HeyRunDog

6 weeks is still early days and time, patience and humour are your best friends. Just look at the improvement from when you first had her. Have a look to see if there are greyhound walks in your local area. Having just been on my first one with Grace it improved her confidence seeing the other greys totally ignoring the other breeds of dogs, noisy children etc. Try an Adaptil calm collar (available from Amazon) to help her get used to these strange sights and sounds.

Grace and I went on our first greyhound walk on Sunday organised by Nottingham Greyhound Trust at Elvaston Country Park. After a nervous start Grace soon settled down when a couple of the other hounds came up and said hello. At 10:30ish off we went in a sort of crocodile around the edge of the park, and what a strange site it must have been to the owners of other breeds of dogs, this group of 30+ greyhounds all walking beautifully on their leads with no barking and whining, no shouts of come here ,stop that, or no!, just the sound of their owners chatting. We will definitely go again and I think it did Grace's confidence a world of good but it's difficult to know as she's been asleep ever since...

Just a thought but when he was in the racing kennels the only time he saw grass was when he was taken out to poop and pee including the parade ring before a race so he has learnt that grass means poop and pee. I don't know if it will diminish but hopefully given time he will get used to the idea that grass isn't just for the toilet. As for waking early over time he will get used to your time table and adapt. Grace sleeps downstairs and when I first got her I could hear her getting restless between 5 and 5:30. Now she doesn't wake up until I come downstairs at 6:30 ish and then only to open an eye to see who's put the light on.

I agree with DaintyDutchess about stuffies with a squeak and a bit of crinkle in them. Grace isn't interested in balls, frisbees etc. as they don't have fur or squeak

That's the trouble with common sense, it's not that common. And...what is the compromise?

I wouldn't be surprised if she did know how to use the elevator. According to one of the delivery firms mine knows how to sign for parcels because when checking on their website to track a delivery it had been signed for by the householder and Grace was the only one at home at the time.

What a lucky lad. Love the one white foot

I agree, she will go when she's ready. Greyhounds are able to hold on longer than other breeds of dogs, just keep giving her the opportunity to go but don't pressurise her. Grace every now and again will go for 24 hours without pooping.

I think having spent all day with her on Saturday she thought you would be with her all day from now on and just had a day of uncertainty on Sunday. She is still building up confidence that no matter how long she is left alone you will be coming back and the odd set back is to be expected. I would leave her on her own even for a short time each day, varying the time of the day, go to the shops, pub etc.

My Grace also falls into the seriously retired group of greys. Naps interspersed with more naps with a break for food, snacks and an early morning walk. At this time of the year with it getting dark early she doesn't even want to go out for a comfort break in the evening and saves it for her morning walk. Don't worry about him getting bored. He's getting his entertainment just by being with you and watching what you do.

I might have been lucky, but when Grace growled at me when I accidently touched one of her toys I growled back louder than she did followed by an ear rub. The look on her face was priceless and she hasn't done it since.

Grace does the same sometimes but it's not always after running around and I wonder if it's the same as when we get a bit of food caught in our throat and she's trying to clear a bit of treat crumb, fluff etc?

Congratulations on letting a greyhound into your lives. No she doesn't have SA. She is still settling in and getting used to the noises of your apartment and will continue to do so over the next few months.

As you say each hound is different but Grace will regularly go 15 hours between toilet breaks. She gets a 30 minute walk at 7 in the morning and another walk about 4:30 in the afternoon. Sometimes an additional walk sometime during the day or evening depending on the weather or what I'm doing. She has had only one accident and that was at my "understanding" mother's when we didn't realise that repeatedly going to the door meant she needed to go and not just explore the rest of her flat. As for settling in. Again each hound is different but it can take between 3 months and a year to totally be comfortable with their new lives. Patience and humour are your best tools and don't push things and above all enjoy your greyhound taking over your life.

Grace went through a phase of collecting things, mobile phone (I had to ring it to find out where it was ) , TV remote control, camera etc, and hiding them in her bed without damaging any of them. Soon after she then started to take an interest in her toys which she had ignored up to that point and collecting them up. I think it's as they settle in to their new home. Try substituting them with soft toys and if Grace is anything to go by, preferably with fur and a squeak.

A martingale collar shouldn't hurt her if it's adjusted properly but harness is a good idea just make sure it's for a greyhound and fits properly. I caused some bruising on the sides of my Grace with a harness. But you live and learn.

He's worked out that at night when it's quiet and there's no-one moving around and he gets lonely if he whines someone magically appears.

Have you ever given him a treat while you've been preparing food, either your own or his from the counter?

I wouldn't worry. Sounds like my hound and 2 months is nothing. Some can take a year to totally develop their personalities. Grace appears to ignore me most of the time but she's always watching and as long as she knows where I am she's happy. She doesn't snuggle up on the sofa but will also sleep on it most of the day. She greets me when I come home from work by bowing, tail wagging, fetching her toys and bouncing with delight. Morning walks are no problem but to get her to go for her evening walk she ignores me until I lift her off the sofa and then she'll go happily. As for her toys, she ignored them for the first 8 to 10 weeks now she happily plays with them as long as they are furry and squeak. I have even bought replacement squeakers and performed squeaker transplants they have been loved that much.

Greyhounds are excellent healers but be careful of over cleaning as it can slow down the production of new cells. When Grace had her foot operation and there was an open wound at the top of her toes, the vet recommended a gentle daily wash down with saline solution and left open to the air as much as possible. It took a couple of weeks to stop weeping and a few more to fill in but it's now good as new.

When Grace had the skin webbing removed from between her toes due to a recurring abscess, gentle bathing with saline solution helped to sooth it and keep it clean and aid healing. That took a good couple of weeks to stop weeping. To make saline solution dissolve a teaspoon of salt in 1 pint of boiled water and let cool.

When you left him uncrated could he still get into his crate if he wanted to? I have a crate for my Grace but I only shut her in it for the first night. Since then I have left the door open so she can go in and out as needed. It's her safe place and doesn't get disturbed if she's in there. It's still early days yet and could be several months until he settles down to his new life.

Regards health. Don't get discouraged by reading the Health and Medical Discussion section as only greyhounds with health problems problems get mentioned and that can give a distorted view of the health of breed overall. In my opinion as they have been bred for racing and not to meet any idealised designer standards there are no inherent health problems such as breathing and hip problems etc. The most common problems are corns, which can be treated/managed, and bad teeth from being fed a mushy diet in the racing kennels. There is no right or wrong way for caring and feeding as long as your grey is healthy and happy and it suits your lifestyle. Each grey is unique with their own quirks and foibles but that's what makes them great companions. Just go for it and you and your greyhound can learn together.

Counter surfing makes me thing of an accountant on holiday in Hawaii catching a few waves....

It's firework season in the UK from now until the New Year and although Grace isn't fazed by the washing machine or the vacuum she get anxious at the sound of fireworks, I think mainly because she can't see where the noise is coming from. I've been to the vet to ask if there is anything I can give her and he's given me an Adaptil collar and some Nutracalm tablets obviously at inflated vets prices. I can get the collar a lot cheaper from Amazon but he Nutracalm is only available from the vets and I wondered if anyone had used Maxxicalm?