Fair Play?

Lucretia · Old Hand

Fair Play?

Dave · Enlightened One

Just a quickie first of all about GAL events, all our large organised events (which includes our GALa, Monthly Glasgow Dog Walk, Christmas Show etc) have a strict 'on lead' policy no questions asked. At some of the smaller 'events' you'll have seen pictures of dogs running free off lead, this is completely at the discretion of their owners however as they are smaller gatherings and not specifically GAL related events the dogs do get off lead, also worth pointing out here that at these smaller gatherings ALL the dogs know each other and they are usually held at secluded places when it's quiet. Finally remember you do have the option to keep your dog on lead!

In terms of Billys behaviour it's fairly worrying as one day he'll no doubt meet 'his match' and the inevitable will happen, can't see the owners of the others dogs being too enamoured at his behaviour either.

Initially I'd work on his recall, he needs to be able to come back to you even when distracted with other dogs running, this also means you have to be on the watch for any distractions when he is off lead. If you email Siouxsie our follow up she'll give you some advice on recall training.

Until you are happy with his behaviour I'd also keep him on lead or at the very least muzzled when off.

Finally I guess to answer your initial question, YES, greyhounds are very competative especially when running, this is why the are muzzled when on the race track and this is why there's half a dozen handlers waiting to catch the dogs at the end of each race!

Carol · Master

Lucretia,

My dad has a dog who sounds like Billy. He's a bit of a powerhouse who gets very overexcited during free-running.

During the summer we all went on holiday together and the five dogs (my dad's two and my three) were off their leads on the beach.

My dad's dog was chasing Luca, my lurcher and when he caught up with him, instead of trying to bowl him over with his shoulder as he usually did, he tried to bring him down by the neck, using his teeth! Luca, of course tried to turn away but my dad's dogs caught him on the neck but then kept chasing him and grabbed his flanks.

Result was a double wound and a very quick dash to find an emergency vet, in a strange town on a Sunday. Mark my words that there was a very large vet's bill.

I guess what I'm trying to say and please, please don't be offended is to be very careful because although you may think it is harmless fun, it can all turn very nasty very suddenly. I for one wouldn't like to be put in that situation again. My dad's dog isn't even as tall as mine!

If in doubt please put Billy on a muzzle. I know my dad realises he was very lucky that his dog did that to my dog and not someone elses.

P.S. As events co-ordinator for GAL can I just reiterate the point that at all GAL-organised events, dogs must be kept on a lead at all times so please don't be wary of bringing Billy along.

Dawn · Guru

I think all dogs can play rough, just cos they are 'animals' and any animal can be unpredictable. Trouble with dogs is that some dont know when its 'play' and when its a 'threat'. My own big dog Mac, who weighs in at an impressive 34kgs, has a problem knowing when a dog wants to play and when it is going to attack him. So to cover his options, he wags his tail and gets the nashers out at the ready! Iam very careful when any dog runs up to him cos I cannot read Macs mind and he gives off conflicting signals to other dogs. On a few occassions the owners of the dogs off the lead have shouted at me for having a dangerous dog!! But, I have to point out that in order to be a responsible dog owner, you have to walk the dog on the lead when there are other dogs around, and anyway how else can they poop scoop. So, some days it can be seen as play and the next it wont, and I wouldnt like to be at the receiving end of any dog who saw it as a threat. I think the best thing to do in the meantime is to keep Billy and other dogs safe by keeping him on the lead. I would love to let my guys run free away from other dogs and I have had my current 3 GH's for 6 months, but until I know them better, all my guys will remain safely at my side.

We do hope to see you at a GAL event soon, and GAL does endorse that all dogs are kept on the lead at all times, to prevent any mishaps, which you would get when you have more than 3 dogs of any breed gathered, as that can constitute a 'pack'.

Good luck with Billy

Dawn, Mac, Presley, Denzel and the little fast one!!

-- Edited by Dawn at 21:44, 2006-01-03

Missy · Master

Hi
I agree totally with what has already been said.
Our Grey.... Missy was nipped on a walk by another dog and ended up with a large vet bill... Its ALWAYS a good idea to have your dog on a lead and even muzzled when there are a lot of dogs around.
Missy and Zak are both muzzled when on GAL walks as well as being on their leads the whole time. The only time that Missy has ever been off lead was on a deserted beach up near Montrose where you can see for miles and keep an eye on them with few hiding places. We were SO lucky that Missy's recall was good from day one. Zak on the otherhand needs serious recall work and we wouldn't trust him off lead at all.

At least if your dog is muzzled (defence or no defence your choice) and on lead then the other owners are at fault. I know the owner of the dog who bit Missy was SO upset when it happened and sadly I have not seen them since its better in certain respects to be on the receiving end of a nip than the owner of the dog nipping!

Play it safe...muzzle and lead when required.

All the dogs at Gal walks are usually well behaved, muzzled (if required) and on a lead. Please do come and meet us all at a Gal walk ... you will be made most welcome.

Lucretia · Old Hand

Missy,

Thanks for the advice, and yes, it is my concern that it turns nasty. I intend to keep Billy on the lead for a wee while longer now, at least until he stops seeing every running dog as a challenge!

Out of interest, which beach near Montrose were you at? The beachfront of Montrose itself? Billy likes beaches, but most of them near me are either too rocky or too crowded for him.

C_J · Master

My Casper gets a bit rowdy when he's off the lead. He's a big boy and although he means no harm (he really is just daft) I still muzzle him when he is off the lead. I was worried about muzzling him at first as he just danced about the field pawing at his face but now he loves it! He knows he is getting off the lead when I bring his muzzle out and gets excited about putting it on. He is still quite boisterous when playing with other dogs, but the muzzle puts my mind at rest.

If there is a new or unknown dog I always call Casper back and wait and see what the other owner does/says before I let him off again.

I think it can be quite intimidating for a huge muzzled dog to be running about, so I always like to talk to other owners before I let Casper play with their dogs. It also means that he won't go running up like a big dafty and get bitten by a terrified dog!

I have to be honest though I have only got Caspers recall good in the last couple of months. He used to come back 90% of the time, but it was no good as he is so fast and usually managed to see new dogs in the distance before I did. So the 10% that he ignored my calls were when it really mattered.

I started clicker training about 9 weeks ago and the results are amazing. He is like a new dog!

We never go out now without being armed with the clicker and muzzle!

Jane

Missy · Master

Lucretia wrote:

Missy,
Thanks for the advice, and yes, it is my concern that it turns nasty. I intend to keep Billy on the lead for a wee while longer now, at least until he stops seeing every running dog as a challenge!
Out of interest, which beach near Montrose were you at? The beachfront of Montrose itself? Billy likes beaches, but most of them near me are either too rocky or too crowded for him.

Lucretia,
We went everyday to Lunan Bay.... well off the road and only the dunes to chase rabbits in.

Missy, Max and Dusty all needed a holiday at home to recover from their holiday... they were just SO worn out from all their running, playing and paddling.

Would recommend Lunan Bay to anyone with a greyhound.... loads of room to run off lead.... best bet early morning or later in the day. Watch out for the quad bikes that run on the beach from time to time.

Cheers
Missy

Steve · Master

Billy should meet our lad Harry! Might teach them both a lesson.

Harry is a big lad and is keen to chase. He hasn't any manners when playing. On the times that he has been let loose to run free with Pearly (our other grey) he terrorises her. She runs and plays on her own, jinks in and out as if chasing a hare and does her laps. If he gets off same time he 'hunts' her down straightaway and usually barges her or takes her back legs away. He'll growl away and physically stops her from running. Harry has pretty good recall mostly but when he's chasing then there's no chance. As a result he never gets off lead with any other dogs and always has a muzzle on him.

He would be a big problem to smaller dogs off lead in the open and he would probably get me and himself in trouble.. As for bigger dogs - he tried the same thing with a giant poodle once on an early moring free run and the poodle barked him off and Harry wondered what it was all about! Basically he wants to play but has no idea of the boundaries.

Strangley though - we let him off at night in the fields near our home with Pearly and he doesn't usually chase her. Tends to bimble along with her. Would be bliss if he was like that all the time - but that won't happen until he's old and doddery I reckon.

Amber · Master

My 2 play pretty rough racing-chasing games together, lots of snarls and bared teeth from Oscar; I don't muzzle them when playing together though and they never actually make contact with their teeth! But they know the rules of the game and I wouldn't think it acceptable for any dog to play like this with a dog it has only just met.

Oscar has no manners to speak of with other dogs and is also quite fear aggressive towards unknown dogs that run up to him, so is not allowed to mix with any dogs that we don't know. Petra joins in the rough play with Oscar but can play in a more 'normal' style with other dogs, she mirrors the behaviour and play-style of the dog she is socialising with.

Does your dog greet the strange dogs first or just steam-roller in chasing them?

It is confusing for them, cos they've never had the socialisation that 'normal' dogs get, except with their own littermates and then racing and kennels, so the mad chasing is all a lot of them know! Keeping on lead for the moment sounds a good idea, in the future you might want to join a really good socialisation class where the trainer can help you to introduce him to dogs on a less excitable level.

Lucretia · Old Hand

Amber, after some more observation, it looks like Billy is only a bully with one dog we meet; and it looks so much worse than it actually is since the dog rolls over every time Billy nudges up against it. He never bites and is never aggressive. If he doesn't like a dog, he turns his head away or hides behind my legs. He runs at ANY dog that he sees running, but usually won't go within thirty feet of it unless he has met it before. He runs alongside most dogs, but one dog he bumped up against a bit, and this other dog he bowls right over.

Usually, he ignores other dogs. My grandma's dog would LOVE to play with him, and she slaps him with her feet and chews at his neck, but he just turns his head away and ignores her because he doesn't really like her!!! She has now learned to just not bother trying with him, poor thing.

I noticed in your profile you are from Aberdeen too. Whereabouts are you? I live and work in Portlethen, near the swimming pool and fields, which is great for dog walking.

Amber · Master

Lucretia wrote:

Amber, after some more observation, it looks like Billy is only a bully with one dog we meet; and it looks so much worse than it actually is since the dog rolls over every time Billy nudges up against it. He never bites and is never aggressive. If he doesn't like a dog, he turns his head away or hides behind my legs. He runs at ANY dog that he sees running, but usually won't go within thirty feet of it unless he has met it before. He runs alongside most dogs, but one dog he bumped up against a bit, and this other dog he bowls right over. Usually, he ignores other dogs. My grandma's dog would LOVE to play with him, and she slaps him with her feet and chews at his neck, but he just turns his head away and ignores her because he doesn't really like her!!! She has now learned to just not bother trying with him, poor thing. I noticed in your profile you are from Aberdeen too. Whereabouts are you? I live and work in Portlethen, near the swimming pool and fields, which is great for dog walking.

Hi, I'm in the south of Aberdeen city, I don't really know Portlethen at all well. Hoping to move out of town sometime soon though!