MSTmom

We've had our boy in his own bed right next to us in our bedroom from day 1. The first few nights (tops 3) my husband did have to sleep on the floor with him so he knew he wasn't alone, but its been 2 years now and no complaints. Every so often he wants to sleep with us and we usually allow it until we've run out of room (he's a very big dog lol). The attachment thing is a separate issue, when we first got Steven he was under our feet 24/7 and now he's always near by but he likes his space too, so that just takes time. Also there are tons of times when i wish he'd hop on the bed and he's not in anyway interested, he likes his bed!

We've had our boy 2 years now. When we first got him I worked from home so we never bothered with the crate, but when we would leave him alone he'd suffer greatly from seperation anxiety, so we got a crate just for when we went out to dinner and errands. We tried the whole, leave for 10 come back. Leave for 20 come back, he'd seriously lose his mind. So when I started working full time we would crate him and he was happy as a clam. After a few months we agreed, he's fine and didn't need it. Then like a year later all of a sudden his anxiety kicked back up so we got the crate out again and did that for like 3 months. Now we give him the living room. We close all the doors, make sure theres nothing for him to ruin and gate off the kitchen. We don't leave him in the kitchen because yes he could counter surf, but also he NEEDS to be able to see outside, it helps him so much to be able to see outside. We never crate for sleep, he sleeps in the room with us on his own bed with a bone and a toy if he wants it. He is not good with cats, which we don't have, HOWEVER he does stay with a sitter when we're out of town, and she has like 5. He knows they are there and honestly he'd probably be fine, but she puts them in a room and everyone is happy as ever! I say give your grey some room, i wouldn't want to be in the crate that long either.

oh man, we tried the salmon sweet potato food and steven was SO GASSY!!! as soon as we changed him to turkey he was fine, i mean he still farts sometimes but when he was on the salmon food it was constant and UNREAL!!!!

We got a puzzle for our boy, its like a round piece of flat wood that has these little compartments, he has to slide the compartments open to get a treat. We started with him using it on a weekend so he could learn how to use it, now when we leave for work we give it to him and it totally distacts him, it gives him a treat, and its like a little mental exercise, by the time he's done and had all his treats, he's a happy camper! We also always leave a bone out for him to have whenever. Like a soup bone, not a milk bone.

When we got Steven our rescue suggested that when we leave him home alone that we should leave the tv on or a radio. They said that dogs at the track always hear noises, like announcers, dogs barking, music, etc. so the complete silence of the house may make them a little stir crazy. We tried it and I honestly have no idea if it worked or not. We blocked off areas to the house, but he just broke the gates, so we got a crate which he was very happy in. We don't use it anymore now, but in the beginning I think they feel safe in it, like their own little room. Hes never peed or pooped in it, and we brought him home straight from the rescue, he was never fostered. Just spend those days you have together and try to build a relationship. They take time to adjust, and every day is a little different, so just be patient. Also, we've never used a muzzle, Steven doesnt mind wearing one, but we've never found a need for it. I do know for a fact he hated being in the kitchen bc i think he couldn't see out of the house, so now he is in the living room free range, and he loves sitting by the window...

The first night with our boy was so difficult, I thought we'd never get to sleep. Our room is upstairs, which was new for Steven, so we had to deal with that. Then once we got up the stairs all he did was pace back and forth and could not settle. Finally at some absurd hour my husband got on the floor and slept with him. After that he was ok. Stairs were really hard for a while, he's a very worried/anxious boy, so we tried going slow, and we tried pushing, and we tried treats. Finally it was seeing other dogs do it that it clicked for him and he's been great ever since. As long as the stairs are carpeted anyhow. It definitely took a while though, I'd say a few weeks. In the beginning we weren't even sure he liked us, i would say it took about a solid year for him to actually look to us for affection. We've had him for 2 years now and I swear he still coming out of his shell, its really amazing. We do a walk in the am, one in the pm and then we go out right before bed, like 10pm. Thats on a week day, if we're home with him, we would let him out more often, but he also will now go to the door, or stand in the door way to tell you he needs something. He never barks so you have to really pay attention to where he is to see what he needs. Also when we go on walks, he pees like 100 times. I swear he saves it up just to make it to every pee point he's designated, its insane! So sometimes we just kind of rush him along and move at a quicker pace. Take time with your grey, we were amazed by steven when we first got him and now when I look at him I can't even believe how different he is from the first day at home.

My husband and I got our boy Steve 2 years ago. He's 85 lbs and 33 inches tall. He's a big boy!! I'm like 5'3, and like 130lb. I was worried about his size but honestly I've walked smaller dogs who have given me WAY more problems than our stevie. It's all about their personality, and who is in charge. He knows when the leash is on, im in charge and that it. Also, I think Grey's have a sign when they are interested in chasing something. If steve sees something he stops in his tracks, his ear fold forward and he stares, as soon as he does that i pat him on the head and maybe choke up on his leash a bit more. You're got nothing to worry about, just find the right grey for you!

A few months ago our boy (who is 6) started skipping breakfast, all he would want was to go outside in the morning. I'd let him out, and then he'd immediately eat grass and do the whole, eat grass, choke on it, vomit, eat more. He eats 5 cups a day (he's a big boy!) and we were doing 2.5 in the am and 2.5 in the pm around 8 am and then 8 pm. For a week he'd refuse breakfast and just want to go for grass. I read on here somewhere about the "snack" meal, so we changed his schedule to 2 cups at 8am one cup at 5pm and then dinner at 9pm. He immediately stopped the grass morning snacks. I read somewhere in older dogs it helps with the digestion to break the meal up and keep them full through the night.

When we first got our boy we got a big heavy gate that we figured we'd put up in the hallway when we were away so he had a big area with his bed and water and toys to be in. No matter where we put that gate he knocked it down and got out. It turns out he hates gates! HOWEVER if we just close all the doors in the house so he can walk around the living room, kitchen, dining room, etc (but not get into the bedrooms) he's totally fine. He had some separation anxiety at first and I realized he really loved to be able to see out the window in the living room when he's home alone. One day my husband left the house and shut the blinds and Steven destroyed the bottom of it so he could see outside. We have also set up a crate for him, that we only use every so often. Honestly if his bed is in there he's very happy to lay in there, especially because laying on his back is easier in the crate.

We've had our boy Steve for a year and a half and we're still constantly learning about him! In the beginning my husband was so worried because the best way to describe Steve was "aloof." He didn't seem to care for either of us at all. The more I was home with him though the more he'd follow me around. We tried showing him toys, sleeping on the floor, giving him apples, etc. to bond with him. Now he's all over us, he wants to sleep with us or cuddle on the couch all the time. He's now a very very happy boy who hops around and spins in circles and actually comes over to you because he wants to be pet on the head or belly or chin. As for the 6 am wake up call. Oh lord. They are a creature of habit!!!! I read somewhere on here a year ago that someone had the same problem and their solution was literally to play dead. Friday came around and we got in bed, I told my husband, TOMORROW WE PLAY DEAD! 6 am showed up and the whining and pacing began. We laid there until he completely stopped crying and laid back down. We waited another 15 minutes and then said ok lets get up, and we just did that over and over. Now Steve will sleep in as long as we do, but if he hears us stirring he's up. Give it time, he'll come around.

You're doing such a great job!!! For the first few days we had our boy Steven, my husband had to sleep on the floor with him. We brought his bed to our room immediately when we got him home, but all he did at bed time was stand there, pacing around, crying. He also woke us up by 7 am everyday no matter what, if not 5 am. We eventually learned to play dead so he'd go back to sleep and wait. I think everything you're doing sounds great, and your new girl is lucky to have you! Keep it up!

YUP! Our boy Steven took months to enjoy a toy. We had to teach him how to play catch by throwing a toy that took him a while to be interested in, then i threw it into the yard and he went for it, then i changed the toy until he got excited about the ball. He really only cares for squeeky toys. Now he'll play on his own with a toy but it's been over a year and playing with other dogs still isn't something he does. He loves to run with them though.

We crated our boy for a few weeks when we got him. At first I worked from home, and would only leave him alone for an hour or two here or there, but most days I was with him all day everyday. Then I got a full time job and Steven (our grey) had some serious SA and got pretty destructive. We got the crate which is totally loved. So for a few weeks, maybe like 6, he would stay in there while we were at work and after that we left him out all alone and he was fine. Every blue moon he chews on something, or moves a shoe, but mostly he's great. He does get weirded out by garbage trucks and bikes though. Thats pretty normal.

She'll get used to it. It took some time to find out what freaked steve out, but now we know. The microwave fan, trucks, and he doesn't enjoy wheels like on bikes. Whenever I use the microwave fan he gets really weird and I try to keep him in the kitchen with me and talk to him or hug him or give him a treat. The trucks and wheels thing I can't do much about, I try to just keep still when that happens and give him some love.

Oh I thought our grey either hated both of us or just was depressed for the first few weeks of having him. I at first described Steven as COMPLETELY aloof. Just feed him, walk him, and leave him alone! I think the only reason I thought he MIGHT like me was because he followed me everywhere I went. Now almost a year later, that couldn't be less true. He's excited to see my fiance and i always, and still follows us around. He comes to us for love but also sometimes just wants to chill out on his own. I think he expects things of us, I'm the feeder and hugger and my fiance is the one who will go wrestle him and get out that goof ball energy. Don't be too hard on yourself, it takes a long time for their true personalities to come out. Your boy depends on you, if you weren't there to feed him or walk him I bet he'd be very concerned. Steven (our grey) gets VERY excited about new people in the house. I don't think it has anything to do with who he likes more, its just new things to them are such a big deal. You're doing great!!

We just found out our boy Steven has Pannus. It seems like we may have caught it early enough and are doing the drops and ointment combo that are vet prescribed. I was wondering if anyone else sees this in their greys though.. Steven is fine with us putting the drops and ointment in, couldn't care less. He does the classic rubbing face on the bed or couch or my thigh, whatever he can get it on. Last night through I noticed he'd been doing this like slow blink, like maybe his eyes are dry or something. He'll slowly blink but then just stand there with his eyes closed for a minute. Anyone have a similar reaction? Is he just getting used to the drop?

Our grey always sniffs the air. He'll stand there like a little statue and turn his nose up. I always thought he just liked the smells but maybe he's checking out the weather! Either way, he gets startled with thunder, and has started to look right at me when he hears it. I usually just look right back and act like its no big deal. Kind of like when a baby falls and you pretend like nothing happened because if you freak out they freak out. Steve is like that, he feeds off our energy like crazy so when theres something new going on i try to be ultra calm. It sounds like your girl just needs to reset. 30 days isn't very long, she'll come back around don't worry.

Our boy is the same. We've had him almost a year, he's 5 yrs old. WILL NOT jump on, on anything! He won't jump on the bed, the couch or in the car. He absolutely loves car rides and we'll walk up to it and everything and then once the back is open he just stands there. He'll get his front feet up after you push him to do it but once he's there he just stiffens up. You can lift his hind legs to get him in, but im like 5'3 and he's 85 lbs. Everytime i do it it's like a mini crossfit session (which i don't do!) I've gotten in the back of the car, brought his favorite treats and toys. NOTHING. We have a ramp, he by no means loves it, but he'll go up it. I've seen him jump up when we play catch in the backyard so i know he can do it, physically.. So weird. Also he's amazing on stairs.

Our boy knocked down every gate we put up, he HATES having barriers in the house. After trying leaving him out alone a few times (and him destroying some blinds) we got a crate and he adored it. He chewed on it a bit but I think it was out of boredom. After about 3 weeks of crating we started leaving him out in the house but made sure windows were open enough so he could see outside. We learned that was his biggest issue, he HAS to be able to see outside, if not he goes nuts. Thankfully that's as destructive as he's ever been. I also think patience and strength is what it takes for these guys to get over their SA. Steven has gotten so much better with his but even still, two weeks ago a friend from our rescue watched him for 3 days and she said his first night he was a wreck. And sometimes I do hear him crying when I get home from work, but I think it's just bc he knows I'm outside and wants me.

I say keep with it. If you see changes that's great. I've seen slow changes in my grey over the past 10 months and there are still things to work on. I feel like for the first 3 months all he did was follow me around and all we were focused on was getting him comfortable in the house, and around us and new people. Maybe little walks are the key, 5-10 minutes every day and after a week weeks maybe adding some more time. She probably just needs a confidence boost.

Thanks guys tomorrow we are going to the vet again and bringing some poo. Hopefully the food is just too rich and we'll have to switch him again. It's a tedious problem I just want my steve-o happy!

Hello Grey World We have had our boy Steven for almost a year now. Since we've gotten him his poops have never been very solid, always a little soft. We used to feed him Simple food, salmon and potato, which is generally seemed to like. Honestly I think he'll eat just about anything. A few weeks ago he started to go straight outside in the morning to eat some grass and was not interested at all in his food. After about an hour of the grass he'd then eat and carry on like nothing was weird. Sometimes he'd vomit the grass, sometimes he didn't. Then someone posted about giving him some food before bed, and we did and it seemed to work. He no longer was going for the grass. In this time we'd also decided to see if it was the food, and we switched him very slowly to Taste of the Wild, Pacific Stream. He seemed very excited about the new food. (No joke, I think he's just thrilled about eating) So he'd been on it a few weeks, with his snack at night before bed for about a month, happy as ever. About a week or two ago he had diarreha. We tried giving him boiled chicken and rice, and also pumpkin. He doesn't seem fazed by his upset tummy at all. We took him to the vet and they gave us some medicine plus something for worms just in case. It's not been a few days since his last dose and his poops are still SO soft. He doesn't seem uncomfortable and is eating like a champion. Has anyone else had this issue with their grey? Any tips? Pumpkin does nothing. The woman at my rescue told me to try benefiber a while ago and I did and it worked for like a day. Is it the food? Am I crazy? Thanks!

I leave before my boyfriend does but, I: wake up at 7 feed at 7:20 let him out in the yard for pees and poops and i leave for work at 7:40 at about 8:30 he has a walk, like 20 minutes then he's home out all day until about 6 or 6:30 then it's food and a walk then at like 10 a snack and bed At first he was at home in the crate, which he didn't mind and after a few weeks we started leaving him out. We got the crate bc he had some separation anxiety and ruing some blinds. After a few weeks he learned that we do in fact come home and we leave a window blind open so he can see out. Never had an accident! ( i hope i didn't just jinx us! )

We've had our grey, Steven for almost 9 months and this month he finally learned to sit! He too was a pretty shy guy and anxious, but we just let him take his time to get used to us and his new home. After we had him for a few months, we started showing him how to sit. I would get on the floor next to him and make sure he knew i was close and then slide my arm behind his legs and nudge him back with the other. I did that every so often to at least get his muscles used to stretching that way. He was 4.5 when we got him and he'd raced for about 4 years so his muscles are SERIOUS. Now he just does it, if I hold up a cookie he sits immediately, we've even started working on "down." He's the best!!! Steven also would poop as much as possible when we got him, we just chalked it up to him thinking this was it for outside time. Now he has created his own little poop routine, but he still goes like 3-4 times day. He also has INSANE farts, we switched his food and that calmed down. Don't get me wrong he still farts but not every 2 seconds anymore. We also had a fun time adjusting to the stairs. Steve was 75 lbs when we got him and he did NOT want to go up the stairs. We tried everything. Treats, the leash, going super slow, lots of hugs, everything. He eventually started going reluctantly and then one day decided he didn't like it. Then we went to a family members house, and they have two goldendoodles who are constantly wrestling. He saw them run up and down the stairs and we never had a problem since. Playing with toys also took a while. We know he loves squeaky toys ESPECIALLY the kong squeaky tennis balls. He goes crazy for those. If it doesn't squeak he literally couldn't care less. We don't bathe steven too often. We have a big walk in shower and I've brought him in there and showered him. He doesn't care. We've also done it outside in the backyard and again, doesn't care. haha he's very easy going. You're doing a great job. The first like 2 months are rough but after that, IT'S SO GOOD!!

When we got Steven we said we were going to clicker train and then immediately said, forget it, we realized Steven needed time to get settled and comfortable in his new home. He was already pretty anxious. About two months about we started to very slowly introduce sitting to him. He'd raced for so long that actually getting into a sitting position was not something he found comfortable, so we worked on that and then the other day without any words my partner held up Steven's food and he sat on his own. He's been doing it everyday since and we couldn't be more proud and happy. It feels good to know we are actually communicating with me. He's the absolute best.