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Training a greyhound not to chase


MillieMar
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My family has recently adopted a young Male greyhound from rescue. He is a sweet boy who loves people, but I already had a cavalier king Charles spaniel. After a few days settling in, the greyhound has taken an interest in chasing my cavalier.

 

We step in straight away, putting the lead on the greyhound until he calms down...but this behaviour can't continue.

 

I want to provide a home for this greyhound but I won't risk the safety of my cavalier, who is now terrified.

 

Can anything be done?

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Have you asked the rescue for suggestions? Did you adopt from a rescue that specialises in greyhounds?

Greyhounds are bred to chase. If this is happening only outdoors then training your cavalier NOT to run when outdoors with the grey will solve the problem. However if the greyhound now sees the cavalier as a prey animal, indoors or out, sitting or running, then returning the grey to the rescue might be needed.

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To be very frank, and assuming the Greyhound is not just a puppy, I would be returning him to the rescue and looking for one that is small dog safe. He sounds like a lovely boy but not for your home. The already resident dog has a right to feel safe, and be safe. 

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:( Seems  an unsuitable  dog was chosen for you .... for the cav's safety, and your sanity , the grey needs to be returned , and more research done  to find a grey who has been fostered out and is noted as small dog safe   . 

Upsetting , I know . 

Wishing you well . 

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You need to go to a greyhound rescue who test with small dogs, this one could well be seeing your Cav as prey, or could just be playing and its overwhelming for the Cav, without seeing it i can't say. Greys make lovely pets but you need the right match. Have you spoken with the rescue about it? Is he on trial?

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Return the dog to the rescue. It's neither fair nor sensible to try to train the dog out of behaviours that are normal for the breed. From the sounds of it, you got given a greyhound with higher than average prey drive and no amount of training is going to change that. When you return the dog, I'd communicate VERY clearly that prey drive is the issue and that he is NOT small dog safe. Maybe he slipped through testing, maybe they didn't bother to test, who knows. But either way, they need to be aware that he is not suitable for anything but a fairly experienced sighthound home, where his prey drive can be safely managed.

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Is he chasing or is he playing .

Keeping in mind Greys play in an exuberant manner and it sounds like you where expecting something different and have a Cavie that isn’t ready for a big dog and a playful one .

 

This dog could have slipped through or it could be quite simp,y a normal dog wanting to play like a normal large breed dog and yes I have owned Greyhounds with small dogs 

Edited by Dogsfevr
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I don’t think it matters whether it’s play or prey as to the suitability for living with a small dog. They can easily be hurt or scared and then you’ll wind up with a reactive dog.

ETA... realised that may be unclear. Yes prey = dead dog. But being mown over or nearly missing being mown over by a fast moving big dog is painful, dangerous and terrifying for small dogs and people need to consider this.

Edited by Papillon Kisses
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I love greyhounds, no doubt about it BUT there are some who are unsuitable to go with small dogs and it sounds like you have one.  I'm appalled that the rescue hasn't tested properly before rehoming.  Prey drive is not curable and will result in something terrible happening and I've heard first hand accounts - not only greyhounds, other large breeds but they have killed small dogs, happens far too often and usually because owners involved are clueless.

 

I'm a rescuer and foster carer.  I love dogs of all sizes but my golden rule is that my own dogs' health, happiness and safety come first.

 

DO NOT risk your own dog.  Or you can rehome your own dog and keep the greyhound - some people do that - yes really!  

 

 

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Yes the disasters that happen at leash free parks proves that point, over and over again.

 

its rarely the big dog that dies as a result, well except when its two biggies that suddenly decide set into each other.

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Disasters happen in any breed and size ,many small dogs start the trouble .

Big dogs p,at like a big dog.

And bred runs and chases that’s a dog .

Selecting a suitable friend for an already existing dog is paramount also accepting some dogs aren’t suited to company is another .

I dare say whether this dog is suitable or not an introduction period wasn’t down just a here is the new dogand it’s scared the new owner who thought they where getting a couch potato.

As a side note all our Greys played gentler than a Lab,Boxer or Dobe they just leap and do speed and agile quicker.

Also people Greyhounds are not bred to chase they where bred to hunt like many other breeds ,This is a pet peeve comment and not all Greys have been near a track or are race bred .

 

Plenty of breeds and dogs do lure coursing and chase that lure doesn’t mean there prey drive is any more higher than another dog .

I owned show Greys .i would trust them over many breeds any day of the week the only difference is we understand play types and making sure a dog is happy to live with such a dog .

My dogs don’t enjoy playing with Labs due to there pushy,over the top ,in your face no respect play manners .

Edited by Dogsfevr
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On 9/22/2018 at 7:51 PM, MillieMar said:

My family has recently adopted a young Male greyhound from rescue. He is a sweet boy who loves people, but I already had a cavalier king Charles spaniel. After a few days settling in, the greyhound has taken an interest in chasing my cavalier.

 

We step in straight away, putting the lead on the greyhound until he calms down...but this behaviour can't continue.

 

I want to provide a home for this greyhound but I won't risk the safety of my cavalier, who is now terrified.

 

Can anything be done?

I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work out for you, did you find a home for the grey?

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On 07/10/2018 at 6:22 PM, Dogsfevr said:

Disasters happen in any breed and size ,many small dogs start the trouble .

Big dogs p,at like a big dog.

And bred runs and chases that’s a dog .

Selecting a suitable friend for an already existing dog is paramount also accepting some dogs aren’t suited to company is another .

I dare say whether this dog is suitable or not an introduction period wasn’t down just a here is the new dogand it’s scared the new owner who thought they where getting a couch potato.

As a side note all our Greys played gentler than a Lab,Boxer or Dobe they just leap and do speed and agile quicker.

Also people Greyhounds are not bred to chase they where bred to hunt like many other breeds ,This is a pet peeve comment and not all Greys have been near a track or are race bred .

 

Plenty of breeds and dogs do lure coursing and chase that lure doesn’t mean there prey drive is any more higher than another dog .

I owned show Greys .i would trust them over many breeds any day of the week the only difference is we understand play types and making sure a dog is happy to live with such a dog .

My dogs don’t enjoy playing with Labs due to there pushy,over the top ,in your face no respect play manners .

In Australia, the VAST majority of pet greyhounds come from the racing industry. And from what I've seen, there is a difference in drive between the two groups. One group is bred to look a certain way, the other is bred to chase through a brick wall. You select for drive, you get more drive.

Plenty of ex racing dogs make great pets, but some have prey drive so high that an "average" home is unlikely to be suitable, unless the new owners are willing to do a lot of learning, very quickly. 

As for the difference between chasing and hunting.. :shrug: They were bred to chase down and kill animals, for hunting purposes. They're not a retriever or a pointer or a tracker- they chase down the prey and they kill it. Or attempt to turn it, which at high speeds, could result in death anyway. And that's not an attack on the breed, I absolutely love greys and have owned ex racers for over a decade, but I see no need to pretend that their prey drive is not high. I have seen that prey drive in action and it is not something to be downplayed. 

 

Your experience seems to be in showbred dogs and I can guarantee you, they're not the same thing. I don't think you can truly appreciate the levels of drive involved until you've been on the other end of the leash to a higher drive greyhound. The intensity of that drive can be confronting. And the consequences for underestimating it could be devastating. 

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2 hours ago, Maddy said:

 

Your experience seems to be in showbred dogs and I can guarantee you, they're not the same thing. I don't think you can truly appreciate the levels of drive involved until you've been on the other end of the leash to a higher drive greyhound. The intensity of that drive can be confronting. And the consequences for underestimating it could be devastating. 

I wouldn't underestimate the drive in a show bred grey. Like race breds it's there in varying degrees and it's something I always harp on about when talking to possible puppy buyers.

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1 hour ago, Rebanne said:

I wouldn't underestimate the drive in a show bred grey. Like race breds it's there in varying degrees and it's something I always harp on about when talking to possible puppy buyers.

Exactly but the same applies to any bred .

 

Maddy plenty of breeds chase to hunt ,run to hunt Greys are no more special than many breeds and as for your show bred plenty of show bred breeds have  great working ability in all breeds but the constant lines from people who go on that Greys are bred to chase refer to running in circles .

We all now there history and there history again like many Breeds was to hunt and also be a companion animal and one of status .

I own gundogs and they can hunt and chase infact some of my gundogs are more driven than my Greys ever where 

 

People just need to use there brains and get a breed with its pros and cons and realise that that can’t turn them into something else but playing and running like a sighthound is different and for many something they have never scene before 

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