Upsetting Letter

[Guest KatJon]

Found this on our front door today after work...

 

"You can not leave this dog in the house alone. He is barking and howling, we can hear him carrying on inside our living room with our TV on. It's that bad. You had your window cracked and I was afraid someone might call the police, it's that bad. Thanks, (neighbor) Just wanted to let you know."

 

This was Rhythm's first time home alone for more than a couple hours. I came home for about a half hour around lunchtime, but otherwise, he was in the crate all day. We just got him on Friday, so he is of course still stressed and settling into our home, but I'm not sure how long this can last. I left music on and gave him a kong full of peanut butter, but apparently that didn't help very much. He ran around the yard a bit in the morning, and a little more at lunch, plus I took him for a walk at lunch too.

 

We didn't intend on leaving him for a full day this soon, but dbf had to take a last minute business trip and I needed to go to work. We spent the weekend trying to wean him on the crate.... We put him in there for a little bit while we were in the room, then while we were on the other side of the house, then while we were outside, etc. Obviously one weekend is not enough time to work on this, but does anyone have suggestions? I have to do the same thing tomorrow and don't want my neighbors to freak out.

 

Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated!!

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

you need to do alone training with him. Search here for alone training, or pick up the "greyhound for dummies" book and it will explain what you need to do. It is not something that you can fix in a day or two, it will take time. What I would do is visit your neighbor with your greyhound and explain your greyhounds upbringing and how he needs some time to adjust to homelife and please understand that there will be some disturbances while he adjusts.

 

Chad

[Batmom]

"Dear (neighbor), Thank you for letting me know. Can you bear with us while we work through this? Rhythm is very new to our home and needs a little time to acclimate. Thank you, (you)."

[Sambuca]

I agree with the above. Also, in the morning before work try to take him for as long a walk as you can. The more tired he is, the easier the training will go.

[Guest KennelMom]

"Dear (neighbor), Thank you for letting me know. Can you bear with us while we work through this? Rhythm is very new to our home and needs a little time to acclimate. Thank you, (you)."

 

 

Batmom always knows what to say

 

Good idea to try to tire him out as well before you leave.

[Yamaha_gurl]

Does he need to be crated?

[Guest KatJon]

I've read the section in the dummies book, also our adoption group gave us a really great booklet that has a lot of tips on separation anxiety (re-reading that right now). All of these things will just take time... I just feel so bad leaving him Especially since he's clearly distressed the whole time we're gone. He won't let me out of my sight right now, so I fear tomorrow might be even worse.

 

BTW, I'm sure our neighbor will understand. He's a really nice guy, just trying to look out for us.

 

I will definitely have to take Rhythm out for a really long walk in the morning, and one at lunch again too.

[Guest tysmom]

When you say wean him on the crate.. do you mean using a crate with him in the house?

Most likely your experiencing separation anxiety.

In my case I got rid of the crate with the first one right away, after I spent a week with her, with the second won he kept the crate and was most

comfortable and it worked. In my opinion the things you did were good but its pretty hard to break in a new hound to a home situation in a space of

a few days . Is it possible to try a baby instead? sometimes that can help with the confinement issues in a new situation.

Hounds are always in crates so its not really about the crate but separation anxiety in a new situation. I hope some else may be able to offer help

but Im afraid it could be a time issue you know? About a month generally to start to feel comfy.

deb

[Guest KatJon]

I'm not sure if he needs to be crated.... I left him alone in the house (not in the crate) for literally two minutes this evening and the whining/howling started up already. I'm thinking the whining will happen regardless. I'm afraid to leave him out of the crate so soon (and for so long) without knowing what he'll do / what he'll get into.

 

Open to any suggestions on that as well!

Edited October 5, 2011 by KatJon

[LuvAPuppy]

"Dear (neighbor), Thank you for letting me know. Can you bear with us while we work through this? Rhythm is very new to our home and needs a little time to acclimate. Thank you, (you)."

 

This is awesome!

 

 

I've read the section in the dummies book, also our adoption group gave us a really great booklet that has a lot of tips on separation anxiety (re-reading that right now). All of these things will just take time... I just feel so bad leaving him Especially since he's clearly distressed the whole time we're gone. He won't let me out of my sight right now, so I fear tomorrow might be even worse.

 

BTW, I'm sure our neighbor will understand. He's a really nice guy, just trying to look out for us.

 

I will definitely have to take Rhythm out for a really long walk in the morning, and one at lunch again too.

 

are you tight enough with him that you'd trust him to access your house/dog and walk/play for a half hour a day, if he'd be willing to help out?

 

 

I'm not sure if he needs to be crated.... I left him alone in the house (not in the crate) for literally two minutes this evening and the whining/howling started up already. I'm thinking the whining will happen regardless. I'm afraid to leave him out of the crate so soon (and for so long) without knowing what he'll do / what he'll get into.

 

Open to any suggestions on that as well!

 

do you have a room, maybe unfurnished? (my IG will pee on the bed when she's mad. she also has toothpicks for legs) I keep Mousie in an unfurnished bedroom. It has hardwood floor, her crate with a bed in it and open, a loose bed, her radio and a lamp. That's it except for a dresser and the linen cabinet. This is where she stays while I'm gone. the floor, while able to be damaged is easy to clean up and she can't hurt herself jumping up and down off of furniture. She also has no problems being alone and she's been here for 9 years so a few variables that are different from you.. Or, do you have several babygates that you can use to barricade him someplace. I have to stack two for Mousie because she can jump one. Of course, the cat tends to push down the lower one and let her out....

[OwnedBySummer]

Is it possible to try a baby instead? sometimes that can help with the confinement issues in a new situation.

 

Deb, you made me laugh. Your accidental omission of the word "gate" makes this statement so funny!

 

Seriously, though, perhaps he doesn't like being in the crate. Some don't. Some do.

I agree with others, you need to do alone training. Here's hoping that things improve swiftly!

[Time4ANap]

Leave the crate in place with the door open once you start letting him have the run of the house. He can go back to it if he needs a safe place when alone.

 

We used to crate Rocket EVERY time we went out, and it became apparent that he was really not happy in there. We are lucky and have a dog that doesn't bother anything, and the most he does when alone is relocate his bed or fling a few stuffies around in the air. Sometimes we find him in the crate sunbathing when we come home, but now we only "crate" him if someone has to come in like a plumber or the furnace guy, and that's more about them accidentally letting him out than him needing to be crated.

 

It just takes time.

 

Congratulations on your new pup!

[MaryJane]

Try leaving some classical music on.

[Guest dragontearz]

We tried the crate with Oberon, he HATED it-tried baby-gating him in the kitchen (the one room with easily cleanable floor), he chewed the wall above the gate up badly..After that, we did alone training, left the crate up but with the door always open, and no confinement to any one room-it took a little bit of time, but he's fine with it now...it did seem to help by giving Oberon a Kong filled with peanut butter when we left him alone-by the time he figured out we were gone, he was past being worried about it, and we now come home to him in his crate, roaching asleep with his eyes open most times.

[Yamaha_gurl]

Try leaving some classical music on.

 

 

+1! I usually deep clean house on Saturdays, and will sometimes listen to Charolette Church, and when I do within an hour Bella is sound asleep...even when I start vaccuming, it's like the music is a drug to her, puts her right out.

[Guest KatJon]

I do think the crate might be part of it. Every time we try to get him to go in the crate, he walks directly to his bed on the other side of the room. I have to lead him in by his collar, but then he just lays down within a minute or two.

 

Even when he's not crated, he still panics when we leave... Pacing and whining. Not sure what he would get into if I gave him free reign of the house. We have all wood/laminate floors and he's pretty well housebroken so I'm not too worried about accidents... I'm just worried of what he'll get into if we leave him for a longer period of time.

[4greyhounds]

We only used the crate once with our 3. Pongo never went in a crate only a muzzle. Aladdin and Sophie both could get out of their crate and it was not safe to leave them in one. I personally would try without the crate. I love the response letter above too!

[Guest KsFrets]

I like the idea of eliciting the neighbors help, if he's home anyways, and trustworthy.

BTW, food for thought, our Magnus was an only dog, and we went through the same stuff with his SA. In fact he was a bounce because of SA. We tried the music and the Kongs and the crate and even clothes with our scent on them in the crate. When not crated his favorite thing was tearing up our bed, and he ruined a nice bed set. Then... a month later... we got Maggie. In one second, his SA was completely cured. As long as he's with another dog, he's fine, and we've haven't seen a single symptom of SA in almost 4 years now. He hasn't been crated in that long either... however we still keep the bedroom door closed ... he's not destructive, but he still likes to ball up the bedcovers and crash in the bed while we are gone.

[Guest itsagreytlife]

I know just how stressful this situation is for you. I had a non-grey years ago that had terrible SA and other problems. Very difficult. Then we had our first grey for 2 weeks just this summer and he had bad SA as well. Turns out our adoption group decided he really needed to be with another grey (or more) since he did just fine in the foster home being left alone with their other greys. Don't know if this is the situation with your pup (am NOT telling you to give up--just trying to send some empathy your way!).

 

Did you get him from a foster situation or is he right off the track? Perhaps your adoption group can give you some support with this. They did for me and it was SOO wonderful to know they were as concerned about US as well as for the pup's happiness. We now have a grey who is quite attached to us (okay, to me!) and shows some mild SA but is able to deal ok in the crate and with her kong.

 

Hang in there! Best of luck to you!

 

Mary

[jamngrey]

This is always one of the toughest parts of a hounds homecoming. These are dogs who have not been alone and the life he is now living is WAY different than what he is use to. I suggest you do some serious awaytraining and for right now dont give him affection all the time. I had one pup I had to ignore 15 min before I left and when I came home. I also had to not give hime affection when he came to me. This is what I had to do for pretty much his life since he was a very needy hound (hey he had 2 other greys and he still would have issues when I left). Im sure your boy is not to this extreeme and will calm down when he settles into his new home routine. T have always done awaytraing with my fosters and I truely believe in it. Good luck

[GeorgeofNE]

"Dear (neighbor), Thank you for letting me know. Can you bear with us while we work through this? Rhythm is very new to our home and needs a little time to acclimate. Thank you, (you)."

 

Perfect!

 

I lived in a condo (apartment style units) when I got George. One day I got home, and the Super was waiting for me to tell me he had gotten three complaints (three other owners!) in one day about George. I was mortified! I wrote a letter that explained I had a newly retired Greyhound, that he was not used to live in a home yet, that I was working on the issue, and that it would NOT go on for long, would you please bear with us? I gave them my cell phone number, and invited them to come over and meet a real, life retired racing dog. I put the letter under the door of EVERYONE anywhere near my unit. With one exception (a person who is just nasty by nature!) they all said, "Thanks for letting us know--no problem--we can handle it for a while."

 

I videotaped him the next day, assuming the noise level was being exaggerated, and was HORRIFIED at what I saw on the video--howling at the top of his lungs the ENTIRE two hours of video tape.

 

I stopped crating him, and the noise stopped immediately. He was so good, in fact, one of my neighbors who had complained came to my door in a panic saying, "You didn't get rid of him because of me, did you?" and was shocked to see him wagging his tail at her!

 

I was fortunate that I happened to be the chairman of the condo board at the time this all went on; there was nothing anyone could really do to me.

 

Are you in your own private single family home?

 

In addition to giving up on the crate, I started getting up early so I could walk the dog for 45 minutes before work every day. Four years later, I'm still doing that. A tired dog is much less likely to fuss.

 

I also used a DAP diffuser. I can't say for sure it helped, but it most certainly didn't hurt, and they're not terribly expensive.

 

I should clarify that George was relatively quiet--at first. It was after about two weeks he started to carry on. Some dogs just don't want to live in a crate once they're in a home, and George was one of them. Many dogs are just fine in them--but it's a very different thing for a retired racer to be at the kennels, surrounded by other crated greyhounds, than it is to be alone in the house trapped in a box with no one next to you, or above you, or across from you. I think of it sort of as the difference between living in a dorm, and being in solitary confinement!

[3greytjoys]

You're actually better off going back to work sooner than later. It's harder at first for all concerned, but it's much better for a hound to learn the new normal routine sooner than later. When people are home 24/7 for too long, a hound can become too attached to their human/s which makes it much harder for them to temporarily detach when their people do finally need to leave/return to work.

 

I agree: A tired dog is a happy dog. Also, many new hounds need to potty more often during their first week or two. You might try to give him a few potty opportunities before leaving for work (and watch him for success). Some hounds hold back a reserve in their tanks (especially boys). If he's on a new food, his poops may be less formed and more frequent than normal too. This could lead to discomfort/whining later in crate.

 

Please try not to worry too much about Rhythm not wanting to walk into the crate right away. That's very common with most hounds in a new environment. If Rhythm is lying down (as you mentioned) after you put him in the crate. That's excellent!

 

If you're not already doing this, it would help to begin feeding all his meals in the crate. Also good to continue leaving the crate door open some while you are home. This weekend (and beyond) would be important to put him inside the closed door crate for brief periods while you are still in the same room watching TV, reading, or whatever. The crate needs to become his safe and happy place vs. only a place where he is left alone for hours. (Caution: Please don't punish him by putting him in his crate. That backfires big time.) A low mirror placed several feet away but within view of the crate sometimes helps a brand new hound feel like he/she has another Greyhound buddy nearby. (Make sure the mirror will not get any direct sun.)

 

BTW, try to wait to open the crate door when Rhythm is quiet for at least 10-15 seconds. Otherwise, if he gets rewarded with what he wants for whining/barking, that encourages more whining/barking.

 

If he continues to have problems in the crate, you might consider asking your group if you can borrow a free-standing ex-pen. They are larger than a crate and most ex-pens have an open top. Feels less restrictive to the hound (but also less secure to keep a hound in if Rhythm happens to be a jumper). I agree with you that I would not leave a brand new dog alone free in a new environment for hours. The crate is for his protection too.

 

This is such a new and different life for him being away from Greyhounds for the first time, and in a new home with new people. It's great to encourage him to develop strong confidence while being independent. (If possible, it's better not to let him shadow your every move when you are home during this early transition. Separate him by baby-gate, door, crate or whatever so he learns he will survive when you are out of sight going from room to room, and that you always return. When your dbf returns, it's usually helpful to share feeding and walking so Rhythm isn't too focused on only one person.

 

Good luck, and please ask for help any time along the way. We've all been there before.

[Guest verthib]

Found this on our front door today after work...

 

"You can not leave this dog in the house alone. He is barking and howling, we can hear him carrying on inside our living room with our TV on. It's that bad. You had your window cracked and I was afraid someone might call the police, it's that bad. Thanks, (neighbor) Just wanted to let you know."

 

This was Rhythm's first time home alone for more than a couple hours. I came home for about a half hour around lunchtime, but otherwise, he was in the crate all day. We just got him on Friday, so he is of course still stressed and settling into our home, but I'm not sure how long this can last. I left music on and gave him a kong full of peanut butter, but apparently that didn't help very much. He ran around the yard a bit in the morning, and a little more at lunch, plus I took him for a walk at lunch too.

 

We didn't intend on leaving him for a full day this soon, but dbf had to take a last minute business trip and I needed to go to work. We spent the weekend trying to wean him on the crate.... We put him in there for a little bit while we were in the room, then while we were on the other side of the house, then while we were outside, etc. Obviously one weekend is not enough time to work on this, but does anyone have suggestions? I have to do the same thing tomorrow and don't want my neighbors to freak out.

 

Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated!!

 

Hi, This might not be much help, but we had the same problem with our girl Gracie for about a month and it NEVER got better no matter how much alone training we did or toys we gave or TVs or radios on, etc. We finally got her a "greyfriend" and voila! the separation anxiety is gone! The only time she whines now is if it's raining hard and/or thundering. Would you consider getting another greyhound? Consider that they have always been with other greyhounds....born, raised, trained, raced, housed etc.... never alone.

Edited October 5, 2011 by verthib

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

It might help to give him a treat every time he goes in the crate on command.Make sure to occasionally just get him into the crate just to give him the treat then let him right back out. Don't let him associate being crated with you guys always leaving him alone, at least at first.

 

Mine screamed and howled when left alone for the first couple weeks. It was heartwrenching to hear her from outside, but with alone training and time she got used to being left alone in the house.

 

For Jayne at least, the crate was never the problem. She just had to get used to us leaving and learn that we would always come back.

 

 

[Guest KatJon]

Funny that getting another grey seems like the easiest solution. I bet he would be just fine with that, but as this is our first one, we wanted to at least wait a few months before getting another one. Although, it's not out of the question... There is always the option of fostering to see if a "greyfriend" is all the help we need.

 

Update: I left him out of the crate this morning (for about 3 hours), then dbf's dad came over to check on him and let him out. Apparently nothing was messed up in the house, but he was definitely whining and howling though. Poor doggy, wish he wasn't so lonely