Guest Krissyfissy Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Hello everyone! I am a new parent and was wondering if I could ask for some advice for my two new Greys. I have only had them for a week, so I am sure that a lot of this is just impatience on my part... Any good advice for teaching stairs? We have tried treats, leading them up and down on a leash, me it front, hubby in back. One has expressed some interest and one has absolutely no desire to do stairs... I know miracles aren't worked in a day. I just hope I am doing it right and not scaring them in the meantime. We brought both males home at the same time. Is there an amount of time before one of them shows dominance over the other? So far they are both getting along extremely well. They each have warned each other once about space issues, but nothing scary. Sometimes they can lie close to each other, but more often they do not. Any good advice on trying to train both males at the same time? Is it ok to crate one and train the other? Also, how do you play with both at the same time? I am afraid if I play with one, the other will nip in jealousy. And they are ALWAYS together. Right now, they both are shadows. Where there is one, there is the other and wherever we go, they go. Should we try to enforce some seperation or individuality between the two? I really appreciate the help. I am loving my Greys! Who knew what wonderful dogs they are, and boy are they smart! ~Kris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mychip1 Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 I brought in my current two males at the same time.....JJ is more boisterous, but I neither really asserts dominance.... As far as stairs...some learn faster than others. We did it just by lifting front legs up two steps, then back legs up one step, then front legs again, and back legs, etc. As they get confidence and try, they may scramble a bit - so always be there ready to support them if they start stumbling backwards. We play with ours together - but you always need to be aware of potential for quibbling over the same toys, etc., so you have to make sure they each get something to play with. We don't do formal training, so I can't answer your crate question - but I'm sure others can... Mine are shadows...and I'm good with that. Given that they have each other, the separation anxiety may be less of an issue anyway. You may consider muzzling when you are not home.....we use basket muzzles for their own protection as well as the cat's!!! Best of luck to you.....they will bring you immense joy! Quote Robin, EZ (Tribal Track), JJ (What a Story), Dustin (E's Full House) and our beautiful Jack (Mana Black Jack) and Lily (Chip's Little Miss Lily) both at the BridgeThe WFUBCC honors our beautiful friends at the bridge. Godspeed sweet angels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time4ANap Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Wow - 2 at once! Congratulations! At one week they are still trying to figure out where they are and what's expected of them. Others will chime in on how they've handled similar specific training. Rocket knew the stairs when he got here so we didn't have to do that. Don't let impatience get to you. Your dogs will continually change for the next year or two before you finally realize that they are settled in. They have to establish whole new routines and learn about hundreds of new things they've never seen before. It is so much fun to watch them discover things. Make sure you take a step back to watch that, and don't be in too much of a hurry to "train" them. Quote Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan. Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket, Allie Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest amethyst Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Don't worry about the stairs. They'll figure it out. About a week after I brought my dog home I found her at the top of the stairs. She couldn't figure out out how to get down. I slowly walked her down once and she had it. No big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Just keep at it. They'll learn the stairs probably pretty quickly. Use *very* high value treats to motivate them to go up and down. We teach ours by sort of forcing them one leg at a time to go up. One of us ahead with the treats and leash and one behind to move the legs and offer support. Once they figure out how to coordinate their legs, they should be fine. We always (always) muzzle when we play with multiple dogs. It just is better to be safer than sorrier (and poorer after a trip to the vet to get a wound stitched up). They are very used to wearing muzzles so don't feel bad about having them on. Put one in a crate with a nice Kong filled with peanut butter and work with the other - then trade off. Should be fine. Just because they came home together doesn't men they *have* to do everything together! The pack dynamics will work themselves out. Greyhounds generally live together very well and very easily. Your two are still getting used to their new situation so expect them to be different every week! Congrats! Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Krissyfissy Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Thanks so much for your input. This helps a lot. I think we will just tackle stairs very slowly as one of them does not like their paws grabbed at all. I think things are still very new. Maybe we could try the muzzle on the one for the stairs. They do not like their muzzles, they are constantly (and forcefully) rubbing them against us or walls and furniture to get them off. We work during the day so for now they are crated until we get home. Do they make more comfy ones that they don't try so hard to get them off? If so, any ideas where I could purchase some? Having two does help while we are gone. It was one of the reasons why we considered getting two in the first place. And we are so very glad we did. We love to watch them play with their toys, they throw them in the air and across the room. And we love watching them lay down to relax. They kind of plop down and then throw their heads back to lay on their side. It's hilarious! I love the kong in the crate idea to keep one busy while working with the other. After reading a post on here, I purchased four of them, filled and sealed them and then put them in the freezer. Great idea! One other thing concerns me. I have read a lot about the sleep aggression in these pups. We have not let them on the couch because I am afraid to let them fall asleep near any of us. Is there a way to train them out of this behavior in the future? What do some of you do when they are sleeping on the couch and you need them to move while you are right next to them? Or is it best to just not let them up there period? I've read that some allow and some dont. Thoughts? Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christinepi Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I'm wondering, if your stairs aren't carpet covered (but wood, say), whether it would be a good idea to cover the steps with something non slip until they've figured it out, just to build confidence faster? This might be too cumbersome/inconvenient/unnecessary, but I'm just thinking out loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Krissyfissy Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Thank God our stairs have carpet. If they werent, I would definitely invest in some sort of traction for them. I have hardwood on the main level and they slide all over the place...its like the ice capades when the front door opens...AND I have an update! The hubby was in the basement watching tv and I had come upstairs to tuck my son in. Lo and behold I hear what sounded like stumbling on the stairs and Brady, one of the two, walked right into my sons room! Just like that!!! One afternoon of training, I am ever so proud now I just have to find one of their marking pads...yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christinepi Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Fantastic!! Has he come down yet?? Actually, regarding your signature, I think dogs are the only animals (apes can't do it) who will not just stare at your finger but follow the line of sight to the object you're pointing to. It fascinates me. It doesn't always work, but more often than not (which usually includes the dog knowing that there's a high probability for something tasty to be had). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Krissyfissy Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 That is true. I hope it doesn't come off as me insinuating that dogs are not bright. Some can be extremely intelligent...but it just made me giggle... Hubby had to leash and lead down the stairs. We attempted to do this slowly so all paws could hit at least most of the stairs, but he went too fast. Nearly skipped all but two... Glad we didn't name him Grace. It wasn't pretty, but he made it unharmed... Thanks for asking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Two at once. You have my admiration. What fun you will have!! We need pics! My story about stairs (and we all have a different one): Annie Bella, adopted last July, would not do the stairs going to the second floor bedrooms. I tried treats. I tried paw/paw/paw/paw. She trembled and shook so much -- really worked herself up -- that I decided having her upstairs was for me and if she didn't care about being downstairs alone at night, so be it. FF to January (or maybe February?). Annie Bella starts rooing and barking in the middle of the night. Hmmm.. no special reason was apparent (she didn't have to go potty, there were no deer in the backyard). I decide she doesn't want to be downstairs by herself at the least and I KNOW I do not want to be woken up in the middle of the night. The next day I informed her that she's doing stairs. I did the paw/paw/paw/paw thing up and down the stairs three times, one after the other. I then informed her she could do stairs, and she did! LOL I assume because enough time had passed and we had bonded, as well as I was no longer insecure about how to treat her, it worked. My piece of advice about Greyhound parenthood: Trust yourself. Trust your gut feelings. Know that your relationship with the "kids" will change and become closer as time goes on. And perhaps the most important one, you will lose your tentativeness and become more confident about what to do and how to do it. It takes time, and even now at 11 months since adoption, Annie Bella and I are still learning about one another, but we have bonded and are very close, and I know she now trusts me and relies on me to be there for her. It's a Greyt feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NancyS Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I adopted my grey in November 2011. Although I did all the "right" things to get Tipper to go up and down stairs (including putting down carpet treads), she absolutely refused - shaking to the point I felt guilty for even attempting to teach her about stairs. Decided it was ok for her to sleep downstairs if that is what she wanted. Fast forward to March - I went away for a week, leaving Tipper with a very good friend who has 2 wonderful greys. Her male worked with Tipper, going up and down the stairs at least 10 times until she followed him. Of course once she returned to my house she once again refused to go up the stairs. Then, all of a sudden one day in early May, I went upstairs and Tipper sat at the bottom looking so sad. I called her and said to come on up. Well, to my surprise she did! The first time down was scary for her but after that day she has been running up and down all day long. Sometimes Tipper even goes upstairs to her bed before I do - I'll find her sound asleep all curled up in her bed. I think it was a combination of things. First of all Tipper had to get used to me and my home. Once she realized I was her "mom" she wanted to stay by me whenever she could and trusted me to take care of her. Also, putting the carpet treads down were a big help, not to mention Ian "teaching Tipper to go up and down steps" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyt_dog_lover Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 (edited) I foster recovering broken leg greyhounds and have 3 of my own, so typically 4 greys in my house at once. I have 9 open-faced wooden stairs leading from my deck to the back yard where the hounds have to eliminate. The HAVE to learn stairs, and quickly. Here is my method: to go down (easier than up): 1) loop your hand through the collar below the "d" ring (this is the part of the collar that tightens up when you pull on the "d" ring) 2) gently pull the hounds head to your waist 3) in a happy high pitched tone say "ok, lets go" 4) while firmly holding the hounds head close to your waist, walk down the stairs. 5) do not let go of the collar until you are all the way down the stairs, many hounds will get half way down the stairs and want to leap the rest of the way when they think they are close enough to the bottom. Do not allow the hound to stop your forward motion, do not stop, keep a normal pace down the stairs and keep the hounds head close to your hip. By keeping the head close to your hip you are giving confidence to your hound so they wont think they are going to fall, and secondly you are controlling the pace and teaching the hound the correct pace to go down stairs. to go up (sometimes two people is better than one with this): 1) If you can reverse the method you use to go down the stairs, then you are lucky, if that method doesn’t work then: 2) get behind the hound 3) lift the paws the way they would naturally walk up the stairs 4) ensure that your body is up against their butt so they cannot back down or try to move side to side 5) when you use the paw over paw method (naturally walking up stairs), go up the stairs about a dozen times, then I stop at the 3/4 mark and go up by myself, leaving the hound on the stairs to figure out how to get up the stairs by themselfs. Since you have two hounds, make sure you have one hound at the top of the stairs when you are training the second hound, they will instinctively follow each other and want to be close to each other. Once you get one hound to do the stairs, the other hound will follow. Its great how they teach each other things. Your question concerning sleep startle. I believe that this is basically caused by them not trusting you and being apprehensive about their new environment. Usually (not always), this goes away with more time spent in the home and your relationship growth. But for the new adopter, I do not recommend furniture privileges until about 3-6 months post-adoption. In the mean time, if the hound does get on the furniture without you knowing, the safest and best route is to get a leash, leash them up and tell them get down, while using the leash to encourage them to jump down. If your hound is asleep, you simply call their name, or make a noise and allow them to open their eyes and FOCUS on you. Just because a hounds eyes are open, doesn’t mean they are aware of things. Many hounds sleep with their eyes open. To desensitize the hounds from sleep startle, what I do with all my fosters is when they are laying down on their doggie beds, I will sit at their back side (far away from the sharp end) and gently stroke their butt while they are laying down. If I notice them drifting off to sleep, I will call their name or make noise to wake them. I will continue this for a few weeks. After a few weeks of doing this, I will allow them to sleep while I pet them, but never moving my hand past their middle part. I then work my way up to their heads after weeks of being able to pet them while they are asleep. Realize that while you are getting close to their heads, your head should NOT be close to their head, or over their head, this will generally elicit a growl because in the first few months of having them in your home, they still don’t realize you aren’t going to eat them. I agree that while you train one hound, crate the other, that is how I train 4 hounds in my house. One out, three in crates. I would also recommend you feed them all their meals in their crates. To avoid conflicts while eating, and to reinforce the crate being a good place to be. When you have multiple hounds, crates can be a very good safety tool to have around if you are having a party, or someone gets hurt, etc. The muzzle question, you are being bamboozled. They have worn muzzles ALL THEIR LIFE! They love to rub on walls, hit men in the groin, and generally act like they have never even seen a muzzle. Believe me, they are fine. If you want to make it more comfortable for them, go to your local hardware store, look in the section that has the storm doors, and look for 1" wide foam with sticky backing. Cut a piece about 3" long and stick it to the inside part where the plastic meets their nose. I do this because I have two Roman Nose hounds (imagine a greyhound with a spuds Mackenzie nose) and their nose rubs on the plastic. Keep the questions coming. Congratulations and welcome to the Greyhound Cult. Edited June 4, 2012 by Greyt_dog_lover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mychip1 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 The muzzle question, you are being bamboozled. They have worn muzzles ALL THEIR LIFE! They love to rub on walls, hit men in the groin, and generally act like they have never even seen a muzzle. Believe me, they are fine. Keep the questions coming. I was thinking the exact same thing when I read that they don't "like" the muzzle! It amazes me how quickly they figure out what suckers we really are!!! Don't feel bad....they all play us like fiddles - I'm actually pretty entertained by it! JJ still rubs his around when I put it on..... Dustin used to crawl under the seat in the bedroom looking like I was going to beat him everytime I approached him with it. Susan (Georg of NOO England's mom) gave me the suggestion of smearing peanut butter on the inside and putting them on just as I'm about to leave. It does help because they get distracted with that.....JJ will still follow me to the door (licking all the while and rubbing it) but at least looking happy that he has something tasty....and Dustin doesn't cower like I'm about to hurt him when he sees it. Quote Robin, EZ (Tribal Track), JJ (What a Story), Dustin (E's Full House) and our beautiful Jack (Mana Black Jack) and Lily (Chip's Little Miss Lily) both at the BridgeThe WFUBCC honors our beautiful friends at the bridge. Godspeed sweet angels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Krissyfissy Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Wow! These are great responses! I really appreciate the help! I love the sticky foam and peanut butter ideas for the muzzles. I always muzzle and then treat for wearing the muzzle for me...That is so funny that I am being had... I often have to remind myself that they were brought up ALWAYS in the crate when not out for potty or racing, as well. They sure like play to my heartstrings.. Thank you so much for your response about the sleep startle. I had a feeling that they could be trained out of it, but wasn't sure if anyone had been completely successful or comfortable giving it a try. Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest apocalyp Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 I don't mean to highjack this thread but I have a similar question. I currently have an almost 3 year old husky and looking at adopting a greyhound for a pal. The question I have is because I currently have my husky crate trained and she's in her crate when we're out of the house. The crate however is downstairs and this talk of them having a hard time with stairs is making me worried about this setup. I want to keep the 2 crates together to help with SA and the bedrooms aren't big enough to also have crates. Do you think we should look at having the greys crate upstairs temporarily or do you think the fact our husky will go up or down the stairs, it'll help with the grey going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Wasserbuffel Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 Do you think we should look at having the greys crate upstairs temporarily or do you think the fact our husky will go up or down the stairs, it'll help with the grey going? It shouldn't take your grey very long to learn stairs, most get it in no time. Mine took being led down once to get how to go down, going up took about three times. Your pup might also not suffer from any separation anxiety either. If I were you, I would just wait and see one I got the dog home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mychip1 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 As far as the Husky helping the Grey...he just might. When we got EZ, we had our Beagle. She caught on right away as to what we were trying to teach him, and she kept running back and forth up and down the stairs pausing at the top to make a comment to him! It was adorable. Quote Robin, EZ (Tribal Track), JJ (What a Story), Dustin (E's Full House) and our beautiful Jack (Mana Black Jack) and Lily (Chip's Little Miss Lily) both at the BridgeThe WFUBCC honors our beautiful friends at the bridge. Godspeed sweet angels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Krissyfissy Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 It is just hard for me because we don't allow our stairs to be accessible when we aren't training. We don't and haven't had any marking problems since the end of the second day, but when Brady first came up the stairs, he marked all over the place! We don't want to keep the pads on them all the time (plus we need to buy another one since we only have one), so we are trying to work on it. Also, when I get home from work and let the dogs out of their "homes"... They are excited and they start nipping at my arms. Anyone else have experience with that? It hurts but isn't enough to break skin or antything, more like pinches... Thanks! Kris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyt_dog_lover Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 (edited) Its called "knitting" (if they take the front of their teeth and quickly pinch your skin). It is a sign of afection. Be proud your boy has warmed up enough to you that he will knit you. Some people dont like it, personally I think it is very endearing. If they are taking your whole hand or arm into their mouth, that is called "mouthing". Again, same thing, sign of affection. Edited June 5, 2012 by Greyt_dog_lover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerilyn Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 My suggestion for stairs is to get the dog really comfortable with some easy, non-threatening stairs. A good way to do that is find some exterior stairs to a public building, they are usually shallow, wide, and solid. Schools and libraries are usually pretty good. I took Lila to a local college campus with some yummy treats and she was a stair-master in one day. We started with some really shallow steps to prove to her that her legs really did work that way, then progressed to some steeper ones and once she was comfortable there, to more enclosed stairs and open backed deck stairs. Good luck! Quote Jerilyn, missing Lila (Good Looking), new Mistress to Wiki (PJ Wicked). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christinepi Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Just wanted to add that if the love bite is too painful for you, you should let them know (kindly). Most people advocate a high pitched yelp, just like dogs would let out if another bit them too hard. Usually they get it pretty quickly. Or look on this forum for "nitting". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Krissyfissy Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Thanks again for all of your responses! This forum is so cool I can't begin to tell you what a relief it's been to read all of these posts and get to know all of your Greys too. Its fun to discover the similarities in them. Love bites, eh? Aw, thats nice to know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest poofmagk Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Necessity is the mother of invention. We live in a 3rd floor apt. so when we brought Zaf home our neighbors probably thought we were crazy. Two adults lifting a dogs feet one by one up 3 flights of stairs and cheering loudly every time the dog moved its foot on its own- but hey 24 hrs later she was a pro! I think muzzles are just a game to see how much slobber they can possibly transfer to area couches, walls, legs, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zz00 Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 I brought my two home at the same time. I had the same feelings you did. Its actually funny how it all works out! Have fun!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.