Slightly grumpy greyhound

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Bangagin

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We're fostering a lovely greyhound - I posted some weeks ago about his demand barking, but that has pretty much stopped now and he lies in his bed quietly now when we eat! 😍 👏

We needed a companion for our female lurcher, as we lost our male lurcher in August and she wasn't coping very well when left alone. She's now really calm when left with her new foster brother, and typical for sighthounds they hardly ever move from the sofas!

It's pretty much a given that we will be adopting him, but I have a slight niggle about how well they get on. She's very submissive and quite nervous. Twice now I have heard him growl at her if she stretches a leg out and touches his bed when he's sleeping in it. She just shrinks away from him and is clearly a little worried by him growling.

Now I know this is nothing really - but in all our years of fostering and adopting sighthounds we have never had any growls or grumbles between them (approx 15 dogs over the years). We try to keep the beds apart, but floor space in our living room is limited. We have a bed in our dining room (which leads off the living room) but neither of them like to use it - preferring to stay in the living room. It doesn't seem to happen at all when we are out (we have a pet cam triggered by sound and motion), as they have more space to utilise when we're not on the sofas. 😆

They seem to ignore each other most of the time, although will come over for a fuss together and stand side by side. They don't really interact much, so I'm getting a little paranoid that the grumpiness might escalate. He doesn't resource guard - they eat in the same room and have venison chews in the same room - obviously supervised by me. It's early days - he's only been with us for 5 weeks - but before I adopt I would like to be certain they'll rub along together without any real aggression. I suppose I just want them to be happy together.
 
She is pretty relaxed around him. The only time I've seen her worried is when he growled that time. I think I'm more uptight about the situation than she is! Although she was really close to our previous lurcher, she never played with him (or any of our previous lurchers - we've had her 6 years). Joseph was very bouncy and this worried her (he bumped into her when we first got him and she never forgot). So if he wanted to play in the garden she would either run over to me (to protect her) or just stand still. However they slept with their heads very close together and played "bitey face" in the house and were clearly close

If it was simple to find a dog and I could just pick one off the shelf, I'd probably do that. But it's so hard to tell straight away, and I've literally just got back in to my normal work routine since we lost Joseph at the end of August, and although my employers have been pretty lenient I can't take the mickey. If we don't adopt Alex the greyhound, then she can't really cope alone so I will have to stay at home with her as otherwise she starts howling after a few hours and is generally miserable.

I think she is happier than the newcomer - she's just being her usual self (she's not giving him a particularly wide berth or avoiding him).
 
The fact that she is now calm when left alone is great. She is obviously getting some confidence from him.

I wouldnt personally discount a dog just because he gives a growl if another dog comes too close while he sleeps. I can relate 😅

If you do not feel she is missing the bitey face, play element, then I would keep him.
 
Jenko109 said:
The fact that she is now calm when left alone is great. She is obviously getting some confidence from him.

I wouldnt personally discount a dog just because he gives a growl if another dog comes too close while he sleeps. I can relate 😅

If you do not feel she is missing the bitey face, play element, then I would keep him.
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Yes she is definitely more confident when left. No I realise growling is just a warning, and I didn't reprimand him for it, but I suppose deep down I worry that he might get grumpier over time! I don't think she's a particularly playful girly - it was always Joseph wanting to initiate play. She does bounce around with her squeaky toy when it's time for a walk so she's definitely playful - just on her terms!
 
I have the sweetest, most gentle whippet. There is not a bad bone in his body and I would trust him with my life. He lives with his younger sharper brother and they get along brilliantly. Share toys and food and me very sweetly. The one and only thing my older boy will NOT tolerate is the younger clambering over him when he's asleep and he will growl and then snarl at him. They do cuddle up together a fair bit which is very sweet. He just stands firm on being stepped on or pushed by the younger dog when he's asleep. The younger boy can look quite anxious as he tiptoes round him, but its never stopped them cuddling up or playing bitey face for hours. I think he rightly looks anxious as he's being careful not to step on him and cause a reaction. Theres no negative repercussions in their relationship.
 
I really would not worry. Our greyhoud has been here six months now and is very mild and civilised, dog neutral on walks - but he has made it clear to the other dogs that his bed is his, and his alone. He is very worried about being stepped on! Totally understandable and we just respect this. It has not escalated, he is not grumpy and my two bitches are quite happy around him. He is only ever muzzled when they are all in the back of my car, sharing a small space, as the older bitch has been know to barge into the other dogs on bends or during unexpected braking which is not always avoidable. Growling is a very good way for well socialised dogs to make a point about their boundaries, not a sign of agression. If you are on FB, have a look at The zoomie zone: adoption advice and support, a very good resource for greyhound owners.
 
I wouldn’t worry. I have a male Saluki and a female Lurcher . They get on absolutely fine. Except if the Saluki wants his place in the sofa and she is there. He walks up to her barks once, she curls her lip at him, then gets up and gives him the place.
 
How soon do you need to decide OP? I realise you can't foster indefinitely as will be looking for a permanent home, but if it seems like he's generally doing well with you perhaps a bit longer to settle in before making the decision to adopt or start looking for a new home.
 
SaddlePsych'D said:
How soon do you need to decide OP? I realise you can't foster indefinitely as will be looking for a permanent home, but if it seems like he's generally doing well with you perhaps a bit longer to settle in before making the decision to adopt or start looking for a new home.
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Well initially the arrangement was a 2 week foster period - but because of the demand barking (now resolved) the rescue were happy to extend the foster arrangement indefinitely. So there is no rush at all. I spoke to them about the slight grouchiness, as he was previously rehomed with a female greyhound (he's not straight from racing kennels) and they feel it may be down to them just working out who's in charge. (His female companion was boss in his last home.) Watching them today they lie very close together (he had his nose practically on her back feet) and seem very comfortable around each other. I'm pretty sure we will be keeping him. He's an older (8) black greyhound so not the easiest to rehome. We're going on holiday to Norfolk in a couple of weeks, and taking him with us of course, so I'm sure when we return we'll be officially adopting him.
 
As someone with a small house full of large, bouncy greyhounds (mine do stuff like canicross, I have the energetic versions 🤣)

Mine are all good friends, play chase/races and bite face together but trying to share beds or stepping on each others beds definitely gets the grumbles.

The only bites we've had have been one accidentally stepping on another when asleep.

They can sleep incredibly deeply and also sleep with their eyes open 🙄
 
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