Problems With Adopting A Young Greyhound?

[ShebasMom]

I adopted a 22-month-old female Grey, Sheba, late last November (2009) and was warned that the young ones can be a handful, and boy were they right! Sheba never raced--didn't pass whatever puppy trials they do I guess--and maybe that's why she's so hyper and getting into everything. I have to crate her every time I leave the house because she gets into everything even when I think I've dog-proofed everything. She really hates the large, comfy crate and I have to force her in there, but too bad, because the few times early on when I tested her to see how she behaved when left alone and loose, she destryoed things and pooped right in the middle of my bed (yuck!). Should I perhaps try muzzling her for short periods of time, first when I'm home with her and then when I leave her home alone, instead of crating? Maybe she'll like muzzling better instead of crating. But maybe she'll poop in the house again in retaliation. Fortunately I'm retired so she doesn't have to be crated for long periods of time. She's also a boisterous barker (see separate topic), mostly directed at me, but I'm finding that if I ignore her she stops quicker than when I say "No," which just makes a big game of it. I guess my question is whether other young Grey owners have gone or are going through this type of behavior and do they mellow with age? She's so different from my other Grey (gone now at a young age--so sad) that was a racer and adoped at the age of 3 years and I keep comparing Sheba to Windy, the (almost) perfect dog, which I probably shouldn't do because no two Greys are alike.

[Guest TeddysMom]

I rescued Teddy from the shelter and he is around 2yo. I know nothing of his background but he is not tatooed. He is also a handful, into everything even sometimes when I'm looking. The big difference with me is I have a bunch of other dogs to keep him company and run and play with him so it keeps him worn out. We are also retired and one of us is home most of the time. When we do have to leave him, he goes in my bedroom which is doggie proofed with my other grey. So far he has been fine in there. From what I have read here young greys are a handfull and it seems to help when they have another dog to keep them company. Good luck and I'm sure other more experienced gh owners will give you lots of good advise.

[cleptogrey]

remember a good dog is a tired dog~~~!!!!

 

i have had felix since he was 7 weeks old, if you want to talk about energy....well p.m. me!!!

 

he will be 3 in march.

i presently have a foster who only raced once and is 2.5 yrs old. the two of them spend the entire morning zipping around the yard and then some. after the zips we take them for a long walk(2-4 miles) and then they are settled for the afternoon. evenings we get lots of indoor play from the foster after she does a good run when i come home from work.

 

try teaching your pup to catch tennis balls or go after soccer balls. we usually have 10 tennis balls going in all directions keeping felix on his toes. that always wears him out. walking is good, but running is better. they need to run, run, run and sleep and then run, run, run.

 

i also had felix actively engaged in obedience until he was 2.5, then unemployment hit. we just got a scholarship to agility and i can't wait to work him again, especially since our foster is leaving and our older gal passed jan.2.this will help w/ his adjustment to being a solo dog.

 

activity and keeping their minds busy will most likely cure all of their problems. felix did calm down a tad around 2.5, but he is not the typical grey since he was hand raised and has done so much obedience and agility.

[Guest KiKi_Girl]

I adopted KiKi when she was 18-months old and she just turned 8 this week. I was blessed not to have to go through any of this with her. I have always said she is an old soul. I did, however, have whippets who were C.R.A.Z.Y for the first few years. Good thing is, most dogs mellow with age, hang in there!

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Zephyr is two, but he's the ultimate lazy hound, as is my Whippet (he has always been lazy, even as a little tiny puppy). They vary so much! My craziest one is my oldest Grey, who is almost five.

[Guest KennelMom]

We have some mischievous 4 and 6 year olds that will act similarly! They need a LOT of exercise and/or training. We have a greyhound pup that's 7 months old now that we've had since the day she was born and she's a dream compared to some of our older buttheads hounds.

 

How much exercise does she get every day? Have you done any training with her?

[Guest TBSFlame]

I brought Riley home at 18 months and she is a busy girl (she is now 29 months). She is either sleeping like a stone or playing. She gets into a lot of stuff so I have to watch her. She has such a joy for life and it has been fun having her here. I do muzzle her when I leave her alone as she hates the crate. She likes to play with the other hounds when they may not want to play. I am afraid to leave her alone with them without muzzles. When we leave everyone has a place to be. Star and Flame is kept in the back of the house with a babygate in the hall, Memmie loves her crate, Riley and Jeremy is muzzled in the rest of the house.

[Guest brandi007]

I adopted my little Hannah at 1.5 years old - never raced, never got a racing name and covered in scars. She's been a hand-full that's for sure, much more-so than the other dogs I've had (both were adopted at 6+ years old). She's got some fear issues that come through in aggression - she's very insecure and we're still having issues with her messing in the house.

 

To be fair to my little Bean, she's shown lots of improvement. She can go on walks now without absolutely shutting down and panicking (in fact she 'skips' the whole time now, sooooo cute), she's 'cut back' on the soiling in the house. She'll do it in the basement by the door but has pretty much stopped pooping upstairs when we're home, she's beginning to cautiously meet kids now and for the most part likes meeting new dogs at the park (just don't sniff her butt! ).

 

The things we're working the hardest on is the fear aggression (I can't foster dogs as she has an absolute fit when they come in her house), space aggression and the soiling in the house. I know it seems really overwhelming after having Sophie who is a princess but working with Hannah has allowed me to form a special kind of bond with her. She's my problem child and I love her for it, we've done dog school, socializing and lots of other things to help her a long. The thing about her is it's sooooo exciting when you see progress and I'm sure it'll be the same with your young hound. They do grow up eventually!

[Jackandgrey]

Jill was 2 when she came home. Wow. Very different than Jack was who was 4. Soooo much more active than he was. I couldn't keep her tired enough with just walks. She needed to run, I took her to obedience to exhaust that busy little little brain. While I did not crate her, I did use a muzzle for a short while and used baby gates to keep her out of areas I could not proof well enough.

 

Remember your girl will not poop out of spite. Out of anxiety maybe or because she needs to go and her house training is not spot on yet.

 

Yes she will calm down and I dare say if do invest in some bonding through training/obedience you will be closer toher than you can imagine right now.

 

Enjoy the ride. Jilly is 6 now and I look back with extreme fondness on those early days with my wild child.

[NevadasMom]

Trolley is 2. She's a very busy little girl. Fortunately she likes her crate & I've made it a safe, enjoyable place for her. She's go,go,go then sleeeeeeppppp! How about getting a lure pole?

[Guest TexasGreytMom]

Shelby was 2 when she came home with us. We've never crated her and she's never needed it. At first, she was constant motion but now after 6 months she's settled in nicely. She still loves to play and is a busy girl, but in a good way.

 

Years ago we fostered a pup that was a little over a year and she did not stop moving the entire weekend. The only time she would lay down was if I sat on the floor with her and petted her. Our other greys were totally annoyed with her and actually hid from her. LOL! They were grateful when we took her back to our adoption group. She found a forever home, however, and is doing great. They just take a little more patience and attention.

[vjgrey]

Lucy was 20 months old when we brought her home (now almost two and a half). She's definitely more active (and MUCH more vocal) than Diamond (six) and Gabe (eight and a half), but she seems to take her cues from them, for the most part. If they're playing, she'll play longer and harder than them, but if they're laying around sleeping, she's happy to do that, too. Usually.

 

She still occasionally chews on things she shouldn't, collects random things, counter surfs, etc... but she's not as busy as I expected her to be.

 

Edited to add - Lucy was injured in racing school, so she had some training but never officially raced.

Edited January 30, 2010 by vjgrey

[Guest Lovey_Hounds]

We got Chili at 3 months old and she is one crazy little girl! the big thing is keeping your dog busy, mind and body. the other thing is consistancy expecially when crate training it never hurts to practice even when you are home. chili HATED the crate i mean H-A-T-E-D!!!! she used to scream and thrash and generally freak out it took time and lots of parctice and she now walks in on her own and lays down quietly.

try to find people to have puppy play dates with, chili has all kinds of friends from german shepards to other greyhounds and when she plays she plays hard and tires her self out. also try to have many, many, many toys around to make sure your pup always has something to do. maybe consider doing puppy classes with your pup, even if have done your own training its a nice bonding thing to do and keeps her busy.

Greyhounds no matter how they were raised can be a bit crazy its a breed thing... we joke that chili is pretty much gown up but we are waiting for her brain to grow in.

Chili is now 15 months old and she can be nutty some days but in general she is pretty good now,your dog will become calmer one day but it will take time and work.

Edited January 30, 2010 by Lovey_Hounds

[ShebasMom]

We have some mischievous 4 and 6 year olds that will act similarly! They need a LOT of exercise and/or training. We have a greyhound pup that's 7 months old now that we've had since the day she was born and she's a dream compared to some of our older buttheads hounds.

 

How much exercise does she get every day? Have you done any training with her?

I haven't done obedience training with her yet, but I take her to the local dog park at least three days a week where she runs with the other large dogs and gets plenty of exercise when there. On non-dog park days, I don't walk her much because I have fenced-in front, side, and back yards. We do play with toys in the house, but my place is rather small, so there's not a lot of room to get a good run going inside. Speaking of a small place, I'm really a one-at-a-time-dog person and don't want two dogs at the same time except when I Grey sit for friends. (I had two dogs before when I was younger(a Great Dane and large hound mix), and I won't do that again.)

[GeorgeofNE]

Sounds like she needs TRAINING, not confinement!

 

Also DAILY exercise. Long walks will serve two purposes; it will reinforce your relationship since you'll be together and you'll be guiding the walk (not letting her just run around like a wild animal!) and you can use the time two work on leash manners, heel, etc.

 

There is really no substitute with young dogs of ANY breed for regular exercise and training!

[Guest ThunderPaws]

Three of my six hounds are now 2-3 years old (got them very young) and always busy and on the go! Lots of exercise and mental stimulation is necessary. My yard has worn out race tracks, but hey, everyone is happy.

Give her a kong or chew bone when she is crated, or feed her in the crate to make it a positive place.

I'm sure she'll settle in a few years.

[cleptogrey]

as to long walks, long is at least an hour or more....

 

in the woods i usually treck at least 2 hrs if weather permitting, on colder days one hour. it's a good time to teach your pup to carry something. i started w/ a toy and progressed to sticks, branches and now he looks for tree limbs! carrying something keeps them focused.

to town and back is 4 miles, and meeting people along the way and stopping in local stores always help tire felix out.

but when we get back to the yard....a ball is instantly in his mouth and he is ready for play!!!

 

i enjoy every second of it, they are only young once.

 

as one of my student's parents requested(she has 2 active young boys), "please run them like dogs", my response was, "like a greyhound pup?" she smiled and then told me, "yes, i've done some greyhound rescue, and that's exactly what the boys need!".

 

so,long walks, tennis & soccer games in your yard, obedience, focus training- carrying something to keep her busy, lots of marrow bones(raw- i scrape out the marrow), kongs and lots of toys and you and your pup will be equally exhausted.

 

days are getting longer...evening walks will return!!!