Ellen

[Ellen]

Hi,

Have just become the proud owner of a 3 yr old boy called Ally.Due to space restriction he has to sleep in the kitchen which he is not happy about, who said greyhound don't bark !

I've been leaving a small light and the radio on, and sitting in the kitchen( generally ignoring him) until he settles.Past couple of nights have been better and he has slept until  the back of 5 when he starts whining again (he didn't actually need to pee until after 7 ). I want to know if I'm doing the right thing and any suggestions of how to get him to go longer would be gratefully received.

I would't mind him sleeping on the bed after his morning pee, but I'm worried I would be creating a rod for my own back and he would  decide that was his full time bed.

[MerseyGrey]

Welcome Ellen and Ally (from another Ellen 👋). How long have you had him for? We have been lucky with our boy in that he settled in the living room from the first night we had him, but many people here will advocate having him on his own bed in your bedroom. Does your space allow for that? He might still wake you up but at least you can soothe him without leaving the warmth and comfort of your own bed. Early wake ups...we get up at 5.30 (it was 5am before lockdown) and I think it might be a case of ignoring him for a few minutes after he whines, and adding a bit of time onto that each day. Good luck in making it to 6am.

As for him making your bed his own...I think you would need to decide if that’s an issue for you. Again, ours is an anomaly in that he doesn’t get on the furniture so we never have to tip him off the sofa, but he has rather taken over EVERY room with beds everywhere. Sleeping on a blanket on the sofa might be an alternative for him if you really don’t want/ can’t fit him in your bedroom.

[greysmom]

He's never had to be alone in his entire life until now, so you need to get him used to it just like you would with separation anxiety (because that's kind of what it is, really).  

I will also say that UK and US attitudes towards where their dogs sleep seem to be quite different.  Most US folks prefer (if possible) to have their dogs in the bedroom with them, and most UK folks seem to prefer they settle and sleep elsewhere in the house.  Either is really OK, but you do have to choose and train them to comfortable wherever you decide he needs to sleep.

Thirdly, I'll advocate for finding a way to have him be able to sleep with his new home pack, if at all possible.  A simple bed in a corner or next to a night stand is enough room unless your boy is particularly huge.  Dogs are more comfortable being connected with their owners, and sleeping together is a big part of that.  

Fourth, search through the threads here for ones about new dogs waking up early.  Their days start *very* early in the training and racing kennels and he's just following the schedule he's had for most of his life.  A poster named Ducky also has a brilliant schedule for training them to wake up earlier, so hopefully she can post that here.

[Ellen]

Many thanks' for all your help. As a new dog, never mind greyhound owner I want to make sure I have a happy well adjusted dog.He's a lovely big placid boy who in the space of 4 days has gone from an anxious wreck to lying on his back, legs akimbo, so he is definitely settling. Unfortunately there is not enough space to have his bed in our room, but last night he only whined for about 15 minutes before settling and lasted through to 6:30.I think once he's conquered sleeping alone at night the  next stage will be  trying to  make sure he's happy being left alone  for short times during the day as he won't let me out of his sight, but I suppose it's very early days.

Thanks' again for all your replies, I think I will be using this forum quite a lot.

[greysmom]

Get the book "I'll Be Home Soon" by Patricia McConnell (ebook or regular paperback).  It's short and to the point, step-by-step instructions for helping your dog get used to being left alone.

[HeyRunDog]

18 hours ago, Ellen said:

I think once he's conquered sleeping alone at night the  next stage will be  trying to  make sure he's happy being left alone  for short times during the day as he won't let me out of his sight, but I suppose it's very early days.

Sounds like both of you are making good progress. When you leave him alone to go out put the radio on low tuned into a classical station so there is less chance of a sudden loud noise, or if you have an Amazon Alexa device ask it to play classical for pets. Also give him a Kong filled with kibble, peanut butter or whatever takes your fancy.

[Ellen]

Cheers everyone, not such a good night last night. Tried to ignore him for a bit longer and totally my fault left things within reach i.e loaf of bread, kitchen roll, boxes of hankies and a box of wine. Not a pretty site on entering the kitchen, but at least a good excuse to give the floor a good clean, it smelt like a brewery!

Think I'll go back to sitting with him until settled for a few nights and I've downloaded the book "I'll Be Home Soon"-thanks' for the suggestion .

Another thing- we have a small enclosed garden with a 7 foot fence. any ideas if it would be suitable to leave him in the garden for short spells  in dry weather when we are out.I'm recently retired so only talking 2 to 3 hours max.

[greysmom]

No.  A seven foot fence would be nothing to a determined or scared greyhound.  One of mine routinely jumps and puts her paws on the top of our 6 ft wooden fence to see the next door shepherd.  Just for fun.

 

[Ellen]

thanks' for that.He will just need to lie in the sun when we are there.Hopefully Ally will have a better night tonight, I will stay with him in the kitchen until he settles,unfortunately our bed room is just to small  so no choice but to use the kitchen. so saying he loves his bed and is in the kitchen most of day with me, so I'm hoping  that when he feels more secure that's he's here for good he will  settle overnight.

[BatterseaBrindl]

It is early days yet and he needs tome to get used to his new surroundings and routine.

And I would never leave any dog - Greyhound or otherwise - alone in any yard unsupervised no matter how high the fence.   

Our guys do go out alone for pee breaks, but we check on them every minute or two.   We are also rural and quiet with no close neighbours or neighbouring dogs.