Guest Dippydi1 Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Hi all, Ive had dogs all my life but will soon be getting my first grey.im super excited but also a little apprehensive.She is 2 and a half years old,an ex racer and has never been fostered or been in a house.We have taken her out,she ate her muzzle whilst in the car ( not discovered till we arrived at park}but she was good with other dogs,interested in squirrels but didnt attempt to chase so all good there.My main concern is that I can only take a couple of days off work to help her settle.Then she will be alone for 6 hrs a day.Do I crate her or risk destroyed kitchen?I darent risk the lounge.Im going to try a few minutes initially and build up but theres not a lot I can do within the 2 days.All advice will be very much appreciated.Also,I havent bought a crate yet,so any recommendations also appreciated, Thankyou Di Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewGrey2017 Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 We got our 3 year old male in October. There was only the weekend to get him acclimated, then off to work. We have crated him on workdays since we adopted him. We use a comfy pad, 2 blankets, a peanut butter filled kong and a treat every morning and then leave quietly without saying goodbye. This has worked fine and he doesn't soil the crate. He is usually alone 6 hours on a normal day. Today I'm working from home and he's laying in the crate with the door open. He went in there on his own. Initially I had ruled out the breed because of the alone time concern, but the agency rep we got him from told me they were gone during the day too. I'm so happy we decided to follow through. We are at the point where we'd like to leave him on his own. I'm going to start testing him 10-30 minutes at a time. Buy the biggest crate you can find. He/She needs to be able to stand, turn around and stretch out. Get a pad that fits the bottom. I was able to find much cheaper options online than in stores and the quality has been good. Congrats on your new family member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambpersand Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 We got our grey on a Sunday afternoon and went to work the next day. Luckily for us she had been in a foster home so we knew she was fine with the crate. However, for the first week one of us went home at lunch time to let her out/check on her to make sure she was okay as she got used to our routine. If they don't like the crate, they can seriously hurt themselves trying to get out- so you will definitely want to try it out before leaving for long periods of time. If you are in the US, we ordered ours from Chewy.com and got a 42 inch kennel. They've usually got the best prices and will have items delivered in about 2 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dippydi1 Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Thankyou,put my mind at a rest a little,didn’t help matters when she destroyed her muzzle! Will definately invest in a Kong and other toys.But I realise everything is new to her and we ,as well as she,will have to adjust,it will take time.Thanks for replies,I really can’t wait for her to come home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgs Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 We've had our boy for 2 days now and also got the 42 inch crate from chewy.com. I'm home during the day, so can't help with the rest, but wanted to second the crate recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShebasMom Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 Be sure to get a replacement muzzle ASAP! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted February 26, 2018 Share Posted February 26, 2018 You may want to see of you can borrow a crate first to try it out before buying one. Some dogs just eith don't need one or don't want to be crated at home. Do you Alone Training as much as possible the first wo days after you bring her home. This will give you a lot of information about she may handle the workday. You may need to have someone do a potty break for her for a week or so, but she should be able to be crated/alone for 6 hours without trouble (unless she has some separation anxiety, then all bets are off). Completely dog proof an easily cleanable area of your house for her to stay in when you are gone, and get her used to a routine of staying there as you get ready and leave the house - over and over again! FWIW, we never crated any of our adult greyhounds, even right after they came home, and everyone survived just fine. Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSTmom Posted February 28, 2018 Share Posted February 28, 2018 When we got Steven our rescue suggested that when we leave him home alone that we should leave the tv on or a radio. They said that dogs at the track always hear noises, like announcers, dogs barking, music, etc. so the complete silence of the house may make them a little stir crazy. We tried it and I honestly have no idea if it worked or not. We blocked off areas to the house, but he just broke the gates, so we got a crate which he was very happy in. We don't use it anymore now, but in the beginning I think they feel safe in it, like their own little room. Hes never peed or pooped in it, and we brought him home straight from the rescue, he was never fostered. Just spend those days you have together and try to build a relationship. They take time to adjust, and every day is a little different, so just be patient. Also, we've never used a muzzle, Steven doesnt mind wearing one, but we've never found a need for it. I do know for a fact he hated being in the kitchen bc i think he couldn't see out of the house, so now he is in the living room free range, and he loves sitting by the window... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsmcd7 Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 We got a large crate off of Craigslist for cheap. Our 10 year old still goes in to it on his own and sleeps in it with the door open. I only shut him in it now if workers come into the home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgs Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 My new greyhound isn't liking his crate. I throw a treat in there and he'll go in, but I think he's catching on and it's going to be harder and harder to get him in there. He sleeps in there at night and I put him in for short periods during the day when I have to go out. He was in there for about an hour yesterday while I ran errands. I didn't see any signs of distress when I got home--no pee or poop, nothing ripped apart. So I think he's ok, but doesn't like it. He pooped in the house sometime yesterday--no idea when since I'm keeping a pretty close eye on him all the time--so I don't trust him out of the crate when I'm not around. But hopefully in a few more weeks, we can just do away with it. It's huge and I'd be happy to see it go. I ordered a kong toy, so hopefully that will help. But I know it will also make a huge mess because he's a total slob when he eats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dippydi1 Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Thanks for all the advice,I have a crate ready,with quilt in it,can’t wait to bring her home.Im hoping she feels safe in there and goes in of her own accord.ive managed to wangle 4 days off with her now,(don’t fetch her till 19th March ),Kong and a few other toys at the ready.I also plan to leave radio on when I leave her so fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgs Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Our new grey is settling in nicely. I hope you have good luck with yours too. They're so sweet. This isn't advice, but just my experience over the 5 days we've had him--our house is really quiet. It's just me home most of the day and I don't usually have the tv or radio on. He's been content in his bed downstairs with total silence while I'm upstairs. When I leave the house, I don't leave anything on. A few cars may go by and there are some dogs barking from time to time and people walking by from time to time, but it's really quiet a lot of the time and he seems fine with it. That's not to say you shouldn't leave something on for company for him, just that maybe some of them don't mind the peace and quiet after a noisy life at the track! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dippydi1 Posted March 1, 2018 Share Posted March 1, 2018 Going to be a bit of trial and error probably,,she is a very calm and quiet girl so hopefully she will quickly settle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenEveBaz Posted March 2, 2018 Share Posted March 2, 2018 My main concern is that I can only take a couple of days off work to help her settle. I think this is good. You don't want a new dog to get used to you being home most of the time and then -- bam -- you're back to work. Practice leaving the dog alone for a few minutes at a time and then start increasing the time. I crate all my new dogs but practice leaving them alone without the crate. All of mine have graduated to being left alone with no crate and no muzzle in part of the house with a window they can look out of. I close the bedroom/bathroom doors and babygate off my bookcase because one of the dogs has been known to chomp on books. My crate can be folded down and stored. If you don't want to crate with one of the good suggestions above, you could consider a babygate or x-pen. Or try it with nothing -- at least you already know a muzzle won't work. Don't overthink things -- and enjoy your new girl. Quote Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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