3greytjoys

Is he staying dry overnight while he's sleeping with the family? Is he having bowel movements inside the house too? If so, are they strictly associated with being alone also? My suggestions: Contact your adoption group to discuss his condition. Take him back to a veterinarian re: a potential medical cause (maybe the adoption group would cover charges if he goes to their vet). Quote from my previous post: "...keep in mind that he still might have an undiagnosed underlying medical problem that surfaces more when he feels fear (anxiety) or excitement." Ask the vet for anti-anxiety meds (to potentially begin administering after he is treated for a possible medical urinary problem). If an infection is not the problem, he could benefit from anti-anxiety meds while he's working through alone training (whether with you or not). Many anxiety meds need time to build-up in the dog's system. These meds are just to help him relax enough to become more receptive to alone training. They are not a substitute for alone training. It's important to do a trial test of any anti-anxiety medication while someone is home to watch him to ensure it has the desired (relaxing) affect on the dog. Thank you for your update. You're all in our positive thoughts. Please keep us posted.

I knew a Greyhound who died from ingesting only one sock. That Great Dane was remarkably lucky to have survived that load!

Welcome to GreyTalk! What you've described could be transitional. Great if you're able to give him a little more time, especially through additional days off with brief alone training sessions. Many Greyhounds are fine as an "only" but it often takes an adjustment period. - A Greyhound turnout muzzle would prevent him from chewing the baby gate. - Please seriously consider raising the baby-gate about 6" above floor level for that big boy. He could seriously injure himself by jumping over the gate onto tile, and he would not know any better. - I strongly recommend cheap area rugs or runner rugs on hard surface floors. Very important that rugs are either rubber-backed or have separate rubber rug-gripper mats underneath all rugs on hard surface floors. (This is for all Greyhounds' general safety. Too many hounds sustain serious injuries (even death) from a slip/fall on hard surface floors inside their own home.) - Considering his size, probably okay to skip the crate, but he might feel more comfortable with access to an open door crate. Agree that he needs more space to move around during your work hours. - Barking is a distress response. It could be his call for your return and/or it may coincide with him feeling a desperate need to eliminate outside. Even though his work day alone time is 6 hours, it would help if you can arrange for someone to provide him one mid-day elimination break during this transition period. Many new dogs need to eliminate more frequently while adjusting to a new environment. Be sure he's getting at least 3 opportunities to eliminate before humans leave for work (last one within 5-10 minutes before departure). Wake up outing, after breakfast outing, and before departure outing. - An alternative busy activity (without muzzle) during your days off, while continuing brief alone training, is to feed his full meals from a food cube or Kong. (Assuming you soak kibble since all his cheek teeth were removed.) That said, I'd watch him on camera very closely to ensure he's okay (doesn't choke on food). Then return before he will need to eliminate outside. - Please do share dog care duties with your girlfriend (including walks) so he's less apt to attach to one person. If you leave a room, ask your girlfriend to distract your hound by playing a game (hide treats under cups or in small boxes) or engage him with a toy or whatever. - Assuming he has a thick cushy dog bed (Costco bed or similar); if you don't want him on your bed, consider blocking it off now before that habit becomes ingrained. (I agree that new dogs on humans' beds are not a good idea for many reasons.) Great if you can borrow a large desk chair mat to place pointy side up on your bed during the day. (I'd be afraid he might knock over a chair or other furniture if placed as a block on top of a bed.) - Is there a full length mirror within his floor level view in your bedroom? If not, carefully securing a mirror to a wall helps some Greyhounds feel less alone after spending their life in racing kennels and on Greyhound farms. Please be careful to not place a mirror where it will reflect direct sun anytime during the day. - Assuming you have two cushy dog beds (one for bedroom, one for family room). If possible in the family room, position the dog's bed at least 10'+ away from the sofa but still inside the same room (so hound still feels as part of the family, yet has his own space). Reward his calm behavior, meaning offer him occasional treats for lying down quietly on his own dog bed. - Try a test of doing more exercise in the morning to tire him out before you leave for work. A 30 minute sniff-fest stroll is much different than a 30 minute speed walk (with periodic stopping points for mind stimulating sniffing and eliminating). Please check his paw pads daily to ensure they're not wearing down too much from increased exercise on hard sidewalks. Very important to continue brief sessions of alone training during your days off. Our first (middle-aged) hound was fine as an "only" but needed transition time. Greyhounds are fabulous, so I hope all works out well for you.

Welcome to GreyTalk! Kramer is quite a handsome boy (with adorable eyebrows)! Enjoyed all of his photos. My favorite is the first photo of his "ETS" (escaped tongue syndrome).

Yes, I've bell trained all my hounds (and other dogs). I use a standard shaped bell with stick-on felt to soften the under edge. Bell hangs only 2 inches below the door knob. (I don't recommend sleigh bells because eager young chewer dogs are more likely to view long sleigh bells as a play toy. Grabbing and ingesting sleigh bells could cause a dangerous blockage.) Keep practice sessions short, under 3 (to 5) minutes to keep hound's attention. Keep it fun for hound. (Don't allow either of you to become frustrated, if that happens, stop immediately and end on a happy note.) 1. Station yourself near the door you use to take your hound outside to eliminate. Start by teaching your hound to nose your hand (with a smelly food treat hidden inside your hand). Teach hound to "touch". When hound touches his/her nose to smell your hand, say yes! or good! + immediately reward with treat. Practice several times, and have a happy praise party! 2. Place bell (with smelly treat under bell) on your open, flat hand (still near the door). Say "touch bell". When hound sniffs/touches bell, immediately give treat reward + happy praise! (Helps to rub food scent on outside of bell.) Step 2 Alternative: Place treat under bell on the floor. Tell hound to "touch bell". Repeat verbal + food rewards! Practice several times, end with a praise party. 3. You hold the bell (by it's string) up in the air near the door knob while you hold the treat under (or by) the bell. Tell hound to "touch bell". Immediate food reward + praise party! (Okay to move the bell closer to hound's nose if needed.) Practice. 4. Eventually hang the bell on door knob (or next to door). Tell hound to "touch bell" and you hold the treat under (or near) bell. Treat and praise party! During days/weeks thereafter, every time you take hound outside, be ready with treat, then tell dog to "touch bell" (or "touch outside bell") before you open the door. Give food treats as many days (or weeks) as needed until the dog solidly understands the connection. Thereafter, simply opening the door + verbal happy praise becomes the hound's reward. If hound has trouble remembering how to "touch bell", take the bell off the knob and hang it from your hand -- right in front of the hound's nose. If he doesn't touch it on his own, gently touch the bell to his nose before you open the door. He will soon get the idea that the bell has to be touched before the door opens. Every dog is different re: time to learn this process, but it's well worth the effort so humans and dog have a clear understanding of the poor dog's desperate elimination signals. Most important: When a hound rings their bell, it's the human's responsibility to respond immediately!

I would consider a crate much more important than a baby-gate for this Greyhound. A prey-driven Greyhound can easily jump or knock over a baby-gate. Our cats also jumped over an extra-tall baby gate.

If your hounds aren't interested in Kong products (unless filled), very safe choices are limited. We get hard "Durachew" (by Nylabone) in bacon flavor, "souper" size. Our hounds favorite style looks like a fist. They last a long time, and if sized properly, dogs don't ingest large pieces. Take it away if it begins to wear down too much. There is always a risk of dogs chipping a tooth on any hard toy. Some dogs just really need to chew something. If a hound isn't interested in a Durachew immediately, smear peanut butter on it so the dog learns it's his/hers to enjoy. (I don't recommend their soft, gummy, or edible chews because large chunks can break off and be ingested. I do not recommend antlers because they are extremely hard on teeth.)

I wasn't able to reply fully earlier, but I completely agree with JJNG's educated and thoughtful post. A couple other thoughts re: one of her trigger times (3 months ago): - Children were starting summer break. Children playing can be so scary/threatening from a dog's perspective that it's enough of a trigger to frighten dogs from taking walks. Some retired racers have never had previous exposure to children playing. (One of my sweet fosters was so afraid of children that she wasn't able to handle walking near a playground for a long time.) - I'm not aware of your climate, but Greyhounds are extremely sensitive to hot and cold temperatures. I realize your girl was reluctant to take walks at night too, but many areas like Arizona or Florida retain warm air temperatures into the night. (Our hounds can handle walks into the low 70's, but struggle or refuse walks in warmer weather.) Also, dogs can blister/burn their paws pads on hot sidewalks/pavement during the day or evening. (I test sidewalk heat with my bare hand, if in question.) Forcing your girl to go on walks when she's become so uncomfortable or fearful is counter-productive, and can damage her trust. Again, I'd suggest to stop taking any walks for a (long) while. Reduce her stress level by letting her eliminate in the safety of her own fenced yard. Allow her whatever time she needs to rebuild her feelings of safety, trust, and confidence in her own home environment first. Weeks after she's consistently comfortable in her home environment, later you could try baby steps to extend her comfort zone beyond the back yard. I would not walk her with a Thundershirt; she could dangerously overheat, especially if she begins feeling stressed during the walk. (Their body temperature increases when stressed.) I'll look forward to your additional answers re: her collar used for walks, and JJNG's questions re: hours she's holding urine/bowel, etc. Thank you for your interest to help your girl.

Glad to see your reply. What kind of collar does she wear when she's being walked with her leash?

Welcome to GreyTalk. Glad you found this forum. Do you have a secure large dog crate for the Greyhound? Does your Greyhound appear to have any tattoos inside his ears? Even if working with a deemed "cat-workable" Greyhound with an indoor only cat, it's safer done with the local support of an experienced Greyhound person.

Good question. There are several reasons to not allow dogs to chew on wood bark, mulch, sticks, firewood, etc. Dogs can get serious intestinal punctures and/or blockages from ingesting wood pieces. Wood (including bark/mulch) splinters a lot. Can cause mouth/gum and/or other internal injuries. Many types of plants and trees are toxic to dogs. Safer alternative is to provide dog safe chew toys.

Great update! If you're not already doing this, I strongly suggest that all adult family members share in his daily care during his transition, including feeding, letting into fenced yard for potty eliminations, and leash walking. (New readers: Please don't allow children to leash walk Greyhounds. Greyhounds are strong, and should be leash walked by grown adults.)

I'm so sorry that Lily has been having such difficulty. I agree that she could have reacted that quickly. I assume the chicken was plain without any spices that could have upset her system too. One of our dogs (non-Grey) was diagnosed with severe IBD by age 2, and lived to 13. She was unable to eat any food other than one single protein kibble during any block of years duration. IIRC, her tolerance to venison lasted 1/2 to 3/4 of her life. Otherwise, a couple of blocks of success with duck or rabbit. Vet's orders were to limit her "treats" to the exact same kibble as her meals, so we excitedly shook her special treat container as if they were the best treats ever! Same kibble treats were offered during all her years during dog training. (Sounds boring for her, but she nearly died before she was finally diagnosed at age 2.)

Yes, thanks for that mention, Batmom. My quote: "If you can watch him without him seeing you, it's best to return to pick up the Kong before he starts frantically looking for a human." Some people drive away, park the car, then quietly walk back to take a peek through a different window to observe the dog's behavior (without the dog being alerted to hearing their owner or the car return). Observe whether he's still happily working on his Kong. If so, great. He might be ready to advance his time alone a little longer. Whatever works to try to stay below his stress threshold, so he continues to be well receptive to this new concept that being alone = yummy Kong reward for him. (Works well to practice when he's hungry.)

I'm so deeply sorry for your loss of George. He will be greatly missed by many on GT. (Just sent you a PM.)

Oops, sorry here's the correction: "Large" generally fits hounds over about 70 lbs. (males or large females). If Ryan was adopted directly from a racing track program, I'd be very surprised if his is not already sized correctly.

To answer your question re: threshold: Yes, if you're not able to see him from a window, urinating is a definite sign to reduce alone time session duration. Urination is one sign, but keep in mind that he still might have an undiagnosed underlying medical problem that surfaces more when he feels fear or excitement. (Imagine how humans feel the need to urinate more frequently when extremely nervous about a public presentation or important meeting.) Also, considering he's so new and still learning house training, please be sure he completely eliminates within 5 minutes of your actual departures. Example: Some new dogs need about 3 potty outings on a regular work morning before their people depart (as outlined in Batmom's post). A morning walk is great for exercise to help tire them out. Some dogs (males and females) hold a urine reserve in their tank during walks to ensure they remain stocked for neighborhood pee-mail; in which case, their more successful last outing immediately before humans' departure is in their own yard (where they have less need to leave their scent). Each dog's signs of alone discomfort are different. Here are a few common signs: Some dogs are quiet, but stand at the last door from which their owner departed leaving a lake of drool from heavy panting. Others might bark and howl for excessive lengths of time. (But this can be common for any new dog of any breed during a transition period.) Some owners notice excessive chewing on items or around doors. (This is why stuffed Kongs can be so helpful to keep them busy during the important first 30 minutes of being alone. Chewing/licking calms and helps tire dogs mentally. Some dogs are happy with frozen Kongs, some prefer them at room temperature, depending on filling.) There are more signs but I'll stop there for now. Just let us know how things go with your boy's situation. Allowing more time to adjust to his new home should help a lot. BTW, I edited to clarify the following in my initial post: "Reaching the first 30 minutes of a dog's calm behavior is the most important time to not rush alone training. Just try to be patient and go slowly. After a dog is comfortable with being alone for 30 minutes, they usually advance in lengthing comfortable time alone much faster and more easily. Try to keep him under his discomfort threshold." "Since you have a cat, I imagine you'll ensure your cat is kept safely separated (even in a bathroom) while left unsupervised." While you're off next week, as he learns the desired pet elimination areas, it might help to consider Batmom's mention about the belly band pressure possibly making him more uncomfortable(?). (Though I certainly understand the need for a belly band.) Your quote re: the crate: "2. We're all sleeping in the same room" Bingo! Yes, he's likely more comfortable sleeping in his familiar crate only at night while his new family "pack" is sleeping together with him in the same room. That feels more like his previous kennel "pack" life. He can relax knowing he won't be left alone overnight. He just can't handle being left alone in a crate during the daytime.

Great that the DAP and Kong are helping your handsome new boy! You're probably already doing some of the following but I'll share some thoughts... Agree with allowing your boy to remain in the room with his new Greyhound sister. Her calmness will help him transition, even if he appears to be completely focused on humans. That said, while alone training, try to keep your resident girl safely separated to avoid a fight over the high value food Kong. Great that the stuffed Kong is helping keep your boy occupied. Remember to pick up stuffed Kong every time you return to the room so the Kong remains his "special departure treat" to enjoy only when humans are out of sight. If you can watch him without him seeing you, it's best to return to pick up the Kong before he starts frantically looking for a human. Reaching the first 30 minutes of a dog's calm behavior is the most important time to not rush alone training. Just try to be patient and go slowly. After a dog is comfortable with being alone for 30 minutes, they usually advance in lengthing comfortable time alone much faster and more easily. Try to keep him under his discomfort threshold. While working on alone training, start with less than five minutes alone initially, then build time slowly as his comfort level allows while he's working on his Kong or otherwise appears calm. If he goes above threshold, drop back to his last comfortable time. If you feed dry kibble meals, consider adding water to kibble to help schedule his elimination needs. He will still need access to water 24/7, but might be a little less thirsty later. An alternative busy boy idea during training is to feed his kibble meals from inside the Kong, or from a food cube toy (but the extra water benefit would be lost). No fanfare during departures or arrivals. Upon your return, quietly take him outside to eliminate, but delay other attention for a few minutes just until after he calms down. Sounds like you're already doing a great job remaining calm, positive, and rewarding good behavior. (Just a caution for new readers: please avoid reprimanding dogs when they have an accident. Whether a dog is having a medical difficulty or new home transitional fear (anxiety is fear-based), reprimanding increases and magnifies dogs' anxiety tenfold+++ for a long, long time. It takes many hundreds of atta boys to even attempt to counteract one reprimand.) I agree about no crates or ex-pens when he's left alone. If your boy was in a racing kennel, sounds like he might like sleeping in an open-door crate at night for familiarity but only when he is in close direct sight of his people sleeping and his Greyhound sister. It's not too surprising that he's having trouble handling being left alone in the crate in a strange new environment after being abducted from the only life he's ever known in kennels full of Greyhounds and people. BTW, it's a great victory that he stopped scratching the door and laid down when your wife told him "no". It's a bonus having three people relating to him so he doesn't hyper-attach to one human. Sans baby-gate, while other humans are in the house to distract him, consider periodic human bathroom visits alone (sans dog). These can act as mini-alone training sessions so he understands you can be on the other side of a closed door for a moment, but you will return quickly. Since you have a cat, I imagine you'll ensure your cat is kept safely separated (even in a bathroom) while unsupervised.

But... at least she's adorable! I feel your pain. The act of chewing helps dogs relieve anxiety. Have you ever tried muzzling with Greyhound turnout muzzles in lieu of crating? That could allow her more space to move around during the day. A baby-gate makes it easier to dog-proof a room.

An alternative to peanut butter: If a second person is available, it helps to hand feed small treats (non-stop) through the basket muzzle while the other person is doing nails. Many hounds do better if nail trims are done while the hound is standing up, and located away from their dog bed. Ideally, dog beds should remain the dog's golden safety zone where only good things happen, like resting peacefully. Initially, it helps to do some repeated noise conditioning by turning on the dremel from a good distance away while the hound is happily getting treats (or licking peanut butter) before actually working on nails for the first time. I dremel (or clip) nails in a bright location, or use a headlamp to see their nails more easily. Muzzles How to fit a Greyhound basket muzzle: The basket muzzle should not touch a Greyhound's eyes or nose. Nose should have about one inch of space (or be able to fit about two fingers width between the nose and muzzle tip). If questioning the sizing, muzzles come in two sizes. "Large" generally fits hounds over about 70 lbs. (males or large females). "Small" generally fits hounds under 70 lbs. (average or small females). It's very common for hounds to try to rub their muzzle off. If needed, there are safety straps available. It's great if good things are associated with their muzzle, like rare treats (not given at any other time), and/or wearing their muzzle during fun "all dogs muzzled" play dates, etc. Important tip: If one dog wears a muzzle in the presence of other dogs, ALL dogs need to be muzzled; otherwise, the muzzled dog can't defend himself if another dog (or group of dogs) attacked him/her. Good luck. Dremels are great when they're strong enough for hard Greyhound nails. Please don't stay on one nail any longer than 3 seconds to prevent nail+quick from overheating.

Just saw this thread. We have (and love) the iCALM device (lasts 4 hours). http://throughadogsear.com/icalmdog/ We also have the full CD set, but if you don't have a multi-CD player, playing time is limited to your player. Each CD's duration is approximately one hour. Agree that it puts humans to sleep nicely too! We rarely have any thunderstorms, so can't comment on the noise phobia series. I'll add that the iCALM series we have is not as great for loud fireworks because there are too many silent pauses within and between songs. Non-stop, lively music with many instrumental/note changes works better to drown out loud fireworks. That coupled with white noise (like from a loud fan) works great for us. Thunderstorms are different since electromagnetic fields are thought to play a role with thunderphobic dogs. Some dogs (but not all dogs) benefit from a Thundershirt too.

As unappealing as it may be, I'd suggest starting over from square one with proper house training 101, which usually includes confinement since they usually avoid messing up their immediate resting space. If humans' absences are too long, someone should pop over to take Houston outside to eliminate. A friend has a small dog with the same problem (never properly house trained). Over a decade later the dog (although healthy) still isn't housebroken, but as you mentioned, it's not the dog's fault. They just let a bad habit become ingrained for too long. The sooner the better to break a habit.

Agree, especially with muzzle and baby-gating into a doggie-proofed room in the house. An added caution about exercise pens. They should be very well-secured if leaving a dog in an ex-pen unsupervised; otherwise, the pen walls can collapse onto the dog if a dog tries to climb or lean on the pen. Riverhound: If the crate has never been used as punishment, and changing the crate bedding didn't work, it does seem like a snagged collar/tag might have spooked Brees inside her crate. It can be extremely scary for them, dogs have strangled to death from catching collars/tags on crates. Agree with tossing a treat inside to encourage them to enter willingly.

Welcome to Greytalk. Are you able to remember any more helpful information and/or triggers noticed just prior to her "key" behavior changes? Any difference noticed in her behavior on family members' days off vs. work days? Can you elaborate more about her previous training? Is she afraid of neighborhood children? Considerations while thinking about her history: Fears (besides previously mentioned?) Anxiety (e.g., many dogs refuse to eat morning meals if feeling anxious about something, like being left alone for work day, etc.) Medical related. One example of many, corns on paw pads are very painful, especially on hard surfaces like sidewalks. Owners sometimes notice their hounds walk more comfortably on soft grass lawns during walks, and inside on carpets vs. hard floors. Many hounds are reluctant to walk outside (aka: statue) when feeling pain/soreness, or are fearful. Greyhounds' sight and hearing is very keen. They hear noises that humans can't, and see from a far. Greyhounds are extremely sensitive to their environment, humans' moods, etc. They will often "shut down" if feeling scared or overwhelmed about something. Their minds are like elephants, they remember everything. Some hounds try to avoid walking by homes with territorial dogs. One of our middle-aged hounds was afraid to take walks for several months after hearing small fireworks during one evening walk. (BTW, that hound had male racing trainers. He had no interest in associating with female humans for his first year+ in retirement. After earning his full trust, he's become a momma's boy , and much more friendly towards other women.) If you haven't done this yet, you might consider eliminating all walks (temporarily). Just let her outside in her own fenced yard for potty outings for now. She's trying to communicate her fear or discomfort. A dogs way to communicate discomfort is fight or flight. Fortunately, she's chosen flight while inside the house. (Please be extra careful to not let her off leash unless in a fully fenced enclosure.) We'll be able to help more with additional information.

My preference is to work with retired racing sighthounds when they are under (prey) threshold vs. lengthy focus on prey, tipping them over threshold. The high voltage situations increase hounds' brain neurotransmitters/excitement so much that it makes it much harder for hounds to relax enough to be receptive to learning desired behavior from a human. Lengthy focus on squirrels often increases hound's prey expectations/excitement during following outings. (Racing Greyhounds are generally encouraged to ignore humans so hounds focus their "tunnel vision" on chasing a lure to win races.) We ignore small animals during walks. We encourage new hounds' attention towards the human and/or looking forward as we move away from small animals. We talk happily "let's go", offer treats, and make a fun game of briskly moving away from "prey". Good to practice very brief "look" or "watch me" exercises just for looking at your face in a calm, non-prey environment first (at home, then outside). Instantly reward hound with treats and verbal praise each time he looks at you during 1-2 minute sessions. Later you can use this term to engage his attention towards you when needed during outings. Please be sure Coe's martingale collar is adjusted properly so he can't back out of his collar. (Martingale collar should be snug enough on hound's neck so a human needs to "work at it" to get it over the ears to get it off. The most narrow part of a Greyhound's neck is just behind the ears.) If needed, a harness can be used also. (I use both a martingale collar and harness on eager new fosters.)