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Getting A Little Too Comfortable


Guest Waterdog66

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Guest Waterdog66

Since we adopted Audrey a bit over 2 months ago, we have been pretty active with her. By the end of the day, she is often quite knackered from the activity; this on top of a greyhounds fondness for sleeping the day away :rolleyes:

 

There have been times when it is quite difficult to get her to wake up and move when she needs to. (Like Last Call at night or when she is asleep in the grass under a tree and it is time to come in) The last few times I have had to get her up she started to growl at me. She has always been a bit grumpy and slow about having to get up but it seems like now that she has settled in, she is starting to assert herself.

She does respond to "UP" as a command and IF I can get her to actually wake up, she will usually comply. What I DON"T do is touch her either when she is sleeping or just waking up, I playfully call her name and loudly clap my hands to wake her. It Seems like any sort of petting or physical contact just puts her right back to sleep.

Here is what I have done so far:

 

1). Avoid places where she is comfortable enough to lay down on our walks (Usually the grass in our yard)

2). Discontinued (For now) sitting in the unfenced front yard (Where she needs to be on leash)

3). Tried to make waking up fun with treats and other fun things to do after she gets up (She is still not a big fan of treats)

4). On the Occasion when she does growl: Give her a stern NO.

 

Seems like the one place where this is still a big pain is when it is time to go out for last call. What I did last night was to just turn off all of the lights and leave the room like we are going to bed. She eventually got up to go to bed and then I clamped on a leash and we head out the door instead. This worked but she was especially grumpy on our walk and I had to wait her out to go potty. I am going to try moving last call back to just after dinner this week and see if that helps.

 

She has been an awesome hound with very few issues and this one seems minor but could get worse if we don't manage it. Any other ideas?

Edited by Waterdog66
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First possibly a vet trip to make sure getting up isn't causing her pain.... this whole thing sounds odd to me. How old is she?

 

Then you have a few ways to get her up.

1. Clip a leash to her and cheerfully say "Lets go!"

2. Teach her the Up command or recall with super yummy food. Do this in easy places first.

3. Tough love. Your going to move one way or another! You probably should NOT do this since she's growling at you. The odds of you getting bit are really high. Both my dogs know that if I put a hand on that collar I expect them to pay attention. If they ignore me, I will be mean and drag for a split second until my point gets across.

4. Use a hose or squirt bottle to get her to move if she ignores you. Make sure you give her a fair shot of responding before you soak her.

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Jessica

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Maybe a little less activity, if she's so tired she doesn't want to get up to go out at night. Not all greyhounds like to be that active. Most seem to be happy with a walk or two during the day or a good run in the yard. The only one that active in our home is our new girl and she's not even 2 yet. The older dogs definitely like to run a couple of times in the yard but prefer to lay around the rest of the day.

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Guest Waterdog66

First possibly a vet trip to make sure getting up isn't causing her pain.... this whole thing sounds odd to me. How old is she?

 

Then you have a few ways to get her up.

1. Clip a leash to her and cheerfully say "Lets go!"

2. Teach her the Up command or recall with super yummy food. Do this in easy places first.

3. Tough love. Your going to move one way or another! You probably should NOT do this since she's growling at you. The odds of you getting bit are really high. Both my dogs know that if I put a hand on that collar I expect them to pay attention. If they ignore me, I will be mean and drag for a split second until my point gets across.

4. Use a hose or squirt bottle to get her to move if she ignores you. Make sure you give her a fair shot of responding before you soak her.

 

He thanks.

 

She just turned 5 in May and had her vet checkup about 15 days after we adopted her. I should point out that she is NOT on Thyroid meds. Might be worth while to get her in for a quick checkup.

 

Seems to me that the core issue is that when she is dead asleep, it is just becoming increasingly difficult to get her to wake up and get moving. The Growling is probably just a symptom of her grumpiness and my persistence to get her up. "Tough Love" is sort of where I am at and when she crashed in the front lawn yesterday and would not get up, I did consider turning on the sprinklers.

 

One other thing that comes to mind: Maybe I just need to give her more time to actually wake up. (Maybe I am just being too impatient)

 

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Guest RMarie

Is she food-motivated? James is by no means grumpy, but he has NO interest in getting off the couch unless food is involved. We literally have to treat him to get him off the couch to go on walks.

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Guest Waterdog66

Maybe a little less activity, if she's so tired she doesn't want to get up to go out at night. Not all greyhounds like to be that active. Most seem to be happy with a walk or two during the day or a good run in the yard. The only one that active in our home is our new girl and she's not even 2 yet. The older dogs definitely like to run a couple of times in the yard but prefer to lay around the rest of the day.

 

Yup, that could be too.

 

We usually hit the beach, the local trails, the lagoons or the park for a longer walk a few times during the week and a one long walk on the weekend. She seems to look forward to what we do with her but I it could be too much activity for her. (She jumps into the car with excitement of every new adventure) We are lucky in that we have so many hound friendly places to go.

Is she food-motivated? James is by no means grumpy, but he has NO interest in getting off the couch unless food is involved. We literally have to treat him to get him off the couch to go on walks.

 

Not really. I used kibble to teach her the stairs and turns her nose up at most treats. Yogurt and Peanut Butter are the only high value treats she responds to but too much of these can cause other issues.

 

I have treats that she responds to (But are not high value) that are basically the same thing has her kibble. (Chicken/Sweet Potato) Most often, she will take the treat and hide I for later.

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How much exercise is she getting every day, and what are the temperatures like there?

 

And, at what time is the "out" before last call, and what time do you get up in the a.m.? Asking this because for years, one of my pups preferred not to go out after 6:30/7:00 p.m.; we got up @ 6:00 a.m.; she made it through the night just fine on her preferred schedule.

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This sounds very familiar - I've had tons of fosters and most have gone through that "I'm comfortable and don't want to get up". I suggest getting a leash on and using that. If you don't want to get that close to the collar to hook it, you can make a loop of the leash and just ease the loop over the head.

 

I usually just position my foot under their rump and nudge them along with saying "UP" to get results but, I would not suggest doing that unless you have handled plenty of dogs in your lifetime. I do it very fast so the dogs usually don't have time to think about it and react.

 

I might suggest that you work on this throughout the day.

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Guest saucyalysoon

Have you tried a squawker to get her attention? I know my girl is a pain to get inside when it's really nice outside... like she's telling me GTFO, ha. Especially if she's not food-motivated, the noise may get her attention enough to get her going without you having to yank on her.

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Guest Waterdog66

How much exercise is she getting every day, and what are the temperatures like there?

 

And, at what time is the "out" before last call, and what time do you get up in the a.m.? Asking this because for years, one of my pups preferred not to go out after 6:30/7:00 p.m.; we got up @ 6:00 a.m.; she made it through the night just fine on her preferred schedule.

Here in SoCal, we are still experiencing June Gloom along the coast so temps have been cool; especially in the afternoon.

 

I generally get up at 4:30a to 5:30a for my morning workout and she gets up with me for a walk. Breakfast is always at 5:30a.

 

Last call is between 9p and 10p as I am heading upstairs to bed. I have skipped last call a few times and she did OK. I am thinking the best approach is to move last call to earlier.

 

She eats dinner at 5:30p and gets a good walk about 7p so I could just make that last call.

This may sound like a "way-out" question, but is there a possibility that her hearing might be somewhat impaired?

Not as far off as it sounds. I met a hound at a meet and greet that was deaf. (The adopter figured it out after a while) the owner taught her sign language :D

 

She seems to respond to sounds. (Especially barking dogs on our walks) might still keep an eye on that.

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Couple thoughts:

 

She really might not need that extra out at 10pm. Some dogs do just fine, especially overnight. At 5 years old, this should be OK. I would be inclined to see how she does for a week or so.

 

You have a lot of room to up your treat value significantly - hot dogs and liverwurst come to mind. Pieces of roasted chicken, cheese, lunchmeat - lots of things to try! You just have to find one that works reliably. FWIW, no dog of mine would do ANYTHING for a dry piece of kibble! :lol

 

Alternatively, you can also use a squeaky toy as a motivator rather than treats. Or a squawker, as suggested above. Anything she wants badly enough to move for will work.

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You have a lot of room to up your treat value significantly - hot dogs and liverwurst come to mind. Pieces of roasted chicken, cheese, lunchmeat - lots of things to try! You just have to find one that works reliably. FWIW, no dog of mine would do ANYTHING for a dry piece of kibble! :lol

 

 

I don't know how I would get Beth up for last out without dairy products. I have conditioned her very successfully to the sound of a spoon clanking on her metal bowl -- yum yum yogurt!

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I've had the same problem with Bu for years. He doesn't like getting up in the morning (which is usually close to noon). He doesn't usually growl thankfully. We've gotten to the point that I just tap his neck and he will get up. Sometimes he starts getting up and when I turn away he'll lay back down. I would just make 7 your last out.

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Guest Greyt_dog_lover

I wouldn't consider the thyroid route, it is very rare for greyhounds to have thyroid problems, and unless you have a very greyhound savvy vet and run the full thyroid panel through MSU or OSU you will get a false positive.

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Guest Waterdog66

I wouldn't consider the thyroid route, it is very rare for greyhounds to have thyroid problems, and unless you have a very greyhound savvy vet and run the full thyroid panel through MSU or OSU you will get a false positive.

 

Nope this is certainly not an option. Both the Adoption Center Vet and her new Vet agree that her Thyroid is normal. (Her new Vet has 3 greys and we believe understands the breed well)

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Guest Waterdog66

Thanks everyone; seems like my initial reaction that this is a management problem still makes sense.

 

To be sure: Most of the time she gets up happily. This very much seems to be a simple function of how "Dog Tired" she is AND how crabby she is. (Yes, she definitely does get moody) She does reliably respond to the "UP" command as long as she is awake enough to respond to it.

 

I did move her "Last Out" time back to about 2 hours after dinner last night and she had no problems through the night and I expect this won't be a problem. She was not too keen about getting up to go to bed at 10p until I shut off all of the lights and went upstairs. (She quickly followed)

 

I am going to continue to search for healthy high value treats for situations where I need to lure her. I have tried cheese, greenies and a few off the shelf training treats. Greenies where the only thing that worked but more than 1 or 2 seemed to cause GI issues.

 

Cheers

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We get up at 5 AM, and George's last call is 7:45 PM. I think you're just expecting her to remain open to being awake for too many hours!

 

Let the girl sleep! :bunny


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Very likely too much exercise for a newly retired Greyhound (sprinter). Even much younger Greyhounds only race 1 or 2 times per week, for approximately 30 seconds each time. They spend most of their time sleeping. Also, Audrey may be feeling overstimulated emotionally in her drastically different, new retired life.

 

Newly retired hounds often need to build endurance (and pad toughness) very slowly (starting with 10 minute walks during first week or two, building slowly from there). Good to check paw pads periodically. Pads can get worn down to painfully raw if they overdo it on sidewalks, pavement, trail gravel. (Greys arrive from the track with soft pads.)

 

I would suggest backing off of excessive daily activity. 20 to 30 minutes of total walking per day is plenty at this stage (if she's not in pain). It's possible Audrey might be feeling body pain after too much exercise too soon (lack of endurance, old injuries, and/or beginning arthritis). A 5 year old Greyhound is compared to a 40 year old human (but not a 40 year old Ironman human. ;))

 

Can her last call be shortened to a quick outing in your back yard, instead of a walk?

Great that you're happily clapping to encourage her to stand up. As mentioned, a leash often works well (if she still trusts you enough to allow you to get that close). Showing her a leash might help. Odd as it may seem, it's not recommended to reprimand dogs for growling. If dogs are verbally punished for growling (their way of communicating displeasure), many dogs will learn to skip a verbal "warning" growl, and go directly to a bite instead. Better to retain her trust of you with positive methods calling her into another room, etc.

 

As a lost Greyhound search team leader, I much prefer to save the treasured squawker for a TRUE emergency (e.g., if hound ever gets loose by accident, a squawker might help get her back). The more a squawker is used in plain ole' retirement, the less useful it becomes because adopters can't mimic racing trainers' extremely high racing rewards. Another option is teaching her to come to a whistle (coach/teacher's whistle) when you know she's feeling alert and hungry. (We keep them in the treat cabinet, car, etc.) Reward her immediately with rare treats only given for that whistle. (High value meats: beef, chicken, turkey, liver, tripe, hot dogs, etc. but no toxic onion or spices in meat.) Her response to "come" should always result in a wonderfully positive reward (super treat, favorite toy, affection, instant car ride, or whatever floats her boat). Dogs think: "What's in it for me?"

 

Greyhounds are a very sensitive breed that respond best to positive reward training. Set them up for success by catching them doing something right (+ reward), and/or creatively setting up situations for them to succeed. :)

Edited by 3greytjoys
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Guest FrankieWylie

I'd just let her be....other than when she needs to come indoors.

 

Ours get let out when we go to bed. Those that don't go out, don't go out. The ones that want to sleep with us, they come along. The ones that don't stay where they are LOL!

 

Thankfully, anyone who has to pee in the middle of the night wakes us up and lets us know!

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Guest Waterdog66

So we did a couple of things with Audrey over the past week and the issue is mostly resolved:

 

1). Changed "Last Out" to about an hour or two after dinner.

2). Scaled back a bit on the length of our daily activities (She is still getting her walks, just not as long)

3). Avoided situations where she can get comfortable (IE. Sleep) and she won't be there for long

4). Did some a bit of extra "UP" training.

 

Additionally, because her last out is no longer connected with "Bed Time", we just leave her in her bed and turn the lights out. She usually (But Not Always) wakes up and follows us upstairs.

 

This is a good lesson for me because it is a sign that her activity level might be too much for her. This weeks scaled back activities has given her more energy to burn playing around the house. Probably just need to work on balancing her activity level so she is getting what she wants without burning her out.

 

Up to now, we have mostly let her decide how much she wants (Or does not want) to do. She eagerly gets into the car and loves walking trails, the beach, lagoons etc. in addition to regular outings. (Petco, Home Depot etc.)

 

Thanks everyone.

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Guest Waterdog66

So the latest:

 

We have been very consistent with her last out being about an hour after dinner. This works well because her new routine is to eat, sleep and wake up with the zoomies right about the time for last call. The real interesting bit is that when we get back from her last out walk, she settles down and right about 9p will go upstairs and put herself to bed instead of waiting for us :rolleyes:

 

I really like the changes to our routine and methinks she does also.

 

Thanks for the advice everyone

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