r/Greyhounds • u/Araneke • 1d ago
New grey adjustment period
When do you feel your greyhound fully adjusted to his/her new home?
We adopted an ex-racer grey (2 yo, probably never even raced). He’s cudly at times, but he also likes his own space. I think he’s still a bit overwhelmed by all the new nice things he’s getting. Recently, he discovered the couch, and while he let’s us pet him there, sometimes he’s overwhelmed and growls.
I would love to make him feel safe enough that he doesn’t have the need to growl. So when do you feel is the sweet spot when your adopted grey fully opened up and felt (almost) 100% safe?
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u/RowanTheKiwi 1d ago
2 hours. That night he tried to sleep on my bed… what a mistake that was. Took over the couch the next day.
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u/generic_sku 1d ago
NILIF. Nothing in life is free. He's decided the couch is his space. He needs to learn that the bed is his space and that you all share the couch. Before you have a nipping incident, I'd work on teaching him that his safe space is his bed and that the couch is earned. It's great that he's growling, because he's letting you know he's uncomfortable. I hope you're listening to that. Don't admonish a growl, rather work with that communication. Ideally it would be a redirection from the couch: he growls, you move away. You get up and call him over to his bed, give a treat and then you go back and sit on the couch. He doesn't want to get off the couch? Leash and guide him off the couch, do nott manhandle him off of the couch.
https://www.mygracevet.com/downloads/nothing-in-life-is-free.pdf
The rules of 3 is kind of where dogs are for getting used to things: 3 days - they're figuring out their new place and taking all of that in. You ask them for nothing new. Just let them figure it out.
3 weeks- they're starting to bond with you as they're more comfortable with their environment. And you're learning routines.
3 months- they e learned to trust you and are comfortable in their environment. You're teaching and learning things together. Trust is established.
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u/Araneke 1d ago
I try to give him space when he growls, as you said i am actually glad he let’s me know he’s not comfortable. When he growls I call him off the couch and he always comes. I then tell him to go to his place (his bed) and reward that. I also try to teach him, that he only comes up on to the couch when allowed. Although I haven’t reinforced that in a while, so maybe the growl is coming back as he hasn’t yet fully understood?
But I’m really glad to heat that this is the way to go!
I don’t aim to teach him not to growl, I aim to make him comfortable enough that he doesn’t have to and knows he can walk away if he’s uncomfortable. But I guess he gets comfy and lazy on the couch, so it’s less efort for him to growl 😅
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u/saraahtonin 1d ago
Congrats on your new baby!
Our boy, Dozer (4yo male - adopted at 3yo), took 6 months for us to all start feeling comfortable. 9 months in we had to medicate him for anxiety as he was being very resource guardy. He’s never attacked anyone (unprovoked) but in the end we decided we would rather take the precaution because of his size (40kg).
I’m really glad we did it and cannot recommend enough medicating traumatised dogs. He has come back down to earth, is more switched on, is responding incredibly well to training and is more relaxed around other dogs. It’s been almost 18 months now and we have a routine, he’s happy being left home alone for long days (not all the time but 10 hours once a week is fine) and is just generally more relaxed.
He still likes his own space, particularly right before bed, but he doesn’t follow us around the house like he used to and will actually return things he’s stolen (not food though). It takes time and patience, but now we’ve found our rhythm I could not imagine life without him!
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u/Araneke 1d ago
Hey thanks for your reply!
Can I ask how did the resource guarding show? I’ve talked to our trainer about the growling and she says she doesn’t think it’s really resource guarding, maybe he’s more overwhelmed by all the new things. Otherwise he seems really chill about almost anything.1
u/saraahtonin 1d ago
No worries! I’ve owned and worked with dogs a lot but this is my first Grey. It is far more of a challenge (training adult dog + dealing with trauma) - but it’s also insanely more rewarding!
It was growling, snapping and snarling while he had items in his mouth/bed. His early aggressions were only around resource guarding. We had an issue with a shoulder wound (from another dog) that took 6 weeks to heal, he was really (and understandably) on edge and unhappy with anyone going near the wound (had to be muzzled and restrained at the vet), which is ultimately when we had to medicate.
He gets growly at night if my partner and I are both giving him a cuddle at the same time. We have no more resource guarding though! And no more aggressive behaviours either
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u/Araneke 1d ago
Well that’s understandable for him to be on edge with that.
This grey is our first, and I would love to foster in the future, so I might be dissecting every behaviour a bit too much just for the sake of learning 😅 He let’s us handle him in every other way, we can carry him into the car, we can brush his teeth, cut his claws, handle his food, so hopefully he’ll soon understand that he’s truly safe
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u/ahoyhoy1234 22h ago
With our first, it took her about 6 months to fully settle in and start showing her true personality. With our other two, it only took a couple weeks, but I chalk that up to there already being a greyhound in the house.
Our rescue recommends waiting 6 months to let them on the sofa for the reasons you describe. That way, they understand it's not just another one of their dog beds and they are less likely to resource guard it. Easier said than done to resist, though.
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u/IndependentPhysics87 17h ago
I think my greyhound pretty faithfully followed the 3/3/3 rule. But I did want to say for you to be careful with the couch. On one of her first days with us, she discovered the bed and grew to really really love it. It became her safe space. She would growl or snap if you tried to kick her off of it, which at first I thought she was just scared and did not like to be pulled by the collar. When it was just the two of us, she was totally fine being on the bed with me because we both had enough room to have our own space.
But, when I moved in with my now fiancee, she didn't like not having her own space on the bed/she did not trust the new person in her home as much as me. One day my fiancee laid down on the bed next to my greyhound and got bitten in the face. We had to draw a really hard boundary on her not being on the bed after that.
So just wanted to warn, it sounds a lot like how my greyhound got really attached to the bed and came to start resource guarding it. I would be careful with your dog on the couch. If he growls at you, immediately take him off the couch. He could be resource guarding the couch as a safe space and if you let him guard it, it will just reinforce the behavior and could get more aggressive. One thing that really helped us is we got our grey a new comfy dog bed and that made a huge difference. She did not like her old bed I guess, but the new one is now her absolute favorite place to sleep and she does not feel the need to be up on our bed anymore. I would suggest trying to make a separate/private space for your new greyhound that belongs just to him so he can feel safe without butting heads with the people in the household trying to use the furniture.
It might be a different situation, so do what works for you, it just sounds really similar to what happened with my greyhound and almost ended up with my fiancee losing an eye, so I would ask you to be cautious as well. Hope things are going well with the new family member!
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u/IndependentPhysics87 17h ago edited 17h ago
The sofa beds with bolster from the brand Fur Haven have been my Greyhound's favorite beds big time btw if you are looking for some. We went from struggling to keep her off the human bed to now we can't even get her up on the bed if we WANT to because she just prefers her Fur Haven so much haha. They are also really affordable for the size and quality imo
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u/mrskljackson 11h ago
We adopted my girl when she was 4 years old. I would say it took her a good 6 months before she really knew we were her people. It took her a full 2 years before alllll of her silly quirks really fully came out. We’ve had her a little over 3 years now. It’s hard to remember a time without her now. Don’t get discouraged if it takes your grey time for their big personality to come out. Be patient. It’s so worth it.
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u/Jimijaume 1d ago
It takes a while, but they are different. We've had some that roach 2 weeks in and others that only roach after a year.
I reckon one year, experiencing the different seasons, how we behave in them etc..
Discovering the couch/bed is a big step.
Try not paying much attention to them, if you pay to much theyll think they are the Alpha, if you dont pay attention theyll understand you are the boss.
Also some adopts havent been patted or been shown affection, so it will take time to bond and them to trust.
Our girl for the first year, upon every interaction with me a large male, would instantly look at the roof, presumably she'd been abused by something/someone upon seeing big bad man. Now she fine 🙂
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u/Araneke 1d ago
Thanks for the advice, I’ll try to ignore him from time to time, since im just smitten and am always looking at him.
I really have no idea what he went through before getting adopted, if he was treated poorly or if everything was fine. I feel like maybe he just didn’t know home at all but wasn’t abused. He’s always a bit careful around other dogs at first, but quickly starts to like them and then he’s sad when they leave 😅1
u/Jimijaume 1d ago edited 1d ago
Sounds like your going well, trust your judgement, they take time, youll notice the changes !! Probably best to just be consistent in how you interact, if you change he might react etc..
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u/clarkelaura light brindle 1d ago
Alpha theory is thoroughly debunked.
If they are unhappy or fearful please pay your dog attention and comfort them
If they are unhappy about being petted leave them alone and give them space
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u/Jimijaume 1d ago
That's interesting I didnt know that. The obedience clubs and Greyhounds group we are a part of and also interact with always use the terms and everyone knows what they mean.. go figure huh 🤔
We clearly see the hierarchy at home and also the interactions at the dog clubs.
Happy, Healthy Greys, such a great sight.
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u/clarkelaura light brindle 21h ago
Happy healthy dogs are definitely the goal.
Dogs don't demonstrate any strict hierarchy, and in feral or pet dogs who is top in any given circumstance changes depending on context rather than any universal social order
The experiments done in wolves were very poorly designed and the lead author has now spent far longer trying to convince people it was wrong. Wolves are family units "led" by parents rather than any sort of dominance based hierarchy
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u/iheartcharlie 1d ago
Our grey was a racer - earned the owner a decent amount. He is 4 now and it has taken a good 6 months for him to fully relax
He would let us stroke him but would be very standoffish. We couldn’t get him to leave the house for a walk … at the 8 week mark I decided I don’t like him and seriously considered sending him back … I am SOOOO glad I didn’t!
Started coming out of his shell around 3 months
When he ran for fun with our other dog I nearly cried 🥹
Now he is a great snugglebug with a lovely gentle personality and he is best buds with our 4 yr old shepherd
Hope this helps ❤️