New Hound / First Few Days

[Guest pjn345]

Hi everyone:

 

We got our new adopted hound, Oz, last Saturday. We're so happy to have him, but we've run into some transition hurdles. We've read a number of the posts here (all of which are helpful!) and the recommended greyhound adoption books. We just want to make sure that anything we're experiencing isn't out of the ordinary, as it seems to be getting tougher and tougher with a few issues (particularly housetraining, walking, and sleeping). I'll outline them here, but more than anything, we're just looking for some guidance and support!

 

Our Home:

City, 3rd floor apartment, 1 cat, 2 flights of stairs. My wife works from home, but I'm gone at work during the day.

 

The first two nights were really impressive. He was learning the stairs very quickly, and took quite a few walks around our neighborhood and parks. He slept in his crate without a peep both nights. A few accidents inside the house the first afternoon, but nothing on his first full day at home. We kept him leashed inside, and gave the cat an escape route to our bedroom with a gate that Oz couldn't cross. He seems to be getting "No Kitty" and only whines or makes to chase her if she was running or jumping around. Good progress. He seemed to be settling in remarkably quickly.

 

Starting on Monday though, he started to freeze outside, and get more and more scared...so much so that he wouldn't go downstairs at all. We took him to vet on Monday night for his first general check-up and getting him there (walking distance) was a very stressful experience for him and us. He checked out OK, but we learned later that he has giardia--which he's now being treated for and I'm sure adds to his stress level. That night, he wouldn't go in his crate at all (his foster told us about this), and still won't. We set him up with his bed in our bedroom and he was only able to sleep for 1-2 hours at a time. Last night, he slept even more poorly.

 

During the day, inside, he seems to be doing great and lays around calmly (he gets tons of rubs and pets) unless we try to crate him or go outside.

 

He's started to have surprise accidents in the house, before we can get him out--often sneaking to a room where we aren't. We're able to get him past the stairs more or less, but he locks up once he's past the front door looking very frightened. He's so scared to go outside that we can't get him out on his routine, and if we do, he's so scared he can't get past our front door to go. I've been able to get him going for walks a few times by walking with purpose and not stopping until he follows, but he fights the leash quite a bit---i don't like doing this because it's very stressful for him and me, but it's the only way to get him going to pee and poop. Other times, he won't move at all.

 

We're just worried about how's he's regressed. We feel bad we're stressing him out so much and just want to make him comfortable. We're kind of in a vicious cycle: Can't get him out to pee, so he pees in the house, and can't get him out for walks or in his crate, so he doesn't sleep well. We know it takes time and patience, and it's still the first week, but we just want to make sure we're not doing something drastically wrong, and make sure this is relatively normal as he transitions to city life.

 

Thanks for any responses, and if anything, we're just getting it all off our chests! We're confident he'll come around with the love and care we're giving him, but just have to cross these hurdles. Any advice would be great.

Edited August 22, 2012 by pjn345

[BellaBean]

I'm new to this too, but I can relate to you for the fact that Gigi did the exact same thing! She was golden the first 3 days we had her then BAM completely different dog! It's kinda like everything is new and exciting the first few days then reality hits them that this is permanent. You have to remember how you would feel if one day you were living somewhere you were used too and then you were basically kidnapped and brought to another new strange environment. Everyone says that it takes 6 months to a year for greyhounds to fully show their true personalities and things will get better. We have had Gigi now for going on 2 months and things have improved dramatically.

 

It will get better!

[Gryffenne]

If he is sneaking off to rooms for accidents, I would suggest more baby gates and/or keeping other doors closed for the time being. You're basically teaching him that this house is a big "crate"/home/den.

 

When Sammi first arrived home, I allowed access to the living room & my bedroom (LR was where everyone was, my Bedroom was right off of the living room and also a place for her to retreat that no one but I could follow.). After a week accident free, I opened up the dining room & kitchen area (the way the layout was, no way to block the kitchen off). After another week accident free, I opened up the hallway that led to the bathroom and my son's room, but kept those doors shut. Then the bathroom door was left open, then my son's door.

 

Sammi used a crate the first night with the door closed. After that first night, she would not tolerate being closed in the crate, so a dog bed was put in my room. She still always had access to her crate, tho, in case she wanted to go relax there.

 

Unfortunately, a year later was the last time she was crated. I crated her to carry stuff in from the car one night and as I was carrying in the last load, I tripped. I crashed against the crate and got pretty banged up. She was okay, but became terrified of her crate. I never really had a reason to use it since. Opting for babygates & doors if I need to separate her from a room for some reason.

 

Good luck!

 

PS~ I would suggest keeping a diary of the first few months. You will be amazed at the blossoming your grey will go through (And the stuff that used to worry you ) I have re-read the emails I was sending to Sammi's foster mom that first couple months, and my very first posts about Sammi and I chuckle now. Not even the same hound... or the same hound momma

[Guest DeniseL]

Welcome! I can relate. Our boy was perfect the first 3 or 4 days he was home. We used to walk him all the way to the park (about 5 blocks away!), he tried to chase squirrels and was happy and alert. A few days later, we couldn't get him off the front steps, let alone down to the park. It's called "statueing", and it has brought me to tears on a few occasions. I am by no means an experienced greyhound owner. I am going on month 2 with two new hounds. My girl is perfection. My baby boy, not so much. We tried everything. Pulling didn't really help to much, only if he stopped in the middle of an intersection. We live in the city, too. He goes crazy for squeaky toys so we took one of those with us on day and squeked it when he froze. It zapped him out of it! That worked for a few days, then lost it's effectivness. Now we just take baked chicken breast in tiny pieces and lure him down the street with it. I joked that we would attach it to a fishing pole and dangle it in front of his head LOL. He has gotten much better in the last week. It used to take a hour to go around the block. I would come home dripping in sweat and frustrated more than ever in my life. One day i sat on the front step with him for a half hour. He just stared around, eyes like saucers.

The reality is that he was, and still is sometimes, scared to death.

I have learned the true meaning of patience with this hound. BUT I LOVE HIM!!!

So my advice is yummy treats and lots of them...all the way down the steps and out the front door, it has really been the only thing that has worked for us. I tried to make him walks as fun as possible. Giving him LOTS of praise and pets, and treats.

It will get better I promise. Now, our boy only gets a treat for going down the steps and once or twice during the walk. I have even been able to practice some very basic obedience, getting him to look at me, etc.

Good luck. Pateince is the key here. The world is so new and scary for them. But I do find it fascinating how they seem good the first few days and then regress. I guess they are just really in shock.

Keep us posted on your progress!

[Fruitycake]

I have to echo the others in that the first few days were fine with the kennel and walking, and then the statuing and acting frightened of the kennel started. We fed him in his kennel, but even then he didn't much care for it, and eventually we worked up to an X-pen set up in the livingroom (and yep, it sure was ugly and in the way!) with his dog beds and food dish. That helped him some more, and even further on we started sequestering him in the kitchen with a babygate. Now he has free reign at night and sleeps in the bedroom on one of his 3 beds in there. We couldn't fit the kennel in the bedroom (the beds are squished enough and we have to walk through them to get in and out) so that was never an option.

 

Monty wouldn't take any treats outside when he was in that statuing stage and we just had to work through it with him. We used the brisk walking and not letting him stop unless it was to do anything and if he did statue we would stand there like it was our idea for a while and then jostle him out of it by turning 90-degrees into his shoulder and getting his feet to actually move which seemed to usually help get him going. Slow and steady was the mantra when we first got him.

 

It doesn't say, but are you in a busy urban area, or more suburban? Maybe there are noises/sights/smells there that are unnerving him and making him more tense. Eventually he will likely get used to them, but you have my sympathy as you work through this time. We were there.

 

(Our Monty also was shy about pottying on walks, so there were times we'd walk for 2 hours and despair of his ever deigning to pee on anything! That got better with time too. Now I actually catch his poops!)

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

What is his daily schedule? When do you feed him, when do you walk him, etc.

 

If he has giardia, then you have to take him out much more frequently, as in every few hours during the day, and he probably has difficulty holding through the night.

 

Stairs, typical issues. I am a no nonsense kinda guy. I foster broken leg hounds and each and every one has to learn stairs the first day, no if and or butts! How do I do it? Well down the stairs is much easier than up, going down I slide my hand through the loop of the collar like a handle of a suitcase, tuck the hounds head to my hip, and walk down the stairs. No asking, coaxing, leading with food, nothing. Just a simple, "lets go" with an upbeat happy voice and go. They will balk and lock the legs up to the top of the stairs, then when they realize you are taking them down the stairs, they will release and walk down the stairs. You hold their head against your hip to control their speed, and give them confidence that you wont let them fall. On the way up, keep the leash on, stand behind the hound. One front leg up two stairs, then one back leg up one stair, then opposite front leg up two stairs, back leg up one stair. Repeat all the way up the stairs. The entire time you need to have the hounds butt in your chest so they cant back down or twist around. The leash should be around your wrist so that when you get closer to the top, the hound doesnt try to make a "jump" of the last few stairs. The key in all this, REPETITION. Also, there is no reason to loose your temper, simply remain calm and confident. Keep your tone of voice upbeat and happy and do not let the hound determine where you go, thats your job.

 

I also recommend feeding as soon as you get your hound up in the morning, THEN take the hound out to potty. That way you dont have to take them out, then feed, then a few hours later take out again.

 

In your situation, you need to keep your hound tethered to your side. He is not to be allowed out of your sight to have an accident. I would also take out every 2 hours while he is awake. Take treats with you and whenever he eliminates, make a party out of it. Do this for a week and he will be fine. Greyhounds thrive when they are given a strict schedule to maintain.

 

Dont worry about his being freaked out, they all are at first, its normal.

 

Enjoy greyhounds are truly wonderful creatures.

[sobesmom]

I would agree with everyone else that it's totally normal for a dog to seem perfect the first few days or weeks, then go bonkers. My adoption rep friend calls this "the honeymoon's over". They're so in shock at first that they're 100% compliant - and you think you've gotten the "perfect greyhound"- then they wake up and wonder what the heck is going on!

 

Be patient. Give simple instructions. Be very clear on what is ok or not. Try to minimize anything unusual (don't throw a party tonight or take the dog to visit relatives). Keep your expectations simple. Going outside to the bathroom, and not showing aggression is about all you want right now.

 

If accidents in the house are an issue - don't give him the chance. Keep Oz in sight at all times. Some people even tether a new dog to them with a leash hooked to their belt. Set him up to succeed - and praise like crazy when he does. Set a solid bathroom schedule, more often than necessary. Do short outs, just long enough to do the business, praise like crazy and get back to the "safety" of the house. Exercise is a fabulous helper for new dogs "a tired dog is a happy dog" but when statuing is an issue - it's probably not an option. I have no advice about the stairs, I've never had to do that. Clean all accidents thoroughly with an scent neutralizing solution. You could try putting the crate in your bedroom and leaving the door open at night, so he has the choice to go in there for comfort but not the stress of being forced in. He WILL learn to sleep at night - but think of him as a baby - it might take a while to get days and nights straight.

 

Please try to remain positive and remember that for him this is like being dropped in..... OZ!!!! So - think of him as Dorothy for a while! She was really freaked out if you remember the movie - and made a lot of mistakes until she got the hang of it and got her confidence. A sense of humor is VERY valuable for you right now.

 

Best of luck to you. It WILL get better, and you'll look back on this time and be very proud and surprised at how far Oz has progressed.

 

Oh yeah - BE CONFIDENT. Be the leader. Nothing is a big deal to you, nothing makes you panic, or show anxiety. You've got this ALL under control. You always know what to do. This dog NEEDS to know that while he's totally confused - it's OK because YOU know what to do. He needs to know that if he follows your lead - he'll be OK.

Edited August 23, 2012 by sobesmom

[Guest DCL]

We have only had Kuiper for about 8 weeks now, so I can speak to the newness of having a grey (he is our first dog as adults)

 

Kuiper did basically the exact same thing as Oz did - he was excited to go outside, smell and explorer, rocked at the steps - then about 4 days in everything changed. He would freeze before going to the stairs (would even go close to them) and during walks he would just "plant." He didn't want to go forward, didn't want to go back - just wanted to stand there. It was like he was a brand new dog.

 

Kuiper doesn't like treats - at all, so when we tried to bribe him - he just ignored us. Basically with stairs, we just started all over. Walked him down, walked him up. We would run up the stairs and he wouldn't get to be by us until he got up the stairs.

 

As for planing, it fixed itself after walking the EXACT same route for about 2 weeks. Now he knows when to cross the street, when to turn at the corner. Tonight, it was getting dark, so we were going to skip a cul-de-sac - oh no, Kuiper wasn't going to have that... he knew that path. If you find that Oz is difficult during walks, some people believe the "Gentle Leader" headcollar is helpful. We bought one, but haven't needed to use it. Although the best thing I bought for Kiuper is definitely his harness. I like knowing I can move him if need be (a car while crossing street, etc.) I can't imagine having to pull him using a collar.

 

And just keep in mind, if I kidnapped you, dropped you off in a refugee camp where you couldn't speak the language. You didn't know when or where you can go to the bathroom. You didn't know when/if you were going to get feed. Everything is new and you understand nothing - it would be stressful. The first 2-3 weeks were just as stressful on us as they were him - but looking back it was the best decision we made!

 

Last, don't be worried about him regressing. Just as you and I, he will have good days and bad days. Kuiper once got scared by a bug when we took him out to go potty and he wouldn't walk around that side of the house for a couple days!

 

Edit: As for pottying in the house, we kept Kuiper on a leash for the first 7-10 days (for both accidents and our poor terrified cats.) Luckily, he only had one accident when we first got him.

Edited August 23, 2012 by DCL

[Guest pjn345]

Thanks everyone for your advice and for sharing your experiences. It's great to know it's not out of the norm. We did a lot of research before getting him, but weren't anticipating the extent of the "honeymoon" phase.

 

We've been tethering and using a baby gate over the last few days and it seems to be going well. He also went into his crate well yesterday while we went out for an errand. Best news is that he's been better on the leash last night and this morning with no accidents inside the house yet. He's making good progress exploring and moving around the neighborhood, still some freezing, but he starts to move after some patience and leading.

 

He's coming around, but again, knowing this is all part of the process is very reassuring!

[sobesmom]

Thanks everyone for your advice and for sharing your experiences. It's great to know it's not out of the norm. We did a lot of research before getting him, but weren't anticipating the extent of the "honeymoon" phase.

 

We've been tethering and using a baby gate over the last few days and it seems to be going well. He also went into his crate well yesterday while we went out for an errand. Best news is that he's been better on the leash last night and this morning with no accidents inside the house yet. He's making good progress exploring and moving around the neighborhood, still some freezing, but he starts to move after some patience and leading.

 

He's coming around, but again, knowing this is all part of the process is very reassuring!

 

WOO HOOO!!!!!!!! YOU ROCK!!!!! Jump up and give yourselves a big ole hug! Really - DO IT! If you've hugged - read on - if you haven't and there's nobody around to hug - hug yourself THEN read on!

 

You have just passed the milestone that makes or breaks an adoption. You hit the hit the post-honeymoon - and didn't give up. You asked for help, got it, applied what was applicable, and hung in there! That's AWESOME! Remember - you'll have issues in the future - keep asking questions!

 

I honestly believe that many greyhound groups do not educate adoptors enough about "the honeymoon". Many adopters do a TON of research - and are REALLY prepared for all the stuff in the books. They decide to adopt. Then they get a "PERFECT" dog! They let down their guard, think all the books are overblown exaggerations - then BAM! Outta the blue - they get a dog that's been abducted by aliens and is nothing like the dog they had a few days ago. It's - ya know - like what they said in the books. By this time - you're shell-shocked because your whole mental picture of how this was going has changed. Now - you're NOT prepared for this. Even if you WOULD have been if the dog acted like this on day one. You were surprised that you got "the perfect" grey - and your expecatations totally changed - then the rug got yanked out from under you, and yeah - you really got what's "normal" for a greyhound going into a new home. It's a mental shift that is REALLY hard.

 

When I foster - I try VERY hard to tell adopters about this. 99% of the time they don't believe me. They call a day after adoption and tell me the dog is perfect. I tell them - just wait - that will NOT last. It's the honeymoon - and the honeymoon ALWAYS ends - there WILL be a problem when the dog gets over the shock. I've only been wrong a couple time (older greys, or previously homed greys) - the others all call back within a week with the normal issues. Many folks figure it out, move on, and have happy lives with their greys. The folks that can't figure it out - return the dogs.

Edited August 24, 2012 by sobesmom

[Guest june]

Congratulatlions on the progress. With patience you all will figure everything out. Oh, and welcome!

june

[Guest DMBFiredancer]

I am glad that you guys are talking about the 'honeymoon phase." I had no idea about this until this thread. I am adopting in December and I am trying to be as prepared as possible, Knowing this helps me A LOT!

Now I won't be blindsided if it happens to us. Thanks again - this forum rocks!

[christinepi]

When I foster - I try VERY hard to tell adopters about this. 99% of the time they don't believe me. They call a day after adoption and tell me the dog is perfect. I tell them - just wait - that will NOT last. It's the honeymoon - and the honeymoon ALWAYS ends - there WILL be a problem when the dog gets over the shock. I've only been wrong a couple time (older greys, or previously homed greys) - the others all call back within a week with the normal issues. Many folks figure it out, move on, and have happy lives with their greys. The folks that can't figure it out - return the dogs.

 

I was thinking, while reading your post, "but MY Grey had no "honeymoon's over" issues" and then, further down, I came across your saying "or previously homed greys"--which is exactly what my grey was/is. So that's really good for me to know, in case I adopt another one fresh off the track. I wouldn't have known without this thread, so I'm grateful for this info!

Edited August 25, 2012 by christinepi

[cleptogrey]

i am a firm believer of SLOOOOW AND STEADY! i keep a new dog/foster , with me, in the room either tethered to me or gated in the room w/ me for quite some time. i don't give them the opportuntiy to make a mistake and i look for signals- how they let you know they need to go out- as well as structure potty time. just about all the greys seem to come w/ a gut full of junk- be it giardia or another bacteria. that's part of the reason why i keep them in sight. flagyl, white rice and a clear line of communication(calls)to you vet will be helpful. also it's easier to establish good habits rather than break bad or undersirable habits.

 

in the kitchen you can teach them table manners and no counter surfing while you cook

in the living room you can teach them to keep busy w/ a bone or kong(wait for the gut issues to clear up)

in the bathroom- yes, my dogs follow me there- it's wait

in the bedroom- it's go to their place

in the spare room-where the computer is- it's on their bed and hang or play w/ a toy

there is no reason why he can't go to his crate, which mine always do, when i'm reading or watching tv- that's in the living room.

 

limitations are fine, they are not for ever and help establish good habits. as to walks, he needs more right now. praise him w/ a small bland food reward(boiled chicken or a slice of beef) when he potties. when mine have had accidents in the house, they aren't scolded- it's the floor that's scolded and my dogs don't want to see a crazy lady yelling at the floor-it's worked for me. but everyone has their own techniques. deoderize and nuetralize the area- clear vinegar or maybe nature's miracle seems to work well.

 

be patient, firm and loving and remember to praise with enthuasium(sp). when he freezes on a walk, "hup-hup-let's go" in a sparky fisky voice and gently but firmly lift the lead up-(shorten the lead) and his head will go up, he will feel your movement and start a brisk walk. it takes practice, but if you are bouncy- he will mimic your bounce and start moving. also, pull out a piece of chicken for him to get when he is moving- not stagnet.

 

good luck and enjoy!

[Guest IrskasMom]

The Advice others have given. Personaly the Timeline for you is sooo Important as there is no Timeline when your Grey comes around. It can take Month, Year for the Dog to get to his/her full Potential in your Home. Some are faster then others . With lots of Love to give him and Patience he /she will come around soon. It's way to early to think he has adjusted to his totaly new Life .

WELCOME to GT and belief me , there are some well seasoned ,Compassionate Greyhoundlovers here, who will give Advice. :wave

[Guest shanesmom]

I live in a condo on the second floor and it took Ace 6 weeks to learn how to go up the stairs. For 6 weeks I had to place his feet from behind and push his butt up. And he is a very large greyhound. I have muscles I never knew I had. He did learn though. Suddenly he just went right up and we've never looked back. He used to freeze like a statue on walks too. We have a turnpike behind our condos that is quite noisy but you can't see it. He would just freeze and listen. Couldn't get him to sniff to potty. He peed in the house because he didn't want to go outside. We ended up just taking him out even more. He had to get used to it and he did. I realized after a little while that he did better with my son than with me. I babied him more and my son just did not. My son was more confident with him and Ace responded better to that so I became more confident too. Confidence and lots of patience worked for Ace. It's been a year now and he's a different dog. LOVES to go for walks! Could care less about the turnpike noise. Flies up the stairs when we come in. Holds his head high and wags his entire body he's such a happy boy now. It does take time. He is still not a confident dog when it comes to new things and situations but it doesn't take as long for him to come around now. We travel quite a bit with him and though he is always afraid of the shiny floor at each hotel lobby it only takes a few minutes of patience now to get him to try it when it used to take a long time trying to convince him to walk on them. If he is forced onto the floor he shuts down and will not walk but if we are patient and he is the one that walks on it first on his own he is confident and no longer afraid.

[Guest pjn345]

Edit: As for pottying in the house, we kept Kuiper on a leash for the first 7-10 days (for both accidents and our poor terrified cats.) Luckily, he only had one accident when we first got him.

 

Oz continues to gain ground with walking around the neighborhood and doing his business, but we're still having a major trouble with sleeping. During the day, his introductions with the cat have gone really well, with him listening and responding to our commands. He sleeps most of the day and seems pretty content with letting the cat be. During the night, though, this all changes. We have him baby gated in our bedroom (we tried crating at night, to no avail). He paces, digs, whines, barks, and hits the gate to get out and see where the cat is. Last night started heavily at 2AM and never quit. We've tried closing the door altogether, but then he starts digging more heavily. He's in a total high alert mode that never happens during the day. I've walked him around our place at night, but breaking his attention from the cat is impossible with treats or tugs at his leash. He doesn't calm himself down when we ignore him and doesn't respond to our commands. As soon as he lays back down, he pops up back up within 10 minutes and the process starts again.

 

This may still be an adjustment period, but he hasn't had a prolonged sleep during the night in a week, and we've only slept for 20-30 intervals throughout the night--so the stress level is really high at this point. We're very weary of how he is fixated on the cat (despite being leashed, muzzled, and gated).

 

Any thoughts on why his behavior may change so dramatically---particularly in regards to the cat---at night? And how we can get him/us some sleep?

[mychip1]

No advice on the night stuff, but don't worry about the fixation with the cat as long as the cat can get away. When I brought JJ in, he was fascinated with the cat. I use baby gates for the cat to escape to the second floor (our bedroom is on the first and the boyz have run of the first floor at night). We muzzle still when we are not home to protect the cat.

 

At this point, JJ has only moderate interest in the cat...but it took a few months.

 

You guys are doing great! Hang in there.....hopefully he will figure his nights and days out. Now that he is walking better, can you take him for a real long walk before bed?

[cleptogrey]

crate the cat and let the dog sleep next to the crate????

 

this too will pass. how about putting the crate in your bedroom? remember he has been crated his entire life. some dogs will wander at night, cat or no cat- i have one of them.

[sobesmom]

I'd suggest putting the cat totally away at night. A different room, that can't be seen. Maybe put the cat in the bathroom when you go to bed. And - exercise the heck outta that dog during the day. If he's still skitzy about outside - exercise in the house. Throw a toy a thousand times. Start training simple stuff - look at me. Come. Down. Exercise that body and brain as MUCH as you can. Tire that dog out.

 

You've done everything right. But now it's getting really hard. Hang in there. Work the heck outta that dog. Tire him out.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

You can try this:

1) baby gate him to a small portion of your room, say gate from the side of the bed to the closest wall. You want a space mabye 5' x 5' for him, no more

2) get an empty coffee can and put some nuts and bolts in it.

3) go to bed like usual, ignore the hound

4) as soon as your boy does something like whine, dig, bark or try to get around or over the gate, SHAKE THE CAN LIKE CRAZY for a second.

 

This should scare the skin off the hound. Do this two or three times and your hound will associate the sky is falling to his behavior and should stop.

 

Chad

[Guest Jacks_Human]

OP: I went through a similar thing with mine. Not sure where you're located, but I'm in Scotland, and Jack (my furry baby) is from Eirn, and came to me fairly traumatised (bonus points for his previous owner being arrested for various other crimes after he sold Jack for £20 to a sketchy dude from Fife!). For the first couple days, he was the perfect dog, and then had a sudden meltdown and regressed to his previous state. I almost had my own breakdown! But once he was reassured about the 'house rules' and understood that his human loved him no matter what, he was a clean, obedient hound again.

 

Basically, I showered him with praise when he did his business in the gutter, reassured him that he had a safe space that was totally his (he has a bed and a bucket for his toys which are his 'personal bubble'), and made sure any scolding that was done happened when he was caught in the act (eg, sneaking into the kitchen, which is a Not For Greyhounds Zone). I also learned to pay attention to his signals. Jack is freakishly good at communicating with humans (the first day he was with me, he needed to go pee... so he ran to his leash, touched it with his nose, ran to the door, and touched it, then came to me... I was floored.). But most dogs have various signals they use to communicate their needs. A good part of it is both parties figuring each other out and learning each others' language.