Retired Racer Having Problems With Current Dog

[Guest VENUS17]

Hello all,

 

I am hoping someone can shed some light on my situation. My wife and I have a six year old Rhodesian Ridgeback and recently adopted a 4 year old female Greyhound. She is a sweetheart and loves to play and run in the yard. We really like her. The problem is that she keeps nipping at our other dog. We keep her muzzled of course but she will walk up to him for no apparent reason and try to bite his face. She will follow him around the house trying to get near his face and try to bite him. He is a sensitive soul and it seems to be stressing him out. We were hoping for a companion for him but i am not sure how to handle it at this point. They are okay in the yard together and will sit right next to each other when waiting for food or treats so i am not sure what this behavior she is exhibiting means. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

[Batmom]

She's probably trying to get him to play with her. If their play styles are that different, she might not be a good match for him.

[Guest VENUS17]

The funny thing is that his play style is usually very much in your face, rough and tumble. In this case his ears are back and head down and it is very obvious he doesn't like it. We have a crate for her and she snarls and growls at him if he gets within 10 feet of the crate while she is in it. He now avoids it entirely.

[Batmom]

How long have you had her? She may be feeling stressed, too, and just not showing it in an obvious way.

 

 

You can do some things to modify their behavior with each other. Sometimes helps. For example, when one approaches the other and both remain calm and gentle, both get THE BEST treats and a "good dog!" Sometimes you have to engineer that, so you catch them BEFORE somebody gets snarky or unhappy about things (or overly playful). Then you can start adding a word to the behavior -- "Gently" or "Easy."

[Guest VENUS17]

It has only been a few days. I am sure she is stressed and still learning her boundaries and the new environment. They actually do quite well when treats are involved. They will sit right next to each other waiting for treats. It is the rest of the time that is the problem. It seems to be getting worse very quickly. She growls at him if he even looks in her direction from across the room when she is in her crate.

[Batmom]

If she is in her crate and he walks into the room, BEFORE she growls, I would drop a handful of really good treats in the crate and "good girl!" You can probably engineer that one . He should get treats too, of course.

 

It might help to drape a blanket over all but the entry to her crate, but that might also make her feel more defensive (and him feel more curious) -- maybe worth a try tho.

 

It is early days and she is likely stressed. I would just be cautious that she doesn't pester him overmuch, to the point that *he* lashes out at her. Some walks together can help them get used to each other, if you have decent places to walk and they are both OK on leash.

 

 

 

We had a similar situation once -- existing dog was calm and welcoming, new dog was territorial and snippy. Our advantage over you was, new dog wasn't territorial in her crate. She was stressed tho without seeming to be. Time and treats as described solved the problem, and the two became decent pals within 3-4 weeks.

[greysmom]

Just to be clear, she is not being aggressive towards your boy, even though it might seem that way. She's resource guarding her crate, and (probably) trying to get him to play in the other behavior you asked about.

 

Without actually seeing the behavior, we can't tell for sure, of course, but it sounds like she's trying to play "bitey face" with him - they'll be walking along together, and she'll reach over and nuzzle or nip at the side of his face, or she'll lay down next to him or in front of him and do the same. It's a pretty common way for greyhounds to play, but your boy might not be comfortable with it. You need to do what you can to manage this behavior until she calms down and your boy gets used to it. Watch her carefully and *before* you see it happening redirect her behavior towards something else - a chew toy or treat - in another part of the room. Make sure your boy has some space he can go to to get a break fom her and give him some nice one-on-one attention. Sounds like your greyhound might also benefit from some increased exercise to tire her out a bit more - solo walks or play sessions.

 

Batmom has given you some good advice about how to break a resource guarding habit. Another way to do it is to eliminate it entirely - take her crate down and use an xpen or confine her in a dog-proof room. The behavior might also relax on it's own as she settles into home life. Remember, she never had to share *anything* before now, and she's actually not had much she can call her own besides her crate. So having her own things is new an probably pretty darn fabulous for her. Once she figures out it's not going to be taken away, she'll get better.

 

Welcome and good luck!

[Houndtime]

If it is any comfort to you, my girl bites and nips my guy's face, everyday when we take them out of their crates. Sometimes, it seems like she has his whole head in her mouth. She even makes a growling noise, but, they are definitely getting in the mood to play outside. This is EVERY DAY!!. It's what she does. It sounds like your dog is doing the same thing. Your boy just might not be used to it. You can control it, by telling her to knock it off. They all seem to understand that.

[Guest VENUS17]

Thank you all for the replies and the suggestions. We will definitely start putting them to use. She is a super sweet girl otherwise so it is our hope we can get this under control.

[ozgirl2]

A lot of greyhounds play bitey face - someone on here probably has a video

 

Here are a few...

 

 

 

[Guest VENUS17]

lol, that is hilarious. I wish that is what this was. It seems to be a case of resource guarding for sure. Our boy will walk over near her crate and she will run over and growl and snap at him. She has been having trouble adjusting to new food so we have been giving her some boiled chicken and rice and if he gets near the stove when the chicken is cooking she does the same thing. I really hope we can correct this. He is playful and easy going and she seem to have no interest in him, unless he gets near something she sees as hers.

[GeorgeofNE]

It's totally normal.

 

She is used to greyhounds, and all retired racers have the benefit of being much more "dog saavy" than "regular dogs." I assume you purchased your ridgeback as a puppy? So he had approximately 8 weeks to learn everything he needed to know about speaking "dog." She has had her entire life to spend interacting with other dogs constantly.

 

She's speaking a language he was too young to really understand when he left his family and joined yours. After you got him, you expected him to learn to be a good pet and companion, and you spoke a totally different language. He just doesn't understand her, yet.

 

You really need a LOT longer than a couple of days to see how they will work things out.

 

Just monitor them constantly and intervene if she seems to be pushing him past his tolerance.