whovian
Junior Grey Lover
River (a.k.a Iruska Cool Chic) has claimed me as her "friendbeast"
Posts: 171
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Post by whovian on Nov 18, 2013 22:06:42 GMT -5
In light of the terrible recent events with Bella, I wanted some clarification about greyhounds and when to muzzle them. My dog came home with a muzzle, but if I am honest, I haven't used it much. She's a very docile dog and generally just ignores the other dogs we come across - big and small. Usually she is more interested in the owners than the dogs. Still, she came home with a muzzle because she's faster and more than likely stronger than I am, and if she really decides to chase something, I don't think that there will be much I can do to stop her.
When do you use your muzzles? Just at the dog park? Just off leash? Just when meeting other dogs? Should I be putting River's muzzle on every time I take her for a walk?
ETA: Just to be clear, I am not implying that Bella was at fault or anything by linking this question with what happened there. It was just that the following conversation about muzzles on that thread got me thinking that I really didn't know when I should be using a muzzle with River, and I wanted some guidance from people with a longer experience with this breed.
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Post by lchomitz on Nov 18, 2013 23:57:30 GMT -5
Remy is only muzzled around other greys. I feel she would not be able to defend herself, if need be, with the muzzle on. That being said, we have not come across any aggressive dogs...yet.
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OwnedBySummer
Hound Nut
"Summer" (aka Coach Standifer)
Posts: 1,392
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Post by OwnedBySummer on Nov 19, 2013 0:50:28 GMT -5
I am not a proponent of dog parks and don't frequent them. Especially with a greyhound. You shouldn't muzzle your hound if all the other dogs aren't muzzled, as you would be removing her only means of defense. I muzzle at greyhound playdates/fun runs and I would also muzzle for health purposes in lieu of an e-collar. I would also employ muzzles if I had multiple dogs, especially for outside time.
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Post by lovinfroggy on Nov 19, 2013 18:59:25 GMT -5
We avoid dog parks as well. Too many close calls for my liking. We only use the muzzle at all greyhound play groups, and as we introduce Frog to my parents cats.
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Post by angelollie on Nov 20, 2013 22:24:24 GMT -5
I too muzzle my three at greyhound play dates and sometimes if the two boys decide to play rough in the yard, I then muzzled them. When Frankie was alive, he was blessed with "small prey drive" and that required me to muzzle him when taking him for walks in the neighbourhood .... I just couldn't risk the chance he could seriously injure (or worse)someone's dog, even though they were running at large.
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Post by wonderpup on Nov 22, 2013 10:59:15 GMT -5
i avoid dog parks as well. but thats mostly because my one hound likes to nibble the other dogs bums to get the to run faster and it usually causes problems cus most dogs i imagine dont like their bums being nibbled. i muzzle if we have a greyhound playdate becuase i find they all try to nibble when they run and it might start some tension. but generally speaking i think i have only been to one fun run with my dogs. i actually use the muzzle as a licking deterrent when they have a cut on their leg (my one is a huge licker) she always rips the bandaids off so i found that by putting her muzzle on she tends not to. i really dont use it much its very limited....now that i think about it im not even really sure i know where the muzzles are! i agree with the others though one dog beign muzzled while the otheres arent is very dangerous to your hound. i often wonder why dog parks dont make it manditory to have dogs muzzled...lot less accidents involving teeth that way
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whovian
Junior Grey Lover
River (a.k.a Iruska Cool Chic) has claimed me as her "friendbeast"
Posts: 171
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Post by whovian on Nov 22, 2013 11:14:22 GMT -5
Ok, that makes me feel about about not using my muzzle much. River and I don't plan on going to dog parks much, but once the vet says she's healed enough to go running again (hopefully in March) I will make sure to bring my muzzle when we go to fun runs. River doesn't seem to have a very high prey drive, at least not toward pets - squirrels are another story - so I haven't been worrying too much about muzzling her on walks. And when I think about how defenceless she might be in a situation where she is muzzled and the other dog isn't, I think everyone here is right. I plan to just avoid those situations in the future.
One more question then: I hope to introduce River to my parents' golden lab over the Christmas holidays, and if the introduction goes well, it would be nice to stay there instead of at a hotel when I visit home in the future. I would be amazing if the two dogs could get along, but when they met for 10 min over Thankgiving, River got defensive, raised her hackles and growled at Jupiter. Jupiter was very friendly, though he can be kind of intimidating because he's only 2 years old, plays like a boxer and weighs about 90 lbs. Both dogs met on leashes in my parents' fenced backyard. River was muzzled and Jupiter was not (I plan to get Jupiter a muzzle next time). I gave River lots of treats for showing interest in Jupiter, and my mom gave Jupiter lots of treats for sitting calmly and waiting for River to come to him, but she still growled. Any advice on how to introduce a greyhound to a dog of another breed? Especially if the ultimate idea is for them to live together for a few days?
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OwnedBySummer
Hound Nut
"Summer" (aka Coach Standifer)
Posts: 1,392
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Post by OwnedBySummer on Nov 22, 2013 21:08:54 GMT -5
I'm no professional dog trainer but I'd say it started in the wrong place. They should have been introduced in neutral territory -- you don't introduce dogs in one of the dog's own places, be it house or yard. If Jupiter is playing like a boxer and all up in River's face... personally... I wouldn't be interested in exposing my gentle greyhound to a dog like that. Not knowing the exact situation, there's nothing wrong with growling at Jupiter -- I assume River was trying to get an overly-enthusiastic Jupiter to back off. The important question is... did it work? If the growling didn't correct Jupiter, River could very well go to the next step, which could be a bite.
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lc
Grey Puppy
Posts: 39
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Post by lc on Nov 25, 2013 9:09:31 GMT -5
I only muzzle my two hounds when they are in the large fenced in school yard near our house. They both get really excited and are moving really fast so in those situations its better to be safe than sorry. When I introduced my first hound to my parents two retrievers it was at the family cottage and all were leashed and we went for a walk. I'm no dog trainer either but I think if you can get the dogs all walking together and the dogs can see the owners interacting with each other with ease, I believe it puts the dogs at ease and then you can all travel back to the house or cottage together. When my hounds are at my parents house I make sure they have an area in the living room where they can lie and be comfortable and I can sit by if one of my parents dogs decides to start to want to play and maybe starts off a little too rough for a greyhound. I'm there to intervene and redirect my parents dog away for a bit. I usually do this until my hounds settle in and everyone is comfortable with each other and the there are no problems.
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greysrgreat
Junior Grey Lover
Bently (racing name Dreckly) & Holly (racing name Ears Comer)
Posts: 160
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Post by greysrgreat on Dec 12, 2013 21:03:23 GMT -5
We have only muzzled ours when running with greys, they after all are a gentle, non-confrontational breed. The muzzles are used to keep everyone safe, after all they are competing for a fuzzy bunny!
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Tipsy
Grey Puppy
Posts: 91
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Post by Tipsy on Jan 5, 2014 10:31:35 GMT -5
When I introduced Booker to my sister's pomeranian, Ion, we started out walking at a park, where neither one felt they had to protect their territory. Our issue wasn't aggression at all, but that Ion is quite skittish, and Booker is quite nosy, so we had to constantly make sure that Ion had enough space. (luckily, prey drive isn't a problem with such a small fluffy dog that may or may not be a rabbit in disguise)
Whenever I visit, we go for a long walk together. That way, Booker can be nosy about his surroundings instead of Ion, and Ion can keep an eye on Booker(and occasionally go in for a sniff if he's sure that Booker is otherwise occupied)! The walks are great for giving them non-negative experience with each other, and they both settle down a little better after every walk. They now lay down within feet of each other, instead of Ion wanting to be in a separate room(although Ion still isn't keen on getting within sniffing range).
With River/Jupiter, I'd try to do much the same thing. Go for a long walk along a trail somewhere, with lots of new things for both dogs to focus on instead of each other. That way, they can get used to each others presence. I'd also keep lots of treats on hand, so that if/when they're walking nicely beside each other, you can reward it.
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