This Is A First For Me

[JoanBelleIsle]

HELP!!

 

I've adopted a dozen Greyhounds over 20+ years. I thought I had dealt with most common behavior issues. But the new boy arrived complete with a whole set of behaviors that I have never had to handle.

 

First he clearly thinks the whole house is his oyster and everything in it is a toy for him to play with whenever the mood strikes. I know that he was a favorite in the kennel and that he frequently had run of the place when there were people around. He is a counter surfer with a big enough reach that he can get to anything anywhere on the counters. He amuses himself with anything that he can get to when I'm out, and he can open baby gates with ease. He's one smart dude. So far he has not figured out how to open the frig, take off the screw on cover to the dog food, or open the cabinets but I won't be surprised when he does.

 

The good news is that he gets along famously with both of my other dogs. He cuddles and gives kisses, and is in all other respects a great dog.

 

I have not needed to crate any of the dogs that I've adopted over the years, although I do own one that is currently on loan to a friend. My space is relatively small. Big enough for me and three dogs, but I can't figure out where I would put a crate assuming that he would tolerate being crated. When I fostered broken legged dogs, I used an x-pen to confine the new comer. Given how easily the new boy figured out how to open the baby gate, I have a feeling that x-pens wouldn't even be a challenge.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to teach this boy the house rules?

 

Thanks,

 

Joan

[kamsmom]

He needs to be busy, busier than he is now. The old saying "a tired dog is a good dog" rings true and is perfect for him. Do you walk him? Do you have games you can play with him? When I brought Steak home he was into everything! I started going in the back yard and just tossing balls. He didn't chase them but he chased the lab that chased the balls and it would burn up some of that energy.

 

In the house we played hide and seek. I know, sounds silly, but it was fun and it burned up more energy. I would hide behind a door or in a bathroom and call him, he would search all over the house looking for me, when he would find me we would jump around and get all silly. Then do it again. Sometimes I had to have the kids hold him so that I could go hide .

 

Good luck, he sounds like he wil be a lot of fun

[TheFullHouse]

Oh my gosh you have a Dammit Arrow! That's my boys name which he acquired by getting into all the things you've mentioned plus some that you haven't. Honestly I've tried all the behavior modifications, some worked and some didn't. It takes time with these dogs. We've had Arrow 7 years and we finally broke him from counter surfing, mostly by keeping anything off the counters that he can get in to. It works for the most part but he will still go into the kitchen first thing in the morning or after meal times looking for snacks. He finally learned the phrase "Arrow, get out of the kitchen" and he complies for the most part. We treated every time he would comply with a request and have managed to break all the bad habits but one and that is the sofa pillows.

[heartdogs]

Joan you forgot pictures!! We need to see this boy.

[Guest mirinaaronsmom]

Mojo was also a kennel favorite and thinks he's king of the world. He's not quite as much of a handfull, but he does get into anything and everything when I'm not home, and sometimes when I am home if I'm not paying attention. He refused to be crated a few days after arriving and goes right through baby gates. I took him out running to poop him out, got him a backpack, took looooong walks, went to the dog park and he comes home and plays with his toys. Even going through chemo has not slowed this boy down. I have to muzzle him when I'm gone and that works wonders. Sorry I'm not more help, but I will be watching to see other suggestions.

[Tallgreydogmom]

We have a kennel pet also. He kept being returned for pulling down curtain, un-stuffing chairs and going thru the drawers and cabinets.

 

It took a few years but he has finally settled down. We muzzled and crated him. We felt bad doing it as he was not muzzled at the kennel. We did keep him supplied with bones from the butcher store. He would jump our inner fence (dog area) and take himself for a run in the outer area. He would stop when he was dragging.

 

He likes to sit in our laps. He likes to sleep on the bed but needs to be muzzled and checked on often.

 

Best of Luck

[Wonder]

Passion was a kennel pet. She finally out grew it after 6 years

 

[Feisty49]

::reminder:: Avoid kennel pet Greyhounds.

[robinw]

Sounds like Loca. I had somebody take her for a long walk at lunchtime. That helped a lot. Plus I tried to make sure that everything was out of her reach, but it didn't matter what I did...everything was in her reach.

[gazehund]

Nah, not all kennel favorites are brats. I have two actually and both of them are very good boys.

Good luck Joan!

[MaryJane]

Get him tired.

 

I'm using one of the rope toys for my new boy Adam who just turned 2 (returned for some not desirable behavior) and he plays with it himself by tossing it in the air and then running at full speed in circles trying to pick it up. I take him out in my back yard for this twice a day and he does it for 10 to 20 minutes.

 

If you can, you also want to walk him at least 40 minutes a day.

[Guest RyanR]

Joan,

This reminds me of early days with my boy Dino. He was very much the same way - and this was in a one bedroom apartment! For a time, I had to buy new door knobs every week because he would watch me turn the door knob on the front door when I left for class. He'd use his teeth and try to turn it himself to get out mangling them in the process! If I hadn't locked it from the outside he would have gotten out a dozen times over. This example is only the tip of the iceburg. The cops were called on me twice because of him - university police pulled me out of a class once because of him. I remember saying to him, "You are smart but I am smarter!" and my favorite, "You are willful but I am more willful!!" He made me play the game on an entirely new field. As I'm writing this, he's 12 1/2 and has a turmor jetting out of his leg and he wants to go play because the sun is shining. When it came to Dino, pardon the pun, but it was his world and I was just living in it. I began to learn what he needed everyday and I served those needs because if I didn't he'd make me pay. I got 10 years 8 months of this. It was a crazy, wild ride with him but I'd never trade it because he made life a lot of fun and kept me on my toes.

 

Ready or not it sounds like you just bought a ticket for the same ride, my friend! Just remember that he is willful, but you are more willful!

 

Ryan

 

PS - I forgot to add, getting him really tired should buy you about 10 minutes of peace and quite. That's about it.

Edited January 25, 2012 by RyanR

[Guest gomiesmom]

Oh my - sounds like my "busy" Lilly.

Lilly is a "busy" girl.

She's been here almost 4 years, but for the 1st three and sometimes now, my husband and I are like --- "Where's Lilly"; "can you go check on Lilly"; I run arund the house saying " where is Lilly, where's my little girl-squirrel"; hoping she'll answer or at least I will hear her into whatever it is she's into.

sometimes, she is sneak tearing up toilet paper ( the whole roll), somtimes she's throwing socks she obtained out of the (closed) hamper into the air; sometimes she is in my closet nosing around..... sometimes she's sniffing the counter, contemplating surfing it.

Long & short - we try to keep her tired & keep our eyes on her...... or at least if she goes MIA, go looking.....

[silverfish]

I agree - he needs to be doing something to tire him out, body and mind!

 

Ranger was apparently a kennel favourite. He has his problems (socialising with other dogs, being super-clumsy and injury-prone, knocking Sid around with his body, etc) but inside the house he's no problem.

 

He never soils, he never steals, he never chews anything, he never gets on the furniture, he doesn't bark his head off unless someone's at the door - and then he's my guard grey! He does sometimes vomit, but that's not his fault.

[Sheshe]

Aria (Forbes Windsong) was our kennel brat. She was the favorite of all the trainers. When we picked her up the foster mom said, watch out she is a princess. She indeed turned out to be the Diva of all Princess'. She was our first grey and introduction in to greyhound cult. She really took us on a wild and crazy ride. We met her trainer on the Greytalk board and she gave me a little info on her at the track. She said that Aria always thought she won the race, whether she did or not. In her head she won. Her trainer would get permission to take her home, so she was spoiled on top of being a kennel brat. We just continued to spoil her and all was fine.

[Hubcitypam]

No real advice but when I had all those teenage beauty school dropouts from the OK farms I'd joke that I had the busiest top of a fridge in town. That and the microwave to store stuff.

I used the oven too until I'd forget I stored stuff in the oven.... Preheat was not pretty.

 

Good luck Joan. Thank you for being such a part of the greyhound world.

Edited January 26, 2012 by Hubcitypam

[muddgirl]

What, all greys aren't like this?

 

We are lucky that Batman is on the smaller side and can't quite reach the counters without putting his paws up (which he is learning is a big NO!). But he thinks everything at nose level and lower is fair game. We ALSO play the "Where's Batman???" game, and we know now that if he's not in sight, and he's being nice and quite, then he's probably destroying something.

 

He's taught us to pick up our clutter and keep doors shut. High-intensity exercise does help for a little bit (we call it 'running the demons out') but sometimes he will go on the prowl before we get a chance to let him run around.

 

He has lots of toys and chewies and gets lots of exercise, so really at this point we are just learning to redirect redirect redirect.

[Guest Tequila]

For counter surfing, I have heard setting "booby traps" can be effective. I've never tried it myself (lucky enough to not have a counter surfer), and I would imagine the dog would also need to be afraid of sudden noises, but I read about this suggestion (below) somewhere:

 

Take an empty soda can (or other type of tin can) and put some spare change in it (pennies, nickels, etc). Put it on the counter where the dog will easily knock it down. This way, when the dog counter surfs, the tin can will fall off the counter making a loud noise -- frightening him. It won't hurt him, but it will scare him, hopefully enough that he won't counter surf anymore. And the best part is that YOU weren't there when it happened -- many dogs counter surf when left alone, but will behave when you're there to correct him, which doesn't entirely correct the problem -- but this "scary noise" happens when you're not there, it might be enough to stop him from trying it again. I have heard of people tying a tin can to a bagel. LOL. (When he takes the bagel, the tin can falls down and makes a "bang!")

[Guest mirinaaronsmom]

For counter surfing, I have heard setting "booby traps" can be effective. I've never tried it myself (lucky enough to not have a counter surfer), and I would imagine the dog would also need to be afraid of sudden noises, but I read about this suggestion (below) somewhere:

 

Take an empty soda can (or other type of tin can) and put some spare change in it (pennies, nickels, etc). Put it on the counter where the dog will easily knock it down. This way, when the dog counter surfs, the tin can will fall off the counter making a loud noise -- frightening him. It won't hurt him, but it will scare him, hopefully enough that he won't counter surf anymore. And the best part is that YOU weren't there when it happened -- many dogs counter surf when left alone, but will behave when you're there to correct him, which doesn't entirely correct the problem -- but this "scary noise" happens when you're not there, it might be enough to stop him from trying it again. I have heard of people tying a tin can to a bagel. LOL. (When he takes the bagel, the tin can falls down and makes a "bang!")

 

I tried this with Mojo once and he thought it was a new toy. He chewed the can to smithereens. At least he didn't eat it. I was afraid he had eaten the pennies, but I found them under the bedding in his crate.

[GreyWrangler]

No real advice but when I had all those teenage beauty school dropouts from the OK farms I'd joke that I had the busiest top of a fridge in town. That and the microwave to store stuff.

I used the oven too until I'd forget I stored stuff in the oven.... Preheat was not pretty.

 

Good luck Joan. Thank you for being such a part of the greyhound world.

 

 

um...Joan can't reach the top of the fridge, lol.

[cleptogrey]

sounds like that dog needs a job! i bet u he would be great in obedience/rally-o/agility...give it a try you might have fun as well

[Guest KennelMom]

We have a couple go-go-go dogs. We should have named Tater "Trouble" b/c that's what she's always looking for And Lucas was actually going to be put down b/c of his "behavior problems" that they thought no one would want to deal with. They are a challenge...lots of exercise and mental stimulation. I have some home agility equipment that we play around with - they have to physically perform AND pay attention to me, so it's a two birds, one stone kinda deal. Plus lots of walks or chasing the tennis ball in the yard if I can get them to do that...

 

And sometimes you just have to manage the humans better, like with counter surfing. Just don't leave anything out, ever. The temptation is just too great for a dog. I mean, seriously, you leave tasty food on a counter and then leave the room...most *humans* have a hard time controlling themselves around tasty treats (how many times have you "snuck a bite" of something when no one was looking?). Dog proof the house as much as possible...the behavior often decreases naturally over time as the the house and it's contents are less new and exciting to the dog. I wouldn't rule out the use of a crate as well, they *can* be helpful, but it has to be in conjunction with other solutions and not just a box to put a dog that has too much energy that you don't want to deal with.

 

eta: We've had a couple of kennel favorites...Grandpa was a track favorite and spent his days driven around on a golf cart or in the racing secretary's office (after he retired from racing)...His son, Rocky, is the other kennel favorite we've owned and both boys were perfect gentlemen. That was just their nature, so a kennel pet/favorite doesn't necessarily = handful. Though, so many greyhounds are such easy keepers, the "extra personality" dogs do have a tendency to stick out in a kennel full of dogs.

Edited January 28, 2012 by KennelMom

[ozgirl2]

Cody was also the kennel pet (ie brat!) and got into LOTS of things!! I had to crate her 'cause she was completely un-cat-safe (although I was told she was cat-safe) and since I didnt' want her to kill the cat while I was gone, she was crated for several years!

 

Good luck!!