|
Walking
Feb 16, 2012 14:47:15 GMT -5
Post by jocelyn60 on Feb 16, 2012 14:47:15 GMT -5
We adopted a greyhound the beginning of January and she is doing great (even with two cats in the house) however when we take her for a walk, she will stop and you can't get her to budge. The only way I can get her going again is by nudging her from behind. I need to walk almost behind her with my hand on her rump to get her to keep moving! We take her the same way every time so she can get used the route and feel comfortable, I've taken treats (doesn't work). Any suggestions on how I can get her moving again when she stops ?
Thanks
|
|
|
Walking
Feb 16, 2012 19:39:47 GMT -5
Post by angelollie on Feb 16, 2012 19:39:47 GMT -5
My first greyhound would stop in the middle of his walk and no matter what, I couldn't get him to move forward. What did work for me was to quickly turn into the opposite direction from which we just came and walk a few steps and then quickly turn back into the direction you originally were going in. That seemed to change whatever reason caused him to stop and got things moving again.
|
|
|
Walking
Feb 16, 2012 21:17:13 GMT -5
Post by newtothis1 on Feb 16, 2012 21:17:13 GMT -5
My Scully stops sometimes when walking, mostly when he hears load noises. I turn in a circle,large enough that he has to come round with me and that seems to get him moving forward again. Good Luck
|
|
OwnedBySummer
Hound Nut
"Summer" (aka Coach Standifer)
Posts: 1,392
|
Walking
Feb 16, 2012 21:48:41 GMT -5
Post by OwnedBySummer on Feb 16, 2012 21:48:41 GMT -5
It's called statuing. Very very common in new greyhounds. Everything is new to them, both sights and sounds. I would let Summer look at whatever it was, then I would command "walk on", give her a wee tug and she would walk again. After several weeks, she didn't do it any more. And it's no surprise that treats don't work, as they are too involved with what they are seeing/smelling.
But I know that it's not always that easy as it was with Summer. Good luck!
|
|
|
Walking
Feb 17, 2012 8:02:17 GMT -5
Post by acemom on Feb 17, 2012 8:02:17 GMT -5
My Ace does this statue stop all the time and it took us a few tries to figure it out. I now carry a ziploc bag of kibble or treats with me to coax him to keep walking when he stops. This works very well since he is food driven. I too have tried changing directions and that sometimes works.
However, I have sometimes found that he statues when we are heading inside the house after a walk. When he does this, he is usually telling me that he is not finished his business, so we keep on walking a bit more.
|
|
pebbles
Grey Lover
Greyhound on day....greyhound everyday
Posts: 709
|
Walking
Feb 17, 2012 9:31:16 GMT -5
Post by pebbles on Feb 17, 2012 9:31:16 GMT -5
quota does it when it's not me who has the leash but with me she walk and run like nothing sometime she stop because she see something or ear a sound but she keeps going after she found what it is. try to jog with your dog maybye he had no more reason to stop.
|
|
|
Walking
Feb 17, 2012 10:31:37 GMT -5
Post by imlovinit on Feb 17, 2012 10:31:37 GMT -5
Hello! We just got Big Mac in late Dec and he had/has "ES" - extreme statuing. I hope your case isn't as bad as BM's - but we came to this forum for help and got a lot of great suggestions, all of which we tried. Everyone here will tell you that each pup is different, and so it is true - a lot of stuff didn't work with BM, but having lots of options to try kept our spirits up, and our positivity, really helped alleviate some of his stress. Here is what worked for us:
1) When he statued, we would confidently face the direction we wanted to go in and "ignore" him, he would eventually get the message. Once in a while, we'll say "Let's go!" in an upbeat tone. Sometimes it took a while, but now, this is not a method we have to employ that often
2) BM behaves on much better on walks when it's both me and my husband (Andy thinks he likes being part of a pack); so we try our best to do walks together. When BM freezes, one of us will walk ahead without looking back - the one left holding the leash will say "Go to daddy/mommy!" and/or the walker will say from up ahead "Come on!" and BM will get moving (Andy thinks he likes to keep the family unit together)
3) One of the things that was the most frustrating for us in the beginning was not knowing what was scaring him so; we kept our eyes out for triggers and picked out they things that he seemed to be scared of. The list is long, but it includes: Puffy black jackets, stroller, people screaming into their cellphones, street cars. Identifying them allowed us to steer him away or know when the danger has passed. So, if we are walking, and he feels the streetcar coming, he will stop. I'll stand with him, and then I'll say "When that nasty streetcar passes we'll go again!" When the streetcar passes, I'll give him a little tug and he'll come. But I know not to bother and stress him out further by trying to get him to move before "danger" has passed.
4) What makes BM the most comfortable was our attitudes, and he really liked it when we kept up a stream of conversation - to him, or to eachother. He seemed less likely to stop when our voices were present, and we seemed relaxed and upbeat. He didn't not respond to harsher tones or desperate pleads of frustration - this made him more upset.
5) When we made our biggest leap in improvement was when we made a date with some greyt people we met on this forum and went on a walk with their 2 pups. BM really took to their lead and for the first time, enjoyed his walk! Showing him that walks can be fun, not scary really improved our subsequent outings.
BM is still an occasional statuer (and we had a recent regression that we are employing the above methods to move on from) but over the course of the last 2 months, he got more and more confident, and our walks became very enjoyable.
May I make another suggestion that worked for Big Mac? BM didn't initially suffer from ES when we first got him - it started a week in. He started associating the walk with "scary", and we didn't know what happened to the doggie that was excited to go out. So, we tried different routes, taking him out different exits, etc. It could be that something on your route spooked your girl, and everytime you go that way, she is reminded of it? We restricted our "safe zone" (and we avoided a park that we identified as a place where something spooked him), and expanded it as BM got more confident, but certainly, changes in the route gave him a renewed sense of curiosity that would, at times, override his fear.
Hope this gives you some things to try, and good luck!!
|
|
|
Walking
Jul 16, 2012 12:04:56 GMT -5
Post by Adam Samantha & Cora on Jul 16, 2012 12:04:56 GMT -5
Donna does this on the stairs all the time. She will go up and down the stairs on her own but once one or both of us is watching she tends to stop mid way. She does it in the yard on occasion too.
|
|
|
Walking
Jul 16, 2012 17:51:57 GMT -5
Post by rubylottie14 on Jul 16, 2012 17:51:57 GMT -5
I haven't experienced this with any of my greyhounds, but Ziggy, a lurcher, was very frightened once, and I couldn't work out what it was. Then it clicked - it was one of those adverts that roll around on a loop of paper with 2 different adverts on them, in a glass/plastic stand on the pavement. As soon as I realised, I walked in such a way that even though we were going in the same direction - he couldn't see it.
|
|
|
Walking
Jul 17, 2012 18:23:14 GMT -5
Post by msyoung on Jul 17, 2012 18:23:14 GMT -5
tuketi -- We have the same issue with Guinness! He get's bored I think. I have to take him on different routes all the time around the neighbourhood, or else he'll just plant down and give me a look like "take me home to my bed please". He loves being walked next to a busy road for whatever reason.
|
|
|
Walking
Aug 2, 2012 15:20:20 GMT -5
Post by newparent on Aug 2, 2012 15:20:20 GMT -5
So much of what has been posted so far sounds like Augie (formally CTW Seadawg). My wife and I adopted him about a month ago, but just moved into our first house, so didn't bring him home until this past Monday. Before bringing him home, I visited him often and got him used to walking with me. We've developed a pretty healthy bond.
Our first two days walking Augie went surprisingly well, and he adjusted to being in the house really quickly (a little too quickly, unfortunately). By day three, however, his standing began to kick in. It started with going from being in the backyard and going up the three steps into the house. At first I thought it was because he was being stubborn, but no amount of treat coaxing seemed to work. Eventually, I was able to physically walk him, one paw at a time, up the steps. He has no trouble with the small steps inside the house, so this was weird. That night, when my wife and I took him for his walk, we aimed to stick to the route we've so far always taken - around the crescent, and cut through the park. We live on an active street with cars, other dogs, kids, and some wildlife (squirrels, rabbits, and a few skunks) so every no and then on the walk, a dog or neighbour would pass by that Augie would say hello to, or he would spot a squirrel or rabbit. There would be minor statuing, but nothing that wouldn't go away. Once we got home, however, Augie completely froze up when he noticed a skunk in our back neighbour's yard. I was able to calm him down and talk to him until the skunk disappeared, but then I could't get up the back steps. It was as though he had completely forgotten how to climb the steps altogether. He was backing away from them and whining. After an hour of positive reinforcement and calm talking, he eventually made a very awkward, half tripping ascent into the house. Today was another story. We set out for what was supposed to be a short jaunt around the block, but half way through, he froze up, and again began to back up until I gave in and we went in a completely different direction. He did his business, so that wan't an issue, he just did not want to go on the same paths we'd been taking before. The walk lasted so long (more than an hour) despite my efforts to get him back on a course home, that I had to eventually physically pick him up and carry him two blocks until a passerby in a CRV offered us a ride home. I'm so worried that he is developing an anxiety about our neighbourhood, but he often stands at the backyard gate and whines, as though he wants to go for walks. Any little bit of advice would be greatly appreciated.
|
|
|
Walking
Aug 2, 2012 16:54:26 GMT -5
Post by campgreyhound on Aug 2, 2012 16:54:26 GMT -5
Augie is overwhelmed and still in shock, and this is the only thing he can do - stop - until it all makes sense. It will take some time for him to actually relax, most definitely not 2 days.
Maybe keep walks shorter for now, so he's not seeing so many new things all at once.
Please read the following article, it will give you an idea of what he's going through right now.
No Fear No Pain by Kathleen Gilley
Of all breeds of dogs, the ex-racing Greyhound has never had to be responsible for anything in his life. His whole existence has been a dog-centered one. This breed has never been asked to do anything for itself, make any decisions or answer any questions. It has been waited on, paw and tail. The only prohibition in a racing Greyhound's life is not to get into a fight----------------or eat certain stuff in the turn out pen.
Let us review a little. From weaning until you go away for schooling, at probably a year and a half, you eat, grow and run around with your siblings. When you go away to begin your racing career, you get your own "apartment," in a large housing development. No one is allowed in your bed but you, and when you are in there, no one can touch you, without plenty of warning.
Someone hears a vehicle drive up, or the kennel door being unlocked. The light switches are flipped on. The loud mouths in residence, and there always are some, begin to bark or howl. You are wide awake by the time the human opens your door to turn you out. A Greyhound has never been touched while he was asleep.
You eat when you are fed, usually on a strict schedule. No one asks if you are hungry or what you want to eat. You are never told not to eat any food within your reach. No one ever touches your bowl while you are eating. You are not to be disturbed because it is important you clean your plate.
You are not asked if you have to "go outside." You are placed in a turn out pen and it isn't long before you get the idea of what you are supposed to do while you are out there. Unless you really get out of hand, you may chase, rough house and put your feet on everyone and every thing else. The only humans you know are the "waiters" who feed you, and the "restroom attendants" who turn you out to go to the bathroom. Respect people? Surely you jest.
No one comes into or goes out of your kennel without your knowledge. You are all seeing; all knowing. There are no surprises, day in and day out. The only thing it is ever hoped you will do is win, place or show, and that you don't have much control over. It is in your blood, it is in your heart, it is in your fate-- or it is not.
And when it is not, then suddenly you are expected to be a civilized person in a fur coat. But people don't realize you may not even speak English. Some of you don't even know your names, because you didn't need to. You were not asked or told to do anything as an individual; you were always part of the "condo association?; the sorority or fraternity and everyone did everything together, as a group or pack. The only time you did anything as an individual is when you schooled or raced, and even then, You Were Not Alone.
Suddenly, he is expected to behave himself in places he's never been taught how to act. He is expected to take responsibility for saying when he needs to go outside, to come when he is called, not to get on some or all of the furniture, and to not eat food off counters and tables. He is dropped in a world that is not his, and totally without warning, at that.
Almost everything he does is wrong. Suddenly he is a minority. Now he is just a pet. He is unemployed, in a place where people expect him to know the rules and the schedule, even when there aren't any. (How many times have you heard someone say, "He won't tell me when he has to go out." What kind of schedule is that?) Have you heard the joke about the dog who says, "My name is No-No Bad Dog. What's yours?" To me that is not even funny. All the protective barriers are gone. There is no more warning before something happens. There is no more strength in numbers. He wakes up with a monster human face two inches from his. (With some people's breath, this could scare Godzilla.) Why should he not, believe that this "someone," who has crept up on him, isn't going to eat him for lunch? (I really do have to ask you ladies to consider how you would react if someone you barely knew crawled up on you while you were asleep?) No, I will not ask for any male input.
Now he is left alone, for the first time in his life, in a strange place, with no idea of what will happen or how long it will be before someone comes to him again. If he is not crated, he may go though walls, windows or over fences, desperately seeking something familiar, something with which to reconnect his life. If he does get free, he will find the familiarity, within himself: the adrenaline high, the wind in his ears, the blood pulsing and racing though his heart once again--until he crashes into a car.
Often, the first contact with his new family is punishment, something he's never had before, something he doesn't understand now, especially in the middle of the rest of the chaos. And worst of all, what are the most common human reactions to misbehavior? We live in a violent society, where the answer to any irritation is a slap, punch, kick, whip, or rub your nose in it. Under these circumstances, sometimes I think any successful adoption is a miracle.
He is, in effect, expected to have all the manners of at least a six-year old child. But, how many of you would leave an unfamiliar six-year old human alone and loose in your home for hours at a time and not expect to find who knows what when you got back? Consider that if you did, you could be brought up on charges of child abuse, neglect and endangerment. Yet, people do this to Greyhounds and this is often the reason for so many returns.
How many dogs have been returned because they did not know how to tell the adopter when they had to go out? How many for jumping on people, getting on furniture, counter surfing, separation anxiety, or defensive actions due to being startled or hurt (aka growling or biting)? So, let's understand: Sometimes it is the dog's "fault" he cannot fit in. He is not equipped with the social skills of a six-year old human. But with your love and help, you can make it happen.
|
|
|
Walking
Aug 2, 2012 18:51:42 GMT -5
Post by newparent on Aug 2, 2012 18:51:42 GMT -5
Thanks campgreyhound. We understand that this is a process and that he is struggling with his world being flipped upside down. We just want to be good parents and don't quite know how yet.
|
|
|
Walking
Aug 3, 2012 12:55:10 GMT -5
Post by campgreyhound on Aug 3, 2012 12:55:10 GMT -5
He's doing a good job teaching you, I think, and you're very receptive, he will learn to trust that he's safe with you in time. They take a lot longer than most people think to fully thaw out, some dogs in particular can take quite a while. Try to time the walk so that he's not out long enough to statue, if that's possible. Look for cues about how he's feeling by the way his ears and tail are carried. If he's food motivated, keep treating him so long as he's walking. Changing directions worked for us here, but you may need to experiment with the different tips mentioned in this thread to see what works for him. As you get to know each other, it will get easier and easier. Search the training forum with the term "statue" and you'll get even more ideas.
Don't forget to check greytalk. com (http://forum.greytalk.com/), it's the most amazing website for greyhound people, there are trainers, vets, all sorts of highly experienced greyhound lovers on that site.
|
|
|
Walking
Aug 5, 2012 11:06:41 GMT -5
Post by Havencroft on Aug 5, 2012 11:06:41 GMT -5
It took us a couple of weeks for Boaz to settle down completely on walks. One of the things that we did with him at first was walk him with two people, one on either side of him. He seemed to enjoy the comfort of being in a pack and I think this made him feel safe. We also stick to the same route every day, which gives him the security of knowing what is going on. When we take him to the dog park, we vary the routine now and give him some new scenery to stimulate him. Hang in there! Patience, love and support will get you through most things. Your pup is just going through what seems to be a very normal adjustment period and will figure it all out soon enough
|
|