New Greyhound, Scared of Walks and Being Outside

[greyskies27]

Hi, I adopted my new greyhound Rea last Saturday. Good news, she's great inside the house and has been immediately great being left alone (which I anticipated as being the biggest growing pain with her new environment).

Bad news, and I realize it's only been a week, and she is still setting in, but the problem we are having is when it's time to go outside. She is very anxious outside, she notices every noise, and hardly sniffs anything. I don't have a fenced yard and I'm in an apartment(duplex house). I take her on leash into our large un-fenced backyard, but she will keep looking back at the house anxious to go back. Once we make it back far enough into the backyard, she will walk around for a minute but then will want to go back inside. When she has to go potty bad enough, she seems to only go potty in that area in the morning. I've managed to also get her to alternate with another plot of grass in front of my apartment, which she has favored in the afternoon/evenings. But with her anxiety, I feel like she's holding back when she needs to go potty. I tried to take her on a shorter walk, thinking she might need to walk a little to go potty, but she is always looking for how to find her way back inside. This past Saturday, she went pee at 4pm and then the next time was at 8am the next day. I took her out 3 different times Saturday night to try to go potty, but she seemed too anxious to focus on going to the bathroom. Today, the last time she went pee was 7am, and it is now 5pm. She has not yet had any accidents inside. She is not food motivated, I've tried hi-level treats, even warming up chicken for a few seconds in the microwave to get more of a smell to distract her, and she ignores them.

Are there any insights on how to get her more comfortable with being outside and wanting to go to the bathroom? Unfortunately, I don't have any dogs around to take her on a walk with to help her feel more safe. I've looked into Adaptil Collars, but I'm not sure how effective they would be. I could try to focus on just having her in the backyard to go potty to go more slowly in building her confidence, but she seems to only go potty there in the morning. I realize I'm going to have to take things very slow, as this is her first time in a home environment after being off the track. I'm just concerned she's going to start peeing/pooping in her crate if she doesn't relieve herself more regularly, and I also worry about her being uncomfortable trying to hold it for so long. Thank you in advance for any feedback.

[1Moregrey]

Welcome and congratulations, if you look up statue or freeze when walking.  You will find all kinds of information.  The more you can let her hear the new sounds the better.  Not sure where you are at if you are having nice weather you could have the windows open a little so she can get used to the noises.  If there are times of the day that are quieter take her out then.  
She is just having culture shock to sounds of the apartment and neighborhood.  It just takes time for them to get used to everything.  So for now just go out often not to far away and give lots of praise in your happy you are such a good girl tone.  When she goes tell her good potty.  She will get the hang of it soon enough.

She just has so many new sounds to figure out kids people outside, traffic, garbage pickup days, deliveries sounds of construction are all new and scary they will soon just be background noises just takes time and patience.  The more she can hear them from a safe space the faster she will get over them.  Good luck it will get better soon.

[FiveRoooooers]

Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of greyhounds! It has only been a very few days and everything Rea is experiencing is unlike her previous life at the track. I can't link it here, but Google "GREYHOUNDS -- NO FEAR TRAINING Why do our hounds do what they do?" by Kathleen Gilley. Patience and understanding, you'll get there. Please keep us posted!