Hello there, I`m a first time poster and am wondering if anyone can help me.
I rescued a beautiful greyhound last year. She`s 6 years old and her name is Jinty. She is my first ever dog and I absolutely adore her. She is the most gentle, fun and friendly hound and is great around adults and children. My problem is that whenever I walk her and we pass ANY type of dog, whether they are on or off the lead, she starts to either whine or launch herself at them, baring her teeth and growling. I had wondered if she would be ok around other greyhounds but yesterday we met a lovely black greyhound in the park and the same thing happened. I don`t know if it is aggression or fear. It is really embarrassing and although most people are friendly enough, some think you have some kind of psycho on the end of your lead. I always have her on the lead and that breaks my heart a wee bit too as I`d love to let her have a good run round the park but I know it`s not safe. Walks just aren`t very much fun and I would love to know if there`s anything I can do to make them better for us both. I know it is common that greyhounds have issues with other beasties but she has issues with them ALL. Other greyhounds I see getting walked just seem to be so calm and able to trot by other dogs and not bother. I just wondered if anyone had any advice? I had thought about taking her to a class but wouldn`t feel comfortable taking her in a room with other dogs- it was bad enough when I took her to the Vets. I`ve tried treats, bribes, talking to her calmly, shouting at her, water pistol… Can anyone help?
With patience and the right advice you can help Jinty to become calm around other dogs.
Please make sure that you keep her on lead at all times. Greyhounds are not dogs you can take to the park and let off lead, as they are sighthounds and have often been trained to chase small fluffies.
Jinty is far happier on lead and safe, than off lead where she can do damage to herself and other dogs.
You may feel more confident if Jinty wears a muzzle. If you do not have a muzzle for Jinty please phone the GAL number on 0870 888 7277, and I can arrange to send you one in the post.
Please come along to the next GAL walk, which is on Sunday 7th February at Strathclyde Park. Here you will meet other greyhound owners, who will be able to give you advice on how to deal with your girl’s behaviour.
Hello there, I`m a first time poster and am wondering if anyone can help me.
I rescued a beautiful greyhound last year. She`s 6 years old and her name is Jinty. She is my first ever dog and I absolutely adore her. She is the most gentle, fun and friendly hound and is great around adults and children. My problem is that whenever I walk her and we pass ANY type of dog, whether they are on or off the lead, she starts to either whine or launch herself at them, baring her teeth and growling. I had wondered if she would be ok around other greyhounds but yesterday we met a lovely black greyhound in the park and the same thing happened. I don`t know if it is aggression or fear. It is really embarrassing and although most people are friendly enough, some think you have some kind of psycho on the end of your lead. I always have her on the lead and that breaks my heart a wee bit too as I`d love to let her have a good run round the park but I know it`s not safe. Walks just aren`t very much fun and I would love to know if there`s anything I can do to make them better for us both. I know it is common that greyhounds have issues with other beasties but she has issues with them ALL. Other greyhounds I see getting walked just seem to be so calm and able to trot by other dogs and not bother. I just wondered if anyone had any advice? I had thought about taking her to a class but wouldn`t feel comfortable taking her in a room with other dogs- it was bad enough when I took her to the Vets. I`ve tried treats, bribes, talking to her calmly, shouting at her, water pistol… Can anyone help?
Hi there it seems to me like a bad case of fear agression…. i have 5 hounds and my big lad Paddy suffers from it,its a nightmare walking him and like u said,its like u have a lunatic on the end of your lead!!! I have tried a behaviorist,water pistol stones in a bottle you name it ive tried it,although on saying that hes not too bad with other greys and on grey walks hes not too bad seems to be wen im walking him on his own ground that he is worse-somone said that was Territorial thingy…. i do sympathise with you-ive learned to accept it now and try not to worry wen he does it-sorry i cant be of any real hepl if u do get a cure let me know if you can make it to the Gal walk on the 7th im amanda i will look out for you xx
It can be difficult when you have a groo like Jinty. I can only reiterate what Joyce said about keeping her onlead and considering a muzzle.
Have you noticed if it is both sexes or females she reacts to? My Nell was, in her day, very dominant and had to be muzzled when around other bitches.
It may be she is a dominant bitch, otherwise it is likely to be fear aggression.
The most important thing for you is to try and stay relaxed on the walk and not react or become stressed by her reactions, that will only make her more anxious.
The easiest way to be relaxed is by putting a muzzle on her, then you know she cannot cause any damage if a dog runs up.
Marie
Not worrying what other people think is fantastic advice! my foster boy Branston was my first experience of a dog with really bad fear aggression and for the first few months i dreaded walking him as i knew what his reaction would be and dreaded the reactions of other dog owners when he “chucked a mentaller”.
GAL arranged for us and the lovely Sammy (before he landed on his feet with Elinor) to go to dog training classes. For a lot of the time we sat at the side of the class and he would get hot dogs used in conjunction with the clicker when he was calm and not trying to chew the faces off of other dogs. The class never “cured” him, but i learned was that there were dogs that were far bigger issues than him, only they didn’t have the stigma as they were wee yappy things.
Branny and i used to also meet up with other foster dogs to help with their socialisation and it did make a difference.
A gentle leader, is also a fantastic thing to use with dogs with fear aggression as it stimulates their pressure points to help them feel more relaxed and if they do lunge for other dogs, it gives you far greater control, with less effort. You might get a bit of resistance when you first start to use it as it’ll feel a bit strange to her initially, but it really is worth persevering with. i would recommend having it fitted to her size by someone who’s used them before as they can be a bit footery and you have to check it fits properly. The gentle leader isn’t a substitute for a muzzle though and it can be used in conjunction with her muzzle.
Coming along to the GAL gatherings is a great way to socialise your dog as all the other owners are really understanding and i felt it helped build my confidence when handling the foster dogs that i’ve had with fear aggression. If you can’t always make it along to the walks, do you have friends with dogs locally who you could buddy up with on your regular walks? that’ll help with her socialising too.
What i’ve found as well is try and relax when you’re out with the dog and don’t anticipate disasters around every corner (ie other dogs!). If you’re tense the dogs sense it & the feeling of doom can become a self fulfilling prophecy.
Hi Forgot to mention like Karen pointed out-that the gentle leader is great,gives you thatmuch more control over the hound-sep if theyre on the big side like my pads is(40kl) good luck let us know how u go amanda and the 5 (soon to be 6)
Hello,
I’ve just joined the forum and have only adopted our greyhound, Coal in Nov. I do have a PhD in Animal Behaviour and Welfare so would like to offer some suggestions based on my experience/education (not to say that the practical experience being offered isn’t equally as valuble!)
I actually think that this is a problem that can be overcome but it will take alot of time and effort. You need to start out very slow - have a friend hold their dog at a distance from you and your dog where she won’t react (in the beginning this may be a football field length away!). Walk her closer - just a few feet - while giving her food and praise. Don’t skimp on the food! Eventually the food will be weaned down but in the beginning give lots! If she stays calm, walk a bit closer, doing the same. Continue until she begins to react, then return to a ‘non-reactive’ distance and end on a positive note. This needs to be repeated and repeated and repeated, and eventualy you’ll be able to get close to the dog. Once this is achieved, you can progress to having her walk past the other dog (who still stays still) at a large distance and again moving closer and closer. Then the other dog can also start walking so the dogs are moving towards each other, first at a big distance then moving closer and closer. This will also need to be done with more than one dog so the effects become more generalized. (I told you it would be alot of work!! lol) Then when you meet dogs while walking, try the same things - if she reacts, back off to a non reactive point and reward and you can work up to getting closer / walking past.
If this seems too daunting, then stick with the muzzle/on lead approach. I would recommend you ignore the bad behaviour if possible (if you react, it re-enforces her idea that there IS something to be upset about) and praising her when she calms down (i.e. let her know that calm behaviour gets her food/praise and she will be more motivated to give you that behaviour).
I also think that dogs bred to run shouldn’t be only confined to short lead walking. But if you have an enclosed garden, your dog can get a leg stretcher there. If you are not around other dogs (due to the previously mentioned inapropriate behaviour) I would get a harness and a flexi lead for the dog (a flat line flexi not a cord flexi - they’re more prone to breaking!). Then she can at least have a nice trot around and get to explore and sniff while on the flexi instead of walking to heal on the short lead. As the harness spreads the force out along the dogs rib cage, shoulders, sternum, etc. it will not cause the injury of letting your dog exercise while on a flat collar (flat collars can cause neck injuries if pulled on too hard).
I would actually recommend anyone who has a dog that pulls while on a flat lead (like my Coal!) invest in a harness until the dog is trained properly to lead walk.
Sorry for rambling on, I love dog behaviour! lol
Best,
Laura
Any dog with fear aggression should wear a muzzle when out in public at ALL times.
In GAL’s lengthy experience in dealing with greyhounds and other sighthounds, harnesses have proved to be unsuitable to assist in control of a lively dog. Dogs in a harness have more control, which does not help when trying to correct undesirable behavior.
The best way to control a dog who pulls excessively on a lead is to use a gentle leader. This gives control of the dogs head, giving the owner or handler the upper hand. This should be used in conjunction with a muzzle.
Flexi or extendable leads are particularly unsuitable for greyhounds, whether or not the dog has been trained to race. Greyhounds can run at speeds up to 40mph. Therefore if a greyhound decided to lunge at a dog, not only could it injure adults and children by knocking them over, but it could reach a fair speed which could potentially snap the lead.
Until you know your greyhound or lurcher extremely well, he or she should be MUZZLED and on a short LEAD at all times, whilst out in public places.
Greyhounds do not need to have off lead exercise. Better a safe “on lead” dog than an injured or dead one.
GAL has leather slip collars specifically made for sighthounds, which can be purchased at any GAL walk. These collars spread the weight over the neck as they are shaped for the purpose.
There are always experienced GAL greyhound owners at these walks who can advise in the fitting of a gentle leader and the correct size of collar to purchase.
I regularly meet a couple who have 2 lap dogs and a poodle, and the poodle is never allowed off lead because he chases deer/foxes and doesn’t respond well to commands. I don’t think there is a problem with this espcially in an area where there are fields and main roads and an animal could get hurt easily. If you are lucky enough to have an enclosed area for a dog to have a run then great.
Also, flexi leads, I see lots of people with their dog on flexi leads when they haven’t taught their dog to walk properly, as the dog has more lead it has more power to pull you off your feet. I used a gentle leader with one of my foster greys (Gene) and it was great, I didn’t double up with a collar lead but still felt like I had great control over him - he was a nervous boy around strangers.
The other thing I would say is I constantly praise the dogs when out on walks, even Brook still gets a ‘good girl’ for doing the toilet or waiting or whatever. People may think I’m daft but I don’t care as the dogs know they are doing the right thing.
Hi,
Karen mentioned her experience with Branny and as he has now been with me for well over a year and a half I thought I’d add how he has got on.
I had never had a dog before, so perhaps that helped me, as I had nothing to compare his behaviour to. On the other hand, for the same reason, I’m definitely not the person to ask how to cure the behaviour. I’ve read a lot of books and asked Karen a lot of questions and I’ve come to the conclusion that the single thing which makes the biggest difference is how calm you stay.
Branny has “chucked mentallers” on quite a few occasions, but thankfully only one of these has been scary for me, when his lead unclipped as he jumped around. After that I changed his lead to one that has a carabiner (like climbers use) on the end and went back to using the gentle leader.
However, as I said before, I think the biggest difference is that as I got used to the “mentallers” I started to be less bothered about how people thought about them. As I wasn’t looking for the next dog as much, so Branny has stopped looking for dogs while we’re out as much. Today for example, he wandered obvliously past 2 other dogs, his attention focused on the bush he was busily sniffing his way around.
I’m not saying his cured, far from it, but there’s basically only 2 dogs around here that he reacts to, partly because they always react to him, but we all (owners included) know it and avoid each other.
As was mentioned before, I always praise him when he’s done something I’ve wanted while we’re out, especially if he has passed another dog without a big reaction. If he does react I just ignore it.
Many thanks to all who have taken the trouble to post. It’s pretty clear that there is no ‘quick fix’. I’m not even convinced by the term ‘fear aggression’- she even goes ‘mental’ at other dogs from the safety of the car - in fact you’d sometimes think she was looking for a fight.
Contrast that to a dog who is entirely biddable and extremely gentle in every other way.
In terms of the various ‘cautions’ I’m always extremely careful - she’s always muzzled and never gets off the lead. It’s just that walks are not pleasurable and I wish they were.
I may consider introducing my ‘psycho’ at the next GAL walk.
Hi,
As you say there is no quick fix to this problem I know this because having had Sammy for almost two years we still have issues with other dogs even when in the car. Although I must say nothing near as bad as at the start.
When I started going to the GAL walks I kept a comfortable distance away from the other dogs and just walked about so as Sammy could see what was going on.Still do this but we are gradually getting closer to them.
It has taken a while to get to this stage.but he is worth the effort, he is a brilliant dog.
