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An update on our crate/being alone hating foster girl. Let's call her Little B. She did GREAT in the last foster home, and after seeing her last weekend at the mng, my attachment to her only grew. She literally crawled into my arms, laid in my lap and stayed by my side for 2 hours while her foster dad ran the mng. She was also very social and engaged with all the other GH's and humans. Her overall sense of well-being is miles and miles better than even a month ago. We are lined up to get another foster in the next couple of weeks, and basically made the decision that if the stars aligned, we would adopt them both. Well, I was notified yesterday that a previous adopter has expressed a desire to foster with intent to adopt her. My heart hurts a little, because I was hoping that those stares were going to line up and we could bring her back to us and be a 2 young greyhound home (both girls just turned 2). We were willing to make adjustments for this to work, and were prematurely getting excited about the possibility. I was already planning out in my head where to put the second food bowl and how to lay out their beds so that we could navigate around them in our smallish house. I was fantasizing about watching them zoom around our large back yard, taking them on walks together at our local greenway, and watching them snooze side by side. When I heard that she will be going to the previous adopter, though, I was also glad for her. I know this woman is really smitten with Little B, and her little girl and B will likely be fast friends. If she can't be with us, this is the place I would most want her to be. Plus I now get to see her at our group events The catch is that there is a 9 month old puppy (another breed) in the house, so if the mix just does not work for any reason, then maybe she will end up with us and the little girl who is coming our way soon. So, that's where we are at in this saga right now . . .

This seems to point towards her eventually being a-ok, I would think. If after three days of being uncrated while the humans are gone she is able to settle and lay down, I would think (hope) that she will only become more secure in the fact that she is ok, that ya'll will return, and that life is good. Here's to hoping that that is the case. I think I have a case of GHSAPTSD (Greyhound Separation Anxiety Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). While not in the DSM, I am convinced it's a real thing. Once one have lived through an experience of SA, any whiff of it can trigger a PTSD response. At least for me that seems to be true which is why I am so encouraged to read stories such as your Carmen's of pups who may struggle with the transition, but do get it together without a long, laborious and oftentimes unrealistic-to-implement-with-fidelity alone training regiment. Sending lots of positive thoughts to your girls, and Carmen in particular, as well as to their mama and papa.

Thats awesome. Sounds like just a little fine tuning with timing for potty breaks, and all will be well. And I'm sure they are as smart as their mama thinks they are It's also great that they seem to be able to keep each other calm and content while the humans are away. It will be interesting to see what they do during the day when left alone. Will they play a lot with each other? Or mostly sleep? Or get into things they shouldn't? Given their young age, I can imagine all of the above are on the menu. But 2 young girls seems so delightful. I bet that the energy and playfulness and exuberance will make for a lively home.

So glad the night went well. Have you left them uncrated while no one was home? If so for how long and how'd it go? We are seriously considering adopting 2 because the incidence of SA, or at least dogs who struggle to be alone, seems to be higher than we want to roll the dice on. We are fostering, which gives us some leeway to figure out the dogs needs, but we fell in love with a little girl who MUST be with another dog, so are considering taking in another just to be able to adopt the girl who HATES the crate and HATES being left by herself. I am closely watching all of your posts to see how things go with bringing in 2 very young females ~ which is exactly what we are looking at doing.

Cant wait to see pics and get a report on how things are going for all.

Here is the measurement chart:

Re: the Petsafe Surefit harness, would a M or L be the best bet for female fosters? We want to have one on hand for future fosters who may be apt to slip the martingale, like our previous girl did. She was adopted before we made the purchase, so I don't have measurements of an actual dog to go by.

Update on our foster girl. She was VERY HAPPY at the dog sitter. They tested her out of crate with their two dogs, and she did fine. They then tested her out of crate w/o their dogs to keep her company, and she could be heard howling a quarter mile down the road. She just cannot be alone. So, the consensus is she has to be in a home with at least one and maybe more other pups. They group found another foster home that meets this description and she was moved there yesterday. I was told that she and her new GH foster sissie hit it off immediately and were romping together in the yard. This really warmed my heart. I have been so worried about her. But I trust the universe that she will land in the just right forever home for her. And we are getting a new foster girl tomorrow. Hooray!

Yes, the pain is excruciating. It's part of the price we pay for loving our pets. I'll continue to pay it, though, because the joy and fulfillment they bring is greater than words can express. Sending lots of good thoughts through the ether to you, Ramona.

Our foster girl is still struggling in the crate. Unfortunately, our house is pretty small and we have exactly one place for a crate, with little room around it for an additional ex-pen. She is going today to another foster home for 6 nights while we are out of town. There are 2 other dogs in that home, and the human does not work. I anticipate this will go well. However, as far as I know, she will be returning to us next week . . . unless babysitter falls in love, which is a distinct possibility since she is about as precious as the come. Once we return from our trip, if we get her back, we are going to slowly try to start testing her outside of the crate, muzzled, and monitored while we are just out of the driveway and can return quickly if possible; kind of a modified alone training . . . knowing she may likely have to go back in the crate (and panic) until we can make some progress. Oh, and I should say, the vet switched her from Traz, which did not seem to be helping, to Prozac. She did so after seeing the videos we took of how distressed she was in the crate.

Having had a few fosters with some SA issues, I just want to say that this thread is SO refreshing. I have not been involved in the world of greyhound's long enough to get a real sense of what percentage of dogs can transition to solo pet/left alone for stretches of time with relative ease, and I am keenly interested in this question. Thank you for illuminating that these pups CAN be fine alone for long stretches of time without worry on behalf of the dog parent and distress on behalf of the dog.

I would not disagree with that. The issue is finding a foster home that can take her right now as she gets ready for her forever home. At least with us, we know some of her idiosyncrasies, and she is never alone more than 4-5 hours. But in that time, she is a very unhappy little girl. Since we got her back, she has not peed in the house or crate, and she has not pooped in the house. She was doing both of these things at the previous foster home. One theory is that she does not like males, and we are a two female household. We consider it progress that despite being so panicked in the crate when alone, she (so far) had been able to hold her bowels and bladder. Keeping our fingers crossed that this continues. If so, we might venture to testing her outside of the crate, with her muzzle on, as she also has a history of chewing pillows, wood furniture, upholstery, etc. I should also say that she was diagnosed a week ago with an enlarged clitoris, and the group is consulting with Dr. Cuoto on how to best proceed with treating this. She has responded well to gabapentin and remadyl to help with the sensitivity and shrink the size of the enlargement. It is one of the reasons they struggled to find another foster home. Her medical care, which includes applying topical lidocaine to her labia, was prohibitive. Now that there is some treatment on board, this may also be why she is no longer urinating in the crate/house. She is only 22 months old, so still has a lot of puppy in her. She never raced either, so does not have the maturity that can come with training/racing. I have to say, she could very easily steal our hearts bc she is so funny and sweet otherwise. She lives to fetch a ball. She knows how to fetch, retrieve and release, which I think is quite smart of her. But she is a handful in many other ways:)

Great idea on the lounge cushions. Maybe I can find one that has sunbrella material so that it will withstand the elements.

I recently posted a question about bolster beds. Now I have a question about outdoor dog beds/cushions. This would be for a wood deck. We want something that is rain/element proof. Not sure an elevated bed is what we are after. I worry that the pup won't take to it. So, what do your dogs lie on outside, and how do they hold up to the elements (the cushions, not the dogs:)?

It has been quite a month. Our fist foster girl was quite anxious when we left, so was moved to another foster home with a resident GH to see if that would alleviate her anxiety. It did not, and in fact, she regressed even more. During the time she was there, we fostered another girl who was a dream ~ totally confident and secure the minute she walked into the house. She was adopted over the weekend to a single woman with no pets, and I am confident that this will be a win-win for both human and hound. We now have foster dog #1 back, and are working on getting her more confident and secure. Because we work outside of the home, we cannot do TRUE alone training. She gets really panicked in the crate when we leave, so was started on Trazadone today to see if it helps with the acute anxiety when left. We cannot leave her uncrated because she has a history of soiling both in and out of crate, as well as some concern about destructing the environment. This little girl is a challenging one, but we want to see her though. It may be that she ultimately needs to be in a home where her humans are retired or work from home and can be with her most of the time. SA is b***h. But is is good to know going in to an adoption whether or not a dog can handle being alone.

There is already an adopter in mind for our foster girl. I can already feel myself second guessing. But in my heart, I know this is the right decision. When I notified the foster rep yesterday that we would not be adopting her, I was fighting back tears through my whole gym class. It reminds me of the feeling one has when they have been going out with a really great person, with a few issues that could be looked past or overcome, and yet still, there is just something that is not there: "It's me, not you" phenom. Side note, I walked her this morning with her harness (clipped with a coupler to her martingale), and I just could not relax, for fear of a school bus or trash truck coming around a corner. I know we could work with that over time, but given that the SURE SURE feeling is not there, I am letting go of the commitment to doing so for us. I will continue to walk her for her own health and happiness, and to keep up the routine in prep for her forever home, though. It may be anxiety inducing for both of us, but it feels like the right thing to do, for her.

Thanks so much. The last two posts really clarified this decision. We have decided to not foster with intent, and instead, make sure she is as ready as possible to go to her forever home. Even though she is so sweet, smart and generally a great dog, we don't have that "visceral" feeling you mention, Greysmom, and she deserves to be with someone that feels that way towards her. To keep her would be unfair to her and potential future adopters, for whom she could easily be their heart dog. We will continue to foster for our group, vetting dogs for the capacity to easily adjust to being an only pet in a home in which they must be alone for a few hours a day. This was our original intent. It's just so easy to get caught up thinking about keeping them. But we need to keep our heads on straight and not let our heart rule the day. Until the dog enters our life that we are SURE SURE about.

Poor girl. I have nothing re: your corn question. But man, if I had to have corns, I would want to have them there. That looks like paradise. She's lucky to have such an accommodating dog parent.

Thanks everyone. I feel compelled to share a little as to why I ask. Our first GH was not quite 2, flunked out of racing after losing 5, came into our lives, and was a dream. We lost her last year, and when we adopted a girl earlier this year, we ended up surrendering her bc she had SA and crate aversion and after working with her for awhile, we realized that our lifestyle did not allow us to do TRUE alone training. She would be in a wild panic everyday when left alone. She was not quite 2 with little to no race history. We have begun fostering for our local group, and the first little girl we got was also not quite 2 with no race history, and again, pretty severe SA. Our rep wanted to try her with another dog, so moved her to another foster home. She continues to struggle there, but there are some medical issues that were just discovered that may account for some of the issues she is having. We have another girl now who is a dream on most every front. She is almost 5 with a long race history. No SA, totally secure and has no problem being left alone for hours on end. She does, however, spook at traffic noise. I was fearful that she would slip her martingale while walking her in our residential neighborhood, so had a harness on the way. Yesterday, my partner took her for a walk, and a damn fire truck went by, without the sirens blaring, but still, she freaked out, pulled my partner to the ground while bucking like a bronco, and slipped the collar. Luckily, with the help of neighbors, she was nabbed and unhurt. My partner is another story. She has a knee replacement, and really messed her knee up running after her. Not to mention being pretty sore all over from the physicality of trying to control her. We got the harness today and I walked her. We did not encounter any loud noises, so I am unable to tell at this point how much effort will be required to contain her going forward. I worry less about losing her at this point, and more about her causing some kind of injury to one of us in the process. She is 67 pounds of pure force. We are middle aged women, each with some Ortho issues that are well managed under normal circumstances. So, all that to say, we really are considering adopting this girl, but the spook issue concerns me. Given the last 2 who had SA, we are wondering if we should roll the dice, continue fostering, and wait for a pup who is secure and who fits in with our lifestyle. We enjoy bringing our dog along for walks and gatherings in the neighborhood. We also need her to be ok for up to 5 hours alone during the workweek. And of course, a dog who is able to house train is also important. We have not had any issues on this front except for the last foster with SA. She peed the crate every day, and continues to pee in the new fosters house. Hoping this is medically related and amendable to treatment. We are fine to continue fostering if the odds are good that there are more "easy" dogs to help transition, given that we are otherwise pet less and work outside the home. We eventually want to adopt and wonder if we should pull the trigger now or wait. Anyway, that is why I ask. We are weighing a very important decision, and want to make the right one.

I get that. It is always so heartwarming when others make over our dogs. Some may call it shallow or egotistical; I see it no differently than when new parents show off their baby, or patents of older kids do something that cause us to beam with pride.

For all those with much more experience with both adopting and fostering grey's right off the track, what is your experience with temperament, specifically the percentage who show signs of SA/spooks/challenges with general training. Another way of asking the question is what percentage come off the track generally confident/secure/amenable to basic training (housebreaking/teaching "wait", leash walking, etc.)? Do you notice variables that seem to correlate with confidence/trainability, such as age, lineage, race history, etc.?

Based on what I am reading, bagging and tossing the poo is the best practice, at least until she is cleared of hooks (if we adopt her). I know that can take MONTHS AND MONTHS of diligent treatment, which we are in the process of doing. Off to buy a little mini trashcan to place under our carport to toss the bagged poo in, which we will then empty into the larger trash bin that is picked up weekly. It is just not convenient to traverse the yard, gate, and side of house to toss the poo into our large trash bin, hence the "middle" step. Her poops are generally pretty solid. Not tootsie roll, but not soft serve, either. Should we be spraying the "spot" with a bleach mixture after each pick up? Since she generally poop's in the same small area at the back of the yard, if there were dead dead spots that were created, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. If so, what is the ratio of bleach to water in order to kill the eggs?

We have a cross buck fence around our large yard. Our foster is hookworm positive (we are doing the Dr. Ng protocol with her). She poops at the rear of the yard, and I am wondering if it's ok to toss the stool over the fence? There is nothing back there but woods. It is not used by anyone, and the only time anyone is even back there is to occasionally weed eat to keep the weeds from overgrowing in the summer. Will any hookworms that are in the stools migrate into our actual yard? Tossing is so much easier than bagging, but if bagging is necessary, then we will do it. Thanks.

OMG - is his name Thor? What a magnificant beast. And thanks for the tip. Surely if the harness you mention can contain him, it will be able to contain our girl.

We also love the Costco beds, but I am not seeing any bolster beds of late. We have a large square one for the living room, and need a bolster for the bedroom. The hunt continues.