Struggling with toilet training newly adopted grey

[PottedPlant]

Hi,

Firstly, thanks in advance for any feedback and taking the time to read this post. My girlfriend and I recently adopted a retired 4 year old male greyhound named Geoffrey.

We've had him about a month and am struggling to get him toilet trained. He's not terrible, but has gone inside about 3 or 4 times and refuses to be put outside to the point where I have to pretty much haul him out to go to the toilet. He doesn't seem particularly motivated by food or anything and will just lay there. I wouldn't mind if when he needed to go out, he would willingly go out the door. it's not a case of bad weather as we live in a very mild climate.

The other morning for example, I got up to go to work. He was laying on the couch the whole time and gave no indication of needing to go to the toilet. I would have put him outside anyway but my girlfriend was getting up as I left for work, so I let him lay. On the way to work I got a message that he'd peed on the rug.

My girlfriend and I both grew up with dogs, but of very different kinds. Her family have a lap dog that is inside all the time, where as I grew up with working dogs that were mostly outside dogs. 

I realise now that greyhounds are a very unique breed. i was definitely not prepared for how emotionally sensitive he is, and i do worry that perhaps i have been a bit too firm with him at times. I get the impression that he sees me as the "bad guy". 

i am aware that greyhounds thrive on routine but my girlfriend and i are shift workers so unfortunately that is not possible, but we try our best. i suspect that the issue is that when he gets put out he is unsure if he is going to be allowed back in, as he is put out if both of us are away from the house. We've set him up a bed in the separate laundry area downstairs that he can lay on when he's outside and tried to make it as comfortable as possible.

Has anyone had success in fixing this kind of behaviour?

 

 

 

[HeyRunDog]

Greyhounds give very subtle indications that they need to pee etc. if at all so it is very easy to miss. My Grace knows she is able to go to the toilet twice a day and is able to hold it between those times. Male greyhounds will need to go more often as they can't hold it as long as females.

Are you just putting him out to pee or are you taking him for a walk as well? You might need to get up a bit earlier and take him for a short walk to get things moving before you go to work.

I know this is against your upbringing with working dogs but greyhounds are more like lapdogs, OK very large lapdogs, but they are inside dogs and shouldn't be left outside as they have very thin coats with no fat layer underneath for insulation from the heat or cold. They also can get spooked easily by sudden noises and can damage themselves trying to escape. Also how would you feel if he has one of your neighbours cats?

 

 

[MerseyGrey]

Hi, when you brought him home did you take him to the place where you expected him to toilet, and wait there until he did? That’s what lots of places suggest when you first bring your dog home so that he learns what is expected of him when you take him to take place again.

Sounds like you need to make him go when he wakes up. I would take him into the garden/yard or as HeyRunDog suggests or walk him within 10-15 minutes after waking up as you will most likely miss his cues to go out, which could be as subtle as walking past the door, or just a glance towards it. Stick with him until he wees or poos. You will need to persevere with this to make it habit. Even if you take him into the garden you are best to wait with him until he does his business and then reward him. He will associate the act with the treat and this will hopefully make things easier. Personally I wouldn’t leave mine in the garden unattended, particularly not for any length of time, and definitely not without access back into the house.

With regards to routine, I think it’s possible to get him to associate toilet times with landmarks in his day rather than being at set times, by which I mean, taking him out after waking up, before or straight after feeding, before bed, whenever you put shoes on to leave the house. Other people on here who work shifts will be able to tell you better than me if this works.

You might want to look up belly bands, which some people on here recommend for males when they are training them. I haven’t used one but they might save your rugs.

A word of warning: there is a fine line between being firm and behaviour which your dog may interpret as punishment. I grew up with German shepherds and bringing a greyhound into the home was an eye opener. They respond really well to positive reinforcement due to their sensitive nature and your reward will be a loving and affectionate dog. It really is worth it and you will get there!

Something else you probably know - check that your disinfectant doesn’t have ammonia in it as this smell can make them mark over the area - I don’t think that sounds like the case with you because it doesn’t sound like he’s peeing on the same spot after you’ve cleaned it.

 

[PottedPlant]

Hi, thanks for the replies. I can see that after reading this that my girlfriend and I didn't do enough in the first few days to set the ground rules and that has hindered our progress.

I had a much better experience this morning using some steak offcuts to entice him outside and praising him after he'd been to the toilet. I will take on board some of your other advice, my girlfriend and i agree a short toilet walk first thing needs to become part of our routine, hopefully all goes well.

On the downside, I experienced "sleep aggression" today after sitting next to him on the couch and it scared the hell out of me. 

[MerseyGrey]

Sleep startle is something that lots of people on here have had to deal with, but it’s not a form of aggression. See it more as a defence mechanism - he’s still in a strange place and he’s probably never quite at ease, even if he’s sleeping. If you don’t have a dedicated space for him it’s a good idea to create one if you can. The old saying ‘let sleeping dogs lie’ is all too accurate! We always approach ours with caution, and call out to him to wake him gently when he’s sleeping.

[LBass]

I am saying all this under the assumption that your hound is coming to you from a typical greyhound racing/training/breeding situation:

Your hound never had to ask to go be let out to potty.  Part of kennel life is that at regular intervals someone arrives and lets you out to spend time in a run with your buddies, taking care of "personal business", sunning, digging, etc.  All of my hounds eventually learned to let me know when they wanted out--actually, I think they trained me to recognize their sometimes subtle signals.     It sounds as if you have a fenced yard?  It would be a good idea to spend at least a few weeks going out with your boy.  Not leashed if there's a fence, but, just keep him company.  When he potties outdoors praise!  I'd also suggest that you generally be proactive about taking him out.  I approach each new hound like I would a puppy--when feet hit the floor out we go, a few minutes after each meal out we go, before bedtime out we go, when feet hit the floor out we go (that one bears repeating).  This is a lot of work initially, but that's what training involves and it doesn't last forever. 

Do get one of the good enzyme cleaners to clean up accidents in the house.  Simple Solution, etc.  Remember that they work best if your blot and clean as much pee as possible (thinking carpet here), apply plenty of the product, and then let it dry.

Sleep and space issues--most greyhounds in kennel situations have their own kennel/bed.  They don't have to share space or food and they aren't used to that.  Your new hound isn't used to sharing and isn't yet entirely used to you.  I  would avoid pushing space boundaries until you both get to know each other better.  I've had one greyhound cuddler--under the sheets in bed type cuddler--2 hounds who love it if I snuggle with them but don't do the "sleep with me" thing.  My newest hound will likely never be a snuggler at all and I am still careful about space with him 2 years in.  I don't give space sensitive dogs bed or couch privileges. I don't join them on their beds and I only pet when I know they are awake.  We still get plenty of petting/scratching/brushing/walking/playing time together.

With food and other desirable things--always trade up.  If I have to take something from my more guarded dog (and I do--he's blind and everything goes it the mouth!) I have a most excellent and desirable treat in hand to trade up.

One of the great joys of welcoming a greyhound into your life is watching them bloom.  They grow and chance in wonderful, fascinating ways.  The guy who hasn't touched a toy ever suddenly discovers stuffies!  The shy girl finally chooses to spend time in the room with you.  Then she chooses the bed next to your chair!   It can be a lovely journey.