Guest IndyHound Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I have a 4 year old grey named Beckett. He's been with me for 2 months now and is crate trained. However my question is how can i properly ween him off the crate? Also does anyone else have a problem with their grey getting in to the trash and eating anything they can fit into their mouths? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFullHouse Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Try leaving the door open so he can go in and out as he pleases. Once you see him staying out more than in, especially at night, take the crate down. Quote Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindles Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Muzzling will solve the trash problem. Quote | Rachel | Dewty, Trigger, and Charlotte | Missing Dazzle, Echo, and Julio | Learn what your greyhound's life was like before becoming part of yours!"The only thing better than the cutest kitty in the world is any dog." -Daniel Tosh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wpgkeith Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 If he is happily using the crate, why change it? Our Brogan loves her crate and is much happier during the day in it. Riley, not so much. K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greysmitten Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 (edited) I only removed the crate when Azi started using it less and less (and started using the couch, bed, chair, etc. more and more, ha!). Personally, I slowly moved from closed crate while I was out of the house to open crate. Yadda yadda ... eventually she didn't need the crate anymore. So I recommend working on the chewing/stealing/ruining things before ditching the crate completely. If that involved a muzzle, use it. If you're not comfortable having the muzzle on while you're gone (I wasn't), be prepared to work with your hound for a while to help him to learn how to leave your things alone. And replace your things with "his". Be patient You'll likely still have episodes of "arrrrrgh!", but with some work, your hound will slowly get it. If you're concerned about having a hideous crate in your house, there are a lot of great idea you can use to help conceal it. A cover that works with your decor not only looks great, but can actually turn your crate into a side/end table in a living room or bedroom. Good luck! -mikey P.S. Love the name 'Beckett' Edited September 9, 2011 by greysmitten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IndyHound Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 I guess i should clarify. He's only in the crate when i leave the house. I do leave the crate door open but after the first week he's never really gone in it when im at home. At night and when im home he is usually glued to my side. I am wanting to let him be out of the crate all the time. But since he's the first dog that I've had that i could even consider leaving out 100% of the time I have no clue how to go about it. Tank you Those are some great ideas. Mostly my concerns are he tends to think anything that is close to his mouth is his and deserves to be eaten. I only removed the crate when Azi started using it less and less (and started using the couch, bed, chair, etc. more and more, ha!). Personally, I slowly moved from closed crate while I was out of the house to open crate. Yadda yadda ... eventually she didn't need the crate anymore. So I recommend working on the chewing/stealing/ruining things before ditching the crate completely. If that involved a muzzle, use it. If you're not comfortable having the muzzle on while you're gone (I wasn't), be prepared to work with your hound for a while to help him to learn how to leave your things alone. And replace your things with "his". Be patient You'll likely still have episodes of "arrrrrgh!", but with some work, your hound will slowly get it. If you're concerned about having a hideous crate in your house, there are a lot of great idea you can use to help conceal it. A cover that works with your decor not only looks great, but can actually turn your crate into a side/end table in a living room or bedroom. Good luck! -mikey P.S. Love the name 'Beckett' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greysmitten Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Ahh. Honestly, after a few days with my girl, I thought I was just going to be stuck with a crazy hellion who would constantly be stealing whatever she could find, especially the baby's things. She chewed stuffies, plastic toys, pacifiers (her favourite!) and bottle nipples. Thankfully, she got to understand "heyyy" as me saying "not yours!". It took a while for her to get it though - not going to lie. You might need to stalk Beckett for a bit to let him know what's ok to touch and what's not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 If he is happily using the crate, why change it? Our Brogan loves her crate and is much happier during the day in it. Riley, not so much. K Cause most adult dogs have absolutely no need to be in a crate once they're housebroken! Why keep a big ugly cage in your house if your dog has no need for it? Now, I suppose if you have a nice big house, and the cage is somewhere you don't have to look at it, there's little incentive to take it down. My first dog LOVED his crate and flipped out when I tried to put it away after TWO YEARS. So he needed to be weaned off it. George hated his crate with the firey passion of 1,000 suns. I swear he shivers if he even sees the edge poking out from under the bed! Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Swifthounds Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Muzzling will solve the trash problem. And a good quality and/or bobbytrapped trash can. Funny thing about those muzzles allowing eating/drinking is most hounds figure out their not an obstacle to trash treats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mirinaaronsmom Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Muzzling will solve the trash problem. And a good quality and/or bobbytrapped trash can. Funny thing about those muzzles allowing eating/drinking is most hounds figure out their not an obstacle to trash treats. The muzzle worked miracles with Mojo. Without it he will surf any flat surface he can find (5 feet high) and chew and eat everything. With it on, he's an angel (at least as much of an angel as he'll ever be). I guess he just respects it. When I've tried leaving it off for a few hours, he gets into trouble. It's worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sheila Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 I once had a hound that I left wearing a muzzle with the end duct taped. When I came home he had managed to get an Orange Dreamsicle cake off of the counter and had brought it into the LR. There was Orange Dreamsicle cake ground into the entire carpet in that room as well as the couch and the dog beds. When I walked in I found him on a dog bed, with the cake pan between his paws and cake smooshed all over his legs and muzzle. When he saw me he jumped up to greet me while I stood there gaping at the mess and began nuzzling me, so I now had cake all over my jeans. It was such a sight that I just sat down on the floor and began laughing. The hound continued nuzzling me with the cake smeared muzzle so I ended up with cake in my hair. Moral of this story is that if it's something you don't want your hound to get into, make it inaccessible. My garbage can often is stored on top of the microwave when I leave the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maidmarcia Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I'm looking at getting rid of Licorice's crate as well, mainly because there isn't much room in my bedroom with it in there. I was wondering... does anyone have any ideas on what the best dog bed to use would be? Keep in mind, I am in Canada so we don't have as much greyhound appropriate merchandise here. Right now he has a bed in the livingroom as well which is basically just made of a mattress foam topper and a couple blankets... I'd like to get something that looks a bit better though Thanks! P.S. I now catch Licorice sleeping on the couch at night. I guess that's how you know they're pretty much done crating:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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