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Hello all, First of all, this is more of a "please give me good ending stories" than a "please give me tips" thread. We have had Jack for almost a month and a half now. We have done a lot of work on alone training and have worked him up to an hour of him being quiet in his crate before going back to work. Then I returned to work progressively and he seemed fine with the occasional "I miss you guys" bark and whine. However this week, it is all out of the window! He would shred his blankets and bark all afternoon (the morning is time for a nap, mind you!), So back to alone training we were! We tried outside of the crate as he might have been tired of it. But he still would act up outside of it, jumping on the couch (he never does it) jumping in the windows and barking. He did settle twice on his bed and twice in his crate (about 10 seconds each). I forgot to mention, we went running to the doggie park beforehand so he should have been tired! So more alone training! He got a brand new DAP collar. He seemed to be sniffing a lot when we opened it, so hopefully it will have some effect on him. I am curious for those of you that are working full-time, how do you fit alone training in your schedule? We are nervous seeing our houndie so nervous, oh how I wish he could talk! Also, I am opened to all good SA stories, let them flow!

I know others will chime in, but here is what we did the first few days : 50/50 chicken (or turkey) with white rice. Whenever I was low on chicken, I added more rice. For my 75 lbs boy we fed 2 cup AM and 2 cup PM along with treats. It took a couple days for us to be able to wean him off since loose stool kept coming back, but we found out it was the kibble that didn't agree. We switched and now all is good I don't think the ratio matters much since it is not a prolonged diet, just a few days Also I added an extra cup of water to the rice while cooking so it would become mushy!

Congrats! Look at those tootsies he is handsome!!!

Hello, I am a new adopter as well (alsmost a month now!) but we have gone through the same problem as you. He would bark constantly at first when left alone. The important part was that he did not chew or mess in his crate. He would occasionally destroy a blanket but that was because a kibble bit must have been under it or it was destroy during the nesting process. At first, he did not want to get into his crate because of the sound it makes when he put his foot on the plate underneat. Also if you only put him in his crate when you leave (apart from sleeping) he might be seeing this as a sign of you leaving and he does not want that. So what we did is get him to see his crate as his safe spot. We are feeding him every meal in it, he gets special treats in it and it has gotten to the point that when we are eating, he will go in his crate by himself just to have a little bit of what we have! (better than begging ) At first we also locked the door while he was eating and then we would sit down to eat also. At first he barked to be let out. But we did not look at him or acknowledge him in any way and eventually he settled and waited for us to finish. Secondly on the alone training, because he wasn't housetrained at first, we had to crate him. (We tried once and he pooed, so crate it was!) what we did is we got dressed up, opened the door, closed the door and if he was quiet - cookie/treat - It was important that he was quiet during that time. But mostly if he could see us, he was fine. Then we started opening the door, stepping outside and right back in. If he was quiet - cookie -. If he barked at us, we would step back out. He quickly learned (in overall about an hour) that barking would make us leave and being settled would make us come back. Fast forward 3 weeks later, I am not saying he does not bark anymore, he is a very vocal dog! But he will just -as I call it- periodically check that we are not there. He might be quiet for the first hour or so (we build him up to this lengh of time with the cookie exercise) then bark for 30 secs. He would see that no one is coming, turn around and nap. Upon waking up (can take up to 2 hours, I checked!), same routine, bark for maybe 30 secs, turn around, nap. At this point it is more wanting to get out than SA so we might be transitioning to free reign of the house soon. I think also that using a kong (are you using one?) can make a huge difference. With a kong, we can pretty much do anything - leave, come back, jingle the leash, clash the plates - and he will not look up. Also he associates going into his crate with having a delicious treat - not us leaving which is good. But really it is a trial and error and see what works for you and your hound. Crate or not? (You could always muzzle) With which of his toy? Is the bedding sufficient? (I know for a thing that mine will not tolerate anything remotely hard - little prince hahaha) What kind of treat is he going for? I have learned that pushing a greyhound will only result in him pushing back! Keep up the work, I know it might not be easy with a vocal dog, but there are ways. Talk to your neighbors and tell them you are working on it

Jack won't lick but he raises his tail in the "poker straight" style. And it raises and raises and raises! I should get a picture it is hilarious!

Pupdate! We stopped everything, and I mean everything! He occasionally needs the bum pushing to get out the doorway in the morning (because it is so cold nowadays!) but once outside, it is all business! We have come to a gentlemen agreement that if you produce something, we go back in and it has worked fairly well. First thing in the morning, we go out for a pee, then it is breakfast and I get ready (around 1/2-1 hour). During that time he often starts whining so we go out where he potties (I can't get him to pee again before leaving, but he seems ok and wasn't in any rush to go out after 6 hrs alone). We walk just enough for business to get done. Then it is back in the house and into the crate and I go to work. In the evening, we go out before dinner, then usually 1/2 an hour after dinner. The evening walk usually goes smoothly because both DH and I walk him, so all the "pack" goes and he just trots along. There is barely any statueing, except if he spots someone shoveling their driveway. We continue to treat when he walks nicely. We haven't been successful in walking Jack alone (either DH or me) but I guess that will come as he gets more settled in. We are always walking the same path and little bothers him now. His tail has raised and he has started to look periodically to us (for treats maybe? haha). Thank you

Welcome from Canada! Brrrr hopefully you have better weather than here to walk your houndie

2 weeks in and he is still following me around like a little duckling!

Thank you Neylasmom, your videos have been quite instructing! He is definitely not like the first one, but not totally like the second. I would say he keeps his tail a bit higher (but still no wag) but he won't necessarily be looking everywhere, more keeping his head low, following me (or leading the way, depending on the speed) and occasionally stopping to look in people's entryway. I guess he might be fearful even though he wants to go for walks in the streets of his own accord. I will be more aware of his signs now that I have seen them Again thank you! To Jerilyn, we are able to go out for potties without worry. However, he does not poo in the morning and that is putting us in a dilemma since we don't want to leave him until 12ish (Will be extending to 4 o'clock graaaaadually) without first going! We know he can go (and must) because he always does more than one poo per day (morning + after dinner). If we succeed in walking, he will go. Otherwise, he will hold it until he can no longer at which point we have to take him out and he goes (around 11-12ish the longest we achieved). So we are a bit stuck between letting him settle and stimulating him to go before we leave for work (we are on holidays now, we will be working next week though so we have been following our morning routine for the past few days). I would feel much better at work knowing he has been emptied out! (But that is just me )

I have tried circling and it would result in circle/ plant or circle circle/plant. I have a little handle on the leash near the clip which I used, but it doesn't seem to work. He is just...stubborn! Exactly what Jack does! I am just out of a post-dinner outing. Jack was whining so I took him out and he seemed pretty rushed. We headed in the woods, on our normal path, then he wandered to sniff some trees, pooed, treat/praise party, then he pointed home and stopped (pulling to get back home). I wanted to continue walking so I said in a chirpie voice "jack come!" which he did, then I walked 3-4 steps, treat and then he stopped. I tried again and again to at least have a nice walk, but nope. So after a while, he came after hearing "Jack, come!" so we headed back as a treat. Then arriving near our home, I went a different way - statue. I was successful with a Jack come, but not for very far. It is very weird, it is like sometimes he just wants to get his business done and go home (I never get any statue heading back home!). Yesterday on our evening walk (in the streets) We got some statue heading back home (it is a bit uphill) but nothing a good "jack, come!" wouldn't take care of. The problem really seems to be him dictating when it is a potty outing and when it is time for a walk. (Or maybe the problem is me?) The last walk is always in the streets and there is no problem. But there is no way to get him down the driveway in the morning and even less get him to walk. Also, he does not seem to "go" except for pee during our street walks, once back home, we lead him to our yard and he does his business. About this confidence thing, how do you get things going? hahaha It sounds stupid but even when I tell myself that today is the day where there will be morning walkies, it does not seem to cut it. Also, it is not like we don't reinforce good walking behavior as we treat whenever he is walking nicely

Thanks KickReturn, we have tried going for a walk BEFORE his breakfast (nope) so we will now try after and see if it improves Funny thing is he doesn't statue at all on his evening walks, it's like he doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning

Walliered, we were unsure about the line between backing off and letting him do pretty much what he wants OR getting him used to our working schedule before going back to work. I have read the article about the new hounds and I know what they are going through. I have in fact compared it to us being sent off to live as monks (Which I personally know nothing about!) It is very confusing for us because of the many opinions out there, we just want the best for him.

Nope, both our walk are during nighttime. During daytime he stops just as much, we really are at a loss here figuring what is wrong! Maybe as you said it was all the stuff we tried. I am guessing that once we get to our real working schedule (Not here to watch him and him in his crate) he might find it hard to keep it together until 12h and decide to go on a walk earlier when I leave?

Well he holds it in! We are home for the holidays, thus we can monitor him! When he needs to go, how often etc. For example this morning, we attempted to go for a walk (meh) so I gave up and we went back in. Around 10ish, he started pacing and sniffing around, it was time for a potty break. My husband took him out and he just stood there statued. So after a while, I went out and we went for a walk (pee + poo) while my husband walked home alone (he was cold) He has done 3 potty for the last 2 days, but only 2 the days before. So I am expecting a poo in the morning, but maybe he would just prefer one later on? We are on holidays for now, but we will be going back to work next week I will be coming home around dinnertime, so no need for a dogwalker We take him out as soon as he shows signs of pacing, or being pushy or whining. 80% of the time, it is because he needs to go. Today that must have been 5 times already. Pretty sure it is not arthritis, we are just back from the vet, and also, he is only 3 so I guess it would be unlikely at that young age? (I am not an expert though..) Tomorrow, we will try a potty walk in the morning and see how it goes. Our main concern was about that pushing/prodding/pulling/coaxing's effects. We will stop everything (except treats when he walks good ) and see how it goes. He is also crated when we are gone so he is not likely to "go" when we are away, but I wouldn't want him to get uncomfortable just because we haven't been on a walk. Thus far, it seems like he needs to walk to get going, so just going outside wouldn't do it (no fenced yard, so he is leashed). If he doesn't walk, does that means he doesn't have to go? It is confusing because this morning my husband was out and Jack was statueing and when I got out, all three of us walked a bit, then husband went back home and Jack and me continued and he peed and pooed. I guess the only solution here is to do a trial run and see!

What if the morning walk is not successful? Is it better to force it and be alpha (you walk when I say you do? - meh not a fan of this doctrine) Or is it better to just head back home and go at another time and eventually it will just settle? The last thing we want is a bored grey

Hello all, We have had Cap'n Jack for 11 days now. I know it is not a lot, but he has made tremendous progress in many ways and continues to improve, however we are hitting a wall when it comes to walking. Now he loves walking! We have a wooden area behind our house, so there is loads of smell and other dogs are walking there as well so it entice him to "go". He even started to leaves "presents" for Sasha (female husky) who he played with once. So the wooden area is overall a quiet place to walk, soft on his feet (we now put boots on because it is cold), and we use to walk the same path everyday. Two days ago, we started walking in the street and he kept strutting, looking around and just being his curious self. He is a VERY curious and overall bombproof dog. Anyway, the problem is, these walks happens when MISTER wants to walk. And that is NOT in the morning (when he needs his poo break before we go to work). We have tried to keep him on a tight schedule of morning routine (so he gets use to our working morning routine) and the meals have always been served at the same time. Between morning and night, we have been taking him out every time he got up from his bed (or so). Here is the schedule we have tried in vain to enforce : 6h00 : Wake up, first outing, quick pee break with the husband - No problem 6h05 : Breakfast 6h30 : Sleeping (according to Jack), but walking (according to me) - This is the first problem. He does NOT move from his bed, even with treats, let's go's, jingles of his collar and harness, me physically leaving the house, nothing. I have to physically pick him up and out of his bed. He will not follow if I leash him up either, just whine. Once outside, he usually statues on the porch, then if I am able either by treat luring or pushing his bum-bum to move him off the porch he will statue there. And then there is nothing we can do to outside but stand helplessly. Here is a list of what we have tried so far : - Treats, all of them, from bacon to hot-dogs to dog cookies to milkbones to all of those covered in PB (and usually he just wants to eat anything!) - Throwing a ball then acting excited and going to look at it - Pushing his bum-bum - Pulling his harness (This one has been fairly successful to be able to lead him to some of his spots and get him going, but we both dislike doing that and I am sure it does not help, plus we do not technically "walk" as we turn around and go back to the house right after...or stay statued) - Going as a "pack" with both my husband and I (This also has been successful, but he has been known to statue if he really won't go walking. Also, my husband will have left by then in the morning, so I need to be able to walk him...FYI, he is a momma boy, so technically, there shouldn't be any trouble as I am walking him with no problem in the evening) - Taking his martingale like a suitcase (which results in more statueing) - Instead of walking in the woods (where it is still a bit dark) walking in the streets - Turning our backs and waiting for a response, then treating and praising when he comes - Calling him to us, which he just ignores (his come might not really be that strong yet!) - Walking him circle on a tight lead. He walks in circle fine but then statue if we don't go out in the right direction... Then from 7hish to 5ish, we are home, doing alone training, getting him out for pee breaks, training, doing our stuff... 5h00 : supper Again pee breaks as needed until; 8h00 : Walkies - Either in the woods or the streets, I go myself alone and he trots all the way, no problem whatsoever. Once we even had to stop him because I think we might have walked all night Things to know : - We walk him using a harness - We don't have a fenced in yard, so we NEED to walk - We love him and would like him to have a good poo before heading to work in the morning - We were not working during the holidays so it was fine going out again at 10ish-11 for a poo break, but now that we will be working next week, we are starting to panic! (I will be coming back around dinnertime ) - During the evening walks, I can't even count the number of treats he gets for walking good beside me. And anytime he walks good really, we always carry treats. - We have not been successful in walking him except at 8h in the evening. If he needs to go, he will walk around, sniff, go and its back in the house. - It is not the cold, we have boots, a good coat, a snood. Plus it was around 0 C the other day and we had the same problem... - We don't want him to associate going outside with a bad thing. We want it to be fun, but with a dog that just wants to go back once his business is done, it is hard. I have try running and bringing toys and laughing to little to no avail. Should we just skip the morning walk? I hate to think our dog will only be walking once (+ little leash outings), but if it's really what it takes... Or should we walk first thing in the morning BEFORE breakfast and expect a poo? Thank you all and happy new year

Regarding Flying Penske, he must have been a busy stallion hahaha (FYI, he is Jack's grandpa) *blushes*

And I believe our dogs might be related through Flying Penske

Thank you KickReturn, Actually I think the RAIN was more of a factor. We had purchased a winter coat at the kennel and we now have a Greenhawk coat (it is a equine shop but they do sell dog apparel and it seems very well made with polar inside, nylon outside and a warm layer in between. For the last 2 days we were able to go on walks successfully which has help tremendously every aspect (comportment, poo schedule and house training) We use skype and/or we look through the window directly above his crate. So far he has not seen us there. And we have not gone too far as to not be able to come back immediately if anything happened. So far he is barking and digging(nesting?) when we leave. So we have started alone training all over again. Without a kong, we put him in his crate, and we walked out, in, out, in, out and in and every time we walked in and he was being silent, cookie. Otherwise we would wait out or walk out without cookie. He is barking after us not out of fear. So in all, we have been able to stay out without a peep for a whole 2 mins. We ditched the kong for the training because he would be all settled and then start barking his head off (on and off every 10 mins or so) when he was finished so the kong was more of a timebomb than anything else. I think we are improving in every aspect as he gets settled in. We are still not confident about house training so he gets watched all day when not in his crate.

He says he is in for the ride of his life, so come aboard!

Thank you JJNg that is some helpful tips for the crate, we are trying it at the moment and he whined, went back to his food, checked us out and now he is calmly laying in it. We have also started crating him when we leave (alone training) with his kong and fluff toy. He does seem that us leaving bothers him way more than the crate finally (Phew!) Today was a no mess day thanks to all of you! It is quite hard to babygate in our house BUT we did closed all doors and were watching him like a hawk all day. Every time he got up from his bed to wander it was potty time (poor pup it was raining) so I guess it did prevent some accident! We will succeed I have no doubt, thank you

This morning we went for a walk in the wood with hot-dog tidbits, we did a nice 15-20 minutes walk but when he started to statue too much, we headed back home. I was hoping for a poo (he even smelled some of his), but we will try again in 1.5 hours Edit to add that he loves going into the woods, he even has by his own accord on leash!

We are taking him by leash. Ok thanks everyone we will be keeping an eye on him. The spare room door is closed and we will be going outside every time he move out of his bed I find it hard to walk him yet as he statues a lot (On the threshold, then on the porch then before going into the backyard) It is like he may not be 100 % confident yet. I am worried about forcing him so everytime he moves we do a "Good boy!" and a little stroke. I guess he need more time poor puppy, he just got here!

Thank you for your responses! I have read loads of info but every hound seems so different! I felt like a bad momma, thank you for encouraging me! Most of his time is spent on his bed so I am a bit unsure how to leash him to me. I guess he will just follow me around like a shadow all day? About the crating issue, since he seems so reluctant we were a bit hesitant. However, tomorrow we will definitely try to put his kong in (he loves it) and see how it goes when stepping outside. I guess he could be whining/howling for a few minutes? Thank you I will be sharing our progress Edit because I can't type

Hello all, We have had Cap'n Jack for 3 days now (YAY!) We are working a lot on alone training so a lot of In and outs. The real issue here is house breaking. He is fresh off the tracks so we have been careful to give him plenty of opportunities to go outside. He can last all night sleeping soundly in our room with no issues. The first day here, we had to physically push him outside because he was a little afraid to go out in a new environment, but once outside, he peed (praise/treat partyyyyy!) We did not have a poo that day since he had been neutered the previous day and did not eat very much. The second day we started alone training while still giving him plenty of opportunities to go out. However, this time he went out by himself and did his business. If we went out too often, he would just wait by the door (sometimes up to 10 mins) to go back inside. We have been taking that as a hint that he doesn't need to go. If we try to walk him he would just statue, so whenever he does a few steps now he gets lots of praises. Anyway on the second day we babygated him out of the kitchen to eat peacefully and he peed in our spare room. Lesson learned! We cleaned (M. Net twice + vinegar + nature miracle, rinse and dry between each), went out (although nothing happened) and went back in where he settled on his bed. Then while alone training, we came back to a big pile of poop in the living room. That was our fault, as we were not able to walk him properly beforehand, he must have had too much stress. We cleaned and that was that. Today, we settled for going outside every 3 hours while alone training. In the morning we got to walk (Yay! Thanks houndie!) so he peed and pooped!!! (Praise/treat party like you have never seen! then we went out at 9 (nothing) 12ish (pee) 3 (nothing) we fed him at 5h30 and he went straight in our spare bedroom to pee...My husband cleaned while I took the houndie out. He pooed. This afternoon he seemed pretty restless and even being outside quite a long time at 3, nothing happened so it came as a shock to have an accident the second he was done eating. We don't have a fenced in yard so it complicated things a little, but we are willing to walk him (if he is willing to!) And we tried crating but he just whines and whines so we figured he might just be safer to leave him out. He gets his meals in though to condition him. 1. How do you clean so he can't smell the pee? 2. Is there anything we should have done? We never saw an accident coming...Do you take the hound out before alone training EACH time you go out for alone training even for just 10 seconds? 3. How do people get a hound on the Friday and head to work on the Monday! There is just so much to teach! 4. We have been suggested a bellyband, but really it is not marking, it is just full on pee. 5. Any suggestion really, please do chime in