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.

High value ones. Cheese always works.

Sending support and sympathy your way as I also have a rescue dog who is adorable with us but reactive with other dogs and also people she doesn’t know and we weren’t given this information by the rescue either, just told she’d settle given time.

We've had her around 5 months now and I absolutely had days especially in the first few weeks where it’s felt like very hard work and I questioned our decision so I understand. I’ve had dogs most of my life but she’s our first rescue and it’s definitely had its challenges but rewards too.

Can the rescue provide any support or advice? Ours hasn't but a friend who adopted from another rescue recently has had a lot of support so some are better than others.

It’s definitely very early days and your dog is absolutely still settling so I totally agree to look up the 3/3/3 It helped me understand that she needed time and patience.

A few things we've tried.
We spoke to a behaviourist who suggested the calming plug ins alongside a calm collar which may or may not help but worth a try.

Focussing on training basic commands to build up the bond with us and hopefully eventually help her listen to us better.

Save high value treats for walks

I actually tried the squeezy cheese trick someone mentions up thread earlier today but I need to practice when she’s not distracted out and about.

Practice ‘Find it’ by throwing a few treats on the ground. Start easy then build up to throwing on the grass. We practiced inside, then in the garden and now on walks. We can use it as a distraction technique if there are things we know she’ll react to. It’s probably the one thing that’s worked best for ours though some days are better than others.

We’re still walking at quieter times of day and I ordered a nervous rescue sleeve for her lead ( Amazon) which actually I think has helped some people give us a wider berth.

Trying to stay calm and Loads of praise if she spots a dog in the distance and doesn’t react.

Im still hoping things will improve in time and we’ve had a few better walks lately tbough it’s very much still a work in progress.

I have a Saluki lurcher. I think he was around 10 months when we got him. Came with no history at all but am sure he was used for coursing and definitely hadn’t been socialised.
Saluki’s are extremely vocal dogs and the noises they make can be quite loud! What worked for us was a fishtail collar, 3 point harness and a double lead as he is surprisingly strong, this helped with holding on to him when he saw another dog. The best thing we did was teach him the command “Watch Me” and rewarded that with a high value treat. Every time we saw another dog in the distance out came the treat, it was hard to start with but it has worked. I still use it occasionally just so he remembers and actually I used it recently when we came across horses being ridden in the woods. A force free trainer is also a good idea but in the meantime I hope this helps. Saluki Lurchers are beautiful dogs but are sensitive and need to build confidence.

We always felt that if you looked at our dog, there was a lot of dog for very little brain.

And that brain was already full of her priorities:
Prey and running
Scrounging in a gutter for discarded kebabs
Sofas and duvets

Training was very much that you could ask her nicely and she'd get back to you if she felt like doing it. Honestly think giant cat and you are close to the training experience.

I would make sure any trainer you pick has experience of sight hounds.

My friend had a saluki that had to be muzzled in public because she would randomly attack other dogs.

I think a muzzle and some behaviour classes are your best hope.

Have been asking the sighthound question right off the bat, along with experience with rescue dogs and reactive dogs.

Saluki’s are extremely vocal dogs and the noises they make can be quite loud!

This! Our dog had opinions and wanted to tell you about them. If you aren''t used to dogs, and in particular Salukis, their happy noises can easily come across as aggressive growling.

We loved it when she sang to us.

This is very helpful, thank you! We have been trying to do the high value treats when dogs are in the distance with a similar command. It worked beautifully on the morning walk, but all went to shit later in the day, which is what had me so shaken earlier.

Unfortunately we live somewhere where smaller, fluffy dogs seem to be popular which isn't helpful.

Thanks. Glad to know people understand! She is adorable and beautiful. It's amazing to watch her run as well.

The rescue have been relatively supportive. I sent a text to them today and got advice back, and the lady in charge will call me tomorrow as I pointed out that we are really, really struggling with this.

She is strong and that is what panics me so much. Other people have been understanding when I have shouted that she is a new rescue and that we are working on her behaviour.

If You want a proper explanation of why that is - look up reactive dog trigger stacking. But effectively she ran out of coping skills.

You’re thinking logically that she was fine on that walk, she passed that dog and then randomly she’s not ok later on, she’s going I managed to just cope with that walk and now there’s another dog!!! Nope, too many, can’t do it.

Reactive behaviour is usually trainable to some extent, how much kind of depends on the dog and what’s going on with them, but IMO (not an expert, just have some experience with it) the fact that you’re managing one walk fine is a good sign that it might well be fairly resolvable.

While you’re waiting for training help - can you make things less stressy for her? Like can you change to doing only one walk a day? Or can you use secure dog fields sometimes so it’s just her? If she has a really bad walk or day can you feasibly skip a day’s walks to let her stress hormones go down again?

We are lucky as we have a huge enclosed garden

@Changeychangeit I'd stop walking her for now at least. Muzzle train her. Look up online how to do it. That will give you more confidence around little fluffy dogs when you do go out. Practice walking her on a lead around the garden. See what works. Maybe a waist belt with a short elasticated lead and another handheld one. But try different options. Maybe a longline but you'll have to be careful with that because if she gets up to speed, she'll have you off your feet. Build a bond with her. Do lots of training. Simple stuff is fine. Practice recall. Try to get her to use her brain. Scatter feed her, do away with the bowl for now. And lots of calming cuddles inside, massages might help, you need to become more important to her. As pp said, she reacts when she runs out of coping skills. You need to get to a point where when she never feels she can't cope because, oh look, mum's there with a tasty treat or a reassuring pat or just her calm presence that tells me all is well with my world. When do you walk her, try both of you walking her. It's really helpful to have another person. They can block other dogs, while you distract. Dog can run between the two of you if it's safe, do it in the garden to begin with. As another pp said, DH needs to step up. It's not easy. It's still a work in progress for me and I don't think we'll ever truly get there. They are lovely dogs but there's a reason people get fluffy little dogs that trot along beside them 😀Best of luck.

I have a greyhound x Saluki. The behaviour is pretty typical of a young Lurcher. Sighthounds are different to other dogs when they play and can be extremely boisterous and look aggressive when they are simply wanting to play.
What has worked for ours is to make sure he initially has enough exercise to get rid of excess energy. Saluki's need plenty of exercise and while he can run in your garden, it won't be as stimulating mentally as a new walk.
We also took him to places where other dogs were always on lead and walked past on a short lead. We simply ignored over excitement, would turn in the opposite direction if he got hyper. Some training clubs have walks where all dogs simply walk without interaction with other dogs and these can be great.
Lead wise we found a proper Lurcher collar well fitted (2 fingers breadth) gave the most control. He needs to learn to ignore other dogs and that you are more interesting than them.

When we want him to have more freedom he wears a dry dogs escape proof harness with a dreaded 10m Flexi lead either on the top or front ring. While these leads are much maligned, it works for us as a long line would simply wrap around his legs during turns at speed. He has good recall, but also a high prey drive so we don't risk him off lead in unsecured places. Hiring a dog field now and again can be good.

We also have different types of walks, so some will be sniffy and leisurely, some more exciting etc.

I understand how demoralising they can be, but our dog now is a perfect gentleman and we can take him anywhere, but he was like the devil incarnate initially! They are sensitive intelligent dogs that are wonderful once you get past the issues, and you will, just be prepared to give him time.

This is interesting. We were told to NEVER use a retractable lead- is this different to a Flexi lead?

Another walk today with a reaction. We are both scared to take her out now, so will likely retreat to the garden for exercise until we can get the trainer in place (our chosen one doesn't have any appointments for a week or so- we chose her as she specialises in both rescue dogs and reactivity).

Really feeling down in the dumps. She also just did a massive wee all of the floor.

Is it normal to feel so anxious and miserable this early in?

A Flexi lead is just a retractable lead, as I said previously they are not normally recommended, especially as sighthounds have such velocity when they go!

It has worked for us as the short lead walks gave us control and as he had 'freedom' to sniff and explore a bit he was mentally much less frustrated. I would never use a cord leader though, ours is a 10m tape, which is much less likely to cause an injury if they get in a knot. Always use it with a harness too. My husband always tends to have control of him with that, as he can be strong if he bolts or hooleys.
I did lots of short lead pavement walking with him, seeing new things and meeting people which was challenging as he always wanted to launch at people and was very mouthy, but provided we told them he was likely to jump up and they were happy about that we could use it as an opportunity for him to wait nicely to meet people.
It is totally normal to feel completely overwhelmed by everything, I am a seasoned dog owner that's had dozens of dogs and done obedience trials and had working dogs over the years, but even I was reduced to tears at points. Get some good professional help, ideally someone with sighthound experience and see how you go, but it is always a work in progress that can have good days and bad days to begin with, consistency and routine are your friends with this type of dog.
It also helps to try not to worry too much about what other people think of his behaviour, if you get stressed about it then that transfers to your dog. Remaining calm and confident is important, and if you can fake it until you make it. it will help enormously.

The interesting thing is that she is super friendly around people- maybe too friendly. Likes sniffing them and getting attention, even from strangers. It's just dogs that are an issue- and they weren't until last Tuesday evening.

No don't stop taking her out!! This will just make it worse when she does get to experience the outside world. She's probably weeing inside because she's picking up on your worry and anxiety.

We have 3 large, very strong dogs - 2 of which are sighthounds. All 3 are rescued and one of them is EXTREMELY reactive on lead (even with extensive training). I manage to walk all 3 dogs (even when one of them is losing his shit with other dogs approaching) on my own every single day. The fact that neither you or your husband are able to walk one reactive dog without melting down and saying you're not taking her out again is a sign that you're not really ready for a dog.

I would never normally suggest taking a dog back to a shelter as I believe once you've committed to a dog then it should be for life (you wouldn't just palm a child off if they were difficult to manage?!)… But, in this case, as you've only had her a few weeks, I would probably recommend it as you just don't sound ready for this at all.

Agree 100% with this. I have a young Labrador and her play manners have been non existent. She body slams other dogs and jumps on them over their shoulders (a completely unacceptable way to greet a strange dog, and then my (usually bumbling along behind Newfoundland) jumps in and pins down the 'victim' who has quite rightly shown her in 'dog language' what is NOT acceptable. I have enlisted a behaviourist and also just finished beginners gundog training. We also do scent work with a trainer (mantrailing where she used her nose only to find missing people and dogs). In her short time on this planet, she has caused me the biggest headache; I have heard every expletive, been threatened with the police, (not our fault in that occasion), and filmed with the threat of 'Facebook' twice 🤣.
An inexperienced person would probably have given up by now, but I'm a fairly experienced owner of various breeds and I can't stress strongly enough that their breed and bloodline is pivotal in understanding them. My Labrador is a WORKING line, not a SHOW line. That in itself is hugely important with regards to energy and behaviour. She too, sounds like she's being aggressive when she's only trying to play, or get me to play tug (she literally barks AT me and argues)-but I understand her where other people and some dogs don't. I have to say we are nearly 2 now and I think she is the most intelligent, entertaining and funny dog I've ever had.
She found a hidden stranger and two strange dogs, in the pitch black, age 6 months old whilst mantrailing and it brought tears to my eyes seeing a dog so happy, doing what it is bred to do. She is the most loving, biddable dog in the home and absolutely no bother, same as yours. Take advice from Sighthound owners - and be prepared to stick at it for years - I can't stress this enough. I train both of my dogs - something - anything - even for 5/10 mins, every day. Lab responds to a whistle so much better than my voice-and I learned how to use one at Gundog training - all new to me. Her recall is almost innate (born to retrieve and return to owner). Newfoundlands on the other hand are infuriatingly stubborn - and instincts are driven by their environment rather than a Labrador who is more 'handler' driven. I can call my Newfie when she's about to chase a scent- and she will turn, think about it, then run away in the opposite direction - I swear she's just sticking two paws up at me.
A few years back I used to be a rehoming manager for a large UK breed charity and they were very supportive of adopters. (Well established and lots of £ behind them), so could afford to help. My gut instinct as a rehomer is that you were perhaps rehomed an unsuitable dog for your needs and experience. Contact them and ask for help, and also join a couple of breed clubs. They are usually very helpful. If you feel totally out of your depth, there is no shame in having tried, and returning the dog - most move on much faster than we dare admit-I've seen it many times. In the meantime I shall concentrate on trying to get my own little challenge to recall around a squirrel. (not a chance yet!), but on we go, and I WILL win in the end! Good luck-it's a journey 😊

OP, why are you "scared" to take her out? What do you fear?

I've had 3 reactive rescue dogs and trained them all using the 'squeezy cheese' method mentioned by another pp. We were never able to let them go nose to nose with other dogs (which is fine - it'snot compulsory), but they all stopped yodelling and performing at them.

I think it's the feeling of lack of control, and feeling anxious that something might happen. I know it might be irrational. There are a lot the small, fluffy types of dogs around, which doesn't help.

Feeling slightly more confident today as we have put some of the things PPs suggested into place, and have a plan. She is a lovely, lovely dog and it really is just this we need to try to work on.

We have pared things right back for the moment, and booked a dog trainer to help us get things under control- I am well aware we might be part of the problem as well as the solution! The dog trainer also gave us some helpful steps to take before we have our first session next week.

Interestingly, we have also worked out that she reliably responds to a few commands - come, sit, paw - which has made me feel a little more positive that the advice of a good trainer will help, as it's becoming clear that she may have had some kind of previous training.

That all sounds very positive, which is great!
Sighthounds can be notoriously stubborn, especially Saluki's. From your description I think she is starting to feel happier and her excitement is spilling over when she sees other dogs. Ours was exactly the same, we even got another dog as he is much happier with canine company and he will happily calmly say hello to other dogs now, (except he sometimes gets over excited with golden retrievers, who are his absolute favourite breed.)
Her chase instinct might be triggered with small furry dogs running past her in your case, but that is controllable on a lead, and they do learn what is acceptable and what isn't over time.
It's very early days, try not to get too worked up, and once your relationship and trust/confidence builds I'm sure you'll see a difference.

Completely agree, I think you are describing a dog that is getting happier and more relaxed so feels confident to greet and get excited about meeting dogs.

Only an excited Saluki lurcher looks bonkers, you and your partner aren't experienced dog owners and are getting very anxious that she's about to escape/ eat a small dog.

It’s absolutely normal to have a bit of a panic and be overwhelmed when you hit a fairly big behavioural issue that you aren’t expecting and you aren’t experienced in.

9 times out of 10 the trainer is there to teach you not the dog 😂

Because you mentioned her being good with people - it’s very normal for them to have a thing they’ll react aggressively to and be lovely otherwise, dogs aren’t just aggressive as a personality. I’ve had one that would be aggressive to unknown dogs and strangers, but once he’d been introduced gradually he was the sweetest friendliest boy. One of my current dogs literally can’t meet people, he’s a bite risk and has to go in a bedroom with a white noise machine on if anyone but us is in the house, with us, literally couldn’t strike him enough to keep him happy.

But also, you don’t yet know what’s going on with her yet, fear aggression towards dogs is a pretty common issue, but to the inexperienced eye a frustrated greeter can look similar and there’s always the much more unlikely but still possible chance she’s just a chatty little guy going, what is that? Smells like dog, but it’s little?

Reactivity isn’t a euphemism for aggressive, think of it more as dogs with big feelings who don’t know how to manage them, so they easily can have big feelings about dogs but not the same ones with people.

*edited cause I’m on my phone and my fat fingers accidentally hit post

Ugh and after editing and adding all that, I realised it says strike instead of stroke… we’re not striking the dog 😂

I got what you meant!