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Update: They Are Inseparable. Try Separating?


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Update: Thanks everybody for your suggestions. I started with baby steps and it's gone great! We are now doing short, separate walks without any issues. I am so proud of both of them, especially Xavi, who was my biggest concern.

 

I live with two galgos. I adopted the first one just over 2.5 years ago. He was extremely traumatized and terrified of everybody and everything. Treasure the greyhound lived with us, also, but she passed away a year later.

 

This past April I adopted Xavi, galgo number two. Iker chose him and they have been inseparable. Iker has gained so much confidence that sometimes it's hard to believe that he is the same dog. That's not to say that he doesn't have his moments, especially when Xavi isn't around. Xavi doesn't like being away from Iker, either.

 

Should I start separating for short periods of time, such as separate walks? Would that help to build confidentce when arlone, or might it result in Iker regressing to old, traumatized behaviours?

 

Thanks.

Edited by robinw

siggy_robinw_tbqslg.jpg
Xavi the galgo and Peter the cat. Missing Iker the galgo ?-Feb.9/19, Treasure (USS Treasure) April 12/01-May 6/13, Phoenix (Hallo Top Son) Dec.14/99-June 4/11 and Loca (Reko Swahili) Oct.9/95 - June 1/09, Allen the boss cat, died late November, 2021, age 19.

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Well - that's a tricky one. Both dogs are doing well together. Part of me thinks why rock the boat? But - it wouldn't hurt to do short alone walks, and treat and reinforce good behavior. Building alone confidence is not a bad thing. If something happens to one of the dogs, or something simple like going to the vet with one , you need the other to be OK at home.

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Perhaps for short periods and see what happens? If Iker regresses then maybe it's too soon. It took him a while to become traumatized and fearful so maybe it'll take a while with Xavi giving him confidence before Iker will really BE a confident dog alone. If that makes sense.

 

Or, if in doubt, ask Batmom. :lol. She never fails to give good advice. :)

Edited by rascalsmom

Phoebe (Belle's Sweetpea) adopted 9/2/13.

Jack (BTR Captain Jack) 9/28/05--11/2/12
Always missing Buddy, Ruby, and Rascal.

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Why separate them?

Any reason you want to do this?

As was pointed out, taking one to the vet--much easier if the other one is ok with being alone for brief periods of time.

Phoebe (Belle's Sweetpea) adopted 9/2/13.

Jack (BTR Captain Jack) 9/28/05--11/2/12
Always missing Buddy, Ruby, and Rascal.

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If you think he's ready, try something very short and very safe. If he does OK, try a few more of same. Not too many, not too often. Just enough that you know he'll be OK when you have to do separate things. :)

P.s. If he doesn't do so well, rethink your strategy and try again in a week or so. You know him pretty well, doubt you'll do anything to really set him back.

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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I would say start with very short periods whilst doing something fun with one of them, and then swapping. I think it could make life easier if one gets sick/injured etc. I always try to have separate time with my guys but they aren't as bonded as yours!

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Guest IrskasMom

Robin , by all means ...... I am not an Expert in Dog Behavior . I agree with short Walks with each alone . I am just so amazed how you had so much success in handling Ikers Insecurities and " formed " him into a different Dog . Thank you :grouphug for giving this Beautiful Boys a great Life .

Edited by IrskasMom
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Why would you ever want to separate them? If they do better together, why set them apart ...

 

Yes, there will be times later when they might have to be separated and at that time, they will have more trauma in their lives but, haven't they gone through enough ... let them have each other.

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Why would you ever want to separate them? If they do better together, why set them apart ...

 

Yes, there will be times later when they might have to be separated and at that time, they will have more trauma in their lives but, haven't they gone through enough ... let them have each other.

Geez, I'm talking about being able to take one to the vet or a walk (Xavi loves going for walks, Iker hates them) without worrying about my neighbour complaining about the other howling, not keeping them in separate houses :lol Edited by robinw

siggy_robinw_tbqslg.jpg
Xavi the galgo and Peter the cat. Missing Iker the galgo ?-Feb.9/19, Treasure (USS Treasure) April 12/01-May 6/13, Phoenix (Hallo Top Son) Dec.14/99-June 4/11 and Loca (Reko Swahili) Oct.9/95 - June 1/09, Allen the boss cat, died late November, 2021, age 19.

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If you think he's ready, try something very short and very safe. If he does OK, try a few more of same. Not too many, not too often. Just enough that you know he'll be OK when you have to do separate things. :)

P.s. If he doesn't do so well, rethink your strategy and try again in a week or so. You know him pretty well, doubt you'll do anything to really set him back.

 

Good advice. It's okay that they're bonded, but they should be able to exist independently. God forbid, something would happen to one of them and the other wouldn't be able to cope. I worry about that happening with my boys too. :unsure

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Do have a SO to stay at home with the 'alone' dog....not only to keep him company, but to monitor his behaviour?

 

Of course, my solution to this issue would be to add a third dog........

 

Nancy...Mom to Sid (Peteles Tiger), Kibo (112 Carlota Galgos) and Joshi.  Missing Casey, Gomer, Mona, Penelope, BillieJean, Bandit, Nixon (Starz Sammie),  Ruby (Watch Me Dash) Nigel (Nigel), and especially little Mario, waiting at the Bridge.

 

 

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Geez, I'm talking about being able to take one to the vet or a walk (Xavi loves going for walks, Iker hates them) without worrying about my neighbour complaining about the other howling, not keeping them in separate houses :lol

 

Your dogs feel safe together. When you separate them, they are likely to be anxious and fearful. Why promote those feelings if there is no reason to. As to Iker not liking walks, maybe he will like them better with another dog. Going to the vets - I used to take both my dogs even though only one might have the appointment. I can't do that now because I have 3 and one is just a bit over 13 and it's very tough getting him into the car another one is a seizure dog which I don't like to stress out for any reason because it might cause seizures. Would Iker get tramatically upset if he went along for a ride to the vet?

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I am glad to hear Iker is feeling happy having Xavi around. I have two greyhounds, one who is very secure and confident and then we took in a very insecure one as a foster (and failed on purpose) who loves her big brother. She has made enormous strides in confidence. I have never separated them. They enjoy each other's company and she feels safe when he is around. I also take them everywhere together, including the vet - as MaryJane said - even if only one is there for the visit. They both come in the car with me all the time. I think the female would be in shock if I ever left her without him. For us, they always stay together.

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Guest sireltonsmom

I don't have advice but sure relate to your issue. If we walk the dogs separately, the one on the walk keeps looking behind for the other. And the one left home celebrates like crazy when the other gets back.

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That's what I do; I take them almost everyplace together. Walking is a real problem as Iker panics and Xavi does the same even though he is great being walked alone.

siggy_robinw_tbqslg.jpg
Xavi the galgo and Peter the cat. Missing Iker the galgo ?-Feb.9/19, Treasure (USS Treasure) April 12/01-May 6/13, Phoenix (Hallo Top Son) Dec.14/99-June 4/11 and Loca (Reko Swahili) Oct.9/95 - June 1/09, Allen the boss cat, died late November, 2021, age 19.

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Our Faye Oops was *very* attached to Celeste. She would get nervous by herself. We just wound up taking Celeste everywhere that Faye Oops went, including the vets office. Lucky for us, Celeste loved going to the vet and they loved having her around. Celeste was even with us when Faye Oops crossed the bridge. She was a huge help to all of us.

 

There may be occasions where you may need to separate the two. I'm just not sure what the best course of action is!

Laura with Celeste (ICU Celeste) and Galgos Beatrix and Encarna
The Horse - Gracie (MD Grace E)
Bridge Angels Faye Oops (Santa Fe Oops), Bonny (
Bonny Drive), Darcy (D's Zipperfoot)

 

 

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My advice is not to force separation. It was just me, Grace and Fenway for many years. Fenway was an opps puppy, so he never went a day without canine companionship. He went from the farm to a foster home with his brothers to my house with Grace. I knew that Fenway didn't like being alone as he'd holler and cary on if I took Grace somewhere alone. So I just simply didn't take Grace anywhere alone. Grace was okay without Fenway, so the only time they were apart was if I took Fenway to the vet alone.

 

Once Grace passed, I was afraid that Fenway wouldn't do well alone. We lived with DBF and his airedale at the time. Jackson went to daycare once a week so we set the webcam up. I checked in on him as soon as I got to my desk and he was paws up, cockroached on the couch. :lol He's totally fine at home alone now.

 

My brother's two greyhounds were bonded in the same way. William passed away last March, and Harry has been doing great as an only dog ever since. It seems that when it's necessary, they somehow *know* and are okay with it.

Edited by gracegirl

Poppy the lurcher 11/24/23
Gabby the Airedale 7/1/18
Forever missing Grace (RT's Grace), Fenway (not registered, def a greyhound), Jackson (airedale terrier, honorary greyhound), and Tessie (PK's Cat Island)

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Your dogs feel safe together. When you separate them, they are likely to be anxious and fearful. Why promote those feelings if there is no reason to. As to Iker not liking walks, maybe he will like them better with another dog. Going to the vets - I used to take both my dogs even though only one might have the appointment. I can't do that now because I have 3 and one is just a bit over 13 and it's very tough getting him into the car another one is a seizure dog which I don't like to stress out for any reason because it might cause seizures. Would Iker get tramatically upset if he went along for a ride to the vet?

 

Because one cannot predict the future and there may be a time when Robin cannot take both dogs somewhere? It's always better to train in advance for something like this, not have full on trauma during an emergency. Case in point: lady who boarded her horses at the barn where I ride moved to Florida. She was going to drive her horses down herself. Her mare doesn't load because she never taught the horse how to trailer. So three hours, lots of drama, sedatives and expletives later, lady has to leave with only one horse and then pay to have her mare shipped down by a professional a few weeks later. I'm sure from Maryland to Florida cost her a lot of money, plus she had to pay board on the horse here until she could be shipped. This could have all been prevented if she'd conditioned her horse in advance to not be afraid of the trailer. I think Robin is going about this very intelligently.

 

Robin, what Jey said. Baby, baby steps. Seconds to minutes, etc. and be careful to stay under Iker's threshhold.


Meredith with Heyokha (HUS Me Teddy) and Crow (Mike Milbury). Missing Turbo (Sendahl Boss), Pancho, JoJo, and "Fat Stacks" Juana, the psycho kitty. Canku wakan kin manipi.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire

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Because one cannot predict the future and there may be a time when Robin cannot take both dogs somewhere? It's always better to train in advance for something like this, not have full on trauma during an emergency. Case in point: lady who boarded her horses at the barn where I ride moved to Florida. She was going to drive her horses down herself. Her mare doesn't load because she never taught the horse how to trailer. So three hours, lots of drama, sedatives and expletives later, lady has to leave with only one horse and then pay to have her mare shipped down by a professional a few weeks later. I'm sure from Maryland to Florida cost her a lot of money, plus she had to pay board on the horse here until she could be shipped. This could have all been prevented if she'd conditioned her horse in advance to not be afraid of the trailer. I think Robin is going about this very intelligently.

 

Robin, what Jey said. Baby, baby steps. Seconds to minutes, etc. and be careful to stay under Iker's threshhold.

THANK YOU MEREDITH!!!!!!!!!!! That is EXACTLY what I was thinking!!! I don't want to separate them, I just want to try to make things less stressful for them in case something happens. With Iker's increased confidence, I thought this might be the right time to start.

 

A long time ago we had two cats that were inseparable. When one passed away, the other almost died of liver failure, which my vet explained was often associated with grief. I want to avoid that kind of scenario.

Edited by robinw

siggy_robinw_tbqslg.jpg
Xavi the galgo and Peter the cat. Missing Iker the galgo ?-Feb.9/19, Treasure (USS Treasure) April 12/01-May 6/13, Phoenix (Hallo Top Son) Dec.14/99-June 4/11 and Loca (Reko Swahili) Oct.9/95 - June 1/09, Allen the boss cat, died late November, 2021, age 19.

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This could have all been prevented if she'd conditioned her horse in advance to not be afraid of the trailer. I think Robin is going about this very intelligently.

 

 

 

The situation with this dog is is sightly different - Iker is usually fearful and has only found some relief in having a buddy. With the horse, it appears that it is usually in a calm state but, was agitated with the transport. What is proposed here is to take away the buddy and in effect, bringing the fear situation back. While I think this could eventually be worked out in a few years, I think it is too soon and that is just my opinion.

 

Maybe using an example would better describe how I feel about this - (hypothetically) I have a dog that I rescued from a starvation situation and as a result, the dog is always ravenous. This is a concern because it could unintentionally attack while trying to get at food. So, do I limit food so that the dog gets used to not having food and therefore, will not be ravenous anymore. That really does not make sense to me -- maybe it does to others though. In a case like this, I would probably overfeed the dog to try and over compensate for it's need to have food. I see the situation with Iker as him building trust with a fellow pack animal and having achieved a state of relief and maybe calmness. This feeling of ease/safeness is not a feeling that he has had for a long time .. if I remember, it is less than 1 year (could be wrong though) that Xari has been in the picture. The trust he has built up is fragile ... it might not be able to be regained again easily if it is lost.

 

When you deal with a damaged dog ... it is not what you think they should be able to do (or what others think) ... it is what they are capable of ...

 

Maybe the best suggestion is to check with some of the shelters in Spain and get their opinions on what they would do in this case - they have so much experience with the trauma that galgos go through and what works and what doesn't.

Edited by MaryJane
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Let's try something new. Rather than thinking of my dogs as perpetual victims, why don't we try thinking of them as the tough survivors that they've proven themselves to be? If I didn't look at them that way, I would never have them leave the safety of my bed.

 

For what it's worth, it's not Iker that I'm worried about. He survived fine for the year between Treasure's death and Xavi's adoption. I'm more concerned about Xavi. On the surface it may appear that Iker is the more fearful one, but in some ways it's Xavi.

Edited by robinw

siggy_robinw_tbqslg.jpg
Xavi the galgo and Peter the cat. Missing Iker the galgo ?-Feb.9/19, Treasure (USS Treasure) April 12/01-May 6/13, Phoenix (Hallo Top Son) Dec.14/99-June 4/11 and Loca (Reko Swahili) Oct.9/95 - June 1/09, Allen the boss cat, died late November, 2021, age 19.

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To add to what Robin said, knowing Robin she is not going to do this (short periods of separation) without a lot of thought, or rapidly. She is knowledgable enough to take it slowly, and to back off if either dog seems unready.

Phoebe (Belle's Sweetpea) adopted 9/2/13.

Jack (BTR Captain Jack) 9/28/05--11/2/12
Always missing Buddy, Ruby, and Rascal.

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