John the Lurcher - Understanding Your Dog
Companion Animal Care Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM Paula Slyusarenko
Facebook posting, September 12, 2021

Because we understand John's behaviors, we have a wonderful relationship.

And please also read John's Blog (PDF)

Dog John

Handsome 5 year old lurcher looking for a new home!

Unfortunately John needs a new home for the following reasons:

  • If he is walking where there is wildlife, he pulls hard on the lead
  • John is reactive to other dogs when on lead and will growl and lunge if he meets other dogs on walks
  • John jumps up and gets very excited when we have visitors
  • John will guard his food if you go near it when he is eating
  • John steals food if you leave it accessible and will potentially bite you if you try to take it off him

STOP!!!!!

John absolutely DOES NOT NEED A NEW HOME. We completely adore him and he is a much loved member of our family whose cheeky character makes us laugh every day! We UNDERSTAND him and ACCEPT him for who he is as follows:

  • John is a sighthound, he was bred to chase. For less excitable walks i stick to areas where there is less wildlife and use treats to teach him how to walk in a way that i am happy with.
  • We don't meet many dogs here and that's why i like it. I could do some more training around other dogs but we don't get to practice and so instead we just enjoy lovely walks and avoid other dogs.
  • John loves people and gets very enthusiastic with his greetings so we just use a stair gate until he has said hello and calms down.
  • John was hungry once, he was a bag of bones when i first met him. I don't blame him for guarding his food and actually i have no need to bother him when he is eating. I just respectfully give him the space he needs and leave him to eat his food in peace.
  • We accept that if we leave food out and John gets hold of it, that's OUR FAULT and not his. If it's high value then we understand we cannot take it off him and that's ok. He's not being bad, he's just found something lovely and doesn't want to give it back.

I know this post will have get your attention as I would NEVER give up one of my dogs. If your dog displays behaviour that isn't exactly what you want, STOP and THINK, is it actually that bad or can you just have a wonderful relationship with and a deep UNDERSTANDING of WHO YOUR DOG IS?

Return to Companion Animal Care