Guest Alex1989 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I adopted a greyhound 4 weeks ago and have recently encountered a problem. At first my greyhound would go in her crate and whenever i got her leash she would come running out and ready to go outside. She has now started to not come out of her crate. a couple weeks ago she would not come out all day i tried pulling her out but she layed there until her crate was literally sliding along the floor and I gave up. I pet her a lot and encouraged her tried treats and nothing worked eventually I just ahd to lift her out and then she was happy and wagging her tail and came outside. Now eveytime i want her to come out i have to almsot lift her out again. If i close her crate she will come on the couch and walk around the house and lay on her bed in living room but if the crate is open it is the only place she will go and will nto come out voluntarily. Should I be shutting her out of her crate when I'm home or just leave the door open and let her go in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walliered Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 She is still not used to anything in 4 weeks. I would just leave her alone, no pulling or forcing her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissy Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Where do you live? Is it really cold out right now? Kili drives me nuts because now that it is super cold out, when I open her crate first thing in the morning she takes about 30 seconds to a minute to decide to come out (normally she jumps right out) because she does not want to go for our morning walk. It has recently gotten SO cold out that even I have decided to forgo our walks. -30C before the windchill... when nose hairs are sticking and exposed skin is painful within seconds... too cold for the hounds to be out even with coats on! Anyway, part of it might be the colder weather if she is perhaps suspecting that she might have to go out in it. And then of course she's just so new and she might be overwhelmed in general. Quote Kristie and the Apex Agility Greyhounds: Kili (ATChC AgMCh Lakilanni Where Eagles Fly RN IP MSCDC MTRDC ExS Bronze ExJ Bronze ) and Kenna (Lakilanni Kiss The Sky RN MADC MJDC AGDC AGEx AGExJ). Waiting at the Bridge: Retired racer Summit (Bbf Dropout) May 5, 2005-Jan 30, 2019 Like us on Facebook! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 She might just consider her crate her safe space. When do you put her in her crate? Is she crated only when you're not home? When you're home - is her crate door open and she chooses to be in there with an open door? What's your daily routine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alex1989 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I always leave it open when ever me or my wife is home. I take her for a walk before I leave for work and then my wife or a friend takes her mid day outside. I take her for another walk ususally after work around 5 and then out again before bed and she sleeps in her crate. It is cold out but she has been doing this even when it was +5 outside. I first thought she just feels safe in her crate and so I just left her alone but she didn't come out the entire day, went in for bed the day before and didn't come out the whole next day. At this point i thought it was bad for her health to not go to the bathroom for that long (24hrs) so I had to force her out and as soon as she was standing outside of her crate she was all happy. She gladly goes outside once she is out of her crate even in -25 temperatures it is just getting out of the crate that is the problem. Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 (edited) I've read this a couple of times and my first thought, and now second, is when you're home, close the crate door so she can't hunker down in it. You say she's happy when she's not in it so I can't see any reason to offer it to her. Is there a reason you use a crate at all? Does she need to be crated when you're not home? Does she need to be crated at night? Many of us stopped using a crate entirely within a few days after adoption. Someone said after 4 weeks she's not used to anything, but my little experience with my one Greyhound would speak differently. Each day they learn something new, starting where their food and water are to the door you go out to go potty to the words/tone of voice, "I love you." If she wasn't used to anything, she'd be peeing & pooing in the house and crying/whining all the time. Edited January 4, 2014 by Feisty49 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Hmmm... Thanks for the additional info. That helps a lot. I think she's getting too attached to that crate. You're right - she NEEDS to get out of it. Close the door and don't let her in it when you're home. I've had foster greys that considered the crate their "safe spot" that they'd go to if they got nervous - but they never stayed there long. We do "open crate" for a lot of new fosters - some just like that idea that they can go to their spot when they need to - but many of them never used it. Even the ones that did - quit going there after a week or so. Your girl is something different. She's developed a weird attachment that you need to break (just like some greys start chewing or peeing in the house or other bad behaviors after "the honeymoon" month is over). This is not a huge deal - just a bump in the road. Get her out of the crate when you're home - put a leash on her and pull her out if other means don't work. Close the door - and make it a happy time (sounds like she'll be happy anyway). If you've been crating her when you're gone - I'd continue that. Don't take away everything at once or you could cause other problems - like SA. When she becomes comfortable being out of crate when you're home, consider loosing the crate at night, then when you're gone. It's a baby's pacifier. It's got to go - but do it in stages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam234 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 (edited) Will she come out for treats? My Finn will go ANYWHERE for a milkbone! Will she come out for her food? When it's been particularly cold at night sometimes Finn doens't want to go out for his last potty - then he'll just go lay in his crate and wants to stay there. I coax him out with a milkbone and then take him out. Then he gets another treat when he comes in for being such a good boy to go out in the cold. Edited January 6, 2014 by Tam234 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleptogrey Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 your dog sounds exactly like my first greyhound emily. the crate was placed in the living room. she did not want to get out of her crate. i started to think that there was something wrong with her. she was sociable with people once out of the crate, no problems on walks and no problems at our massive thanksgiving dinner(16 people which was 24 days after she was adopted)- she roached on my welsh terrier's small dog bed. but she used to hunker down and i had to leash her when she was in the crate and offer her a treat to get out. once i started clicker training a new dog blossomed. she needed a job!! emily raced 168 races, was 4.5 yrs old and was a working girl. she just needed to focus on something tangible. this dog in a crate went from a blob to therapy dog/canine good citizen in 2 months. i would say a total of 4 months for her total transformation. she loved working in obedience and at nursing homes. i did start her training about 4 or 5 weeks after she was adopted. i hope you have as much success as i did. btw, i always kept the crate around. it was her safe place. even though our home in small we knew she loved it, why take it away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyt_dog_lover Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Us humans need to get over the stigma that crates are bad. Obviously your hound enjoys the crate, so why on earth would you take it away from her? She has had everything else she is used to taken away, why take this away too? Clepto, I believe, has the best advise to enroll in obedience classes and give your girl a "job" to do. Remember, her entire life has been regulated and scheduled, get her back on a schedule and give her something to do and you may be very surprised at your little girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alex1989 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Thanks everyone for the help. We kept her out of her crate over the weekend when we were home and now we just leave the door open and I havent made her go in to sleep. I haven't been gone for a whole day yet but left for a few hours when she was not in her crate and she was fine. Now that she didn't sleep in her crate a few days she rarely ever goes in it any more and we always leave the door open. So far so good! she does like treats but she will only eat one when laying down once she figures out what a treat is and is a little more relaxed I am going to try and clicker train her as well. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feisty49 Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Good news! I don't think any of us think crates are bad, but obviously it was causing a problem for Alex1989's household when her hound refused to come out for something as basic as going potty. And obviously her hound is as happy out of the crate as in because she was just fine being alone in the house and not being crated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walliered Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Agree with Greyt_dog_lover..We humans are so funny..lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaBehr Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Just try to remember you have only had her for 4 weeks and it takes them a while to adjust to these changes. Their way of life before they are adopted is VERY different. Just give her time and space and she'll come around. She'll also learn what treats are. Quote Mom to Melly and Dani Greyhound Bridge Angels - Jessie, Brittne, Buddy, Red, Chica, Ford and Dodge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Us humans need to get over the stigma that crates are bad. Obviously your hound enjoys the crate, so why on earth would you take it away from her? She has had everything else she is used to taken away, why take this away too? Clepto, I believe, has the best advise to enroll in obedience classes and give your girl a "job" to do. Remember, her entire life has been regulated and scheduled, get her back on a schedule and give her something to do and you may be very surprised at your little girl. Who said crates are bad? Certainly not me. I believe in appropriate use of crates - just as I believe in many training methods and devices. What I think is "bad" is a dog clinging to a security blanket to the point it doesn't want out - when it can be comfortably transitioned out of it to lead a fuller life when it is happy interacting with its family. My DD loved her pacifier - but I took it away from her, by gradual means, when the time was appropriate. Just because she "enjoyed" it - didn't mean that I should allow her to cling to it forever. We can agree to disagree on this point. But I am happy that the OP's dog has happily transitioned to having the option to go in the crate whenever she wants - but has gotten over the compulsion to live her life there. Agree with Greyt_dog_lover..We humans are so funny..lol I agree that living in a crate may be all that these dogs have known. I disagree with the idea that we shouldn't strive to make their worlds bigger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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