Sleep startle or aggression?

[kati]

Hello,
we've now had our greyhound 8 months. He is not allowed to sleep on the bed but sometimes he tries to climb on, particularly if it is very cold.  The last two nights he has climbed onto the bed despite being told no, then refused to go back to his own bed when told.  When my partner has stood up to move him / get treats to tempt him down he has growled and snapped. Last night he drew blood on my partners neck.  We're fairly sure he was awake at the time as it was seconds after he had climbed on the bed. We have encountered sleep startle with him (which is one of the reasons he isn't supposed to sleep with us), but we weren't sure if this was also sleep startle or an act of aggression? 

either way we need advice! What can we do to stop this? If anyone has experience of similar help is much appreciated.

thank you

K

[kati]

Tonight we are going to try him either with a muzzle or in the hall. He will happily wear his muzzle outside but hates wearing it indoors - any suggestions on this? He is not very good at sleeping on his own and cries and whines or barks if he is not in our bedroom, so advice on this would be great too. Do you think these are suitable solutions or are they ignoring the issue rather than addressing it? Do you think we should start muzzling him outdoors just in case? He's not worn his muzzle for months except when out with our dog walker as a precaution as she also walks smaller dogs (not sure if he always wears it with her or just when meeting new dogs).

Have others been bitten / nipped by their hounds? I'm really concerned that he drew blood. I'm worried we are doing something wrong to encourage this behaviour? It's outside my experience.

Thank you

[lurcherlot]

Is it possible that your dog is cold? Greyhound folks often have pyjamas for their dogs at night, particularly when it's as cold as it is now.
I personally think it's wrong to muzzle for a whole night - biting your partner seems to be an isolated incident and doesn't warrant the dog being muzzled all night.
The other reason the dog may have bitten your partner could be that he is in pain, possibly a visit to the vet may be a good idea.
Apart from the startled sleep, is there any other reason the dog cannot sleep on your bed?

[kati]

Hi, thanks for your reply.
I think he maybe does get cold, we bought him a fleece which arrived this week to try. There had been times before where he had growled and snapped on the bed but this is the first injury. He has a comfy bed of his own and a duvet to burrow in though. The main reason he's not allowed to sleep in the bed is the sleep startle, but he also tends to either push and scratch (unintentionally- to get himself comfy) so we wake up with very little / no space! He is quite a large hound. He also likes to burrow his nose into my neck and I find it impossible to sleep like that.
i did wonder about a vet appointment, but he doesn't seem to be in pain when I check him over? He had been out with our dog walker for the first time this year and was really tired - I wondered if he had muscle pain and was worried my partner was going to touch him - he has previously lifted him gently off the bed when he's jumped on it.

[vickyb]

Hopefully the fleece will help. How old is he? I wonder if he has had an old injury or arthritis which is sore in this cold weather? I'm sure he's coming onto the bed as he is cold. A vet check might be a good idea.

Can you put a dog gate across your bedroom doorway so he can see you but not get onto the bed? I would do everything I could to stop him going on the bed day and night if he is getting aggressive over it. If he is on it and you want him off I would absolutely NOT make it a flashpoint by trying to get him off and I certainly wouldn't get within biting distance. Instead I would trick him by offering a high value treat and once he's safely out of the bedroom close the door or just walk away without even asking him to get down, anything not to give him an excuse to snap. I've been there and found that preventing it happening worked and in time I let her back into the bedroom and she understood it was our bed. He might object to not being in the room with you for a few nights but with a dog that has sleep aggression it really is the safest way and I say this as a firm believer in dogs in the bedroom wherever possible.

I would absolutely not put a muzzle on him in the house but I would muzzle him outside. He will be uncomfortable and unhappy in it at night. My view is that not giving him a reason or a chance to snap is safest for all of you. Good luck x

[ragsysmum]

I'd agree with everyone else that he is most likely cold and the cold could be affecting an injury which is making him more grumpy. I'd not muzzle either, but have him in pj's/housecoat, make sure he has plenty of thick fleecy, warm bedding and check his bed isn't in a draught. I always move our new or foster dogs with a tempting treat or with a loop lead slipped around their neck....no collar grabbing or other physical manipulation until they have been here long enough to know how they will react. I don't do dogs on the bed with me either so all sleep on the floor beside me in their own bed.

[kati]

Hello, thank you, your replies have put my mind at ease as I now feel we have a plan how to handle this. We managed to get a vet appointment this morning as luckily they'd just had a cancellation when I called up. The vet gave him a really thorough check and couldn't find any areas causing him pain. I tried his fleece last night the first time he started making noise, but he cried until I took it off again. He did feel nice and warm though. We've blocked off our bed so he can't jump in but can still see us, and though we had some whining, scratching and crying we did all eventually get a good nights sleep. Hopefully in a few nights he will settle into a routine and stay in his own bed.

[vickyb]

I like a positive update  hopefully things will settle now. My black greyhound hates pj's and won't sleep in them although she is quite happy to wear warm clothes for walks but my whippet x is like - show me the PJ's come on and gives little noises of joy sometimes when you put them on him!