In Need Of Help With New Greyhound

[Guest GoingRogue]

We did alone training today and have recorded them. The last one was not bad. We were gone for about 45 minutes and on the video he finally laid down and got quiet. This was after 20 or so minutes of barking and howling. He never got completely relaxed but it's an improvement.

You need to shorten the trips so he can see you leave and come back before he has a chance to freak out. Then you gradually work up from there. Your neighbors might think you are nuts but literally, you walk out, close the door, open it and walk back in. Then grab a magazine or whatever, turn back around and walk out again. Go to your car, then turn around and come back. No barking? Good. Wait a few minutes, go back out, get in the car, start it, turn it off, get back out and walk back in the house. By now, Rogue should be thoroughly confused or bored to tears with your coming and going. Walk back out, get in the car and drive around the block, come back home, etc., etc. After a bunch of these trips, Rogue should start to get the idea it's okay when you leave because you always come back.

 

Ir really helps though, if you leave him where he wants to be in the house. The signs he is showing seem more indicitive of anxiety from the crate and seclusion. Muzzling in the crate could add to his risk of injury because it could get caught on something while he is trying to push himself out. And yes, there have been greyhounds who managed to squeeze completely out.... not all good endings either.

 

By the way, kudos to you for recording Rogue while you train him. To me, it just seems so important.

 

Jenn

Ok we are going to go in and out all day today. I have to be somewhere this afternoon but my husband and kids are going to continue going in and out and increasing the time. I really wish I had been doing this all week while I was off. We did come and go but it was for longer times. I think he is getting better. He doesn't follow me around as much. I guess I'm worried about anxiety and destruction because of the stories I've heard. One greyhound was returned because of separation anxiety. He dug a hole in the owners hard wood floor in front of the door. I know that is an extreme case and I shouldn't assume my dog will do the same thing.

 

We really appreciate everyone's advice. I am in love with this site.

[Jackandgrey]

We did alone training today and have recorded them. The last one was not bad. We were gone for about 45 minutes and on the video he finally laid down and got quiet. This was after 20 or so minutes of barking and howling. He never got completely relaxed but it's an improvement.

You need to shorten the trips so he can see you leave and come back before he has a chance to freak out. Then you gradually work up from there. Your neighbors might think you are nuts but literally, you walk out, close the door, open it and walk back in. Then grab a magazine or whatever, turn back around and walk out again. Go to your car, then turn around and come back. No barking? Good. Wait a few minutes, go back out, get in the car, start it, turn it off, get back out and walk back in the house. By now, Rogue should be thoroughly confused or bored to tears with your coming and going. Walk back out, get in the car and drive around the block, come back home, etc., etc. After a bunch of these trips, Rogue should start to get the idea it's okay when you leave because you always come back.

 

Ir really helps though, if you leave him where he wants to be in the house. The signs he is showing seem more indicitive of anxiety from the crate and seclusion. Muzzling in the crate could add to his risk of injury because it could get caught on something while he is trying to push himself out. And yes, there have been greyhounds who managed to squeeze completely out.... not all good endings either.

 

By the way, kudos to you for recording Rogue while you train him. To me, it just seems so important.

 

Jenn

 

This really is the key. You don't want to let your dog get to or over their threshold of anxiety. So it is these multiple in and outs of VARYING lengths of time that do it. Do your going out for the day routine and then go sit down with a book. Then out of the house for a few minutes and right back in - 1 minute, 5 minutes , 3 minutes, 10 minutes back to 5 up to 10 or 12 back to 3 etc. But don't let the dog get to crying or howling state. If you use a kong, leave it everytime you go and pick it up everytime you come back in.

 

It can be hard work at first but almost always works. And I second the idea of letting the dog be free and just barricaded off from where you don't want him.

 

Sometimes the young ones are just more anxious about how everything works. But you'll get there.

[RobinM]

I did not read through all the posts so please correct me if I am wrong.. you are crating him from 8-5 AND all night long? When is he out of the crate?

[Guest GoingRogue]

I did not read through all the posts so please correct me if I am wrong.. you are crating him from 8-5 AND all night long? When is he out of the crate?

We crated him at night for the first few nights but he wasn't crated during the day at that time. I have had the past week off to spend with him. He is out of his crate at night and starting tomorrow will be in the crate. I will be going home at lunch to let him out. He has gotten so much better in the crate that we are going to crate for a few days then do a trial run out of the crate. We have been making his crate a positive place by hiding treats under the mat.

[Guest 4dogscrazy]

I can not confine my SA dog in any way. Crate, and she will bend the bars and have panic attacks. Baby gate, and she will dig up the carpet, and has eaten all the trim around the door way. They only thing that works is to gate her OUT of the rooms I don't want her in, like my daughters, and let her have access to the windows and the door where I come in. She is also muzzled, as are all of my dogs, since they are all out now together. The two youngest just graduated from crating. Jesse hates the muzzle, but he seems to be getting better. I always muzzled Tempe, even when she was out by herself, she is a destructive chewer on a good day. Anyone know where I can find universal remotes? Yes with an "s".

 

Good luck to you! And keep up the alone training, it will work!

[RobinM]

I did not read through all the posts so please correct me if I am wrong.. you are crating him from 8-5 AND all night long? When is he out of the crate?

We crated him at night for the first few nights but he wasn't crated during the day at that time. I have had the past week off to spend with him. He is out of his crate at night and starting tomorrow will be in the crate. I will be going home at lunch to let him out. He has gotten so much better in the crate that we are going to crate for a few days then do a trial run out of the crate. We have been making his crate a positive place by hiding treats under the mat.

 

It's greyt that it's being viewed as a positive place. How much time is he actually spending in it at this point? Can you leave him out at night and baby gate your room with him in it?

[Guest selori]

Hi there. Sorry to chime in so late. Our last hound had terrible separation anxiety. We had one horrible melt down, just as you described within the first few days. After that, we had to start from scratch, as others have described with the alone training. I even had to get a different kind of crate. Our dog refused to ever go back into the original "melt down" crate (a wire cage type). We replaced it with the Jumbo plastic box kind, and then we had to do extensive alone training. I had to start by just standing up from the sofa (which would cause him to start panicking at first) over and over (like 100 times) before I got no reaction, etc. We finally moved up to closing him in his crate with an amazing treat and walking toward the door after about a week (then turn around and let him out again).

 

I had the luxury of being able to take my dog to work with me, so we only had to leave him alone during the training. Also, (probably controversial here, but...) we found it necessary to use meds, at first. We consulted with our vet and used Clomipramine (Clomicalm, an anti-anxiety drug for I think about six weeks and then weaned him off of it. It really helped!! I'm not recommending that you drug your dog, but it really worked for us, and I felt that this was the right thing to do for our dog. It does not sedate them.

 

After the alone training in the crate, we moved on to doing the same training with my car. After several years, he still had problems occasionally in the car if I parked at a familiar house (one that was not "dog friendly", when he could not come in with me). I found that crowded streets and parking lots were not a problem. The more crowded, the better!

 

I hope this helps! Having an anxious dog is very stressful sometimes, but we all learned to live with it. Eventually, I became a stay-at-home mom, which, as you can imagine, my dog absolutely loved. With a little planning, we managed very well through the years.

 

Good luck !

[Guest lasharp1209]

You might also look into a DAP diffuser or collar, it works for some dogs, like the melatonin. A lot of it may work itself out in time, as he relaxes, trusts, and gets more comfortable in your home. If you're already seeing a little improvement, I'd say that's a very good sign!

 

Also something that I have not seen mentioned yet is the importance that YOU and everyone else remain calm and anxiety-free. Otherwise he will pick up on it and it will only feed his anxiety. And make sure that when you leave and when you return, you don't make a big deal out of it - as if you're bored with it yourself. Stay calm, no high-pitched excited greetings, etc. Ignore him for a few minutes right after you get home.

 

Are you feeding meals in the crate? That might help associate it with positive things.

[mychip1]

I haven't crated my boys.....I agree that a room with baby gates is a good option....mine like to be able to see out windows....it seems to relax them.

[Guest GoingRogue]

First day alone. Rogue did good. I came home at lunch and peeked in without him knowing and he was relaxed and laying in his crate (until I came in). Same thing when my husband got home this afternoon. We are constantly putting little treats in the crate and he is always going in to check for treats. We have a long weekend and have talked about leaving him out of the crate and doing "in and out" to see how it goes.

[Guest caliebsmom]

Happy to hear it went well today. I know how difficult it can be as our boxer used to have terrible separation anxiety. The alone training is key and looks like it worked well for Rogue. I know I needed the training for myself as well. I also have to be careful about staying calm myself.

[Guest chaoran22]

it sounds like it's getting better which is key - i think you're doing the right training and he'll probably be fine in the long run. my boy was a howler for 2 solid weeks (i taped him, literally howled the ENTIRE time i would be gone) and probably would have been destructive if he wasn't so lazy but after 2 weeks, he just sort of snapped out of it and stopped doing it and now is fine. Now he sulks and gives us the silent treatment when he knows we're going to leave and he's not coming along (if he thinks he MIGHT come along, that's a different story, then he's crazy jumping around) but that's fine with us good luck!

[Guest jenznaz]

Everyone gave excellent advice, so I won't add much, except to say: Great job!! He's still so very new, so all this sounds pretty normal.

[Guest iconsmum]

OK we left him gated in our room a couple of times already today and he is trying to dig up the carpet in front of the gate so he is going to have to adjust to his crate when we aren't here. He sleeps in it at night with the door closed with no problem. I don't want to leave him in the crate with his muzzle on for several hours but I don't want tooth issues either. I go back to work Monday and will go home for lunch everyday. I only work 4 days a week so hopefully (praying hard) everything will work out. The absolute last thing we want to do is return him. It breaks my heart to even think about that.

 

 

If he were mine I'd walk him as much and for as long as I possibly could every day. Then I'd put a big, extra cuddly bed (think 4 pillows on a doubled comforter) somewhere reasonably close to the door - then I'd leave him fed and tired with a Kong full of frozen bits of food to work on and the radio or whatever on. If you want to push it a bit further, go online and find a plug-in bottle of DAP, plug that in to a receptacle close to his bed and leave it going indefinitely. If he climbs out of his crate as frantically as you say, you could come home to a dead dog...it wouldn't be the first time it's happened. The other suggestion, which I'm pretty sure your other half doesn't want to hear, is to get (yet)another hound - maybe an experienced bounce from a quiet household. It's too bad there aren't more employers who let dogs come to work - would sure solve a lot of problems....

[Guest tbrodzel]

When we first adopted Brynna I thought I would have to limit her access to the house. So I put up a baby gate in the master bathroom. I put her bed and water in there and left. I came home to water everywhere, the rug outside of the bathroom looked like she clawed at it. She was all upset and a wreck. Since then I let her have the run of most of the house and she does fine. I don't even have to leave the tv on most of the time.

 

I have never left my pup without a bathroom break for more than maybe 5 or 6 hours (that has only happened a handful of times). I can't imagine my being able to hold it in that long. he he

[Guest GoingRogue]

Today is Rogue's first day out of the crate. We put a baby gate up midway down the hall and left him with the living room and kitchen. I am about to go home for lunch and am praying he has done ok. He did good over the weekend with our in and out training (we did it all 4 days we were off for the 4th). As long as he hasn't gotten destructive everything else can be cleaned up

[Guest NJgrey]

Good luck, hope he did well!

 

I think this type of thing is very common when bringing a new dog into an only dog household. We went through something very similar with Ellie. She never chewed her crate, but she would howl and cry etc. Thought we were going to have to return her but things got better as she settled in. Crating lasted about two weeks or so. She always settled down after some initial crying but still, she started getting tired of the crate. She was giving signs she didn't want to be in there all day (we're gone 9-530ish, 5 days a week) and I was happy to oblige. I didn't want her in there long term either. She's baby gated into our living room/ kitchen with her crate, bed, couches and toys and she does fine. Every now and then - especially if we leave her on a weekend evening or some other unusual time of day - we'll come home and find a few new tooth marks on the baby gate, but nothing major.

 

Hang in there, it'll get better. And especially with your guy being so young, he's still a puppy! Walk him a lot in the morning and in the evening. Let him zoom around in an enclosed area or even in you house. Burn off the energy and he'll be a lot happier.

 

EDIT: Also wanted to add, like you I would run home at lunch when we first brought her home. At first she was up and alert at the gate, happy to see me. Then she was alert but wouldn't get up off the couch. Nowadays more often than not if I come home at lunch she doesn't even pick her head up. Usually I just get some stink eye for interrupting her nap before she begrudgingly gets up off the couch for a potty break.

 

Point being, for most dogs, with time it'll get much better. He needs to learn your routine, that someone always comes home for him no matter how long you're gone. Once he gets that, he'll settle down for the most part.

Edited July 6, 2010 by NJgrey

[Guest GoingRogue]

Good luck, hope he did well!

 

I think this type of thing is very common when bringing a new dog into an only dog household. We went through something very similar with Ellie. She never chewed her crate, but she would howl and cry etc. Thought we were going to have to return her but things got better as she settled in. Crating lasted about two weeks or so. She always settled down after some initial crying but still, she started getting tired of the crate. She was giving signs she didn't want to be in there all day (we're gone 9-530ish, 5 days a week) and I was happy to oblige. I didn't want her in there long term either. She's baby gated into our living room/ kitchen with her crate, bed, couches and toys and she does fine. Every now and then - especially if we leave her on a weekend evening or some other unusual time of day - we'll come home and find a few new tooth marks on the baby gate, but nothing major.

 

Hang in there, it'll get better. And especially with your guy being so young, he's still a puppy! Walk him a lot in the morning and in the evening. Let him zoom around in an enclosed area or even in you house. Burn off the energy and he'll be a lot happier.

 

EDIT: Also wanted to add, like you I would run home at lunch when we first brought her home. At first she was up and alert at the gate, happy to see me. Then she was alert but wouldn't get up off the couch. Nowadays more often than not if I come home at lunch she doesn't even pick her head up. Usually I just get some stink eye for interrupting her nap before she begrudgingly gets up off the couch for a potty break.

 

Point being, for most dogs, with time it'll get much better. He needs to learn your routine, that someone always comes home for him no matter how long you're gone. Once he gets that, he'll settle down for the most part.

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I came home at lunch and the only thing out of the ordinary was a little pile of smell good which I'm sure has a lot to do with his nerves right now. It's his second accident since he came home (the first accident was our fault) so no biggie. I calmly cleaned it up and then ate lunch, thank god for a tough stomach . My husband came home this afternoon and all was fine. I think he is much better out of the crate.

 

We are thinking about trying melatonin, if I can find it.

Edited July 6, 2010 by GoingRogue

[jenn8]

 

Jenn

[Guest NJgrey]

 

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I came home at lunch and the only thing out of the ordinary was a little pile of smell good which I'm sure has a lot to do with his nerves right now. It's his second accident since he came home (the first accident was our fault) so no biggie. I calmly cleaned it up and then ate lunch, thank god for a tough stomach . My husband came home this afternoon and all was fine. I think he is much better out of the crate.

 

We are thinking about trying melatonin, if I can find it.

 

 

The accident could be any number of things. He may still be in the house training process. He knows not to go in his crate, and he knows not to go when you are around, but he may still be learning he needs to hold it when you're away too. Or it could be part of his anxiety, although if it was then presumably he would have had another one during the 4-5 hrs he was left alone in the afternoon. Get him on a good feeding schedule and you'll be better able to manage when he needs to go. Make sure he goes at least once in the morning. Our girl usually goes twice before we leave.

 

Melatonin can be found in the vitamin department of any grocery store or drug store. Nature's Bounty is one common brand. It shouldn't make him groggy or sleepy, but some people say it knocks their hounds out a bit. It should just take the edge off a little.

 

You can also try rescue remedy - a few drops on a treat or in the water bowl before you leave in the morning - or a DAP diffuser, which mimics the comforting hormones secreted by a mama dog to her puppies.