Newly Adopted Grey Gathering Stuff/hoarding

[Guest kaiandsam]

I'm sure somewhere in this huge forum, this subject has come up. Since I'm not good at searching, I'm going to ask for advice from y'all instead.

 

We just adopted our first Grey last week. We brought her home on Wednesday, and she was straight off the track. She seems to be adjusting really well, except for this hoarding thing. She only does it during the day, and will do it both when we are home, and when we are not home. She doesn't do it at night when we are asleep.

 

She gathers stuff. TV Remotes, VHS Tapes, shoes and boots, jackets, blankets, a full coffee cup (she spilled the coffee out first) and of course toys. She emptied a drawer of hats and mittens out today all over the floor, no telling how the drawer got opened. Most of the time she drags her find to her pillow, lays it down, and ignores it. With the hats and mittens today she just pulled them out of the drawer onto the floor and left them.

 

She seems to just like to be surrounded by stuff. I've never seen this behavior with a dog before. Right now, we are firmly saying NO when we catch her with a contraband item in her mouth, and then we take it away. But my question is, has anyone else dealt with this? Is it a greyhound thing? How do I break her of this? I don't care if she hoards the toys, our other two dogs can take them away easily if they want them. But the other miscellaneous stuff...it's kind of funny now, but I can see where in the future this will become a problem. I want to nip it in the bud so to speak.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Kai and Gracie May

[Mike516]

I need to apologize real quick because...

 

LMAO!!!!

 

Sorry

 

Ginger collects all her toys and puts them in her bed. She also like to drink coffee but she leaves the cup where it is.

 

My advice would be to put child locks on drawers and closets and put away anything you don't want her to make hers.

[Guest kaiandsam]

Thanks Mike. It is kind of funny!

 

I need to apologize real quick because...

 

LMAO!!!!

 

Sorry

 

Ginger collects all her toys and puts them in her bed. She also like to drink coffee but she leaves the cup where it is.

 

My advice would be to put child locks on drawers and closets and put away anything you don't want her to make hers.

[Guest FawnFan]

Hi Kai!

 

Welcome to the boards and the wonderful world of greyhounds.

 

One of my females (her name was Racey) was a "hoarder". We actually called her our little "shopper". She would "shop" all kinds of things - many of the things you have listed. And the only thing she really loved to take and destroy was hand lotion bottles. For some odd reason, she loved to eat hand lotion.

 

Anyway, I found it to be a charming characteristic of her especially since she hardly ever destroyed anything. Yet I could see how it could be annoying to some too.

 

As to your question is it a greyhound thing or not, I can't answer specifically to that as I've never had any other dog who has done this type of thing. I'm sure it happens though. I do know of other greyhound owners who have had similar experiences.

 

My guess is others will weigh in with suggestions on how to get her to stop doing this, if there is such a thing. My suggestion would be to greyhound proof the areas she has access to so nothing is "hoarded" beyond your wishes. Otherwise, you may want to leave her some strategically placed items for her to "hoard" so she can get it out of her system each day. We used to do to this with Racey and it worked out well.

 

Good luck!

~Jean

[kudzu]

Its a Greyhound thing. Most of us find it rather charming but I do work to teach them what is theirs & what isn't. Remember she has no idea that she shouldn't be doing this. Just be patient as she learns the rules of the house. It is better to be proactive so you can short cut her before she takes an item in the first place. Keep a close eye on her. When she is showing interest in forbidden items usually a quick "ah" or firm "no" but not loud, harsh, etc. Greys are usually very responsive to correction. Then redirect her to an appropriate item or activity.

 

The number one rule though is that if you miss in supervising & she manages to get a cache going, you must *take pictures first*, then retrieve the ill gotten booty.

 

ETA: Link to old blog post for one of my former foster dogs. http://gotheextramilehound.blogspot.com/2008/10/true-confessions-part-2.html

Edited November 22, 2011 by kudzu

[kikibean]

Molly was a collector when we first got her. Anything that wasn't nailed down went in the crate (shoes, alarm clocks, screwdriver, flashlight, etc). She never destroyed anything, just collected it. I think it's fairly common for new dogs to do. We had a foster dog take her foster mom's purse into her crate.

 

One of my recent fosters was also a hoarder. She even found a hose sprayer head out in the yard somewhere and had it in her crate. I have a picture of her somewhere with all her "stuff" in her crate.

 

I think they usually grow out of it once they settle in. As long as they're not chewing things up I think it's sort of funny.

[mychip1]

My JJ hoards a bit - but the problem is that he then chews on things...i.e. plungers, hair brushes, remotes, etc. My concern is more about what he will ingest. We just watch him like a hawk. My bridge boy Jack used to move his beds all over the house with some of my clothes! Not sure how to stop it....

[vjgrey]

Sorry, no advice, but, yes, it is a "greyhound thing."

 

Gabe did this when we first brought him home but stopped once he felt more settled. It was clearly a comfort thing for him, although I know some greyhounds are just "collectors."

 

I found it endearing, and he never destroyed anything. He once carted off my palm pilot in a leather case, and there weren't even teeth marks on the leather.

[spottydog]

My boy collected soiled socks (bad housekeeping!) and took them into his crate when we first got him. The behavior went away quite quickly.

[kikibean]

Found it! Here is Helen with - the sprayer head, dish towel, jeans pant leg (?), kong and a tennis ball.

 

About 5 minutes worth of collecting for her. She was VERY proud of herself.

 

[Guest BlueCrab]

I've heard many stories of greys who are hoarders. Ours is not.

 

One of our bridge kids, Duke (pointer / lab mix) was a thief, tho. He'd steal and destroy just about anything he could get hold of - if it wasn't vaguely edible and he'd therefore consume it. He'd steal cans of cat food out of the grocery bag while we were walking out to the car for the second load, have it opened (chewed thru the lid) and emptied clean in the time for us to make that short walk out, get another bag and return. He'd bust open cases of soda and steal multiple cans in the same amount of time. He'd then puncture the cans on his bed, which happened to be on the hardwood floor of the living room. He stole my makeup case out of my briefcase and ruined all of my makeup. He chewed thru the pockets of coats to get gum wrappers or mints or mint wrappers.

 

Long story, sorry. Point being, we had to train ourselves to put everything - every single solitary thing - up, out of reach, or behind a locked door. When he figured out how to open the kitchen cabinet where we stored his food, we started securing the door by sliding a wooden spoon thru the handles. Nope - chewed thru the spoon or slid it out of the way and opened the cabinets. We had to reinvent our storage methods.

 

Some dogs will just always be hoarders - or downright thieves like my Duke (but I still loved him and cried like mad when he left us). You may have to start training yourself and your family as well as Gracie. While your other dogs never showed the same trait, she may not lose the habit.

[macoduck]

Keep dangerous or expensive things out of her reach. No use in yelling at her after the fact when the fault is yours for leaving things out. Take this as Newbie Lesson 101.

 

Take delight in the funny things she collects (and doesn't destroy). One day, after she has died of old age, you'll look back on these first few months and wish she was still here to amuse you.

[Time4ANap]

Hopefully someone has the picture of the pup who was wearing a bra when the owner got home...... Lock your underwear drawer....

 

Repeated correction over time will help your pup learn what belongs to them and what doesn't. Sounds like a prime candidate for lots of stuffed toys!

We have here. Where are the of your new hoarder pup??? Sounds like you are in for some fun!

[montgomery2524]

Our Jasmine was a hoarder. If we were missing something all we had to do was check the crate. After she graduated from the crate she became an interior designer. She would take pillows from one place and put them elsewhere. Bathroom rugs were moved to the kitchen and kitchen ones to the bedroom. She usually did not tear anything up with the exception of three tv remotes and leather tassels on shoes. It took us three remotes to say hmmm, maybe we should put these higher up. (slow humans) She would toss shoes around but she only ate the ones with leather tassels. She is now 10 and no longer has the desire to redecorate. Like Ducky says the memories of something silly like this will bring you a smile once they go to the bridge. Afterall the remotes still work, they just are a bit knawled on.

[Guest KennelMom]

It usually fades over time, but not always. They seem to quickly learn what is dog stuff and what is people stuff, though some will continue to "collect" items. My first girl used to love to collect picture frames and umbrellas. Ahhh...sweet memories.

[Guest goofydog]

Hopefully someone has the picture of the pup who was wearing a bra when the owner got home...... Lock your underwear drawer....

 

We have here. Where are the of your new hoarder pup??? Sounds like you are in for some fun!

 

Oh yeah, the bra was priceless, as was the trashcan lid!

[Guest Midge]

Here's a picture of Holly's handiwork from a few years ago:

 

 

She had a shoe thing going for a while but yes, that is a clock and a nickle as well.

 

Now she's into mostly towels and laundry. We keep the laundry in the bathroom with the door closed now. She never destroys anything unless it's made of leather. My vet so enjoys the panicked phone calls. A wallet, her leather tag collar (spit out the tags that time), a watch (had us... watching... for the hardware for that one), the leather collar OFF OUR SPANIEL'S NECK! We're still not sure how she managed that one, the collar wouldn't have just slipped off of him, he's not cuddly with the hounds and has little in the way of a sense of humour with them. But we have noticed some mornings that his back and neck have that drooly "fresh groomed" look.

 

Oh yeah, the other day she tried to drag a body pillow to bed with her... up the stairs. Never a camera around and charged when you need one.

 

Moral of the story, keep things you don't want to have to search for up or in closets.

[Guest madredhare]

It usually fades over time, but not always. They seem to quickly learn what is dog stuff and what is people stuff, though some will continue to "collect" items. My first girl used to love to collect picture frames and umbrellas. Ahhh...sweet memories.

Oh my! My bridge girl Dixie loved umbrellas! I have a picture of her carrying one in her mouth. Yes, sweet memories. Something about a dog fresh off the track and their little quirks!

[Guest nani]

Rosie has to constantly "put our shoes away" for us. We come in through the kitchen and are careful to take them off before walking on the carpet. Rosie believes they belong on the carpet, and that we must be too lazy to put them there. She works very hard to help keep the house in order! Not to her bed but just to the middle of the floor.

[sarabz]

Bella did this when we first got her, for about three weeks. All of her stuffies, shoes, even the dustbuster It wore off after a few weeks, and she lost interest in stuffies. About 14 months later, she's now interested in stuffies again and we're coming home to them scattered around the apartment, as she's obviously been playing with them.

 

So, yes, dogproof (put away anything you don't want her to have, even if you think she can't reach it), give her things that are hers (stuffies or other toys) and gently correct when you see her trying to get to something that is not hers.

 

And have fun, enjoy, and take pictures

 

[Guest tinams8]

Lucy did this too. I think it's funny except for the occasional thing that she decides to chew up. It got better with time, but she still takes things at times when no one is home and she is antsy. Times when we are normally gone seem to be ok.

 

We taught her which things were her toys, and that helped a lot. Lots of attention when she played with or touched the right things, gently taking back the other things.

 

I used to keep her busy by putting a bunch of toys in her crate and letting her drag them across the house one by one to her "loot spot. "

 

One day she took dh's wallet and took out all the money and credit cards without any damage. today she had his checkbook and a pen. I hide the tv remotes so she won't buy anything from infomercials while I'm at work.

 

Seriously though, until I knew she was not actually ingesting things, I kept her crated when I went out. If they grab a bottle of vitamins or a tube of toothpaste or something it could be a problem.

[Guest kaiandsam]

I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who has had this problem. Thanks so much for your help and advice. I loved your funny stories. Would love to see the bra picture!

[Pepperjack]

It could be worse. I came home and Kali was trying to horde a mouse the cats had caught. And she was none too eager to let me remove it from her bed...

[Guest mbfilby]

Two of our hounds have been horders, and it does usually fade in time. Baby proof your home, and remember to keep dangerous things (medication etc.) well out of reach.

[GeorgeofNE]

George did this for the first couple of weeks--although he was in a crate when I wasn't home. I thought it was charming. I wish he still did it!