New pet aggressive incident

[cowboygrey]

I’m a very new greyhound owner - I adopted Arlo only 2 weeks ago and he has been settling in very nicely, which is why this incident has been very jarring and unnerving. 
 

He is a very gentle natured boy and came to us very well trained. He’s just under 3 years old and retired racing a few months ago. He’s been with a rescue centre since.
 

This evening I was struggling to get him to settle for bed, so I set the room up the way I normally do and he lay down and started snoozing. I sat on a chair across the room from him on my phone for about 10 minutes - nowhere near his bed - when suddenly he jumped up and started snarling at something near me, then directly at me. He then began lunging at me and barking and gnashing his teeth until I fled the room in tears. He then did a few barks. We have only heard him bark once so this was a really unsettling incident, it was like he was possessed or rabid, he hasn’t been reactive to literally anything so far. The only trigger I can think is that I was sitting there in the darker part of the room while he slept, though he usually lets my partner do this no problem. His bone was in front of my chair but I don’t think that was the issue as he went straight from sleeping to 100 level aggression, I don’t think he even saw the bone or his kong under my chair. Another thing I should add is that my partner has been away for a few days, and Arlo has been totally fine with me apart from this. 

I’m just keen to understand what I did wrong, how I can rebuild his trust again, how I can avoid this happening to other people if we have dogsitters because it was a really frightening experience, and is this normal for new greys? Was I too confident too quick? 

[greysmom]

First of all, neither of you did anything "wrong."  Second, human perception of dog communication is often very incorrect.  Third, true aggression is dogs is pretty rare, and this, while scary to you, was not true aggression.  If he had wanted to hurt you, he certainly could have.

Behavior issues like these are really difficult to diagnose over the internet, but we do see comparable incidents here quite frequently.  What you experienced was most likely what we call a "sleep startle" reaction.  You can search through the forum here for the million other threads about it.

It's very common in newly retired greyhounds, and it just happens sometimes.  If you've never experienced it before it can be very scary.  Basically, for whatever reason, he was sleeping, and something jolted him awake.  Whether that was a sound you inadvertently made, or he was dreaming, or he had a leg cramp, or heard a sound from outside, or the heat/AC coming on - it can be something humans don't even notice - it startled him awake enough that he felt he needed to respond to it, and it was a bit over the top.

This happens a lot to people when they have the dog sleeping in bed with them.  Newly adopted dogs aren't used to sharing space with other living beings.  In the training and racing kennels (and even in similar set ups in adoption kennels) they are *always* awake and aware of their surroundings before anything gets close enough to them to wake them up.  They feel safe in their kennels, and they know the routines, the sounds, the atmosphere of this place where they've spent so much time.  Then we put them in our beds and expect them to sleep like a dog in a movie.  I've made that mistake.  And had a dog react so badly they *did* draw blood, but it was MY fault for not understanding dog behavior well enough, not the dog's for reacting.

Once they are adopted and move into a home environment, some adapt to it quickly and some take more time.  It's not just about learning the stairs and about the tv, and where their food bowl is and when things happen during the day.  EVERYTHING in their world has been changed and rearranged and can be scary for them as well.  

Then, just when they think they have a handle on things - after about 2-3 weeks - they begin to relax and learn to trust this new environment and their new people, but sometimes the old instincts kick in abruptly, and they have a startle reaction.  You said he was unsettled and having a hard time laying down for bed.  Your partner - who it sounds like he trusts a bit more than you - was not there, and his senses and his psyche were already on high alert.  Then - BOOM! - something set him off and he reacted in the only way he knew how.

So it wasn't anything you did specifically.  And what happened was not a bad dog doing an aggressive move.  It was an anxious dog being startled awake.  

And yes, it may happen again.  It may be something he deals with for the rest of his life.  It may be a behavior that slowly extinguishes itself as his bond of trust develops with you and your partner.  The main thing for you to keep in mind is that this a completely normal behavior, and  - despite it being scary - it's NOT personally directed at you.  It's just a reaction he can't control at this time.

It's probably best to keep his bed(s) in the same spot all the time - someplace close to where his people are, and where they sleep, but out of the direct line of traffic.

So, when it does happen again, try and remain calm.  Speak to him slowly and calmly, tell him to lay back down.  Offer him some attention if he needs reassurance, or maybe get him to follow you to the kitchen for a small treat.  Then both of you go back to what you were doing and move on.  If you have people who watch him, let them know that he's dealing with this issue and how best to handle it when it happens.

 

[cowboygrey]

That’s good to know, he’s much better this morning thankfully I think it was just a sleep startle. He didn’t bite he was just mostly warning me off but as you said still very frightening since he is so big and it happened so suddenly, I think I was in shock.

 

I just want him to be happy, will try and keep his routine established so that he is able to relax a little bit and hopefully build his trust. My partner has flown back from his work trip early to help so hopefully we can get back to “normal”. He was very cute and affectionate this morning so he doesn’t seem to have taken it to heart thankfully. 

[ShebasMom]

10 hours ago, cowboygrey said:

That’s good to know, he’s much better this morning thankfully I think it was just a sleep startle. He didn’t bite he was just mostly warning me off but as you said still very frightening since he is so big and it happened so suddenly, I think I was in shock.

 

I just want him to be happy, will try and keep his routine established so that he is able to relax a little bit and hopefully build his trust. My partner has flown back from his work trip early to help so hopefully we can get back to “normal”. He was very cute and affectionate this morning so he doesn’t seem to have taken it to heart thankfully. 

He has already forgotten it (but you of course haven't).

[cowboygrey]

Just a quick update on this - it was very much a one off and he’s been good ever since, it doesn’t seem to be a guarding issue and I think it is just him being spooked when he woke up from his sleep.

He is however having a lot of nighttime anxiety and can be difficult to put to bed - we have a nightlight we leave on for him and he has all his blankets and toys, we don’t go near his bed and try to reassure him but his whole body language changes and he becomes very tense as if he’s suspicious of us, it’s the only time he does this (to me and my partner). We don’t know what he wants because he seems to be anxious when we are there and anxious when we leave , any tips on anything else we can do? Is it just a matter of him getting used to it?

[1Moregrey]

Does he just sleep on a bed in your bedroom?  Wondering if he is feeling exposed and needs a crate or crate like confinement to feel safe.  Smaller room if not a crate or x pen?

If he was a US racer he is used to sleeping in a racing crate and so was everyone else.  He maybe hearing things that make him uneasy and feels like he could be invaded on all sides so can not fully relax and is on high alert ready to fight or flight at new noises.  
 

Just a thought……Hope things settle in soon sometime it just takes a while.

[LBass]

Interesting.  I too was wondering if your hound might like to sleep in a crate.  My current hound, Nate, is blind from PRA and does have some space guarding/aggressive tendencies.  These really came out when Nate slept in my bedroom with my other hound--picture a smallish bedroom with 2 large dog beds, side by side.  Elder hound Spirit was aging (13-14 y/o at the time) and sometimes needed help during the night.  His rear end would slip off his bed and he'd need/want me to lift his hind end back onto his bed. What we do for the hounds we love.   Anyway, add a human being to the crowded dog sleeping space and Nate got very protective of his space.  I got very unhappy with a snarling lunging mouth full of sharp teeth inches from me.   A veterinary behaviorist I talked with suggesting offering Nate a crate in another room to sleep in.  To my surprise, Nate loved sleeping in his crate.  He was safe from disturbance and interruption, protected and could relax. 

Perhaps you can borrow a crate to see if it helps your hound? 

I lost Spirit almost 2 years ago.  I'd wondered about moving Nate back to the bedroom, but he still happily went to his crate each night so I left well enough alone.  About 3 week after Spirit's passing Nate quite clearly decided he didn't want to sleep in the crate.  Since then, he's been sleeping in the bedroom or moving to a living room bed with no growls or snarls.

[cowboygrey]

This is interesting! He currently sleeps on a normal flat pillow type dog bed that we were given from the foster home he came from as we wanted to have something familiar for him when he got here (he slept on it while he was there for a few months - assuming he was in a crate or something before when he was racing). He also has his own blanket and a dressing gown he bundles up and cuddles.  
 

He never sleeps in the bed with us, we don’t let him into the bedroom or on the sofa so that’s not an issue (he doesn’t want to anyway); but maybe now he’s been here a few weeks we can try a crate and see if it helps. I am concerned if we get him a crate he’ll begin kennel guarding , any thoughts on how I can avoid that? Or is it just better all round for him to have a more enclosed bed? 

[1Moregrey]

Where does he sleep, does he sleep in a separate room?  If he sleeps in a separate room and all is going ok with that other than the one time you were working in there after he went to bed.  I would say put up a baby gate / x pen panel cross the door way and stay out of the room at bed time.  I was wrong and thought this all happened in the bedroom.  I still stand behind my thought give him plenty of space while he sleeps.  You in his sleep space might be his issue and he woke up blurry eyed to a stranger in his space and reacted by protecting himself.  As long as he has a safe  area no need for a crate.  If you all are sleeping in a bedroom where you have to walk by him or his sleep startle is enough to cause harm then a crate or x pen.  If he has a totally different room to sleep in stay out of it while he sleeps think of that as his own room/crate that is off limits to everyone when he sleeps.

The muzzle will be your best friend to keep everyone safe please be sure to use it.  

Edited Sunday at 04:59 PM by 1Moregrey

[cowboygrey]

He sleeps in our living room which is adjacent to the kitchen so it’s kind of an open plan situation , wondering if this is what is making him anxious. Maybe I will introduce him sleeping in my office instead which is a smaller room that is enclosed and then no one will need to go past him at night (we haven’t gone into the kitchen at night since we’ve got him and especially since the sleep startle incident) but it is a concern if we have to at some stage. 
 

I do think the incident was a freak situation and he has no issue with us being near his bed in the day and he will sleep on his bed / the floor with no issues while we’re here; we give him his space but he isn’t territorial about it at all. I think it’s higher risk at night in the dark, or the fact that we go away at night into the bedroom where he isn’t allowed to go? 

Trying to find a balance between giving him freedom and also helping him feel safe but it’s not easy 😅 I appreciate all of everyone’s expertise ❤️

[MerseyGrey]

We have a foster dog who has been with us for four weeks. When she is sleeping - wherever she is - even the slightest noise will set her off barking, for example, the fridge clicks and pops occasionally, if I accidentally unmute my phone while watching a video, or if someone walks past the end of our drive and coughs - so it’s stuff that we don’t notice but because it still unfamiliar to her it unnerves her. I wonder if this might be happening with your new pup?

We are going to buy a hush muff from Soothe and Settle as we have seen a bit of improvement at night if we put a snood over her ears. Maybe if you have a snood you could try that and see if it makes a difference?

[greysmom]

On the freedom vs safety issue, just because he's in the crate doesn't mean you have to close the door.  Lots of dogs use a crate as a kind of sleeping pod/safe space, not a containment strategy.  Some seem to prefer the smaller space - even sometimes with blankets over the top of it to make a sort of cave situation.  With a new dog, you might need to try a few different strategies to see what will make him feel more secure and less anxious in his new home.

If you don't want to have the expense of purchasing a big enough crate before you know if he'll like it, ask around and see if you can borrow one from your adoption group or other greyhound owner.  Before we adopted our first greyhound we bought a large, greyhound sized crate.  She ended up hating it and not using it, so it stayed in our garage for years before we passed it on to someone else.

Also, I would say to ask his vet on his next visit to check his eyesight.  PRA and other issues can start when they are very young, so if there's some indication he may be having trouble seeing at night, it deserves a look.  No need to panic, but something to mention.

[zimsmom]

Do you have any children?  Keep them away while the pup is sleeping and or resting. 

[cowboygrey]

We were really lucky to be able to inherit a crate from a friend whose dog doesn’t like it, so we’re going to try that for a few days and see. Interesting you said about his eyesight , he’s due a check up and will definitely get his eyes looked at. 
 

Luckily we don’t have kids, just me and my partner and we’re giving him plenty of space, he seems to be happiest napping when we are working or just being in the room with us which is why I think nighttime comes as a shock.