odie is such a greyt dog but he is so nervous. if we are out (like petsmart, playgroups, or any where else) he is fine and looks to be very confident. he even goes up to people and enjoys the attention.

at home is a different story. if anybody comes into our home, odie starts to shake and pant like crazy. just the presence of somebody else no matter where they are in the house makes him nervous. it is so bad that he won't eat for hours or until he is totally calmed down. he won't even eat a treat.

is there something i can do?

You could try having the visitor at the house give Odie the treat. In the beginning he will be too nervous to take it so they should show it to him then lay it where he can get it and look away.

Most important (and it's not as cruel as it sounds), ignor him unless he's being calm. He's familiar with busy settings like the store (think track and training kennel activities). He's been through ALOT of changes in the past few months. (Didn't he just come to you in Dec or Jan?) Plus, he was not the most secure dog in the beginning. He's probably not sure what the visitor means - "am I going to be taken away?" If you coo and try to reassure him in human terms, it only serves to reinforce the negative behavior. "Oh-h-h, I'm receiving affection and attention... This is how I'm supposed to act."

Do give him access to a place where he feels secure. If he wants to go to his crate, let him. When your visitor arrives, carry on with your visit as though the Odie isn't there. If he is food motivated, you might give your visitor one of his favorite treats to hold in case he approachs. Let Odie take the intiative and approach on his terms. When he does start to come out, as tempting as it is to coax him, continue to ignor him. Once he comes to you or your visitor, quietly give him a treat and give him some quiet loving. If he goes to your visitor, just have them calmly offer him the treat. It might be better to hold off on them petting him unless he shows alot of confidence. If you can arrange to have someone come "visit" often, it would help. Once he's used to the same people, you migh try having different folks "drop by". If you don't make a big deal about it, he'll learn that it's not a big deal. Don't forget he takes his cues from you.

I don't know how Stormy is now, but a few months ago he was fairly ready to meet strangers. If he is happy to meet visitors, it will help Odie.

he is definitely not treat motivated in any situation. he will not take a treat from me or anybody if he is stressed. ignoring him is good advise. he usually retreats to our bedroom when someone new or just not the normal family is in the house so i guess i should just leave him there. everybody is so interested in seeing him that i try to coax him out at least for a few minutes so they can visit with him or AT LEAST SEE him. stormy is the total opposite. he runs up to visitors and is practically on top of them in seconds. odie wants no part in it and starts shaking and panting. he seems to be totally submissive to strangers and turns his head and refuses any eye contact. i have no idea what all he has been through but wish i did so i could make things easier for him. this is his 2nd home.

Some dogs take months or even 1+years to acclimate. It's like with students - some catch on right away; some take time, then a switch flips and everything makes sense; others take longer with the pieces falling in place one at a time.

Odie has come a long way already. Remember the first car rides? He may feel a bit insecure. Unfortunately, it may take some time for him to know absolutely that this is his forever home. Don't forget, also, that while Stormy is a greyt addition and Odie likes him, it's still stressful. Not all stressful events are bad - like Christmas or the birth of a child. Odie may well not be totally certain that the new kid isn't going to displace him. Stay confident and calm, knowing all is and will be well. He will take his cue from you.

ignoring him totally works! my parents were came over yesterday and they didn't pay him a bit of attention... walked by him and did not pet him. HE WAS FINE... i think he is going to have to go up to people himself to feel secure so that's what we will do!

Hello, Bridgett does the same thing, at all places, out in public, or at home. The only time she is not that way is around other grey's and grey people. Then she is a different dog. She is fine. We are fostering Delgo now, have him for a week now. I do see some positive change in Bridgett, but I also see that Delgo is very aggressive. I think this will change. We are trying to go through a training period very hard. I do know that I do show Bridgett way too much love and affection at all times, especially when she is stresseed. I am trying to change that also. We love both and want to keep Delgo, he is such a great dog. Just a freebird, open to anything. I was watching the dog whisper last night, and he said that in most of these cased it was the people showing love and affection and not training and excersize, I am going to try and learn from that. I hope Odie gets better, I know how it feels.

my major concern is that it is only in our home... he is SO confident anywhere else and is open to being petted and even goes up to people. i don't really baby odie but i do try to soothe him if he is shaking. obviously that was a big mistake because ignoring him yesterday proved successful. since stormy came, he has gotten worse with the nervousness. i guess he had just got used to things and then they changed AGAIN. with stormy being the crowd pleaser and loving on anybody that comes into the room maybe odie just SEEMS worse.

Traci
Just want you to know that Odie isn't the only one in his litter that is shy.
Ox is pretty shy-Marianne has had him about a year and still has to lift all 90# of him in her Element. He will not even come out of the lobby when she is at the kennel every Sunday if he thinks she wants to put him in playgroup.
Also one of the men on Circle of Greys has his sister Bits and he said she was very shy when he got her. So, I guess it just runs in the family, not something that happened to him before he came to the kennel.

My second grey was/is very spooky and shy and at first I was convinced that it had to do with him being abused by men at the track. He is especially afraid of men and tall women. He was a very successful racer so I did not think they had been mean to him if he was winning all the time??
But, after 8 years of living with and learning about greys I have met many spooks and think it is more of a genetic thing they get from their parents.
I think it is a temperment thing like people we know who are more shy. We are all different just like out pets.
There was a good article in Celebrating Greys a few years ago about spooks. Someone you know might have it.
Even though they are spooky and shy at times, they are all different. My dog is most shy when out and does better when he meets new people at home. He hates leaving the house. Yours is the opposite.
It sounds like you have discovered how to help him deal with his shyness at home, letting him come to the new people instead of the other way around. Fussing over them when they are upset does not help as you have found. It is frustrating when they won't eat treats when they are upset, most of these guys are so food motivated that you can get them to do anything with a treat!!
Time, patience and space should work in the end.
He is a sweetie and I am so glad he has a brother to hang with now.

Thanks Totty... I have found the same thing... they are all sooooo different. You think that he would be shyer outside our home but it is so weird how confident he can be. I seriously think he is claustrophobic... we shakes in the crate, in the car, and if people surround him.

That is the reason we were always taught to not show shy dogs to families with little kids. They don't like to be cornered by them and the kids tend to get bitten because the dog can't seem to get away from them.

All of this information is doing me a world of good, in helping Bridgett. I am glad to hear that it is not just her. It sometimes is frustrating to try and help them, and to back away when you want to love on them. But I can see now that it is just not the best thing for the grey. Bridgett is doing wonderful around Delgo, he follows her around like a puppy, she can't do anything. I think they are bonding everyday. I can take Bridgett outside in the daylight now, and she is alot better. I think in time, and with her facing all of the new things she has never seen or been close to, she will get better. I have not had her around other people yet, that is one of her biggest fears being around non grey people, she will just go crazy. In time I will try to get her out and about. But, it is just great to be with her and Delgo and to have them be a part of our life. They are just wonderful animals, and are very special. Thanks for all of the sharing.

odie loves to go outside and be around anybody but just not in our own home. odie actually trots around our neighborhood like a show dog and even goes up to the mail lady and practically gets in the car with her. we go to the tractor supply store and he goes up to the cashier to make sure he gets petted. at playgroup, he is very confident and has no problem with people or other greyhounds. he loves people but is just scared to death when it comes to people coming into our home. i guess that is not a major issue when i think about it. when someone comes into our home, he runs and goes into my room and hides, we ignore him, the person leaves, and we are good again... i guess that is something that is not so bad to deal with. i just didn't know if there was something i could do to help or if there was something that may have happened to him before he came to me that could have made him the way he is. obviously, it is genetic or just his personality that i will just have to be aware of. i just need to ignore it and make sure i don't baby him when he acts that way.

Here are a couple of links to information which may help you in dealing with shy dogs and spook dogs:

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In Odie's case, I wouldn't classify him as a spook. From everything you've written and after learning about his canine family, he probably is naturally a little on the shy side. This as been magnified by all of the changes he's been through. It sounds like events which make him think he might go through another transition are triggers. Now, it is possible that the "shaking" in the car may be extreme excitement. If he shows no other fear signs, that is very likely. Time (lots of it) and getting comfortable/secure in his new situation will probably be your best allies.

Bridgett sounds like she probably is a true spook, but fortunately on the milder side. Again, time will be your friend. However, regular routines and strong, calm leadership will be important.

With a little work, a lot of patience, and some time, you will find great rewards watching your sweet pups developing. You'll all be fine.