Brand new greyhound mum not sure if I'm getting it right! - feeding / training

[HazeyJ]

Hey! 

I adopted a greyhound last week and I've never had a dog before, much less a greyhound!

I feel very nervous about getting things wrong and right. Yesterday he was a charming thing that slept all day and didn't make a peep. Today he got up promptly at 7am to pee in my plant pot and has been restless and frustrated all day. He snapped at me a few times (I don't think it was aggressive though) and whined and even barked at me! No idea why, we'd been out plenty of times, he had water and was fed not that long ago. I also give him a LOT of cuddles and attention. 

He wakes up very early in the morning. When he whines I try to ignore it but I'm hoping not to have too many more pee accidents first thing.

I've started feeding him some raw food and he loves it but he also seems totally ravenous after a few hours. When he barked I gave him a half cup of kibble and that calmed him down,  but I know I'm not supposed to let him train me into getting what he wants! That being said, he won't empty his kong when I give it to him so he can't be THAT hungry? 

I love him to bits and I'm very excited to have a greyhound, but I just feel like I must not be getting it right. 

[Ellen]

Hi

This is a great site for newbies like us, I've only been a dog owner for 10 days and it is getting easier. You will find that a lot of experienced owners will reply with advice and support .Also look back at past talks.

My dog totally ignored his Kong for several days, but now I'm able to use it for alone training.

Good luck

[HeyRunDog]

Time and patience with a good sense of humour will overcome most problems. Remember he's just been removed from what he knows and understands and transported onto a completely new world. It's like you being taken to Tokyo with different customs and way of life and your only guide speaks a language you can't comprehend.

They need a routine so exercise, toilet and food at the same time each day including weekends and holidays and don't be surprised if he seems to take a few steps back in his behaviour. The peeing at 7am and demanding food at a certain time could be what he's been used to at the kennels.

Don't let him do something even once, however cute, if you don't want him to do it later. For example, don't give him a crisp (chips in Americanese) when you are sat on the sofa watching the TV if you don't want him to beg every time you open a packet.

AND....Don't worry about getting it right just enjoy the company of one of these wonderful hounds

 

[MerseyGrey]

I felt like I wasn’t getting it right for at least a year. This site is visited by lots of experienced people (much more experienced than me!) and you will soon find out that there is no one right way to do things, although there are definitely ways in which you can do things wrong. Each hound has his or her own personality and often it is a case of getting to know them. But you do have to lay ground rules from the beginning as mentioned by HeyRunDog, be firm but not scary, and let them settle in. His personality will develop and the dog you have now will be different from the one you have in two weeks, and again in two months. We’ve had ours for two years and we are still discovering new quirks that either we haven’t noticed, or he is just showing as he becomes more and more comfortable.

i would however look for a pattern in his snapping / see if there is a trigger and work on ironing that out. It could be something that you might want to avoid doing, or behaviour that you need to train him out of especially if it’s an issue with guarding resources. It could however be playful behaviour, so it’s just a case of observing for a while and see how he is. Good luck!