Afraid dog will bite waking from sleep

[Lethalescaping]

Hi all,

I recently got a fantastic new 2 year old greyhound. I would never have realised I was such a dog person but I absolutely adore him. In the evening he loves nothing more than lying on my lap and cuddling into me. When he sleeps he has his muscle twitch racing dreams and I recently read about startle reflex where the animal can bite if they are woken suddenly from a sleep like that and to be honest it freaks me out a little bit. Does any one have any thoughts?

Second question I would love a really good training reference online/book as I know nothing about dogs and I’d love to begin a little train regime with him as much for the bonding experience as for anything else. 
 

All tips to a complete novice would be really appreciated. Thank you. 

[Fostr_Mom]

Cynthia Brannigan's books about retired racing greyhounds, and Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies are both required reading for our adoption group before we adopt out any of our dogs.  I, personally, have also found any of Patricia McConnell's dog behavior books to be very helpful in understanding dog behavior in general.  

[racindog]

Here is something to learn about dogs...it is an old old saying that has been around a long time: "Let sleeping dogs lie."  Leave the dog alone when he sleeps. Would you like being bothered while you were trying to rest/sleep?  If you just leave them alone when they sleep then you don't have to worry about startle responses or any other responses.  

[mychip1]

Greyhounds are used to sleeping in kennels with noone touching them....  While I do sleep with some of mine, others are clearly a bit risky for sleep aggression because of their unique upbringing.  Also, they can appear awake when they are not...be cautious of that.

[greysmom]

I would say that if he's been sleeping on your lap, and you haven't seen any evidence of sleep startle, he's probably not going to have that behavior.  It's always possible though, so just be aware in those situations.  And maybe limit his sleeping time in close proximity.

[Lethalescaping]

5 hours ago, racindog said:

Here is something to learn about dogs...it is an old old saying that has been around a long time: "Let sleeping dogs lie."  Leave the dog alone when he sleeps. Would you like being bothered while you were trying to rest/sleep?  If you just leave them alone when they sleep then you don't have to worry about startle responses or any other responses.  

Thanks and definitely what I do mainly but he falls asleep lying on top of me on the couch so it can be anything from making a cup of tea, needing a pee from said cup of tea or heading off to bed that will wake him. 

[Lethalescaping]

5 hours ago, Fostr_Mom said:

Cynthia Brannigan's books about retired racing greyhounds, and Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies are both required reading for our adoption group before we adopt out any of our dogs.  I, personally, have also found any of Patricia McConnell's dog behavior books to be very helpful in understanding dog behavior in general.  

Brilliant that will be a huge help

[Lethalescaping]

Thanks greym and mychip for the info

[HeyRunDog]

Not all greyhounds have sleep startle. My Grace doesn't and by the sound of it yours doesn't either.

Basic training is possible with greyhounds but don't expect them to be as trainable as Labradors or collies for example. They are very good at chasing the thrown toy but then they will stand by it waiting for you to come and pick it up.

[LBass]

Greyhounds also sleep with their eyes open and can look quite awake when they aren't.  It never hurts to speak first if you want to touch a reclining hound.  

Welcome to the wonderful world of Greyhounds!

[Hubcitypam]

On 4/27/2021 at 6:21 AM, Fostr_Mom said:

Cynthia Brannigan's books about retired racing greyhounds, and Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies are both required reading for our adoption group before we adopt out any of our dogs.  I, personally, have also found any of Patricia McConnell's dog behavior books to be very helpful in understanding dog behavior in general.  

I'd run away from a group that had required reading.  My first greyhound Little Girl was a basket case but she taught me about greyhounds and I taught her about being a pet.

[Fostr_Mom]

2 hours ago, Hubcitypam said:

I'd run away from a group that had required reading.  My first greyhound Little Girl was a basket case but she taught me about greyhounds and I taught her about being a pet

We have found that a lot of people have the wrong idea about greyhounds.  The required reading gives them a better idea about greyhounds and ownership. It also cuts down on just this sort of thing with new adopters.  We also ask them (in normal times) to visit one of our meet & greets so they can interact with the dogs and speak to the foster family about a dog they might be interested in.  It is all in an effort to make sure people really want a greyhound  (not a pie in the sky idea in their head) and cuts down on the returns.  This works for our group. 

[Hubcitypam]

You can read until your eyes bleed but all of that has no guarantee the dog you get will have done the same reading.   

[HeyRunDog]

6 hours ago, Hubcitypam said:

You can read until your eyes bleed but all of that has no guarantee the dog you get will have done the same reading.   

I agree. Grace hasn't read the bit about zoomies or counter surfing or sleep startle or wanting cuddles and a fuss made of her or separation anxiety etc. etc.

Here in the UK there are plenty of greyhounds up for adoption so we can pick and choose to a certain extent but you still don't know what your hound will be like in your home.