Guest MrsKuchta Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Hello everyone! My husband and I are planning to adopt our first greyhound and we had a few questions...the most important one being about when to adopt. I am currently a graduate student and my husband works full time during the week. Starting mid-December I will be on a month long break from school, which is when we were considering adopting. My question is, would it be better to adopt when the dog would be on a strict crating/feeding schedule (IE: when I'm not on break and I'm still in school) or is it better to give the dog time to acclimate for a month when I will be home most of the time? We obviously want to avoid separation anxiety, but we want to give the dog time to adjust as well Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time4ANap Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 Definitely while you are on break. That will give you time to acclimate to each other, but more importantly, will allow you time to do some alone training before you go back and the pup is alone during the day. Use the search function at the top to find threads on "alone training" and you will find lots of great info. Good luck! Quote Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan. Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket, Allie Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted September 28, 2013 Share Posted September 28, 2013 The answer is yes. You want to be home for at least a little while when they first come home. They need to acclimate, settle down from moving around, do alone training, and some walking with you to develop a good bond. But you can also begin to put him on the schedule you need him to be on for "normal" days - for feeding, for pottying, for exercise. The only difference being you're not going to leave the house for extended periods (right away). Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Waterdog66 Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 What we did when we brought Audrey home was to alter our schedule such that we could control her ALONE time in the beginning. I worked from home the first two weeks. The idea was to get her on a regular walk/potty schedule but also to slowly introduce alone time. Doing it this way worked very well for us and Audrey did great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedHead Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 I also adopted when I had a month off work, and it worked out well for us. It gave us time to adjust and plenty of time to do alone training before I went back to work. So...if you are going to adopt, I would definitely do it when you have the time off. I know not everyone has the luxury of doing this, and things can work out either way, but I just found things a lot less stressful and rushed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyt_dog_lover Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 (edited) I am in the other camp. Adopt when your routine is normal, not when you are on break. This is my reasoning: When you first get your greyhound you are going to spoil him, love on him, pay heed to his every whine or need. This will go on for a few days or even weeks, then you will suddenly go back to work/school whatever. Your greyhound has become accustomed to a certain level of attention and comfort and suddenly he has nothing. Will you do alone training, of course, but effective alone training? You will be so excited to have your new friend that the alone training will be taken care of "next week". While your intentions will be the best, most people don't have the discipline to really do the appropriate alone training. So, instead of slowly pulling off the Band-Aid so to speak, rip it off at once and be done with it. The stories you here on this site about anxiety are the worst case, not the norm. I really do not think you are doing the hound justice by having the hound adjust from a schedule at a track, then adjust to a schedule where you are home, THEN adjust again to a schedule where you are not home. Too much, just put the hound into your normal routine as fast as possible, they will adjust fine, they are not as fragile as some may lead you to believe. Edited October 1, 2013 by Greyt_dog_lover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a_daerr Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 There's differing opinions on this question. I think it will be fine to adopt when you're on break... however, as the others said, it will be important to practice alone training during that time. The worst thing you can do is to get the dog accustomed to you being home 24/7 only to abruptly change his or her schedule. Also, try to line up stuff like walks, feeding times, and bathroom breaks to what your schedule will be when you go back to school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeofNE Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 First of all, not every Greyhound has separation anxiety. Unfortunately, you won't really know until you pick the dog and bring it home! If you decide to adopt while you're on break, make sure you don't spend 24/7 with the dog. I'd suggest that you buy the "I'll Be Home Soon" pamphlet/book (Patricia McConnell, you can get it on Amazon.com) right now. Most of us don't EVER have a month off. Imagine if the only suitable way to get a dog was to quit your job to spend time with it! I lost my dog of 12 years on a Thursday. Brought home my Greyhound on a Saturday. Went back to work on Monday. We had a rough adjustment patch, but we got through it, and that was six years ago, and it's all good! Quote Susan, Hamish, Mister Bigglesworth and Nikita Stanislav. Missing Ming, George, and Buck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MrsKuchta Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 Thank you to everyone for the replies! I know it is going to be a difficult decision to make(when to adopt, that is), but we are so excited to finally adopt our greyhound and become a part of this amazing group of greyhound lovers! I feel that perhaps adopting while I'm still in school, doing the training, and then having the time off later would be best. Especially considering we will be dealing with the holidays! I'll keep you all updated on how it goes! Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianamac Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 I am in the other camp. Adopt when your routine is normal, not when you are on break. This is my reasoning: When you first get your greyhound you are going to spoil him, love on him, pay heed to his every whine or need. This will go on for a few days or even weeks, then you will suddenly go back to work/school whatever. Your greyhound has become accustomed to a certain level of attention and comfort and suddenly he has nothing. Will you do alone training, of course, but effective alone training? You will be so excited to have your new friend that the alone training will be taken care of "next week". While your intentions will be the best, most people don't have the discipline to really do the appropriate alone training. So, instead of slowly pulling off the Band-Aid so to speak, rip it off at once and be done with it. The stories you here on this site about anxiety are the worst case, not the norm. I really do not think you are doing the hound justice by having the hound adjust from a schedule at a track, then adjust to a schedule where you are home, THEN adjust again to a schedule where you are not home. Too much, just put the hound into your normal routine as fast as possible, they will adjust fine, they are not as fragile as some may lead you to believe. I agree with greyt_dog_lover completely. If your dog is coming straight from the track/adoption kennel into your home, it will be used to having a set routine where people aren't always around and it is crated for periods of time, so it may in fact be LESS of an adjustment than having a brand new human around constantly. If the Greyhound is coming from a foster home rather than right off the track, chances are the dog is used to the foster family being at work/away for periods of time anyways, so maintaining a similar schedule to the foster home it comes from may ease the transition as well. IMO, it is easier to keep the dog's routine similar while altering the environment (home vs. kennel), rather than change both the habituated routine AND environment at once. Greyhounds are great routine wizards, just keep in mind the schedule it was accustomed to wherever it was before you bring it home and slowly adjust that to your needs. Quote Bri and Mike with Boo Radley (Williejohnwalker), Bubba (Carlos Danger), and the feline friends foes, Loois and Amir Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kalzanetti Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Also remember, just because you may want to adopt while you are on break, doesn't mean it will happen for you. It is a process and they have to find the right dog for you and your situation. When we first started, I picked out 8 dogs !! They didn't have their profiles completed yet so that is why I picked out so m any. After they assessed them, it turns out NONE of them were right for me and my family. I am thankful the group I am working with got more in and have one on hold for me at this time. So you never really know. In a group I am in on facebook, a guy said he waited 4 months for the right one. Good luck !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NRN13 Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Yep, it took us a few months to get ours. We thought we'd have all summer but ended up having just one month before I went back to work. The timing will be what it will be. The timing worked out well for us, and I'm sure it will work out for you. Whenever it happens. I don't think there is such thing as a perfect time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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