Training And Sleeping

[Guest DocWatson]

Does anyone know if it is a problem to let your dog sleep in the bed while you're also working on acclimating him to a crate? Our new pup absolutely HATES his crate, which is backwards from everything I've read about retired hounds, but I figure it must be due to a bad experience in his past. He was temporarily placed with another family before we adopted him, and we were told he mostly slept in their bed at night. Now, he paces for half the night instead of laying in his crate or on his dog bed, and attempts to get in the bed several times a night. I don't really have a problem sharing the bed with him, however I read somewhere that you shouldn't allow that while you're training a new dog. Thoughts?

Thanks

[GeorgeofNE]

Please do not assume the dog has had a "bad experience." Would you want to go in the crate if your other choice was the bed? If your dog is housebroken, and not doing anything dangerous in the home, why would you use the crate? Well, I can actually answer that--because someone involved in the adoption told you to! Crates are great tools for SOME dogs. But there are plenty of dogs who do not consider the crate a "safe space," and you apparently have one. I'm on my second.

 

Crates at the track are totally different. The dogs are all together--they have friends with them, and that is a familiar environment. Take a wire and/or plastic box, stick it in a house, force the dog into it, and then go off to work or wherever--not even close to the same experience for the dog.

 

If you don't mind the dog in the bed, and that's where he wants to be, go ahead! If you don't want him on the bed, you must be firm about it. But plenty of greyhounds do just fine never being crated after adoption!

[Guest DocWatson]

Please do not assume the dog has had a "bad experience." Would you want to go in the crate if your other choice was the bed? If your dog is housebroken, and not doing anything dangerous in the home, why would you use the crate? Well, I can actually answer that--because someone involved in the adoption told you to! Crates are great tools for SOME dogs. But there are plenty of dogs who do not consider the crate a "safe space," and you apparently have one. I'm on my second.

 

Crates at the track are totally different. The dogs are all together--they have friends with them, and that is a familiar environment. Take a wire and/or plastic box, stick it in a house, force the dog into it, and then go off to work or wherever--not even close to the same experience for the dog.

 

If you don't mind the dog in the bed, and that's where he wants to be, go ahead! If you don't want him on the bed, you must be firm about it. But plenty of greyhounds do just fine never being crated after adoption!

Thanks for the insight! Makes perfect sense. He is not housebroken at the moment. We have been working with him, but he still has accidents when he is in his crate for long periods of time. We have started using the "belly bands" while he is in the crate or otherwise unsupervised, which helps with the cleanup if he has an accident, but does not seem to deter him from going(especially if left alone for a full day). We plan to start room training him next week once we get a bedroom set up for him so he will not have to go in the crate for 8-10 hours a day.

[GeorgeofNE]

Beware: many dogs hate being confined, period.

 

If he is soiling the crate, it means he's being left for too long. Might I suggest you consider a dog walker for a month or so? Also, if you haven't already had him to the vet for an initial checkup, I'd do that too. Because MOST dogs simply will not soil the crate. That's why they're used for housebreaking in the first place.

 

My first greyhound simply would not accept any confinement--once I surrendered to that fact, he was fine.

 

If you DO go with "room training," consider a baby gate. DO NOT CLOSE THE DOOR. Many a door has been scratched and ruined when new owners think closing the dog into a "whole room!" is better than the crate.

 

Use a human incontinence pad in the belly band. They don't work particularly well without the pads!

 

Is he getting a good long walk before you leave him? You'll want him out for AT LEAST 30-45 minutes, walking on a leash, not just out in the yard alone.

[Guest DocWatson]

Beware: many dogs hate being confined, period.

 

If he is soiling the crate, it means he's being left for too long. Might I suggest you consider a dog walker for a month or so? Also, if you haven't already had him to the vet for an initial checkup, I'd do that too. Because MOST dogs simply will not soil the crate. That's why they're used for housebreaking in the first place.

 

My first greyhound simply would not accept any confinement--once I surrendered to that fact, he was fine.

 

If you DO go with "room training," consider a baby gate. DO NOT CLOSE THE DOOR. Many a door has been scratched and ruined when new owners think closing the dog into a "whole room!" is better than the crate.

 

Use a human incontinence pad in the belly band. They don't work particularly well without the pads!

 

Is he getting a good long walk before you leave him? You'll want him out for AT LEAST 30-45 minutes, walking on a leash, not just out in the yard alone.

Thanks again for the tips! We're definitely going to get baby gates to block off the door. As far as the 30-45 min walks, I'm not sure Doc will give me the option there, he's usually slowing down on me after about 15 minutes, and the other day he just about payed down in the street after about 20 minutes lol. Regardless, he does get walked twice a day (once about an hour before he goes into the crate) for as long as he'll go without laying down or steering me back to the house.