Greyhound girl nipping at friends legs

[wafers]

We took on our rescue girl who is just under 8 years old about 3 months ago. She's cat friendly (with training) - she now tolerates our 2 cats and takes a wide berth of them, although enjoys chasing the neighbours cat across the garden when running around outside.
When friends and family visit, she barks loudly and is very pushy when the door knocker sounds. We do know that her original home treated her badly, and she was brought to us with the agreement that it may take time to introduce new people to her (I assume visitors at her previous home hurt her, or at least aggravated her).
When friends walk past her basket, she sticks her head forward and nips at their trouser legs. More recently she did the same to the plumber who walked past her unexpectedly. She nipped his skin although didn't draw bloody fortunately.
Also, we've used known family members the past week to let her out during the day as we've been away for a couple of days. She has shown them fear/agression with hair standing up on her spine (her usual reaction with any visitors), barking, staying in her basket initially and them being 'snappy' with her jaws as she walks past them to go on the grass for a pee. She has also started shaking.
She 100% trusts myself and my partner, and has never shown us any agression. It has taken time to build up this trust, knowing her history.
Any ideas on how to make her trust visitors? We're becoming seriously worried that in a minute there won't be any possibility of other people visiting her during the day (if we are working) due her her agressive behaviour.
My thinking is she is scared she'll be hurt by visitors and presents the behaviour due to nerves. However, we have spent time allowing family to visit, become familiar with her and stroke her gently previous to this. They have even gently given her treats. She has been socialised with us.
The last thing I want to do is have to return her to the local rescue centre (we love her to bits); however, we need some sort of way of tackling her behaviour now before it becomes too serious.
Any ideas appreciated!

[julies]

Is she an ex-racer? I'll assume she is but this'd apply to her anyway if she wasn't ... I think 3 months with many greyhounds is a very short period of time ...she's still getting used to you tho you say she'd been somewhere else before? anyway I think you're seeing fear aggression and my advice would be to go back a few steps in your socialisation of her as - for her- you've done things too quickly tho no doubt for all the right reasons .... when visitors come give her a Kong and put her somewhere she can see them but they can't/don't approach her and she can't come close to them ..use a child gate if poss. Even if she seems friendly I'd leave her in the next room - tho not behind a solid door- that can spook greys even more. The barking and then moving up to nipping I would suggest is because she's scared so barks at them to go away - and it works so that reinforces the barking as a tool then those who don't go away get a nip and they go away ... I would just manage visitors so they don't get close certainly at the moment - if she barks at them then ignore her and she should settle with a Kong so she begins to marry up nice treats with strange people coming in.

If new people approach her they usually stoop, fix the dog eye-to-eye and 'prowl' towards them .. then wonder why the dog's worried - think about a dog approaching you like that especially if it's showing it's teeth (like people do when they smile !).

If strangers have to come in to let her out then I'd leave one of your coats/jumpers by the front door so they put it on and it smells of you- that may help her relax, only use someone you can trust to do as you ask ...I'd just ask them to open doors to let her out and then ask them to stand away so she goes out without them near (so no snapping) then get them to put a full Kong on her bed for when she comes back in- tell them to leave her competely alone so there are no accidents. If you can have just one person come in and let her out and get them to come round socially - without trying to touch her, before then she may be more confident but take it very very slowly .... I have a greyhound in my class that was taken to real dog classes with all the best intentions and she was so terrified she was snarling and attacking anything - including other greyhounds which camew close .. she's coming round but it's taken a while

Any questions please ask and I'm sure others will have lots to offer too

Good luck with her

Julie

[sassbu]

I agree that 3 months is not very long for a grey to adapt. My boy had issues and in truth the most significant changes came between 6 months and 18 months after he arrived. He was very frightened and worried by young children so we simply didn;t do them anymore, we avoided at all costs for about ten months and then gradually exposed him to very very short meetings until we finally got to a stage where he could be around children and even be submissive enough to lie on the floor and let them stroke him all over, but we had to go back before we could go forward. Same thing with people coming too close to him who were wearing hats and using walking sticks. THAT got exactly the reaction you have described - barking, growling, teeth bearing and hackles rising. It was all fear related but again slow exposure in very small bite sizes no-one with a hat or a stick would ever notice now.

As well as Julies idea of a baby gate, would a crate (with the door open) be possible? She might feel safer in there than a basket which might make her feel quite exposed, especially if no-one ever goes in her crate and it might make your visitors feel less worried too as she'll have less chance to nip as they pass by.

Again i would re-iterate no eye contact from visitors when they come to let her out. Open the back doors for her, make a cuppa and sit in another room even all completely casually and then leave without really having direct contact with her. Eventually she should become confident that nothing bad will happen and she'll proably end up coming to them of her own accord for a bit of fuss.

It is early days yet, but I'm absolutely sure that in a few months with a mum and dad who obviously luffs her and want to do the best for her she will find all this less confusing and less worrying

Am sure others with specific experience will be along too with advice

Sarah x

[julies]

PS If she's really worried by strangers but you have absolutely no alternative to letting someone let her out for you then you could muzzle her on the days they have to come in so if she really can't cope then she can't hurt anyone and the person coming in will feel more confident ... Cadbury on here does a lovely muzzle which is totally open so no problem drinking in it tho she wouldn't manage a Kong when wearing it. Even with the muzzle on people should still stay away from her- like Sarah says - no eye contact etc etc

J x

[wafers]

Thanks for all the info guys. Just ordered Cadbury's muzzle, so will give that a go if and when family need to let her out (not often). Will try all of the above - like the idea of shutting her in a room with glass doors so she can see the visitors but can feel safe away from them (and be distracted with her Kong). I guess my previous logic was that she should meet the guests and be able to sniff them up and down in her own time, but it sounds as if that's rushing ahead a bit too much at this stage. I need to practice having a friend (or wifey) rattling the door knocker more often and give her treats when she lies in her basket rather than stand and bark agressively.

[julies]

Hi

We're all happy to share what we've gone thro - and learnt by LOL

I would use a child gate rather than a door shut even if it's glass .. greys have never had solid doors shut on them and it can frighten them - you want her to be able to see and smell the visitors but not get close and have nice Kongs too. Practising the door knocker being rattled is a good idea- you can start by doing it yourself and Mrs Wafers but I wouldn't have anyone approach her bed- its her safe place and she's already nipped at people when they walk past (why a crate may be even better for her so she can decide when she wants to come out or stay in)- the RGT bumph says that their bed is theirs so no-one should approach the dog whilst it's there. From the sound of her I would leave her well alone- or at least make sure visitors leave her well alone- if she does approach someone who has been coming to your house regularly and she doesn't bark at them then you could let them - not look at her- and drop something like liver away from them but in her general direction- they mustn't try to look at her, stroke her etc etc ... this will take some time, from what you've put she's very frightened and is already having to protect herself by barking and biting ... please let her do it at her pace otherwise she will have to escalate even more

Keep asking and good luck with her

Julie

[wafers]

Thanks Julie, yeah she has been to hell and back with her previous 'family'. Looks like she never raced, but was bred from and not very well treated for the 7 years of her life. Gotta love her though!