Advice Please

[Guest Samrusx]

Hi there, we have just rehomed an ex racer at the weekend. He's a 5 year old beautiful black boy. Myself and my OH both work, I work shifts (sometimes nights) and he works 8-5 sometimes being able to get home early and will be back for lunch.

I've read a lot about building up the time alone which we are trying to do. We managed an hour and he was fine(no peeing or pooping) but did whine and barked a bit after we left; then settled down. Is it better to keep him in one room with the door closed or use a baby gate so he can at least see the hallway? I really want this to work out as he's been in kennels for over a year. Thanks for any tips!

[Hubcitypam]

No closed doors. Baby gates.

[Guest Jordan33]

It really depends on the dog, I think, and what they need. But definitely a baby gate over a closed door.

 

My girl was well behaved right from the start, and hated the crate, so I just let her have the run of my entire apartment, after doggie proofing the niknacks, and other things I thought she'd get into. She never touched a thing though. She'd whine when I left for about two minutes, then go to bed. And eventually stopped crying all together. Until yesterday, which was so stressful and scary for both of us, that she did cry a bit when I went to the grocery store and left her alone. (There's a post about our scary day, if you care)

 

So, baby gate, if you've got a troublemaker or a dog with SA, otherwise they'll probably be fine, I'd say.

[Guest katie_dog]

Try the baby gate and see if it works with your dog. I'd get one that metal so he can't chew it up. My dog jumps the baby gates when I'm not around so I crate her when I'm away to keep her out of trouble. I work from home though. I'm actually gone more on the weekends running errands and stuff. She doesn't have to spend so much time in the crate because of my work arrangement. I still feed her in her crate and she will sometimes go and sit in the crate with the door open just because she wants to.

[Guest Samrusx]

Thanks for the advice. Is an ordinary baby gate one okay or would you suggest a pet one? Just one more question, it's great to talk to people who have rescued before, sometimes I feel like I'm worrying about everything - our neighbours are very noisy, they just have a volume level of 100 all the time. It's very frustrating, will my boy get used to the noise around him? He's used to living with greyhounds and being in the country so coming to a flat with city noises I'm guessing is a bit daunting for him. Thanks again!

[Hubcitypam]

I've always used plastic baby gates from Wal-Mart with no issues.

 

If my neighbors had the volume at 100% all the time I'd be calling the police. Been there done that. My terrier grew up in a rock and roll house where the noise was huge. I think your guy will acclimate to the noise.

[Guest Samrusx]

Yeah the neighbours are an ongoing issue which we are trying to deal with. Oh that's good. I think I'm just overthinking everything and worrying he won't settle. Thanks again

[ozgirl2]

Welcome to Greytalk!! Don't worry - EVERYONE overthinks everything with their first grey!! Good luck with the alone training, and give your boy some scritches from me!!

[EllenEveBaz]

Welcome to you and your new hound. We'll want a name and pictures!

 

Babygate -- pet or baby probably doesn't matter. Just get one as tall and sturdy as you can find. Easy-to-set-up is good, too. Most greys respect simple barriers, but there was a great suggestion posted recently of putting some simple, tension curtain rods in the doorway above the babygate to add some height. The reason we're suggesting babygate over closed door is that sighthounds like to, well, SEE. Some can get frustrated or scared if they feel too closed in. If you crate, you'll want to start by making sure the hound can see out in at least one direction.

 

Noise -- at least those neighbors won't be able to hear your dog whining. Many kennels play music to have a constant background noise for the hounds, so maybe your dog will feel right at home.

 

Alone training sounds great so far. My other suggestion is to keep your work schedules pretty much the same as they will be in the long run so the dog won't have to adjust more than once.

[Guest Samrusx]

Oh the curtains sound like a good idea if we need to. I know he's used to kennels and crates so if he doesn't settle in the room at least we can try that as well.

With me working shifts I do 12hrs and my week is either 3 or 4 days. My other half is more flexible than me and is able to start or finish early and nip in for lunch. On my days off would you suggest I keep him having his alone time for the hours when my other half would normally come home for lunch? That way he's still in that 4 hour period of being on his own? I feel like I'm asking 101 questions!! Thanks again

[Feisty49]

Welcome. My Annie was good from the get go, and it sounds as if your boy is on his way. If he whines/cries only a few minutes when you leave and then settles down, that's a good sign. If your dog is a jumper, it was recommended above that a tension curtain rod above the top of the gate might help to provide more of a barrier, but you don't have to hang curtains, as you seem to indicate above. Just putting the rod there will give the feeling of an additional barrier.

 

I know that many Greyhounds have issues with being alone, whether they cry, P&P or destroy, but I suspect just as many don't have issues. Very often, new hound owners go into an adoption expecting problems and turning themselves inside out to avoid them. Your boy may be totally fine with the run of the entire house/apartment. My girl was from day #1. The best advice I can give is relax. Your boy is a Greyhound, but he's a dog first. We want pictures! :-)

[Guest Jordan33]

I think I asked 102 questions in the first two weeks Adrien was home. It's ok. Folks here are great about answering them. :-)

 

As for that four hour period, I'd spend it with your dog. You want to be on a general schedule that doesn't change too much, but to be on the exact same schedule every single day is not realistic. So this will help your dog get used to things changing on occasion.

 

I work 9-5 on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and some Saturday's. Then I work 12-8 every Tuesday and Wednesday. Once a month I work 1-5 on Sunday. So far, Adrien seems to be adjusting. On my 12-8 days she goes out at her normal time, but then eats breakfast a little later than normal because she'll have a late dinner. It's certainly not ideal for either of us, but we're making it work.

[Jessa]

Definitely recommend getting a metal babygate if you go that route. Brandy has routinely chewed on the wood and wire one I have (just replaced it with a metal one last weekend), and our previous dog Stu that we had for a week actually rammed his head hard enough into the bottom of the gate to pop the wire out while he was trying to go after a cat. Your grey won't be able to chew or easily destroy metal, even though he doesn't sound like a big trouble maker! If you do invest in a gate, get one that will last.

 

The biggest thing though, just relax! We've had Brandy for a little less than two months and there are times she's still learning how our house 'works'. He will eventually settle in and learn, give him lots of love in the meantime

[Guest Samrusx]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Today is the first day that he's just been with me, we let him out first thing for a pee then we had breakfast with a gap in between then we had our morning walk. This is going to be his routine every day. My OH came home at lunch time and let him out again which he will do every day and at weekends we will stick to the same timings. I went in to another room for an hour and he seemed okay, no whining or barking. But he did know I was there. He whined when I went to try and have a sleep in a different room (nightshift mode) so I waited until he had stopped and then pottered about without making a fuss and when he went back to his bed I gave him some attention. Is it okay to move his bed from room to room? Ie living room when we are home, bedroom when we are away and our room at night? Or will this confuse him? When we go out he will be in the spare room which has a normal bed in it already but he seems to prefer his own bed. Yikes I feel like I'm rambling!

[smurfette]

When I'm home my dogs are where I am and even start barking when I get lost.... when I went upstairs and my sleepy pack just didn't get it. We have several dog beds in all the rooms of our house. Yes, we are kind of crazy greyhound people.

If you only have one bed for him take it with you when you settle in a room without bed for a longer time, e.g. at night. You have him with you and can react if something occurs at night. And I always loved to have my dogs sleeping in the same room with me.

My oldest Col decided one day that he would live downstairs from now on. So he stays in the living room in front of the big sliding doors... so he can see what happens outside at night, hedgehogs, cats, the paperboy...

 

... I always consider him a doberman pinscher.

[Guest Jordan33]

I'm in a small apartment but I've got one bed in the livingroom and one in the bedroom. I let Adrien sleep where she wants. She usually starts in the livingroom when I go to bed and when I wake up she's in the bedroom. If you can only have one bed, definitely bring it with you from room to room.

 

I remember the first two days when I got in the shower I effectively "mystapeared" to another dimension. She'd never seen the tub behind the shower curtain and she got worried when she couldn't find me. But after I showed her the tub she got it. There was no crying on day three! :-) but she still followed me everywhere I went. She had to see me at all times. She's relaxed about it now, but if I move to another room for 15 minutes or more she will probably come looking for me to check that I'm still there before going back to bed.

[Diane4114]

It's probably better to shut him out of rooms than to shut him in one.

To us it may not seem like a big deal (glass half empty or half full kind of thing) but to them it is.