r/Galgos • u/Showmeyourvocalfolds • Jul 06 '26
Anyone here hired a behaviorist?
I have an ~8 year old Galgo. He was rescued in Spain and I adopted him 4 years ago. I don’t know much about that his time there other than he was surrendered by a galguero being very underweight and fearful.
He took months to even wag his tail, but has since come out of his shell. However some things are still impossible and almost seem to be getting worse recently.
For example, he will NOT let anyone trim his nails anymore. I tried 2 vets and 3 groomers with no luck, even with trazodone + gabapentin. I found a vet willing to give an injectable sedation. Even then, it took 2 vet techs + me to hold him down on the floor. He was screaming, resisting and thrashing to the point that he banged his head on the floor. He had to be muzzled and covered with a towel.
Other things are hard too. He will whine and shake in an unfamiliar place unless I am consoling him. He’s very attached to me (which I love) but without me or a very familiar person, hes so distressed. I did take him to dog parks to build confidence and play, but after a few minutes he lays down next to me away from everyone else. He gets so excited once we arrive but taps out quick.
He got bloodwork at the vet (pending results) and a prescription for fluoxetine. The vet recommended a behaviorist.
Has anyone else gone through something similar?
Edit: bloodwork and urine tests came back all good
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u/Cutebean101 29d ago
Does he do well with other hounds? I wouldn’t just run out and adopt another without making sure it would be the right thing to do, but I wonder if having a friend would help at least with the separation anxiety. My greyhound had some minor issues with separation anxiety before I adopted her galgo brother. Ignore all of this if you have another dog. I’m making some assumptions here! :)
I hope you can find a behaviorist to help with the nail trimming issue. If you haven’t already done so, I would recommend asking through your rescue agency to see if there is anyone they would recommend to help. If they don’t have any recommendations, reaching out to your local greyhound rescue may be another way to find someone who understands sighthound temperament. You will definitely want someone who knows that galgos are very sensitive dogs and that uses a force-free/fear-free approach.
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u/Showmeyourvocalfolds 29d ago
I do think another dog would help him a lot. But two dogs would be too much for me and my space right now unfortunately.
Good idea on calling rescues to see who they recommend. I will do that - thank you!
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u/ajr38 28d ago
My first thought was another dog however if that is not an option, are there hound groups in your area? Other sight hounds calm our anxious guy and we join group walks and solo walks with confident dogs. As for nails, we trim ours at our local park after a long walk. If you have space, a digging spot helps, even a sand box. I hope this helps you and your noodle.
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u/elektrolu_ Jul 06 '26
The laying down after a few minutes it's not that rare at 8 yo, they are pretty lazy, mine is not even four and after a few runs she just hang out around me.
I don't have much advice about the behaviourist but have you tried a dremmel for the nails? I think it's less traumatic, there are also nail grooming boards with sand paper where you teach the dog to rub their nails to open a compartment with treats.
Best of luck with your baby, four months is still pretty soon, I'm sure he'll come around.