Greyhound bit my child

[emilybluey]

Hi,

We’ve had Bluey, a retired racer, for nearly four weeks. He seems happy enough sometimes, even roaching in the evening. He walks well on the lead and is gentle with people.

However he won’t seem to settle at all. He barely sleeps, is up and down the house constantly trying to grab at objects, chewing books, trying to take hats and things to his basket. If we are cooking he goes crazy. He gets upset when we go out and at the moment is obviously barely left at all. He seems to have to stopped weeing in the house at last!

He gets tonnes of exercise and long walks plus a chance to run. He has his own toys which he is mad about. He has a pheromone plug in and access to the garden all day long.

But he has growled once or twice at my daughter. And today he took my hat onto the sofa and tried to chew it. I told him no and she was walking past and said no, Bluey, and he went for her with a bark. He didn’t break the skin but she was very shocked and upset. There’s a visible scratch. She’s only 5.

I just don’t know if this is a warning sign that he will not be alright with children. She didn’t touch him. It’s extremely worrying as he’s particularly big for a greyhound. I’m worried he’s anxious as a character and our house is open plan so although he has a dedicated basket he can’t fully get away from the cooking smells and radio/tv/kids.

Any help gratefully appreciated! I’m worried that it could turn out to be dangerous to keep him here and I’ll only know when it’s too late.

Thanks.

[greybeard]

It's very early days for all of you.Try to put yourself in Bluey's place.For a retired racer the world is a very frightening and bewildering place,so many things they've never seen,met,been expected to do.They are used to a sheltered,very structured life.Being in a home can be overwhelming- so many things to explore and make sense of (and they do tend to explore with their mouth).
Have you got room for a crate?Most greys love them and if he's newly retired is used to them.It's their safe place to go when things get too much.
Most greys are skillful food thieves (being realistic our food must smell more appetising than dog food!). And having a grey does make you think super tidy in case they can snaffle anything.
They've never had things of their own - so once they've got something they think is interesting they don't want to part with it.All of our greys have loved children - but at first they're also something to get used to.But yes,snapping will be very worrying for you.
Please read all Lisa's posts on settling a new hound -it's invaluable advice and can stop a lot of anxiety.Greys are sensitive souls and pick up on your worries.It's baby steps for all of you - but with lots of patience,love and understanding you'll get there.Cath

[jodav]

Well done on giving Bluey a home and a chance of happiness. Did you get any advice or information from the Rescue which could explain any of his behaviours? I’m not sure if you mentioned his age but if he’s not long off the track, he’ll have been used to a completely different routine obviously.

Cath makes good suggestions about a separate room/quieter area and use of a crate. This should help him feel safe and gradually take things in around him, like the sights and sounds when your daughter is playing. I also suggest baby gates so that there are areas where he can’t go but perhaps as your house is open plan, this is tricky? You mention that he doesn’t sleep much and perhaps he is too wound up to relax in his basket? It might be worth a vet appointment (assuming that you can access this in view of the current restrictions) for a health check. This might have to wait I know. A lot of hounds get excited by the smell of food cooking. You could try keeping back a portion of his kibble and putting it in a Kong so that he has a toy with food that is hard to extract. It is very early days for Bluey and your family and I hope that with patience and guidance, he will settle. There are many helpful threads on here for new hounds. Good luck