One Grey Okay?

[Guest K9_Lady]

I have one Greyhound and she seems very happy being the only (Princess) dog. It is what works for me right now.

I take Amy to many meet & greets so she gets to visit with other Hounds and see other dogs too.

If one hound is all you want then thats what you should have! Many dogs do fine being the only one!

[Guest JillT]

My first Grey did great as an only hound for two years, but then I decided I wanted a second hound. She also was fine when the second came home--just took it in stride. For the first few years, I worked away from home, so the hound(s) were left alone during the day (with a dog walker coming at mid-day), and for the past two years, I have been working from home, which also works fine. For the most part, my two are extremely adaptable and tend to just go with the flow . . .

Edited December 7, 2009 by JillT

[Beautybabe]

I have two. I think they are happier as part of a pack--when my DD's greyhounds join us, it's party time. We've found they all walk much better as part of a pack, too.

 

But most of the time, each is doing his own thing--usually sleeping.

[Guest fatesrelease]

We only have Sarah but if I could have more than one I would. Though I love Sarah and wouldn't trade her for any other grey in the world. She is fine being an only dog. I worried about it before we adopted but she is completely ok with it! She is spoiled rotten!

[Guest onlygreys4me]

I had to leave my Unique in TN with the ex, he wouldnt giver her up. so since I have moved, i rescued a 10 year old girl, who has takn over my heart I

[JenniferS]

It really depends on the dog. I have had 3 and at one time they have all been an only child, but also been part of a pack of two for a time. Quiet Man was an only child for 6 years, and very happy that way. My other 2 did/do fine alone, but seem to prefer the company of another hound.

[Guest queenme2]

My dad just recently begged me not to add another Greyhound into my home. I casually mentioned that I would perhaps look into getting another one to keep Nina company a year before I go back to school. She hates being alone.

 

I have two cats that adore each other, I just think some pets appreciate having another of their own kind sometimes. But it's hard to explain to an outsider all they hear is ....

 

ANOTHER BIG DOG, ARE YOU CRAZY?????

[Guest Javagirl]

Ladd is fine as an only dog but I do make sure that he gets out often and he gets the company of other dogs and greys frequently. Your adoption group should be able to recommend a dog who will be fine as an "only".

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

I have four greyhounds and two other dogs, and everyone is happy!

[Guest tatahills]

I voted more than three. 16 of our own and 2 long term private fosters.

 

They are additive and I really believe they are best enjoyed in multiples. My ideal pack number is about 9 I think...I also think most of them really enjoy living with other greys. However, many of them can live alone just fine and many of them do...not everyone wants or can have multiple large dogs.

 

Wow! You really are a Kennel Mom. That is impressive. I have eight her now. Four are mine, one foster, and three that I'm pet sitting. I feel like it's a full time job with 8!

[Guest bluefawn]

I have only one, just Penny. But I have a 1,000 sq. ft. house, and have had as many as 5 greyhounds living here at once. It did get crowded at times, and I had to keep crates w/open doors in the spare BRs all the time. You literally had to move a greyhound to get a seat anywhere, and it was not unusual to hear a loud THUMP in the night, when one of them fell off the bed! They have no spacial awareness when it comes to a bed, you know?!?! They don't understand why they cannot ALL fit!

[rschultz]

i only have one and i think she likes it that way. i make sure she socializes with other dogs once in awhile. I would be moe concerned about your bunny. Greys and bunnies don't mix

[Guest Jubilee251]

We have just one. She had some adaptation anxiety at first, but as she's settled into her new home, she is perfectly fine being left alone while we're at work and just curls up in her crate and sleeps. She is quite a confident and easy-going girl.

 

Our building is very dog-friendly, so she gets a lot of socialization with other dogs in our condo's fenced-in "yard". I also take her to the dog park very early in the mornings 3 or 4 times a week, where we have an informal play-date with a Doberman who is always there around the same time. In addition to that, she goes to the monthly greyhound play group our adoption organization has, so she is one busy, social butterfly.

[Guest sorenkkg]

We started with one, and learned about his littermates-- he came from a small litter, and thought, hmmm... maybe one day we'll adopt his sisters too (just 3 total in the litter).

 

After about a year and a half, we had the sibling talk it's time! So we lucked out and adopted his littermate Aleeya-- would've been happy with a non-related grey also.

 

Haka never exhibited any separation anxiety, but I do think having a friend in the house has helped him in many tiny ways.

 

Still-- many do fine alone, and it's a progressive thing. Get one, making sure that one is right for you (and the bunny and kitty) and that you like life with a greyhound-- never ever having them offleash without a fence, always watching the front and back doors, the raised feeder, all the attention you will get and then, maybe one day, you might get a second one! Or maybe not-- any adopted greyhound is a good thing!

[Guest NJgrey]

We have just one. She had some adaptation anxiety at first, but as she's settled into her new home, she is perfectly fine being left alone while we're at work and just curls up in her crate and sleeps. She is quite a confident and easy-going girl.

 

Our building is very dog-friendly, so she gets a lot of socialization with other dogs in our condo's fenced-in "yard". I also take her to the dog park very early in the mornings 3 or 4 times a week, where we have an informal play-date with a Doberman who is always there around the same time. In addition to that, she goes to the monthly greyhound play group our adoption organization has, so she is one busy, social butterfly.

 

Would you mind describing what you mean by "adaptation anxiety"? What did you do about it to help things along?

[Guest Jubilee251]

Would you mind describing what you mean by "adaptation anxiety"? What did you do about it to help things along?

 

It wasn't true separation anxiety - she wasn't destructive, didn't have accidents or hurt herself in any way, but was just upset, stressed and crying because she was new. It was just stress related to adapting in a new home, I think. She didn't know us, didn't know our home or our schedule, didn't know when we were coming back when we left so she panted and cried (our neighbor once said it sounded like someone was beating a dog next door!).

 

Two months later, she now knows what a day in the life of our household is like - when we get up, leave for work, come home from work, etc. I give her a frozen Kong stuffed with kibble and PB when I leave, and scatter a few small treats around the house for her to find. She doesn't cry anymore, and we always come home to find her sleeping in her crate in our bedroom. Time and consistency were really the biggest factors.

[Guest NJgrey]

Would you mind describing what you mean by "adaptation anxiety"? What did you do about it to help things along?

 

It wasn't true separation anxiety - she wasn't destructive, didn't have accidents or hurt herself in any way, but was just upset, stressed and crying because she was new. It was just stress related to adapting in a new home, I think. She didn't know us, didn't know our home or our schedule, didn't know when we were coming back when we left so she panted and cried (our neighbor once said it sounded like someone was beating a dog next door!).

 

Two months later, she now knows what a day in the life of our household is like - when we get up, leave for work, come home from work, etc. I give her a frozen Kong stuffed with kibble and PB when I leave, and scatter a few small treats around the house for her to find. She doesn't cry anymore, and we always come home to find her sleeping in her crate in our bedroom. Time and consistency were really the biggest factors.

 

Thanks! We just picked up Ellie this past Saturday and that sounds a bit like what we're going through. I took a few days off from work, my fiancee is home today. Monday and Tuesday morning I tried leaving her baby-gated into the living room/ kitchen with the crate open and a stuffed kong. She'd do OK for 5-10 minutes alone but then would stand up, pace, lay down, whimper, pace etc. Left her for little over a half hr. and while she didn't do any damage she got a hold of something that was in the kitchen sink and put it in her bed when I left her and had an accident on the floor, which may just be because she's not house trained and this was around the time I had normally been taking her out. She's taken very well to the crate, she's slept in there all night without a problem, hangs out in there when we are home, so we've been locking her in there during absences the past day and a half and she's doing OK. No accidents so far in the crate and she's been alone for over an hr twice today with some whimpering/ crying but no damage. Tomorrow we'll both be at work for about 8 hrs - I'll run home at lunch but she'll need to go 3 hrs alone at a clip. We're really just trying to figure out if it's run of the mill new dog issues, or if it's true moderate SA.

 

Anyway, been reading this thread with interest. Everyone needs to start out with one grey, and even though I've always imagined having a multiple dog family, it's frankly been overwhelming with just one so far.

Edited March 3, 2010 by NJgrey

[Guest Jubilee251]

Ellie sounds just like Molly! In the beginning, she would cry even if we went to the bedroom, and she was gated to the living room for 5 minutes. She HATED being crated alone, so we put up baby gates and now that she's comfortable, she'll actually go in her crate (with the door open, of course).

[Guest NJgrey]

Our downstairs neighbors said she was wailing pretty good yesterday while my fiancee was gone for a few hrs. Luckily they're very understanding, having gone through SA issues themselves at some point, and offered to help. She's just going to have to get into our routine, I suppose. How did you manage to do alone training while working?

 

Sorry for the thread hijack, would like to PM but need more posts.

[Guest Jubilee251]

Yes, I don't have PM either! Do you know how long Ellie is crying for? We set up a video cam for Molly for a little while, and she would cry on/off for about 30-45 minutes, and then tire out and go to sleep.

 

To be quite honest, we probably didn't do alone training correctly. I mean, we would do it on the weekends - leave in various increments of 20 seconds, 1 minute, 30 seconds, 3 minutes, etc. But come Monday, we'd have to go back to work again for 8 hours. Lucky for us, she's a confident girl and after she adjusted and felt more secure in the home, it stopped being a problem. In addition to the whining, we used to come home to drool puddles all over the floor from her panting.

 

I did leave a note on our door for the first month, just explaining that Molly is new, we're working very hard with her through her anxiety issues, and we're sorry for the inconvenience and to call us if they have concerns. I think showing your neighbors that you are aware of the issue and you care goes a long way. Do you know if the adoption group pegged her as an outgoing, confident dog?

 

Feel free to email me if you have other questions. I'm no expert at all (first-time dog owner, only have had Molly 2 months!) but I love talking about her and it's also helped me in the beginning to talk with new grey owners just to see what their experiences were like. kzhang83 at gmail.

[Guest NJgrey]

Yes, I don't have PM either! Do you know how long Ellie is crying for? We set up a video cam for Molly for a little while, and she would cry on/off for about 30-45 minutes, and then tire out and go to sleep.

 

To be quite honest, we probably didn't do alone training correctly. I mean, we would do it on the weekends - leave in various increments of 20 seconds, 1 minute, 30 seconds, 3 minutes, etc. But come Monday, we'd have to go back to work again for 8 hours. Lucky for us, she's a confident girl and after she adjusted and felt more secure in the home, it stopped being a problem. In addition to the whining, we used to come home to drool puddles all over the floor from her panting.

 

I did leave a note on our door for the first month, just explaining that Molly is new, we're working very hard with her through her anxiety issues, and we're sorry for the inconvenience and to call us if they have concerns. I think showing your neighbors that you are aware of the issue and you care goes a long way. Do you know if the adoption group pegged her as an outgoing, confident dog?

 

Feel free to email me if you have other questions. I'm no expert at all (first-time dog owner, only have had Molly 2 months!) but I love talking about her and it's also helped me in the beginning to talk with new grey owners just to see what their experiences were like. kzhang83 at gmail.

 

We taped Ellie on Sun-Tuesday a few times, for 15 minutes max. I could hear her cleaning out the kong for the first few minutes. Seemed to be around 7 minutes when she really started to pace, whine etc. It wasn't constant, at least not yet, but she was pacing and crying off and on. Like I said, our neighbors said they heard her during the day, and I know she said it was quite loud about 30 minutes after my fiancee left. She (our neighbor) didn't time it so I don't know if she just wore herself out and calmed down a bit or if it kept up the whole 2 hrs she was gone. I know when Maureen came home she stood outside for a few mins and didn't hear anything, and when she went back in the house Ellie was just sitting in the crate, not standing and going nuts or anything. She's going to try to get her on webcam in the next day or so just so we know.

 

Today was the first time we really froze a kong for her overnight with some good stuff so maybe that'll take her longer to go through. Also gave her a large bully stick (I know, I've read different things about leaving them home alone but she enjoys a good chew and doesn't seem to like chewing on the rubber of the kong so much, she likes more textured things so we're going to give it a try for now.)

 

Thanks for the offer to talk, these first few days/ weeks the support really helps.

Edited March 4, 2010 by NJgrey

[Guest lisa_grublesky]

I think you need to do what is best for you and your family. We have one greyhound (and while most people say, "you ONLY have one" as if we are horrible people) but it is all we can afford. Our house is a nice sized house, but I am not sure where we would fit another crate. Sundae seems to like to be the center of our attention, as well! This is not to say that I wouldn't LOVE another one....it's just I want to make sure I can take care of the one I have to the best of my ability!!!

[Guest Mommy2Junebug]

Junebug's an only child, and so far she seems to have taken to it just fine She doesn't seem to suffer from any sort of separation anxiety when we're away, and gets TONS of attention when we're home...

[sarabz]

Bella's an only, too, but then again both DH and I were and we're pretty well-adjusted humans (Most of the time)

She doesn't really care much for other dogs, really prefers people and definitely is bonded to us. We don't have room in our 650 sq ft apartment for, nor does our lease allow for, another. I suspect at some point we'll have a second but not anytime soon. She manages perfectly well (as I type this, she's snuggled up to me on the sofa).

[Guest Che_mar_Cody]

Only one greyhound for me as well. The bond that you can get with just one is something I can't put into words. I doggie sit, go to many greyhound events and meet n greets to get my chip fix. It's just one is perfect for me and my lifestyle.