Help needed with a demanding hound

[Greytdoggy]

Hello everyone I'm new to the forum and have been taking care of my greyhound for the last 6 months.  My SO and I adopted him in June of 2020.  He came straight off the track and was a little under two years old when we received him from the rescue.  There's a cat that also lives with us but our grey is our only dog.  We both have experience with bigger dogs, just not with greyhounds.  

 

From the start he was very bouncy, and he has a ton of energy and is always excited to meet new people.  He seemed completely comfortable day 1 and was "roaching" within the first couple of hours or so it seemed. He's only gone to the bathroom in our house one time since he's been with us. He used to bark all the time when he wanted something.  He would be constantly barking orders if he wasn't sleeping.  Luckily that's mostly stopped and he is actually pretty quiet now.  That's just an example, but in a bunch of ways he's become a lot easier to handle compared to month 1 and 2.  We also love going on day-trips with him.  He will handle hours in the car like a champ and he really loves it and looks forward to the weekends because it usually means a car ride and the chance to sniff something new and then pee on it.  I set up his doggie bed in the back of our van so he can stretch out and he'll have a huge smile on his face and I'll look back and tell him what a good dog he is.  It's really great.

 

I guess the big issue is that he is still incredibly incredibly pushy and also stubborn.  He begs aggressively, and generally ignores us when we tell him to stop doing things.  He is constantly invading our space and climbing on us, but if you nudge him back or accidently step on him there's a possibility he will growl or even snap at you.  He's only snapped a few times since we've had him so I don't want to paint the wrong picture but we feel he's getting a little big for his britches.   Plus If he doesn't get his way he freaks out and is inconsolable.  I feel like we say "no" to him a lot and it can't be very fun for him.  We get frustrated with each other pretty often and I really want to find a way to change that. Maybe he just needs more time?  Maybe he just needs more things to do?  Our cat is easy and will let us engage him with a certain mouse toy for 15 minutes and then fall asleep contented.  We still haven't found the right toy formula for the dog.  He doesn't do much except go on his 2-3 walks a day or go on rides with us.  We don't know what else to do though.  We're building a fence for him this weekend so maybe a fenced yard will help.  But we will have to be careful because he has a previously broken leg that we're not supposed to let him run with.

 

Lastly, he still doesn't show us much in the way of affection even after 6 months.  I know it can take a while but is there still a chance he could open up more?   It's nice when he plays with toys and gets excited.  I just want him to be happier here and I'm sure its been more tough for him than us. He's still fighting hookworm and I wonder if that's making him uncomfortable and fussy too.  I hear a lot about the 6 month mark.  Is it normal to still have huge huge amount of work to do after that amount of time?  Everyone says after 6 months you'll start seeing progress but we're just worried we're missing our window or something.  I feel like we're way behind and the last couple weeks have been tough in particular.

I'll take any advice you all can give.  Thank you!

 

 

 

[HeyRunDog]

Well done on your new hound.

Don't panic and remember time patience and a sense of humour are required. As you're finding out greyhounds aren't like other dogs

It can take up to two years for a greyhound to fully adjust and at two he's still a "teenager" and will be constantly pushing the boundaries. Try and not let him get away with anything even once and stick to a routine as far as possible.

Try putting a slip lead on to pull him off when he jumps on the furniture and if he's jumping up at you when you come in turn your back on him and ignore him until he's calmed down. Also check the amount of protein in his diet. It should be about 20%. Any higher can make pet greyhounds over active and cause health problems when they get older. Only racing greyhounds are fed a higher amount of protein in their diets.

Grace will play with a new toy for about 5 minutes then ignores it. She is quite happy to lie on her bed just watch what's going on.

[Mikalela]

Hi! I don't have any great advice unfortunately, but it's just to say that you are not alone! We are slightly behind you, having adopted Luna 3 months ago, but sometimes I feel the same: she is super quiet, likes to sleep all day, and still I haven't found a toy or activity that might interest more for let's say 5 minutes on random days.

Like your Grey, she looks forward to the weekend when we go out for longer, and she loves her long walks in the woods, but for the rest it's just those 3 walks per day and little other interaction. One day she loves her ball and will play with us for a bit, but then it's forgotten for weeks. Another day she's up for training and gets super excited just seeing the clicker, but then no interest at all for days. Hot dogs were her favourite treats to sprint out for her last walk before bed, but we probably abused that or she learnt the trick, so now she barely lifts her head.

She keeps changing and adjusting and sometimes things just "click" all of the sudden, or she develops new fears and worries that never bothered her before. I know it's difficult and frustrating, but I'm constantly reminding myself that she always picks up my moods: if I'm happy and laughing she jumps all around like a little kangaroo, if I'm annoyed she shuts down.

So as HeyRunDog said at the beginning, time patience and sense of humour above all, even when it gets super frustrating. Let me know how it goes and I hope it will improve soon!

[cleptogrey]

you have a young dog and he needs lots of training and mental stimulation as well as physical exercise. yeah, i too am going crazy not going to obedience classes so, i'm training my young dogs after watching virtual videos. it's not as much fun but it helps. i've focused on circus dog tricks as well as the basics. so, do some research on youtube or good virtual classes and give it a whirl. 

do you or anyone you know jog? he could stand a good couple of miles of jogging. start slowly and work up to 2-3 miles daily. that will help. even with my dogs running like mad dogs in the yard- 2 exercise each other the stimulating walks are a must. after a 3-4mile walk i always feel great and the dogs are tired angels! 

as to being pushy- limits and boundaries need to be set and impulse control taught. this is generally taught on long downs/sit stays. i also throw it in while i'm eating- stay in place, either crate or bed(with door open) and then a release when you are finished. yup, he won't die if he doesn't get his way. but if you teach it as a long down and teach going to spot- you should be on the right track. 

a good friend adopted a 6 month old GH puppy and was calling me non-stop for advise. the best advise that i gave her was to contact Daniel Oliver, he lives in Nevada and works online as well as in person. she is in chicago and he reno. She followed his lessons to a T and has a happy well adjusted nearly 1 year old now. https://www.facebook.com/oliverdogtraining/  if you do contact him please tell him andrea sent you. he does have lots of posts on youtube as well. Daniel is young but has great dog sense. 

some one on one interaction w/ a knowledgable trainer will help immensely. good luck- oh, 2 years old- felix was exploding w/ energy and then some! their physical strength is really developing and they are ready to barrel out of a starting box! 

[Greytdoggy]

Thank you all for your comments and advice.  We really really wish we could do in-person obedience school so we are frustrated that was as well.  I'll keep that in mind about how they sort of mirror your mood.  Sometimes its tough after coaxing a greyhound statue around the neighborhood for a half hour but i'll try to be more positive even when hes being difficult.

 

I think I'll contact the trainer that was recommended too and see if he's available to talk to us.  Couldn't hurt to be able to talk to an expert for a little bit.

[cleptogrey]

1 hour ago, Greytdoggy said:

Thank you all for your comments and advice.  We really really wish we could do in-person obedience school so we are frustrated that was as well.  I'll keep that in mind about how they sort of mirror your mood.  Sometimes its tough after coaxing a greyhound statue around the neighborhood for a half hour but i'll try to be more positive even when hes being difficult.

 

I think I'll contact the trainer that was recommended too and see if he's available to talk to us.  Couldn't hurt to be able to talk to an expert for a little bit.

excellent! daniel is really great online- he is young and full of energy. look at his videos so you can see if you are comfortable with his methods. often it's agligning things to get to what you want- in other words taking baby steps first. and YES gh do sit. the key is to move the tail to the side so it's not behind them pushing them up. i teach sit from a down position. and i teach down by sitting on the edge of chair and luring the dog under my legs. legs are bent in a 90 degree angle. yes, my 74lb/29" at the shoulder male was able to do that. 

i miss in person obedience classes. my 3.8 year old whippet was adopted last at 2.5 and then i ripped my meniscus(at P.T. no less- it was only a small tear initially). so, i was out of commission for a while- i had surgery last jan. DH walked her since i was using a cane for 4 months- i did obedience work inside.she learned with me plodding around w/ a cane- never thought twice about it.  our younger girl is now 11 month old- a true covid puppy. born right after the ny area shut down last march. she too is home schooled which is for me a drag! 

Edited January 7, 2021 by cleptogrey

[Greytdoggy]

On 1/7/2021 at 6:01 PM, cleptogrey said:

excellent! daniel is really great online- he is young and full of energy. look at his videos so you can see if you are comfortable with his methods. often it's agligning things to get to what you want- in other words taking baby steps first. and YES gh do sit. the key is to move the tail to the side so it's not behind them pushing them up. i teach sit from a down position. and i teach down by sitting on the edge of chair and luring the dog under my legs. legs are bent in a 90 degree angle. yes, my 74lb/29" at the shoulder male was able to do that. 

i miss in person obedience classes. my 3.8 year old whippet was adopted last at 2.5 and then i ripped my meniscus(at P.T. no less- it was only a small tear initially). so, i was out of commission for a while- i had surgery last jan. DH walked her since i was using a cane for 4 months- i did obedience work inside.she learned with me plodding around w/ a cane- never thought twice about it.  our younger girl is now 11 month old- a true covid puppy. born right after the ny area shut down last march. she too is home schooled which is for me a drag! 

Geeze i'm sorry to hear about your meniscus I hope you're doing better. While at PT too that's so crappy.

I lined up a consultation with Daniel for tomorrow, and we plan on doing the 5 sessions at least to start out with.  We will see how it goes!  

[mansbestfriend]

Hi Greytdoggy. It sounds like the most important things for you right now are mutually beneficial routines, and how to be calm and develop a two-way trusting bond with the dog. For that, I'd recommend in-home training/management, and/or a  Basic Training class, with 100% Positive Reinforcement training meathods. If you're not 100% comfortable with all of a trainer's meathods, find a different trainer.  Cheers and good luck.  

[cleptogrey]

19 hours ago, Greytdoggy said:

Geeze i'm sorry to hear about your meniscus I hope you're doing better. While at PT too that's so crappy.

I lined up a consultation with Daniel for tomorrow, and we plan on doing the 5 sessions at least to start out with.  We will see how it goes!  

my friend in the  chicago area did really really well with her 6 month old gh puppy and still consults w/ him. please use my name- andrea w/ lettuce and mango. we communicate often. if you do not like one of his suggestions or methods just ask for another. that is what deb did. also, she opted out for certain things- changed her mind and he just went with the flow.

thanks for the good words re: meniscus tear. i unfortunately have a good amount of arthritis in both knees- but still walking trails- and the dogs get 14-20 miles a week of walking in.  hydrolaunic acid shots or steroid shots do wonders. 

Edited January 11, 2021 by cleptogrey