First Night Questions

[greysmom]

36"-48" whichever you can better afford. The 36" could be more flexible and *most* greyhounds won't try and jump one. 48" is more secure, but it's much heavier and less mobile to carry around.

[cgs]

I got a big crate, since my friend's crate was too small. I'm thinking I can use the small crate just to block off part of our bedroom and keep him contained in a smaller area at night, so he won't think it's ok to pee. The crate would fit between the bed and dresser. He wouldn't be in the crate, but I could put a dog bed in the "fenced off" area. He could of course jump up o the bed and down the other side to get "out" to the rest of the bedroom, but if he has a comfy bed, maybe he wouldn't bother. And if he did, I'm sure I'd wake up.

[cgs]

First night went well! He's a sweet mellow boy. I slept on the couch and he was in his create. At one point, I coughed and he stood up, but I just said go night-night and he settled immediately. I got up around 7 and took a few minutes getting ready to take him out and he waited patiently. He wasn't even really waiting. Just still lying down.

 

Today I put him in his crate and left the room, then went back in, left again, etc. After a bit, I opened the crate door and left the room and he stayed there for a while before coming out. He came out and settled on the floor (on a comforter we put there for him) in the family room. (Crate is in the living room).

 

Stairs might be a little tough. He can go up and down the 2 by the front door and is now pretty good at the 3 to the garage. He can go up the 4 to the deck in our backyard (which is where we'd like to let him in and out) but he kind of leaps up them and he won't go down them. So I have to take him out the front door and in the back door. I'm afraid to try the stairs in our house because he might go up and then get stuck. There's not really a way to take it slow. He can't go halfway up and then turn around. I'll work on the deck steps first but I think those are scarier because it's been raining so they look shiny.

 

But so far so good! He's super sweet. He and our little dog are ignoring each other so far. She seems like she wants him to leave and he's seems to know she's boss and is not bothering her at all. Hopefully they'll become friends.

[fastpointydoge]

Glad to hear that the first night went smoothly! What is his name?

[BatterseaBrindl]

 

Maybe you could get some carpet stair treads for the deck stairs. Not very expensive and could be temporary.

[cgs]

Progress today. He's able to go up and down the deck steps easily...most of the time. Sometimes he just doesn't want to go. I enticed him with a treat, he went down, and then didn't want the treat! He's not very food motivated so far.

 

His racing name is Jax Cisco. My daughter didn't like the name Cisco, so we decided to call him Percy.

[amalexia]

Progress today. He's able to go up and down the deck steps easily...most of the time. Sometimes he just doesn't want to go. I enticed him with a treat, he went down, and then didn't want the treat! He's not very food motivated so far.

 

His racing name is Jax Cisco. My daughter didn't like the name Cisco, so we decided to call him Percy.

 

Cameron was also not very food motivated at first. Now, she'll do just about anything for a but of popped beef. What worked best for us at first were treats made entirely from meats (chicken jerky, popped beef, dehydrated duck feet, salmon skin, etc.) and anything very smelly. Now, she's a bit less picky.

 

We use small marshmallows for emergency recall training. She loooooves those. These were used as treats in the kennel and she goes nuts for those (which is great to train that strong recall that we would use only in emergency situations (i.e., if she manages to get out of the yard or we drop the leash)).

[cgs]

Oh I think I saw something about marshmallows. I may try that. Last night the poor guy was so tired and so content lying on his comforter in the family room that we couldn't get him up to go out and go potty before bed. My daughter was trying to shove his 70lb body over to get him to get up, but he wouldn't. I finally enticed him up with a piece of leftover parmesan chicken.

[cgs]

I got Percy upstairs today. We might never go back down. :/ I'm trying to get some work done at my computer, but I'll have to try getting him back down at some point.

[DocsDoctor]

Pop him on the lead and walk back down beside him, if there's room. Nice and slow and with lots of encouraging words, maybe even the odd treat?

 

I have a very steep, narrow staircase here and both my chaps found up easier to learn than down. But both were also so curious about exploring that they learnt both on the first day.

[cgs]

I had tried that on our deck steps and he really didn't like being "led" on a leash or me trying to pull (however gently) or push (however gently) at all. He would just decide to do it himself instead. But I remembered I had a harness for him and I put that on, thinking that might work better. At first, he wouldn't even go near the top of the steps. But I kind of shoved him toward the stairs and held the harness. I think once he realized I was going to make him go down, he just decided to do it himself. I just held the harness to make sure he didn't go too fast or do a flying leap at the end. He did great! He's not too keen on trying it again. I'll try again in a few hours.

[DocsDoctor]

Excellent progress!

[Remolacha]

Sounds he is doing great! Glad things are going so well

[cgs]

He slept in his crate last night and I slept in my bed, so he was alone. He did fine. So that's good. I think he's regressed on the stairs a little--has no interest in trying them again and is more leaping up the deck steps instead of taking them one at a time. I'm thinking that since he's ok sleeping downstairs alone, I don't need to push the stair thing and can just let him get more used to the deck steps. He's also ok curled up on his bed downstairs during the day while I'm upstairs doing some work.

 

I have so many more questions, but think I might need to start a new thread with a new topic or post in the First Week thread I saw. And I'll search the boards first too.

[Houndtime]

FWIW, our guys jump up the deck stairs, but, do the house stairs one at a time. Maybe it is a dog thing.

[cgs]

We had a little impromptu dog party at my neighbor's house in her yard. All the neighborhood dogs love her. She's the treat lady. Percy did great! There were 4 other dogs there besides my two and he was the calmest one. He ran around a little bit--first time I've seen him run. He even went up my neighbor's deck stairs--she has maybe 6 or 7 steps and then a landing, so it was a good number for him to try. Everyone joined in the training. He did great coming down and then we got him all the way up, past the landing. He didn't like coming down the first part (maybe didn't like seeing the small landing at the end), but did fine with the second part down to the yard. He's exhausted now, lol.

 

His marking is driving me nuts. I think he's gotten the hang of not marking in the house, but he's marked on our plastic shed and our compost bin outside. He marked on the neighbor's yard furniture. She didn't care. She loves dogs so much. But he must have peed 30 times while we were there. And on walks, it's constant. I'm trying to read up on that--how much to allow. Obviously I want him to pee and not think he shouldn't be peeing, but I think he's marking way too much. I've never had a boy dog. I wanted a girl for this reason. But the rescue lady and others say girl/boy is better than girl/girl, even though I know so many people with girl/girl dog combos. The rescue lady also said boy greyhounds are typically just calmer and easier than the girls, so we went with a boy.He's awesome, but ugh, the marking.

[Remolacha]

FWIW, our guys jump up the deck stairs, but, do the house stairs one at a time. Maybe it is a dog thing.

I have three steps down into the back yard, and a ramp. Conner (12.10 and gimpy) will walk down the ramp, but half the time he jumps all three steps to come in

 

I wouldn’t worry about his marking/peeing on his walks. Most important is him not marking in the house, and you can try to stop him on things in your yard you don’t want marked, but it is just a thing dogs do

[cgs]

He seems to leap up and down the steps when he's tentative about them, so I think it's related to being unsure of them. When he seems more confident, he'll go step by step. So we'll see what happens as he gets better at stairs in general.

 

I've been reading more on here about marking. I think we will try to curtail his excessive marking on walks. He's not as bad as some other posters' dogs, but I think more walking and less peeing would be good. He's very good on the leash, so I can't complain. I tiny tug and he'll walk on. Much better than our little dog. I just need to watch him in yard until he learns where it's ok to pee. I think he's learned not to pee on the deck--he did that 3 times. He seems to have learned not to pee on the shed, but I still say "no" or "eh-eh" when he's sniffing around there. So I just have to do the same with the compost bin.

 

Ok, another problem...in the evening, he plops in his bed while we watch tv. and then it's really hard to get him up to go out. I think he's just tired and comfy, but we're literally trying to lift his 70lb body off the floor! Or trying to entice him with something yummy, but he's not that responsive to food, especially when he's tired like that. Then when we finally get him up and out, he is hesitant to go down the steps. I think the thing with the steps will resolve itself in time--I think it's just harder when he's tired or he's more hesitant in the dark--but getting this lazy boy up for the last potty before bed has got to be easier! I take him out around 9:30. I don't think taking him out any earlier than that would be good. Does anyone else have this problem? Our little dog can be slow to get going too after she's been resting in the evening, but I can just pick her up if I have to! Big dog challenges!

[XTRAWLD]

Re: the marking and the walking. There is a time and place. There is a section of road that I do not allow mine to sniff or pee. No questions. Other areas are free game. You can set boundaries because walking is considered the job and the peeing and sniffing is the fun.

 

Lots of pups are reluctant to go out for last pee break. Careful about actually getting close and lifting him. He's new and could bite you. Put a leash on his collar and a gentle tug with a command to get him to get up. It's a routine he just has to get used to. You can also use high value treats to get him up. Praise and treats and praise and treats.

[Remolacha]

Both of my dogs go out after dinner (6-6:30) and then don’t go out again until morning. I tried making them go out before bed, but they just stood at the back door until I let them back in Do you think he would go in the house at night if he didn’t get his last outing?

[cgs]

He's in a crate, so I don't think he would go in his crate, but 11 or more hours seems long.

 

I was worried about him biting at first and it didn't occur to me that I could muzzle him. My daughter, who is braver than I am, was trying to lift/shove him the first time. The next night I wasn't worried about him snapping. He's so docile and gentle. But I'll try with the leash and try again with yummy treats until he gets used to the routine.

 

I'm going to try having more "rules" with walks and not let him mark so much.

[fastpointydoge]

Rogue is food motivated depending on the treat, so you might have to try several varieties before you find what kind of treats Percy likes best. Rogue jumps up from whatever bed he's on when he hears me open the treat bin and sometimes I take him out as late as 10:30pm for last potty break. (He often puts himself to bed around 9pm haha!)

 

As for the marking, I've always had a dog that marks a lot, female and male. So I guess I'm used to it and it doesn't bother me. You can definitely re-direct him when it's your shed etc. Try to time your correction to when he's angling his body versus while he's actively marking. I do notice that Rogue ends to mark a ton within the first 10 minutes of our walk if we go somewhere and then settles down and walks the rest of the way with only the occasional marking. He did come to me marking due to anxiety and now that he's more confident, it has died down. But if an unexpected stimulus comes up, like meeting a new dog, I just know that he'll have to go and mark something afterwards to build himself up again. If I keep him short on the leash, then he can't stop and smell things and is less likely to mark. And when I walk him with the 6ft leash, he can mark something and I don't have to break my walking stride at all.

[amalexia]

He seems to leap up and down the steps when he's tentative about them, so I think it's related to being unsure of them. When he seems more confident, he'll go step by step. So we'll see what happens as he gets better at stairs in general.

 

I've been reading more on here about marking. I think we will try to curtail his excessive marking on walks. He's not as bad as some other posters' dogs, but I think more walking and less peeing would be good. He's very good on the leash, so I can't complain. I tiny tug and he'll walk on. Much better than our little dog. I just need to watch him in yard until he learns where it's ok to pee. I think he's learned not to pee on the deck--he did that 3 times. He seems to have learned not to pee on the shed, but I still say "no" or "eh-eh" when he's sniffing around there. So I just have to do the same with the compost bin.

 

Ok, another problem...in the evening, he plops in his bed while we watch tv. and then it's really hard to get him up to go out. I think he's just tired and comfy, but we're literally trying to lift his 70lb body off the floor! Or trying to entice him with something yummy, but he's not that responsive to food, especially when he's tired like that. Then when we finally get him up and out, he is hesitant to go down the steps. I think the thing with the steps will resolve itself in time--I think it's just harder when he's tired or he's more hesitant in the dark--but getting this lazy boy up for the last potty before bed has got to be easier! I take him out around 9:30. I don't think taking him out any earlier than that would be good. Does anyone else have this problem? Our little dog can be slow to get going too after she's been resting in the evening, but I can just pick her up if I have to! Big dog challenges!

 

I would advise against trying to physically make him get up. He is new and therefore might be silently accepting that behaviour. After a while, he will settle in and could end up growling and snapping for the same thing you've been doing (similar thing happened to my husband). Cameron doesn't like getting up past a certain time (especially in the winter when it gets super dark early). We've learned that she can do a last out around 8pm and she won't need to pee until around 7am the next day (she really has a camel bladder). Unless we go out at night and come back late (for which we take her out when we arrive and she is up and excited to see us), we do last out between 8 and 9pm. If she won't willingly get up, we use her favourite treats to get her up from the bed, put the leash on and get her out. She gets a treat every single time she gets out (as soon as we are out) in the evening (she now even sits on the balcony as we close the door).

 

One thing that did help was to not take her out too much during the day. She simply does not need it as much as we thought. We would try to take her out every 3-4 hours during the day when we were home, but realized she prefers 6-8 hours during the day and the longer 10-12 (we've had 14 once) for the night time. When we first tried it that way, we decided to do 8pm out (in an attempt to get her up in the morning, which worked) and went with it. Worst case scenario was either a wake up call in the middle of the night or a puddle in the hallway. Neither happened (keeping in mind all dogs are different and new dogs need to be taken out a bit more to establish clear housebreaking).

[cgs]

Thanks, I hadn't thought about his behavior changing, but that's a good point. We do seem to be in a honeymoon period, but he's getting more comfortable. Of course, every day will be different I guess. Last night he got up for cheese (bought 2 new kids of treats today and he doesn't like either one) and he went right out and right down the steps...and then turned around and tried to come right back in. I couldn't get him to go potty, so I had to come in and get the leash (with him following) and then walk him around the yard until he peed.

 

This morning I woke up to a pee spot from our small dog (unusual, but not unheard of) and then stepped in a pile of poop in the house as I was getting Percy's food. It was Percy's poop and I have no idea when he did that. I keep an eye on him, but if he's lying quietly downstairs, I'll go upstairs to my computer. When I hear him get up and walk around, I go down and watch him. It had to have happened after I got his dinner last night, but he really was just lying quietly on his bed all evening. It's a mystery and I have a very sensitive nose, so I can't believe I didn't smell it. Not a good start to the day.

 

Today we'll try some alone training. He's ok by himself downstairs in the crate at night, and ok downstairs in his bed while I'm upstairs. He's not super keen on the crate, but I'll crate him and run a quick errand. I've already crated him and left the house in the car for around 5-10 minutes and he seemed fine.

[MSTmom]

The first night with our boy was so difficult, I thought we'd never get to sleep. Our room is upstairs, which was new for Steven, so we had to deal with that. Then once we got up the stairs all he did was pace back and forth and could not settle. Finally at some absurd hour my husband got on the floor and slept with him. After that he was ok. Stairs were really hard for a while, he's a very worried/anxious boy, so we tried going slow, and we tried pushing, and we tried treats. Finally it was seeing other dogs do it that it clicked for him and he's been great ever since. As long as the stairs are carpeted anyhow. It definitely took a while though, I'd say a few weeks. In the beginning we weren't even sure he liked us, i would say it took about a solid year for him to actually look to us for affection. We've had him for 2 years now and I swear he still coming out of his shell, its really amazing.

 

We do a walk in the am, one in the pm and then we go out right before bed, like 10pm. Thats on a week day, if we're home with him, we would let him out more often, but he also will now go to the door, or stand in the door way to tell you he needs something. He never barks so you have to really pay attention to where he is to see what he needs. Also when we go on walks, he pees like 100 times. I swear he saves it up just to make it to every pee point he's designated, its insane! So sometimes we just kind of rush him along and move at a quicker pace.

 

Take time with your grey, we were amazed by steven when we first got him and now when I look at him I can't even believe how different he is from the first day at home.