Greyhound depression?

[daviddavison]

Hi,

Our greyhound has been with us since the middle of May this year. Initially he was surprisingly well mannered and seemed very happy. He would always be really happy to see us in the morning and have a mad 5 minute running in and out of the house, and then again later on in the day, generally loving attention and seeming very content. Admittedly we had a few issues with him, mainly toileting in the house and not playing appropriately, lowering into a stalking position etc. We’ve addressed the issue of the inappropriate play, but he still does have accidents probably at least once a week during the night usually, or when we go out. He doesn’t give indication that he needs the toilet during the night by say barking loudly, he isn’t really a loud dog and very, very rarely barks anyway, but it would be great if he would give us some indication!

In the last couple of weeks/month he just really doesn’t seem happy in himself. He won’t get up from his bed in the morning to greet us or even bother to get up to eat his breakfast sometimes. We went out on the weekend for a family day out. I had arranged for my parents to come and let him out at lunchtime, where he was at home by himself for about 4 hours. In that time he had ripped his pillow to shreds (which is fine), but also ripped the electric cables out of the socket for our heater (not fine). Earlier in the week, he’d caused similar damage when he ripped the curtains down, had a poo and had then trodden this all over the room, curtains etc.
He does seem to have a sensitive tummy, particularly on the dry feed. As such we generally feed him mince beef, chicken, potatoes and vegetables and a fish oil tablet. He gets this meal for breakfast and then again at dinner.

We are a family of 5, myself, my wife and our 3 children (2, 4 and 6 years old). I work full time but am at home every night and my wife works Monday and Tuesday. On Monday and Tuesday we pay for a dog walker who takes him out for a good 2 hours and my wife returns home within 4 hours of this. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday my wife is generally at home or certainly not out for a whole day.

He gets a good walk with me every evening across the fields, where I let him off the lead when appropriate. He’s generally ok on recall unless he gets side-tracked by another dog in the distance or deer where it’ll pretty much be me running after him. Though he has come back several times on his own accord.

So I just don’t really understand why he seems so depressed and almost going backwards in himself by causing damage to things in the house and toileting more often (they are always loose, he has never toileted indoors where it’s been a good solid poo). We used to be able to go out and leave him quite confidently without worrying he would cause damage, but now you’re leaving the house hoping you don’t come back to chaos, and I wake up every morning hoping I don’t see poo on the kitchen floor.

He has clear boundaries, as we have young children so he gets free roam of the dining room and kitchen, which is cordoned off by a stairgate and when we’re in he’s got access to the house when we can ensure the children aren’t on their own with him etc.

He likes to sit right in the hallway where people are constantly passing through but I’m trying to get him to respect the children more by moving out of the way rather than them stepping over him. He has had an incident where he was asleep and my wife accidently startled him where he went for her. Similarly with my daughter, she accidently spilt a small amount of drink as she was going past and he reacted badly to that.

He’s not a particularly affection dog, he doesn’t want to sit resting on you, but he does like people to be around. Since he has been with us we have made sure we haven’t always been in, making him get used to that and then leaving for several hours. The routine has largely stayed the same. We have followed the guides in the DVD as much as possible. It seemed to suit him quite well and gives him some quiet time where the children aren’t around making noise as they do etc.

It feels like we’re giving him the best we can and that he is well catered for, but my gut feeling is that he just isn’t happy, and I don’t really know what do to. He’s so serious all of the time. I really don’t want to return him, but if he is unhappy then it would seem the fairer thing to do.

The only other things to mention that I can think of is that he was neutered a week prior to us collecting him (mid May 2017).

Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated as currently this is a big problem, and becoming bigger!

[Flaperoo]

Some quick thoughts

1. He may be over stimulated when outside. Any environment with loose running dogs, deer or any other animal that could be seen as prey will ignite their chase instinct. I never let mine offload unless in a totally secure area with no other animals around. I am very surprised the rescue centre didn't advise you of this. They can be very dangerous to other animals, even with a muzzle on. A free running greyhound not in a controlled environment is an accident waiting to happen. I would keep him on a lead at all times and get him to focus on you. It is a myth they need to run they really don't; for the most part they are just happy walking beside you.
2. If his poo is always runny when this happens what are you feeding him? Does he need to see a vet?
3. Buy a crate, if you have somewhere to put one. Make it his safe space and fun with toys and treats. Used positively most greyhounds like the protection a crate gives them, it also means he will not cause damage and they really don't like making a mess in their bed space.
4. I wouldn't allow him to sleep in a hall where people are going backwards and forwards; most dogs if startled will react.
5. Speak to the rescue you got him from they will know him and be able to guide you a bit more.

Greyhounds are by nature quiet, calm dogs. They have spent their lives in a small kennel (usually with another greyhound for company) with little or no stimulation from people or their environment. Being taken out a few times a day to relieve themselves or race. Our world is a really scary place for a greyhound. A couple with three young children will be a bit overwhelming for most greyhounds; they need space and patience to grow into our world at their pace.

Please keep us informed I would love to hear how you are getting on.

Mary

[kati]

Hi,
My hound seems to get a bit stressed sometimes if he desperately needs a poo, it's the only time he's destructive in the house. He likes to be clean about the house, and touch wood, has never had an accident, but the few times he's had an upset tummy he's started tearing things up, chewing furniture, grabbing pillows, barking lots or generally just being destructive. We know it's a cue to get him outside ASAP! I'm not sure exactly what he'd do if we weren't in when he had a tummy upset, but I suspect we'd come home to a chewed up house as well as a mess! So I wonder if the damage to things in the house is a result of his frustration at not being able to get out when he needs to go, and it could be a problem with his diet? I've only had my hound for 15 months so am still new to this so others may have better ideas and advice, but it might be worth checking out.

Our hound also has had sleep startle which can be scary, but I think is quite common - we make sure he sleeps away from us and I make sure to warn any children who are visiting to respect his space and not go anywhere near him when sleeping. He nipped my partner after being woken suddenly not long after we got him - we took him to the vet for a check up just to be sure there wasn't anything causing him pain which may have sparked the reaction, and they offered advice as well as checking him over, so that may be worthwhile. We didn't pick the best place for his bed at first but have now got him used to sleeping in a better location by making it super comfy (old duvet and fleece blanket) and providing treats for him going there. He is only allowed on our bed if we're awake or not in it. It took a while and a lot of patience but now he sleeps somewhere out of the way where he knows he is safe and secure, and we don't have to worry about accidentally waking him if we get up during the night or before he is fully awake. If we do have to step over him or walk near him when he's asleep I always make sure he is awake by speaking to him or throwing a treat his way - hopefully this will help him associate being woken suddenly with something good, rather than something frightening. We do occasionally get the odd growl if he's woken suddenly while cuddling in on the sofa, but we just talk to him gently and usually he looks super confused once he wakes up properly, and he's never attempted to nip anyone again. We were told never to tell him off for growling, as growling is a valuable warning sign to back off, so we've done our best to stick to that, and if he does growl at us when woken suddenly we just speak to him quietly. Our hound is super gentle like most hounds, and when awake is really good with children, but as with any dog I would never leave him alone in a room with young children, even - or perhaps especially - when he's asleep.

We restrict our hound to one room and the hall when we're out, as I think this helps him feel more secure - we were advised this on a homecheck.

I'd say it was maybe almost a year before our hound seemed completely settled and content - at times it was difficult but the frustrations and hard work were worth it. There were times when we wondered if we'd done the right thing by adopting him, as we struggled to see a way forward, and just weren't sure if we were providing the best life for him as he was (and still can be) somewhat aloof and serious. However, we persevered, gave him loads of love and patience, and he now seems a happy, contented and increasingly silly and playful hound. We've even begun talking about getting a second one... But that may be a while away yet! I suppose it is a huge adjustment from racing life and kennels to indoor family life with new people, and it just takes time. If you have a local walk you can go on to meet other hound owners I'd recommend going along as that's where we've had some of the best advice and support, or as Mary suggests above contact the rescue.

Good luck!

[alfiemoon]

First thing I would review is his diet, as what you've said he's getting doesn't look balanced to me. He may be lacking in some essential vitamins.

A lot of people would recommend raw, (I don't do raw btw) but that's probably not something you'd want to do with 3 children!

I would look at switching to grain free food (Wainwright's grain free from Pets at Home is a good starting point) in case the grains are aggravating his stomach. Chicken and cattle are also fed on grains so might be worth excluding that for now too.

It can take up to a year for a dog to settle in a new home, and hopefully he'll come out of his shell more as time goes on.