New Grey Vs. Old Grey - We Are All Kinds Of Unsure/lost.

[Guest intwominds]

Hello Greytalk!

 

Forgive me, I am new here but I am looking for some real and honest advice from people who genuinely know greyhound behaviour and what better place than greytalk.

Heres a little background: My partner and I have had our initial greyhound Achilles (Now four years old) for almost two years now and he has been an absolute dream. We got him pretty much straight from the track and it took very little time to have him settled into retirement. He was a pro couch surfer in no time, took a great liking to leisurely walks on the lead and has grown into the most affectionate and loveable hound. He was already toilet trained and has never once had an accident, sleeps in his own bed at night and we have been able to leave him to his own devices from day dot with NO PROBLEMO. Long story short - he created very unrealistic expectations for our new hound

 

We decided to adopt our new hound Pretzel (2 and a half years old) from the same place we got Achilles, under the illusion that he would transition into retirement with the same ease and grace as Achilles and boy, were we wrong.

 

Now we took Pretzel home yesterday and what a sleepless and exhausting 24 hours it has been. Pretzel sassed right on in to our home and decided to zoom all over the couch, all through the bedrooms, straight to the bathroom for a good slurp from the toilet bowl and found heaven in a bag of unopened dog food (which I must add, did not remain unopened for long). He did some sort of awkward fall/flip down our back stairs and left a trail of diarrhoea, before promptly racing back into the house to tear up poor Mr. Achilles favourite plush toy and retiring for a brief snooze in his bed. He later snaffled an omelette from our housemates plate and ate the egg shells left on the kitchen bench too, before another diarrhoea incident and a sleepless night of pulling everything off every table he could reach up onto. Finally, he mustered up the energy to perform some sort of gymnastics routine off the couch this morning, flipping on, flipping off, flipping on, flipping off (I'd have given a 10/10 if I wasn't so mad from being kept up all night), with his final trick being a big wee all over the living room floor.

He has thankfully retired for the morning (on our bed I might add) and I feel like I have been hit by a freight train.

 

I contacted the vet we adopted him from and she suggested we purchased a crate to have Pretzel sleep in during the night and day when we are out. But I wanted to see what everybody's opinion was on this and the best way to tackle helping Pretzel settle into his new home.
I thought I was just this incredible greyhound whisperer or something after getting Achilles to settle in so quickly but I've come to realise I'm an absolute noob.

 

For those not bothered to read my novel above, our main concerns are:

• Settling the sheer hyperactivity in the most positive and beneficial way for Pretzel - He is still really unsure of walking on the lead and pulls incredibly hard on the leash when we do walk, so some tips and advice with this would be amazing! As well as tips on dealing with an incredibly energetic grey. Achilles is 4 going on 30 so this is so new for us.
• To crate or not to crate - The benefits (or negatives) of this, how long to crate and when to put him in the crate, hit me with as much crate information as possible, I am so incredibly keen to hear your opinions.
• Diarrhoea - did you come up against this and how did you combat it? (We are currently on day 2 of chicken and rice with no significant changes just yet)

 

Thank you for reading! I would be so grateful for any advice

[greysmom]

First of all, both of your greyhounds are normal! None of what you describe are unusual reactions from a newly retired greyhound, so you aren't alone, and your feelings about this new adoption are very familiar!

 

Set aside all your preconceived expectations from adopting Achillies. He was the perfect first greyhound! Which was probably why he was chosen for/by you. Now you are "experienced" and can deal with all the problems rolled into one dog!

 

1) Pretzel is still basically a puppy, and doing all those puppy things that are endearing when they weigh 20 pounds and are completely unhinged when they weigh 70 or 80 pounds! The first step is to get him appropriate exercise, either through walks or at an empty off leash area near you. This will mean combining leash training with walking. Use yummy treats to keep his interest and his nose near you and he should learn to walk on lead pretty quickly. If your garden area (it sounds like you're from the UK?) is big enough, play ball or fetch for a while to take the edge off before taking him out on a walk. Enough exercise will be critical as you help him settle in for the workday in his crate. If Achillies wants to play with him that would be great! Just remember to muzzle them both before any play sessions.

 

2) Having a crate trained dog can be very helpful - emergencies, vet treatment, traveling are all easier with a dog you can reliably and easily leave in a crate. The entire success of crate training netails making it a happy place for him. Most people use the large wire crates as opposed to the plastic, airline transport kind. Set it up somewhere quiet but not isolated, hopefully near where Achillies spends his day while you're out. Some dogs like the crate open to the air and some prefer a more den-like environment, you'll just need to see what Pretzel likes. Leave the door open for him at first and toss some random really yummy treats indside for him to go get. Serve him his meals inside his crate (again, leave the door open), and any special treats or chews he gets throughout the day. He may choose to sleep inside. Search through the threads here for "crate training" and "Alone Training" to see how to best set him up for success when you go back to work. He probably won't have Separation Anxiety per se, since he has Achillies there, but he will probably need to be contained due to his destructive puppy nature.

 

There is always the likelihood that he will not like the crate at all. For whatever reason, some greyhounds will simply not put up with them once they are in a home environment. They become frantic, and, as surprising as it sounds, may escape from the crate. Sometimes they do this and you can't even firgure out how they got out, but they did! If he's like this, you may be better off ditching the crating idea as he could injure himself in trying to get out. You can then try having he and Achillies stay in a seriously dog-proofed room during the workday (one that is easily cleanable if he has an accident.

 

3) Diarrhea can be caused by a medical issue or by an anxiety issue. He's had a lot of changes the last week, so having a stress reaction isn't surprising. Fast him for at least a couple meals until the diarrhea stops. Makes sure he keeps drinking fresh water to stay hydrated. If the diarrhea doesn't stop, or he vomits undigested food, go to the vet right away. Once the diarrhea has stopped, begin him on small amounts of a bland diet (boiled chicken/turkey or whatever protein is in his normal food, and a carb source like overcooked rice or pasta). If he keeps that in, then gradually increase the amount over a day or two and transition back to his normal food.

 

It's very common for newly retired dogs to have worms of various types that can cause diarrhea. A stool sample taken in to your vet can tell if he needs to be treated for them.

 

You may also need to potty train Pretzel as if he was a new puppy. Take him out immediately after he wakes up in the morning and after every nap, after he eats, and after he plays. Praise him lavishly and shower him with yummy treats after he goes outside appropriately. He should get the idea pretty quickly.

 

If he's an outgoing dog and not overly anxious or shy, he might benefit from a positive reinforcement only training class sooner rather than later.

 

Keeping a positive outlook and trying to see the humor in his behavior will also help you keep your sanity for the next few years!

 

Good luck!!!

[Scoutsmom]

What greysmom said. You've got an overgrown puppy!

[smurfette]

Stress. It is his way to work through all the changes you put him through and his body reacted with diarrhoea to it. He will calm down. You need time and patience and to put everything interesting out of reach.

And the others are right. He is still a baby.

 

And a picture would be nice.... if he keeps still long enough for you to take one.

[ambpersand]

I can't speak for the destructive tendencies or stomach upset problems, but I am a strong believer in crating for dogs (IF they tolerate it, that is). We have two crates for our grey, Pearl (who sounds much like your Achilles), one in our living room for when we go to work, and one in our bedroom for night time (we have a two story house and it makes it easier to have multiple crates to use). We made sure the crates had nice thick orthopedic beds and blankets that smelled like us, and introduced her by leading her in with treats she liked. She gets a treat every day before work and each night before bed when she goes inside it. She will even put herself in her crate when she's ready for bed and done waiting for us to finish our nightly TV watching! All of that aside, I've found that it can help with a multitude of things:

 

1. Keeping your grey from being able to get into things when you aren't around or can't keep a close eye (such as food from the counter tops/trash cans, any choking hazards, your shoes as chew toys, etc). Also helpful during emergencies when you need them to be contained (we've had to use ours during a tornado so the dog couldn't run off or hide somewhere in the house).

2. They should be used to crates and kennels from living at the track, and will typically not go to the bathroom inside of the crate since they consider it their "den." It isn't foolproof though- accidents can always happen, especially with stomach upset issues. If you are trying to work on potty/house training, it can help get him through the work day or night when you need him to hold it for several hours and not go find a spot somewhere in the house.

3. Helps the dog to have "their own" space, which can help them feel safer and more relaxed.

 

I've crated almost every dog I've ever had with little to no issue after introducing them to it (mostly small breeds until Pearl), but my husband had a dog when we first got together that REFUSED to be crated and would become extremely stressed and destructive when we tried to crate train him. Even after a year of consistent training with it, he would still bark, howl, and scratch at the crate door all night long. He absolutely did not tolerate it. After that, we had to find a solution to keep him contained and safe during the night, but wouldn't let him get into the trash or cat boxes. We finally ended up putting a baby gate up in our bedroom to let him sleep on his pet bed but contained to our room. Pretzel could go either way, especially given his high energy. Good luck and don't hesitate to post progress updates!

[Scoutsmom]

You might want to make a lure pole to help tire him out. Basically it is a long pole with a stuffed toy on a string tied to it (think fishing pole). Some folks use horse lunge whips to make these. If you search for "lure pole" you will find instructions. Once made you take it to the yard and swing the toy. Your dog should go crazy and try to catch it.

[krissy]

A dog after my own heart (but don't tell Kenna or she'll be confused about why I was mad at her this morning for chewing the cover off my novel)! Sounds like he needs a job! Have you looked into training for him? I'd highly recommend starting with a basic obedience class right away, and then consider moving on to rally obedience or agility after that. On non-class days I'd suggest taking him jogging or biking, teaching him to play fetch or frisbee, teaching fun tricks (particularly good for winter or otherwise poor weather days when you can't really do anything outdoors), or taking him on field trips to pet stores or other pet friendly stores (I go to the bank, the camping store, the sports store, and the book store with mine). Puzzle toys are also great. This is a dog with energy, and he's still a youngster so he needs to be given an outlet or he's going to find his own.

 

When you're not supervising your best friends are crates, ex-pens, and muzzles. I utilize a combination of all 3 with my 2 high drive girls. When we're relaxing at home watching t.v. the youngest goes in an ex-pen beside the couch. She usually has some toys in there to occupy her if she wants. When we leave the house the youngest 2 go in their crates. And I use their muzzles in all sorts of other situations. Every dog should ideally learn how to be confined and how to wear a muzzle because these are invaluable skills for a dog to have. Even if not required on a daily basis at home, you just never know when you will be in a situation that requires it.

[Guest intwominds]

Hello Everybody!

 

Thank you so much for all of your great responses. I'm having a little trouble uploading an image to this website but I'll share one once I get my stuff together.

 

WOW - I cannot put into words the instantaneous calm that washed over him once his own place of safety and solitude was erected.

He now retreats there most of the day and pops out for a little ear scratch, a toilet break or a meal. I'm amazed at the difference in behaviour once he had a place of familiarity and comfort.

Thank you for all of those who gently reminded me that he is still a baby - It's easy to forget when he weighs a whopping 32kgs but I'm quickly reminded when he needs to be carried down our steep set of stairs so that he able to relieve himself in the backyard (We are from Australia and live in a Queenslander, which is basically a house built on stilts. Talk about inconvenient for a grey still in training towards being a stair master )

 

We are definitely going to look into obedience training to help us out a little bit. I think he would benefit from it too as he is incredibly intelligent and cluey. He's already learnt that he gets no dinner until he lies down and settles in his crate, which is great after only 48 hours!

 

I'll also have to look into a lure pole and/or teaching him some tricks or games to help tire him out. I love the suggestion of taking him on pet friendly outings too. As retirement life is new to him, I find socialising in foreign environments has him on the snooze train in no time.

 

Thank you thank you thank you everybody!
I have taken all of your suggestions on board and can't wait to share with you all his process in the next few months

[BatterseaBrindl]

Greyt advice given by all

[GeorgeofNE]

First off--take him to the vet. I don't know where people got the idea that chicken and rice was a cure for diarrhea. The actual advice the vet would give you is to fast him, totally, for 24 hours and THEN start him on a "bland diet." That would be your chicken and rice. Some vets like to push a Hills prescription diet as a "bland diet," but chicken and rice has become a go-to. It won't firm him up, what it should do is NOT make the situation any worse.

 

He probably has some parasites, and he probably needs something for that. If nothing else, the vet can give you Flagyl which WILL stop the diarrhea.

 

Before you get too worried about ALL of the rest, he needs a vet visit, time to settle in, and time to bond with you.