Rescue Saluki lurcher suddenly reactive to dogs on walks, really struggling. Help!

[Changeychangeit]

Looking for a bit of advice! We adopted a Saluki lurcher from a rescue. Maybe 3-4 years. In the house she is fabulous.

However, on walks, she has started to go mental when she sees other dogs- barking, leaping, scarily hard to control. Started to happen after she saw a fox early this week and DH didn't catch it in time. I have had to take her on every walk since as DH won't now have anything to do with her- he apparently hates her (I realise this is his anxiety speaking) so I have had to try to fix the behaviour.

It's really getting me down, and DH is talking about sending her back to the rescue, which will break DC's heart. I am terrified something will happen as I struggled to control the last incidence. We can't avoid dogs as they seem to be everywhere where we live.

I have started to contact dog trainers to put a plan in place, but there isn't much availablity for a couple of weeks.

I need help, suggestions, success stories. Please. Anything to help.

Get a local dog trainer. Or dog obedience classes. That’s all i can suggest. It is a nightmare when they do this.

Is this a solvable issue?

My parents had a reactive rescue dog- like yours, no issue at home, just with strange dogs (or wildlife) on walks. They paid a fortune on trainers. I think they would say it didn’t really solve it- but the dog did become much calmer as he grew up and stopped being as bothered by other dogs when out. The main thing was they changed their walking habits- up earlier and on more secluded routes, to avoid as much stress for the dog or themselves.

@Changeychangeit my spaniel is lovely off lead but can be (unpredictably) reactive on it - leaping around like a bloody salmon nearly throttling himself to try and get to the other dog. It’s mortifying and alarming and you have my sympathy. I had a dog trainer and she advised getting Squeezy cheese like primula. You train him with it in the absence of a trigger - so walk past a bike, when he is approaching it or looks at it say “leave it” and when he looks at you praise him lavishly whilst giving a squeeze of cheese. Once that is well established its a great distraction technique when you’re out - I got my boy past three goats and a rabidly barking dog this morning, so it might help as an interim technique until you see a trainer for some lessons.

We had a saluki lurcher - they are by nature two very sensitive dogs mixed together.

Also most saluki crosses in rescue are going to be abandoned ex-hare coursers and had a very bad start in life with not a lot of love and probably no socialization. Ours had never been inside a house and had to be tempted in with sausage. She also didn't like men other than my DF at all.

They aren't especially interested in walks but really really want to run - is there a safe enclosed place you can let yours off leash? Must be enclosed as recall if they see a rabbit is non-existent.

In terms of reacting to other dogs, they aren't especially like normal dogs so their language for 'hello, I want to play' can easily look to you and the other dog like 'I am a terrifying aggressive nutter'. It may well be that this is what yours is doing, especially if she really needs a good hard run. If it happened after she saw a fox, then she's just showing that she is incredibly excited.

How long have you had her?

you need to have a stern chat with DH as well - that could well add to the problems as they can sense tension.

We are lucky as we have a huge enclosed garden - enough to do giant laps off lead. She is definitely getting enough time to do zombies when she wants to!

The rescue say they had no issues like this with her at all, which makes it confusing and slightly terrifying.

A few weeks. She is amazing at home, and in the garden doing her thing (she is so graceful when doing laps!). She is so great with primary age DD too.

I should have anticipated this with DH in a way. He doesn't always realise the impact of his words, even though he is generally a lovely person.

It can take months for a dogs true personality to emerge - they are usually quite shut down. The rescue should know this too so their comments are surprising.

Look up the 3 days/3 weeks/3 months rescue dog timetable @Changeychangeit - if you google it, it’s the first hit. She’s still definitely in her honeymoon period BUT at the acting out stage. My boy followed it to a tee - and really settled around 3 months so please don’t lose hope.

Thank you. This gives me some hope. I had a chat with a local dog trainer who specialises in rescue dogs and reactivity earlier (before I posted) and she said something similar.

It's really just this that is really getting me down, along with the fact that I have had to take the mental load of trying to deal with this (and physical too- DH refuses to walk her now).

I have never owned a dog, but was worn down by DH and DD who were desperate to have one. It just feels impossible due to my ignorance on so many dog related things.

A few weeks?!! And you’re ready to give up on her. People like YOU are a real problem for already vulnerable dogs. Get a trainer. If not , don’t get any more animals after you’ve let this one down. Shameful.

I am not ready to give up on her. I never said that. I said DH was being a dick and mentioned sending her back in frustration (which he has since clarified he didn't mean). We are fully committed to getting a trainer- but need to know how to deal with this in the meantime as it is terrifying, and potentially dangerous to others.

I am looking for support, not judgement, which other posters have realised.

Don’t be vile @PolkaDotPorridge - and learn to read. Nowhere has OP said she’s giving up on the dog. Wind your neck in.

@Changeychangeit join this Facebook group - they’re brilliant and have answers to every question going

From our rescue experience, we naively thought we had rescued a slightly smaller greyhound who would spend most of their time asleep on the sofa.

Instead we had a slightly larger saluki - yes, there is a lot of sofa time but the energy is much much higher and the prey drive is off the scale. It wasn't always clear when she played with a small dog if she thought they were a playmate or prey which could be awkward.

You also have a dog who is much closer to a puppy than a 3 yr old as they have basically been taught nothing except how to run very fast for the last 3 years.

Thanks for this

We're really not sure what her background is- she seems to respond to commands to sit, give her paw and return balls, for example, which is puzzling and makes us think she may have previously had some kind of training.

Good point on the lack of knowledge, though.

I have an older rescue who is horribly reactive with other dogs. She was with the previous owner too.

I've not been able to walk her recently so she's been going out with a dog walker. Apparently she loves other dogs, bum sniffs, tail wags. If my son stays over and holds her whilst I pop into a shop, she ignores everything going past.

We have an excellent dog trainer and I've said to her that I know it's a 'me' problem, not a dog problem. We're meeting up at a park next week, she's bringing her dog, so she can see what I'm doing wrong.

It will be the same with you, @Changeychangeit Get going with the trainer. Will be pricey and will take effort but it's worth it. Also, look up Cesar Millan on YouTube in the meantime. He has some great tips.

Dog trainer here.
Ok well first things first - DH doesn’t get to bail out the second it gets tough! He wanted the dog, he can’t just cherry pick the bits he likes and leave you (presumably weaker physically) to take over when it gets difficult . So nip that in the bud straight off.

If you are struggling to hold her, what equipment is she in for walks? First job is always to make things safe. That also lowers owner anxiety, which helps dog in turn.

Definitely DONT watch Ceasar Milan for tips. Unless you want to physically intimidate your dog,risk getting bitten and make things 100 times worse

Oh believe me, I have. He doesn't get to let his anxiety get the better of him.

We have an escape proof harness and lead that attaches to both the harness and her collar.

Definitely looking for more positive training than that!

Had typed out a long post which disappeared - Grrr - but to summarise:

Walk at quiet times ie early am and late evening.
Lots of little treats for looking at you and not reacting.
Avoid narrow paths where you can't avoid other dogs.
Use parked cars and trees to break the line of sight.
Be prepared to cross roads and change your route.
Try not to meet other dogs head on.
A harness with a handle to lift the dogs weight off her hind legs will take the power out of her lunges.

Harnesses (assuming it’s a back clip one) have their advantages but are absolutely shit for a dog lunging to get to a trigger. Will turn any dog into a sled pulling machine.
Will your dog take treats or is she too riled up at that point?

The one thing we have had recommended is neutral walks- might be worth you looking at?