Dog Killed Neighbours Cat And Now Her Behaviour Has Changed.

[Guest Firsttimegrey]

Hi everyone - we rescued Lilly in October and she had settled in well. She was only 2 when we rescued her but was a very calm dog, that loved to sleep and loved her crate. 2 weeks ago she caught and killed a cat in our garden and ever since then she has been a different dog. She now has lots of energy and gets very excited and has started to nip at our children. She now pounces on toys and kills them. If we leave her alone in the house she gets very distressed. It started with her trying to escape her crate and being very vocal. So we left the crate door open but she is still vocal, paces, pants etc. We leave stuffed kongs and balls with food in that are ignored until we get home. (We then pick them up and only give them to her when we leave.)

 

Ive ended up feeling like I cant leave the house as the neighbours have complained about the noise and I am also very wary of her around my children (7 and 4). I work from home, so am usually out for an hour in the morning and in the afternoon (to drop off and pick up) so she isnt on her own much at all. I walk her twice a day, for a min of 30 mins each walk.

 

Ive called the vets to ask their advice and their behaviour nurse is going to talk to me but I was wondering if anyone has advice on here? My neighbours wanted her put down, but because it happened in our garden the vets said we were not legally obligated to. But now I am wondering if what has happened has changed her somehow and that really worries me.

 

Please help!

[turbotaina]

Have you done any training with her at all? Many dogs are very quiet as they first go to a home, and then as time passes and they get more settled in, their personality starts to come out. For one of my current guys, he was quiet for a solid year, now he barks and spins and plays and pounces on toys with the best of them. Two is still very much puppy-dom for a greyhound so I'd encourage training (mental stimulation is not only good for behaviors, but it also taxes their little brains and makes them tired) and increased exercise (make those walks an hour long). Search the forum for alone training and you'll get lots of advice about how to address the potential separation anxiety before it gets worse. A very, very good booklet on it is I'll Be Home Soon by Patricia McConnell, PhD. It's short, easy to understand and will make a huge difference if you follow her protocols.

 

When you say she's nipping the kids, is it play nipping? In other words, is she getting playfully excited and nipping the kids or what is the context?

[Guest Firsttimegrey]

Hi - thanks for the reply. She is play nipping but she has also growled at my daughter a few times. Its hard as we chose a retired greyhound because they were supposed to be calm, sleep a lot and only require a couple of short walks a day. Now we have a bouncy, pouncy big dog that nips and makes me very nervous. The cat incident really shook me up and all of it combined is not good. My kids love her to bits but I am really struggling at the moment.

[robinw]

Hi - thanks for the reply. She is play nipping but she has also growled at my daughter a few times. Its hard as we chose a retired greyhound because they were supposed to be calm, sleep a lot and only require a couple of short walks a day. Now we have a bouncy, pouncy big dog that nips and makes me very nervous. The cat incident really shook me up and all of it combined is not good. My kids love her to bits but I am really struggling at the moment.

Your neighbours have to take responsibility for the cat. Greyhounds are hunters and and will sometimes kill animals. their cat shouldn't have been outside, and certainly shouldn't have been in your yard.

[2greyhoundMINI]

The cat was in your yard, so though it's a shame it died, it's not your fault or responsibility. Another reason I've never allowed my cats to go outside.

 

Our one grey was super quiet and basically depressed when we got him... he sat at the rescue an extra year???? No idea why. Now he's energetic, plays, barks and roos with the best of them... completely different dog. Personally I'm happy he came around.

 

I'm not sure what to say about the nipping... our one nipped at people who came in "his room" for a spell, but he doesn't do it anymore. He was trying to herd people out of the room.

[macoduck]

Have you told your adoption group about this? Your girl is still very new and just getting past the "honeymoon" phase so is expressing herself more.

 

Shame on your neighbors for telling you to put her down. Shame on them for letting their run loose to kill birds, poop in gardens and potentially injure your dog.

[Fruitycake]

You got a puppy-aged greyhound. She's a lot more comfortable and instead of being on her best behavior she's relaxed to the point where she feels comfortable enough to let her natural puppy energy show. We got one, too, and the first 8 months or so he slowly settled in and watched us and figured out he was home and then his puppy came out to play!

 

The cat incident is unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected for a dog that apparently has a prey drive (and a cat that was unprepared for it). My sympathies to you and the cat's owners. I don't think that drive has anything to do with her nipping (or air snapping?) at your children - that's more of a play behavior and often directed at those they play with (dogs, and unfortunately sometimes humans). It sounds like she is going to need a lot more stimulation and directed play, with toys she can catch, toss around, and scoop up instead of directing her mouth at people. Can you tell when she's getting rambunctious and intercede and take her outside and play with her there without the children present? If she gets mouthy, shove a soft toy in her mouth or toss it and if she aims for you all play stops and you give her a time out. She isn't going to differentiate between her toys and those of your children's toys, though, so that means keeping their toys out of her reach henceforth.

 

She will likely settle down in time, and greyhounds are smart enough to learn proper behavior given the proper (to them) incentive to make the right choice themselves. You can see about doing some training with her for rewards that she thinks are high value, to exercise her mind. There are obedience lessons, but there are also silly things like hiding treats and teaching her to find them on command, or playing 'catch' by calling her from one person to another where each has her desired reward for coming to them. Walking her and letting her sniff and explore with her nose can also help (very important in young dogs, even if they do have a fenced yard to play in).

 

I hope you can learn to appreciate and work with your 'puppy' behaved greyhound and work on encouraging her to behave appropriately by giving her outlets for her energy and enthusiasm. Good luck, and there are many here who have lived through it and can help with suggestions!

[krissy]

The incident with the cat is regrettable, but certainly not shocking. Any small creature outside is potentially fair game for most greyhounds. There are some with low prey drives (I've got one that has never done more than lift an ear for small creatures) but that isn't the norm. I have 2 greyhounds that were raised from 8 weeks old with my rabbits in the house, but will (and have) chased rabbits outside. Not sure what they would do with an outdoor cat, but I certainly wouldn't put it past them to chase it. Point being, that prey drive is totally normal and should be expected.

 

As others have said, 2 years old is very much a puppy. I've raised two and they don't really learn a true off switch until about 3-4. Right now my dogs are on minimal exercise and training because I hurt my back (and it's the middle of winter in Edmonton), and Holy Hannah! my 23 month old is about to drive me nuts. The 5 yr old has settled enough now that if she doesn't get her exercise she can just chill. But yes, if you were looking for a calm, low energy retired racer, you were done a disservice being given a 2 year old. It is the rare dog that is calm and low energy at 2. Now that she's settled in and feels more comfortable you're likely to see more and more 2 yr old behaviour. I'd recommend obedience classes with a positive reinforcement trainer, and lots of free running time somewhere safe and fenced. Walks are nice, but you'd have to hike for hours to get the kind of physical exhaustion you'll get from running. When my first puppy was about 18 months old, Sunday was our big exercise day. We would go to agility class for an hour, then I'd take her for an off leash hike at the conservation for an hour, and then we'd stop at the dog park at the conservation and she'd play for an hour. Then we'd go home and she'd sleep for an hour and be raring to go again. Trust me when I say a 30-60 min walk is nothing for a dog that age. I personally love them around this age... I've put enough training into them that they're well behaved, but they're always ready to do something which matches my need to stay busy.

[Banjoman]

Over a period of thirty years I have had whippets and now a retired racing greyhound and a whippet lurcher and have always warned my neighbours if their cat comes into my garden I cannot be responsible for its safety. My dogs are sighthounds and their instinct is to chase and kill a small moving animal. I would never deliberately let my dogs out into the garden if I knew a cat was out there but there have been some really stupid cats around who are prepared to risk meeting my dogs whilst hunting the field mice in the garden! These dark evenings I put several lights on before opening the back door to let the dogs out, that way any cat or fox has some warning.

 

Sorry your Lilly caught and killed the neighbour's cat but it is what she was born to do.

[4My2Greys]

 

Shame on your neighbors for telling you to put her down. Shame on them for letting their run loose to kill birds, poop in gardens and potentially injure your dog.

This a 1000 times over!

[cleptogrey]

i agree with krissy, a two year old needs much more exercise. as the cats, they are sighthounds and many will do exactly that, some don't. my females have killed cats and birds in my yard, that's their job, they sighthounds. i did inform my neighbor who let's her cat out- and it comes into my yard the past history of my dogs. she no longer lets the cat out. i also told her that if the cat scratches my dog's cornea she will be responsible. that's one of the drawbacks of their hunting- their eyes are wide open!

 

one of my salukis liked to try to nip the butts of kids. he was brought up w/ 2 crazy boys (the breeder's nephews) who teased the litter when they visited. i was able to retrain him and that behavior was modified. he was a dream with my daughter.

 

may i suggest exercise, training and talking to your group. if you had requested a laid back dog, a 4 or 5 year old would fit the bill. most of dogs placed into adoption from the track seem very quiet the first couple of months. they are adjusting to a new life. but a two year old is an adolescent pup.

[greysmom]

The two things really have nothing to do with one another.

 

Most everyone has commented on the cat issue, so I will just add that any animal that runs away from a sighthound outside is usually considered a prey animal and will be hunted by *most* dogs. However that doesn't necessarily mean the dog won't be cat tolerant of indoor cats s/he considers part of his/her pack. They are two separate things in the dog's mind.

 

As far as the nipping is concerned, it's also a natural play behavior, which is why greyhounds routinely wear muzzles during turnouts when playing together. It's also why many greyhounds come into adoption with small scuffs and scars - from playing with their littermates! You basically still have a puppy-in-a-grown-up-body on your hands, and that puppy won't begin to calm down for another couple of years.

 

She was probably a little shut down and figuring things out in her new home, which is why you thought she was quiet and calm! What you're seeing now is pretty much typical puppy behavior, for any breed of puppy. She's going to need exercise for her still-growing body, and for her smart little mind. Good long walks a couple times a day, along with puzzle games and beginning training will help her settle down.

 

If your kids are old enough, enlist them in her training so she begins to see them as leaders and not human puppies. Have the kids help with her feeding, and spend quiet time with her reading or doing quiet activity like coloring. Teach them what to do when she starts nipping them - immediately yell "ouch!" and turn their backs on her, keeping their arms close to their sides, and ignoring her. If she continues to try and play, they should leave the room or yard and come and find you so you can segregate Lilly until she calms down.

 

Most importantly, if you feel Lilly is going to be too young of a dog for you and your family to deal with, contact your adoption group right away. You can also ask them for referrals to a positive reinforcement trainer they know that works well with greyhounds. That person can observe how your family and Lilly interact and give you one-on-one tips to help your new puppy grow into a valued family member.

[NewGrey2017]

I had a golden retriever who caught and killed a rabbit 10 years ago in our backyard. You would have thought he just won Olympic Gold he was so proud. He brought it to the back door and strutted around the yard for days. It's what dogs do. I certainly would not entertain the idea of putting your girl down.

 

I feel terrible for your neighbors at the loss of their pet, but it's entirely their fault. If your dog didn't get the cat then it still had to contend with other cats, dogs, cars, foxes, raccoons, antifreeze, etc, etc... I hit one with a car 25 years ago and still feel bad about it.

[racindog]

Have you told your adoption group about this? Your girl is still very new and just getting past the "honeymoon" phase so is expressing herself more.

 

Shame on your neighbors for telling you to put her down. Shame on them for letting their run loose to kill birds, poop in gardens and potentially injure your dog.

This 2000 times over!!! Stupid people. Don't even take care of their own pet letting it run amok and telling you to kill yours for absolutely NOTHING other than being a DOG.