Barking Greyhound

[HelenJ]

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Hi Everyone

I'm sure the answer to this is probably on the FAQ but couldn't find it !

I have had my retired Greyhound for a month now and he is fantatic, well behaved in the house, good at night housebroken etc.

However, whenever we go to the park for his walks and there are other dogs he barks constantly at them. He seems happy, tail wagging etc, I am a first time dog owner and I was wondering is this just excitement or is he being agressive towards other dogs and is there anything we can do to stop the barking - he seems to be the only dog barking all the others just stand there and look at him!

I don't have a problem with him barking if this is normal behaviour, I just don't want to condone something that we should train out

Thanks

Helen

 

[sleddog]

Hi Everyone
I'm sure the answer to this is probably on the FAQ but couldn't find it !

I have had my retired Greyhound for a month now and he is fantatic, well behaved in the house, good at night housebroken etc.

However, whenever we go to the park for his walks and there are other dogs he barks constantly at them. He seems happy, tail wagging etc, I am a first time dog owner and I was wondering is this just excitement or is he being agressive towards other dogs and is there anything we can do to stop the barking - he seems to be the only dog barking all the others just stand there and look at him!

I don't have a problem with him barking if this is normal behaviour, I just don't want to condone something that we should train out 

Thanks

Helen

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hi helen from the sound of it it could be frustration he could want to play or is getting hyped up by the movement . it may calm down if you distract him with a treat or give him a chance to play safely with other dogs i think some dogs need the company of other k9s but as most people think sighthounds with course there dogs this can some times be hard to do if he has not had much chance to play with other dogs it could be fear and with you as back up is acting up dogs gain a lot of confidence with a lead on hope this helps

 

[~Helen~]

:thumbsup: Hi and welcome. I don't think, from memory, that there is anything on this in FAQ so I hope you get some good replies and then I can add it to FAQ :b :thumbsup:

 

[gutsey]

Hi helen,i had same trouble with our girl when we first had her,i think its just excitement now she is allowed off the lead(somewhere safe)she plays with all other breeds with no aggression at all she`s a softy.

TRY THIS LINK IT`S VERY HELPFUL

http://www.greyhoundresearch.com/site_map.php

you will have to register to view everything,but this is free,hope this helps.. :luck:

 

[oakmoorehill]

Hi helen,i had same trouble with our girl when we first had her,i think its just excitement now she is allowed off the lead(somewhere safe)she plays with all other breeds with no aggression at all she`s a softy.TRY THIS LINK IT`S VERY HELPFUL

http://www.greyhoundresearch.com/site_map.php

you will have to register to view everything,but this is free,hope this helps.. :luck:

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I joined that site on 28th June I posted to say Hi and to introduce myself and William and have had no replies so far

 

[FeeFee]

It sounds like excitement/playfulness - if he's been in kennels up to now, the 'real world' is all very new to him. He may never have seen other breeds of dogs before, so just needs a bit of time and socialisation to settle down.

Training classes can help - a good class might be a nice controlled way to get him used to being around other dogs and teach him to listen to you even with lots of things going on around him.

Teaching a 'watch me' command might help get his attention back on you. Start at home by holding up a treat, give the command then reward him as soon as he makes eye contact with you (clicker training is great for this). Gradually build it up so you are expecting him to 'watch' for longer periods before he gets the treat. Once this is really solid at home or in places with no distractions you can try using it to keep him focused on you when he starts to get excited.

Using a headcollar rather than a flat collar can help with some dogs as you have a bit more control if they start jumping around, and can gently pull them round to look at you and get their attention. Greyhounds are used to being muzzled, so usually accept a headcollar quite easily. I'm actually not keen on Haltis, as they can ride up into the dog's eyes, but a Gentle Leader or Canny Collar can work well.

Good luck, he sounds lovely! :wub:

 

[gutsey]

oakmoorehill you have a reply now,i never use the forum bit but the research articles is very informative.Just took my bitch to kennels today she`s out playing with a jrt,but when she saw it she was jumping around barking.Its just excitement

 

[Nicky Co.]

Hi Helen

We've had ours for 2 months now and he is exactly the same although we are making progress. Some owners are friendly and have medium-sized to large dogs so we introduce them and allow them to have a sniff at which point the barking stops. However, most owners are wary as soon as the barking starts, so we either walk in the opposite direction and keep silent so as not to encourage him, or we stop, get him to look at us, and say No everytime he barks, which sometimes works.

If you have to pass another dog on a path, I found putting my body between him and the other dog can be helpful, keep walking at a steady pace whilst talking to him constantly - just silly stuff, like 'keep on moving, just keep walking' that kind of thing, and we've made it past several dogs without a bark like that, although he looked like he was close to it!

However, we decided now he has had two months to settle in and know we are not taking him back, we are going to take him for training. The first school we went to was awful, so look around and ask what control methods they use before you decide. The first one we went to wanted us to put a choke chain on him, shake him by the scruff of the neck, or give him a backhander across the face... We've now found one that only uses positive methods, and wants us to come for an asessment and some one-to-one training before he is introduced to other dogs in the class which sounds encouraging. She told us she had been trying to get the RSPCA to shut the other class down for the last 5 years!

Nicky

 

[FeeFee]

The first school we went to was awful, so look around and ask what control methods they use before you decide.  The first one we went to wanted us to put a choke chain on him, shake him by the scruff of the neck, or give him a backhander across the face...  We've now found one that only uses positive methods, and wants us to come for an asessment and some one-to-one training before he is introduced to other dogs in the class which sounds encouraging.  She told us she had been trying to get the RSPCA to shut the other class down for the last 5 years!

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Gawd, how depressing that there are still training classes using these sort of methods

APDT trainers should all be using reward-based training, so worth looking for one in your area: http://www.apdt.co.uk/list_trainers.asp