How Many Greyhounds Sleep Startle?

[ramonaghan]

One grey--and she sleep startles. Usually it's a growl/bark and sometimes a lunge. She has never intentionally bitten but did graze DH's scalp once, drawing blood. She loves to cuddle, though, so we just make sure to get up from her bed before she starts to nod off. She has never tried to get on our furniture or bed, so no issues there.

[Guest Muscovy]

I've had two greys, my first boy Teddy would growl and snap (never actually touch you with his teeth though) but only if you slid your hand underneath him or tried to move him when he was sleeping or resting. He never grew out of it, but we didn't try to modify it with training at all, we just left him alone. We had him since he was a 6 week old pup and he never slept in a crate or anything.

 

My second guy, Laddie, doesn't sleep startle at all. He is an ex-racer and we adopted him when he was 3, so he would have spent 3 years sleeping alone in a crate/caged kennel.

Edited December 10, 2015 by Muscovy

[galgrey]

I have no idea about statistics, but I've had 5 retired races since 1993. Of the 5, two had sleep startle. Both bit me at least once, but fortunately neither was a bite that broke the skin. One, Frostman, got a little better over the years, but never completed got over it. Carly, who was also somewhat of a spook, never got over hers.

[turbotaina]

One out of three of my guys. I wouldn't really say Heyokha has sleep startle though. His are more warning growls: he'll growl if he thinks you're going to roll over on him.

[GeorgeofNE]

Of my two, one had a severe sleep startle, and the other has none. The one with the severe case had a long racing career, so more time spend in his own private sleeping quarters. Not sure if that makes a difference or not, but the one who has none never made it out of Maiden, so he wasn't there very long!

[Loves2dogs]

Oh I am very familiar with this.....I tried to put Carrera's coat on when she was sleeping with her eyes open....she bit me in the face and eye. Went to emergency and ended up being ambulanced (2 hours away) to a trauma doctor for eye surgery (10 stiches in the muscle) and plastic surgery surounding the area. What a mess I was...my eye still gives me problems and it's been 3 years! So watch out, don't ever get too close if they are "sleeping", you do not want to startle them. She's still with us but I am careful, not her fault.

Does anyone have a growler???? Our new adoptie Recon, every once in a while will give a growl when petting him....any ideas on how to stop this?? Thanks

[Guest k9soul]

Does anyone have a growler???? Our new adoptie Recon, every once in a while will give a growl when petting him....any ideas on how to stop this?? Thanks

 

When Rudy was newer he used to come to me for petting but then sometimes suddenly growl and back off. I started taking note that he seemed to stiffen up a bit when stroking the back of his neck too long or if I reached around to his other side. He also tensed up about having his ears handled much.

 

The steps I took were this: If he growled I stopped petting and turned away without saying anything. He was asking for space and I gave it to him. Then over time while giving him pets and affection, which he loves, I'd brush my hand over the areas he seemed more uneasy about but not linger there. I also fed him treats or kibbles in one hand while gently stroking his neck or touching his ears. Gradually over time he stopped stiffening up and now I can rub his ears, rub his neck, reach around him, whatever, and he is completely at ease with it.

Edited December 15, 2015 by k9soul

[Guest mgodwin]

Of the 6 greys I know personally (one of which is my own) only one as sleep startle/aggression. Ginny doesn't sleep startle. She's such a cuddlebug sometimes that it simply wouldn't due for her to sleep startle.

[kronckew]

none of mine did. i could pile stuff on them, play the xylophone on their ribs, sneeze on them, fart in their faces, bounce balled socks off them, use them for pillows, and the worst i'd get was the girls millie (or now poppy) would get up off the bed and move into the other room. blue, my male would just snuggle closer to me in the bed, insisting he get under the covers. i think i desensitised them as they got used to their idiot human.

[Potomacpupsmom]

One of our three has sleep startle. She also raced longer than the other two. She was getting much better and then in October we went on vacation and there were other greys at our sitters house, and she started all over again, but she was also snarky towards them when she was awake. She hasn't done either since she's been home though.

[ZoomDoggy]

Of the nine greys I have owned, only one ever had sleep-startle, and he eventually grew out of that for the most part. I've pup-sat and fostered many more, but I am always careful to be mindful of the boundaries of dogs I don't know as well as my own, so I can't really report on whether they had sleep-startle issues.

[Guest WhiteWave]

Out of 50+ through my house, one had sleep aggression. He was 9 yrs old when I got him. He bit me, he bit other dogs. He almost scalped my mother who laid down with him as she had not paid attention to me telling her he had sleep aggression. He never really got better. I used a broom to poke him awake before going near him. He had to sleep on his own bed and no where else. Other dogs learned to avoid him, but it cost me several thousands dollars in vet bills when he snapped on my Dogos. They bit back and ripped him wide open. I have some that are space guarders. They snap/growl when someone comes close while they are laying down, but after you lay beside them they are fine. Linus was not a space guarder. He was fine while a wake. He just woke up snapping.

[Ragsysmum]

Of the 40+ owned, fostered and visiting hounds we have had over the years, I have only had two with bad sleep startle towards both people and other dogs coming too near their beds or sleeping spots. A couple more had the odd grumble if they were actually touched whilst sleeping, but the rest have had no bad reaction at all.

[sobesmom]

I adopted 2 greys, and fostered 14. I only had one with severe sleep startle. He was my very first. He got better over time, but we were always very careful around him when sleeping. And NEVER let visitors or children near him when sleeping.

 

I eventually got to the point of letting him sleep in my bed, but a couple times I rolled in my sleep - and he bit my head. No hard - just a startle nip. Be VERY CAREFUL with a dog with sleep startle/ sleep aggression. Someone could seriously get hurt. Respect the issue.

 

Give them a safe place to sleep, and just don't mess with the sleep space.