Greyhound energy levels massively increased after boarding

[jamesalemo]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post. Apologies in advance if this has been covered before, or if I am posting in the wrong place.

My black bitch Chloe recently boarded for a week in kennels. It's the longest she's been away. She seems to absolutely love it there and comes back with renewed energy/happiness etc. The problem is now that I have her back home she has become very vocal, having previously very rarely barked or whined for any reason.

I live alone, work from home and I'm often very busy, so can't always dedicate 100% of my time to her. Plus I don't have a garden. She always gets walked a good amount every single day, however since the kennels by late afternoon on a daily basis she is constantly nudging me, and when this doesn't work she starts whining and barking very loudly. Normally I wouldn't mind such behaviour but it's then succeeded by nipping and play biting which verges on aggression. I'm concerned she now finds the home environment incredibly boring and is acting out and always needs something to do  In a way I'm happy as it means the kennels really look after her and give her lots of freedom to play and run around with other dogs, which is something I sadly cannot provide - maybe she prefers the kennel life!!

Any advice??

In addition can anybody recommend any toys? I already have kongs and in an ideal world there is a toy out there for greyhounds which doesn't require topping up with food, isn't liable to being destroyed in a matter of minutes, and will keep her mind stimulated.

Thank you

[greysmom]

You don't say how old she is, but she looks fairly young.  Any greyhound less that 3 years old is still really a puppy mentally and physically.  As such, they can really suck in the all the exercise you can give them and look around for more.  You may want to adjust your schedule so you can give her a good long walk midday, which will (hopefully) tire her out enough to get you through the afternoon without interruptions.  Another option would be to have a dog walker take her and tire her out.  Or have her go to a doggy day care a few times a week.

She would benefit from some obedience training and manners, too.  Exercising her mind will tire her out as well as exercising her body.  Food based puzzle games that take her a while to work through can help with that.  Unfortunately there aren't any games or toys that don't run out of food - and there really shouldn't be.  She shouldn't have that much food in a single day, plus two full meals, though I'm sure she would like that very much!!     Kongs should be the black colored ones for extreme chewers.  Large rope toys(used with supervision) and ones made from recycled firehose are the ones that have lasted the longest for my supers chewers.

It's a myth that greyhounds don't bark.  They bark as much as any other breed, and your girl just happened to have a refresher course in her stay at the kennels.  As long as she gets a positive response (your attention) from her barking she will continue to do it.  Again, training will help with that.  You might also consider crate training for her.  

Good luck!!

[HeyRunDog]

I wonder if the kennels gave the dogs a walk late afternoon and she got used to that routine and wants it to continue? I have two greyhounds. Grace is fairly flexible in what and when things happen whereas Guinness is much less forgiving. Food and walks have to happen at fixed times.

Did the kennels feed her the food she's used to or their own? I'm just wondering if it was of a higher protein content and has given her a lot more energy. The recommended percentage of protein for retired or pet greyhounds is around 20%.

Guinness has a cheap stuffy with a squeak and when it gets too chewed and squeakless I replace it. Grace totally ignores toys.

[EllenEveBaz]

What a stunning beauty she is!  

Chewing can tire out a dog.  Mine have liked the Nylabone brand "souper" fake bone for aggressive chewers.  It seems weird that something made out of plastic is slightly less dangerous for the teeth than a natural bone.  

One of my dogs was able to figure out a treat-dispensing toy that was a plastic cube with a hole whose size could be adjusted to change the difficulty level.  It took her a while, but she finally learned to knock it around the room to spill the treats out a few at a time.  Not recommended if you have anyone living on a floor below you.  I substituted some of her meal-time dry kibble in it.  

[cleptogrey]

she woke up! my dogs always came back ready to continue the party after boarding. 

raw marrow bones are not as hard on teeth as plastic chew bones, games, training and enjoying the youthful energy. if you can't walk her enough then consider hiring a person or even a person who jogs and letting her get a good couple of miles in at a good pace.  any fenced in areas that you can kick a soccer ball and let her rip? 

young gh have vigor-

[Sniffy]

I'm sorry that I can't provide any additional advice, but just wanted to say Wow, she's a beauty.  She poses for the camera like a model!!