Guest sarahbella1063 Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hey Guys - I am hoping you all may have some advice for this new greyhound owner We have had our little lady for 1 month, and she has been settling into city life really well after her rescue from the farm. However, in the last few days she has decided to freeze up when we take her to the common dog area where the dogs of our unit complex can poop, pee and socialise. We have had here in this area since she arrived and knows the park well. She has had no bad experiences (in my eyes) in these areas that would spook her, but she had decided in the last three days to freeze on the way to the park and refuses to walk anywhere near them. It makes life a little hard as this is the main area where she can do her business. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to reduce her anxiety on this? We have an adaptil collar on the way to assist with overall anxiety anyways, but this one just seemed a little strange Many thanks in advance! Sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Statueing is a very common occurrence in newly adopted greyhounds. It indicates that your dog is either a bit overwhelmed or suffered some sort of anxiety. It doesn't necessarily mean something "bad" happened to her, just something that caused her to rethink the activity each time. I would try taking her somewhere else for a couple weeks for potties, and subsitute long walks for any exercise she will be missing. When she seems calmer and more settled in your home, try the park again. If she still resists, you can try some positive reinforcement with yummy treats during off-times. Also, seach the GT forum for the terms statueing and freezing. You will get a ton of threads with a lot of good advice. Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mansbestfriend Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Hi. One month is still a short time. Most greyhounds grow up only with other greyhounds and strict routine. Pet life can be a very big change to their 'world'. Greyhounds (especially ex-racing) often comply with human handlers and are experts at hiding their emotions, and may take quite a while to start feeling more settled and start to express emotions like fear (EG: by freezing/statue-ing). If your dog doesn't like the dog park, try taking her for a walk at a quieter time, and/or in a quieter area, and/or with fewer or no dogs and distractions. My grey Max loves the dog park when it's empty, but if he doesn't want to go in, plan B is to just walk somewhere else. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jaxshumans Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 When we first got Jax he did the same thing...seemed fine at first and then all of a sudden started statueing at the same places he was fine at before. It really helped if we did the same exact thing every day. Within a week of doing the same exact routine he just snapped out of it one day. Never had a problem since. Good luck!! And be patient, it's all worth it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TeriD Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 (edited) Rosey statued for awhile when we first got her. Always on her walks. She's my first grey so I'm learning. But once I got her on a strict routine she stopped. I work from home thankfully so I'm able to be with her. I've had her less than two months but she's doing wonderfully with routine. Edited November 4, 2015 by TeriD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 (edited) When she plants herself, you have to get her feet moving again. Give her shoulder a gentle, but firm, push with your thigh. Her feet/legs will move and sometimes that breaks the cycle. Another way is to hold the leash very close, with her head just about against your thigh, and move in a circle, pushing on her shoulder with your leg. When you come out of the circle, keep on moving. This may have to be done a couple of times, but the main thing to do is not let her slow you down. A lot of new owners let the dog set the pace of the walk, and if the dog starts to slow down, the human will also slow. Try not to do this -- you as the human be in charge of the walk. Slowing down leads to stopping. Obviously you'll have to be able to judge if she has to go P or P and stop for that, but once she's done, start walking with confidence and expect her to follow. I had a terrible time with Annie when I first adopted and a trainer gave me the tips of getting her feet moving. Occasionally even now Annie will just stop. I let her gaze into space for a little bit and say very firmly, "Annie come!" or just give her a gentle push on her shoulder with my hand. Either one gets her moving again. Edited November 4, 2015 by Feisty49 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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