Need Opinion, New Greyhound Owner

[Guest Mishoga]

Hi, I'm new and in need of experienced owners.

My 25 year old son just purchased a 9 weeks old greyhound. (We have two pugs).

He works nights. This is the first night the dog is here. We are going to crate train him.

I was in my son's room playing with him. He was playing and making noises and little growls that seemed like all fun and cute. He started to get loud so I picked him up to hold him close and quiet him down since its was mid night and others I. The house were sleeping.

He started to growl and it didn't seem like it was a friendly growl. It made me a bit nervous.

I'm not familiar with big breeds. Although he is small his noises are very loud.

I've read up and it says they are a mellow breed. Could this just come off as a bit aggressive? His lips looked like he was snarling. I'm really nervous to have him with my pugs now

[smurfette]

He is a baby just like your pugs were babys once. You can't compare him to those retired racers - they don't share the same experiences.

But I guess there are some greyhound-puppy-moms here who can answer your question. Only one friendly little advice, nights are for sleeping - especially for little dogs.

[kronckew]

some dogs do not like being confined by being hugged, it may take a while for him to get used to it. greyhounds growl as a warning he is not in the mood. they rarely escalate to biting, it's their last resort to stress. seems a few of them. they soon learn hugging is a good thing. be respectful of his moods, and don't punish him for letting you know them. poppy usually sprawls all over the bed, and i have to get her to move to the foot of the bed ( i just say 'move' and she does), and she'll lie down there, sometimes in the middle, and i give her a push to move her over a bit more, and get a token growl 'aw, dad, i just got comfortable again' after letting me know, i tell her to stop being a grumpy-puss, then i can move her, poke her, roll her, and she ignores it and she goes back to sleep. if she'd kept on growling i would have respected it tho, but still told her to get up and move again.

 

p.s. - you do need to get him used to being picked up, in case you need to if he ever gets injured, for vet visits, etc.

 

slowly slowly catchee monkey...

Edited September 12, 2016 by kronckew

[GeorgeofNE]

Purchased??? By any chance are you talking about an Italian Greyhound?

 

You do say you're not used to "big breeds" but .... just had to ask.

 

All puppies make noise when they play. No puppy is "mellow" unless it's exhausted or ill, in my experience. The dogs on this board are primarily retired racing dogs so they have a TOTALLY different experience than a puppy brought home at 9 weeks of age--so for your son's dog, almost any general puppy book will be useful reading.

 

So "you picked him up and held him close" in a dog's mind is you picked him up and were attempting to physically overpower him. Why wouldn't he growl?

 

Suggest that the dog be sleeping in your son's room so he can deal with the puppy shenanigans, not you!

[Guest Mishoga]

Purchased??? By any chance are you talking about an Italian Greyhound?

 

You do say you're not used to "big breeds" but .... just had to ask.

 

All puppies make noise when they play. No puppy is "mellow" unless it's exhausted or ill, in my experience. The dogs on this board are primarily retired racing dogs so they have a TOTALLY different experience than a puppy brought home at 9 weeks of age--so for your son's dog, almost any general puppy book will be useful reading.

 

So "you picked him up and held him close" in a dog's mind is you picked him up and were attempting to physically overpower him. Why wouldn't he growl?

 

Suggest that the dog be sleeping in your son's room so he can deal with the puppy shenanigans, not you!

He's a full size greyhound. He is in my son's room. My son (is a poIice officer) had just left for work.

He's crying a lot, even when with my son now. We don't really know how to soothe him. He wants to be free but that's not going to happen. We have him confined to my son's room and hallway, King of like a small wing in the house.

My son is exhausted. He wouldn't mind hanging with him but son hasn't sleep in 36 hours and the constant crying is piercing.

I told my son I would help him.

How long does it take normally for a dog to settle down. My pugs were a breeze. My Maltese and Yorkies were a horror.

Any suggestions?

[Fruitycake]

Sounds like what you have is a bad match. Puppies fuss and whine and need a lot of work and training. I don't think it is a 'greyhound thing' I think it is a 'puppy thing'. The puppy was probably used to siblings and his mother to tussle and play with until he decided it was time to nurse or sleep...but now he is thrown into an area with no siblings, no mom, feedings on an arbitrary (to him) schedule, a new place with new smells and people and he just doesn't understand. Whining would be completely normal in that situation!

[Guest Roux]

Plus, a puppy that age is still just a baby. I imagine he misses having other warm bodies to snuggle up to and misses the comforting sounds of other puppys' breathing and heartbeats. You might make certain he has a way to "nest" and snuggle down into something warm for sleeping, if he doesn't have that.

 

When we adopted our first 1 1/2 year-old greyhound, we were told that greyhounds can be puppy-like for up to 2-3 years. Greys that age are physically adults, of course, but that was just to say that it may take a while for a young, newly adopted adult dog to lose some of that puppy exuberance, especially when they are getting used to completely new surroundings and expectations. Our puppy-like 1 1/2 year-old Roux was able to settle into our routines in less than two weeks, with only one #1 accident in the house.

 

I also wonder if you might have a mismatch. You might consider adopting an adult greyhound. Hope it all works out for you and your son. I know you are trying very hard to make this work!

Edited September 12, 2016 by Roux

[Hubcitypam]

Puppies ARE a lot of work no matter the breed. This one sounds like he may need someone like me that is home almost 24/7. No shame in reconsidering if it really is a bad match.

Here in the U.S. Greyhound puppies are readily available for purchase if you are in the right part of the country (TX, OK, KS). One NGA breeder here used to run his oops litters in the paper for $400 each. I bought a nine month old puppy from a guy off Craigslist to get it into rescue. He had paid $500 for it in Oklahoma.

[greysmom]

We adopted out greyhound puppy at 12 weeks old. Both my husband and I are (basically) retired and home 24/7. It still took both of us plus an adult dog who took over Nanny duties to keep that puppy happy and exercised on a daily basis. For almost three years.

 

Adult, retired racing greyhounds are wonderful pets and companions for just about anyone with the right match. Greyhound puppies are like any large breed puppy - fast-growing bundles of energy with sharp little teeth that never rest! Seriously. We walked Lilly nearly two hours every day, played with her in the house with balls and tugs, played with her outside with balls, we did training and games and more training, and then our adult dogs chased her and wrestled with her for the rest of the time. *We* were all exhausted by the end of the day. The puppy not so much.

And then she would spend hours crying in her crate because she wanted to sleep with us. We did try to crate train her for several weeks. She was not having any of it! She just wanted to be near us, and once we caved in and let her on the bed, she tunneled under the covers and never made another peep. She was lonely and cold and needed the tactile comfort of other warm bodies to sleep soundly.

 

A 9 week old puppy is not mature enough to show any real signs of aggression. Most likely your puppy was playing. Playing is serious business when they are that young. It's all about biting and wrestling and growling and snapping. A young puppy at a farm would be spending his time at this point in his development out in a large, outdoor run with the rest of his litter, running around and playing all day. They flop down and sleep for about an hour and then they are up and at it all over again.

 

Get your pup his shots and then get him into a puppy class with a smart, positive reinforcement-based trainer. You will both learn a lot. You and your son need to decide if you have the ability to properly exercise, train and socialize a puppy between you for the next two years. If you even want that sort of responsibility since it sounds like your son is in over his head with a puppy. If not, you should contact his breeder as soon as possible about returning him. Most any reputable greyhound adoption group will take him in, as well. If you let us know what area you are in, we might be able to suggest one.

 

All of that being said, we would have another puppy in a heartbeat! The rewards are definitely worth all the hard work!

[krissy]

I am now on my second greyhound puppy. Puppies are a TONNE of work, no matter what breed. Greyhounds as a breed tend to be very laid back and low energy, but that doesn't apply until they mature... and depending on the individual that could be as early as a year I suppose (not my experience) or it could be several years. I'd say Kili learned how to actually just turn off on her own at around 2.5 years old (she just turned 4). Prior to that I train them to be crate and ex-pen trained so that I can enforce down time. My current puppy, Kenna, would never stop if she was given the choice. Since that is NOT an option, if I need her to chill out I put her in her crate and give her a kong to work on and she will happily do so and then take a nap for an hour or two. Then when I'm done whatever it is I needed to do, and I'm able to supervise her, I bring her back out and we work or play.

 

A brand new puppy is going to fuss and cry in the crate. You did not say how long you have had the puppy. The first couple of nights/days are the worst, especially if the puppy wasn't crate trained by the breeder (though, most good breeders do introduce them to crate training). Every puppy is an individual though. Both of my girls cried all night the first night home. Inconsolable, piercing crying. I crated them beside my bed and would put my fingers through the crate for them to smell and I would sing to them in my exhausted half sleep, but I did not take them out of the crate (except to potty once in the middle of the night). I try to reassure without coddling. Their place at night is in the crate, and so that is where they must stay, but I know it is scary and try to comfort them with my presence. Kenna stopped crying quite early on. Kili used to cry in her crate until she was a few weeks with us. I'm sure I have a video of her howling in her crate when she was 12 weeks old. But now she happily crates whenever needed and doesn't fuss. An Adaptil collar can help with the transition phase. It is a pheromone that helps reduce anxiety and stress so it's great for new puppies. You can pick one up at your veterinarian's office.

 

I'd also strongly recommend enrolling in a puppy class right away. Puppy class is an invaluable resource for new puppies and their owners. Make sure you pick a trainer who uses positive reinforcement, and a class where the pups get to play with each other for part of the class.

 

I love starting with puppies, and the cute factor totally makes up for how much work they are those first few weeks. Put in the work now and you will quickly have a great companion.

[Hubcitypam]

Any obedience class is only as good as the trainer. When I was dog trainer in training at Petsmart the "certified" trainer told people in puppy class that they just needed to put the puppy in a crate in the bathroom all night and bang on the door until the puppy stopped crying. That's when I left. We did have an excellent trainer in classes at another store that I put some of my dogs through. Do your homework and ask around if you and your son are committed to keeping the puppy.

I firmly maintain puppy (and the aptly named Barkley) cuteness is a built in self defense mechanism so you're less likely to strangle them.

[GeorgeofNE]

Thank you for clarifying. Well, this is just my 2 cents--this is not a good fit. Not because it's a greyhound. Because it's a puppy and its owner does not have the kind of life and schedule that is conducive to having a puppy. It's going to need a lot of time, attention, and training for close to two years. Thank you to your son for serving as a police officer, but a demanding job like that, with I imagine irregular hours, a puppy just might not work.

 

Do you know what made him want a greyhound? If he's looking for quite companionship after work, he might consider returning the pup and adopting and adult retired racer.

[BatterseaBrindl]

As others have said...this has nothing to do with the puppy being a Greyhound.

Sounds like neither you or your son were prepared for life with a puppy.

Puppies are a LOT of work...which is why the majority of people in this forum have adopted adult dogs when they retire from racing

[Guest Mishoga]

As others have said...this has nothing to do with the puppy being a Greyhound.

Sounds like neither you or your son were prepared for life with a puppy.

Puppies are a LOT of work...which is why the majority of people in this forum have adopted adult dogs when they retire from racing

First, let me say, I am retired and home almost all the time. I've had dogs my whole life, never adopting older dogs. I've always had purebreeds from early puppyhood.

The one thing I've never experienced is a large breed dog.

 

I agree that my son didn't think this through properly. With that being said, I certainly will try my hardest to raise a well behaved dog while he is here.

 

As far as returning to breeder, will never happen. He paid a ridiculous amount for the dog. It was shipped to Tennessee from Colorado.

If it should not work out we have someone who just put down their 17 year old Greyhound. She would take him in a second. But we are not at the point and honestly I would be sad if it came to that.

 

I'm sure working with him will get better. I personally do not like the temperament. He is independent and wants to do what he wants to do. He growls often and has already bitten my male pug hard. In my home.......no dog will hurt another or have the run of the house. Maybe my son will be different with him when they are elsewhere, but here, the puppy must learn the rules. I've worked way too long and hard with my pugs for those rules to be thrown out the window.

 

Now before anyone says anything negative about my attitude towards these dogs, I will admit I love my dogs but I have a son with a serious lifelong illness. That is important. Animals are second to my children. So please be considerate with your comments.

Thank you so much for your help and advice.

[Hubcitypam]

He paid a ridiculous amount for the dog. It was shipped to Tennessee from Colorado.

OMG. It wouldn't have come from Windrock would it?

 

 

He is independent and wants to do what he wants to do.

That sums up sighthounds. For centuries they (can and still do as in coyote dogs) ran prey on their own.

 

Ex pen rigged in the hallway by cup hooks and bungee cords was a miracle. full run of the bathroom and hallway and not being crated.

Edited September 21, 2016 by Hubcitypam

[cleptogrey]

Felix was adopted at 7 weeks. It's pretty stressful until they finish teething. Krissy's post was well stated. She touched it all. We also crated him in our bedroom at night. Had an xpen in the studio and another crate in the living room. Play time was focused and took place 4xs a day. When it came to Felix being old enough to go out for walks,play first, exhaust then try leash training. Also,it's a lot of time feeding,feeding,cleaning up. The teeth should be in around 16 weeks.and yes,your name mishoga is perfect for how you are feeling right now. Btw, they're not called land sharks for nothing

Edited September 21, 2016 by cleptogrey

[krissy]

I'm sure working with him will get better. I personally do not like the temperament. He is independent and wants to do what he wants to do.

Unfortunately, that is the average sighthound personality. Hopefully your son likes it because that is what you get when you get a sighthound. They were bred for thousands of years to be independent hunters. They were not bred to take instruction from humans the way a border collie or golden retriever was. That doesn't mean they can't be trained to be very responsive, but it does mean you have to work harder and be more creative... and you can't expect to ever get the laser focus that some of those other breeds offer. Ask me how I know... I run greyhounds in agility and literally all I ever hear at trials is "wow! That's amazing, I've never seen a greyhound run so well in this sport, normally they just run laps around the ring". It is doable, but ask me how much time, tears, and frustration doing sports with a greyhound can take.... There's a reason why most people choose more biddable breeds. But ultimately, I really like the independent personality. Nothing bugs me more than a dog that is always pestering me to touch it. I prefer the quiet, unassuming affection of a loving gaze from across the room.

 

He growls often and has already bitten my male pug hard. In my home.......no dog will hurt another or have the run of the house.

A video might be helpful, but with a dog this young I have a hard time believing this is aggression. I suspect it is normal puppy play behaviour. A larger puppy produces louder noises and harder bites. It's normal and can be worked through slowly and appropriately. Puppies need to learn bite inhibition, and the only way they can do that properly is by allowing them to mouth and nip and giving them feedback to slowly decrease the strength and frequency of the nipping. Yelling, nose thwapping, holding mouths shut, alpha rolling, etc are all inappropriate for a puppy that is exhibiting normal play behaviour. Instead we want to let the puppy exhibit these normal behaviours, wait for a particularly hard nip and then let the pup knows it hurts and has consequences. You let them know either by making a yelp noise like a hurt puppy, or (if the yelping makes them more excited) by just rubbing the bitten area and muttering to yourself under your breath ("ouch, that hurt, I don't want to play with you if you're mean to me"). The consequence is loss of a playmate. you leave for 30 seconds or so, just long enough to make an impression, then go back to playing. For this I like to play in an ex-pen so I can quickly leave and come back without puppy wandering off and getting into trouble.

 

I also re-emphasize the importance of a puppy class. Nothing works better on puppy nipping than puppy play. Other puppies much more effectively create the scenario above. If a puppy is too rough in play the other pup will leave and play with someone else. The puppy learns to inhibit his bite in order to retain his human or puppy playmates.

 

There is nothing worse than a dog that was not allowed to nip as a puppy. That dog never learns proper bite inhibition, and no matter how well tempered he is a liability for serious damage if he bites because he never learned inhibition. Given the choice, I would take a dog with fear aggression and great bite inhibition over a friendly dog with no bite inhibition. The first is much more likely to bite, but will escalate appropriately and is unlikely to break skin unless he is pushed to it as a last resort. The latter is unlikely to bite since he is friendly, but when he does it is catastrophic. This is the sweet Golden who gets its tail slammed in a car door by accident and bites the owner's leg multiple times producing severe lacerations requiring stitches and leaving scars. Nice dog that has no idea how hard to bite or how much damage its bite can do. Let your puppy nip and teach him appropriate inhibition. The nipping will go away and the dog will be left with good bite inhibition.

 

If the puppy is pestering the other dogs, separate him. When my puppies go after my older dogs I either let the older dog tell her off, or I remove her so she can't pester. I either take her away to play with her myself, or I crate/pen her if I can't play with her myself at that time. My adults are very appropriate with puppies so I usually let them tell the pup off once. If she doesn't get the hint, I remove her because they don't deserve to be repeatedly pestered. If I had a dog that didn't tell the pup off and was just getting tormented, I'd just remove the pup immediately. I don't tell the puppy off. It's a normal puppy behaviour. I just redirect their attention to more appropriate past times.

 

If you are dedicated to this pup, that's fantastic. I would still strongly recommend a good, positive puppy class to help address some of your concerns. They all sound pretty normal, though can't be 100% sure without seeing it, but you sound a bit overwhelmed with it being a larger breed.

[GeorgeofNE]

Poor puppy.

[Guest Mishoga]

OMG. It wouldn't have come from Windrock would it?

 

That sums up sighthounds. For centuries they (can and still do as in coyote dogs) ran prey on their own.

 

Ex pen rigged in the hallway by cup hooks and bungee cords was a miracle. full run of the bathroom and hallway and not being crated.

I'm not sure exactly where. My son wanted to do this on his own. I didn't like the fact that the breeder really didn't ask us too many questions or offer advice until asked. But as stated, my son had to feel like he was in charge.

 

I don't crate him during the day unless I need to go out. But I have hated him in certain areas and the screaming is so loud. He hates gates or closures of any kind. Even in my yard he cries at the fence (we are only allowed 4 foot Ito. Fencing in my subdivision).

 

Supposedly, from what the breeder said, he was raised on a farm with lots of acreage, ran all day with mom and siblings.

 

I went to vet yesterday and got information for dog trainers. Will be calling.

[krissy]

I'd also recommend Ian Dunbar's "Before and After You Get Your Puppy". He's a little bit alarmist (like "it is the end of the world if puppy has an accident"), however the overall information is very good and I understand why he uses the alarmist theory. For the same reason as a vet I tell people to strictly rest their dog for 14 days... knowing that means I'll get 7. Always ask for more than you really want/need in order to get what you want/need.

 

You should be able to get a free e-copy: before and after

 

I read these books before I got my first puppy, and I re-read them before I brought home the second.

[robinw]

Are you upset with thedog or are you upset with your son for sticking you with his puppy?

[DofSweetPotatos]

Are you upset with thedog or are you upset with your son for sticking you with his puppy?

. This!

[Batmom]

The best advice I can give you for a puppy, especially one so young!!!, is: Wear him out. He needs to be played with, allowed to explore safely, etc. ... and then snack and potty and sleep. Repeat when he wakes up (start with potty tho LOL ). Hounds are a lot less interested in you than a working or toy breed but puppy stuff is pretty similar. Potty, activity, potty, food, potty, sleep .... One round tends to take @ 2.5 hours if you're lucky, and I hope you are!

[Vampiric_Conure]

I am so glad I'm reading this thread! It makes me remember/realize how much work my five month old dog was. I definitely have to look for an older dog as my next service dog, LOL