Choosing an only Greyhound

[Redbelly]

Sadly, we lost the perfect greyhound, but we've been approved by the local adoption group to adopt a new one. We only have one dog at a time, so the quandary is how to pick a dog that will be happy with just us. We are retired and home pretty much 24/7. Our last dog was very self confident and cared little for other dogs but loved people, so she loved being the one and only.

What questions should I ask the foster to determine if their dog is the one for us? 

Thanks in advance.

[HeyRunDog]

That is a difficult one because they change that much once they are adopted and as you've had such a perfect greyhound before you are always going to compare the two and it's going to be difficult to find a direct replacement.

Have a word with your adoption agency about your lifestyle, whether you want a male or female,  quiet or lively hound and let them find you one. Have an open mind with plenty of patience and humour and you'll be rewarded with a great companion. None of us have the perfect greyhound we dreamed of but we all have a great four legged friends.

[greysmom]

Make sure your adoption group knows you need a dog that will be fine being a singleton.  Hopefully they can already be in a foster by themselves, but that usually doesn't happen.  Ask about the dogs confidence level - they need to be confident - and their activity level.   You might also think about an older "bounce" dog - one who has come back to the group through no fault of their own, but who has already been a successful only dog in their previous home.

Don't be discouraged if you need to do some training on your new dog.  SA *can* be dealt with if you remain calm and consistent.  The hardest part for you will be being disciplined enough to do Alone Training every day.  If you want step-by-step help, get the booklet "I'll Be Home Soon" by Patricia McConnell.

Good luck!

[EllenEveBaz]

Asking a foster family about a possible singleton is always hard because those families almost always have at least one other dog already.    Just brainstorming -- I think dogs who are anxious about one thing (e.g., thunderstorms) tend to be anxious about multiple things, and possibly be more apt to bad separation anxiety.  Or you could approach it another way and consider dogs who are not the best about sharing home space with other dogs, and thus need to be an only dog.  Then, as above, work with any separation anxiety that comes up.  

[HeyRunDog]

10 hours ago, EllenEveBaz said:

Asking a foster family about a possible singleton is always hard because those families almost always have at least one other dog already.    Just brainstorming -- I think dogs who are anxious about one thing (e.g., thunderstorms) tend to be anxious about multiple things, and possibly be more apt to bad separation anxiety.  Or you could approach it another way and consider dogs who are not the best about sharing home space with other dogs, and thus need to be an only dog.  Then, as above, work with any separation anxiety that comes up.  

Not always true that being afraid of thunderstorms means separation anxiety. Grace is afraid of thunderstorms, fireworks and the sound of footballs being kicked but has no problems with being left on her own. But that just shows greyhounds are contrary animals and have the habit of proving you wrong

[fastpointydoge]

It would be helpful to ask if the dog has ever been left alone while with the foster, for example: the one dog goes on an outing and the other stays home, either with human company or not. (This something I do with my dogs so they don't get too dependent on each other) 

I agree that confidence will also be good to ask about but not a deal breaker. My grey was low confidence and has a tendency to be noise-phobic but never had any SA or issues being the only dog for the first 2 and a half years after adoption. (And now I think he appreciates when he gets to stay home from outings that I take second dog to hehe)

[AnnieKangaroo]

If you're home a lot, a dog with a bit more of a velcro personality, or even a dog with a bit of anxiety might not be a bad fit since you're always going to be there for him/her. And this way you could give a chance to a hound that might otherwise struggle.

We're a single dog household and our rescue told us from the start that our Annie was best by herself since she's excitable and can annoy other dogs. They also told us she was fostered with someone who worked full time so she was a good fit for us (also work full time, no kids). You could ask about the same things - how is the dog with other dogs, were they fostered alone, were they in a working home or a retired home etc. I find most rescues will try to find you a good fit if you give them plenty of info and a bit of time.