Getting Older, Personality Changes, More Vocal

[a_daerr]

This is kind of a spin-off question from the "rooing" thread. Have any of your greys' personalities changed once they started getting older? Henry is almost six, and just within the past year, I've noticed a lot of changes in him. For the first three years, he was mostly this shy, timid guy who never made a peep. Now, he's barking everytime we come home. He whines when he's hungry and wants dinner. If I start putting my sneakers on, he'll bow and bark at me to hurry up. He can be downright demanding sometimes! He's also MUCH more snuggly with us, friendly with strangers, not shy about asking for ear scritchies or butt scratches. Wants to be the center of attention. LOVES going places and can barely contain himself when I pick up the leash. I keep asking, "Who are you, and what have you done with Henry??"

 

At first, I thought maybe it had something to do with starting new seizure meds (last December), but he's been gradually getting more goofy over a long period of time. Can it take YEARS for some greys to fully come out of their shells?

 

Here's my goofball.

 

[Guest LunaTheGreyt]

Interested to hear stories - I've only had Luna about 2 1/2 months so she is still very new. She's extremely quiet, a little shy, and so far loves being pet but is not exuberant about it. Always wondered if she'll develop more of a sense of humor in the coming months/years!

[ramonaghan]

Sweep's been an attention whore (I say that with total affection) since the moment she arrived, so I can't comment on the question but wanted to say I LOVE that pic of Henry. Those toofers are so cute. What was his racing name?

[winnie]

Can it take YEARS for some greys to fully come out of their shells?

 

 

YES!

 

We adopted Darcy when she was almost 6 y/o. She retired from racing at about 4.5 y/o and then sat in the adoption kennel for almost 1.5 years. She was quiet and timid when we got her. She also had sleep aggression issues. It took years to chip away the layers to the grey she is now. Darcy is now 12.5 y/o. She has a million opinions which she feels compelled to share at ever opportunity, loves getting on furniture (that took over 1.5 years alone), loves playing and is a total snuggle hound.

[OwnedBySummer]

In the 3+ years that I've had Summer, I would say YES, they change. All the time. The core personality seems to be the same (in her case, very sweet, loving, gentle) but sometimes she throws in new stuff just to keep me on my toes.

[Guest PiagetsMom]

Can it take YEARS for some greys to fully come out of their shells?

 

 

 

Oh, yes. My girl, Piaget, took several years to fully become the pup that she ended up being. She evolved into a very different pup than she came to me as - all for the better!

 

Mirage was also a slow transition. I really don't think, for whatever reason, that he came into his own until after I lost Piaget. At that time he'd been with me for a couple of years, and over the last couple of years he's changed so much. I often think it's because he knew how much I needed him, and he stepped into his new role and grew comfortable with it quite well.

 

Maya's been with me for almost 2 years, and the last 6 months have brought some positive changes for her. I'm still hoping that, just as with Piaget and Mirage, in a couple of years I'll be wondering at just how very much she's changed and come into her own!

Edited August 9, 2013 by PiagetsMom

[aomagrat]

My first greyhound, Wink, was a shy boy who was afraid of everything. He showed no affection and I was sure he hated me. It took several months for him to come out of his shell, and over a year to bond with me. But eventually he became the best dog I ever had.

 

My current hound, Nando, has been an unruly hound from day one. He was bounced around a couple of times before I got him and we hit it off immediately. He gets into everything. Recently he has started playing tug of war with my pants as I am trying to get dressed, and running off with my socks. He's so cute when he's in that playful mood.