Hutch And Tibbs Are Home - Questions.

[Guest psdirector]

Hutch and Tibbs (litter mates) arrived home yesterday afternoon at 3 PM. The first shock was how incredibly tall they are - they weight 75 and 76 lbs. respectively. Just the right height to fit close to my side for ear rubs. They are such handsome boys! I will try to figure out how to post pictures here. We read the letters and training information from the prison carefully, Hutch is food motivated. Tibbs is stubborn. etc.

 

We walked them and later introduced them to the back yard. They found their family room beds quickly.

 

At bedtime last night, I took them out in the back yard. I was made aware during our snow day this past week that the two labradors who live behind us do NOT have invisible fence as we had assumed. I figured this out by watching them trot into our yard with "their" boys (and watched the boys throw snowballs at their dogs before I made them stop!). Last night I had our boys in the back yard and the neighbor dogs were let out - and the labs started to bark horribly, that deep "stay out of my yard or else" bark. Knowing that they are not confined, I took Tibbs and Hutch back into the house quickly and went out the front door. Hutch seems to have already figured out that the back yard is where you poop, so he didn't do anything in the front. Of course, as soon as I was brushing my teeth I heard a "noise" coming from the bedroom. My husband and I looked and saw that Hutch was pooping a mountain of near-liquid poo. He had been diagnosed with hookworms earlier in the week and has had three rounds of de-worming stuff, so I figured it's because of that. Husband took dog out, I cleaned the mountain. We didn't make a fuss about it because it certainly wasn't Hutch's fault, but it was an interesting way to start our first night. After the incident, they both settled on their huge beds and slept through the night. This morning my husband took the dogs for a walk right away. Tibbs peed and pooped, Hutch peed. When they got back to the house, Hutch started whining like he needed to go out. I took him out back and he pooped (still incredibly loose) immediately. So I guess he's figured out that the back yard is where you poop.

 

Several questions: last night and this morning Tibbs wouldn't eat and he seems depressed. Could he be missing his prison "moms"? He's sweet, but aloof. He's had some water to drink a couple of times, but no food, not even treats. Hutch ate like a horse last night, had an Iams bone and a couple of treats (when he sees food coming he starts sitting immediately). This morning he ate a little bit, but didn't finish. Should I be concerned? We are going to the Meet and Greet today and the coordinator suggested we bring stool samples for the tech who will be there to test again.

 

On another note, the info we got from the prison said that Hutch does not get separation anxiety, but does freak out if he's placed in a crate. Apparently the last time he was in one, he broke a tooth trying to gnaw his way out. Tibbs is just the opposite according to his foster moms - once he's in his crate, it's hard to get him out because he feels safe. Because we are in "fostering with the intent to adopt" status, we are supposed to crate. Suggestions?

 

The intro to the cats was interesting. Tibbs could care less (good!), but Hutch started whining when he saw the cat. The most surprising thing is that the cat is equally interested (from a distance). I was able to distract Hutch and for a while when the cat was peeking from around the corner, he ignored her. Does this mean he's correctable? I told him "No kitty!" very sharply whenever he started to whine and stare at the cat. We are going to put muzzles and leashes on again this afternoon when we return from the Meet and Greet and let the cats out of their room to see what happens.

 

They are both sleeping near us on their beds right now. I have to admit that at bedtime last night I seriously questioned whether we had done the right thing - can we give them what they need and take care of them? I feel so bad for the cats. I imagine that this will all take time - how much time do you take to decide whether a hound is cat safe or not? It would already kill me to not be able to keep Hutch. Sorry for so many questions in one post! New mom nerves!!

[schultzlc]

First of all, congratulations on Hutch and Tibbs!!

 

Don't worry too much if they aren't eating regularly at first. It'll take some time for them to feel comfortable in their new environment, and that will come along later.

 

In regards to your nerves right now, don't beat yourself up, I think that most of us have that feeling of "what did I do" when a new hound comes home. It's a big adjustment for everyone, but within time, it will become your new normal and you won't be able to remember how you made things work without them.

 

Best of luck to you!

[Guest sireltonsmom]

Congratulations on Tibbs and Hutch! You're experiencing new big dog foster/owner times two. Your doggies have very different personalities which adds to adjustment. Poor Hutch has worms but that's going to get better quickly. You handled the 'mountain' event really well. If he needs to use the back yard, I say, 'go with it'. No pun intended!

 

Ask your group about the crate issue - my now 14 year old boy hated the crate so we stopped putting him thru the angst quickly. Our girl loved her crate so we kept it up for several months with the door open til she didn't need it anymore.

 

You also are handling the cats issue wonderfully Just keep it up. A month from now you will look back and measure your progress and your confidence. Enjoy the journey.

[Guest IrskasMom]

Yes,we all have been there . The Doubts , doing the right Thing is all normal. It's a bit overwhelming in the Beginning. By tonight , things are somewhat easier. You have to know , for the Boys it's all very New to. They are very confused at this time to. Give it some time and patience , it all will fall into Place.We all have made mistakes .

Congrats on your New Boys .

[greysmom]

Everything sounds perfectly normal to me, so no worries!

 

It's normal that they be off their food for a while. As long as they're drinking, don't stress about "making" them eat for a couple days at least. You can try and tempt their appetites with some canned food or plain chicken. I'm assuming you're also feeding them what they were eating before. If not, you will probably need to go back to this food, at least for a while.

 

Hook worms have been horrible this year! Some dogs take several, protracted rounds of meds to finally get rid of them. They also exist in the environment, so both dogs should be on monthly worm medication.

 

Right now is the time to have a conversation with your backyard neighbors about boundaries and keeping their dogs and kids out of your yard. You might have allowed them in the past, but you need to be able to control your space better. I couldn't quite understand if your back yard is fenced or not, and what that has to do with invisible fencing on their part. I could be confused.

 

Sounds like your crating questions have been answered. You do not want to crate a dog that will injure himself trying to break out. For now, you can probably baby gate him in the same room as his brother when you leave. Make sure the cats are secured and completely out of reach, just in case.

 

Hutch sounds cat correctable. This could take some time, but you're doing it right. If you can break his concentration on the cat, and if he will ignore the cat, then you can most likely work it out. Also, after you can begin to let the cats interact with them, make sure they don't torment the dogs! Some cats just can't help themselves!

[Guest psdirector]

We don't have a fence, although someone is coming to give us an estimate today. The neighbors' dogs have always stayed in their own yard so it was an assumption on our part that they had Invisible Fence. The dogs across the street (including a rescue greyhound) have a fence, but made quite a fuss as we passed by on our walk today. Poor Hutch started to whine and leaned on me, but he kept walking. They walk so beautifully on their leashes! No pulling at all.

 

Thank you for all the encouragement. I will keep everyone posted. Tonight I'm going to figure out how to post pictures!! It seems like the instructions on here are for a PC and I have a Mac, but I will figure it out!

[Guest FreeholdHound]

Can't wait for pics! Congratulations! I don't have a fence either & Harry definitely shook up the neighborhood pooches on our walks in the beginning too. A year later he still riles them up but now he knows where they live and prances as we go by those "poor dogs behind their fences" Na NaNa Na NaNa

[EllenEveBaz]

Welcome, Tibbs and Hutch! Suggestion: Put the dogs on a potty schedule. That's what they're used to. It's wonderful that Hutch whined to let you know he needed to go out, but don't rely on them to tell you, especially at first.

[DesiRayMom]

All the greyt advice is above, so I'll just add CONGRATULATIONS Tibbs & Hutch and your new foster-failing family!!!

[BatterseaBrindl]

Congrats!

 

Did they receive any worm medication?

They should both receive it and then get tested again.

 

Yes!

Tell your neighbours they cannot let their dogs ...or kids...come into your yard!

 

I would not crate Hutch at all.

 

The feeding issues will probably resolve in a few days.

 

Have you read the Kathleen Gilley article?
It's been posted in a few other threads....

 

We'll look for pictures!!!

[a_daerr]

I would definitely muzzle both dogs if they're anywhere near the cats. It's a good sign that you were able to distract Hutch. It sounds like he's more cat trainable/workable than cat "safe." If he whines, paces, and gets persistent around the cats, he will need a good deal of training before he can fully be trusted.

[Guest psdirector]

It's been a great weekend and we've made many new discoveries about our boys:

 

* Hutch, the dog who was marked as "impossible to teach how to speak" let out a mighty couple of "WOOFs" this morning when he saw one of the neighbors' black labradors at the edge of our yard. The neighbors' dog (one of them) has the disconcerting habit of coming to the edge of their/our yard, standing like a statue and just... staring. Creepy. We called the fence guy this morning and our fence will be in next week. Between the two black labs who are not leashed or contained in any way and our next door neighbors' Pomeranian who goes ballistic whenever he sees a big dog, all the neighborhood doggies will be happier.

 

* Apparently our boys are large for greyhounds. They are 75 and 76 pounds respectively, although someone at Saturday's Meet and Greet said they looked a lot bigger than that. I have to admit - we were a little shocked when we saw how big they are. Now it seems natural. No bending down to pat, ear rub these boys!! I will be interested to see how much they weigh at our vet appointment today.

 

* The boys don't stir in the morning until we do. This morning as soon as we stirred we were greeted by wonderful, wet noses in our faces. What a fabulous way to start the day!

 

* Tibbs, the one who is said to love his crate, walked into his crate on his own yesterday and was laying down for a bit.

 

* Hutch has started leaving his bed in the family room and lays on the carpet in front of us in order to sleep closer to us while we are watching TV.

 

* They both walk beautifully on a leash. Traffic doesn't bother them at all. They are fascinated by (but not afraid of) things like children on scooters.

 

* Tibbs is incredibly laid back. Doesn't care about the cats. Doesn't get upset when we leave. No sleep/ bed aggression. No food aggression. Has not had a single accident in the house. Just a sweetheart in every way. We have been told that he is afraid of boxes and brooms. We haven't had either of those around yet.

 

* I am going to have to get used to water splashed everywhere when they have a drink and crumbs of food everywhere when they eat or have an Iams biscuit (which they LOVE, so we're using them sparingly). Plus paw prints on the floors. My husband almost passed out from shock when I didn't make a fuss about some mud on the floor yesterday.

 

* The Iams biscuits gave us a hint of something to try to get them to eat. We started mixing a bit of the Iams green bag mini chunks into their Science Diet (1/4 cup to start) and they INHALED their dinner last night and breakfast this morning. Mind you, they skipped two meals in a row of just the Science Diet yesterday. A coincidence? Maybe, but maybe not.

 

What an adventure! I took a personal day from work today to take them to the vet, although I do have to go to a meeting tonight. We have been leaving them to go to other parts of the house and today when I left them it was the first time that I didn't find one or both waiting for me at the baby gate. Progress! It will be hard to leave them tomorrow. My daughter will be feeding/ walking in the middle of the day. Less than two weeks until my spring break. I'll have to start alone training all over again when I go back to work.

[greysmom]

[DesiRayMom]

This is awesome!!! Sounds like you really did learn to "relax & enjoy it."

 

Did we not tell you so? YOU'RE HOOKED!!!!!