New greyhound- very nervous!

[Jules]

Hi everyone,

I suppose I'm just looking for some reassurance really. We adopted this lovely boy 5 days ago, so extremely early days I know. He's been so sweet and gentle and well behaved, and lovely with my two little girls. He's just so nervous, and I want to try and do what we can to make things easier for him. I feel like it's getting worse rather than better!

Over the last couple of days, he's become terrified of going into the utility room to eat- we thought he may be scared of his reflection in the bin, so we removed that! He eventually does, but with much coaxing, and it means he's not drinking enough so I've been bringing the water bowl to him and he laps it up! 

He's also extremely jumpy on walks, and now on going into our garden (which he wasn't so much before), nothing bad has happened as far as I know in our garden, we usually take him out on the leash, and stay with him as he's been getting used to it. 

On walks, I stupidly let him get close to another dog breed without a muzzle on, and he nipped the other dog- totally my fault, as he's not used to them yet, and I've learnt my lesson, but I'd love for him to be less anxious around other breeds especially as my mother-in-law has two small dogs. 

Trying to give him as much space as possible, and not disturb him in his bed etc. I've considered crating, but he's never known a crate and I'm worried this will just heighten his anxiety. 

Thanks so much for reading this far, any words or wisdom and/or reassurance from experienced grey owners (which I am not!) much welcome!

[greysmom]

Time and Patience.  Patience and time.

Remember, his entire world has been turned upside down, taken away, and replaced by a living situation he's never, ever experienced before.

Some things that can help:

>Get him on a strict daily schedule and keep him on it.  It's what he's used to and will adapt best to.

>Put his food and water bowl in a quiet, but more open space so he has free access to it.  

>Get some DAP (Dog Appeasing Pherome) diffusers and plus them in around the house.  Especially where he sleeps, where he eats, and where he hangs out during the day.  If they seem to work, there is also a collar you can get for walks.

>Don't force him to socialize yet.  Many greyhounds don't even recognize other breeds as "dogs" like themselves, and they just need to become used to them.  If it becomes a bigger issue, get the ebooklet "Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash reactive Dog" by Patricia McConnell to walk you through some solutions.

>Limit his world a little until he settles in and becomes more familiar and confortable with it.  Short walks for potties only, short play sessions in the garden, let him just be quiet and observe for a bit.

>It's all about building trust.  Take time throughout the day to just sit with him quietly.  Read a book or magazine or work on a handcraft, toss him a yummy treat every so often.  Sit close by but not right next to him so he has some personal space.  If you're kids are able, let them help - sit them down too and have them read out loud to him and toss him yummy treats (probably not as many as they'll want to toss him though!!   )

>Remember that the dog you have today isn't the dog you'll have in three weeks time.  Or three months.  Or three years.  He will settle into living in a home and his personality will begin to come through - in his own time and way.  This is a process that will last a lifetime for both of you.

Congrats and good luck!

[Hubcitypam]

Not exactly sure had to word it but in my experience the best thing is to just make sure they are fed and watered and just go about your business.  Fawning over them makes things worse.  I have never used DAP but have friends that say the plug in and colliar  together work far better than either alone.

[MerseyGrey]

You don’t have to use a crate, but finding him a corner that is out of the way might help. We have a bed between the end of a sofa and a cupboard, with a wall at the back so ours is enclosed on three sides and he can go there when he wants some alone time.

Try not to worry about the nip to the other dog and chalk it up to experience. It sounds like it was just a warning from your boy, and we find ours does that when he gets a bit overwhelmed with other dogs. Introducing him to other dogs can come a bit later when he’s more confident that you’re his pack and you will protect him. Things will come together with time, you just have to let your dog dictate the pace. Good luck!

[HeyRunDog]

As the others have said it's time and patience with a bit more of the same. Greyhounds take their time processing new situations and experiences and will seem to take a backwards step occasionally but he will get over it and change a lot from what he is now, apart from the loving and gentle bit of his personality. Oh! and claiming the couch

[Jules]

Thank you everyone, sorry I only just saw these replies, as I wasn't notified for some reason. Even since I wrote this post just over 10 days ago, he's definitely chilled out some more, although still jumpy on walks, but I feel like he's making progress. So yes I feel like patience and time is all we need now, fingers crossed and we'll get there, thank you for the reassurance, and that book looks really interesting too, as the lead walking is the main thing we're struggling with now. He's fast asleep by my feet as I write this, which is the most relaxed I've seen him yet, sleeping with his eyes open, so that's gotta be a good sign!  

[zimsmom]

On 9/12/2020 at 5:26 AM, Jules said:

, although still jumpy on walks

Make sure he is in a harness or martingale color something he cannot slip out of.