New Member, New Pupper

[Guest LittleRedL98]

Hello all! My wife and I adopted a greyhound about three months ago, Isabella. Shes a very sweet dog, but as expected, skittish and timid. She will be two years old on December 1. Apparently, she wasnt fast enough to compete, so they sent her off to a rescue. I have a feeling she was abused.

 

Shes pretty good with my wife and daughters, but she really seems afraid of me and my 25 y.o. son. She actively avoids us all, but seems to have an issue with men. About a week or so ago, she started barking at me when I come home from work or when she sees me for the first time in the morning. Its more defensive than aggressive and surprising because we never heard her bark the first two months we had her.

 

I try to be patient and calm and give her treats and treat her gently. I want her to love me like our cocker who we had since he was a puppy. We also have two cats.

 

Im frustrated and saddened by her recent behavior and am open suggestions of how I can work with her. I know it takes time, but she seems to be going in the wrong direction.

 

I am open to any and all suggestions from the experts who may have been there, done that.

 

Thanks for listening.

[Brandiandwe]

Welcome to the forum. I wouldn’t assume that timid and skittish = abuse. We have two who are closely related and they are both skittish and wary of strangers. One of them, the bitch, didn’t allow my husband to handle her for six months, and it took two years before she really warmed up to him. Now she’s his little princess. It just took a long long time. He basically ignored her and let her come to him.

[robinw]

Be patient. Let her come to you on her own terms. You can also feed her meals.

I have a guy who is very afraid of men. I usually advise new people not to make eye contact with him and to let him come to them. And he does.

Edited November 17, 2017 by robinw

[GeorgeofNE]

Hi!

 

1) I have no clue what you think greyhounds are like when you write "as expected, she is skittish and timid." MOST greyhounds are the complete opposite of that (not mine of course, just most!).

 

2) Please don't see abuse in any odd behavior. The PETA and Grey2K folks would love that kind of thinking to persist and prevail, but you have NO reason to believe that.

 

Just like any other breed, some dogs are more timid than others. Greyhounds are bred for speed, not personality, color, or the size of their head (like some other breeds). Sometimes you get a dog who is just timid, like some children are bold, and some are timid. Imagine if we went around accusing everyone with a shy child of abuse! You might Google for an article by Dennis McKeon called "Idiopathic Fear in Greyhounds." Dennis was a trainer in Massachusetts before our ill informed voters closed down the sport.

 

My dog is afraid of men. He is terrified of small children. Fortunately for both of us, I am neither a man nor a child--so it works out fine for us.

 

If your dog is less comfortable now than she was before, that's typically a sign that her true self is starting to emerge. Does not sound like this dog is a great match for your home (but if you're expecting a dog to love you like a former pet, that's never, ever fair to the new dog) and in fact this breed may simply not be for you.

 

Give your adoption group a call and let them know what's going on. They might come on out and visit and see if perhaps you're inadvertantly contributing to her fear with something you're doing. Otherwise, it's not a disgrace to admit a dog just isn't the right fit.

[Roo]

Agree with the others - skittish doesn't necessarily mean abused. Tessa is a Nervous Nellie about almost everything, but I've met and talked to her trainer and assistant trainer and I firmly believe there was no way she was ever mistreated (they ask me about her occasionally and love seeing pictures!). I also met her while she was on the track and she was supremely confident in that environment. It's being in my home that's making her nervous - it's different from everything she's ever known.

 

She's also the sweetest lovey dog, rests her head in my lap or in my arms, paws me for more affection, etc. But she wouldn't come out of her crate for the first month I had her. She skirts around strange people and tries to bolt. She's only just now (after almost two months) started to approach my neighbors (and only the ones who have dogs, and therefore smell like dogs). It was a huge victory a couple weeks ago when she started greeting me, my parents, and my BF with happy, enthusiastic wags - before, she'd nervously slink up to us, get a couple pets, then bolt to safety. Some things still freak her out - basketball bouncing noises, small children, people off in the distance, sudden strange noises...

 

But my point with all this is that she wasn't ever mistreated - nervous is just her default state!

 

Talk to your adoption group and make sure they know what's going on. They might have suggestions or know of a trainer/behaviorist who can help.

 

Giving her up because of her aversion to men is definitely understandable and you should feel no shame if you decide to bring her back. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, a dog just isn't the right fit for your home. If you already love her and are determined to keep her, however, you'll need to really work with her. Don't look at her. Don't talk to her. Don't interact with her unless she approaches you (excluding, of course, walk time - if you have to take her on a walk, then do it with as little fuss as possible - clip the leash and go). Always have delicious special treats in your pocket - bonus points if it's actually meat - and make sure you and your son are the only ones to provide her with these high value treats. If she wants meat, she has to go to you! She might always be skittish of men, but she can learn that some men - you and your son - are trustworthy. It'll take time and patience, of course, but it's usually quite possible.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Roo

[cleptogrey]

i agree with the statements above. give her time, lots of time. annie (age 2.5)came to us and only seemed to like my husband in the way of men. my late father was an animal whisperer, honestly that guy had remarkable animal karma- he grew up on a farm and never met an animal who didn't adore him- not annie. my mom too was great with animals, annie cowered when she used to come over and let the dogs out. my son-in-law has a heavy spanish accent- annie didn't go near him for 2 years. she hid in our bedroom when the kids visited from texas.

 

she just was insecure, needed to blossom and it took for ever. as a pet- she's totally devoted to our immediate family. as to other members of our family it was years. be patient, eventually she will come around. some dogs do well w/ obedience training- NOT ANNIE. she just shut down and i took my other greyhound in as a replacement since she was so unhappy. as to meet and greets she tagged along, felix loved doing them. strange, but when another person in our group handled her at meet and greets she was just fine. who knows? at 9 she is still reserved about meeting strangers. the few who have remarkable animal karma she walks up to, but she never wags her tail at them. go know?

[Guest LittleRedL98]

Thanks all for your thoughts, ideas, and replies! I will take everything into consideration. Obviously three months isnt very long. I just want her to love me as much as I do her. She wasnt a pet for her entire life and I guess that takes getting used to. Two years seems a long time, but were committed to giving her a good life. Its a marathon, not a sprint. I just have to be more patient and learn to ignore her and let her adjust to me on her own terms. She is very sweet, and Im sure shell come around. I just want it to happen NOW! lol.

[robinw]

Thanks all for your thoughts, ideas, and replies! I will take everything into consideration. Obviously three months isnt very long. I just want her to love me as much as I do her. She wasnt a pet for her entire life and I guess that takes getting used to. Two years seems a long time, but were committed to giving her a good life. Its a marathon, not a sprint. I just have to be more patient and learn to ignore her and let her adjust to me on her own terms. She is very sweet, and Im sure shell come around. I just want it to happen NOW! lol.

I want to add that it took my Iker several years to adjust. I'm not by any means implying that will happen to you. I mention it that shyness or being timid does not mean that she might not be a good fit. That's just the way she is, and that's ok . You'll get to enjoy the added bonus of watching her change and become more confident over time.

 

It has been such a pleasure watching my Iker come out of his shell and blossom into the somewhat confident guy that he is today.

 

Check out this website. It help me to accept Iker for who he is and also helped me give him the tools that he needed to grow.

 

http://fearfuldogs.com/

Edited November 17, 2017 by robinw

[Guest LittleRedL98]

I want to add that it took my Iker several years to adjust. I'm not by any means implying that will happen to you. I mention it that shyness or being timid does not mean that she might not be a good fit. That's just the way she is, and that's ok . You'll get to enjoy the added bonus of watching her change and become more confident over time.

 

It has been such a pleasure watching my Iker come out of his shell and blossom into the somewhat confident guy that he is today.

 

Check out this website. It help me to accept Iker for who he is and also helped me give him the tools that he needed to grow.

 

http://fearfuldogs.com/

Thanks. Ill look into that website. I look forward to seeing her become our pet instead of someones money-making beast of burden. Edited November 17, 2017 by LittleRedL98

[robinw]

Thanks. Ill look into that website. I look forward to seeing her become our pet instead of someones money-making beast of burden.

Watch it. Us anti racing types are in the minority here

[Roo]

Thanks. Ill look into that website. I look forward to seeing her become our pet instead of someones money-making beast of burden.

 

Goodness. I just thought you'd like to know that your sweet girl likely wasn't ever mistreated and is just shy because that's her personality. Figured that kind of reassurance would be welcome...

[Guest LittleRedL98]

We didnt raise her as a pup so I dont know what kind of treatment she was subjected to. I hope she wasnt abused, but Ive read the stories about how underperforming greyhounds are treated.

 

We reacued a six year old cocker that we had to put down at age 14. She was shy at first, but also a bit aggressive.

 

Patience. It worked with Lucy and will probably work with Izzy.

[Roo]

We didnt raise her as a pup so I dont know what kind of treatment she was subjected to. I hope she wasnt abused, but Ive read the stories about how underperforming greyhounds are treated.

 

We reacued a six year old cocker that we had to put down at age 14. She was shy at first, but also a bit aggressive.

 

Patience. It worked with Lucy and will probably work with Izzy.

Ah, yeah, there definitely are some horror stories out there. I certainly haven't met everyone in the industry, but everyone I've met so far has been really into their dogs - they love them! Though there can be bad apples in everything. Do you know your girl's racing name?

[dmdsmoxie]

This is a pretty good article and may be helpful to you.

 

https://greytarticles.wordpress.com/behavior-training-22/emotional-issues/idiopathic-fear-and-withdrawal-in-greyhounds/

 

Dick

[Roo]

This is a pretty good article and may be helpful to you.

 

https://greytarticles.wordpress.com/behavior-training-22/emotional-issues/idiopathic-fear-and-withdrawal-in-greyhounds/

 

Dick

This is such an interesting article! I read it years ago and it really changed how I view skittish and nervous pups. I could never remember where I saw it or how to find it again after that

[Guest LittleRedL98]

Ah, yeah, there definitely are some horror stories out there. I certainly haven't met everyone in the industry, but everyone I've met so far has been really into their dogs - they love them! Though there can be bad apples in everything. Do you know your girl's racing name?

Her racing name is Eleanor, like the Mustang GT500 from Gone in Sixty Seconds. :

[dmdsmoxie]

Her racing name is Eleanor, like the Mustang GT500 from Gone in Sixty Seconds. :

 

Her actual name is JD Eleanor. She decided she wasn't going to run and her last race she quit, which means she started to run and just stopped. LOL She only had a couple of official races and a few schooling races and didn't run much in those races either, but she didn't quit in those races.

[Guest LittleRedL98]

 

Her actual name is JD Eleanor. She decided she wasn't going to run and her last race she quit, which means she started to run and just stopped. LOL She only had a couple of official races and a few schooling races and didn't run much in those races either, but she didn't quit in those races.

Very cool. How do you know this? Where did she race? What else do you know?

 

Maybe she knew she wanted to be a pet rather than an athlete.

[dmdsmoxie]

Very cool. How do you know this? Where did she race? What else do you know?

 

Maybe she knew she wanted to be a pet rather than an athlete.

 

There isn't much else to tell since she had only a few races. She ran at Tri-State in West Virginia.

 

This is her Trackinfo page.

 

http://www.trackinfo.com/dog-search.jsp?keyword=JD+Eleanor&x=8&y=4&by=dogname

 

You can see she fell in one of the races, but made her next start.

 

Dogs also have a Greyhound-Data page.

 

http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?d=JD+Eleanor&sex=&color=&birthyear=&birthland=

 

G-D only has her two official races, but on G-D I can add up to three pictures of her if you want me to and I added her pet name. I can also put you and your wife down as the adopted owner if you want. I just need your names. If you want me to add pictures post them on this thread.

 

Dick

[Guest nicky604]

Many dogs (dogs of all breeds) are afraid of men. Especially male strangers. Because she is timid, you will want to be very good at reading canine signals.

There's an excellent Youtube video called, "Social Signals in Dogs", a lecture by Dr. Melissa Shyan-Norwalt.

Dogs love humans that speak good dog!

[sobesmom]

Thanks all for your thoughts, ideas, and replies! I will take everything into consideration. Obviously three months isnt very long. I just want her to love me as much as I do her. She wasnt a pet for her entire life and I guess that takes getting used to. Two years seems a long time, but were committed to giving her a good life. Its a marathon, not a sprint. I just have to be more patient and learn to ignore her and let her adjust to me on her own terms. She is very sweet, and Im sure shell come around. I just want it to happen NOW! lol.

Really try not to get discouraged. When we adopted our first grey, he bonded to ME. Not my DH, not our DD. He acted like they really didn't exist, despite all their efforts. And they tried everything. Later, after we started fostering, and the fosters taught Sobe stuff, he opened up to "his people" way more. He'd play with DH, when DH played with the other dogs. And then on his own. He never had a relationship with DD. No reason, but that just never happened. Our 2nd grey, Diana, was a totally different dog. She loved EVERYBODY. They have personalities that are unique. Your dog may change over time. That's normal. But don't be too upset right now.

 

She's VERY young. Just a puppy. At 2 greys are NOT adult dogs. Maybe at 3 or 4. After Diana I refused to take a foster under the age of 4. They're just too squirrely if they're under 4! And 3 months is a very short time.

 

Take a breath. Just wait. Message back in 3 months when you are fabulous!

[smurfette]

My dad always had treats in his pockets and lost some whrn encountering my mom's labrador. That little girl wanted nothing to do with him first but she soon realized daddy was the real deal. And became his girl.

Working with mom and fun with dad.

[Guest Greyhound1988]

Give it time. It took our dog about a year to morph into his normal self. I would try feeding off your lap to build the dog's confidence with you.