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Post by chaser on Dec 26, 2015 11:31:13 GMT -5
Hello, I am considering adding another dog to our family. I would like a dog that's "on" outside and "off" inside, which led me to greyhounds . However we already have a dog. A one year old Rat Terrier, he is 14lbs and has a lot of anxiety. Getting a second calmer, relaxed dog has been suggested to us by trainer and vet, as the presence of a "role model" may help our terrier relax and make life more pleasant for us all. So first question; Can a greyhound coexist with a small, hyper, anxious dog? Would a greyhound be a good influence, or pick up the anxiety from our terrier? Also, we have a parrot. Would that be a problem? He just sits on his cage all day, our terrier ignores him. Any dog which would come into our home must be uninterested too. We do not have a yard. We own a townhouse/condo. I have a few good spots I take the RT to run off leash however, and go for two walks a day. We do not have children, and are not going to, however do visit my siblings who have children on the holidays, and would like to be able to include the dogs on such visits. I LOVE lure coursing with my terrier. Would be awesome to do so with a greyhound too! I play with my terrier with a flirt pole often. Would the terrier, when running/chasing, trigger a greyounds prey drive and be injured? Thank you for taking the time to read this, hope I can get an idea if a greyhound may fit in our family.
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Post by Heather (& KC) on Dec 27, 2015 9:27:35 GMT -5
Hello! We have two greyhounds and had one in the past. All three have been good with my parent's Westie and hang out at my parent's cottage. Terriers are quite active and can be vocal. This hasn't bothered our boys. They don't actually play together as our grey's idea of play is running. I have seen/heard of hounds playing with other breeds though.
As for children, all three of ours have been good with kids. You need to introduce them slowly to new things and watch their reaction to new things in life. You don't want to overload them. I had ours at my parent's condo over Christmas and my mom loves to show them off so we took them down to the lounge where about 25 people had had their Christmas dinner. There were several small humans and the boys just stood there soaking up the attention. As with any breed, not all are good with small children.
I get nervous when people talk about off leash parks with other breeds as greyhounds have thin skin that tears easily. They also have different body language than other breeds. If you go that route, don't muzzle your grey as all dogs need to be able to defend themselves. Also make very sure he/she doesn't have a high prey drive. Even if it's fine with your RT doesn't mean it'll do well with others. I have however seen and read about greys in mixed dog parks.
As for the influence of the grey on the RT and vice versa, talk with Heather Main. Her number is here on the board. There are all sorts of personalities. Some shy that take time. With our second we wanted a confident but not dominant grey to compliment our other boy. We got a perfect match. Take your RT to pick your new family member.
I've read about several owners taking their greys lure coursing. A great activity!!!!
Good luck as you investigate and decide next steps. We certainly don't regret getting a second at all. They are great companions for eachother.
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troysmom
Hound Nut
Troy & Leopold
Posts: 1,717
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Post by troysmom on Dec 31, 2015 20:50:35 GMT -5
Hi we have a dachshund and 2 greys. My 3 boys get along great. The greyhounds on occasion run after the dixie to play but he's a smart cookie and plays submissive. I on occasion take my 3 boys to a leash free, only at times when it is not busy, to let the boys play. As mentioned above they are not muzzled. They do run very fast and like to poke at the other bogs when they run, not in an aggressive way but sometimes perceived that way by other dog owners. I just keep a good eye on them and leave if anything gets iffy.
My greys have definitely been good role models. Lenny the Dixie was a puppy when we first got him. Had bathroom issues until my first grey arrived to show him the ropes. Having the greyhound also translated to more and longer walks which helped in his training and an exercised dog is a happy dog.
My sister has a Dixie and a Rat terrier. They all get along famously. Her rat terrier appears to be less active then yours.
As for kids, my greys have all been exposed to my nieces and nephews starting as babys. No concerns but they have all been taught how to be around dogs. Great articles are available to read on the forum about greyhounds and adopting if you haven't read them yet.
Many others on the GRA Facebook page have smaller dogs as well. Maybe pop over there to get more feedback.
If you do decide to adopted you have to take your rat terrier to help you pick. I've always taken Lenny with and taken a few pups for a walk. The best fit for our situation was the one who would say hello to him, show some interest and go for a walk as if they have always been together.
Good luck on your decision. I hope a greyhound is the right fit for you. My guys love to run but in the house are so chilled and relaxed.
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Aradex
Junior Grey Lover
Posts: 319
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Post by Aradex on Jan 6, 2016 10:32:54 GMT -5
You may well be able to find the right grey. They are fairly variable in their personalities - each of ours is quite different in their personality. None of mine would be fine for all your requirements, but that's partly because we've picked dogs that will work with us and each other, not for the sort of home you have. So here's what I would say to each of your potential issues:
Can a greyhound coexist with a small, hyper, anxious dog? Some can. Dexter wouldn't care. Araley wouldn't have cared.
But on the other hand, both KB and Cole would care right now. KB might get to the point where he doesn't care. I don't see Cole ever not caring. For them, it's the hyper and anxious that gets to them, less the size. My SiL's Great Dane upset them because he was very anxious and hyper, but they have been fine with little dogs that were decently behaved.
Would a greyhound be a good influence, or pick up the anxiety from our terrier? Depends on the dog. Dexter is very calm and laid-back and seems to be pretty calming for most other dogs. However, he has mostly ignored truly anxious dogs, not interacted with them.
Also, we have a parrot. Would that be a problem? This actually may be the biggest issue, especially because the group can't parrot test the dogs. A bird's squawks sound a lot like a toy's, and I could see any of my dogs trying to investigate it, at least when they were young. However, I do think you could train them out of it with some work. But they won't be completely uninterested right off the bat - it will likely take at least 6 months before you can trust them to be around the bird without immediate supervision.
We do not have a yard. We own a townhouse/condo. I have a few good spots I take the RT to run off leash however, and go for two walks a day. We had Araley and Dexter in apartments and townhouses for the first five years we had them. They did just fine with that. Your dog will need to go out three times a day for potty time, even if the third trip is only 5-10 minutes. Additionally, make 100% sure that anywhere you take him/her off leash is fully fenced. It doesn't have to be a formal dog park, but if there's gaps in the fence (or worse, no fence), you're putting your dog in a bad situation. Over time, you may be able to train them well enough, but even then the contract you sign says not to let them off leash.
We do not have children, and are not going to, however do visit my siblings who have children on the holidays, and would like to be able to include the dogs on such visits. We've never had issues with kids, as long as they're respectful of the dogs. They must have good dog manners, though, so if your siblings don't have dogs in their family, I would suggest that either the kids visit first or that you don't stay with your siblings for the first trip or two so you can make sure that the dogs aren't forced to deal with poor treatment.
I LOVE lure coursing with my terrier. Would be awesome to do so with a greyhound too! I play with my terrier with a flirt pole often. Honestly, the one time I tried lure coursing with Araley and Dexter, I got a whole heck of a lot of nothing. Granted, they were almost 10 and had definitely slowed down. But don't assume that greyhound = lure coursing. Some of the dogs that retire (especially when they retire young) just aren't into it. If you do get a dog that goes for it, though, never lure course with the grey and the RT at the same time. Because of the answer I'm going to give below.
Would the terrier, when running/chasing, trigger a greyounds prey drive and be injured? If it's in a situation where the grey is being prompted to chase/catch, then yes. This is why lure coursing should really be done solo. It's not even a size thing - I'd be wary of running two greys together.
Otherwise, it depends on the dog itself. All of mine do go to the dog park and they do just fine with dogs of all sizes. They have run around with everything from a 10 pound frenchie puppy to a 150 pound Dane and they've never aggressively chased anything. That being said, we had to work up to that, and we're still incredibly cautious and discerning about who we let them run with. The second we see signs of a bad dog owner (bringing small children in, unaltered dog, lack of control or interest in their dog, etc), we leave the park.
Some people are very anti-park, which I get. For us, it works. We have a local park that is very quiet most of the time and is rarely used by bad owners because it is a km hike just to get there. We go as late or early as we can to avoid the busy times. And we are ready to leave if anything happens. And so far, we've been fine - we've had more injuries from bushes in our back yard than we have at the park. But you have to be on top of things to make it work. I would also start with a lot of walks and not work up to free runs in an empty park for the better part of a month.
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