Day Crate For Newly Adopted Grey

[Guest paigemeghan]

I just recently adopted a retired greyhound who lived on the farm but was never formally raced. She was fostered for about a month before she came into our home. At her foster home, she was around 3 other greyhounds, an Italian greyhound, and a small dog. Since coming to our home, she has adjusted really, really well. We still have a few set backs such as stairs and relieving herself while on a lead--however, she is starting to slowly get the hang of this.

 

Since she has never been without other dogs/people, we decided to crate her during the day rather than let her roam free in the house. Yesterday was the first day. We left her for 3 hours, I came home at lunch, then put her back in the crate and left her for 3.5 hours. Initially, we put her bed in the crate, however, she peed a little bit when we left her in there for the morning period. So, we removed the bed and used towels instead. When we went to leave for work today she put herself in the living room and REFUSED to move. She drilled her legs into the ground and did what I like to call the "mule." After a while, we had no choice but to slightly force her into the other room and into her crate. I know that forcing her is not ideal, but how else do we get her to do so?

 

When I went home today for lunch, she had shredded the edges of the towels. I let her out, snuggled with her for a bit, and took her out for a walk where she relieved herself. However, when I went to put her back in the crate to return to work--same thing happened. She turned into the greyhound mule. Again, I was forced to gently push her into the other room, and into her kennel.

 

She seems fine when we get home and let her out. She is excited, wags her tail, and we haven't yet heard her bark or whine. Only a few whimpers here and there.

 

Anyone have any advice??? Should we just baby gate her into the dining room/kitchen instead? I don't want to have to keep forcing her in when we have to leave for work.

 

PS: this is our very first dog together and our first ever greyhound. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[kamsmom]

Unless you have another reason for crating her I would just babygate her into the room she is comfortable in. I really only crate for a few reasons: potty training, excessive chewing, and if it's a new dog and I want to separate from my other dogs. Other than that as soon as I think the dog is comfortable I let them have more space.

 

Since she is an only dog I would baby gate her in one room and over time and as you and she get to know each other you can start to give her more room. If you need to use the crate or just feel more comfortable with it you can use treats and toss them into the crate and praise her when she goes in it. So far she has realized that as soon as she goes in the crate you leave, to her that's not fun. You need to make the crate fun. Toss treats in it when you are home and don't shut the door. Give her a peanut butter filled kong in the crate while you are home. And use lots and lots of praise.

[NeylasMom]

Anyone have any advice??? Should we just baby gate her into the dining room/kitchen instead? I don't want to have to keep forcing her in when we have to leave for work.

Yes, unless you have time to properly crate train her, I would do this. It sounds like she's unhappy in there and while she could be taught to enjoy it, you'd need to take some steps back and introduce her to it more slowly. You also need to make sure she spends some time in the crate while you're home and in the room so she doesn't associate it with you leaving, and associate the crate with good things by giving her meals, kongs, and other treats to her while she's in the crate.

[3greytjoys]

I agree with most info in above posts, especially the Kong (iced inside with peanut butter) as her "special" treat at every departure. (Pick up Kong immediately upon your return, and wash with soap/water daily.) She's more likely to look forward to that as her alone time special treat.

 

Two things to add...

 

If you baby-gate her inside the kitchen/dining area, please place a thick comfy bed for her to lie down. Greys don't have extra fat, so thick beds are important for them. If you have a Costco warehouse store near you, they sell large, thick dog beds for $18 to $25. (Great price for adding extra dog beds in other rooms too.)

 

Whatever you decide, please consider leaving the crate set up with door open in most human used room. Feed all her meals in open door crate so she won't be scared that she will be locked in/left alone. Days later, slowly begin closing crate door only while she's eating her meal (while you're in same room). Open door immediately when she finishes meal. Later, extend closed door time for a couple of minutes at a time. Other times, crate door mostly open. Eventually she will view her crate as her happy, safe, private resting space.

 

I believe it's very important for dogs to feel comfortable in crates. Every dog needs veterinary care, and may need to be kenneled for owner's vacation/s. Hounds who view crates as happy places often fair MUCH better when crated in veterinary offices before/after surgery procedures. It's particularly important for hounds to be as calm as possible before undergoing anesthesia. Veterinary offices are already stressful, forcing a crate fearful hound into a crate compounds their stress/anxiety level.

[45MPHK9]

Some greyhounds hate cages. I have one of those greyhounds.

 

Murray has one canine tooth left in his head. The other three were removed during his first dental with us. Those enormous teeth were cracked to the roots from previous years of cage chewing. He's a perfect dog in the house, though. No need to put him in a cage all day.

[christinepi]

I'm not pro or con on crates, but just wanted to add that Tracker was never without other dogs before he came to our house; we crated him only during the first two nights and then never again, and he was fine. It really depends on the dog, I think.

[Roo]

I had to force my boy into his crate for the first week (gently, of course) but now he loves it - runs in when he wants to go to sleep, wants a treat, wants food, etc. However, he was right off the track and hadn't ever been allowed in a home all alone, and we used the crate right off the bat. If you want to get her used to the crate, you could start feeding her in there: shove her in at breakfast and dinner time, put the food in, and lock the door. When she's done, let her out again. It would also be a good idea to crate her for a little while while you're home, too; the reason she's putting up such a fuss is probably because she equates her crate with you being gone - and she doesn't want you to be gone, so she refuses to go in the crate.

 

Though like others have said, unless you have a real reason to crate her, she'd probably be happier being baby gated into a room. Try playing soft music (I use a "Liquid Mind" meditation music station on Pandora) while you're gone. And unless you have a way to lock your fridge, cabinets, etc, I wouldn't gate her into the kitchen.

[Guest TeamLily]

I'm not pro or con on crates, but just wanted to add that Tracker was never without other dogs before he came to our house; we crated him only during the first two nights and then never again, and he was fine. It really depends on the dog, I think.

 

Where did he start sleeping? On a dog bed or in your room (or a dog bed in your room?!)?

 

We are in the same boat regarding being around other dogs. We just brought Lily home and after an hour or so of snooping around, she found her big dog bed and has barely gotten out of it! I'm guessing it is the most comfortable naps she's had in her life.

 

We are going to likely need to start with the crate during the day while we are gone and are starting the short trip training for that. At night, I don't mind leaving her out of the crate if she's comfortable but we got one on the advice of the adoption folks.

[Greydawg]

My guys would hate the confinement of a crate. They are perfect gentlemen with full house privileges when we are gone, so there is no need for crates.

 

Personally, with a new dog, I would only use a crate for the first few days, or until I felt the dog would be safe and trusted on her own. I would close off rooms and take multiple short trips out of the house to see how she does, extending the time away each time. This "away time" training has taken a weekend for me in the past.

 

I keep two dog beds in our bedroom, and that is where they sleep at night. I also keep two flat beds in our great room. They like to be wherever we are when we are home.

 

Two days ago, just as I was leaving for work, I snapped this photo of them with my iPhone because I thought they were cute. I am adding it to the post, as I want you to see how easy and calm they are knowing they will be alone. In time, I would imagine your Lilly will be the same.

 

http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc450/Greydawgz/IMG_0991.jpg[/img]"]http://

Edited June 27, 2012 by Greydawg

[Guest paigemeghan]

Thank you so much for all of the advice.

 

We fed Pepper in her crate last night (with the door open), she was very hesitant at first and walked around it in circles for a while. But finally she became ok with the idea and ate her food happily.

 

We bought a baby gate last night and gated her into our dining room/kitchen area with her bed and lots of stuffies. She seemed much more at ease than with the crate, however, she still put up a fuss when we shut the gate.

 

We will continue to slowly crate train her with food/treats just in the event that she might ever need a crate, we would like her to be comfortable with the idea. But the baby gate seems much nicer for during the day while gone at work.

 

Pepper is a smart girl, she will figure out this whole "pet" thing soon enough.

 

Thanks again!

[Feisty49]

When I adopted Annie Bella, I was told she would eat her meals only in her crate. Both foster homes told me that she would go all day without food unless the dish was put in her crate. That didn't suit me. The crate was in the TV room and was comfy with blankets. I didn't want the smell of food permeating the blankets and room from spilled kibble, etc. Within 24 hours, she was eating in the kitchen from her bowls and was feeling so much at home that she did not want to use her crate for anything. When I insisted, she would go in it but with extreme reluctance. I figured, though, that crating her when I left was the best thing to do because that's what my group said.

 

Thing is, Annie Bella has never been a destructive, garbage-eating, counter-cruising, cat-chasing dog. She was so good -- and I just knew she was that good -- that 48 hours after I adopted her, I stopped crating her, though I left the crate up for a couple of weeks with the door open. (She avoided it like the plague.) She is an only dog who lives with an only cat. The worst thing she's ever done when left alone was to go on a gathering trip around the house. She likes to hoard socks, my granddaughter's slippers and an occasional t-shirt. This happens very seldom and I consider it my fault for leaving these things out.

 

So like someone else said, I don't believe that crating is necessary if a pup is reliable, i.e., doesn't poop/pee, chew, etc. I've never even used a baby gate because there's no room Annie Bella can't go into if she wants.

Edited June 27, 2012 by Feisty49

[NeylasMom]

Thank you so much for all of the advice.

 

We fed Pepper in her crate last night (with the door open), she was very hesitant at first and walked around it in circles for a while. But finally she became ok with the idea and ate her food happily.

 

We bought a baby gate last night and gated her into our dining room/kitchen area with her bed and lots of stuffies. She seemed much more at ease than with the crate, however, she still put up a fuss when we shut the gate.

 

We will continue to slowly crate train her with food/treats just in the event that she might ever need a crate, we would like her to be comfortable with the idea. But the baby gate seems much nicer for during the day while gone at work.

 

Pepper is a smart girl, she will figure out this whole "pet" thing soon enough.

 

Thanks again!

You should still apply the same suggestions to the baby gating as to the crate training. Gate her in there some of the time that you're home, including when you're in the room wtih her and not. Feed meals in there, give her delicious stuffed kongs while she's gated, then let her out when she's done, etc. In other words, given her reaction, you still need to do some things to reinforce that it's a good place to be and keep her from associating it with your departure. I suspect that with the gate situation you won't have to do very much of it, but better to be proactive.

[Guest paigemeghan]

Well the baby gating isn't going as well as we had hoped. She has pottied both days now, which really isn't a big deal considering we have hardwood floors. We have also come home to a chewed table, a chewed baby gate, a portion of a chewed wall, the blinds destroyed, and a magnet chewed off the refrigerator (that was our fault, seeing as how we underestimated how tall she was when on her hind legs).

 

She is gated into the area where we give her all her meals, treats, etc. We leave on easy listening music as someone suggested, and have left a Kong treat stuffed with peanut butter with her. We have also been gating her into the area while we are home for a few hours at a time while she eats or has a treat. We have been "ignoring" her the few minutes before we leave and do not show her attention upon immediately arriving home. We also come home at 2-3 hour intervals to check on her during the day, and assure her that someone is always coming home. We bought some "no chew" spray at PetSmart last night and essentially soaked down everything she could possibly get her teeth on, to discourage the chewing. I also spent almost all of last night walking around with my keys jangling in my hands and continued to get my purse and pretend like I was leaving (a couple of times I did step outside, only to have her attempt to throw herself out the door with me) I know these things take time, I get that. But we feel like we are doing almost everything right (according to what we've read/heard).

 

I guess Im just wondering how long this sort of thing usually takes? Or if we should go back to trying to make the kennel an option. She is the PERFECT dog when we are home. No chewing, listens to our commands, and very well behaved. I know she is just anxious to be alone--but it is breaking my heart (and our belongings apparently).

 

Any suggestions?

[Guest TeamLily]

My guys would hate the confinement of a crate. They are perfect gentlemen with full house privileges when we are gone, so there is no need for crates.

 

Personally, with a new dog, I would only use a crate for the first few days, or until I felt the dog would be safe and trusted on her own. I would close off rooms and take multiple short trips out of the house to see how she does, extending the time away each time. This "away time" training has taken a weekend for me in the past.

 

 

Two days ago, just as I was leaving for work, I snapped this photo of them with my iPhone because I thought they were cute. I am adding it to the post, as I want you to see how easy and calm they are knowing they will be alone. In time, I would imagine your Lilly will be the same.

 

 

Super cute and calm...what a great combination!

 

I was very tempted to let her stay out just based on how well behaved she's been so far and that she seems more than happy to spend 75% of her day on the dog bed anyway! If she gets on a regular potty cycle I'll be less reluctant...I don't know how she holds the pee but she hasn't taken well to the potty trips to the yard yet.

 

We're trying to keep extending our time away to see if there is any anxiety but so far there hasn't been an issue as far as she can tell. She has no issues at all with the crate right now either...she'll go right in an hang out with no whining at all. We've got a 4 hour away time coming up on Saturday and if she does OK then I think we're going to give it a shot with no crate.

 

She's been SO good so far that I'm almost waiting for the other shoe to drop!

[Guest TeamLily]

he worst thing she's ever done when left alone was to go on a gathering trip around the house. She likes to hoard socks, my granddaughter's slippers and an occasional t-shirt. This happens very seldom and I consider it my fault for leaving these things out.

 

So like someone else said, I don't believe that crating is necessary if a pup is reliable, i.e., doesn't poop/pee, chew, etc.

 

The gathering habit is one of my favorite things I've read about the breed. It strikes me as funny!

 

I haven't figured out whether Lilly is going to do any of the behaviors yet...I'd feel better if I could take her out before leaving and have her pee. It has only been a few days though, so I'm not expecting perfect. I guess at some point you just need to take a chance on an accident or something getting chewed to figure it out.