Potty Problems

[2012voltron]

Hey Everybody!! We are new here and we have just adopted our first Greyhound. What magnificent creatures they are. We have 2 small dogs as well. We have had Loco for 5 days and he seems to be settling in ok. He is good with the other dogs, one wants to play with him but is a little afraid of his size. The other one could care less about the newbie. The first 3 days Loco would go to the door to let us know it was time. Now all of a sudden, he is marking and `once just flat out peed with no warning. He also pooped twice in the house yesterday!!! This big boy came from a track in Florida to an agency in NJ where he was for about 3 weeks before we adopted him and brought him home to PA. The agency indicated that he was house trained but I don't think the training was complete. Our current training method is to follow him if he leaves the room and if he starts to lift his leg or squats, we say "outside" in a stern voice and take him out immediately. If he goes while he is outside, we reward him with a dental treat. He is just a big goofball and very loving. He weighs 77 lbs and is very tall and strong so its not always easy to get him headed in the right direction quickly. He walks on the leash very well and does not pull at all unless he decides to do a quick "zoomie". He does circle me quite a bit which is problematic as his leash gets tangled (he is in a harness) At any rate, if anybody has other potty training advice, it would be welcomed.

[Bizeebee]

Was he fostered in a house prior to coming to live with you? If not, you might as well ignore anything the group told you about him being house trained. He was kennel trained while racing - which means they get to go out 3-4 times a day, but if they mess in the kennel in between that time, well, it just happens. No one is there to reinforce good, or discourage bad potty behaviors.

 

Approach it like house training a puppy (albeit a large one) for the first time. If you can find out what the turn out schedule was at the kennel that'll be a good place to start. You'll have to teach him give you a "tell" to going out, hopefully you can reward and retrain what he had been doing. Some greys literally never develop one. A big boy who's not great on a leash, not quite potty trained, and two small dogs in the house, I think I'd still have him leashed to me when I was home, for his safety and everyone else's.

[Toffeesdad]

Our boy marked when we first brought him home and had to wear a belly band for a while. He still wants to over mark other dogs, but has learned that’s only ok outside. We had a few episodes of pooping in the house mostly if left alone too long. Best advice is treat him as though he’s a puppy. Outside every two hours and ten to fifteen minutes after eating. Praise him when he does his business outside. We were lucky in that our boy learned to bark when he wants out. It’s a process. It theyre smart dogs and learn fairly easily. Good luck.