Very Shy And Skittish Grey

[Guest stevenham]

It's been about 8 months since I got my Grey. She's a retired racer and she's about 4 years old now.

 

She's warmed up to me, but she's an extremely shy and fearful dog. I've been taking her to a dog park on a regular basis since earlier this year, but she will run away when someone tries to approach her. If a friend comes over to my house, she will just hide in her crate. She's also a very fearful dog. During walks, she often won't go near inanimate objects like a garbage can or a parked car. I'm generally fine with her only coming to me, but I think I need to get her more comfortable around people. She won't even go for a drink of water at the dog park if there are people standing around the water hole or even if there are people in her path. She's also kind of a loner dog. She doesn't play much with the other dogs either.

 

I was wondering if obedience classes will do her any good. I'm more interested in the social aspect of the class than the actual training. While I'm sure she would absolutely freak out being around people in a small enclosed area during the first few weeks, I curious as to whether or not it would eventually get her to be more comfortable around people and strangers. What are some other ways that I can get her to approach people without forcing her?

[GeorgeofNE]

I'd stop taking her to the dog park, since she doesn't enjoy it. I can't imagine that it's going to help her.

 

I don't think classes can EVER be a bad thing! A calm, structured environment where she's close to you at all times might help her. There are also medications that might be worth a try; things to help her be more calm while you work on behavior modification. I do think that some dogs are just born that way and stay that way.

 

Good for you for wanting to help her!

[MaryJane]

Do you know anyone with a greyhound that you could walk with? The reason is that many greyhounds "know their own kind" and might be more responsive to another greyhound to play with.

 

With your friends - do not have them approach her, let your greyhound go to your friends. You could even have a friend sit on the ground with a treat.

 

If dogs are allowed at your local petstore, take your grey with you - that way you'll see how she handles the stimulus there - it could be that it is too much or she could be fine with it.

 

Do you walk her on the same route every day - sometimes that helps with the shy ones.

 

Check your area and see if there are any "greyhound walks" or playdates scheduled.

[BatterseaBrindl]

I'd stop taking her to the dog park, since she doesn't enjoy it. I can't imagine that it's going to help her.

 

I don't think classes can EVER be a bad thing! A calm, structured environment where she's close to you at all times might help her. There are also medications that might be worth a try; things to help her be more calm while you work on behavior modification. I do think that some dogs are just born that way and stay that way.

 

Good for you for wanting to help her!

 

Yup!

 

A dog park is not a good place for a shy, fearful dog!

 

Classes would probably be good, as long as the the instructor understands that she is shy and fearful.

Even if all you do it sit on the sidelines and let her observe what is going on it would be good for her to get out in a quiet environment.

[a_daerr]

Henry was the same way until we started doing obedience training. It got him more comfortable around people and new environments. Just overall, it made him a more confident dog. He's actually a certified Therapy Dog now! I can't say enough good things about training classes. Also, socialization is a big thing. Take her to new places, meet new peoples. And always give lots of treats so she associates new experiences with positive things. Good luck!

[Guest DragonflyDM]

My suggestion, for what it is worth, is to find one or two places where your dog feels safe: home and say a favorite pet store. Encourage your pup to meet people. Give him firm but reassuring tones in your voice. Don’t be excited, but a pillar of confidence. Dog shyness comes from a lack of confidence and assurance. When someone comes up, make your dog feel like you are in charge of the situation. When they approach, steady your dog but be encouraging. Provide treats. Heck, ask if you can put peanut butter or something he loves on their hands.

 

Have the people that come up to the dog stop about four feet away and kneel. This gives your dog the choice to come to the person and not to feel threatened.

 

This may take a very long time.

 

Keep up the practice and encouragement. When you feel confident, leave your dog with someone while you walk across the room and see if they are able to just stay attended to the new person.

 

Provide lots of praise from new people, and lots of confidence and rassurement from you. You will replace your dogs shyness with your confidence.

 

 

Of course, your dog may always be shy-- but he shouldn’t always be fearful. Give him plenty of reasons and opportunities to rethink the benefit of being scared of two-legged creatures that taste good, give great loves, and offer treats, WITHOUT being intimidating or overbearing.

[shawna]

I have a dog like that. Patience and practice are things to remember. He took 8 months to get to the point where my husband could touch him. He took a year before he could tolerate being in the same room with strangers. Its only been in the last month or so that he doesn't run from the room when some of my loud musician friends come over. What helped Mojo was the fact that when strangers came over, they fed him meat treats. Nothing says loving like a chicken strip treat! I will have had Mojo for two years in July, just to give you a timeline. He still hides behind me when things are really scary, but he's getting better. Enough that he has gone up to strangers on his own to "ask" if they have any treats.

[sweetdogs]

I agree wholeheartedly with finding other greyhounds for her to be around. It's AMAZING sometimes to see only hounds meet up with other hounds. We have a weekly greyhound walk through the park & they all really enjoy it.

 

My second hound was quite shy & skittish but my first hound was extremely outgoing & non-threatening to her. It took her a long time but she became much more comfortable around other people & situations. He was always running interference so she could hang back & take her time. Patience is the key but they are so worth it.

[Guest poischiche]

Hello, I have a different perspective than most here. I adopted a very shy grey. She would stare at a wall and ignore everything around her... including my husband and I.

 

I had no idea what to do, but to talk to her constantly, sing to her and encourage her. I had no advice from anyone and I found no information about a dog like her here.

 

I think that there is a need for adopters of shy and emotionally remote greys to have a thread on this site. With a lot of hard very work, I broke through these barriers. She seemed to be autistic. I have no other description for her behaviour.

 

Anyways, She absolutely loves our local dog park. She was terrified at first, however, she kept dragging me back. My girl absolutely hates being with other greys. She panics when she sees another greyhound.

 

Kaya's favourite friends are alaskan malamutes and bernese mountain dogs. The bigger and fuzzier, the better. Kaya loves herding dogs. She also seems to love big fat fuzzy beasts, the absolute opposite of her. My Kaya is quite brave and will not hesitate to tell the most macho dogs where to go. She has a lot of respect/ dog and human friends in our dog park. She has become an ambassador for greyhounds in my neighbourhood. No dog will mess with her. Her "boyfriend" is a king shepherd/ rottweiler cross. He is her servant.

 

My girl has met horses, baby moose, deer, cats, sheep, goats, chickens, parrots, emus, racoons and opossums and all sorts of creatures and has behaved in a lovely polite and most respectful manner.

 

Sometimes the most shy of dogs are the most curious. You could be surprised at their capacity for new experiences. YET, YOU HAVE TO WATCH THEM CLOSELY.

 

Kaya loves lakes, sand puddles and thawing ice.

 

 

Keep in mind that all greyhounds are different and have their preferences. Whatever, your grey shows an interest in, let her slowly explore it on her own comfort level. See what your dog is interested in and gently encourage her to explore it.

 

Sometimes, you have to force to gently force them. THIS WAS THE ADVICE OF MY RESCUE GROUP AND THEY WERE RIGHT, especially with STAIRS.

 

My Kaya loves to challenge me. Yet as lovely as she is, I have to remain strong. Not easy.

 

This has made a huge difference with my girl. However, the problem that I now have with my girl, is that she rejects other people and just wants to be with only with me. I am the only one she trusts. She now ignores my husband.

 

Such complicated little souls.

 

Just do what works. And do it gently. Show her what it means to be brave and curious in a gentle and kind way. I don't know what to say. This is only my experience with my shy grey.

[Brandiandwe]

I think if you can find the right obedience class it can work wonders. As many here know, I'm working with my obedience group on basic socialisation of my girls to other dog breeds. We spend much time standing in the circle with everyone else working on relaxation, attention on me and appropriate interactions with smaller dogs. This has resulted in both of mine becoming more relaxed and confident, especially my spook Brandi. We're now working on toning down the over-exuberant greetings. Important is that all of the instructors know what I am trying to achieve and support me standing still or walking my dogs while everyone else is proudly demonstrating their 'sit', 'down' and 'stay'.

[Guest poischiche]

You will find many people here with much more experience than I have. Please consider their advice.

 

Yet, I think that I adopted a freaky little girl. I think that she is so lovely and awesome!

 

Sometimes, you adopt the dog that you need to teach you a life lesson.

 

Even if we are not ready for it. They do it for you.

[philospher77]

From an owner of another very shy greyhound, I can say that training classes were very helpful. You do need to be careful and pick the right class. Interview the trainer, ask what their experience is with shy dogs, their training philosophy, and see if you can watch a class or two before enrolling. You want to know that the class you pick is not going to overwhelm your dog and make the situation worse. And be prepared to go slow. My first class with Katie, she curled up behind my chair and did her best "I'm not here, you can't see me, lalalalala" impression. The second class, I was all excited because SHE ATE CHEESE! Still curled up against the wall, but not entirely behind the chair, and at least she ate. I think it was the third class before I got any motion out of her. But she has done better with each class, and I've had her in lots. I do put her on Xanax for classes, to take the edge off her nervousness so that she can learn easier and make more good memories. And her general anxiety level is such that I have her on Prozac, which does help her be happier and more outgoing.

 

One idea that I am going to start working on is from _Control Unleashed_, where they suggest teaching shy dogs to touch a target. Once they are reliably doing that, you can then start asking people to hold the target, so that the dog can go touch it and come back to you for a treat. That way you reframe the situation from "go greet scary stranger" to "go play the target game, which just happens to be held by that person". And the dog knows that it LIKES the target game, so going to the stranger is much less stressful. But you will need to work up to that.

 

Hope this helps!

[Guest june]

So much good advice on this thread already. My first girl was very shy and it was obedience training that helped her to begin to come out of her shell. She is now has her obedience titles (turns out she loved going in the ring as opposed to me who shook and needed to potty every time it was our turn ) and is a registered therapy dog.

 

The second a foster who was a true spook. Was afraid of everything and everybody!. Putting him on a leash and making him stay in the room when people would come over (people who understood the importance of being quiet and gentle a round him), coupling him to my more confident girl along with his own leash to help him gain confidence and generally making him face his fears with quiet encouragement and allowing for time out's for him to think about what he experienced. He will never be an outgoing dog, but now LOVES his walks, LOVES being with his family and greets people when they come over.

 

With patience it can be done.

june

[GreyTzu]

run a search for spook in this forum and you will find a lot of information. Here is a link about a spooky dog.

[greytpups]

Our first grey was extremely timid and obedience classes would have overwhelmed her and been a nightmare. It took her 4 years to go outside on her own, and that was only because she discovered rabbit poop. When we first took her to a greyhound playgroup, she stood and trembled. But week after week, she got more and more comfortable. We took her to Dewey and the first year she spent upstairs in the condo. The following year she came down for food and would occasionally lay on a pillow with the other greys. Baby steps all the way.

 

We also have a large farmers' market in town. My dh would take her every Thursday when it was less busy, and gradually she would walk around and feel more and more comfortable. She was never 100% comfortable unless she was at home, but gradually she improved. We were always on alert though; one neighbour put up windchimes and we knew that would scare her so we were always encouraging her in a happy voice upbeat manner. That's what I mean about being alert...anticipating what would scare her and catching it before it terrified her.

 

I found that I got good at determining what would terrify her and remove her from the situation, and what would be uncomfortable for her and help her through it. We managed what was comfortable for her, whether it was our preference or not. I do this with Brooke too. If Brooke doesn't want to meet people, I don't force her, rather we wait until she goes up to them on her own. The trick is finding balance though between facing uncomfortable situations and getting through them vs terrifying situations that she never would get desensitized to.

 

Going for walks with other greys helped too. And adding a second grey was the best for a number of different reasons.

 

This probably doesn't help much, but good luck!

[3greytjoys]

I haven't read all the replies, but if it hasn't been mentioned yet...

 

Quietly feeding her meals from your hands is an outstanding way to build trust. If there is more than one person in the home, all family members should take turns hand feeding her full meals. If you're uneasy about holding the food in your hands, at least hold the bowl in your hands as you sit on the floor on her level. Best to look away without eye contact.

 

Learning to trust others: Guest can sit (or lie down) on floor away from dog, (if sitting, guest's back is towards dog). Guest is not making any eye contact, while tossing super high value treats on the ground (far away from themselves, like into the next room) for dog to eat. As she becomes comfortable enough with that game, over time the treats can be tossed closer and closer, as comfort increases, guest can try offering her a treat from his/her hand. (May take days/weeks.) Guest always looking away, not looking in dog's eyes.

 

If dog will, allow dog to go to person from the back or side without person making eye or face to face contact.

If person approaches, and touches dog - Person should approach from the side, not face to face. Only pet dog's side or back (not on the head or neck).

 

These dogs are some of the best because you can help them blossom so much over time. It is very rewarding for your long-term relationship.

Edited March 14, 2012 by 3greytjoys

[greysmom]

Hello, I have a different perspective than most here. I adopted a very shy grey. She would stare at a wall and ignore everything around her... including my husband and I.

 

I had no idea what to do, but to talk to her constantly, sing to her and encourage her. I had no advice from anyone and I found no information about a dog like her here.

 

I think that there is a need for adopters of shy and emotionally remote greys to have a thread on this site. With a lot of hard very work, I broke through these barriers. She seemed to be autistic. I have no other description for her behaviour.

 

 

 

There are actually quite a few adopters of shy and spooky greyhounds on GT. Searching for threads about "anxiety," and "spook," should bring up many threads on the subject.

 

True spooks ahve a lot in common with autistic children. They are often uncomfortable and fearful in social situations. Being one-on-one with a calm and non-threatening person seems easier. They are pretty OCD about repetition and schedules. They absolutely must have a set schedule and routine to feel safe. They have to have a place that is "theirs" where they can go when they feel anxious. My spook spent literally two years hiding in our bedroom. They can become fixated on objects in either a positive or negative way.

 

Her condition is most likely genetic and medical rather than behavioral. Spookiness definitely does seem to run in family lines. Make sure that your girl has had a complete medical evaluation, inlcuding an in depth thyroid panel. Thyroid imbalance can cause anxiety in greyhounds. There is a possibility there is some sort of chemical imbalance that can be helped by finding the proper anti-anxiety medication. My spook is now taking Paxil and it has been a miracle for her.

 

You need to do whatever you can to encourage her and boost her confidence. You DO NOT want to "force" her to do things that make her fearful or anxious, but you can gently challenge her with short bursts of behavior modification techniques.

 

Classes did nothing for my spook. She hated leaving the house, hated riding in the car, hated seeing new people, hated being around other dogs, hated the class environment. She actually did nothing and learned nothing in class for eight weeks. I was able to teach her the behaviors at home when she wasn't stressed, and learning them helped her confidence. The command for "watch me" was particularly helpful. Looking anyone in the eye is a very confident thing to do, and letting her know she could do it and be rewarded started her on the path towards getting better. Phil77 suggestion for "targeting" is also excellent. She's worked wonders with her Katie and you can search for her threads about what she's done.

 

Good luck.

[philospher77]

I will say that one of the things that has helped Katie, and that I have found a lot of fun, is clicker training. I may be anthropomorphizing, but I think Katie got a lot braver and willing to try things when she realized that her actions could MAKE good things happen, and that the world wasn't something that just did things TO her. I could be giving her too much credit, but who knows what dogs really think about things.

[Guest Gillybear]

I agree wholeheartedly with finding other greyhounds for her to be around. It's AMAZING sometimes to see only hounds meet up with other hounds. We have a weekly greyhound walk through the park & they all really enjoy it.

 

My second hound was quite shy & skittish but my first hound was extremely outgoing & non-threatening to her. It took her a long time but she became much more comfortable around other people & situations. He was always running interference so she could hang back & take her time. Patience is the key but they are so worth it.

 

This post made me smile, thinking of when we brought our 2nd grey home. After a few weeks of adjusting to his new home, we thought he would enjoy the greyhound Meet & Greet in town. He wanted nothing to do with those greyhounds! And the worst part was, he wanted nothing to do with me, even after getting back home. After enduring about a half hour of him not looking at me and ignoring me, I sat down and assured him that this was his forever home. Seeing the other hounds did not mean he was going back to the track or to a new home! After that, all was well again and my devoted dog returned to his old self! Gotta love the strong personalities!!

[Guest Angelique]

Consider taking her on walks at night (safety permitting) things are calmer, there is less noise and distractions. Tons of rewards for going out!

[Guest Jacks_Human]

Jack was almost exactly like that when I first got him-- terrified of people who weren't me, cars, rubbish bins, bushes, litter, you name it, it would send him into a panicked dive behind my legs. What helped him with new people was to meet them one at a time, and to let him watch me interact with them. Then I would get their smell on me-- hugging them, or showing him their shoe-- and let him sniff and see it was OK. Finally, I'd have the person put some food in his bowl. Once he associated the new person with food...

For strange things, seeing me go up and touch the scary object seems to help a lot (DBF will hold the lead if needed). I used a lot of mini dog biscuits, and gave him one if he could 'be brave' and walk past the object. Now if he's spooked by something, I can tell him to 'be brave' and he'll flatten his ears and hurry past it.

[SPDoggie]

Kingsley is our shy boy, and it took years, but he no longer hides in the house when we have people over and doesn't mind trash cans and blowing bags like he used to!

 

So, some of these behaviors will probably change with time (years of time).

 

Each dog is different and Kingsley would not have benefited from too-much pushing to socialize, though he LOVED greyhound walks and we would drive for him to get to walk with other hounds.