Greyhound reacting to other dogs

[SweetenerH]

Hello everyone,

Me and my partner adopted our greyhound about 6 weeks ago now. 
We are having some issues out on walks with other dogs. 
At first on walks he was very excited to see other dogs and would love to try meet them however we noticed that other dog owners would avoid him by crossing the street or pulling their dog away, we believe this is partly to do with the muzzle he wears (because of his high prey drive for fluffy things) and also possibly covid related? We had a few incidents with dogs jumping over fences and barking at him and I feel like he now associates other dogs as a danger instead and has started growling at dogs which doesn’t help with his friend making! 
We actively go to parks full of dogs to try encourage him get the chance to meet other dogs but many owners seem scared of him and his size. With covid going on sadly no greyhound meet ups have been happening and we don’t have friends with dogs either. 
I have seen other posts saying to teach the ‘look at me’ command followed by a treat when near other dogs but it seems impossible to give him the treat with the muzzle on! Should we try with the muzzle off and trust him?   
Any suggestions? 

Edited July 19, 2020 by SweetenerH

[HeyRunDog]

Greyhounds are usually only interested in other greyhounds and large dogs. As for people crossing over the street could be his muzzle or Covid. I would try with the muzzle off.

When he sees a fluffy thing give the command "leave" with a quick jerk on the lead, keep walking and give him a "well done" after you've gone past. Walk with confidence without giving any outward sign that there is going to be a problem but be ready to react as soon as he sees a "fluffy thing". If he sees that the boss isn't interested in it hopefully he'll pick up on that and think I'm not either.

[MerseyGrey]

We’ve had some success with the type of training you’ve suggested. You will find it much easier without the muzzle but you could always use long thin treats which you can push through the muzzle. Start by getting his attention (watch me!) when there are no dogs around, and if he looks to you, give him a treat. Practice this. Then you can start doing it when there are dogs in the distance and see if you can still get his attention. You will then do it when the strange dogs are closer. Eventually your dog will start to look at you whenever he sees another dog. It won’t work every time, but you can gauge his reaction and work out when the situation is getting to be too much for him.

We muzzled our boy for the first 9 months or so of having him, and found out by accident when we forgot to muzzle him on a holiday that he is much better around other dogs without it. He can still be nervous around other dogs, but I firmly believe that when he is wearing a muzzle he is reactive in order to keep other dogs away, which causes the other dog to respond the same way, then Buddy reacts to that and the situation escalates. Remove the muzzle (which you can look at as a means to protect hapless squirrels and rabbits, or a cage which prevents him from being able to defend himself), and you take away Buddy’s initial reaction, which allows dogs to approach him in a more civilised manner. Now I make it clear that my dog can be a bit of a nark (whereby Buddy will almost always behave impeccably) to other dog owners whose dogs are off the lead and it’s up to them. Occasionally he will snap if the other dog is impolite - for example, jumping on his face or running towards him excitedly - but in nine meetings out of ten, Buddy is a gentleman who will sniff politely or stand and wait out the investigations of the other dog. I do however try to intercept dogs that are running at him as I know that will most likely end in failure and I only really want to praise him so I try and set the situation up to be a success.

It really is important to watch how your dog reacts so you can see if he is becoming overwhelmed by the attention from other dogs,  and as I said, he may still snap but you will learn to distinguish this as a ‘warning shot’ rather than an attack on the other dog. This is very good behaviour if your dog does this. It shows that he is asserting his boundaries and is showing restraint. If you have someone who you can walk the dog with while you practice you might find it easier and you both learn together. Good luck!

[mansbestfriend]

Hi SweetenerH. Very early in your OP is the quote "... the muzzle he wears (because of his high prey drive for fluffy things) ..." . Without knowing more, please keep using the muzzle in public until the dog is assessed to be safe in public without one. If your dog is growling at another dog, it's a clear warning that your dog is uncomfortable in that moment and doesn't feel safe. At that point (preferably before that point), the first thing you should do is calmly create more space between your dog and whatever is making it growl so that you dog feels safer. Try walk your dog at a less-busy time of day. For the benefit of the dog, stay away from dog parks, and parks full of dogs.

At your leisure, look into some basic training (EG: "Look at me") with your dog with Positive Reinforcement meathods. Peace.   PS. If other dog owners seem uneasy about your dog, please respect that and don't take it personally.