Alone Training Tips For Grey That Barks Immediately

[Guest LunaTheGreyt]

He was perfect all day today on his OWN out of the crate for 7 hours while I was at work. I monitored him the entire day via a webcam with speakers. He didn't destroy anything and didn't even whine/bark when I came home.

 

I think everyone on this site forgets that Greyhounds are in fact dogs. They need a pack leader and if you're not leading them, which I wasn't, they get freaked when left alone because he doesn't know what to do or can't lead alone. If you can't be the pack leader, of course getting a second dog will help as now he is the leader to the new dog or the new dog is the leader. That didn't actually resolve the issue just flipped the leader in the pack to another dog.

 

I focused on the walk this morning for 45 minutes letting him pee/poop where I led him, not letting him walk in front, no touch/talk/eye contact 15 minutes before I left for work and presto 180 degree new dog. The crate wasn't working so I tried something different.

 

Except for a few your suggestions and support has been great, but a few really need to check themselves. I will not be returning my guy. I needed to learn how to be his pack leader and this will be the solution for a calm and happy guy.

 

Signing off.

 

This was NOT separation anxiety.

 

Glad that worked for you.

[silverfish]

He was perfect all day today on his OWN out of the crate for 7 hours while I was at work. I monitored him the entire day via a webcam with speakers. He didn't destroy anything and didn't even whine/bark when I came home.

 

I think everyone on this site forgets that Greyhounds are in fact dogs. They need a pack leader and if you're not leading them, which I wasn't, they get freaked when left alone because he doesn't know what to do or can't lead alone. If you can't be the pack leader, of course getting a second dog will help as now he is the leader to the new dog or the new dog is the leader. That didn't actually resolve the issue just flipped the leader in the pack to another dog.

 

I focused on the walk this morning for 45 minutes letting him pee/poop where I led him, not letting him walk in front, no touch/talk/eye contact 15 minutes before I left for work and presto 180 degree new dog. The crate wasn't working so I tried something different.

 

Except for a few your suggestions and support has been great, but a few really need to check themselves. I will not be returning my guy. I needed to learn how to be his pack leader and this will be the solution for a calm and happy guy.

 

Signing off.

 

This was NOT separation anxiety.

 

 

Wow.

 

No, we do not forget that greyhounds are, in fact, dogs. However, it could be that you forget how easy it is to come over 'all wrong' when writing on a forum.

 

You arrived here as a 'newbie' and began with a couple of topics asking for help. The tone of those topics was of someone who had been thrown in at the deep end, so to speak, and was inexperienced. A bunch of us waded in with good suggestions and I did not read any which gave me the impression that they thought a greyhound was anything other than a dog. In fact one very experienced person actually said to you in one thread 'Please remember he is not a child'.

 

All suggestions made have been with experience and thought. I can't speak for anyone else, of course, but mine have also been with the intent to help both you and Fred. I certainly wasn't one who said you should return him, in fact I said that since I didn't know you or your circumstances or what was going on, I couldn't tell you that it would be the right thing to do.

 

It may be that what you originally thought was SA was not SA. Again, I can't tell you that because I can't see what's happening. It could be that you are right and that all he needed was a 'strong leader'. I have certainly had one greyhound who did better that way. All I can say is that if you come on here and ask for help with SA or Alone Training (which is for SA), then you are going to get advice about SA and how to do Alone Training.

 

I hope that this improvement continues to develop well for you both, and wish you the best of luck. I'd just say to be a tad wary of improvements which happen suddenly as if a switch was flicked, because sometimes they don't last as well as you think they might. In other words, be prepared to keep putting the good work in.