New Greyhound Growling

[Guest JenChele]

I realize someone already posted about growling, but my situation is a bit different. We just got our new guy on Saturday (this is day three with us). He is not the first we have had, so I have experience with the breed. That said, he is fantastic. He immediately learned to do stairs (What?!) and has had no housebreaking accidents. He does fine with my other two dogs in every aspect except when he is lying down. And it doesn't matter WHERE he is lying down...the bedroom floor, his crate, one of the many dog beds in the family room, if he sees one of my other dogs walking around, he growls. This wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, except one of my dogs in 13 and deaf (she's a poodle terrier mix) and has no idea that he's growling at her. Will this go away with correction? I tell him "no" when I hear him doing it. Is this normal? Should I worry?

[greysmom]

Whenthey growl all the time while laying down, it's usually not sleep startling. He's anxious and worried, and he's guarding his space. Especially if he just came off the track. He's used to his space being finite and no one could get in it without him knowing. Now, he's just hanging out there in the middle with no protection, so he growls to let the others know to stay away.

 

Sounds like he might like like the security of a crate, at least for a little while as he adjust. If you don't have one, or have room for one, try putting his bed next to a wall, or between some furniture to give him some protection. A xpen can also be useful to define his space and keep your deaf dog safe.

 

The behavior may go away or lessen as he becomes more comfortable and settled in, or it may not. If he's also growling at people, you can keep a bowl of yummy, tiny treats near his bed and tossd him one each time you walk by. This will associate people near his bed with a good thing.

[3greytjoys]

Welcome to GreyTalk, and congratulations on your new addition!

 

Good advice by Greysmom.

 

Do the best you can at managing (protecting) your new hound's resting space without threat of close invasions, and keep your other dogs (especially your elder deaf girl) away from him while he's getting adjusted in his completely new world. He may be feeling a bit more fearful than normal after being dropped into an existing resident canine pack.

 

Remember that growling is a dog's means of communication. If humans attempt to "correct" dogs' (safer) verbal communication, dogs can quickly learn to skip their (punished) warning growls, and go to a bite to get their point across. Generally, most Greyhounds adjust to their new environment over time and accept that other resident dogs can walk around the room without harming the hound.

 

Our hounds communicate between themselves with warning growls periodically. The other hounds understand this canine language, and respectfully retreat to allow their personal space. Your deaf girl will need a little more help from her hearing aid human/s.

[Batmom]

Xpen or a crate when you can't monitor things, and maybe even when you can. One of mine benefited from 1-2 two-hour crate naps every day for her first couple weeks home. She *seemed* settled in from the get-go, but learning a new home was strenuous, and she was much less touchy when she'd had her naps.

 

Then, rather than scold, see if you can arrange things so that every time another dog gets up, walks around, walks near him, delicious treats appear (may take careful arrangement so you don't start a fight over them). Delicious treats and a "good dog!" before he gets to the point of growling. Keep it up for a couple weeks, even if the growlies disappear in a few days. It'll be worth it in the end.

[KickReturn]

Please never correct or scold growling. In our house we reward growling. I feel It is very important for for people and other creatures to know when your dog is giving a warning. The best strategy is to protect the deaf one, not try to fix the one that has nothing wrong with it. When your new dog realizes that nothing bad ever happens the behaviour will diminish. Could take a while, we had growling for 3 years. Nothing in the last two so I think it is over at our house.