How Do I Get My Grey To Use Her Dog Pen To Potty In, Will She Ever Pla

[Guest rizzismom]

I just recently adopted a 3-year-old greyhound and have had her for four weeks. During that time we have been trying to train her to go down 4 steps to a fenced in dog run to do her business. In the beginning she would do it more consistently; however, now she will not go potty in the pen except for maybe in the morning--she holds it until I take her for her walks. Also, why doesn't this dog want to get up with me at 6 a.m., eat and go outside? She did at first and now won't get out of the crate. Then, when she does come out, she won't eat right away or go outside. This is so frustrating! Any ideas for me? I am a brand-new grey owner but have had two other different-breed dogs in the past, and neither one of them was this hard to figure out!

 

Also, do greys ever want to play with toys? My husband was hoping she would want to play, but she acts like she has no clue what to do. Thoughts?

 

One more problem--we think she might be having separation anxiety.. Most of the time I am home with her but every other week I volunteer where I'm gone for 8 hours. We had been putting her in the crate whenever we would leave, but then found that she had chewed her lips raw one time so then started letting her stay out of it but closing all the other doors in the house. THEN one night we went out for dinner and when we came home we found she had chewed the corner of the coffee table, which almost got her a trip back to the rescue. So now we have started crating her again whenever we leave with a Kong to keep her happy; however, apparently she does howl for a while (according to my son) and then finally goes to sleep. She was fostered for 4 months before we got her with 12 other dogs but now she is the sole dog with me, my husband and adult son. Thoughts on this?

[greysmom]

After about two weeks or so in a new home situation most greys will begin to feel more "settled" and they will begin to show more of their true personality and character. They seemingly "stop listening" and stop doing things that they may have done just fine prior to this. So you need to go through a "reset" of training. If she is food motivated, this is the time to really start with the positive reinforcement training. Every time she does what you want, have a little party with some yummy treats and lots of praise. She will quickly re-learn what you want her to do. Though, if you are expecting her to exit the house, go down some stairs and enter a fenced in part of the yard all on her own, you may be expecting a bit much. Particularly if she knows she can potty later on a walk.

 

As far as adjusting her schedule to match yours, just keep doing it the way you want it. She will eventually figure it out. It might have something to do with the schedule she was on in her foster home, as I've never heard of a greyhound right off the track or out of a kennel that isn't an early riser!

 

She does have some separation anxiety. This is entirely normal behavior for a dog who has never been left alone before. Do a search here for tips on "alone training" and "separation anxiety." Do the alone training very conscientiously. Whether you use the crate or not may depend on how strongly she objects to it. Some greys will actually hurt themselves trying to get out of a crate, and do much better baby gated in a safe part of the house.

 

She may or may not ever learn how to play with toys. Some do and some don't. Of the nine greys we've had - 3 were/are stuffy destroyers and nothing is safe in the house; 3 will play, or not, depending on their mood; 1 only played outside with outside toys; 2 did not ever play with toys.

[Houndtime]

I have a dog that won't poop on a walk, only in the dog pen. Maybe we could trade.

[Guest Wasabi303]

My dog was very similar to yours when I first brought her home. She was uncertain about the schedule for potty (and was extremely paranoid so I took her out ALL the time) and food and was just generally unclear about her role. She had horrible separation anxiety (no chewing just howling) if I left for more than an hour. What has worked best for us is consistency. I get up and take her out at the same three times every day and she has learned that these are her potty times.

 

Her anxiety was slightly trickier to solve, but I began paying attention to my own anxiety about leaving her in the house or crate. When I am only stepping out for a minute, no stress, but if I knew she was going to be alone for a long time, i became very stressed about leaving her. Now I just fake it and pretend like I will be right back every time, and her anxiety has virtually stopped. I no longer put her in the crate at all.

 

My girl also was oblivious to toys and other dogs when I got her. I took her to Petco with me and we walked done the isle and I showed her toys until something interested her (turns out that if it has a high pitched squeak, she loves it). We had to go to the dog park and watch other dogs for several weeks before she decided to join in. Point being, she definitely had to 'learn' to play with toys and with other dogs.

 

Overall I would say be patient, 4 weeks may seem like enough time to adjust to you, but it could take her much longer. I have had Wasabi for almost 3 months and she still changes a little bit everyday. It gets easier!

[Guest rizzismom]

Thank you so much to those of you who have replied so far--those are very good tips, and have given me hope that the future with Rizzi will get easier! Just glad to know that these quirky things are commonplace!

 

One other thing though: she seems to want to chew the corner of our oak coffee table which is driving my husband crazy. Anyone have a good way to break her of this? Will "bitter apple" work if applied here?

 

With regard to taking her out at the same time each day I'm all for it, but her stubborn streak is coming out--meaning if she's in the crate she won't come out to go outside; if I try to take her by the collar or lead to the door to go outside she digs her paws in and won't move (60 pounds of stubborn dog vs. 107 lbs of small person); and is somewhat food motivated but I have to be careful what I give her in number of treats because of her tricky GI system.

 

I will keep trying though! Unfortunately she has to be kennel-boarded for the next 4 days because we are going out of town for a wedding, so I'm hoping we won't be all the way back to square one when she comes home!

 

Thanks again everyone for your help!

[Guest Wasabi303]

My pup also did the refuse to move thing (our girls must be twins! ) when laying down and it was very frustrating. But I soon learned that she was scared and honestly had no idea what I wanted her to do. I would recommend an obedience class, even if you already know what your doing. It really helped me to communicate in a way my grey could understand, which made her a lot happier. Now when she gets confused and won't move, I can use a command she recognizes, like 'let's go' to signal that she is supposed to be following me. I also found that putting a leash on and not pulling can help them understand what you are asking.

 

I have no experience with the chewing, so I will let someone else handle that!

[PrairieProf]

My dog needs to move briskly to poop- extended fast walk or trot. And I would never expect her to change for my convenience.

[a_daerr]

In the short term, I'd use a muzzle to help with the chewing problem. But it sounds like she would do best with a more intensive 'alone training' program and a bit more time to adjust.

[Riverhound]

Yeah. I feel your pain. Before I was able to get yard fully fenced, I bought Joe a big outdoor run. He NEVER peed in it. Crate-like things are for hanging out in, not pottying in. The dog pen now holds trash between garbage days. It's invaluable!

[scullysmum]

My dog needs to move briskly to poop- extended fast walk or trot. And I would never expect her to change for my convenience.

I would second this...all of my dogs have needed a short brisk walk to stimulate the desire to poop, maybe your girl is the same ?

 

As far as using the bitter apple spray, it really depends on whether or not she actually finds It repellent....my boy seems to love the taste

 

I would suggest you use the muzzle for when you are not there and a short sharp verbal reprimand if you catch her doing it....the other trouble with using the spray is she just might move onto chewing something else and you will need to spray the whole house

 

Chewing is a sign of boredom or anxiety so you need to address the cause too.

Edited August 22, 2014 by scullysmum

[Guest june]

Congratulations on your new family member! I've owned many different breeds of dogs over the years and greyhounds are wonderful but, very different.

 

Rona chewed up some wood furniture (my excuse to get new since it was all old anyway), but she had a rough life before she came to me. Try bitter apple and see if that works, but really a muzzle is your best friend as far as chewing goes. As for the potty pen I know both of mine trot around the yard quite a bit before pooping and if we walk they Have to poop so that their faithful servant (me) can earn my keep.

 

Just a quick note. Most kennels will remove collars, but be sure not to leave a martingale collar on her at the kennel as she could get hurt if it got caught. Dogs have gotten hung up and that is really scary as a martingale tightens if it gets caught.

[Finnsliz]

We've had our new boy close to 3 months now. Changes are still happening. It usually takes several months to see the "pet" emerge. I have found with all my greyhounds that personality is very fluid depending on changes they have to adapt to. ie; ageing, adding dogs, etc. Routine is key, that can't be stressed enough. Your dog sounds anxious/insecure. The leash will be your best friend. It means it's time to move to her. Use it to get her out of the crate. Don't be afraid to use her muzzle when leaving her. She is familiar with it and you will be more relaxed knowing she can do no harm to herself or your home while you are gone.

In a few months you will look back and be amazed at the pet you have raised.

[XTRAWLD]

My dog needs to move briskly to poop- extended fast walk or trot. And I would never expect her to change for my convenience.

Kasey does that too.....and at the edge of the lawn....usually RIGHT where the sidewalk and grass and road all meet.

 

You will learn the idiosyncrasies once she is settled into your home. Everything is very new and she's trying her best to learn the routine. Just be consistent. They are likely unlike any dog you've ever been around.

 

Kasey first played with a toy after we had him for a year. Ryder, he took to a toy in about 3 minutes. They are all different.

[Guest rizzismom]

Thanks for the great advice, everyone! I appreciate it so much! I will let you all know the progress Is there a specific kind of muzzle to get if I decide to use one?

[EllenEveBaz]

In the U.S., the most common kind of muzzle used when the greyhound is in a home is the plastic basket muzzle. http://shop.greyhoundfriends.com/Muzzles-Guards_c16.htm An internet search will show you lots of places that sell them. The male and female categories are just a small difference in size -- and the straps are adjustable, so most average-sized hounds can wear either one. The optional cup that fits on the muzzle is to make it harder to lick (wounds) or eat (don't ask). As you can see, it is very easy for a hound to pant and drink while wearing one.

[Guest Scouts_mom]

Be sure to get a basket muzzle--NOT the fabric kind sold by pet stores. The fabric kind holds the mouth shut, not letting the dog pant or drink. It can be used for very short periods such as trimming toenails on a recalcitrant dog. The basket muzzles, either plastic or wire, are worn by greyhounds during turnouts and let the dogs bark, pant, drink, nibble food, etc. They just can't bite each other or the furniture.

[Feisty49]

 

Also, do greys ever want to play with toys? My husband was hoping she would want to play, but she acts like she has no clue what to do. Thoughts?

 

 

I don't think anybody addressed this. Many Greyhounds play very little if at all with stuffies. Probably just as many play with them a lot. The only time my girl goes after a stuffy is when I'm taking too long to get ready for our walk. She shows her displeasure by attacking one of her toys. Each hound is different.

 

I personally don't know of any Greyhound that chases a ball or goes after a frisbee. There are people on GT whose dogs chase balls. I don't think it's common.

 

My grown son used to get frustrated when he visited because Annie would not play. She wouldn't get a ball. She wouldn't grab a stuffy he tempted her with. She wouldn't run around the backyard with him. She was very clear that retirement is for sleeping, laying on a comfy bed, getting treats and meals and getting lots of love. She is now almost 7 years old, and she's even more retired than ever.

 

Keep on working on a routine. Maybe your girl won't like it, but there has to be compromise, and she'll get used to it. We all love our Greyhounds, but we are people and they are dogs (really.. LOL). Annie would sleep until 8+ in the morning if I let her. That doesn't work for me so I insist she get her skinny butt out of bed and come downstairs no later than 7:15. (Note: She has a final pee about 7 PM and goes right to bed, so by 7 AM the next morning, she's been sleeping for 12 hours. She is not missing out on sleep. :-) Once up, she's fine.

 

As far as eating breakfast: When I first got Annie 3 years ago, she wanted to eat as early as 6 AM. Now she often lets breakfast sit there until after 9, though it's there for her at 7:30. What she does like is an early supper. She gets that at 3:30 PM -- very early -- but it works for her and the household, and she doesn't get hungry until the next morning, if then.

Edited August 24, 2014 by Feisty49

[Guest rizzismom]

Hey everyone--just wanted to say thanks again to everyone for the good advice, and let you know that we have had a breakthrough with Rizzi using her potty pen--using the lead and rewards to re-teach her the steps worked well, and now she will go on her own without the lead. She is also beginning to play more with her toys. We are going on the third month now and it seems like she is finally getting used to the routine and settling in.

 

She still hates the crate though, but seemed to stop all of her naughty chewing behavior once we allowed her to sleep on the couch while we were out, so major breakthrough there !

[EllenEveBaz]

Sounds good!

[Riverhound]

Re: Feisty49's comment -- my Brees chases balls, fetches, and is generally crazy about toys. Joe loves stuffies -- if they are brand new.

 

Glad to hear Rizzi is playing more and pottying where you want. That makes life much easier!

[Guest normaandburrell]

So glad she is doing better!

[KickReturn]

To the advice already given, I would add that it is important to keep in mind that this dog doesn't know you or trust you yet. Please be very patient, and keep it positive. Avoid forcing anything if you can. Avoid raising your voice. Many Greys are very sensitive and this can set back or stop the bonding process. In time she will know exactly what you want and be happy to please you. FWIW my dog refuses to pee or poop in our yard. So we walk three times per day - morning, after work, and before bed. Dog and people are all in great shape as a result.

 

As to bonding and relaxing the dog, IMO the very best think you can do it go for long walks - particularely before you leave it alone. If you can find a quiet forest trail where the two of you can wander all the better. A tired dog is less likely to be upset when left alone.

 

Finally if the dog freaks out when left alone in the crate - don't do it!!! Damaged teeth are forever.

Edited September 21, 2014 by KickReturn