Reactivity to other greyhounds

[MarcelPerrie]

Hi 

I’m new to greytalk and I have searched on the training and behaviour section but can’t seem to find other posts. 
My girl raced untill 4, then came to stay with me. I have had her just over 1 year. she was with 3 of her litter while they looked for homes. 

when she first came,   I was so surprised she settled in really  quickly and she was really fond of my other dog  from the start ( male whippet 3).

She has a strong personality compared to other greys I know. She is petite but not gentle with other dogs. She’s can be a wee bit of a bully to my friends groodle, I say bully but it’s more like she puts him in his place as he spends a lot of time in her home. 

Their is a lot of pet greyhounds in my area,  3 on my street which my whippet loves. My girl the grey growls and becomes reactive to other greys and large whipepts. It Doesn’t matter sex, size or colour. she’s confident with other breeds and likes to play with them.

she can be near the grey but if it try’s to greet her or I try to engage with the other grey she snarls and postures like she wants to fight. I could be wrong but I don’t get the impression she scared. 

It’s werid because the whippet  likes greys and dogs he knows  but can be reactive to non sighthounds  and it’s like she’s doing the opposite. 

I’m wanting ro know if any one else has experienced this. Also if I just accept she doesn’t like other greyhounds or work onit. 
 

 

 

[Houndtime]

It could very well be that she is frightened of them.  It's called fear aggression.  My very large greyhound is afraid of other dogs and it's mostly small dogs.

[MarcelPerrie]

This is true, she might of had bad experiences with other greys.  I will just avoid I don’t want to stress her if she’s scared. 

[ShebasMom]

That's really too bad as most greys get along fine with other greys, often only like greys and no other dogs. Maybe she was bullied by her littermates. Good idea to try to avoid the other greys as best you can.

[greysmom]

It depends on how much you want to work, and if you want to try it yourself or have a certified animal behaviorist (not just a dog trainer) help you.  Whatever the source of her anxiety around other greyhounds, it will likely not be a quick fix. 

It's possible that simply giving her more time, and structured socialization, will make her less fearful.  Structured socialization meaning leash walks with other greyhounds; greyhound training classes, participating in AKC events such as LGRA or dock diving, barn hunt, or whatever she may have fun doing where there are other greyhounds around in controlled environments.  I would NOT let her just have unstructured playdates with a big group of Greys since that will likely increase her anxiety.  One on one sessions, closely supervised and with muzzles on, would be better.  If one or more of your close greyhound neighbors are calm and bomb-proof, that would be the ideal candidate for this type of off-leash encounter. 

Calmly going for walks with another grey can be a bonding experience and help her see that the other grey isn't going to bully her.  Walk together, but not side by side.  In all these activities, monitor her stress level and remover her for time outs, or just to go home when you can see her getting anxious.  Make sure to praise her and reward with a yummy treat when she's reacting appropriately, to reinforce the message that other Greys are good for her.

If you want help, talk to your adoption group about a referral to a professional who has successful experience working with greyhounds.  Your vet may also have some recommendations. 

A professional behaviorist could also help you determine if her anxiety is due to some sort of past incident, or if she just prefers being an only dog.  It's not super common, but these types of greyhounds do exist, and we see them sometimes.

Good luck!