New Greyhound HELP

[GreytMom2020]

Hi all,

I have had my Greyhound for 3 months now and I have been through a range of emotions. I would like to first off start by saying a adopted him in a very hasty manner. I had been thinking about getting a greyt for a few years but finally a few months ago my life was in the perfect state for a dog. When I called the adoption agencies none were available and they did not know when they would have any. I finally found an agency that had a dog available but when I went to pick him up he displayed several behaviors I did not like and I almost did not take him. Nipping, jumping, etc. I really wanted a calm well behaved dog. I figured I could train him and if it really didn't work out I would bring him back. Well 3 months later I realize he is a great dog but new problems are arising of course. When we meet new people or nice dogs (on walks, pet store) he is really hyper and it makes me nervous which obviously does not help. He jumps and nips which I know is normal dog behavior but others do not like it especially because of his size. How can I get him to calm down when meeting others? He hardly ever displays this behavior with me or my family and is relatively calm in the house. Because of covid I can't really practice with my friends and I am really just having minimal interactions with people at the park etc and I don't always let him say hi to strangers because he could accidentally hurt a stranger and that will be a whole other issue. He used to be calm when meeting strangers but now he is clearly getting more comfortable. I will get him into private training classes as soon as I can but other than that any ideas? 

P.S. There's more but I have already written an essay so I mention in another post lol.

[mansbestfriend]

Hi. Without knowing your situation I'd suggest that when your dog seemed "calm" meeting other dogs before, he was stressed but not reacting physically. Now, he still becomes stressed or overexcited and *is* reacting physically. Until you can get him into lessons with a Positive Reinforcement behaviourist/trainer, I'd suggest to redirect/distract your dog away from his triggers (strangers and dogs), avoid them *before* he becomes reactive, walk at a quieter time of day or day of the week, walk in a quieter area with fewer strangers and fewer dogs (especially dogs (EDIT: offleash or) barking from behind a fence), etc.  Cheers. 

Edited October 31, 2020 by mansbestfriend

[HeyRunDog]

A book that is recommended by other GT members is Feisty Fido by P Mcconnell available from Amazon which might be worth a read

[Anya]

I'm having some success with my girl since I posted on a similar topic in this section of the forum. She's also reactive to small dogs especially and it's scared me to death. I'm training her on "Look at Me" indoors but when I'm out with her and she's gearing up at the sight of a small dog, I nudge her with my knee to break her focus, "look at me" command and if she looks in my direction she gets a treat and lots of praise. It's mostly working, but Rome wasn't built in a day, so patience is called for.

I hope you've muzzled him on walks.