Greyhounds around children who throw tantrums

[Oellph]

Hi all,

We're adopting our first greyhound this Tuesday however I have some last minute worries. Our daughter is 8 years old and, unlike our placid son (11 years old), she's always been a bit prone to tantrums. In the weeks closing in on our adoption day her behaviour has taken a turn for the worse and if she can't have her own way she'll get loud, sometimes a little aggressive. I am really worried that this will upset our dog. Even more worried if she tried to take out any frustrations on him, both for her own safety but also at the thought that we'd have a negative impact on his own temperament and future behaviour.

I'm not sure what I'm hoping to hear. Part of me wants to give a happy and loving life to a retired greyhound and for our family to benefit in kind. Are we being selfish?

[macoduck]

The greyhound would not be happy or feel safe. If your daughter can't get her way, there's more of a chance of harm coming to the dog, harm to your daughter from a bite, or if your daughter is reckless and lets the dog escape the house.

Editing to add my experience with an out of control child: When I did a home visit for an adopter everything seemed ok in the house. The 8 year old boy was bouncy off the walls, but I chalked that up to him being excited to see a greyhound (mine). They had previous experience with dobermans, the house had a secure set-up, and the whole family was eager to get a greyhound.

A few short weeks later they called me to come get their dog. They didn't know what was wrong with her but she was trying to bite the son. On the day I went to fetch her back the son  opened the door to let me in. I asked for his mom but he said she was in the shower. I stayed on the front porch until she appeared.

I needed to find out 1. what went wrong, and 2. learn all I could about the dog's behavior so she'd be a better fit elsewhere.

During this time the greyhound was in a wire crate. When the boy started to bang on the crate with a metal toy over and over and the mom did nothing to correct him, I said STOP.

I leashed the greyhound up and got her out of the house. And yes, I told the mother exactly what the problem was: her son torturing the dog.

Hopefully this will never be the scenario you have to deal with.

Are you prepared to deal with a bite, a bite to one of your child's friends, an injury to the dog, an escape, emotional trauma to the dog?

I do understand that this is difficult for you.

Edited July 18, 2020 by macoduck

[greysmom]

Greyhounds are not golden retrievers.  For the most part, they will not just take any behavior a child can and does dish out.  Some will withdraw and avoid, some will become neurotic messes, some will develope anxiety and fear bite.  Any of those reactions are not ok.  Every member of the household needs to be able to coexist with the dog in a proper and safe manner - both for the safety of the dog and the safety of the child.

If you have *any* fear that your child could either intentionally OR unintentionally hurt an animal out of anger you can not consider bringing any companion animal into this home.  Period.

I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but if this is a real possibility your daughter needs to receive help from qualified medical experts, not a dog.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Absolutely agree with the above!

You should not bring any pet into a hostile and potentially dangerous environment. 

Did the adoption group visit your home? Did you mention your daughters behaviour to them?

All of my Greyhounds are St. John Ambulance Certified  'Child Friendly' Therapy Dogs and we've been volunteering at elementary schools for several years.    They are perfectly fine ..and truly enjoy ... being with lots of very noisy children running in the halls and playing in the playground.  I would not subject any dog to this if I was not confident that he was stressed. 

One of our classrooms is for autistic 5 & 6 years olds...an often noisy and usually very active room, and my dogs handle it very well.  However, these children are taught never to tease, hit, poke or grab the dog.  Ever.  And I am there, along with their teachers and support people to remind the children of proper behaviour and to ensure that my dog is never nervous, afraid or physically uncomfortable. Ever.  

If you...in your own home with your own children... cannot guarantee the mental and physical safety of any pet 100% of the time, then you do not deserve to have a pet.  

Edited July 19, 2020 by BatterseaBrindl

[MerseyGrey]

While your intentions are good, I think that it sounds like you already know that a dog might not be a good fit for your family at the moment. Your daughter is only eight years old so it sounds like something you should put on hold until she’s matured more and can understand the consequences of her actions better, and maybe revisit this in four or five years time...or when she’s left home for college/university! If her behaviour is deteriorating because she is (consciously or subconsciously) worrying that she might lose some of your attention if you adopt a pet, you really don’t want involve a dog of any kind in this in case she uses the dog to get your attention. Deal with your daughter first, then you can start to think about adding a dog to your family when you know that you can give an ex-working dog a peaceful, loving, relaxed and safe retirement 

[winnie]

One of our greyhounds was a return from a home with children after she bit them. The previous family gave us a note stating all of the Bonny’s problems. We don’t have children. Bonny exhibited ZERO of the behavior issues mentioned in our home. Even when our young nieces would visit, Bonny’s response to children was simply to leave the room. Our nieces knew better than to follow her. Our conclusion was that the children in her previous home were likely torturing her. Bonny was a true gentle giant and never deserved to be put through living with children that couldn’t follow rules or received no guidance/supervision.