On leash greetings

On leash greetings between dogs is the most difficult way to greet each other. It does not matter if both dogs are friendly or even know each other. The tension on the leashes creates tension.

There are two ways they can go:

1) After a quick sniff and greet, the dogs play. Jackpot! Next time your dog sees a strange dog, he/she will want to pull forward again to sniff, greet and play. Each time your dog will pull harder to greet strange dogs, be very distracted around other dogs and become frustrated if he/she can’t say hi. And each time, he/she has a good chance to meet a dog who does not want to say hi. He/she then learns not to trust other dogs and not to trust him/herself when meeting other dogs.

2) After a quick sniff and greet, the dogs fight. Nightmare! Your dog now will either start to fear other dogs or will begin to pull towards them to fight.

How do we best deal with on leash greetings

We avoid them and teach our dogs to stay ‘neutral’ in the presence of other dogs. Teaching your dog to be aware of other dogs (and people, bikes, trams, kids etc.) but staying calm and neutral is TRUE socialisation. That happens with acclimatising and instilling calmness when around other dogs or new environments. Neutral is a great aim.

Remaining neutral around others can encourage healthy play with others....maybe they will interact, maybe not. They learn to trust their own judgement and YOURS when neutrality is the goal.

Key skills to teach your dog instead

1) Watch the world go by: Find a safe spot in the park or just stay in your front yard and let your dog watch. Stay at a comfortable distance so your dog is calm and relaxed when he/she takes in our interesting world. Your dog will learn that he/she can see other dogs without saying hi, strange people are nothing to worry about, that humans will create more space should something scare your dog, humans all look different: some are tall, some are thin, some have uniforms on, some are small etc. Here is a video to demonstrate it: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=408608827327895

The goal is for your dog to be relaxed and calm outside.

2) 123 pattern game: The pattern game by Leslie McDevitt is a super simple game that gives your dog predictability in new or challenging situations and a strong focus on you if you need to move your dog away from other dogs or people: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=1193660244642199

3) Loose leash walking: This great tutorial provides step by step instructions for your dog to walk on a loose leash and focus on you on his/her walks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fUVXntWPOM

Key skills for humans to learn

We focus so heavily on teaching our dogs to live in our human centric world but often neglect that we also need to learn a few things. Body language is a key skill for us to learn. It gives us important information about what our dogs are experiencing so we can intervene if necessary. Learning about body language can prevent bites because we pick up subtle stress signals of our dogs before he/she has to escalate to a growling or biting.

Dog Language 101 by Fear Free Happy Homes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siy0eog48ys

Dog Body Language from The Family Dog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bstvG_SUzMo&t=130s

Any questions, please send us an email to hello@amazinggreys.com.au

Decompress for success

It’s so exciting to bring home a new dog! We want to go for long walks, have our friends and family come over to meet him/her, go for holiday, road trips, meet up with other dogs at the park, etc.

But for the dog, it is very likely overwhelming and stressful being in our home. One day they are in an environment they know, next day their world is upside down. The dog does not know what is happening and whether you are a safe person, how long they will be in your home for, where to sleep, eat, poop etc.

To help your dog find his/her paws in your home, he/she needs to decompress. To do so, we recommend to make his/her first 2- 3 weeks the most boring ones ever. No action for the first 2- 3 weeks. Boring as anything.

That means:

1) No walks (only toilet breaks if you don’t have an outdoor space) because your dog is already incredibly overstimulated and walks will only amp him/her up. No friends or family coming over, no handymen fixing things, nothing. The most boring weeks for you and your dog.

2) Always allow your dog to initiate touch and interactions with you. If they don’t, give them space.

3) Use treats to bond and make friends with your dog. Toss them towards your dog and then take a couple of steps back. Never ‘bribe’ a dog to come to you. This can result in internal conflict for the dog and he/she may move closer to you than he/she is comfortable with.

4) Establish a daily routine your dog can rely on. A routine creates predictability and makes your dog feel safe. Keep it low key and simple, e.g. feeding routine, nap time, toilet breaks, enrichment time, etc.

5) Set up a room or area with a baby gate and create a ‘doggy disneyland’ where your dog can spend some time alone (door open initially) with some toys, food puzzles, cardboard boxes to shred, bones to chew on. This way you can introduce alone time in a fun manner.

6) Less training, more play. If your new dog enjoys play, spend time playing together and bond that way.

7) Capture behaviours you like rather than dive into any formal training session, e.g. your dog lies on his bed, say ‘yes’ or use your clicker to mark the behaviour and then give him/her a treat immediately after.

8) And when things don’t go according to plan, remember your dog does his/her best with the information and training he/she has. Focus on the things your dog does well and write it down to remind yourself of it.

Separation anxiety- when your greyhound is fearful of being home alone

Dogs have been bred for hundreds of years to be our loyal companion, live in our homes and be dependent on us for everything. But our human centric world is very challenging for our dogs. Being home alone for 8+ hours in an apartment or backyard every day is challenging. Our expectations do not meet our dog’s natural and intrinsic needs.

Separation anxiety is a blanket term for behaviours like barking, chewing, whining, trying to chew through doors and exits, pooping inside etc. when home alone and not all of these behaviours are indeed anxiety or separation related.

It is heartbreaking to see our beloved dogs to be so fearful of being home alone that they whine, bark, become destructive or pee everywhere until we return. You want to tell them that there is nothing to worry about but how?

Identifying the cause of the separation anxiety based behaviour is essential.

Not all separation anxiety is in fact separation anxiety. Some dogs may grieve the absence of their favourite person and pace and whine until that person returns home even though someone else is home with them.

Some dogs react to outside noises and bark at the window or dog in response. Other dogs may not have learned what to do when home alone or are frustrated (or even panic) when confined inside the home or in a crate or in the backyard when you leave.

There is a spectrum that most dogs fall into from:

1) mild separation sensitivity, e.g. waiting by the door before settling to 2) separation intolerance, e.g. dog is bored or mildly frustrated when left home alone or grieving from being apart with their favourite person to 3) separation anxiety related behaviour, e.g destruction, urinating in the home, howling 

Once you know what the root cause of the separation related behaviour is, we can start with a training plan. Please email to hello@amazinggreys.com.au for a tailor made plan for your dog.

Break your training plan into small and achievable steps:

1. Prep stage: While your dog learns to be home alone, you cannot leave him/her home alone unless it's an emergency. He/she does not have the skills to be home alone safely yet. This stage has no absences or minimal absences to minimise the separation related behaviours being rehearsed. 

Let's start with teaching a routine so he/she has some predictability over his/her day which in turn increases his/her confidence and also his/her attachment/bond to you.  I would also put some time away for 10- 15 minutes of playing and learning in the backyard or inside the house where your dog learns essential skills, e.g. come when called, making eye contact, etc. Have a look here for instructions how to teach your dog some basic cues: https://positively.com/dog-behavior/basic-cues/ (Please note, you cannot obedience train your dog out of a behaviour problem).

Additionally, find something that your dog likes to occupy himself/herself with, e.g. does he/she like chewing a meaty bone or enjoy peanut butter on a licky mat or find a couple of treats in a box of toilet paper rolls or tennis balls or find some scattered food in the grass outside? It does not always have to involve food either and shredding a cardboad box can be very satisfying for some dogs.

You don't need to go crazy with buying expensive toys or treat dispensing puzzles because there are a lot of diy options to offer a variety of activities to create a content dog. Some examples here: https://www.prouddogmom.com/diy-dog-puzzles/

Just be careful with food around other dogs if you have more than one dog. There are so many fights breaking out over food and when training, keep your other dogs safely away.

2. In the home stage:

The second stage now introduces barrier training where your dog has no access to you and you also teach him/her leaving cues, e.g. putting on shoes. saying 'see you later' etc. You can get a baby gate to block off a room or use your outdoor area. Start small and sit next to your dog on the other side of the baby gate or door to the garden. Give him/her something to occupy himself with as mentioned in step 1 and when he/she is relaxed and content, gradually move away further and further. If he/she gets up and tries to follow you, you have gone too far away too soon. Reset and start again. 

The idea is to build up your distance away from your dog for longer periods over time. 

I would also start to pair your absence with a cue like 'see you later' or 'be back soon' or whatever you want to use so Oscar understands it is now time to be alone.

Sometimes it is helpful for dogs to be desensitized to leaving cues like putting on your shoes or picking up keys. The idea is that your dog does not get up or go into full panic when you put on your shoes or pick up your keys so you do this multiple times throughout the day without actually leaving until your dog is not alarmed by the sounds or actions you take before you leave. 

3) Leaving stage: 

This is where you finally leave your dog home alone and again, you start small. You want to keep your absence as short as he/she can tolerate it and keep him/her always under threshold, i.e. he is never left for longer than he can be safely home alone without howling, pacing, destroying things etc. It is very useful to monitor via a camera so you understand what your dog does and when he/she becomes worried.

You will gradually increase the length of your absences until it is no big deal for your dog to relax home alone. 

I would also recommend you watch this really informative (but long!) discussion about how moods impact dog behaviour when it comes to separation anxiety: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOD1m-CP_2Y 

It explores how a dog with a full emotional cup and secure attachment to his/her home or person is much better equipped with being home alone or facing scary things outside the home like other dogs or loud motorbikes. 

One last thing to bear in mind when we use Kongs or other food puzzles for our dogs to do when home alone.

When we use food in training to change a dog's mindset about a scary thing (counterconditioning), we use it like this: dog sees scary thing, we give food, repeat until the dog can predict that seeing the scary thing means he gets food. Scary thing, food, scary thing, food, etc. It has to be in this order for the dog to change his emotion about the scary thing. If you have an anxious dog and you stuff the Kong before you leave, the Kong can become the predictor of the scary alone time. It becomes a cue that you are about to leave and that is scary.

Of course you can use Kongs or long lasting chews as a good distraction if your dog is happy to munch on them and you have to go out. But they do not last longer than 30- 60 minutes (if that) and most dogs become anxious after they finished them. So they are a good distraction but they do not teach your dog that it is safe to be home alone.

Settling your greyhound into a new home

Your foster greyhound is home, now what? 

Some greyhounds just plop on the sofa and are right at home but other greyhounds are too overwhelmed. That is okay.

Just keep it really simple. Your greyhound has no idea why he/she is in your home, how long he/she is staying and if you are a safe person or not. 

Your home smells, sounds and looks different to the kennel that he/she is used to and the best thing to do for your greyhound is to place the bed in a quiet spot and let him/her rest and decompress. 

If you have other dogs in the home you may want to use a baby gate to keep your dog away from the new arrival who is not used to getting disturbed when sleeping. Greyhounds are usually sleeping alone in kennels with no distractions.

He/she will appreciate the quiet time and observe you from a distance. If he/she gets up to be close to you, that is also okay and you can adjust the position of the bed to suit his/her needs. 

Let your foster greyhound initiate contact. Some greyhounds seek company but not necessarily being touched all the time. Always remember that consent to be petted can be given and taken away at any time. It is a good idea to pet your greyhound while counting to three before removing your hand. If he/she has had enough, he/she will walk away. If not, keep going for another three seconds.

In the first few days, we would like you to lay some foundations. 

This means creating a bond, a routine and a sense of safety for your foster dog.

✅ Create a routine which provides predictability which is really important for dogs to feel safe.

✅Low key activities such as scattering some food in your backyard for your greyhound to find or rolling up some food in an old towel are great ‘icebreakers’. 

✅Practice loose lead walking inside your home before going on your first walk. Here is a great video to learn how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fUVXntWPOM 

✅Learn about dog body language to spot when your dog is happy, nervous, etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siy0eog48ys 

✅Watch how to ‘charge’ the clicker from your foster kit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V80JVAibXLQ 

✅Create a bond through some games, i.e. positive reinforcement based training with food to teach key skills. Here is a list of useful cues and how to teach them: https://positively.com/dog-behavior/basic-cues/

X Please no walks in the first few days. If you don’t have a backyard, have short toilet breaks outside. 

X Please don’t have friends and family over for visits 

X Please avoid meeting dogs, especially those you are unfamiliar with.

X Please avoid leaving your foster greyhound home alone until he/she is familiar with the routine and has done some foundation training to be home alone safely

Please remember that the first few weeks lay an important foundation for leaving your dog home alone for the first time, socialising with other dogs, meeting new people, etc.

Go slow and start small. Moving into your home is huge for your greyhound and slow and steady wins the race. Sorry for the terrible pun!

Greyhound Training Tips- Let’s Play

Playing is fun. It also reduces stress , enhances social skills and it is healing. Plus it is a great way to learn some new skills and bond with your dog. So when a new foster greyhound arrives into our care, we play a lot.

All dogs love food games. Our training and games always use food as a reinforcer for the desired behaviour, so fill up a small shoulder bag or bum bag with some yummy food. To learn new games, we start off with really really really yummy food, e.g. roast chicken or sausage, cubed cheese, cooked dog food roll, etc. The pieces should be small, about the size of a pea. We also choose a quiet area with minimal distractions to learn. All games can be played on your walks too but let’s learn them first at home.

Game 1: Find it

This is a super easy game to learn and all you do is take a piece of food, toss it on the ground (not too far away to begin with) and ask your greyhound to ‘find it’. Make sure he/she sees where you throw the food and food with contrasting colour to the floor will help him/her find it too. Wait for your greyhound to turn back and look at you before throwing the next treat.

Game 2: Chase Me

Dogs love chasing! They play chase with each other and your greyhound will love the fact that you also know his/her favourite game. There is just one rule to follow: chasing is only one way! You greyhound will always chase you and you never want your dog to be encouraged to run away from you. It is also not a game for young children to play and if the game leads to nipping or other over excited behaviours, we have to stop.

To start the game, get your dog’s attention by clapping, making a kissing sound, whatever gets the attention. As he/she runs/walks towards you, toss a treat in your direction (through your legs if you like) to keep your dog running in your direction. Then turn and run the other way. You don’t need to run long distances and a couple of metres are fine. This teaches the dog that running to you is fun! It is a great foundation for a fun and reliable recall too.

Game 3: Hide and Seek

This game is exactly as it sounds. You leave the room quickly and hide not too far away. Then call your greyhound and wait. Hopefully he/she will will search for you and find you. When he/she does, give a treat and a cuddle.

Game 4: Touch

Teach your greyhound to touch your hand by holding the palm of your hand near his/her face. Wait for him/her to touch it with his/her nose, then give the treat. Keep your hand still once it is near your greyhound’s face. Do not reward mouthing. As he/she learns this, gradually put your hand in other positions so he/she has to move to touch it. This is the behaviour we want to shape: the dog seeks your outstretched hand—and it is a fun and positive experience!

Game 5: Watch

This game is super handy and all we ask is that our greyhound makes eye contact with us. Take a treat out of your bag and place it under his/her nose and then up to your eyes. Your dog’s nose will follow your hand motion and make eye contact. When he/she does, say ‘watch’ and give the treat. This is a great game to play with dogs who are distracted on walks and don’t know yet how to walk on a loose lead.

Have fun with the games!

Greyhound Training Tip- Freezing on walks

Greyhounds often freeze on walks for no apparent reason and most of us have struggled with four long legs firmly planted in the ground. Or maybe your greyhounds just flops to the ground and refuses to keep walking.

Our greyhounds perceive the environment differently than us. Objects, sounds and smells that we are so used to can scare your newly adopted hound to the point that he or she is freezing or otherwise refusing. So what do you do?

1. We can try to force our greyhound to keep walking by pulling on the leash however, forcing a dog to overcome its fear will take away all control from him and activate the fight/flight system. This could result in a dangerous situation if the dog goes too far over threshold and increase the chances of both dog and you being injured or it may cause the dog to shut down emotionally.

2. Luring a dog with food or a toy into overcoming its fear can work on occasions. It can also create conflict in the dog as he values the food that you are luring him with and he may push himself too far before realising he is too fearful and want out. Again, this can be dangerous.

3. Reinforcing exploratory behaviours from point A to point B at the greyhound's own pace activates the seeking system, reduces stress and eventually may over time change his mindset if fearful. The dog can approach and retreat as it chooses and is bridged (clicked) and given something nice with every advance it makes toward point B.

When Failure Is Greyt

The following article has been written by one of our long time foster carer, volunteer and supporter Kylie:

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Failure is not usually a word we associate with greatness. It’s usually paired with disappointment, let-down and even disaster. Until you enter the world of foster-caring, that is. Fostering an animal who is looking for its forever home is a wonderful gift you can offer - to teach it how to live in a home, to socialise with people and other animals, to trust. To be ready to move to the next stage of its life in a loving new home.

Our love affair with greyhounds started in September 2010.  We had previously decided that our next dog would be a greyhound as we had a friend who had adopted one and she was beautiful. We’ve always adopted pets from shelters so saving the life of a greyhound fitted with our beliefs. But we didn’t realise that day would come as quickly as it did, as our two dogs, Ralph and Rupert, were only three years old. A year and a half after our beautiful dog Ralph passed away aged 4 from lymphoma we considered adopting a greyhound.  We didn’t know if we were ready to have another dog but Ralph’s brother Rupert had been depressed since the loss of his best mate and we thought a new friend might cheer him up.

We contacted Greyhound Rescue NSW (out of which Amazing Greys formed in Victoria) and thought we’d try fostering for a while to see how everyone got on.  April, an 8 year old, black and white girl with a lame back leg was put on a plane to Melbourne and a couple of days later she arrived to meet us. Rupert was a bit wary of her at first and bossed her around a bit to let her know it was his place and he’d lay down the ground rules. When it came time to put April up for adoption, she had wormed her way into our hearts and home – she was a real character and made us laugh. She and Rupie played well together and we decided we could not let her go to yet another home, so we made the adoption official. Foster-fail No. 1.

Two years later, Martina from Amazing Greys put out a desperate call for a foster carer for a young dog who needed rescuing from a trainer’s kennels. We’d fallen in love with April big time and we couldn’t bare to see a dog at risk of being killed.  So, we offered to take in New Girl (she didn’t even have a name) and in a few days, we had a skinny, dirty, woolly, frightened 2 year old girl living in our house. We named her Billie, and gradually, with lots of love, encouragement and space, she came out of her shell and became part of the family. When it came time to put her up for adoption... well, foster-fail No. 2! 

Billie was officially adopted by us in October 2012, and now as a grey faced 10-year old she is happy, funny and the first to the door to greet visitors and steal the attention because she is now so beautiful. Sadly, our first greyhound April passed way in 2013 and in September 2014 we decided it was time to foster another greyhound. Amazing Greys had 5 dogs needing a foster home.  So we asked if there was a female available (Rupie seems to like the girls best) and there was – a lovely fawn girl called – Crazy! Oh dear.  Did her name reflect her personality?  We had agonised over the decision to bring another dog into the house – we had a lovely balance and friendship with Rupie and Billie.  Everything was calm and organised and routine.  What would a dog called Crazy do to that harmony? We were assured her name wasn’t an indication of her personality (an ironic name, perhaps?) so we said we’d foster her, as long as we could change her name.  After all, what young lady wants to be called Crazy?  So we re-named her Chelsea.  Less than a week later, after picking her up from a road transport, she arrived! She was quite anxious and excitable, but she’d had at least a 10 hour road trip in a small dog trailer from Adelaide, so it was understandable. After initial introductions, all seemed well, although Chelsea was quite full on and in Billie and Rupie’s faces.  They gave her a few grumbles and she turned the other cheek, not retaliating, so that was a good sign.  She was very thin so we fattened her up with some good dry kibble and puppy food. Very quickly she proved to be friendly and affectionate and she settled into home life very well.  She is a quirky girl who loves to ‘roach’ with her back legs up the wall.  She wiggles and wiggles and her tail never stops.  It’s like a whip though and poor little Rupie is just the wrong height and cops it in the face! In the next few weeks, Chelsea grew in confidence and in fact became very pushy for affection, and quite crazy at times!!  So, it appeared her name was not ironic – she was the most enthusiastic greyhound we had ever met.  But she was funny and cuddly and loved to follow us around.  She was very easy going with Billie and Rupie  and they seemed to enjoy her company. Having foster-failed twice already we had to think very hard about this young lady.  We loved her and she’d wormed her way in, but it certainly changed the peace and quiet of our home!   I think at one stage I said to her “you’ll not be staying here permanently, young lady” after watching her tearing up and down the hallway and jumping around like a baby deer. However, despite our best efforts, and my husband’s determination to prove that we can foster dogs without keeping them, when it came time to put her up for adoption… well, foster-fail No. 3!!

We felt we couldn’t uproot her and get her settled into another home – that’s our excuse anyway. She’s quite the goofy girl and is extremely affectionate and even quite smart.  She’s learnt to sit when there’s food around (not an instinctive thing for a greyhound to do) and is no longer pushy when we sit down for our dinner.  She happily sleeps in her bean bag, and loves to jump on the bed for a morning cuddle.

Nearly six years on, we have managed not to adopt any more dogs, basically by not fostering any!! In 2015 we did a tree-change and moved from inner Melbourne to Central Victoria. We now live on 2.5 acres and the dogs have free run of the whole garden. They have matured into easy-going, fun loving dogs who enthusiastically welcome visitors, and of course still love sleeping all day on the couch. Our old boy Rupie (staffy x) is approaching 16 years and sadly is nearing the end of his long and happy life with us. He’s been a great teacher to April, Billie and Chelsea – he’s taught them table manners and how to behave around visitors. In late 2019 there were two greyhound boys – Jack and Benson - in our local pound who needed to get out as they were anxious and not enjoying the environment. The adoption team at Amazing Greys asked if there was any way we could get them and keep them for a couple of days until a foster home could be found for them. Of course we could – we have plenty of space, and they were going to another home, weren’t they? A few days later Benson, a huge 4.5 year old blue cow-dog (white with blue patches) was picked up by his foster family, leaving Jack with us – he was a little black pocket rocket with a stumpy tail. He was affectionate but extremely food focused and feeding time was a bit of an ordeal with the 4 dogs. We couldn’t get Benson out of our thoughts though – he was a super friendly, super goofy, easy-going giant and we’d already fallen a little bit in love with him. Our plan was never to have 4 dogs – we wanted to travel so as our current 3 passed to the Rainbow Bridge we were not going to replace them – Rupie 15.5, Billie nearly 10 and Chelsea 8. Long story short, Benson’s foster family couldn’t keep him so we said we’d take him back, now having 5 dogs at home!! It was full on for about 5 weeks and for the first time I wondered if we’d really taken on too much by loving these dogs. The Amazing Greys adoption team found a wonderful potential forever home for Jack, and Jen came to visit him at our place so she could see him interacting with the other dogs – he was very friendly with them and with her and she took him home with her to start an adoption trial. We are very happy to say he settled in very well with Jen and he now has a wonderful life. And we, for the first time, managed not to foster-fail! Big boy Benson was another story altogether, however. He was amazingly friendly with Rupie, Billie and Chelsea and every afternoon did crazy zoomies all around the garden. He’s super affectionate and loves nothing more than to stick his big head on our lap, or on our thigh for cuddles. He’s handsome and cheeky and at 5 years old and at least 40kg he’s the biggest hunk of greyhound love we could imagine. Needless to say, he became foster-fail No. 4!

But that was never really in doubt. The Amazing Greys team do a wonderful job of finding foster homes (often leading to forever homes - we’re not the only ones who think failure is greyt!), for the never-ending stream of beautiful greyhounds needing rescuing from the cruel racing industry. Fostering a greyhound is a rewarding experience – to see an anxious or nervous dog who has not always been treated kindly, blossom into a funny, affectionate and often quirky, long-limbed, long-snooted doggie is the best feeling in the world. But beware – you have to be prepared to fall in love, and accept that your greyhound will have a much more colourful wardrobe of outfits than you do!