GreyStella Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 My brand new greyhound is doing great! Today on our walk, we saw 2 people far ahead and one threw a large plastic red ball to the otherone, further away. Stella spun around and tried to bolt. I tried to redirect her to keep walkung in another direction, nope, she wanted to go home. She even started up the wrong stairs to the wrong door. We went home and she seemed fine. Is it just a new thing and it startled her? We will try another short walk tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Yeah, something about whatever freaked her out a bit. She may be perfectly fine going forward or she may have some issues at that point in your walk. If you can lure her through it with some *really really* ymmy treats, it will help her get over it faster. If she's still really freaked out, you may need a new walking route for a few days/weeks before trying it again. Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyStella Posted October 10, 2017 Author Share Posted October 10, 2017 We went for a second walk and at first she didnt want to leave the house. I gave her a treat and told her I would just go by myself ans started to leave. She quickly changed her mind and came. We went a different way and she was fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandiandwe Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 FWIW, one of mine, Paige, used to freak out about kites and hot air balloons. Sometimes it's the unexpected stuff which startles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnF Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 Peggy doesn't like big bouncing balls... apparently teens can't walk without noisily bouncing a ball, or riding a skateboard with tiny wheels that sounds like an ancient subway train coming down the line. Red probably isn't part of the problem as they are colour blind to Red and probably see it as a pale brown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoutsmom Posted October 10, 2017 Share Posted October 10, 2017 The ball was moving and moving in a strange way, therefore it was scary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyStella Posted October 11, 2017 Author Share Posted October 11, 2017 Thanks everyone. We walked near the same area today and she was good. She did hear some loud kids and turned to go home. She wasn't quite as rattled as the night before and I got her to walk at a decent pace, but it was clear the walk was over. Her foster did tell me she's afraid of loud kids. I also am leaving her alone for longer and longer petiods of time. She is doing great in her kennel, no barking. Peanut butter in the kong is a godsend!!! Forgot to ask my question. When she gets rattled and wants to go straight home, should I try to get her to keep walking elsewhere from what rattled her, or just get her calm but take her home? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoomdoggie Posted October 11, 2017 Share Posted October 11, 2017 Leica doesn't mind wading through crashing waves in Lake Michigan, but he gets all freaked out if a harmless little dragonfly gets within 6 feet of him. Silly doggies!😜 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Thanks everyone. We walked near the same area today and she was good. She did hear some loud kids and turned to go home. She wasn't quite as rattled as the night before and I got her to walk at a decent pace, but it was clear the walk was over. Her foster did tell me she's afraid of loud kids. I also am leaving her alone for longer and longer petiods of time. She is doing great in her kennel, no barking. Peanut butter in the kong is a godsend!!! Forgot to ask my question. When she gets rattled and wants to go straight home, should I try to get her to keep walking elsewhere from what rattled her, or just get her calm but take her home? She's going to spook over new things for a while, because they're NEW. IMHO the most important thing is to be aware of what makes her spook a bit, and deal with it. Dealing with it depends. If she spots or hears something that rattles her, immediately speak in a HAPPY, upbeat, CONFIDENT voice. They don't understand words - but they understand tone. "Oh I heard that but we are just fine! We are OK, I'm OK". Pat or pet her a little bit while talking and walking on, confidently, with your head up - like YOU GOT THIS.. And try to keep going forward, or if her anxiety is too much, change your path a bit to not go into the "thing". Loop around somehow, but don't go "straight home when a scary thing happened". Try to get somewhere else, even a little circle, to "wash" that out and not make "just run home" the thing. AND - if you do a little diversion, and she calms, praise the heck outta her!!!!! Then call it a day. Don't push it. This sounds pretty normal to me. This is just new greyhound stuff, so don't freak that there's something "wrong". Just keep plugging away, and every day will be better and better. I have to reiterate - YOU must show confidence when she wavers. She looks to you for guidance on how to deal with scary stuff - and if you act like the scary stuff is NOT scary to you - she will pick up on that. GOOD LUCK! Please follow up on this thread. I'm excited to hear of your progress. We went for a second walk and at first she didnt want to leave the house. I gave her a treat and told her I would just go by myself ans started to leave. She quickly changed her mind and came. We went a different way and she was fine. Well done. Not leaving the house is NOT an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kronckew Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 don't forget, dogs don't see 'red', so to them it's a big black ball. a giant ACME portable hole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFNx7YFwFfI after a few years of checking to make sure that horrible new addition to the landscape is actually gone, they may recover a bit. just like they always check that location where they saw a (cat,squirrel,bird,monster, nice tasty decomposed rat,etc - pick one or more) and will for years, because it might be there again. Quote Regards, Wayne KronckeCAVE CANEM RADIX LECTI ET SEMPER PARATUSVegetarians: My food poops on your food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyStella Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 Thanks for the great advice!! I have now had her a week and this hasn't happened since. She gets very excited to go for a walk and even loud noises just get an ear perk and a look around. The only thing I can say she doesn't like the sound of is the dishwasher. When I run it she looks a bit fussy but some talking, singing and treats go a long way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyStella Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 Today we went to the dog park and she did really well! She was approacable with all the dogs, even though she didn't play much. She met my friend's retriever and they got aling very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenEveBaz Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Go, Stella! <<a giant ACME portable hole>> Quote Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 Thanks for the great advice!! I have now had her a week and this hasn't happened since. She gets very excited to go for a walk and even loud noises just get an ear perk and a look around. The only thing I can say she doesn't like the sound of is the dishwasher. When I run it she looks a bit fussy but some talking, singing and treats go a long way. Woo hoo!!!!!! Thanks for following up! SO glad you're making greyt progress!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyStella Posted October 28, 2017 Author Share Posted October 28, 2017 Stella continues to be a greyt dog! I have hired a dog walker that come mid day 3x a week. She has an hour, but Stella sets the pace, if she doesn't want to go far or for the hour, that's ok. I know she likes the time to amble along sniffing everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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