Repetitive Behavior

[2012voltron]

Hey everybody. This may be normal Greyhound behavior but I am a new owner and it strikes me as odd. We have a living room and kitchen arrangement that is open at both ends. In other words, our hound is able to take a walk in a circle through both rooms. He does this on a regular basis and we have learned that if he takes the walk at a trot, it sometimes means that he has to poop and we take him out and he takes care of his business in short order. The problem is that we can't always tell for sure and therefore we make lots of trips outside that are not productive. I have seen him take as many as 25 laps around the circle at a slower pace and then lay down in the living room to rest. This handsome boy came to us only crate trained and not house trained. He "marked" a lot at first but that has almost completely stopped. He is doing very well with house training but of course we are taking him out more than we should have to. He always goes in a counter clock wise direction which I believe is the direction that they run a race. Has anyone else experienced this kind of behavior? Any thoughts? Thanks.

[Bizeebee]

Hey everybody. This may be normal Greyhound behavior but I am a new owner and it strikes me as odd. We have a living room and kitchen arrangement that is open at both ends. In other words, our hound is able to take a walk in a circle through both rooms. He does this on a regular basis and we have learned that if he takes the walk at a trot, it sometimes means that he has to poop and we take him out and he takes care of his business in short order. The problem is that we can't always tell for sure and therefore we make lots of trips outside that are not productive. I have seen him take as many as 25 laps around the circle at a slower pace and then lay down in the living room to rest. This handsome boy came to us only crate trained and not house trained. He "marked" a lot at first but that has almost completely stopped. He is doing very well with house training but of course we are taking him out more than we should have to. He always goes in a counter clock wise direction which I believe is the direction that they run a race. Has anyone else experienced this kind of behavior? Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

Our guy definitely also likes to 'take laps' around our house, and we see the distinctive "better get outside" trot as well. So, while I can relate to the frustration at a lot of fruitless outside trips, I would say this is probably normal. Now, if he's actually needing to go out (especially #2) a lot of those times then you might make sure he's ok medically. If he's eating on a schedule things should move through him on a schedule as well.

On the other hand, as I'm sure you know well, boys can almost always scrounge up more pee to mark on things

 

Obviously this depends a little how long you've had him - if he's pretty new, then kind of weird behavior like this is probably just a reflection of him not quite being comfortable and settled in yet.

 

I also think the new ones kind of need to be told where to be - on a bed or wherever - when the humans are doing their own thing ~ making dinner, watching tv, etc. Ours, at least, needed encouragement to go relax when we were doing the same, or couldn't be paying him constant attention. These guys aren't used to getting to make their own choices to the extent they get to when they live in a house.

 

If you get the impression that he's doing it just to go outside to sniff/play/dink around then maybe try rewarding him when actually does his business, and not rewarding (whether with treat or undue attention) and bring him back in quickly if he does not.

 

Have you done any training with him? If he's amenable to it, you might work on a different 'tell' for going outside. Ours is making good progress ringing a bell.

[muddgirl]

We have a high anxiety girl and "taking laps" is 100% a stress-related behavior for her. She pretty much paced for 16 hours straight the first month that we had her. Then she allowed herself to nap for 20 minutes at a time If we bring her to anywhere new the pacing resumes until she gets settled. Is he panting when he does this as well? Or licking his lips/yawning? Those are also signs of anxiety.

 

Lots of frequent trips to potty is a really good idea during housebreaking, eventually you should be able to taper down and keep him on a schedule.

[BatterseaBrindl]

You didn't say how long you have had him (what is his name!?) but as he settles into your home and his new routine it should settle down.

You will also learn to 'read' his signs better.

[greysmom]

You can also try getting him some more exercise. A tired dog won't have the energy to pace!

 

Put him on a potty schedule and be pretty strict about it. Also get him checked for worms, which can cause restlessness and increased need to go poop.

 

Try redirecting him to his bed, with a command and a nice treat, and give him something to do like a small chew stick, long or toy.

 

If it's *really* bothering you, last resort, you can try and block his circuit with a long xpen or gate.

[2012voltron]

You didn't say how long you have had him (what is his name!?) but as he settles into your home and his new routine it should settle down.

You will also learn to 'read' his signs better.

Sorry, his name is Loco, short for Locomotion which was his track name. He is 2 1/2 and weighs 77 lbs. We have had him for 2 1/2 weeks. We also have 2 small dogs as well and they all get along well together. He is the most loving and friendly dog I have ever seen and is very outgoing as well.