Walkies

[lauradarlo]

Hi All

Hoping for some advice ..... Connor is great on the lead , until any other dogs are around.

He doesn't bark or growl but he cries , jumps and chews on the lead if he can get hold of it. He seems to obsess over other dogs and he stares at them ears up until they are out of sight.

We were wondering if anyone else had this problem ? I think he just wants to play ( although he also did the same thing when he came across a squirrel the other day ) but it looks a bit intimidating to other dog owners.

He has been on a few walks with our friends alsation and is great with her ( she is also on the lead ) so i don't know if he maybe feels vulnerable being on the lead when other dogs are close to him are off.

Is it just going to be a case of trying to socialise him with as many other dogs ( minus jack russels / westies ! ) as we can or does anyone have any tips ?

Thanks

 

[sarah2]

Hi there,

I have a very bright and boisterous lurcher and we have exactly the same problems as you. He was a rescue so we don't know his history. He is very sociable if not too much so! When off the lead he charges at other dogs and jumps up at their owners. He has run at full pelt into our other dog a big german shepherd x and knocked him over, he completely winded him and he struggled to breathe, we thought we had lost him, it was very scary. We have tried to socialise him and he is never aggressive but we have had a couple of complaints. He always comes back when called and doesn't like to be more than a few feet away but we cannot stop him from running up to say high when he sees either people or dogs. It's really sad that we have to keep him on a lead around others but usually take him into farmers fields etc. The problem is that if you do not have control of your dog he is potentially seen as a dangerous dog and I am worried that he could unintentionally hurt another dog or knock a child over. We are on a waiting list for dog training lessons but it's a long list so in the meantime that's how it has to be. Saying that, he absolutely gorgeous, lots of fun and we wouldn't change him infact I want another one. Good luck!

 

[FeeFee]

If he's an ex-racer who hasn't lived in a home before he's probably never met any dogs other than other greyhounds, so he really won't know what to make of them. He may feel frustrated by being on a lead and not able to meet/play with other dogs, but he may also be defensive about meeting dogs because he's anxious and unsure how to behave.

A good training class where he can learn to socialise with other dogs can often help. There's a list of APDT members by area here, so there might be a class locally to you http://www.apdt.co.uk/local_dog_trainers.asp

Other than that I'd say that unless he seems aggressive, let him meet and greet and sniff as many friendly dogs as possible when you are out. It might be best to use a muzzle until you are sure how he will react.

If he's jumping around and spinning on the lead when other dogs are around you could try to get him to focus on a really tasty treat instead - sausage or chicken can work wonders! I've also heard some people recommend using a Ruffwear Harness which has a handle on the back which you can hold on to for extra control if he gets too excited.

Good luck - it's early days yet and I'm sure he will do just fine once he gets a bit more used to things :luck:

 

[Esty]

My whippets used to get very excitable on the lead if another excitable dog was nearby - they'd pull backwards away from me and I used to worry that they would hurt their necks with all the twisting and whining. I know they are completely friendly off lead and have the sense to get out of the way if another dog snarls so now if we are somewhere safe and I see another dog that clearly just wants to play, I let them off the lead. Most of the time they will pass by with barely a sniff, sometimes they play but because they were meeting other dogs on equal terms it stops the over reactions when they are on lead as well. My theory is that sighthounds' defence is flight - if they don't have this option because they are on a lead, they can panic.

Perhaps see if anyone else on here lives near you and will run or walk their dog with yours - we all know what hounds are like and the way they play so it's not so alarming! The more he meets the better he will be on the lead because he won't panic- he may not have realised that dogs come in different shapes and sizes. At the moment I bet he is still just fascinated by everything because it's new, he had quite a restricted experience of the world before- the novelty will wear off eventually. I bet he's fab with other hounds - they seem to recognise their own kind. Mine can spot a lurcher/ whippet/ greyhound a mile off and actively want to go and meet them. The suggestions of different harnesses and training are also good. He probably just needs time to get used to his new world.