Dog acting weird

[robpendragon]

A question for any dog owners; recently I've been taking Pharaoh (my new greyhound) out for walks down the lovely country road that we live on & everything is fine then all of a sudden when we get to a point on the road he stops dead in his tracks & won't move. He almost has a look as if he is supposed to do something he was trained to do by stopping in the middle of the road. I don't want to drag him by his leash but I end up pushing him to move. He is well trained & will walk right next to me but this recent behavior is keeping me perplexed. Has anyone else had this issue with their pooch? I could not find any info in any training books or on the web.

[Rusty]

Rob, is it always on the same road in the same spot?

Rusty

[Lorri]

Rob, is he out of breath? And has he been checked for heartworms? Usually that's done prior to adoption, but worth checking on if he seems to want to stop after the same distance each time.

Good luck with him!

[Rusty]

Or... he may sense a dragon nearby

Rusty

[robpendragon]

The one place he stops is by a old small municipal building & at the other end of the road is nothing. He was checked out thoroughly & was given meds on a regular basis. It's not even that far of a walk, not even 75 yards. Sometimes it's on our way back to the house.

[jenclark]

Rob,

That may be worth getting on Cesar Millan site and ask him a question about his behavior. http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/index.php

Another thought is to call a greyhound rescue in your area or a national one, they may have some insight. Just google it and many site come up.

Good luck.

[troush]

I wonder if he's not smelling something that either frightens him (he his a HOUND dog, after all) or was something he was trained to respond to. (Maybe he smells a rabbit, or some other live animal that reminds him of his racing days).

When we first got our dog (I rescued our sheltie from the dog pound), she would start to sniff and sneeze excessively at certain points on the walk. It was just that she would start sniffing so much that it made her sneeze. She finally stopped sniffing so much.

-Trish

[robpendragon]

I just picked up Ceasers new book, I'll have to look into it. I just found a greyhound forum site & got a response & they are going to contact me with more info...it's called "Statuing" apparently it's an odd greyhound trait. I let you know what I find out:) thanks guys.

[JulieM]

Hey Rob, maybe he's just posing for a portrait??? No doubt he's aware that your gallery is a little deficient when it comes to pictures of him... ;)

[robpendragon]

Hey Rob, maybe he's just posing for a portrait??? No doubt he's aware that your gallery is a little deficient when it comes to pictures of him... ;)

Oh he loves his picture taken I just don't want to bore you guys with too many greyhound shots:)

[RonH]

Yes our dog has done this a few times. One time he actually blocked my wife from moving forward, putting his paws up on her and staring at her eyes like he was saying listen to me. He would not budge but as soon as she turned around and went another way he was ready to go. We believe he sensed danger. Either an animal or a person. The trail was along a nature area.

They really are our best friends.

[JulieM]

Oh he loves his picture taken I just don't want to bore you guys with too many greyhound shots:)

Do we have to beg????? :eek:

[pixlbandit]

So, bore us with those pictures, Rob. I'm signed up for a "Painter Portraits that Pop" class on LVS and half of the assignments are animal portraits--I don't want to do all cats (which I do have, although they aren't nearly so cooperative as Pharoah). Do you want a portrait painted of him for the right price--he is cute, after all? :)

It does sound like it is something he is smelling that flips a wired-in switch--kind of like a pointer without the pointing part. Strong orienting to some stimulus.
Vicki

[kevq]

Rob,
here in the UK an old name for Greyhounds is Gazehounds because they hunt by sight, not by scent. Maybe there's something in the distance that he is nervous about. Lots of animals seem to smell or see things that either alarm them or cause abnormal behaviour.
Kev.

[jazzfisher]

Kev,
They called my Afghan hounds-gazehounds as well. Their eye sight is so sharp, they can see the smallest movement off in the distance. And if they want to chase it -they are GONE..........

[lowbone]

Ivan my cocker spaniel does this quite often. It is a total mystery but he will pllant his feet and refuse to go any further. A change of direction is usually all that is needed.

[NMarti]

My former springer, Auggie, did the same thing. Nothing would make him move forward. Change direction and he was fine. I've noticed our current springer, Sophie, doing the same thing now too. She always does it after sniffing so I suspect she is sensing an animal that crossed the path she does not want to encounter. We have spotted a deer and a coyote in the neighborhood and also have skunks, possums, raccoons, a groundhog and dozens of squirrels in our yard.

[Lorri]

Rob, does your greyhound appear to be smiling for the camera? I ask because the greyhounds my sister had always looked just as if they were smiling at the camera!

[Joe M]

I wouldn't discount the possibility of some kind of supernatural force at play. It's been known for a very long time that dogs have the ability to sense things we can't.

Are there any haunted houses, cemeteries, or Indian burial grounds close by?

[JulieM]

I wouldn't discount the possibility of some kind of supernatural force at play. It's been known for a very long time that dogs have the ability to sense things we can't.

Are there any haunted houses, cemeteries, or Indian burial grounds close by?

:eek: :eek: :eek:

(I was going to ask the same question but just thinking about it gives me the willies...)

[Joe M]

Hey Julie,

I understand things like this can give the willies. But just because it's something paranormal doesn't mean it's bad. It could simply be a spirit trying to make contact. As I said, many people believe dogs are a very good conduit to the other side.

Halloween is in a few days. Is there a connection, who knows?

[robpendragon]

Rob, does your greyhound appear to be smiling for the camera? I ask because the greyhounds my sister had always looked just as if they were smiling at the camera!

I know when I use my wide angle pointed right at face he looks kinda goofy with a bit of a grin.

[Elemobe]

My chocolate lab does that. Normally when she wants to go a different way than we do. Absolutely plants her feet and won't move. We thought there was something deep and mystical about it until she did it as we were leaving a local hardware store that sells dog food and treats - she absolutely glued her feet to the spot and refused to move. We have also deiscovered she does it when our path moves away from the water, she loves water and prefers to walk along it.

Maybe your dog loves her new home and doesn't want to leave it, even for a walk;)

[robpendragon]

Make sure in life you stop to smell the....boots.
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff92/robpendragon/_A269648copy.jpg

[JulieM]

Awwwww......

Great picture, Rob. It certainly looks like he is comfortable in his new surroundings....

Thanks for posting it!