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Post by rachel on Sept 3, 2008 18:55:31 GMT 1
Hi, I am looking for someone with great knowledge of greyhounds as my husband and I have in recent months adopted one. great I hear you all say,mmmm, well so far she has tried to attack 2 small dogs, has caught and eaten 1 squirrel and today attacked a BIG dog fox in the garden, the small fury creatures I understand as she is an ex-racer but the fox? Is this normal, please can anyone out there shed some light on it all, yes this our first greyhound. I hope someone out there can help Many thanks, Rachel
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Post by spindles on Sept 3, 2008 21:29:25 GMT 1
Rachel Try joining the Greyhound Gap forum greyhoundgap.proboards35.com/or Sighthounds Online www.sighthoundsonline.org.uk/forumsand ask for advice on these forums as there are lots of people who can give you advice about greyhounds Your greyhound sounds like it has quite a high prey drive but I'm sure many dogs, not just greyhounds, would probably try to chase or attack a fox so I don't think thats particularly unusual but try these forums for help.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Sept 3, 2008 22:54:25 GMT 1
I don't have a huge knowledge of of pure greyhounds, but have kept lurchers for over 30 years and my very first of those would, most certainly, tackle a fox! Indeed, after once cornering a fox in our chickenhouse and being bitten, when just a pup of about six months, it was as if they were mortal enemies from then on, and she never forgot. In fact, in biting her, that original fox sealed its own fate within seconds and there was NOTHING that I could do to stop her killing it - the same for many other chance encounters with other foxes over the years, too - even though I never once set out to hunt foxes with that lurcher. Whatever was in her, was there... and yet that same lurcher would gather sheep as well as many a collie and even once tried to suckle a sick orphan lamb she found in a snowstorm! In her case she had a greyhound x wolfhound father and a working border collie mother, was born under a shed in a farmyard, and never handled at all until I had her aged about 3 months old. I so nearly took her back, too, for there was never a dog of my acquaintance that was as feral, or as natural born a killer, as that one! Even the vets quaked when they knew I was taking her in for something - and after the first time! Killing and eating prey, much as we might want and need to discourage it, is natural behaviour to many dogs with a strong prey drive - and it's been my experience that, with lurchers, the bitches can be more driven than the dogs. I am afraid that you are really looking at having to muzzle your greyhound when out and in situations where she might encounter something perceived of as prey in her mind. Also, to undertake a training regime that will encourage her by praise and reward when she ignores the 'prey' in favour of paying attention to what you want and to get her treat. I won't pretend it will be easy, or achieved quickly - even that you will be 100% successful, but good basic training is a good place to start and yes, do talk with the experts who are used to dealing with retraining greyhounds.
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Post by petdesigns on Sept 4, 2008 10:30:53 GMT 1
I can only second what Al has been writing. I've never had a Greyhound (YET!!!!), but my Springer was awful for killing birds (picking them out of hedges as well as in flight - even on a lead with halti on!) and rabbits. So that sort of behaviour is certainly not just a 'Greyhound thing'. Dogs ARE animals of prey, all have prey drive to a certain extent - otherwise sheepdogs wouldn't herd, retrievers wouldn't retrieve, spaniels not flush etc etc! Those are all behaviours straight from hunting. Racing Greyhounds are supposed to give chase... so they do! To my knowledge, quite a few Greyhound rescue orgs do say that at least for the first few weeks ex-racing Greyhounds should be muzzled when taken outside. Most of them have never even met other dogs in their lives and some will need socialisiation. You could also check this website: www.greyhounds4u.co.uk/There are quite a few tips on e.g. how to help making Greyhounds safe with cats and in the FAQ-section something about muzzling them! Because one thing is for sure - where my springy thing is definitely too slow for a squirrel or a healthy adult rabbit - a Greyhound is not! (Lots of other dogs don't chase and/or kill rabbits/squirrels and the like because they learned early on that they are too slow, it's not necessarily because they don't have the prey drive!) Training is always a good idea, so I'd suggest you start with lots of fun recall training in your home and garden, using whatever your Greyhound likes best as a reward for coming when called, be that a cuddle, toys and/or food. A good dog school (using KIND methods, possibly clicker training) could also be helpful - you two can have fun learning as well as socialising with other dogs. Good luck! It might take quite a while, but it will get easier to manage!
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