New Greyhound Morning Routine

[Guest mhastyy]

I adopted my fist grey a week ago. So far, she has been an angel. Curious, sweet and well behaved (I'm kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop actually) But anyway...

 

One question I have is about leaving her in her crate in the mornings. For the first few nights, she cried some but has since stopped mostly. In the mornings, however, she starts crying around 6 am. I assume that she is just used to being let out to go potty at this time and it is sort of her routine. I have been trying to make this time a little later, as I would rather her not wake up quite so early if we don't have to. What I want to do is ignore her for a little while until she gets the message and goes back to sleep, and then start taking her out around 6:30 and then eventually 7:00.

 

However, I don't want to make her wait if she actually really needs to go potty. Is this a legitimate concern? I take her out at night right before bed, usually around 11:00. Does she actually need to go really bad or is it just her routine?

 

What do you guys think?

 

 

 

[Guest Roc]

It's probably just routine. Maybe she's still on track time? I know Tango is and I've had him for a year now. He initially wakes me up very early by poking my face with his big we nose, then I just tell him not yet buddy and he goes and lays down until the next time he hears the slightest bit of movement from the bed.

[greytpups]

Why is she crated? Is she crated in your bedroom? If not, she might be lonely. If so, perhaps try 15 minute intervals. If it were my girl Brooke, if she gets up, she has to go. If it's Ben or Brooke, I can tell them to lay down for awhile. That's why I suggested shorter intervals in case it's legit.

 

If she goes out and goes right away, then you'll know she needs to go as opposed to sniffing around for a bit outside and can wait a bit. Brooke runs to the door so I know she needs out and sometimes it's 4 or 5 am. I've learned when in doubt, let her out.

[duncan41]

Just for conversation sake, how would you feel if you asked to go to the bathroom and you were told that it isn' t time?

[Guest mhastyy]

I keep Sim crated since she is so new and it was what was recommended. I intend to eventually let her roam free but I want to work up to it, make sure she isn't a chewer and such. I had her crated in my bedroom at first but she actually prefers being crated in our living room. She can see more stuff I think, and it is our common area. I am moving back to my apartment at grad school in about a month, and when we go there she probably will be crated in my room as it will be where I spend the majority of my time.

 

duncan41, that is my concern. If she actually needs to go to the bathroom, I want to take her out ASAP, however, if she is just used to getting up at 6 am but doesn't really need to go, I'd like to see if I can get her to go back to sleep for a while

[Guest Houston1219]

Houston is not allowed on the bed but from day one has slept on a dog bed at the foot of our bed.another bright GTer suggested attaching two leashes end to end, clipping one end to the dog and the handle end around your ankle. If she gets up to cause trouble, you will know it! Try it out for a few nights and see how she does! She may just be lonely. If she really needs to potty, she will wake you via leash tug. Hope this helps!

 

P.s. Attach the leash to a non-martingale collar or not on the D ring. Don't want anyone forgetting they're attached and her getting gagged lol

Edited May 24, 2014 by Houston1219

[Feisty49]

IMO, working her up slowly to going out at a later time is fine. We've all had to make our dogs wait to go potty, whether it be in the morning or we got stuck in traffic coming home from work or we went to lunch and stayed longer than anticipated.

 

Does she really have to go potty? Sure, probably, but she's not peeing in her crate so I'd start the training in 15 minute increments. A healthy dog won't be harmed by waiting and this can be the start of you training her for what fits your lifestyle.

 

BTW, my girl Annie, who is 6-1/2 years old, has her last out for the day no later than 8 PM and she usually sleeps in until 7 the next morning, with pretty much the only reason she comes downstairs to go P&P at 7 is because I insist so we can start our day.

[Sambuca]

Take her out to pee and put her back in the crate. Be kind and gentle, but don't pet or praise her or make a big deal of things. Make it all business. She'll learn that she's let outside when she whines, but that's it.

[Guest iconsmum]

Just for conversation sake, how would you feel if you asked to go to the bathroom and you were told that it isn' t time?

 

 

 

have to agree with that. If your dog says "out" then put her out, for pete sake. She may wait but clearly she's in need so you're just stressing her at a time when you need to be helping her with her stress(es). I don't understand owners who think bladders should be ignored till they get around to it.

[Guest BiggiesOwner]

Our guy is just starting to get off of track time - it's been 6 months and he is JUST starting to sleep in past 5:30 or 6 am (till 730am this weekend - woohoo!). I learned that just taking him out but NOT feeding him immediately after the 530am wake up seemed to help get the message across.

[Guest mhastyy]

Sambuca and BiggiesOwner, that is how I am going to proceed, I think. I've been taking her out to potty when she whines but putting her back in her crate afterward until it is breakfast time. It's been going pretty well so I think she has figured out the routine. She usually just goes back to sleep

[WalterWallerson]

Sambuca and BiggiesOwner, that is how I am going to proceed, I think. I've been taking her out to potty when she whines but putting her back in her crate afterward until it is breakfast time. It's been going pretty well so I think she has figured out the routine. She usually just goes back to sleep

This is what I did with Walter. Sometimes on weekends, we still do this. I also tend to keep a bit of a track schedule because I'm a teacher so there wasn't as much adjusting but he has clearly learned the difference between weekdays and weekends. Weekdays are all business in the AM, the alarm goes off, he goes out, breakfast, etc. There is a STRICT routine so I get out of the house on time. Weekends are a different story.

 

I'd also suggest that you bring a bed into your bedroom, close the door and tell your new girl to lay down. Then go to bed. It might take a while, maybe a couple of days, but Walter was not crated overnight, and by the second night he was sleeping in his bed in my bedroom and things went a lot smoother. He was crated during the day until I was done for the summer.

[GeorgeofNE]

I promise you, "track time" is well before 6 AM.

 

She just wants to get going.

 

I agree with taking her out and then putting her back in the crate. If you do that enough, she'll realize it isn't worth it if she doesn't really have to go.

 

She'd most likely sleep longer if she wasn't in the crate at all, but since she is so new to you, probably a good idea!

[Jackandgrey]

one way to help them learn to go later is to set your alarm (so that she can hear it) at 6 for a few days, getting her out then of course, And then slowly start setting it a little later until you are at a reasonable time for you both. She will start to associate that sound with her getting up time and hopefully a longer night sleep will be had by all. . It worked for all my dogs.

[Guest FinnsMama]

I agree with Feisty49, I have not seen a bigger dog that could not wait 15 minutes when they wanted to. Finn can easily go 10 hours or more without going out to potty if it is thundering and scary outside. I can make him go out but i can' t make him potty. If she has a real problem she will be more insistant.

 

I would try letting her out of her cage before 6 am and start teaching her to 'go back to bed'. I suspect she wakes up and is lonely. Show her to a dog bed by your bed for a little more sleep and get her accomsted to sleeping out of her cage at the same time. She is probably used to waking up at daylight and at the track and in rescue they are rarely totally alone, I believe.

 

When Finn would wake up in the early morning I would tell him 'go back to bed' and reach my hand down to pet him from my own bed till he fell back to sleep. His bed is right next to mine.

 

Congratulations on your adoption!

[JustSnoozing]

one way to help them learn to go later is to set your alarm (so that she can hear it) at 6 for a few days, getting her out then of course, And then slowly start setting it a little later until you are at a reasonable time for you both. She will start to associate that sound with her getting up time and hopefully a longer night sleep will be had by all. . It worked for all my dogs.

 

This works well if you want to have a cue for time to go out.

[Susanval]

I am in the same boat. 4 days in with Edge. Problem is he is so dead tired at night he is asleep by 8:30! I have not been waking him up before bed so he sleeps right through until almost 5am in a crate in the living room. I let him out to pee but he is so excited and hungry that I let him eat and drink a bit. This morning I put him back in the crate and went back upstairs and he howled and barked for another 20 minutes. I poked my head down twice and said, "no". Then when he got mostly quiet I came down - darn I was awake!! So tired but want him to sleep until 6 or so. Am I doing this right? Should I wake him up at 10pm before I go to bed to pee??? Help!

[turbotaina]

I am in the same boat. 4 days in with Edge. Problem is he is so dead tired at night he is asleep by 8:30! I have not been waking him up before bed so he sleeps right through until almost 5am in a crate in the living room. I let him out to pee but he is so excited and hungry that I let him eat and drink a bit. This morning I put him back in the crate and went back upstairs and he howled and barked for another 20 minutes. I poked my head down twice and said, "no". Then when he got mostly quiet I came down - darn I was awake!! So tired but want him to sleep until 6 or so. Am I doing this right? Should I wake him up at 10pm before I go to bed to pee??? Help!

 

Can he not come up to your room after the first potty? I find dogs tend to be much calmer when they're in the same room with their humans, though I understand sometimes folks have allergies or whatever and need a dog-dander-free room, or there may be other reasons. I'm generally a proponent of letting the dog sleep in the same room as the humans if at all possible.

 

Also, generally speaking, if you want your dog not to bark, don't respond to the barking, even if it's just saying no (easier said that done, I know). That's still attention and it encourages the behavior. Wait until he's done barking, then reward the quiet with attention, treats or whatever.

 

I had one foster who not only would not sleep in, but she had no patience for waiting and would soil her crate as soon as she got her first bark out. She was like a little kid who tells you she to go potty, then immediately pees her pants Anyway, what worked for her was to give her a very brisk 20 minute walk at about 9:00pm. She liked the walk, burned off some energy, emptied herself out, and slept a little later

Edited September 11, 2014 by turbotaina

[Aidansmom]

one way to help them learn to go later is to set your alarm (so that she can hear it) at 6 for a few days, getting her out then of course, And then slowly start setting it a little later until you are at a reasonable time for you both. She will start to associate that sound with her getting up time and hopefully a longer night sleep will be had by all. . It worked for all my dogs.

 

I can tell you by experience this works great! Had the same problem with my grey when we first got him. He would go to bed around 10:30 when we would but would be up at 5am which is to early for my liking. After awhile he started to learn that the sound of the alarm means it is time to get up so on weekends when we don't set it at all he wont get out of his bed till we are ready