[Complete Newbie]

9 minutes ago, ramonaghan said:

Welcome! 

If at all possible, I'd let him sleep in the same room with you (or you with him) for the first few weeks while he adjusts to life as a pet. Once he's more comfortable with his surroundings and with you, he'll probably settle more easily at night. Remember, he has never been left alone before, so this is all very new and scary to him. 

Where are you located? Here it's been very hot and humid, and we're only managing 10- to 15-minute walks in the mornings (and Sweep is much older than your new guy). The panting isn't unusual; it's likely a combination of stress from the new situation and exertion, but I did want to ask about the weather since greyhounds are sensitive to extreme temperatures and you don't want to put him at risk. It's probably a good idea to keep walks on the shorter side for now since again, he's getting used to everything and probably feeling rather overwhelmed. 

You might find it helpful to read Cynthia Branigan's Adopting the Racing Greyhound as well as this article from Kathleen Gilley.

Time and patience is all it takes. Establishing schedules for feeding and potty breaks is great, but otherwise I'd slow down a bit and just enjoy each other before working too much on the training, planning for the long term, etc. Keep us posted!

Thank you!

I’m in the north of Scotland so it’s a fairly pleasant 16 degrees with a gentle breeze. I never intended the walk to be anywhere near that long but he’s a hefty 30kg and I didn’t want to have to pull him too much one way or the other. I would be happy to have him sleep upstairs but he won’t go anywhere near the stairs right now- so I’ll definitely try sleeping on the couch for a few nights, we’ll see how we get on!

[Complete Newbie]

Hey all.

I’m looking for some advice. I picked up my 4 and a half year old retired racer yesterday. Now I know it’s extremely early days but I want to start off on the right foot.

We had a long 4 hour drive from the kennels to where I stay, stopping once since he was asleep most of the time. The plan is to have him sleep downstairs as he would have more room and access to water. I also work full time (school teacher) so I hope it might help with separation anxiety in the long run? He lasts 2 minutes before he comes looking for me whenever I leave the room. Last night was horrendous, I never slept, he was stressed, whining and barking. I know that was night one and I was expecting it but am I wishful thinking that he’ll get used to it? I’m trying to make sure he’s tired tonight- been on an unintentional 1.5 hour walk today when he refused to turn backward and we had to do a huge loop. We’ll go for a shorter 30 minute walk around dinner time. Will this help or am I in for no sleep for a while? 

He’s also heavy breathing/panting most of the time and the freezing on walks, I’m assuming and have been told it’s normal for the adjustment period but it’s freaking me out. He’s been fab so far, no accidents in the house, great with other dogs and passing kids on bikes. I just want to make it as easy as I can for him. Should I be trying to keep him always awake during the day so he’s properly tired at night? I know I could do with some naps today.

Thanks in advance!