Adopting dog from a family member

[RodiganReed]

8 years ago my cousin and her then partner somehow acquired a cross breed whippet (possibly whippet x staff). It apparantly hadn't had the best start in life, having been rehomed from a squalid farm.

They gave the dog a settled home for several years but then the poor thing got passed from pillar to post for a while due to relationship breakdown. During this time the dog showed a couple of instances of aggression towards humans (but doesn't seem to be reactive towards cats or dogs).

Things were just starting to settle down again when my cousin had no choice but to move into a rental that doesn't allow pets. I'm not particularly close to my cousin but heard through the grapevine that she is looking to get the dog privately rehomed.

I'm really concerned about where this poor dog could end up (esp as she seems to have staff in her, you hear of people acquiring these as fighting dogs) and would prefer her to be rehomed within the family so after giving careful thought to it with my partner we are going to bring her to stay with us on a trial basis in the hope we can give her a permanent home to see out her days (my partner is particularly fond of her having done some work on my cousin's previous property a few months ago).

We live at quite a distance from my cousin and we don't drive meaning the pooch will have to get used to buses, trains and all that comes with living in a city. That said, we have a very peaceful, quiet home and live on the edge of a large, very dog-friendly common (and close to several other green spaces). No other pets or children so she will have our full attention.

Ordinarily she's a very chilled dog, quite whippety in that she likes her walks/ bursts of energy but is otherwise a couch potato. But do you think I need to worry about the aggression returning given this will be another unsettled period for her?

What can I do to help her feel safe and settled? Any advice or tips would be gratefully recieved.

We have money to spend on her so could think about consulting a behaviourist maybe?

Hopeful bump!

I’d plug in a adaptil diffuser before you bring her home.

can you get a friend or family member to do that first journey to yours so the journey is smooth? Otherwise there are pet transport companies out there which might be a better option and you’ll save on all the fairs so might not work out as more expensive

id Be prepared for her to be unsettled and give her space, toilet breaks obviously but you don’t need to be taking her out for walks from day 1 if she isn’t ready. Let her take her time

I’d get a proper arrangement in place with the current owners, that she is becoming yours and get her signed over with contracts, microchip etc.

you talk about a trial, if you aren’t committed, it might be better for the dog to go straight to a charity rather than being bumped through another home

If you don't know the situation around the aggressive behaviour it's hard to judge whether will be an issue or not, it could've been related to being in pain which resolved and humans make a situation worse, like getting in dogs space ( leaning over, hugs etc) so feels threatened or trying to take items from a resource guarder. Can easily misread the situation if don't have an understand of dog behaviour. Make sure you seek out a qualified behaviourist though as it's not protected term and are lots of dog trainers now that also offer behavioural work & could make things worse.

Most rescues are chock full currently so may take a while for cousin to be able to find space , perhaps could offer to foster the dog for rescue in meantime if unsure about committing longer term. There are lurcher specific rescues with owner support groups on FB if need some advice or if do need to find another home. If in UK are lurcher Link, greyhound gap, evesham greyhound & lurcher, norfolk greyhounds which know home nationwide some others are more local area specific.

A whippet x staffy would come under a Bull lurcher and are quite common. It makes a nice sturdier mix, often the more people orientated, cuddly nature of staffy shines through which is nice and can aid training when bit more handler dependent, the downside of that is can be more prone to separation anxiety. I love sighthounds but are more aloof like friendly cats independent and affection on their terms, bull lurchers definitely make you feel very special & loved.
Terriers have often used in lurcher make up for added drive & tenacious nature in taking down prey. Wheaten terriers seem to be current popular flavour but bullbreeds have always been popular family dogs so staffy likely easier of terriers mixes to have.

But do you think I need to worry about the aggression returning given this will be another unsettled period for her?

It's honestly impossible to say without knowing the circumstances around the aggression you've been told about.

There are very few truly aggressive dogs out there. There are some who are essentially scared of strangers and will bark to make them go away (reactivity). Almost all dogs will set boundaries with regards to things they're not comfortable - for instance, growling if they think you're about to take away something super valuable, or are touching them in a way they're not comfortable with, and sometimes this is misinterpreted as aggression. In a number of dogs these behaviours are present to such an extent that it becomes pathological (e.g. resource guarding).

Learning to read dog body language will go a long way to deescalating situations before they become an issue, so the dog doesn't have to resort to anything as unsubtle as a growl.

Counter conditioning works really well around reactivity, and sighthounds seem to respond well to it. If the dog is a foodie and you're willing to be patient and consistent I think you'd see good results. Good luck.

Thanks for that video, really helpful. Great suggestion re the plug in too.

It's interesting, we don't know a great deal about the aggression episodes but my partner (having spent more time with the dog than me) has a feeling her cues weren't being picked up.. both times that the aggression occurred she was in the care of my cousin's ex (though the aggression wasn't at him necessarily I don't think) who is frankly an idiot and can barely read human cues let alone doggy ones. My partner says she's lovely on lead, no bother in the home, a calm, gentle girl on the face of it but that cousin's ex likely got her overexcited or overstepped her boundaries in some way. That said, I'm mindful this is speculation and we will still need to be careful (which we would be anyway).

Helpfully my cousin is driving her up to ours for the move, so it's only subsequently she'll need to get used to public transport which we can do at her pace.

Do it - just make sure she’s carefully managed and always stay alert

unless she’s bitten through the skin is be open minded about the aggression

I don't have any helpful advice but you sound great and I really hope it works out for you. Doggy has landed on her paws for sure!

Aw thank you @TheChestertons !

Hi everyone OP here, it's 7 months on and I just thought I would update you all. The dog settled in far quicker than I anticipated and is absolutely thriving.

She's a quirky, sweet, adorable little thing and I love her deeply. She finds the world a bit scary at times, and can be fearful of men - we haven't had any issues with aggression though as it is so bloody obvious when she is starting to feel threatened. She doesn't growl or bark but she gets this look in her eyes that says 'help!', she'll bow her head, pull away or hide behind my legs. It's upsetting to see, as often it will be at totally innocuous things, but I'm grateful she communicates her fear so clearly so we can diffuse the situation.

I assumed she would bond better to my partner as he has spent time with her before and is more experienced with dogs but in fact it's the bond with me that stands out - all of my friends and family have remarked on it including my partner who is delighted to see me take so well to being a dog owner.

She has a home for life here, thank you for all the advice and words of encouragement at the start.

Lovely to have a happy update.

So glad to hear she’s settled well!

I’m so glad that it worked out so well! You’ve done a lovely thing taking her in and you’re lucky to have each other.

That’s such a lovely outcome.

That's lovely to hear how well she has settled with you, I'm glad that you and your husband have found a new friend for life - your dog has fallen on her paws!!