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Timid/scared Saluki Cross Pup


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Got my boy hunter when he was 12 weeks old, 15 weeks now (a woman actually bought him when he was 8weeks old then decided she didn't have time for him)

 

He's a greyhound saluki x greyhound whippet collie.

 

He settled in fine no problems at all he's biting quite abit but I'm pretty sure he's just playing it's not aggressive.

 

I took him to his first puppy training class tonight as he needs to socialise more. He's very scared and timid around other people/dogs. This ended up with him being chased by about 15 other puppies running for his life.

 

Tonight really showed me just how worried he really is about pretty much everything outside of our house.

 

Other than bonding/socialising a shit ton, is there anything I should/shouldn't be doing with him to bring up his confidence?

 

Thanks

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Get it out walking ,parks ,shops etc puppies are magnets for kids an women so more fuss it's given should come round.

2 Donts!

Don't leave it in a car with windows shut it will die

Don't tie it up outside a pub or shop as it will get stolen

The saluki lurchers I've had as pups used to play bite a lot , not something to encourage imho.

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Get it out walking ,parks ,shops etc puppies are magnets for kids an women so more fuss it's given should come round.

2 Donts!

Don't leave it in a car with windows shut it will die

Don't tie it up outside a pub or shop as it will get stolen

The saluki lurchers I've had as pups used to play bite a lot , not something to encourage imho.

Thanks for your tips deffo noted mate!

 

How would you say is the best way to tell him off when biting? I don't want to tap his nose or anything is it best to just move him off me?

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Puppy socialisation classes that allow pups to run riot are the worst thing in the world. Most owners haven't a clue about how to read a dog's body language.

Another thing: a pup of 12 weeks that has never been exposed to other dogs, different places is in no way ready for hordes of rampant pups that don't behave in the same way as a sight hound or lurcher which is usually far more sensitive than your average Lab or terrier, for example. At 12 weeks, without correct upbringing so far, the pup is entering the first fear period in its life, where new things are viewed with deep caution and fear rather than enthusiasm.

Whatever you do, stay away from puppy classes. Take things very slowly, let the pup dictate how you proceed. Don't drag the pup anywhere. Carry it if it seems scared. Don't let other dogs come up to it when it is on the ground and frightened. Let it watch other dogs from a distance, on your lap. You are its surrogate parent now: behave as such. The pup should come to see you as a protector, not someone who takes it to frightening places and lets it fend for itself. One the pup learns to trust that you will protect it you should see a slow improvement. If the pup has never been taken out and about this could take months. Be patient.

 

If he bites you direct his mouth to a toy or furry thing he can chew on. Don't ever tell him off or hit him. He is not biting you to be nasty, but merely being a puppy. Encourage him to chew on a toy you hold in your hand: say no if he bites your hand. Say good dog if he bites the toy. All pups need to bite things, he just needs to learn what he's allowed to bite and not. If you don't have other dogs to teach him manners you must do so yourself, in a way he understands. A little growl works well, but removing your hand and putting a soft, chewy toy in its place should do the trick.

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'Worried about pretty much everything outside our house' describes my pup when I got him (at 6 months).

 

Couple of things that worked for us.

Sitting in the boot of the car with him at the harbour or Wickes car park, sharing bacon roll or bag of chips.

Just hanging out together. Watch the people go by, hear the traffic, wind swooshing in the trees, whatever, with you close and available for eye contact or a stroke, and something delicious to distract him from being scared and anxious, and you from being bored and frustrated by him being such a wuss.

Going for a walk was a nightmare. He was terrified the minute we stepped outside the door. I'm 5 mins walk from park, but that short walk was a minefield of traffic, lead reactive dogs, strangers, flappy things etc and would take a miserable 15 minutes, him not wanting to walk, with crossing the road being particularly stressful.

I ended up driving him to places he was confident to walk, so he could get some exercise.

I then treated walking round the block as a separate thing.

Let him take his time to process all the noises and shapes, even if it takes you weeks of just crouching down next to him, waiting for him to look at you, or lean into you, not really walking anywhere. Increase time and distance gradually day by day, letting his confidence set the pace. Having some food in your pocket can help to get him to engage with you, rather than anxiously freezing and staring.

Remembering back to those first few weeks (months) it seemed at the time to last forever. It was a pretty difficult and intense time for me..... but I'm not particularly dog experienced.

However, time and patience truly did pay off.

From my limited experience, I'd say be on his side, rather than on the side of the things that scare him. He's your dog, you're his person and you're going to have 12 or so years together, so build trust with him now at his pace, and his confidence will grow too. Good luck.

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Ignore his fear. Turn it to a positive but first as said by squeamish build on your relationship. Once it sees you as the partner/protector ect it will look to you for your reaction to anything that sets off its fear response, be it fireworks or a car. Once you are at that stage introduce to all the hustle and bustle of everyday life and if you ignore any fear triggers and just continue as normal the pup will eventually follow suit. As Penny said stay the hell away from the puppy classes that are more like a wacky warehouse ;)

 

This is only my opinion and none of my dogs have ever had any fear for fireworks or anything. Only last night when the football finished (Madrid won), I was walking Bron and people in the area were letting off air bombs etc in the street to piss off the BCN fans :laugh: he doesn't even flinch.

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Puppy socialisation classes that allow pups to run riot are the worst thing in the world. Most owners haven't a clue about how to read a dog's body language.

Another thing: a pup of 12 weeks that has never been exposed to other dogs, different places is in no way ready for hordes of rampant pups that don't behave in the same way as a sight hound or lurcher which is usually far more sensitive than your average Lab or terrier, for example. At 12 weeks, without correct upbringing so far, the pup is entering the first fear period in its life, where new things are viewed with deep caution and fear rather than enthusiasm.

Whatever you do, stay away from puppy classes. Take things very slowly, let the pup dictate how you proceed. Don't drag the pup anywhere. Carry it if it seems scared. Don't let other dogs come up to it when it is on the ground and frightened. Let it watch other dogs from a distance, on your lap. You are its surrogate parent now: behave as such. The pup should come to see you as a protector, not someone who takes it to frightening places and lets it fend for itself. One the pup learns to trust that you will protect it you should see a slow improvement. If the pup has never been taken out and about this could take months. Be patient.

 

If he bites you direct his mouth to a toy or furry thing he can chew on. Don't ever tell him off or hit him. He is not biting you to be nasty, but merely being a puppy. Encourage him to chew on a toy you hold in your hand: say no if he bites your hand. Say good dog if he bites the toy. All pups need to bite things, he just needs to learn what he's allowed to bite and not. If you don't have other dogs to teach him manners you must do so yourself, in a way he understands. A little growl works well, but removing your hand and putting a soft, chewy toy in its place should do the trick.

Thanks for your comment skycat, I was hoping you'd comment as I've read loads of good posts from you. If for example I'm walking him and another dog appears and he gets scared, should I pick him up or get down to his level to let him know everything's alright?

 

Thanks again!

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'Worried about pretty much everything outside our house' describes my pup when I got him (at 6 months).

 

Couple of things that worked for us.

Sitting in the boot of the car with him at the harbour or Wickes car park, sharing bacon roll or bag of chips.

Just hanging out together. Watch the people go by, hear the traffic, wind swooshing in the trees, whatever, with you close and available for eye contact or a stroke, and something delicious to distract him from being scared and anxious, and you from being bored and frustrated by him being such a wuss.

Going for a walk was a nightmare. He was terrified the minute we stepped outside the door. I'm 5 mins walk from park, but that short walk was a minefield of traffic, lead reactive dogs, strangers, flappy things etc and would take a miserable 15 minutes, him not wanting to walk, with crossing the road being particularly stressful.

I ended up driving him to places he was confident to walk, so he could get some exercise.

I then treated walking round the block as a separate thing.

Let him take his time to process all the noises and shapes, even if it takes you weeks of just crouching down next to him, waiting for him to look at you, or lean into you, not really walking anywhere. Increase time and distance gradually day by day, letting his confidence set the pace. Having some food in your pocket can help to get him to engage with you, rather than anxiously freezing and staring.

Remembering back to those first few weeks (months) it seemed at the time to last forever. It was a pretty difficult and intense time for me..... but I'm not particularly dog experienced.

However, time and patience truly did pay off.

From my limited experience, I'd say be on his side, rather than on the side of the things that scare him. He's your dog, you're his person and you're going to have 12 or so years together, so build trust with him now at his pace, and his confidence will grow too. Good luck.

That's exactly what he's like mate I'll try my best to let him get used to every single thing around him without pushing him. Thanks for the advice

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Ignore his fear. Turn it to a positive but first as said by squeamish build on your relationship. Once it sees you as the partner/protector ect it will look to you for your reaction to anything that sets off its fear response, be it fireworks or a car. Once you are at that stage introduce to all the hustle and bustle of everyday life and if you ignore any fear triggers and just continue as normal the pup will eventually follow suit. As Penny said stay the hell away from the puppy classes that are more like a wacky warehouse ;)

 

This is only my opinion and none of my dogs have ever had any fear for fireworks or anything. Only last night when the football finished (Madrid won), I was walking Bron and people in the area were letting off air bombs etc in the street to piss off the BCN fans :laugh: he doesn't even flinch.

thanks for your response mate I've took notes! Christ lol I took hunter out for a walk a few days ago and when a jogger came round the corner he tried running the opposite way.. we'll get there! ?

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We're slowly I believe treating the main relationship first ,dog /owner , it's the relationship that must be right for the dog to be social in different environments

 

At the minute their are products to sell , puppy classes / puppy socialisation all that crap ,

 

The thinking is back to front , why would you entice it , terrify it and expose it to whatever the environment throws at it at its most vulnerable stage I don't get it ,

 

Young people aren't allowed to drive until 18 , it's not because they can't , it's because they arnt emotionally ready for the road mentally , 13 , 14 year old kids can drive but don't put them in an emotionally charged situation and it's the same with a pup

 

Let it have the most calm relaxed few months focussed on you not the rest of the feckin world, it can wait

 

I walked a 10 month old Cane Corso/ Dogo mix in public for the first time a few years ago , never socialised with dogs or animal only family and what he did was playbowed to the first dog he met , the dog is such a versitile animal if it's brought up in a social manner without installing fear you won't have any major issues Fear in will eventually turn into an aggressive expression of fear out

 

See people expose pups to cats at a vulnerable stage in earlly development and the result of it can be demon cat killer almost to the exclusion of anything else

 

So get your own relationsh right first read it's expressions , understand it's body language , an let the pup indicate when it wants to push the boundaries , you will grow in your dog knowledge , throw the books and bowls away Don't overstimulate in the home ever , hand feed and quiet walks , the rest of it will be there when the two of you are ready

Best of luck

 

The Dog can't lie, ever , his body language is the truth

 

Management is key , emotionally charged pups are drawn into situations beyond their control, buy a 1inch nylon line , 10 /15 meters keep the on while out , it won't ever leadpull and it concretes recall like you won't believe because it won't have a choice , just the two of you nice and quiet , is how I'd approach that situation

Edited by Casso
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Got my boy hunter when he was 12 weeks old, 15 weeks now (a woman actually bought him when he was 8weeks old then decided she didn't have time for him)

 

He's a greyhound saluki x greyhound whippet collie.

 

He settled in fine no problems at all he's biting quite abit but I'm pretty sure he's just playing it's not aggressive.

 

I took him to his first puppy training class tonight as he needs to socialise more. He's very scared and timid around other people/dogs. This ended up with him being chased by about 15 other puppies running for his life.

 

Tonight really showed me just how worried he really is about pretty much everything outside of our house.

 

Other than bonding/socialising a shit ton, is there anything I should/shouldn't be doing with him to bring up his confidence?

 

Thanks

 

Poor wee thing... :yes:

 

Firstly,..and most importantly,..forget all about Saluki this or that,..for, all things being equal,..his cross-bred lineage frequently means nowt....

 

He is, simply a frightened and confused young animal....your job,..if you decide to take it,..is to reassure him that if you are around, nothing can harm him.

 

You have to be the man,..walk tall,..stand in front of anything or anyone that might spook him....protect him,...give him time....

 

All dogs are different,...I've owned herding breeds that have been raised on remote farms and who are virtually wild animals,..never seen a car or heard an aeroplane,..real 100% wildlings...some you cannot win over, the fear is just too deep in them,.but.most can be brought into the 21st century...in time..

 

For now, I would take the dog everywhere with you, do not make him physically confront everything in the world,...always support him and (whilst observing his fears) be supportive, but don't go overboard,.. try not to acknowledge them....

 

If he has a fair amount of chase in him (prey drive)..you can use that to your benefit,..likewise, if he loves his scran,...

Whatever you do,..be kind, be consistent, talk soft and gentle and keep both him and yourself, well away from hard men, know it all, divis... :censored:

 

A good working dog is an investment for the future,..it is worth spending time on....

 

All the best ... :victory:

Edited by Phil Lloyd
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Agree with everyone else about the '' puppy classes'' not all pups do well in that kind of forced socialisation environment, this pup of mine was very jumpy when I first started to walk her outdoors, she jumped at pretty much everything , but her confidence soon came good .

 

If you expose her to outdoor life at a pace she is comfortable with she will come good... as for the biting check it now before she gets bigger bolder & a lot stronger. I used the distraction of a toy & a '' NO''

 

I was very relaxed with the '' play biting'' as I dont have kids here...but its become a wee bit of a problem at times & taught me a valuable lesson as did her over excitement of attacking the hoover & the broom which as a 8/10 week old pup was '' funny''

 

The hoover issue I had with her had to dealt with as it wasn't '' fear'' it was downright aggression .... So I had to take drastic action on that one

 

I am sure your pup will a lot more confident as she develops & gets used to stuff

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He sounds a too nervy to be thrown in a pen with a load of boisterous pups,I'd make sure everything's nice and controlled.

 

So I'd get him out in public,carry him if necessary,but don't let anyone or anything touch or talk to him.

And just progress from there.

 

You can distract him with some food (good high value food like chicken or cheese) if there's any big loud noises,like trucks or sirens that bother him.

Just make sure every actual interaction he has is under your control.

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In 20/30 years time,

 

if some of us are still around , we will look back and laugh at the image of knowledgeable lurcher owners carrying their little pups around in their arms because we were told without questioning that they have to experience all the world has to throw at them before a certain fixed time , their little biological clocks ticking away , counting down the time to a stage where a pup can't possibly except any new friends

 

Bollox

 

Puppy classes are now seen as a bad thing , and only yesterday they were all the rage but nobody seems to question it , because we've been shipped a dummy ,

no pup needs to be thought to be social , it's already here it's the flip side of a flow state in the dog , it's the flip side of a really good working relationship

 

The ability of the wolf to hunt in packs is what produced the dog, the social gene is so ingrained with group activity that a well bonded dog can be only half the vessel without its owner, it's tuned in to such an extent that it will only wants what the owner wants , a dog can curtail its own behaviour to fit

 

You won't need to do a thing with the dog only facilitate drive , a highly emotional state of arousal in the dog directly linked with highly social behaviour in canines

 

If we can identify the fact that the earlier a pup is introduced to an object that can cause anxiety/ fear / stimulation, the greater chance the object has been tagged with an emotional response, which in turn is turned to aggression

 

, when the fight or flight mode is constantly turned on it can lead to emotional melt down , which is exactly why the pups get carried,

 

We only have its body language to read , but we can't see it because it's hidden up our f***ing jumper ?

 

The reality in the logic is not there , the pup has to meet a man on a bicycle / with a beard / with a hat , man with runny nose / man with one leg , has to see so many men women and children or it will grow up to be a social misfit ,

Put it this way , dog here never socialised, do you think he'd even see a f****r on a bicycle with a hat with his flute hanging out if he was lookin past at a prey item , would he f**k , and only because he is in a flow state , the state of mind decides whether an object is positive or negetive or simply ignored , why would you take a pup out and expose it to every knobhead on the street , so it won't grow up to be feral I just doesn't know,

Edited by Casso
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My misses is suckered for dog she went and rang a person that had a 18 months 3/4 whippet 1/4 collie for sale I was always moaning that the bull cross couldn't turn quick enough for ferreting so of we went to fetch it lovely dog got it home all over the misses but wouldn't come near me and after a month still the same when he is out with us he is fine doesn't come to me but walks to heel by me and is a fantastic recall and worker any surgestions what to do

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