while i know this is not unusual in greys and other breeds i would think, i know my digger had it real bad when i first got him be eventually seemed to grow out of it. my two boys are on two opposite ends with it. alex can sleep on top of you (which he does i might ad if given the chance) and you can move him wherever you want and no problem, but dash is a whole other story all together. i really think he has gotten a bit worse with it over the past month or so and im not sure why. once he's asleep even if only for a few minutes,you have to be very careful in waking him up or even accedently bumping into him. he's alot like my digger was as he will sleep part ofthe time with his eyes partly open. i am the only one here with the two of them so its just me and the only thing that has changed is my hours i am working are a bit odd. any ideas on this? could my different sleeping hours be somehow frustrating him, he has his favorite places to sleep and most of the time he will go in his crate and sleep there with the door open and i jsut dont distirb him unless i need to. he actually has three places he likes and makes his rotation of them , otherwise he seems okay. i know that is not unusual with them, but i just am curious why its a bit worse than before.

Hi Karl,
I have been around a lot of Greys with SA. I have never seen one myself that has grown out of it. Its kind of always with them. They just get into a very deep sleep. Just make sure he is fully awake before you step over him or sit near him.

One thing that I wouldnt let happen is, if he is in your bed, on the sofa, or somewhere where its the "humans place", then this shouldn't be allowed. He can, in his mind, learn to be the Alpha of the house. Even thinking he is Alpha to you. So if he snaps or growls at you while on the bed or couch, even if its sleep agression, then make him get down and show him a dog bed. I know, thats hard to do, but I have one that, from time to time, will growl at me when I get on the bed and stick my feet under him. When I look at him he knows, "Ops, I messed up, over to the dog bed I go".

that makes sense, i have gotten that through to him when he gets in the bed and i will not let him stay because its doesnt go well. and now i just make him move and he is learning to go for his bed in stead of mine. i used to let him stay there if i wasnt in the room but after he snaped at me while tring to get him to move he lost that privalige. (we had a nice long talk about that one. i never lay a hand on them to disipline but he understands when we have these talks) he likes to try and push his boundarys which he always has since i got him home last year. and still at times will do so more than others. i still love my big boy though this will just need some work though. maybe digger didnt acually grow out of it he just got older and a bit more mellow. that seems to make sense as well.

My first greyhound had sleep agression and as the years pasted he did get a lot better. We were always careful. Mostly, if he was sleeping with us and we touched him he would shoot off the bed like we had beat him.

Hi Karl,
It could be your changed schedule is affecting him.
One of my guys has some SA. We've (people and dogs!) learned to be careful near him.
This topic came up a while ago and someone suggested trying to desensitize them. One suggestion was to throw stuffies at them while they're asleep, not to hurt but to help them realize touches are not bad. An idea I had would be to hold something yummy (a bit of hot dog or chicken) near his nose while asleep. Dash will go from deeply asleep to fully awake in about 10 seconds! After a while he might associate your step with a treat.
Good luck,
Jean

We do exactly as Debbie says with Caeley, the moment she woke up agressive she got the boot off the couch and a big no, no.... She hardly has any "moments" anywhere or any time at all anymore. The only time I see it anymore is if she is sleeping in a spot she doesn't normally sleep in... it seems then as if she is "on Guard" even in sleep when in a new spleeping spot.

he is learning that once he snaps at me as he wakes that he's in trouble. and immediatly gets up from whatever spot he has claimed at that time. he really wants to lay against me with his head against me on the couch but i cant and dont let him due to this. i guess since he is learning that he has done wrong is progress. he has always been a stubborn boy, but i am more stubborn and im gonna be the leader in this pack. i still wouldnt trade him or my other boy alex for anything though. they are my boys, grumpy or not. sounds like there are some other things to try though. interesting thing is when they lay in the den on there pillows even with ones butt on the other he sleeps there fine and doesnt grumble at all. could this just be a very safe zone for him?

Karl,
You have to keep in mind..every dog is different. Van Gogh sleeps on the bed with me and if I move or touch him and he growls, I give him a tap on the nose and boot him off the bed for the night. I have had him 4 years, so we have an understanding. If I give him the boot...I hear him walking around the house and he will come back to the bedroom door and peek in. I point to the door and say "out!" and he is not allowed back on the bed the rest of the night. After he tries to come back a couple of times, he gives up and goes and gets on the couch and I hear him throw himself down in a big huff. He has gotten a lot better and knows if he is going to be grouchy ...he can find another place to sleep. I'd let Dash know that if he can't behave ...he won't be allowed to enjoy the comfort of the "big bed."
He may be getting worse because he is getting more comfortable in his home and testing you to see what he can get away with. You have to be the "Alfa" and not let him get away with unwanted behavior.
He will learn that you make the rules and if he doesn't obey...he will not be allowed to get away with it.
I'm so happy that your boys are doing so well, otherwise.
Keep up the good work.

Jean. Mom to Van Gogh, Zeppelin, and Rietta