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Need Help Trying To Get Hound To Sleep Not In Bedroom


Guest Rufus

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Trying to get the hound to sleep anywhere other than our bedroom without whining.

 

We've had him two months. First we tried having him sleep in a separate room, and that didn't work at all. Fair enough. So he slept in a crate in our bedroom. The hound was happy, my wife was not. I sleep through it, but he's too noisy for her -- just moving and grooming, as it were -- and it drives her nuts. So to help get him settled she spent a couple weeks sleeping elsewhere. Obviously not a long-term strategy. Then I moved his crate next door to one of our boys' room, figuring it was close to me and still not alone. This worked great for about three nights -- while my wife was out of town. Once she got back the hound started whining to come into the bedroom with us. Which keeps my son up (and us), so I haven't let this go on although I'm tempted to see how long he'd keep up the whining. Maybe not on a schoolnight, though. Same thing if I let him out of the crate but leave the bedroom door closed. So now I have to get up and go to a different room. He follows me then sleeps just fine.

 

So... ideally the dog sleeps happily in his crate in the boy's room. Or, really, anywhere in the house other than our bedroom. Any advice appreciated!

 

thanks

 

 

P.S. Some history if it helps:

He was quite shy & withdrawn when we adopted him. The kennel was upfront about this but I don't mind working with a dog like that and he tested well with cats -- we have a super sociable and affectionate, beloved ginger tomcat -- so we went ahead. (One handler thought he'd been hit previously. Who knows.) He's really come out of his shell and is happy, goofy, playful, and gentle. He's only 3 -- fairly short racing career I think -- and has gotten confident enough to act more like a puppy at home.

 

Overall he's done a great job adjusting. He's super-good and respectful with the cat -- he did really well with the cat training and it was not long at all before we could leave them alone together with no muzzle. He quickly figured out that even weird, small, fluffy, yappy, bouncy things can also be dogs -- his socialisation with other dogs has been great, and he also got to get rid of the muzzle on walks in short order. He's proven really good with children and even toddlers, plus incredibly patient with puppies and little jumpy dogs. He's not sure about most men still but will now frequently introduce himself to women. He gets along well with the 4 of us humans in the house. He's mostly my big shadow at home, but he will now let me leave a room for more than a second without following me. :-)

 

Actually he will sometimes not follow me at all if he's particularly comfy or doesn't think I'm doing anything interesting -- e.g. instead of lying outside the shower room waiting for me he will usually just snooze somewhere else.

 

He generally really likes his crate. He's totally fine alone at home in the crate. In fact, it's not uncommon if someone else gets home before me, he'll happily greet them when they let him out, but then just stretch and go straight back into the crate to sleep some more.

 

So, overall, doing great! But if I can only have 1 of my wife or my dog sleeping in the bedroom with me, I'm choosing my wife.

 

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Edited by Rufus
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Btw, I thought the best solution would be to just get another greyhound but that brilliant idea was immediately vetoed!

Edited by Rufus
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I think you might have a few options..

1. Moving the crate like a foot at a time until the hound sleeps where you want him to sleep. Granted you will sleep a couple of nights with the hound right in the doorway!

2. Move him someplace where you want him to sleep and sleep in the same room for a few nights until he gets used to sleeping elsewhere.

3. Does he needs a crate? Mine would totally wake me up just by moving and shaking the crate up. He sleep in his bed in the corner of the room and never so much as put a paw on the floor. He does groom occasionally, but it has become rare now. Before he got well settled (about 6 months) he would groom every night for lenghty minutes doing obnoxious snorting and grunting. That was irritating! But that has faded.

4. Ear plugs.

Of course you must understand that if he has slept with you for the past 2 months, he must feel excluded if you tried to get him to sleep elsewhere right away :) Just like if your wife suddenly wanted you to sleep in the living room for no reasons :P

Hope that helps :) Good luck!

P.s. Your boy is gorgeous :)

Edited by locket

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Cynthia, with Charlie (Britishlionheart) & Zorro el Galgo
Captain Jack (Check my Spots), my first love

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A white noise machine has been a lifesaver for us - well, ok, we started using it when living on 42nd St in Manhattan but we both sleep right through Bella's 4 am ear flapping now :D

Dave (GLS DeviousDavid) - 6/27/18
Gracie (AMF Saying Grace) - 10/21/12
Bella (KT Britta) - 4/29/05 to 2/13/20

 

 

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Im a light sleeper, once the crate was gone, I could sleep again..LOL I'd vote to try him without the crate, see how things go. Mine just understood and I just have to say "Bed!" for him to go back to his bed if he gets up during the night. With other activities, we give him a kong in the other room to chew on with a treat inside, then let him in when the coast is clear.

 

We have a similar pup, great with our cat and knows cat rules the house, all hail the tiny ginger ruler..LOL

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Agree, try some other options to keep him in the bedroom with you. Skip the crate, use an x-pen if you need him confined somewhat, since that won't be noisy. Really really comfy bedding. I find most greyhounds prefer the round bolster beds. Consider one of these on top of a more firm orthopedic bed for extra comfort and then a nice warm blanket for him to tuck into if it's chilly. As the weather cools, he may need a light coat or pajamas. I would also increase his daily exercise, and/or play games with him using food dispensing toys during the day so he's more tired at night. The idea here is to get him sleeping soundly and deeply through the night.

 

A white noise machine in the room is also an excellent idea.

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Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart

"The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong."

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Guest GreyOrchard

A bolster bed is a great idea with something like an unwashed t-shirt of yours in it - as he breathes in when he's sleeping, he is breathing in your scent. Very calming. Slowly start moving the bed 8 inches at a time towards the bedroom door.

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Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! I should've mentioned that while the crate can certainly be noisy, even just the bed sans crate is still too noise for my wife. She kicks the cat out for grooming himself, an activity I can never even hear unless he's actually lying on my head when he does it. I'll suggest ear plugs and white noise machine.

 

But I think we'll just have to slowly migrate him out.

 

(and yes, the dog was my idea - heh heh)

 

No one's going to insist that the solution to all greyhound problems is to get more greyhounds? :-)

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Well, although this group is the biggest group of enablers I've ever known :D it's also a group that if given the choice of "me or the dog" would generally choose the dog.

 

So of course generally a lot of us might say "sure, get another dog and then they could keep each other company in another room", it does sound as though your wife is not so enamored of the hound as you are. And, since there's another "my wife dislikes the dog, and I can't really get rid of the wife" thread going where the general advice seems to be to return the dog to the adoption group so that the dog has a chance at being adored and having a wonderful life, I'm sure there's some hesitation about suggesting a second in a home where the first is, from the way it's been presented, maybe not quite as adored as many of us think every dog should be?

 

:)

Dave (GLS DeviousDavid) - 6/27/18
Gracie (AMF Saying Grace) - 10/21/12
Bella (KT Britta) - 4/29/05 to 2/13/20

 

 

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Heh heh -- my wife's now in a house with me, 2 teenage boys, and basically another teenage boy in the shape of big greyhound, so she's allowed this quirk :-)

:sleepy

 

She and the hound otherwise are getting along very well! Evidently she has the best technique for his ears so when he especially needs them petted he goes to find her.

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My husband is he one who is bothered by the noises (though once he's asleep he is out cold...he doesn't believe me on that one) and right now we use a fan as a noise machine. That has been a big help and might be worth a try.

 

With all our sighthound types I have noticed they are much more restless when it gets cool. Jammie's and/or blankets helped with the middle of the night restless activities.

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Suzie aka  CBJ Fly Sonic (b. 07 Feb 2015) and missing:
Homer aka Atoscocita Homer (05 Oct 2010- 16 Nov 2021)
Xena the Galgo aka Xene the Bean (? 2009- 6 Sep 2018)
Jackie aka Katie aka Sun Blaze (16 April 2001- 14 April 2014)
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I'm likely a heavier sleeper than your wife, but still ... exchanging the crate for a soft-sided ex-pen made a huge difference. White noise machine can help the dog chill out as well.

Star aka Starz Ovation (Ronco x Oneco Maggie*, litter #48538), Coco aka Low Key (Kiowa Mon Manny x Party Hardy, litter # 59881), and mom in Illinois
We miss Reko Batman (Trouper Zeke x Marque Louisiana), 11/15/95-6/29/06, Rocco the thistledown whippet, 04/29/93-10/14/08, Reko Zema (Mo Kick x Reko Princess), 8/16/98-4/18/10, the most beautiful girl in the whole USA, my good egg Joseph aka Won by a Nose (Oneco Cufflink x Buy Back), 09/22/2003-03/01/2013, and our gentle sweet Gidget (Digitizer, Dodgem by Design x Sobe Mulberry), 1/29/2006-11/22/2014, gone much too soon. Never forgetting CJC's Buckshot, 1/2/07-10/25/10.

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Thanks. White noise is an interesting angle. The fan especially might be good. His problem is he gets too warm, not too cold. He's a little heat engine. Fan would help with that, too. Right now I crack a window and get a nice cool breeze that is excellent for sleeping. Or possibly it makes the house super cold and we're all going to freeze to death. There might be a difference of opinion in the household regarding optimal winter temperature :-)

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All kidding aside, please remain open to the idea that your dog may simply not be able to sleep anywhere but with you in your room. My Greyhound is exactly this sort. He must sleep where he can see me or he will kill himself trying to get to me, go through doors, walls, tear apart crates etc.. Some are just this way. Proceed with caution and sensitivity.

Edited by KickReturn
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Our bedroom is too tiny, and my allergist advised against creatures in the bedroom. Dog sleeps on a bed in the hallway, just outside the bedroom.

As long as I'm careful to not trip over him for the 4 AM potty break (for myself, not dog), it works out pretty well.

We leave bedroom door ajar or partially ajar so he can peek in and make sure we aren't dead or something.

You could baby gate him into the hallway so he can't roam too far, and if need be, gate him out of the bedroom.

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Don't worry, we won't make him suffer. :-)

 

Funny thing -- yesterday afternoon he was napping very soundly when he started making horse noises, lips flapping and everything. Twitching paws, too. Loud but cute. Must have been quite a dream!

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Guest LazyBlaze

Your boy sounds so sweet!

 

Re the sleeping arrangements, what worked for us with a foster whippet was gradually migrating her out of the bedroom using a hierarchy of dog beds: comfiest bed outside the bedroom door, intermediate comfy mat just inside the bedroom and just a plain mat beside the bed. That way she could choose to be beside us, but sure enough the comfort won out in the end. After about a week she would consistently sleep in the bed outside our room, with the door open, and then we started to phase out the other beds altogether and gradually close over the bedroom door. In less than two weeks, viola, whippet sleeping happily in beanbag in hallway with bedroom door closed and humans getting their beauty sleep :bgeorge . I think allowing the dog the choice lets them get used to sleeping a little away from you, but on their own terms. Just make sure that the bed outside your room is the bed of every hound's wildest dreams: pimp up that dog bed! Luxurious comfort is irresistible to most hounds.

 

Good luck.

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Thanks! Interesting tactic. We have good beds for him. He liked his bed so much that we got another one of the same kind so he could have one on each floor. My goal is to make sure I spoil him at a level acceptable by GreyTalk standards :-)

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Guest LazyBlaze

Brilliant, lucky pup! I await the post in a fortnight's time telling us that the hound is sleeping in your king-size feather bed and you and your wife are on the nice dog beds... :bgeorge

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Agree with white noise or perhaps earplugs for the wife. No kidding. I used them when they were reconstructing the Michigan avenue bridge in Chicago literally right underneath me (think me working nights and jackhammers starting at 7 a.m). They should filter out licking and shaking just fine.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks again for all the helpful replies. Just wanted to give an update: success!

 

The hound has been sleeping contentedly in a Very Comfy Bed that is not in our bedroom. Actually he has several throughout the house, but none in the bedroom. I spent a few nights sleeping in each of the rooms with him. He thought about sleeping on the bedroom floor, but one night moved just outside the open bedroom door into the hallway (that hallway has two advantages -- one is that the carpet is softer, and two is that it is the one place in the house he is guaranteed to trip everyone), but after a couple hours the lure of the Very Comfy Bed was too great so he got up and resettled himself there. Now when we go to bed he'll come in, check that we're not, I don't know, sneaking out the window or eating a secret stash of cheese or something, then trot to his bed and hunker down to sleep. Yay!

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