Friend's dog

[JudyN]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

This is my friend's beautiful greyhound x saluki (according to a DNA test) x sheepskin rug (according to me). I do have doubts about the DNA results...

He's a strange dog. He's not a 'people' dog. He's particularly wary of men holding sticks, and they have concluded that he used to be a traveller's dog (he wasn't house trained when they aadopted him). He's very used to me, but has never shown the slightest interest in interacting with me, beyond taking treats. She knows just one person he has happily let stroke him. He's not really a dog dog either - he's not that interested in them, but can be reactive with some breeds. He has had the occasional run with Jasper in the past though, and they got on fine.

They often have a problem getting him into different places, even country parks where he has to go up a drive (he's fine on his regular walks). A few weeks back they came round here in the evening, and it took them ages to persuade him to come up the side of the house, even though he's been here before, knows us, and knows that we won't try to pet him. When they did finally get him in the garden, he and Jasper happily ran up and down the garden together a few times. When they left, he couldn't walk home fast enough - he really wanted to get back home. He is occasionally affectionate with his owners, in a typical sighthound lean or head-on-lap sort of way.

I find him a very difficult dog to read - I look at dog body langage a lot, and he really is inscruitable (unless he's actively barking at a 'scary' man of course).

Any insights into his brain please? Why is he so reluctant to go to certain places? They adopted him when he was 1-2 years old, and he's around 6 now. I'd love to know what makes him tick.

 

[Hemlock]

What happened in the past is with all of us for ever. He knows what spooks him, and you/his people probably never will, but it doesn't matter because he is being managed with kindness and empathy.

The DNA test is definitely off the mark! Whatever gave that coat wasn't a greyhound or a saluki - though he probably does have both in. Most lurchers do. The coat could come from bedlington, bearded collie or deerhound.

 

[JudyN]

Yes, his snout is rather short for either greyhound or saluki, and I do suspect deerhound is in the mix. He also is rather broad in the beam, even though he eats way less than Jasper ever did (he is nearly as tall as J was). My friend suspects her hubby gives him far too many titbits, but he still seems to gain weight far more easily than your average pointy dog.

He certainly fell on his feet - so many people would have fallen for his looks and then given up when they felt they couldn't connect with him. My friends weren't sighthound-savvy - she messaged me when they'd had him 2 days and said she couldn't teach him to sit - but accepted him as he was and adapted to his needs rather than expecting him to fit in with theirs.

 

[Flobo]

I got a flash of Afghan weirdly when I saw the pic! Can't offer any insights I'm afraid, but it is lovely to hear his people, as you've both already said, are accepting of his ways with kindness even if they are hard to fathom!

 

[Tinytom]

I too thought afghan and a smidge of bearded collie ...i dont hold out much in the DNA kits for dogs ....

 

[JudyN]

I was often tempted to get Jasper's DNA tested, as he's a non-standard mix (greyhound x deerhound x Beddie x Irish terrier), and I am reasonably confident that his breeder knew this to be accurate. Of course, if it threw up something different I'd have to weigh up the probabilities of which was correct.

I'm sure I've read that the tests are getting more accurate all the time though.

 

[RGC]

I accept that DNA tests may be getting more accurate - friends of ours have had tests (expensive to say the least) performed on their ‘whippet’ cross within in the last two years and each has produced widely varying results. I’m here to be educated so I ask the question, “What is the point of such tests on an animal that you love which, irrespective of the test results, will always be part of your family?” As stated, I’m here to learn.

I think your friends’ hound is gorgeous. A lovely face. For what it’s worth I think there could be a touch of wolfhound there. Is his coat soft? Is that why bedlington was mentioned? His aloofness is typical of sighthounds that I have known. Even when meeting other dogs (especially sighthounds to which they’re attracted like magnets) they’ll have a quick euphoric burst of play (chasing, etc) and then they’ll be happy to ignore eachother. Our previous two whippets responded to “sit”, “down” and “wait”. Mabel will sit when staring at us while we’re eating but doesn’t seem to understand “sit” on command. I’ve tried holding treats above her and moving them backwards over her head but that doesn’t work. Even gently pushing her hind legs forwards from behind the knee does bog all. She’ll skip away - she’s very suspicious of anything new. So I’ve given up on getting her to sit on command. She does, however, respond to “wait”. God, listen to me rambling on! I do apologise. Your friends have obviously accepted that they can only do so much for their hound. He’s obviously secure within his own margins which they respect. Good for them - typical sighthound people.

 

[JudyN]

God, listen to me rambling on! I do apologise.

Yeah, you wouldn't catch me doing that.... Ramble away, the uniqueness of our dogs is what makes them so special!

 

[Hemlock]

May I politely suggest you forget the 'sit'? Long-backed dogs do find it very uncomfortable. I taught all mine a 'stand' instead. I know yours sits herself at times but that's way different from being told to.

As for bedlington suggestion - it's a popular cross, and I've owned several. Wolfhound is less likely, though not impossible. They are oversized and short-lived, so bring nothing useful to the lurcher mix except their lovely natures.

 

[JudyN]

Yes, if I got another sighthound now I wouldn't teach 'sit'. I wouldn't do a lot of things I did back then!

 

[Tinytom]

As long as my dogs have recall and are polite around people and dogs i dont expect anymore from them

 

[JudyN]

So much depends on the individual dog - Jasper really enjoyed learning a lot of 'tricks', and I'm sure all the brainwork benefited him immensely, but I put this down to his terrier genes. And he certainly wasn't impressed with all the 'sit, down, sit, stand, down, sit' type stuff at puppy training.

 

[RGC]

May I politely suggest you forget the 'sit'? Long-backed dogs do find it very uncomfortable. I taught all mine a 'stand' instead. I know yours sits herself at times but that's way different from being told to.

As for bedlington suggestion - it's a popular cross, and I've owned several. Wolfhound is less likely, though not impossible. They are oversized and short-lived, so bring nothing useful to the lurcher mix except their lovely natures.

I take your point, Hemlock. It’s no big issue to me whether she sits or not when requested. The fact that she understands “wait” and responds to recall will suffice. Very well behaved in restaurants but has a habit of running up to dogs who’re chasing balls on the beach. She’s done very well taking into account the nervous whippet she was two years ago. In the last three months she has bonded with me - something that seemed impossible not so long ago. Somewhat a “daddy’s girl”. She was very pleased when George came back from the cattery after our break in Cornwall.