TXRedbo Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 What a promising update! Like others, I don't see this as aggressive behavior as much as just the behavior a greyhound exhibits when they're in a new environment and unsettled. One thing that helped me (from this forum) was to know that 6 weeks or 12 weeks is just a drop in the bucket regarding your greyhound's development into your pet. They may take months and months to settle into the normal day to day household activities, and until then it's a good idea to take all the precautions you've already read about. For the first 3 months we had our boy, he was space aggressive and resource guarding. If my husband crowded him, he would growl. If I tried to get him to drop his bully stick, he would growl. We never reprimanded him in any way for growling, but instead worked to be more cognizant of his tells and limits. Now we've had him for 6 months, and he lets us hug him (and he loves the hugs!), take his bully stick away, and snuggle on the couch all day long. It might be a matter of having patience with your girl, but this might just be who she is! It's hard to tell without giving it a little more time . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 (edited) However, I have a question about how to respond to aggression. It seems that we get two different suggestions: dominance (from some in adoption group) and definitely-don't-do-dominance (here). If we don't use the tap, how would we respond to growling in a way that doesn't in some way positively reinforce the aggression? Is leaving the room positively reinforcing the growling? I don't want to use punishment, especially physical punishment, but I'm a little confused about how to react to growling, snapping, or biting without it. Coming in a bit late to this thread, but it may help to look at the growling and snapping a bit differently. Those behaviors are not "aggression" or the dog trying to challenge or dominate you. They are the only way a dog has to communicate that she is uncomfortable with a situation. To build a bond of trust with our dogs, we need to respect what they are trying to tell us, rather than just expect them to do what we want without any consideration for their feelings. Here's an article I came across recently that is relevant to this thread: Why Growling is Good Edited November 4, 2015 by JJNg Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racindog Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Coming in a bit late to this thread, but it may help to look at the growling and snapping a bit differently. Those behaviors are not "aggression" or the dog trying to challenge or dominate you. They are the only way a dog has to communicate that she is uncomfortable with a situation. To build a bond of trust with our dogs, we need to respect what they are trying to tell us, rather than just expect them to do what we want without any consideration for their feelings. Here's an article I came across recently that is relevant to this thread: Why Growling is Good THIS! Thanks for posting it JJNg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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