Greyhounds And Chaotic Schedules

[Guest AngelPup]

Hi All. Our family will hopefully be adopting a greyhound this spring or summer and I was wondering whether our new schedule might cause some problems. My husband has been out of work for almost a year and finally got another job. He used to work M-F during the day, but now his schedule is CRAZY. He doesn't have a set schedule or days off. He will definitely have two days off a week, but they can be any day during the week. Also, his hours run from having to leave the house at 5 am (getting up at 4 am) and getting home at 4 pm to going in at 3 or 4 pm and not getting home until after 1 or 2 am.

 

I have a very regular M-F 8 to 4:30 schedule and I have a teenage daughter that is in HS, so she has a somewhat regular schedule, and another teen daughter who will hopefully have a job by then, so not sure what her schedule will be like.

 

I now I'm have a hard time adjusting (waking up too early in the am or when my husband gets home/finally goes to bed, etc.), so I'm worried that a new greyhound will have a harder time adjusting to his/her new living arraingements with our new chaotic schedule.

 

Anyone out there with a greyhound that lives under these conditions? Any suggestions?

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Greyhounds thrive on schedules, sounds like a hound may have a difficult time in your situation. You will need to prepare to make the hound's schedule of eating, being let out, waking and sleeping as regulated as possible, if not, your hound could develop some problems in transition. Have you spoken to a group and explained your situation? I would make sure that is one of the first things to discuss as they may have ideas of what you can do. Hate to be a downer, but a dog of any kind may not be the best thing right now. The transition period for any dog is a difficult time to begin with, you dont want to set the poch up for failure.

[Guest Clawsandpaws]

The bf and I worked in retail management for a long time. We have never had set days off. When we first adopted Dudley, we had a few days off in a row, then back to the craziness. There would be nights where I would be gone 1pm to 3 am, or leave at 5 am and be back by 10.

 

You're worrying too much assuming your new pup doesn't have any medical issues (like incontinence) or separation anxiety, and someone will be walking the dog as needed, you will be fine! Just make sure all the members in your house take turns bonding with the new grey, my bf never fed Dudley for the first few months, and you can definitely tell who Dudley loves more!

[Guest kkaiser104]

I agree that greyhounds will adjust. Sure, they like schedules, but Teddi does just fine with my crazy and not consistent schedule. I'm a college student and Teddi does just fine with my schedule. Some days I'm only gone for a few hours, some times I'm gone for 10 hours (my roommate lets him outside on these days). He's a very happy, healthy, well adjusted dog.

[sarabz]

Life is pretty crazy for most people, and the pups adapt - some better than others. Bella I swear can read the clocks as we do try to feed her and take her out at the same times, but on the days that we can't, she's just fine. Sounds like a more secure, confident hound is the way for you to go (if possible, versus one that may be a little spooky) but I'm sure you'll do fine. Especially since it sounds as if you have a pretty regular schedule, too.

 

Enjoy!

[Sambuca]

Any dog would be fine. The only one with a crazy schedule in your house is your husband. I'm a pet sitter and live alone. Bu's first summer with me, we only slept at home for 2 nights in over 3 months because of work and he did fine. He either slept at work with me or at my parents.

[claudiav]

I don't think it will be a problem.... sounds like the pup will have someone around so that he's not alone too long, and he'll look forward to anyone petting him and giving him attention... as long as feeding and walking are regular, i don't think others' schedules will matter much... thye sleep when it's quiet, wake up to greet the person coming home, some petting and attention, nap time again, greet the next person, etc...

Edited January 21, 2013 by claudiav

[Guest OPointyDog]

My schedule varies a lot from day-to-day since I'm a professor and some days I have to be at work by 8am and some days not until 10am - and one day a week I work from home. When I get home varies too. Plus we're home on weekends sometimes. I think most dogs would be fine as long as there's someone to walk (or let it out) and feed it within a consistent couple-hour window. I try to walk ours around 8AM each morning, but some mornings it's as early as 6:30 (like this morning!) and some mornings as late as 9:30am. After that, I just try to make sure they get let out at least every 8 hours, and more often if possible, with dinner between 6 and 8pm. We always have last-call at around midnight, and that seems to work well.

 

Dogs are amazing at pattern recognition, too, so will likely ignore your husband's early days! On mornings when I leave the house before sunrise, the dogs ignore me completely and don't even get up, because they know it is too early and my partner will walk them later. My parents' golden retrievers were the same. My mother had an early schedule and a long commute, and she had to step over them to get out the door every morning, and they didn't budge until my dad got up, because they knew he walked them and fed them.

[Guest sweetpea]

'Just because your husband's schedule is crazy doesn't mean your dog's schedule has to be crazy.

 

Honestly, you're probably going to be the one who does most of the day to day care (not aiming

anything malicious at your kids or husband, just following a hunch here.)

 

If you set a schedule for your dog that is sustainable for you, you'll both be fine.

Patience and consistency, that's the key.

 

Buzzy

[JAJ2010]

I think you'll be fine. Sounds like your and your daughter can provide somewhat of a schedule. Your husbands schedule might confuse the pup at first... After the first 6 months the dogs seem to figure out to relax about our chaos. I've had my two for years and I swear they sigh relief when I go to work. LOL sometimes our traveling gets exhausting

 

The one thing I realized when I first adopted, what I thought was a schedule... was not a schedule at all! The dogs are just confused until they relax enough to go with the flow. ;-)

[krissy]

I was a student when we adopted Summit and my schedule was all over the map. I gave him some routine. For example we always had a walk in the morning (the time wasn't always the same though) and a walk at night. But really he didn't care.

 

A lot depends on the individual dog. If your group fosters they might have a hound fostered by someone with a variable schedule. We fostered before we got Summit and he did fine too.

[Guest snoopycomehome]

Sounds like you have an ok schedule, even if dh's is erratic. What I would be more concerned about is who is going to be responsible for what.

We have crazy schedules as well, and our greys do just fine...and although someone is usually home...we wouldn't do it without having a dog door. Dh works 2p-2a 7 days in a row and then has 7 off. I work 2 12's per week (7a-7p) plus I usually split an on-call shift. My 19 yo college student was in/out all hours due to school and jobs before she moved out but she still comes home to hang out. The only regular schedule is our dd12 in junior high.

 

We pretty much have set schedule for walks and feeding. They eat once a day in the evening between 6-9pm, with 1 mile walks either before or after feeding (depending on schedules and weather). Lately I have been walking them 2-3 miles mid-day on my days off, and then they give me stink eye in the evening when it is time to go for their 'usual' walk!

 

On dh's 7 off, he feeds and walks them...but I walk too if I am home. On his 7 on, I feed and walk them. Makes it easy to remember! For poop patrols, we go out back together.

 

The funny thing is, they seem to just 'know' what is going on. When I put on my scrubs, they pout and won't say bye to me at the door b/c they know I will be gone for 13+ hours. Same thing with dh. They ignore his pre-work routine. And last night...two hours before dh got home...Gypsy started whining and getting restless in anticipation of him coming home and loving on them. They didn't care that I was home and loving on them...they missed their Papa!!! And he says they do them same when I should be getting home from work.

 

You will want to keep feeding times consistent. Also, discuss expectations before getting the pup...it is never fun getting a new pet and everyone helping for two weeks until the novelty wears off...and then all the responsiblity resting on one person.

[Guest AngelPup]

After reading all the responses, I feel a lot better. I'm sure it won't be easy--especially in the beginning! We should be able to handle the regular walks and feedings and he/she shouldn't be home alone for long on most days.

 

Thanks for the reassurance everyone!

[a_daerr]

Greyhounds like a routine. I always joke that my dogs are autistic, because changes in their schedule really throw them off. Your household sounds doable. I would just make sure that you make your hound's schedule as consistent as possible, especially regarding food, water, and elimination. Doing that will make the transition less stressful and also help immensely in the housebreaking department. Also, because your schedule is more regular, understand that you'll probably end up doing the lion's share of the work.

[Brandiandwe]

Routine is key but I'm with the others. I'm also am academic (waves at OPointyDog) so my schedule changes. This coming semester, the girls will be walked at 5am 3 mornings a week. DH will walk them in the afternoon 2 afternoons a week. The rest of the time I'll walk them around 6am and in the afternoon/ evening. Their routine is that when I get up, they get up. They recognize the alarm. When someone comes home after work, they go out or by 5 pm they're walked. They have breakfast and then sleep all day. You're dh's schedule will carry on around whatever you set up for your hound.

[greysmom]

The most important time for your new dog will be the first 2-6 days after s/he comes home. An exact schedule isn't as important as setting up a daily routine - one thing always/mostly follows another. You get up, you walk, you eat, you sleep, you walk, you eat - etc. It doesn't matter what time the routine begins, but whether the order of things is the same.

 

You'll also want to talk with your group about getting a calm, confident dog. Be diligent the first several days in doing alone training and establishing a sense of trust. Make sure you have time built into the routine to let the dog get ample exercise - a tired dog is a happy dog.

 

Good luck and have fun! Most likely, your schedule won't be an issue at all.

[Guest FrankieWylie]

Our house has a pretty crazy, unpredictable schedule! Four kids, three hounds, and now a foster.

 

We keep our morning and evening routines the same. It's everything in between that could go one way or the other! Some days I work from home. Some days I go to the studio and stay for 8 hours. Some days I go to the studio and come home after just a few hours. Some days, the kids don't go to school. But, what is consistent, are the feeding routines. Though, not always at the same TIME in the evenings, the routine of it is the same.

[Guest AngelPup]

WOW! These responsed make me feel so much better. I really appreciate you all sharing your experiences with crazy schedules but being able to at least keep their feeding and walking regular. I don't see a problem with either of those and will most likely be the one that does both regularly anyway.

 

Thanks everyone!

[dex95lucy]

Being a nurse, I've gotten up at every hour of the day and night to go to work. I tell them what's going on and when I hope to be home. They've done just fine.

Just take it all in stride and don't stress over it. I think that's what bothers dogs the most. They feel our stress.

[KickReturn]

It will work with the right dog. It will be very difficult with the wrong dog. If you think the schedule will interfer with your ability to exercise the dog properly than IMO I wouldn't adopt. FWIW I have a different schedule everyday and my boy is more than fine - he's might be the happiest Greyhound ever so it can work. But I believe our success is the result of a minimum of 3 hours of walks per day.

[vjgrey]

I adopted three hounds during law school, including an 18 month-old puppy. My schedule changed often, depending on whether I had extra meetings to attend, study sessions, school events, social events, traded work shifts with coworkers, etc... I also split my time between my apartment in Oklahoma and our loft in Kansas. All of my dogs adapted AMAZINGLY well. As long as they were walked regularly, fed and given play time, they didn't mind to much when (or even where) those occurred. They'd pull all-nighters with me and sleep all day when I needed to, and they'd happily go to Kansas with me for a long weekend and then fall right back into our life in Oklahoma.

[LadyGrey]

It was funny. Bella would always get up early with me for her walk before I would go to work. However, on the weekends, she somehow knew I would be staying home and she would sleep in with me!!! Angel would do the same as she followed Bella.

 

During the week days, I was up at 4:30 am to go run the 2-mile bridge. I was home by 6:30 am. As soon as my car pulled into the garage, she got out of bed to meet me at the door for her morning walk (yawning and doing the Greyhound stretches). After her morning walk, I would shower and get ready for work (leaving her in my nice big comfy bed going back to sleep). Angel would follow Bella's lead on things - she laid on the bed after the morning walk to go back to sleep like a princess too.

 

On the weekends, I never ran as I took weekends off. They would sleep in with me like snug bugs in the rug. Since I only lived about 12 minutes from work, I was more than able to come home everyday and take my girls out for their afternoon walks. Then when I got home around 5:30 pm, we would go for our early evening walks. A final "night-time wee wee" at 9 pm ended the day. I kept it regular and the girls did just fine with it.

 

On the weekends, they knew it was "fun time". I would take them out in the car and go to the beach, the river, or to a lovely park. We had a great life.

[JenniferS]

When I had my first greyhound, I was a flight attendant and my husband was a police officer. You couldn't get more crazy than those two schedules and he did just fine for several years

[Guest iclarkz]

It will work with the right dog. It will be very difficult with the wrong dog. If you think the schedule will interfer with your ability to exercise the dog properly than IMO I wouldn't adopt. FWIW I have a different schedule everyday and my boy is more than fine - he's might be the happiest Greyhound ever so it can work. But I believe our success is the result of a minimum of 3 hours of walks per day.

Holy animal crackers! Three hours of walking a day?? I don't think that is the norm!

[Hubcitypam]

When I was working as a bartender and server I might go to work at 3 p.m., come home at 1 a.m. then go to work the next day at 10 a.m. and come home at 6 p.m. Or I might work a split shift from 10 - 2 and 5 - midnight the same day. Dogs love routines, but they adapt. If you are open to the idea of a dog door that would make things even easier.