Feed help please for crazy lurcher!

[nativepony]

Have two lurchers, one of them was a stray when we got him at 6 months, he is now about 3. Amongst many other things he is very 'hyper', barks excessively when the door rings, when playing in the garden or when meeting other dogs and trying to instigate play - (we are currently trying to teach him to play nicely as he jumps on dogs, nipping them near the neck and barking at them which understandably doesn't go down very well with owners!). He also finds it very difficult to relax and constantly follows me round, waking up if I think he's actually asleep as soon as I leave the room. So, am feeding Arden Grange lamb but am wondering if anyone could recommend a food that would just help him calm down a little - may not be the food at all and just his personality though! Someone recommended Chudleys Greyhound maintenance for retired or resting Greyhounds. Any thoughts/advice please?

 

[Jools1234]

what breeding is he do you know?

how muchecersize doeshe get?

on lead or off?

where?

is the same place each day?

is it a field or a route march?

i have a crazy lurcher too, she is great but still crazy at 5yrs, rough but friendly with other dogs

 

[lexiedhb]

I would say Raw- calmed mine down- gives em something to do (bones) etc.

Or look into feeding in Kongs/kong wobblers instead of bowls- again occupies the mind a bit more.

 

[Jools1234]

the kong wobbler is amazing

 

[nativepony]

Jools1234, think he's a staffy cross, they have an hours walk a day, I let him off lead when I can which is more often than not but can't if there are too many dogs around (other one always off lead), we usually walk on a common or I take them to the lurcher/greyhound rescue where we got them and let them run in their field, either just my two or with other dogs. They also run round our largish garden whenever they want!

 

[Jools1234]

my lurcher has some staffy and collie in her and she comes to work loose at the stables for at the very least 2 hrs per day and then walked for at least and hour always off lead and if its in a field or park or the same place it still does not touch the sides, the only thing that wears her out is 6 plus miles of route march, along the canal is great but anywhere that is circular so its not same route out and back.

then fed with kong wobbler, she spends as much time as possible outside with my other dogs in a big garden too, but the best thing about the route march is that because our walk has purpose she hardly even says hello to other dogs she just carries on by them with no being silly, no other dogs including mine play with her cos she scares the pants off them by roaring past and barking in their faces

 

[Jools1234]

your welcome to come and walk with us we go out 8am on a sunday morning i know it a trek but you might see a differrent dog after, my friends spaniel slept during the day for the first time in 3yrs after a walk with us

 

[cremedemonthe]

All the lurchers I have had and have met are exactly like you have described, think it goes with the territory when you have one.
I feed raw meat & bones, mine is also mad as a hatter, I wouldn't worry too much!

 

[krlyr]

May be worth having his hyper/anxious behaviour investigated medically, especially if it only became an issue at a certain age or something. One of my dogs has always had a little bit of a worried personality but after moving house it just all seemed amplified and she developed separation anxiety, would react at dogs (previously fine), bark at birds flying overhead in the garden, follow me around the house and whine when I left the room etc. and so we went off to the vets for some thorough tests. Turns out her thyroid results were very, very low and we decided to trial Soloxine. She has improved a whole lot, behaviourally and physically. Could be worth exploring!

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Chill worked for a friend

http://www.naturallyanimals.co.uk/naturallyanimalsshop/prod_1807633-Chill.html

 

[CAYLA]

You do see seperation are commonly in the bully crosses, staffs are very sociable dogs and attach firmly to their humans, as do some of the other breeds breed into lurchers so a cross of the 2 can see the behaviours of each breed, but es the bulls, I have a rather "mean machine of a bully x lurcher" muscled to the nines and her Seperation was pretty severe as was her "rough play" (not for long), I calmed it immedaitely when she was handed in and her problems where as such I never rehomed her back out through the rescue through fear her behaviours would rear there ugly head the moment she knew she was in hands that where not able to control her, also the ott nipping of the neck in play, again a lurchery trait depending on whats in them but esp bulls types.
What are you doing at present when he displays the behaviours? inc the following you in the house, the excess barking and the over excitement with other dogs?

 

[nativepony]

Thanks for reply Cayla, v.interesting. We use a pet corrector with the barking & the other dog thing, also when he was humping our female (thugs both been done!), and this seems to have stopped now. He does respond instantly to the noise but it's difficult to instigate if he's already run off and covered a lot of ground to jump on some poor dog! With the following around I tend to spin round and 'psshh' at him which sometimes sends him away but then hes often back a minute or two later. I dread letting him off the lead as he's just so out of control

 

[nativepony]

Can't edit as on my phone but was meant to read 'they have both been done' not thugs!!