Walking a Nervous Greyhound

Qualities needed for walking a nervous greyhound: hard work, dedication and a whole bucket of patience, that’s for sure! If you have ever encountered a very nervous greyhound (or other rescue/adopted dog), you will understand that dogs who have previously led very different lives to the ones they lead now can suffer with mild to extreme issues with nerves. These nerves can become such a barrier that walking your lovely dog can even become quite stressful, particularly because they cannot tell you how exactly you could make it better for them… What follows are some of my personal experiences with our beloved noodlehorse, Niko, and how together we overcame his barriers and combatted his nerves.

Our darling Niko was always known to be a nervous pooch – our brilliant adoption kennels (who always learn each greyhound’s personality perfectly) described him as such when we first met him. Moreover, honestly, this was part of the reason why we chose him out of all the other snoots to adopt! We adored his sweet disposition and my heart ached at the way he would tentatively step out of the kennels each time we visited him, constantly looking at us for reassurance as we slowly walked him around the kennels’ fields during the early days before taking him home. Something inside me connected with this timid boy and, although we knew there could potentially be some work to do, my husband and I believed that he was the pawfect dog for us!

When we first adopted Niko, he was terrified of other dog breeds. On peaceful morning walks, he would suddenly cower behind me, shaking with fear between my legs, as a multitude of rambunctious dogs would approach us. If the dog was not a fellow sighthound, and if it would not leave him alone (which happens so often with off-lead dogs at parks), he would begin to stress himself out awfully and would try to run away from the other dog, eventually spinning crazily and getting tangled in his own lead. He was never at all aggressive, only extremely terrified, with his tail completely between his legs – poor thing! Very often, I would have to shout for the other owner to “hurry up and grab their off-lead dog”! (Please remember that retired greyhounds have usually never encountered other breeds of dogs, apart from their fellow sighthounds, until they are adopted.) So, these experiences at the park used to be incredibly stressful for both me and him, and I began to dread our walks to the park, choosing to avoid it at all costs instead and only road-walk with him… Until I realised that this was probably the worst, most ridiculous decision that I could make for the two of us. By choosing to never expose Niko to other breeds and not overcoming his nerves, I was risking potentially increasing his anxiety and creating a real problem for him. How could I guarantee that we would never meet another dog breed in his whole life? Surely, if I kept avoiding the issue, his anxiety would become more prevalent as he got older?

So, I began to take sweet, nervy Niko to the local park with my husband during the quieter hours – early in the morning, late in the evening – and began mixing these walks with quiet road walks. When bouncy dogs approached him at dog parks, I would try to relax myself, ensuring that he did not pick up on my own anxiety, and I would allow him to have a little sniff (if he felt brave enough) and then insist on calmly walking on and praising Niko with a soothing voice. (Just to add, during these first few months, Niko was also always muzzled on dog walks and his muzzle was not removed until I was completely certain that he was comfortable with other dog breeds – this is something that any reputable kennels will recommend.) Furthermore, if any persistent off-lead dogs would NOT leave Niko alone, I would calmly explain to other dog owners (albeit sometimes through gritted teeth) that my greyhound was VERY nervous and would they KINDLY appreciate taking their dog away. The calmer I was, the calmer Niko seemed to be. By slowly introducing him to the park, rather than plunging him in on his first day, where he was suddenly surrounded by foreign breeds (big mistake!), we enabled Niko to slowly build his confidence and overcome his shaky nerves related to other breeds. As time went by, we began to walk him at different parks at slightly busier times and introduced him to other dogs in our families. Luckily, my parents lived around the corner with their beautiful, energetic puppy, Bertie the Beagle, which meant that we could regularly walk him with another dog breed, who he could create a bond with.

We continued to build his confidence slowly over time and, within less than six months, he had transformed into a different dog! He is now excited to meet new breeds of dogs and enjoys giving them a quick sniff at the park and then happily moving on! Niko is quite a nervous character in himself and so will probably never be the dog to boldly approach another and want to play, yet his confidence is now at a point where a visit to the park is enjoyable – for both us and him – as it should be! Furthermore, he adores the company of Bertie the Beagle and literally jumps for joy at the sight of him! Patience, perseverance and myself staying calm (the biggest factor) seemed to help to assimilate Niko into life outside of the kennels with other dog breeds.

Niko was initially terrified of many things and this technique of built-up exposure to new experiences, as well as remaining calm as his owner, worked wonders with them. For example, when we had visitors round to our home – be it friends, family or our friendly electrician – Niko did not appreciate “new people” in our home. You could not blame him! He was only just getting used to these two new humans who were suddenly with him pretty much all the time and then we also expected him to be fine and groovy with MORE humans… Initially, when anyone other than myself or my husband entered our home, Niko would make a mad dash for our bedroom… and that is where he would stay until they left… It almost became a running joke in our home: the invisible greyhound. However, once again, this just took time and patience. As Niko became more used to different people visiting, in which situations I would calmly reassure and praise him, he began to make more of an appearance. Over time, he would emerge for a short while, show his face and then politely scamper off – as if to make it clear that he was a real dog indeed! Then, with continued reassurance and encouragement, he would venture into the same room as our visitors, but would remain on his dog-bed. Eventually, after lots of praise and attention from the visitors (who by now he recognised as mostly familiar faces of family and friends), he would become super excited when there was a knock at the door, knowing that an extra fuss was about to be made of him. If you were to visit our home now, you would find that from the moment our front door is opened, a large snoot will be there to greet you, with an excitedly wagging tail. Then, within an hour of being in our company, you will find that Niko can be found virtually on your lap, soaking up any wonderful attention you throw his way. If you are lucky, he may even try to follow you to the loo! (He has the manners to wait outside till you are done, of course!)

We adore Niko – clearly! However, as I have explained, he certainly had his own barriers to overcome and there were moments where he would completely freeze like a statue on walks or he would shake terribly in the corner of our bedroom at the knock of our front door; these moments were crushing. Yet, as a family, we worked with him through his fears, with an air of calm and much patience. The final result being a happy, more confident snoot. I will not lie and say that Niko is a completely brave soul these days – loud noises still cause him to look for reassurance and many things make him jump dramatically (one recently being an autumn leaf falling unexpectedly on to his back, causing him to act rather like the buckaroo game!). In the back of my mind, whenever I have a moment with Niko where I must harness all my patience, I always remember that a greyhound has come from a kennel life. Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is new to him and it is my responsibility as his adopter to educate, encourage and expose him to his new life. The change in him over time has been immense and we are so proud of him, and we are so excited for his future.

Love and snoot kisses,

Berry x