An Unhappy Hound

[Guest hplove45]

Hey all, I am new to this board and am a fairly new grey owner. Adopted my sweet boy Neville about six month ago, and I am just a little bit worried about his well-being. Other than some constant whining issues, he has settled in beautifully and I couldn't ask for a sweeter dog. I do have some concerns though. I live alone in a pretty small two-bedroom duplex with no other dogs (do also have an iguana but Neville doesn't really interact much with her). I work full-time usually from nine to five (come home at lunch to give him a quick walk) and when I get home I try to walk Neville for at least an hour. For the rest of the night he mopes and just lays around, even though I do try to play with him. He lays on his bed and just looks so mopey and sad.

 

About two weeks ago I went on a business trip and left Neville in the care of a friend out in the county. My friend brought Neville to his house, where he has twenty-five acres complete with horses, cats, chickens, and other dogs. I just picked Neville up on Tuesday. I was worried about how he would be with so much space and so many other animals, but my friend said that other than a minor scuffle with one of his cattle dogs, Neville was fine. He told me that Neville was constantly outside running at top speed and playing with the other dogs, and he said that he was surprised because I had initially told him that Neville sleeps and lays on his bed all the time. He also told me that Neville had seemed extremely happy and had never once whined or looked mopey.

 

Now that Neville is home, he is back to moping and whining occasionally. I try to exercise him as much as I can with my work schedule, but he till looks sad all the time. Is it because he wants to be with the other dogs and be able to run all the time? Is he bored with duplex life? I do have a (small) fenced in backyard but when I let Neville out he does his business and then begs to be let back in. Shows no interest in running. I always thought greyhounds were laid back and lazy dogs that liked to sleep all day, but is it possible that mine will only be happy somewhere where he can have more freedom? Thanks!

[Guest june]

Greys do love the odd run or two and do enjoy the company of other animals. Sounds like he had a good time at your friend's house which is terrific. Greys also do love to lay around a good part of the time. The first thing that popped into my mind is can you take him to your friend's house occasionally so he can run and play with the other animals? Play dates? I'm sure he would love that and would then begin to look forward to the time he has to run and play with the others without giving up his human; because YOU are his human and although he enjoyed his trip I have no doubt he loves you. What you describe is a wonderful life for any greyhound. You take time to meet his needs and are aware of his feelings. Keep up the good work!

[OwnedBySummer]

Since you seem to have found a wonderful place for him to play and run... I would go out there every week and let him have fun. I try to run Summer with other greyhounds 1-3 times a week, depending on the weather. She loves it and then is more than ready to return home to her comfy couch. And you can play with him out there, too -- if he plays with balls, Chuck-It makes a wonderful whistling ball which we find the greyhounds like. And then YOU are part of the wonderful running experience at your friend's house, too!

Edited December 9, 2011 by OwnedBySummer

[TheFullHouse]

Maybe you can find some greyhound owners in the area and arrange some play dates. Greyhounds are very social animals and have been around other greyhounds all their lives. It's not so much the running, it's the socialization they love. I have no doubt he loves you. Try your adoption group, they may be able to help you connect with some other owners.

[Batmom]

Many greyhounds (and other dogs) will be wired if *other* dogs around them are wired. If something is going on, mine will be on their feet and in the middle of it. If nothing is going on, they sleep. Excited on the one hand, contented on the other. Don't sell your home short .

 

It does sound like a playdate with friends would be good for both of you a couple times a month .

[kudzu]

Do some training. Greys are bright & do enjoy activity a lot. However, when there is nothing to do they are also very good at just laying around, doing nothing. That doesn't mean they are thrilled with that though it also doesn't necessarily mean they are unhappy. Depends a lot on the dog.

 

So back to training. You will be shocked at how much your dog will change once you start working with them. Many of us have been impressed & surprised when our lazy or shy dogs come to life at the possibility of a training session. It is all about communication, thinking, activity, interaction & rewards. Those are many or all of the things your dogs was getting on vacation. Here is a good place to start http://www.sue-eh.ca/page24/page26/ then move on to this http://www.sue-eh.ca/page24/page26/page10/ and get started. The link to the next step is at the bottom of each page. Don't worry about the emphasis her writing places on competition. Many, many people with pet dogs training on their own, dog trainers looking for a training plan to follow & even folks training service/assistance dogs have used this program. It works & most of all it's fun!!

 

Also, you might want to look into things like LGRA racing http://www.lgra.org/ or NOTRA racing http://notra.org/ or lure coursing http://asfa.org/ as outlets for your hounds running desires. There are also possible play groups. You might contact your adoption group to see if there are any Greyhound folks in your area who get together. Are you walking in areas where other people walk their dogs? If not, are there any parks where some folks do? That can help give him canine socialization time. Fenced baseball or soccer fields can be good places to let him run off leash. He doesn't necessarily need to be running with another dog. All these different activities can help fill the gaps you are worried about. You don't have to do all of them every week. Just look into doing what your dog is interested in doing & you have time for. Another possibility is a weekly agility class. My dogs love going to agility class. It means other dogs, activity, interaction with me & plenty of rewards. Obedience classes can be good as well. Though you can do a lot of that training at home it sure helps for them to learn to work with you even when there are all those distractions going on.

 

Some of these ideas may not be appropriate for a dog with very high prey drive. Some aren't going to be great for a dog with no prey or chase drive. I'm just trying to show you all the things you can do to give your dog the fun & interaction you think he may crave. He can be happy if you get creative & go looking for opportunities. In the end though, if you really feel he isn't happy & you can find no workable solution it's possible having a dog or at least this dog may not be appropriate for you. My bet though is that you just may not know all these opportunities exist or how much fun you can have just working & training with your dog. There is a reason there are so many of us fools driving around with vans crammed with dog stuff & no room for other humans.

 

Good luck & HAVE FUN!!!

[GeorgeofNE]

What you're describing as "moping" is actually just typical Greyhound behavior. He's not a Border Collie! They sleep a LOT.

 

I live alone, work full time, and have a 2 bedroom condo. George doesn't play with any of the many, many toys I have. He sleeps. He eats. He follows me around, and he takes walks with me. I think he's perfectly happy! I've taken him to a few play dates, and while he does enjoy the company of other Greyhounds, he really doesn't DO a whole lot when he has the chance to.

 

Please don't think your dog is unhappy because he doesn't bounce around the house like a terrier!

 

Having said that, if your friend is willing to let you come out on weekends and give your boy a run, how wonderful!

 

I'm sure he's very fond of you, and I expect he is perfectly content!

[mychip1]

What everyone else said.....

 

Before I had the two boys I that I have now, I had my boy Jack. At the time, my job was a pretty long drive away...so I couldn't even get home for lunch....he spent very long days alone - with an occasional visit from my parents to let him out on some days. When I got home we would do an extremely long walk....and any errands I went on, I tossed him in the Explorer with me. But when we were home, he would simply lay around and watch what I was doing. (And by the way, all of mine do the occasional whine.). As far as loving you and being happy....my Jack was extraordinarily protective of me an hugely attached.

 

 

We would all love to be with our kids all day - but frankly (and I know because I spy on them with a camera) all they do is sleep when we are not home.

 

As far as the overall personality - with these hounds, six months is not a long time for a personality to develop. Some greys take a little longer than others to get a little more "spark"....of course, others never get it and are happy to be eternal couch potatoes...and that's OK, too!

[Feisty49]

We like to transfer human emotions to our dogs. We get bored so they must be bored. We are upset so they must be upset. They're sensitive animals but they're not human.

 

As far as looking sad: 99% of the pics I take of Annie Bella show her looking what others call sad. I call it the way she looks 99% of the time. Seriously, how many pics of Greys have we seen where sad eyes are practically begging to be fed, be pet, let outside, let inside, loved up, allowed on the bed, etc.

 

Life is what it is for us and them. He is loyal to you and knows you are his human. Plan fun things to do when you have the time and love him up lots when you're home.

[Guest mbfilby]

More then a few first time adopters wonder if their pups are sad at first. Generally greys are not high energy in the home.

 

I may have missed it, but is your friend's acreage fenced and secure for your pup?

[Guest hplove45]

Thanks for all the advice yall. Normally I would leave it at that and be happy, but had a disturbing problem last night. Neville woke me up at 2 AM with his whining. He NEVER wakes me up in the middle of the night. Naturally I assumed that he had to go to the bathroom, so I let him out in the yard. He kind of trotted around a few times, took a poo, and then was just sniffing around, at which point I told him to come back inside since it was 2:00 and about fifteen degrees outside. He came in, I went to bed, but he was STILL whining. I tried ignoring him, but after about an hour I couldn't take it anymore, so I put him in his crate in the laundry room. Some background info on his crate - I used to crate him only at night for the first month that I had him since he would cry all night. He obviously didn't like the crate, but he tolerated it and never did anything destructive. Once I felt like he was calm enough I stopped, and he hasn't been in the crate for about five months. Woke up a few hour later this morning and went to let him out. He was a mess. He had obviously been chewing on the bars all night, because the paint was scraped off and he had a bloody nose. I am at a loss for what to do. I can't have him whining all night, but I can't put him in the crate if he's going to injure himself. He has an appointment at the vet on Tuesday to get his teeth cleaned so I guess I'll ask the vet if anything medical could be triggering this weird behavior. Any other thoughts?

[krissy]

If he was having some sort of anxiety then being removed from his major source of comfort (you) and put into a crate which he doesn't really like would certainly set off some panic and destructive behaviour like you saw. I don't really have any insight into why he was whining in the first place. Could be he's injured or hurt in some way, could be that his whining recently has been rewarded with attention (any kind of attention) so he's started whining at times he normally wouldn't.... Someone else may have some other suggestions for triggers.

 

Medical problems aside, if this is purely behavioural the best thing you can do is simply ignore any and all whining. Which sucks when it's 3 AM. Get a pair of good ear plugs and use them so you can ignore his cries. If he's crying for attention he'll likely stop when he realizes that it doesn't get him anywhere.

[Guest hplove45]

I know now I shouldn't have put him in there I feel terrible. And now he's afraid to come in my room because I think he thinks I'm going to put him back in his crate. Such a sad day already....

[3greytjoys]

 

Do you have jammies or a coat, and a blanket for your hound? Some whine when they are too cold.

 

I wonder if your hound's food might be giving him gas? What food is he eating?

 

Sometimes one of our hounds whines at night when he's hungry, or needs to go potty. I give all the hounds about 1/2 cup of slightly moistened kibble as a bedtime snack to keep their stomach acid down by early morning.

 

Re: exercise, remember that Greyhounds are sprinters. Their races only last about 30 seconds. When we take our hounds to Greyhound only, fenced playdates (where all dogs are safely muzzled to protect their thin skin), some hounds simply hang around the humans getting attention and don't run at all, some enjoy running intermittently for 20-30 minutes, and some run a few laps then immediately lie down by the humans for the rest of the time. They don't need extensive exercise. They do enjoy their daily leashed walks too. I'm home with my pack all day. Besides their walks, they play with toys for a few minutes, have several potty outings in the yard, but they rest most of the day (like cats). Some love to chew on hard "Durachews" ("Souper size", bacon or chicken flavored, made by Nylabone). Even taking a hound to a Meet and Greet can be nice socialization for them away from home.

 

Hounds do like to sleep near their people, so I hope you can discover the underlying reason for the whining so you can both get a good night sleep. Your hound is definitely trying to tell you something. Crating all alone in another room can be very stressful on a hound. Good luck and please keep us posted. We're here to help you. Thank you for posting to GT.

[3greytjoys]

I know now I shouldn't have put him in there I feel terrible. And now he's afraid to come in my room because I think he thinks I'm going to put him back in his crate. Such a sad day already....

 

Try not to worry. You can turn this around and into a great day.

 

Here is a good distraction and will help build trust: If you have yummie dog treats (mild cheese bits, meat or kibble) you could play a little game of "Find It". Simply toss a treat on the ground in front of him, let him eat it, then toss the treats a little farther away from him to eat, then a little farther away. After a few minutes, stop and you go do something else for a while. A little later you could get excited and call him in a happy, high voice. Give treats every time he comes. If he's scared to come, go back to tossing treats on the ground. Play that game a few times. Last, when you feel he's feeling safe and comfortable with this yummie game, toss treats in front of him into the doorway of the bedroom (but you stay away from the bedroom), toss more treats deeper into the bedroom, just let him get the treats and you go away and you do something else. He needs to see that good and happy things happen in the bedroom and that he is safe there. I'm guessing he will willingly go back in the bedroom soon.

 

Give him love and pets today, and if you have time, a happy walk usually helps clear an emotional cloud.

 

It would be nice if he's trustworthy enough not to force him into his crate tonight. Maybe just a muzzle for his safety, if he chews things during the night.

 

If you work on weekdays: tomorrow, you might consider beginning to feed him all meals in his open door crate for a while to help him feel comfortable in the crate again.

The goal is making him feel the crate is his happy and safe place.

Edited December 10, 2011 by 3greytjoys

[Batmom]

Once the dog has had a problem like this, there is no making the crate a safe and happy place.

 

PLEASE don't crate this dog again. If you need to confine him at some future point, use baby gates or an exercise pen.

 

Does he normally sleep on a dog bed in your room with you? Could be he just had a mild digestive upset or was cold last night?

[MerlinsMum]

I agree with Batmom and strongly believe that the crate is a big no-no for him. Muzzling and babygating should be the go-to solution for confinement purposes. There is definitely some underlying anxiety going on here, I am wodering if he is a bit lonely, so I definitely think that playdates are good way to go.

 

I also think that whoever mentioned the possibility of Neville being cold may have a point. Also, does he sleep next to your bed, or further away? Merlin used to wake me several times per night to have me tuck him in again, and since I have started to put jammies on him before bed he wakes me up only about once per night.

 

Whatever you do, do not put him in another room at night, as it will almost certainly increase his anxiety, and do not give into his whining or it will never stop.

 

It could be that he is hungry, too. Do you give him a big biscuit before bed?

 

Please keep us posted! We're here to help.

[mychip1]

Put a big comfy bed in your room for him with lots of blankets.....bring yummy treats, etc. But if all else fails, you may want to go sleep whereever he is.

 

As I said, my Jack chose to confine himself to the kitchen for days and would run out of the bedroom right back to the kitchen....so guess where I slept for a few hours a night?? Yup on the tile in the kitchen! I would do a few hours with him, just so he could bond. He then on his own would move around the house and select where he was happy - which ended up being on my bed....

 

Keep us posted.

[Guest hplove45]

Hi all, just wanted to give an update. So hallelujah, Neville slept through the night last night without waking me (did come poke his nose in my face at 7 AM, but I was about ready to get up anyway). I'm really hoping that his issue the night before was just a one-time thing. That being said, I do still have some concerns. Brought him over to a friend's house today for brunch. My friend has a German shepherd and a boxer, and another friend's American Eskimo was there too. Neville had a blast romping in the backyard with the three of them (we even joked that we were going to have a wedding for him and the boxer), so much that I felt terrible when it was time to bring him home. Once we got home, he whined for about ten minutes and then went to sleep. I think he's more social than most greyhounds and really needs the companionship of other dogs. The place where I live doesn't allow more than one dog, but I do bring him to the dog park once a week (I know most people say dog parks are a BIG no-no for greyhounds, but he absolutely loves it and I can't bring myself to stop bringing him) and usually we go to my friend's place one other day during the week. That's twice a week that he gets to socialize with other dogs. Do yall think that's enough? I don't really know what to do if the answer is no, but I'm hoping for some reassurance. Thanks!

[Batmom]

Once or twice a week is awesome.

 

Sometimes dogs whine for no useful reason. Fair warning, tho -- I did have one dog who almost always wanted to go out to potty again shortly after getting home from a serious romp.

[LaFlaca]

Wendy will occasionally whine to go out at dark-thirty in the wee hours of the morning. It's usually because there's some critter or other rustling around in the yard and she wants to go hunting. I have two choices when this happens; turn a deaf ear or get out of bed, let her out and then let her back in when she has rid the world of whatever vermin is lurking outside. Gotta love 'er!

[mychip1]

I think that one or two times a week is great. Again.....six months isn't really a lot of time with these dogs for their personality to fully develop.....he will blossom with you as time goes on.....

 

He sounds lucky to have a Mom who cares so much!

[Guest hplove45]

Once again, thanks to yall for all the great responses. I'm so glad I found this forum! Good news - Neville slept through the night again last night. I think I may have found a cause of his whining. This morning he was whining and pacing very loudly, so I let him in the backyard while I got dressed. He made a beeline for the grass at the edge of the patio and started munching. He has always enjoyed an occasional grass snack before, so I wasn't worried. However, a couple minutes later I saw him eating something dark, which I think may have been poop? He has NEVER eaten poop before! Finished getting dressed and took him for a good brisk walk, and when we got home he promptly passed out on his bed. Could eating the grass and poop be somehow linked to the whining, and could that be caused by some underlying illness? He's going to the vet tomorrow so I'll definitely ask then, but just wanted to see what yall thought.

[kudzu]

Yes, it is possible those are related. There are many possible causes. I may have missed it but did you try giving a bedtime snack? Just wondering if he was suffering from empty stomach syndrome. My oldest girl gets that. If her stomach is empty too long it seems to make her nauseous. A bedtime snack helps a lot.

 

Something else to consider is the possibility of intestinal parasites. That would be something to discuss with the vet.

 

Hang in there. Sounds like you are working towards a solution.

[Guest hollyhound2000]

Two thoughts:

 

He may be having digestive upsets, which would cause the whining and unsettledness at night. Check with vet, most definitely.

 

He is an "only dog" at present. He may not be the kind of dog that does well as an "only". I would suggest you talk to your adoption group. It does not sound like a second dog is possible for you, and I'm not sure occasional play dates will solve the problem.