Guest Geostar Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 In my line of work, I talk to a good many horse owners. From what I understand, the mares 'run' the heard, not the stallion. There is a 'lead' mare and she will determine where the mares will go as far as grazing goes, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkipSailors Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 I am not sure this helps. I have long felt I am in a pack. I can't tell the difference between "pack" and "family" 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...
christinepi Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 I am not sure this helps. I have long felt I am in a pack. I can't tell the difference between "pack" and "family" Are you talking about humans or dogs when you say "I have long felt I am in a pack"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest verthib Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 In my line of work, I talk to a good many horse owners. From what I understand, the mares 'run' the heard, not the stallion. There is a 'lead' mare and she will determine where the mares will go as far as grazing goes, etc. I think it depends on the dogs' personalities. I thought for sure my girl would be the lead, like all my girl cats have been, but for my greys, my boy is the lead/alpha. I really wanted her to be, because she was here first, but they have their own way of figuring things out and that's how it is. He's on top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geostar Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Personality does play a 'role' here, but, males can also be 'alpha'. Being 'first' in the home does not mean anything, but, again, personality and other things add to the situation as to who is 'on top' and who isn't. An Alpha male foster greyhound attacked my Grace many years ago. Due to that, I don't care for alpha dogs, no matter what the breed is. I've heard that many female greyhounds are more alpha than males. That may be due to raising pups, etc. Don't know for sure.. =star Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yamaha_gurl Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Personality does play a 'role' here, but, males can also be 'alpha'. Being 'first' in the home does not mean anything, but, again, personality and other things add to the situation as to who is 'on top' and who isn't. An Alpha male foster greyhound attacked my Grace many years ago. Due to that, I don't care for alpha dogs, no matter what the breed is. I've heard that many female greyhounds are more alpha than males. That may be due to raising pups, etc. Don't know for sure.. =star Is there a way to tell who will be the alpha dog when meeting another dog, say a potential 2nd dog? I mean, it seems like you have to have the dog in your mom for a while before you can see which dog will be alpha right? Quote Greyhound Collars : www.collartown.ca Maggie (the human servant), with Miss Bella, racing name "A Star Blackieto" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geostar Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Well, yes, there is. When we fostered Toby, a beautiful red brindle with a black face and orange colored eyes, we noted that he would stand over Grace(Grace would be lying down on the floor) in a stance(straddling cross-wise over her body) which said, "Hey girl..I'm alpha over you. Better be careful!". The book by Stanley Coren- How to Talk Dog- talks about that, too.. He states that the way the dog carries the tail is indicative as to whether the dog is alpha or not. Generally, you will be able to tell from someone who is fostering a grey you'd like. The foster person would have witnessed any signs of a dog being alpha. If you have a male dog, get a female. If a female, get a male. The reason I say that is I've always believed that animals do better in 'pairs'..as long as one isn't alpha over the other. With our two greys, Doug is laid back, and Maria is quiet and respectful of Doug. That being said, I do people who have all males or all females. If you are attempting to 'add' another furred friend to your household, I'd ask the foster family, first. Hope that helps.. =star Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Geostar Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 PS Generally, you can tell pretty quickly if one dog is alpha or not. With other greys, it may take a few days. Regarding my statement above, you could ask to foster..with muzzles on..for a few days to check how the two dogs are getting along. We learned the hard way..as this above foster attacked my Grace by biting her on her head and missig her left eye with his teeth. Luckily I was at home when it happened, and when I rushed to the scene, I firmly scolded Toby and placed a muzzle on him. I never hit him as I had come across the scene after he had attacked Grace, but, I was pretty angry..and he knew it. As for Grace, the bite wasn't bad enough to see a vet, but, she avoided him afterwards. We ended up continuing for foster after a determination as to what to do, and found a good home for him. After my scolding, Toby was shaken as I would not pay any attention to him for a while. He never did it again, and we kept the muzzle on both dogs until he left for his forever home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Psycmeistr Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Yeah, they'll pack up pretty readily under the right stimuli. That said, there are many greyhounds (and other dogs) who get along just fine as only dogs, who aren't interested in socializing at playgroup, who totally go their own way at the dog park ..... So it really depends on what you mean . That's my Chesney-- he forever skirts around the perimeter-- it seems he wants to socialize with the other dogs, but doesn't seem to know how to do it-- much like an outcast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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