General Advice For Novice Grey Owner

[busfrsr100]

Hi All,

 

Prepare for a novel.. this is the first time I have posted and I figure I will just spill my/our whole story in one go.

 

Here are some basic facts about our situation:

- Wife and I adopted a 3 y/o male (Stanley) about 3 months ago (Thanksgiving '16)

-Both my wife and I are first-time dog owners

-We don't have kids, but we do have several young nieces and nephews that like to come to our house.

-We live in a fenced yard in a typical cookie cutter neighborhood

-Stanley is not cat safe

-Stanley seems to be afraid of other dogs

-We are signed up for a greyhound only general obedience class starting late March.

 

Before I get into the challenges, let me note that we love him dearly and he seems to continue to make positive strides in acting like a well-socialized dog. With this said, every time I get comfortable with him and think he is all the way settled in, we seem to have an episode that takes us several steps backward. I have read and understand that it can take years for Greys to settle in but human nature gets the best of me.

 

Brief synopsis of our first three months with Stanley and the challenges we have faced with him:

 

Separation Anxiety: At first, he had some mild SA, but after some alone training, he seems to be fine if we leave him alone in his crate (knock on wood). We consider this to be resolved at this point.

 

Growling while being pet when he is laying down (not in his bed or crate) We noticed early on that he would lay down next to us, and after 10 or 15 minutes of begging us to pet him would apparently get fed up and would then let out a growl, get up and go to his crate. We just decided we shouldn't put him in this situation anymore and rarely sit on the ground and pet him anymore. He doesn't growl if we don't overdo it. (We are hopeful that after many months or even years he will become more comfortable with us and become more cuddly, but aren't holding our breath)

 

Maybe uncomfortable with kids? **Disclaimer** we never leave kids and the dog unsupervised together but we do let them interact together.

 

As we aren't behaviorists, it is tough to tell what is going through his mind when the toddlers come over. A few observations we have had.

 

1. Initially, when he heard a baby cry, his ears would go straight up and he would pace which was the first concern we had. He seems to be less aggravated by crying and screaming now and will often times remain lying in his bed when it occurs, so maybe he has started to learn that crying comes from babies and it is no longer all that concerning to him...

 

2. Sometimes, he will get very excited when the kids come over, get down in a play bow and want to rough house with them at which point, I distract him into doing something else as he is too big to play with them.

 

3. One time he was laying down and a toddler walked close to him and he let out a little growl, got up and walked away.

 

4. Resource Guarding: This one is brand new. We gave him a high-value treat (bone) which he was loving but I didn't want him to devour it until I knew his stomach could handle it. He has very seldom demonstrated and resource guarding, so I didn't think twice about it and reached to grab the bone after he had been working on it for about 15 minutes. He immediately gave me a pretty long growl at which point I backed off, tried to distract him (he wouldn't take the bait) so I tried taking the bone again and this time he showed teeth. Then I took the trade up approach with his favorite treat (peanut butter) and was able to get the bone away without issue. (I will admit that this was stupid of me to think I could take the bone away and obviously I have now learned that he resource guards high-value treats). I then proceeded to do a few rounds of positive reinforcement trade up training with the bone that same day and he seemed to respond relatively well, though I do think he will still guard until I train him for months.

 

Other Dogs: He seems fearful of other dogs especially if they are hyper. He will growl and bear teeth quickly if they don't respect his space. However, after he settles in and the dogs spend some time together he is fine with them and will even play with them (As an example, he wouldn't even enter the dog park today).

 

Startles Easily: He is scared of loud noises but loves meeting new people. ( I don't think he is a spook by any means, but he is easily startled). A good example of this is he will often lay on the rug that is under (and infront of) our couch while we are on the couch. If we move position even slightly or rustle the blanket, he often time seems to be startled and will get up and go to his crate.

 

Severe propensity to statue while walking: He will walk moderately well if we take him to the park, but won't walk in our subdivision. He statues immediately after leaving our driveway.

 

Synopsis: Here is our biggest concern......Is he a risk to have around the kids?

 

Both my wife and I are anxious people by nature and I'm thinking every behavior he has exibited so far has been in the norm, but the growling is definitely an unsettling experience which gives us pause.

 

We have been and remain committed to keeping him (we would be devastated to lose him) BUT we are also angst-ridden when kids come over so ultimately I am just reaching out for some thoughts, advice and support.

 

Anyone that made it through this whole book...I applaud you. Thanks in advanced for your help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Houndtime]

Everything you are describing is new to him. Some dogs fair better with new experiences than others.

 

I would be watchful around the kiddies, but, I would do that anyway.

 

I am thinking, he still needs time to come to himself. Not a fan of dog parks, so, I could care less if my dog wanted to go in or not. Statuing is a new dog issue, very often.

 

Resource guarding: if you take something, offer him something else as a replacement. Is this the Stanley from GAA?

[dostacos]

My boy Conrad was a long time at the kennel waiting a forever home. being a He and black, oh and several PAGES of diet issues he was also walking like EYEORE when I arrived. since he walked around like Eyeore he did well with my wheelie chair.

 

for several weeks, when we went outside for his morning break, he would pee, poop and lay down curled up like a deer.

 

He started coming out of his shell, BUT at about 3 months he decided that the crate was not for him.

 

Now he IS very cat friendly with HIS cat, Button, who has been known to ah...clean his ears. Our other cat, he just watches her walk by.

 

He has become VERY attached to me, and whenever I turn on the wheel chair he wants to know where WE are going. He has become the POSTER BOY on SA.

 

He was introduced to the grand kids and they love him to death, he tolerates them

 

he has been with us for several years, and he still comes up with new things, like yesterday he tried to take his half eaten bully stick to our bedroom.

 

The point being, like the weather, wait a little bit and your grey will change

[greysmom]

First off, everything you're describing is *very* normal and natural behavior from a newly retired greyhound. Everything is new to him and he's just taking a little longer to figure everything out. Time and patience will be your best tools in regard to nearly all these behaviors.

 

In general, people take growling too seriously. It's not an aggressive action, it's just communication - I'm not comfortable with what you're doing - and it's one of the only ways he has to communicate with the non-dogs in his life. Don't take them personally. Don't try and correct his growling. If you take away his means of communication, he will stop trying and go right to a more direct way which will probably be to bite. When you hear him growl, acknowledge, redirect as appropriate, and move on.

 

Babies and kids - they are small, they are loud, they move really quickly. Many dogs, not just greyhounds, don't deal well with them. It's great that you're supervising them when together. Make sure the children all know to *NEVER NEVER* approach him when he's laying down anywhere. If they want to pet him, call him up off his bed and to you so you can be right there when they are interacting. Some great books have been written by Patricia McConnell on having kids and dogs which you might find interesting.

 

It sounds like he might also be having some sleep startle responses or resource guarding of his bed. In cases of this, especially with a new dog, don't allow him furniture priviledges and don't approach him when he's laying down. Keep a small bowl of treats near his bed and every time you walk by, say his name in a happy voice and todd his a couple treats. He'll soon learn to associate someone coming by his be with good things. The "trade-up" game is a good one to use when trying to get a high value food item away from him.

 

Statueing and startling at loud noises are also both very common and both behaviors should decrease over time as he becomes used to his environment and new stimuli. There are plenty of threads to search through here for strategies to assist with both.

 

Just remember, time and patience! Congrats and welcome to Greytalk!

[GeorgeofNE]

What a lovely well written post!

 

Don't be angst ridden: just baby gate him into a room away from the children, and all of your problems vanish.

 

Toddlers make ME anxious. I head for the hills if someone totes a baby along with them. He has made it perfectly clear he would rather not be around them. They aren't your kids, they don't live there, but HE DOES. It's not just your job to protect the children from him, but you need to set him up to succeed by protecting him from them. Which is easily done while they're too young to figure out a baby gate. Just put one up in a room of your choice, let the children perhaps feed him some treats from time to time, but just keep them separated.

 

He may eventually come to see them as friends (and they will continue to get bigger!) or he may not. Your anxiety is probably something he can sense, so gating him away from the kids will serve another purpose and allow you to RELAX.

 

My dog is terrified of children. Not a problem for me, as I don't have any and my youngest nephew is in his 20s. I just keep him away from children, and keep children away from him, and it's all good.

[philospher77]

A comment about petting: A lot of dogs like it, but it can get annoying. Think of a time when someone was rubbing your back, and they spent too long rubbing the same area. At first it feels good, then it gets annoying and you just want them to stop. We do that to dogs a lot. The solution is to pet a dog for a very short time, pause, and see what the dog does. If they want more, they will let you know. The same if they have had enough. That way he will be able to remove himself from the situation without having to growl. Also, sometimes just being close is enough.. no need to actually pet.

[jetcitywoman]

Here's a very well made short video that explains how to know when your dog wants to be petted:

[sarabz]

Great video!!!

 

 

I'll be following this thread with interest as many of the things you are describing we went through.

 

We have had a female grey for several years, and then had a baby. No issues, but then again, our first grey is the most laid-back, easy dog ever. Said baby was 2.5 when we adopted a second grey, a non-cat safe young male. (Definitely not even close to cat-workable - he went after small dogs on our walks). We had him for 8 months before we made the very hard decision to return him to the group. It was a combination of SA (even with another greyhound, he really just wanted to be around people every minute of every day) and interactions with our son. Our son did not pat him when he was lying down somewhere other than his bed, did not go on his bed, did not take things from him, did not chase him, etc but the dog was starting to chase my son in our small house. Because they both had to live in the same space, continually baby-gating the dog away from our son was creating more SA issues. We tried crating, but he was hurting himself in the crate because he hated to be crated - that meant crating during the day when we were at work wasn't really an option, and not fair to him to be crated all the time when his people were around.

 

We opted to return him to the group to find a better fitting home rather than set him up for a worse incident, which I feel is where we were headed with our son as he was getting more reactive to the toddler rather than less - everything seemed to be escalating versus scaling back. (Side note - after 2 weeks in foster care, he was adopted with another same-age male, to a retired gentleman - perfect situation).

 

I'm not saying that this is what you should do, just that I've been where you are and feel for you.

[SPDoggie]

I'll reiterate what GeorgeofNE said.... gate him away from the kids and then no one needs to worry. He does not need to be stressed and you do not need to be stressed regarding his behavior!

 

And as others have said, all very normal things of normal dogs--- do not fear he is "a bad dog"

 

You're doing great

[Guest xengab]

HI!

Just like to say, we were in the same boat as you nearly 2 years ago. New to greys and hubby new to dogs. I've been around them but not in a long while.

 

Growling, its actually BETTER they growl. Respecting what they are asking is a good way to be. The fact he growls, then moves away shows his respect for you.
Teach the mini humans this, if dog growls, they turn their back and walk away (not run, or skip or jump), they dont scream or respond any other way.
I also agree to baby gate him away until he settles in more and learns the ropes. 3 months is just a blink of the eye when settling in.

 

As for him sitting with you. Just let him sit, don't pat or rub just let him be with you. He'll ask to be patted. You'll know..LOL

 

As for other dogs, yes. Ours was too. But we kept him out walking, we stayed calm and positive. We took him to doggy classes (mixed breeds but LARGE breeds). he had two puppy retrievers and one mixed breed that had some greyhound in his genes. He loved playing with the puppies, he got commended by our trainer for being great at reading other dogs. heck he even taught the puppies (6 months old) some dog manners. So he got to see other dogs in a very controlled way, he could see the other owners working with their dogs..he'd literally just sit and watch them. Trainer was great. Took the next class where they learned off leash recall (fenced in area) and he actually topped the class on that one..LOL
So keep walking him, the more he sees calm dogs, the more he'll adjust. Barking crazy dogs, walk him on the other side of the street.

 

Bones are a huge high value treat. I'd actually recommend bully sticks instead as bones can go down wrong or crack their teeth if they are strong chewers.

 

 

Just keep up the good work. It can take up to a year for him to really feel at home, and thats normal.

[tra708]

First, congrats on adopting Stanley, and for your commitment to sticking with it during the adjustment period.

When we first got Lola 8 years ago, she was very distant, didn't like anyone or anything, and was petrified of most

everyday things. It was a very gradual process, and sometimes things happened that set us back.

But today she is a totally different dog.

It has been rewarding to watch her come out of her shell and connect with the world, one day at a time.

 

My newer dog, Connie Francis, has a few of the same issues as Stanley, and I too get concerned around other

dogs and kids with her. She is the sweetest thing on earth and is the most devoted and obedient greyhound

I have had. BUT, she does exhibit some weird, defensive behavior at times, and I just exercise caution in those

situations. I can only imagine what she had to deal with in her first 3 years of life, at the track and then in an

adoption place with too many other dogs. Sometimes it takes them a while to unwind.

 

I definitely wouldn't expect Stanley to be "all the way settled in" after 3 months. Like others have said,

it can take a year or more.

Good luck and post some pics of stanley when you can!

Edited March 9, 2017 by tra708

[GreytTerp]

I think we also went though almost everything on your list when we brought Marvin home. He was our first grey and my first big dog.

 

The resource guarding was an issue initially, but it is no longer an issue at all. It was so bad at first that we could not trade anything, and I had to get the oven mitts out to grab the item quick when he was distracted momentarily by my husband. In general, we try to avoid giving Marvin anything he can't finish in one sitting.

 

The growling is a good thing, and it's even better that Stanley already knows to just remove himself from a situation that makes him uncomfortable. Marvin immediately has to get down off of the couch if he gets grouchy about sharing space (when he was the one initiating the space sharing by wedging himself up there in the first place).

 

The "statueing" happens, even after 5 years, though not very often. Just changing direction or taking the leash up near his collar solves the issue most of the time.

 

We use baby gates to separate Marvin from our nephews and their friends when we're at family functions. We've had a few incidents, but all that resulted was a scared kid and a slight black eye when Marvin bonked one of our nephews in the face with his own face when trying to get up and away. Note: our nephews have not been properly instructed on how to behave around dogs, despite having their own.

 

Stanley sounds awesome, and I think that you'll see a further reduction in everything you mention over the next couple of months as he becomes more settled.

[smurfette]

Stanley sounds like a gem. Just imagine someone picking you from your home and the life as you know it, dumps you on Mars and tells you... Do like the martians. That's how your dog feels. He need time to adjust, to learn and to come to terms with his new life.

The others wrote great comments. So all I can add is time and patience. And be glad that Stanley chooses to growl. My boy Andy learned in his first family that growling was not respected and started to bite without warning. His people's mistakes made him lose his first home. He is here for 7 years now and will stay till the end - but it was hard work on both sides.

[busfrsr100]

Thank you all for all your responses! We feel blessed to have the support system made available through our adoption group and on Grey Talk! A wealth of knowledge and encouragement indeed. We will continue to do all we can to socialize our pup and ease his transition. Im posting on my mobile phone so will share some pictures when I get back to my PC. Cheers!