Mixed Breed Family And Aggression Issues?

[Guest Patton]

As we prepare for greyhound adoption I am concerned about the amount of aggression issues that are discussed. Appreciate the openess of discussion here very much as it sure helps to prepare to prevent as much as possible any issues prior to their occurence. Is there an adoption book that is most highly recommended in general for greys? I fully understand that no two dogs are exactly alike yet there are definitely breed traits that are exhibited by the majority of any specific breed........ with definite exceptions so ask in general and allow for differences....... part of why I want to be active in selecting specific dog rather than have one chosen for me. (Have read that some rescue groups practice this).

 

Aggression for pain, sudden startling, space issues I understand very well and think that this is appropriate in general for most breeds. The space issue perhaps a bit more for greys due to their early conditioning prior to pet placement. These do not intimidate me at all, we have no children at home and unfortunately visits from our grandchildren are infrequent due to distance. My biggest concern is how will we blend our new dog into family with our two current dogs.

 

We free feed both current dogs quality dry food and don't have any food guarding issues. Both dogs are extremely fit, in ideal weight and this has just always worked for us. Initially I understand that we're going to have to make allowances for the new kid and change for awhile at least. Generally speaking do some greys eventually settle in to a possible free feeding situation without overeating or feeling necessity to guard food?

 

Next is mixed breed family question..... neither of our current boys are typical for their breeds, both are very well mannered, the boston (8 yo m/n) at all times getting along with all people and other dogs all the time. Our frenchie (4yo m/n) on the other hand is shy of new people that approach him (sit back and ignore him and he'll make much quicker friends with them) and has been known to stand his ground, raise his feathers and snap at people's feet (once, but am certain could do it again if I didn't prevent potential situation as we have since first incident). He generally gets along with all other dogs he's met, but that has been somewhat limited since I don't take him to dog park or really outdoors much at all due to extreme allergies and heat. There seems to be a bit less between his huge ears than most breeds I've worked with and owned and he has the worst case of selective hearing that I think I've ever seen, when he puts his mind to something I sometimes have to go and physically touch him to get him to turn and pay attention to me. Sure do love the clown sweet disposition on him though and we're in it for the long haul so am wondering in general how greys will handle the bully type disposition. This is the dog I am concerned about adjusting to a new family member and would like to make it as easy as possible on ALL the dogs. Anyone else have frenchies/english bulldogs as part of their canine family with greys?

 

Tried to keep this as brief as possible..... did a pretty good job for me:) Thanks in advance for any feedback, Cathy

[Houndtime]

Keep in mind most people write here for assistance with issues. I haven't written to say, all my three greys get along very well, because for the most part, that is the case. Be diligent with your introductions and for the first couple of weeks, monitor very well. i think everything should be fine. That is why, most of us, have multiple dogs.

[Riverhound]

My two are free fed with no overeating and no food guarding issues. They guard chews, toys, and beds from each other, but never food. They're wacky!

[JAJ2010]

Thousands of greys are adopted out and you never hear about them. People usually only post when they have issues. A lot of grey owners that post have no dog experience at all so need sone extra support that this wonderful place can provide.

 

Sunshine was a bit guardy with her bones at first but a quick "hey, what are YOU doing?" in the mean momma voice fixed it. Most greys are very easy to correct since they are sensitive compared to other breeds. If I ever yelled at my dogs they way you need to yell at my parents dogs ( Shepard, pointer, Swiss mt dog) my two would pee themselves! LOL

 

You just have to keep mind that they have lived their lives not being touched while sleeping and there is sometimes as slight adjustment period. It's all part of learning about life in a home ;-)

 

Compared to the other dogs I have ever met in my life, greyhounds are easy peasy! I'm not sure I'll ever own another breed

 

Honestly you sounds like an owner with some decent dog sense and I'm sure you'll do fine.

[Guest WhiteWave]

Most dogs do just fine. I'm not a fan of free feeding. I own a Frenchie and he would eat until he exploded. Also have a Boston. Both breeds do fine with most Greyhounds.

[Guest Patton]

Thanks so much for the input, I have read quite a bit here over the last few days and to be honest have been extremely impressed with quality of help given with solid info that I know to be correct for many aspects of health, nutrition and handling issues. This is definitely a forum I would not hesitate to refer others to for civility and level of knowlege.

 

I was a bit taken aback by the aggression though and my life experience with gh's just didn't seem to measure up and had to question it. Lots of talk about muzzles, etc and that just seemed like a foreign concept! Only owned one as a child but as an adult have seen and met several at adoption/dog events in addition to those that I have come across over the years with work and have rarely met any spook cadets, they've all been such sweet dogs. Even the most difficult toenail gh's that we've tackled were never aggressive as they learned the process to accept toenail maintenance...... and there's been a few of those!

 

I am happy to be reassured that these are definitely the exception and it makes sense that these topics would be the ones discussed. I'm quite opinionated and knowlegable when it comes to animals in general and when faced with a new situation am not afraid to put myself out there to learn as much as possible. Have found over the years that even the most talented can only get better by putting ourselves in the company of others with even more knowledge or skills than we already have and I never want to stop learning.

 

Right now my difficulty is in maintaining my zen...... will be going to gh kennels this Friday evening and it will be my first chance to meet dogs that are in the rehoming process since we've made this decision. Starting to get more than a little excited!! I'll take pics (if allowed) and will share some after Friday with our progression:)

[Guest Patton]

Most dogs do just fine. I'm not a fan of free feeding. I own a Frenchie and he would eat until he exploded. Also have a Boston. Both breeds do fine with most Greyhounds.

 

I love how well my Boston and Frenchie get along with each other, I'm guessing that your Frenchie is the boss dog! Don't know how we got started with free feeding, just remember that it's always been this way for more years than I can remember here except when fostering special need/medical dogs. Don't know if it's just been luck of the draw or diet or whatever, my vet doesn't really support the free feeding either but so long as the dogs are in good health and weight he doesn't argue with success. It's one area of pet keeping that I can be lazy in and not feel guilty. Heck..... I can't even free feed my pet rats, they will absolutely overeat and fat definitely leads to more tumors with these guys so they are rationed daily!

[Guest sweetpea]

Most dogs do just fine. I'm not a fan of free feeding. I own a Frenchie and he would eat until he exploded. Also have a Boston. Both breeds do fine with most Greyhounds.

 

Same thing with my Rat Terrier, we separate for feeding because he would eat it all, and has when we've been inattentive.

 

The muzzle thing is not only about aggression. Greyhounds have that thin "old lady on prednizone" skin, that tears if you look at it

too hard. Simple mouth play, which other dogs can get away with, can result in a catastrophic stitch-requiring wound on a greyhound.

 

We separate our dogs when we're not here because they will play, and I don't want to come home to an accidental blood bath.

 

Good luck!

 

Buzzy

[Hubcitypam]

As a couple of posters already said in reading about agression, you're only hearing about the few problem dogs, not the vast majority that are fine. Buddy doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Barkley is a Carin mix and oddly enough he and Buddy have become fast friends. I'd have never guessed that would happen. Poodle, on the other hand, is at least 12, probably 14, half blind and as crochety as the human version of the old man he is. Buddy just sort of rolls his eyes and walks away. Poodle has overseen well over 100 greyhounds passing through and always been the ruler of the house.

 

As far as other breeds besides those two with greys between petsitting and my penchant for finding stray dogs/finding them on my doorstep my greys have without incident shared their home with:

a rat terrier

a doxie

a black and tan coon hound

a pom

several terrier mixes

a bouvier

german shepherds

labs

several pit bulls and mixes

two chow mixes that came in through the dog door in bad weather

a setter

a greyhound mix

a galgo

...and that is just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more. The greys never batted an eye.

 

I free fed lots of greys for many years until Poodle became diabetic. Wish I could still do it.

 

In a way I was lucky that I hadn't spent a lot of time on internet forums before my first greyhound. I taught her about living in a home and she taught me about greyhounds. I treated her like every other dog and we did just fine. There are some differences in blood values and such, but bottom line is they are *gasp* dogs. Dogs, like people, are individuals. Some are agressive, some are painfully shy, some are smart as whips and some are not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

 

Quit worrying and enjoy your new family member when s/he comes. You sound plenty dog savvy.

 

The current thread on agression is probably the worst one that I've seen so I think you just came along at a bad time on that.

Edited July 4, 2012 by Hubcitypam

[oscarsmom]

I free feed all three of my dogs from one feeder. None have any issues (2 greys and a mix catahoula) with weight and get along great. I guess we are just very lucky. They just pick at the food all day.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Welcome!

And yes...people come to this forum with their agression issues.

 

You could probably go onto a Frenchie chat board and find the same thing.

I had a Frenchie attack one of our Dobes in a training class a few years ago.

Does that mean all Frenchies are aggressive?

NO!!!

 

 

Nixon came into our home 2+ years ago...at that time we had a quiet 12 yr old GSDx and a high energy 10 yr old PointerX.

He blended in with no isues at all.

Nixon is very quiet with no space/food agression issues. He is a certified Child Friendly TD.

 

When we lost the GSD last year, we added Ruby.

She has more playful energy than Nixon and came to us as a bounce with SA, but that slowly went away.

She does have some minor space issues with our Grandkids, but they know enough to leave her alone when she's on her bed.

 

When the Pointer left us suddenly last fall, we took Nigel in as a foster. He's here to stay. now.

He is much more high energy and was also bounced due to SA. He also has some minor space issues with the kids if he's on his bed.

 

All the dogs all get along really well....they share beds all the time.

We walk every day as a pack with NO problems.

 

We had one incident with Nixon/Nigel fighting over a dropped piece of a cookie..

They were not directly supervised at the time and both had some minor injuries....nothing required a vet's attention, but there was blood involved!

 

A 'normal' dogs skin...more hair/fat... would not have ripped/bled.

 

Since then, we muzzle all the dogs when we're not home, even though there have been no further incidents. Better safe, than sorry.

 

 

As far as free-feeding...we do have never done it with any dogs. We've owned multiple dogs of varying breeds for 30 years.

Most would simply get too fat if the food was left out.

 

 

You sound very knowledgable and I am glad you're doing lots of research.

 

Now...go look in the 'Cute an Funny' forum for some happy Greyhound stories!!!!

 

 

 

 

He is the one with

Edited July 4, 2012 by BatterseaBrindl

[Guest WhiteWave]

Most dogs do just fine. I'm not a fan of free feeding. I own a Frenchie and he would eat until he exploded. Also have a Boston. Both breeds do fine with most Greyhounds.

 

I love how well my Boston and Frenchie get along with each other, I'm guessing that your Frenchie is the boss dog! Don't know how we got started with free feeding, just remember that it's always been this way for more years than I can remember here except when fostering special need/medical dogs. Don't know if it's just been luck of the draw or diet or whatever, my vet doesn't really support the free feeding either but so long as the dogs are in good health and weight he doesn't argue with success. It's one area of pet keeping that I can be lazy in and not feel guilty. Heck..... I can't even free feed my pet rats, they will absolutely overeat and fat definitely leads to more tumors with these guys so they are rationed daily!

 

My Frenchie and Boston tolerate each other, but don't really get along. Both are dominant males. They are separated when no one can watch them. Neither have a problem with my Greyhound though.

 

My Frenchie is horrible about eating. He eats everything. Literally. I was bathing the dogs on Friday and he knocked the shampoo bottle over and was eating the shampoo! Anything remotely edible, Rocky is going to eat it and he doesn't stop until it is gone.

 

Most dogs do just fine. I'm not a fan of free feeding. I own a Frenchie and he would eat until he exploded. Also have a Boston. Both breeds do fine with most Greyhounds.

 

Same thing with my Rat Terrier, we separate for feeding because he would eat it all, and has when we've been inattentive.

 

 

Rat Terriers are pigs too, Frenchies just resemble them more! Circe has to be rationed b/c she is prone to being a fattie! Rocky isn't fat, but would be if allowed to eat what he wanted.

[Guest Patton]

Now...go look in the 'Cute an Funny' forum for some happy Greyhound stories!!!!

 

And........ I am pretty much convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that we're bringing home a gh now, we will look forward to working with our new boy (we're a m/n family) one day at a time and enjoying all the positive milestones he shares with us. I think this is a brilliant idea to hang out where all the good stuff is happening now!!!

[Guest LindsaySF]

You'll hear a lot of muzzle talk because Greyhounds have very thin skin. Even playing they can hurt each other accidentally, or they can tear themselves on a branch, etc. (I had a foster tear her side open on a crate latch ).

 

Sleep and space aggression seems to be more common in Greyhounds than in other breeds, so it's something to be aware of, especially when first bringing your Greyhound home, if children will visit, etc.

 

Every dog is different. Some are fine free-feeding, some are not. My dogs have tended to eat until they exploded, or tried to kill each other over food, so we do not free-feed. At the track the Greyhounds are fed in individual crates. When they are pups with their littermates they share.

 

My Chihuahua mix rules my house. The Greyhounds fear her, and they should, she's an evil little thing. But due to the size difference (she's 14 lbs) I don't leave anyone here loose unattended, I monitor play, etc. Same for the cats.

 

The Training & Behavior forum can scare you because usually it's people posting about their problems. But go look in the Cute & Funny forum for some balance.

[JJNg]

As a vet, I'd have to say that there's a fairly low percentage of dogs who are free fed who are able to maintain an ideal, healthy weight, and greyhounds are no exception. Yes, they do exist, but it's not the norm. Most of my patients who are free fed are at least a little overweight, if not obese. And I also find that the majority of owners are so used to seeing heavy dogs that they don't recognize that their dogs are overweight. I feel like I'm fighting a constant battle to educate owners about proper weight and feeding practices.

 

Regarding muzzles, others have already addressed the issue of a greyhound's thin, easily torn skin. Because all ex-racing greyhounds come already accustomed to wearing kennel/basket muzzles, I think that we're also a lot more accepting and casual about their use. Most people have a negative association with muzzles, thinking they're only used for aggressive dogs, and that the dogs hate wearing them. With greyhound people, muzzles are almost a natural part of life and a very useful tool. They are used a precaution when turning out multiple dogs, to prevent dogs from getting into stuff when left home alone, to keep them from licking wounds, prevent them from eating poop when outside, among other uses I'm sure I'm forgetting.

 

As to the concern about adjustment to other breeds, there are some greyhounds that are 'breed snobs' but most do fine with other breeds. You just have to keep in mind that most greyhounds have never seen any other dogs besides other greyhounds their entire life. So when they retire and come across other types of dogs, it can take them a little time to figure it out. Some adjust to other breeds easier than others, but most greyhounds continue to be happier interacting with other greyhounds than other dogs. When they see other greyhounds out in public, they often eagerly greet them like long-lost friends, while other dogs rarely get this type of response.

[Fruitycake]

Our Monty has absolutely no problem with any other dog and is fine with cats too. He's as laid back as they come, and our other dog gets to be all pushy and he just rolls his eyes and lets her.

 

I'm not terribly fond of the idea of free feeding because if someone isn't feeling well and goes off of food and you have multiples it can be hard to tell that someone has a problem and who it is until you really notice a change in weight (or output, if you're actually watching that part too). I like to know when any of my pets turns up their nose at food, so I can be extra vigilant with the next meal and catch it before it becomes a problem. But then again, I also have cats and know what can happen if a cat goes a couple of days without food, so I just watch everyone's input and output.

[Guest simile]

I have three greyhounds (two are retired racers), and none of them have problems with other breeds. I foster for Italian Greyhound Rescue, and a local all breed rescue, and my crew has always been great with whatever walks through the door, and that includes my space/sleep reactive "dangerous" dog. They look at it as a new buddy to play with.

 

Another reason to avoid free feeding, at least initially, is potty training. Greyhounds live their lives by pretty strict schedules, including eating and pottying. Free feeding will really disrupt that and can lead to potty training issue for a dog that's normally 100%. After your new hound is settled in, has adapted to the house schedule and potty routine, give the free feeding a shot. By that time you'll probably have a good idea if your new pup will have resource guarding issues or not.

 

Good luck and congratulations!