Anecdotally, Do You Find Males Or Females Less Prone To Sa?

[Guest Glazgo]

Hi Greyhound Gurus!

 

I was just curious, for those who have adopted/owned multiple greyhounds in your life, have you noticed a pattern of males or females being more/less prone to SA? As I understand, females tend to be (as a generalization, not a rule) a bit more bossy/aloof. Does this translate to being better as an only dog? I would love to hear your stories!

 

From the owners I know (and admittedly, it's a relatively small sample size), the trend does seem to be that the males are more likely to struggle as an only dog, but I know, I know... YMMV

[seeh2o]

My personal experience has been that females have it much less than males. I found this article to be interesting, but can't vouch for its accuracy.

https://www.1800petmeds.com/education/separation-anxiety-risk-factors-dog-29.htm

Edited December 1, 2017 by seeh2o

[greysmom]

I really don't think it makes any difference. If a dog is going to have separation anxiety, they'll have it - based on their personality and DNA.

[EllenEveBaz]

In linear timeline --

 

• #1 female, fine as only dog with me but I got her as a bounce who was having a difficult time with her first family's increased working hours
• #1 male who after #1 female died, started growling sometimes at new dogs and people on walks. #1 female had always taken the lead on meetings. Dog trainer advised me to be more confident when introducing him, and that "fixed" his problem.
• #2 female freaked out with classic separation anxiety when #1 male died just a few months after she arrived, so I got
• #2 male. He and #2 female bonded tightly. When he died 4 yrs later, I thought #2 female would freak out again, but she was calm. She had been with me longer, and I think bonding with #2 male actually made her a more confident dog.

Then I went crazy for a while and had 3 dogs. When I went back to two dogs and #2 female died, #4 male gradually got less active and less interactive. Not classic SA, but sad at being alone. When #5 male arrived, #4 immediately back to his bouncy self. No idea if #4 male would have shown anxiety problems if he had been an only dog when he first arrived here.

[GreytHoundPoet]

Hmmm...interesting question.

 

Anecdotally, I have had around 100 Greyhounds come through my doors as either fosters, overnight or short-term guests, or personal dogs. I've had a pack that fluctuated between 4-10 dogs at any given time due to these extras in the last decade. I cannot honestly say that I saw anything that indicated one gender having more separation anxiety than the other. These gender-based questions always interest me because I have had such a large sample size for an individual person but such a small one in the grand scheme. I have not had any personal dogs have separation anxiety from us because the pack has always been a strong emergency backup blanket in times of stress. I will say that some dogs that were totally fine in my home and pack exhibited SA with adopters when they became an only dog or one of two. I had a female here who was so bad that she broke out of a crate, destroying it and injuring herself, destroyed my couch, brand new comforter, my curtains, and my fan. Oddly enough, she was fine as an only dog, probably because her new owner worked from home. I had a foster male who howled and howled for hours and had to be placed with another Greyhound and a less busy family to keep him happy.

 

I have noticed that males tended to bond more closely and be more needy than females but I certainly had my share of very needy females. I've really had the gamut, from true spooks to extremely outgoing (almost lab-like) Greyhounds (like my 8-year-old girl who is wild and tries to greet everyone with hugs and kisses), from sweet, soft temperaments to extremely sharp ones, from puppies to seniors, from pack oriented to dog aggressive (fun to manage in a pack, let me tell you). I'd argue, based on my limited experience, that things like this have a lot more to do with the individual dog, proper socialization, training, home situations, and genetics (nature + nurture) than gender.

Edited December 2, 2017 by GreytHoundPoet

[Guest Glazgo]

Wow Greyhound Poet! I'm in awe of your dedication to fostering and adopting greyhounds! What a kind person . Thanks for the replies everyone! It's really interesting to hear your experiences

[GeorgeofNE]

My limited experience is with two males, but oddly the one labeled as timid and fearful is FAR more comfortable home alone all day than my very outgoing boy who had a long career at the track and loved adventures and fun. He had a TERRIBLE time alone, although he did manage it after a struggle in the beginning. I've always found that odd.

[Allyalbon]

I have a female, 4, who never showed any signs of anxiety, very chilled and laid back from the first day, then we got a second female, 2, who had very bad anxiety at first which we hadn't realised could happen, as we figured they would be happy with each other there, not realising that it may be the lack of human in the house that could cause it! Luckily, with a lot of practice and patience and some calming pills, she settled down within a couple of months. The non SA girl is very laid back, strong willed and stubborn and pretty independent whereas the girl with SA is very sweet, gentle and cuddly and I suspect that the individual personality has a lot to do with it.