New Greyhound Coming Tomorrow!

[smithy]

Hey all!

I'm rescuing a greyhound tomorrow and thought I'd start coming to this great forum. His name is Smithy and he's 2 years old, ex racing but didn't race for very long. Super calm, very big, already my best friend.

I've got a lot of information to go through and all that, so I was wondering if I could get some first time tips from experienced owners here?

Thanks

Josh

[MerseyGrey]

Hello and welcome! My only advice is: relax and enjoy the next few weeks getting to know your pup. it’s going to be a big change for him and he might find it all a bit overwhelming at first but give him time, be patient and he will blossom. Hopefully you’ve got many happy years ahead of you both, each with a loyal companion.

Oh, and post a picture when you can!

[HeyRunDog]

Welcome

When you get him home walk him around the garden on the lead so he knows where to relieve himself. Don't worry if he doesn't go after a few minutes. When you take him inside show him where his bed is and then let him explore at his own pace but keep an eye if he needs to go to the toilet. Greyhound signals are very subtle. Don't go showing him off to all and sundry for the first couple of days, let him become used to you. Apart from food Grace ignored me for the first two days

Routine is king and don't let him do anything you don't want him to do later. So no feeding him titbits when you are eating or preparing food etc.

But the main thing is relax, have patience, a sense of humour and enjoy

Edited March 21, 2021 by HeyRunDog

[smithy]

Thanks for the warm welcome! So far, it seems to all be going well. He's a very calm dog and seems to have settled with us nicely.

Currently he's done one pee inside so we gave a stern NO and walked him outside. Bit later on we did it again, he peed, so we gave him a treat and a big well done.

The most immediate worry is stairs (the plan was him sleeping in my bedroom on the top floor) but so far he freezes after two steps! I'll slowly do my best there.

[EllenEveBaz]

Welcome to you and your pup!  

For housetraining, I actually keep a new dog tethered to my waist with a long lead the first 24 hours if they aren't in the crate.  Then I know when they're even thinking about peeing.  It's a hassle, but has paid off with years of no worries.  The crate goes away when I feel certain they're certain about where the toilet is; it's never taken more than a week.  (None of mine have ever shown any desire to hang out in the crate.)

There's different methods for stairs training.  First, make sure the steps are not slippery.  Get the sticky pads at the hardware store if you need to as a temporary surface.  If the dog is food motivated, lure them with delicious treats.  I use the suitcase method.  Put a harness on the dog, take a firm grip on the harness at the bottom of the stairs, and then cheerfully take him up as if you were carrying a suitcase, projecting no-worry-confidence.  Most tall dogs find it scarier going down than up; be careful not to let them jump the last few steps to prevent injuries.  

And echoing above, enjoy!  

[MP_the4pack]

Congrats!!

You'll get lots of great advice here. And you might get some conflicting advice. Oh well, go by your guts if that happens. 

For the stairs I'd hold off. If he's fine by himself downstairs leave him. Let him grow to trust you implicitly. Then stairs will come a little easier.  Don't do too much too soon.

[Alibear]

Congrats! Like others have said, I've found this site so helpful. I don't have any stairs so can't offer advice there. 

I've got a pretty calm, confident boy too (he never raced and we don't think he was even trialled), but he still froze quite a bit in the first few weeks. Be prepared for him to get braver quite quickly as my Frazer became a lot more assertive, trying to steal things off counters, clothes etc. It can be quite funny but we still need to keep on top of it!

If he can handle, it, I'd start to slowly introduce him to other dogs while out (without pushing him too hard, of course). Our rescue centre recommended that we go to dog socialisation classes but we're still on lockdown so they're not happening at the moment. I've found it helped me to relax as a dog owner and made him calmer while on walks. If not, do you have any greyhound owners near you? They become so happy when they see their own breed, it's lovely to see!