Freaked out owner

[Milothemonster]

Awww I do feel for you ..but its still very early days yet.

When we first got Herbie he spent a lot of time growling at us if we sat near him or dared to tell him to get off things. He too seemed to like his space and didnt want us invading it. But if you think about it its all perfectly natural...we dont know what experiences they have gone through..what fears may have built up. To be wary for a time is almost to be expected.

But its also perfectly natural for the new owner to want to lavish love and adoration on their new hound..how many of us can resist.
BUT ..it is important that we DO resist that urge.. that we do back off and give the dog time to settle and time to adjust and more importantly time to bond with us.

We made that mistake with Herbie .. kind of smothering him in love far too soon which made him defensive. But after laying down some rules on what behaviour was expected and tolerated and setting a routine for security and giving him space..well it soon all came together.

It took 3 months.... but boy was it worth waiting for.. ;D
That moment when he finally learnt to trust me..I will never forget. ;D ;D

So from then on I started massaging Herb just gently and at his pace to relax him....and soon he learnt to love it where previously he would resent being touched in certain areas..but it has to be done slowly step by step.

Now you wouldnt know that we'd had any problems with Herbie .He is the most adorable lovable dim witted clown you could hope to meet. ;D
He loves to meet people and loves to go to new situations and of course he adores us and loves nothing more than coming up for belly rubs and cuddles.

So please dont feel anxious..give it time....let him have his space and relax......if you are stressed he will pick up on it and might be fearful.
I am sure he will come good..and you will bond with him all the more for these early hiccups.

Its the ones you have to work that little bit harder with that always make the biggest dents in your heart! ;D ;D

Good luck..and let us know how you get on. ;D

[erugan]

Well, I am sick to death. Today I had a friend over and George out the blue, he was awake, and I called his name, attacked. He bit her face and then her arm as she was getting up. Luckily, all she got was a bloody lip. I am afraid this is it for poor George. I called my adoption coordinator and she said that George had bitten before but she thought it was a weird and off chance occurrence. She told me to muzzle him and take him to the vet tomorrow where they will keep him and determine if he is pet material. I am just sick to death!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lisa]

Was she sitting on the sofa with him?
Im sorry but it sounds like George has spacial awareness issues and sleep aggresion. He sounds a candidate for his own space, kept off sofas and beds with a crate to settle in where he is left alone and an experienced greyhound home not euthanasia. Likewise if she was leaning over him this is a VERY threatening posture and I can see why it happened.
I am not sure how a vet can assess his potential as a pet that is the job of the adoption group. They should be FULLY assessing this dog and if he has bitten before taking it more seriously not passing it off as an *odd* thing to be doing and certaintly not giving him to a young first time greyhound owner. Poor dog.
Where did George come from?

[michele]

I'm so sorry that this has happened to you and George. I am not an expert at all, but I can speak as a person who has been through the same. My Blue has bitten a friend in our own home. It's such a horrible thing to happen, and I know how you feel. It's very stressful, and scary really. I felt very let down by Blue when it happened.

But sometimes these things can work out. It depends on both you and your dog.

We had a dog behaviorist come to our house, and her advice was brilliant. We now make Blue wait for his food, util he see's us eat. We taught him to sit, and he has to sit before any treat too.

If anyone comes to the house he is muzzled. When my 6 year old step daughter stays every other weekend, Blue goes to kennels, so there is no chance of the unspeakable happening. Some think this is harsh, but there is something in our house which leads a very quiet friendly, calm dog to defend his territory. He comes to work every day with me, and is fine there. He is such a great pet in every other way.

Before you make your final decision, talk to the re-homing centre, ask advice if need be. Don't worry, what ever you decide to do is the right choice FOR YOU.

Blue only stayed with us, as I threatened to call of our marriage if my other half sent him back! That's when our ground rule of the kennels whilst the little one is with us was set.

Good luck, with whatever you feel you need to do.

Michele
x

[erugan]

Yeah....I don't think that they are going to put George down, just assess if there is anything physically wrong and then find a more experienced home for him. I wish that was me and its not. Thanks for all of your comments, but I don't think George is the dog for me. I have not given up on a Greyhound....I am going to try again.

[michele]

Good for you for trying again. I never thought for one minute you'd have him put down, the decision about returning him was what I meant! Hopefully he can go on to learn to be a better dog.

Good luck if you do home a new hound.

[EvieOliveandEric]

Hi

Sorry you have had a difficult time with George, just wanted to say, I have also had to let a dog back to my local rescue. It was for totally different reasons, but difficult never the less, I managed to feel guilty and that I had "failed" Millie for weeks!
Millie on the other hand found the right family for her straight away, and was settled in days! Like you I was and still am new to the sight hound breed and just did not have the knowledge or experience to deal with what was happening.
Roll on a month and I am now the proud "mum" to Izzy, who has her own set of problems and baggage, BUT, this time we are managing and learning together.

Interestingly Millie had also been homed previously but there were problems there, whereas Izzy was straight off the street into fosters then to me!