. If there's a new dog and she turns out to be too much for him, she goes right back on leash. Quote With Cocoa (DC Chocolatedrop), missing B for Beth (2006-2015)And kitties C.J., Klara, Bernadette, John-Boy, & Sinbad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KsFrets Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 We had a foster that would do this to our dogs. One day our Maggie nipped back and the result was a fight that escalated in a matter of nanoseconds, resulted in a large open wound and a trip to the vet. Thank GOD I was there to pull them apart. The explanation we got was that this was an act of dominance, and if challenged, could turn into a disaster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 The regulars are pretty tolerant of his behavior since he is still learning. He does better with dogs that will give just as much as receive. He also seems to go after the "meeker" ones. This sounds like he is learning to be bad. Greyhounds are very disciplined. He is learning to be aggressive. I've got to say I really don't get this. Greyhounds are disciplined?? What does that mean? I don't think he's "learning" anything one way or another. He's being a greyhound, and being a dog. Submissiveness brings out increased intensity in lots of dogs -- that's why it's dangerous when a bunch of dogs pack up on a scared one. The assertive dogs can take his style, the meek ones can't. Beth is exactly the same way, hence I am careful to only let her off leash with dogs who are OK with her style -- she's got some Doberman play buddies she does fine with, for example. If there's a new dog and she turns out to be too much for him, she goes right back on leash. Of course he is learning. He's learning to hunt the smaller dogs and experience is both honing his skills and reinforcing that this unacceptable behavior is acceptable. As a breed, greyhounds are disciplined, goal oriented dogs. They take any task that taps into their innate skills and work at it until they improve. Its one thing if they do this on a coursing field and quite another when they do it with another dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 (edited) Edited October 16, 2011 by Swifthounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest iconsmum Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I second the advice about not letting your dog be in a position where they could bite, maim or kill someone's smaller dog...I don't get the "learning" thing either since hounds are hardwired to catch, shake and kill...it's in the blueprint already, they don't need to learn. I'd like to know how many owners have actually been present at a kill. It's not the people here who are under the impression that they would be able to stop it happening once the fixed action pattern sets in, that's for sure. They're our pets now as a matter of circumstance but they weren't bred for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Um, greyhounds have been selectively bred to instinctually hunt prey in a particular fashion, but like any other carnivore that hunts, there's a learning curve. Wolf pups have hunting instinct, but they still engage in group play activities to hone those skills before they try them out on live game. Wanting to do somethig and knowing how to do it are two different things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 We had a foster that would do this to our dogs. One day our Maggie nipped back and the result was a fight that escalated in a matter of nanoseconds, resulted in a large open wound and a trip to the vet. Thank GOD I was there to pull them apart. The explanation we got was that this was an act of dominance, and if challenged, could turn into a disaster. And if this sort of small fight broke out in a dog park, pack mentality can take over very quickly. It's a nightmare seeing your dog involved in a pack fight--I know. Fortunately, my old dog (a mix, not a greyhound, and VERY able to take care of himself if he needed to) came when I called. Others were not so fortunate that day, and a number of dogs went home bloody. Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ummon Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Perhaps I am not clear. When I say smaller dogs, we are not talking ankle biters here. We are talking 40 pounds and up. Ace is so damn tall 90% of the dogs look smaller to him. I have seen a couple of disagreements at the park, none drew any blood and my dog was not part of it. For the most part people keep an eye on their dogs. As for the other questions, I think he graded off the track but there could be an injury I don't know about. He was a bit banged up when I got him but nothing but a bruise or two. As for Therapy, I don't think he needs it. He seems perfectly well adjusted to household living including having 4 small kids around which he adores. I am not sure how one can suggest that a Grey is not right for me simply because he enjoys the dog park. I am just concerned about the nipping. Again the worst thing that has happened is that another dog gets slimed as he does on occasion. Look going to a dog park with any dog has inherent risks. That I know, Grey or not, Unless we put our dog in bubble wrap and store it in a padded closet there is a risk. My concern was if the nipping was play or something else. From what I have heard here it seems instinctual play. Considering now I cannot walk past my car without him stopping and refusing to move I think I'll take that risk. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallgreydogmom Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 As for Therapy, I don't think he needs it Sorry, I was suggesting he might like "working" as a therapy dog visiting adult retirement facilities. He seems like a shoe in for something like the "Pet Professor" program that goes around to visit schools. Quote Then God sent the Greyhound to live among man and remember. And when the Day comes, God will call the Greyhound to give Testament, and God will pass judgment on man. (Persian Proverb) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BauersMom Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 (edited) I would recommend that you go with your gut - if his behavior is making you nervous, there's likely a reason for that. Yes, there are risks in everything in life but if you are taking a risk and it doesn't feel right/good, then why are you doing it? Edit to add - I would not allow my dog to "nip" at strange dogs, for the record. Disaster waiting to happen. Edited October 17, 2011 by BauersMom Quote With Buster Bloof (UCME Razorback 89B-51359) and Gingersnap Ginny (92D-59450). Missing Pepper, Berkeley, Ivy, Princess and Bauer at the bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkipSailors Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I would never let my pups nip, because I won't let dogs nip my pups. A little nip turns in to a big vet bill. We only take our dogs to greyhound playgroups where the rules are always muzzles. Quote I am a DH. Spencer and Shane are my dawgs. Mosby is The Cat. Greyhead is our wife (pronounced woof). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Timo Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 We had a very scary experience at the dog park when we first got Timo and didn't "know any better" and believed a little dog's owner that it could handle itself. We were all traumatized by it, so I never take him to the dog park when other dogs are around. Timo also didn't break skin, but he easily could have.... we got extremely lucky that the other dog wasn't injured. My only advice is to be very careful..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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