Post by Lisa on Sept 9, 2004 3:46:21 GMT -5
Firstly congratulations.
This thread is some basic information of what to do and what not to do when you first add a new dog to your family.
The first major DO NOT is over fuss the dog or spoil it. I know that its so hard not to BUT you need the dog to find its own feet around the house and settle happily without becoming to dependant on yourself. Basically for the first few days become hands off, if you already have existing dogs let the new dog take the lead from them, after all you need them to slip into the pack and if you constantly reassure the new dog its going to be bonding with you first and foremost and not them. They should see you as provider, the one who feeds, cares and walks, the other dogs should be companions first and foremost not you. Once the dog has settled into the pack happily *then* you can start to indulge it a little bit more.
Make sure the dog has a quiet place it can take itself off to over the first few days. A crate is usually a good idea set up in another room away from the hustle and bustle of the other dogs, the children, etc. Remeber the dog is going to be confused at first and things will seem strange and overpowering, if the dog feels too much responsibility it will become overwhelmed and this could lead to behaviour traits. The dog may choose not to take itself off and settle easily but if it does want time out and you have provided the bolt hole so to speak it will lead to happier settling.
If you dont have other dogs in the house then its even more important to get the dog use to being given time out. If you dont do this and do it consistently you could end up with problems resulting in seperation issues (this will be noted in a seperate topic) From the very first day the dog arrives with you make it have time out on its own, during the course of everyday. Use the bolt hole tactic again and find one room with a smallish space (ie kitchen) provide a bed and feed the dog there also. Top tip is probably DO NOT shut a door on the dog, greyhounds especially tend to freak when presented with a solid door, yes these dogs have been kenneled during their racing lives but they can still see out, shut doors usually results in manic scratching, blind panic and damage. Use a dog gate from Argos £34.99 OR a babygate highering it off the floor around a foot. The dog gates are already higher than standard babygates and you can also open them and walk through.
Start by placing the dog into the kitchen or safe area for as little as 1 minute (if the dog is already displaying problems when left) if the dog does the minute without whining open the gate do not say a word and let the dog out (dont praise for being quiet you want the dog to think its normal and not what is expected) if the dog does alright with one minute try two up to five and so on and so forth. Do this literally on the hour everyhour.
For dogs that arnt displaying problems start with five to ten minutes and continue pushing up the time. Remember consistency is the name of the game, dont get complacent or drop your guard the dog needs to learn to have independance.
If the dog is already showing signs of stressing after as little as two minutes and starts to howl/whine/bark, ignore the behaviour for a couple of minutes it may subside. IF it doesnt DO NOT go to the dog call out firmly SETTLE DOWN from the other room you are in, if the dog then settles down leave for a minute after the whining has stopped and then open the door again saying nothing. Again be consistent. This needs to be kept up for a good few weeks.
We sometimes have a dog put through these methods that does just fine all through the working week then the following Monday I receive a call from the owner to say that they have returned to work and the dog has kicked off again! WHY?? Because the weekend they have spent the whole time once again with the dog. The first few weekends of new dog ownership need to be kept to the routine time out during the day, if you have the dog settling with your work routine, make sure you still leave the dog alone for an hour or two morning and afternoon Saturday and Sunday for the first few weeks.
I hope this helps to explain and although it may be tiring to begin with it will lead to a happier, healthier dog with a better relationship with the family and other members of the dog pack
This thread is some basic information of what to do and what not to do when you first add a new dog to your family.
The first major DO NOT is over fuss the dog or spoil it. I know that its so hard not to BUT you need the dog to find its own feet around the house and settle happily without becoming to dependant on yourself. Basically for the first few days become hands off, if you already have existing dogs let the new dog take the lead from them, after all you need them to slip into the pack and if you constantly reassure the new dog its going to be bonding with you first and foremost and not them. They should see you as provider, the one who feeds, cares and walks, the other dogs should be companions first and foremost not you. Once the dog has settled into the pack happily *then* you can start to indulge it a little bit more.
Make sure the dog has a quiet place it can take itself off to over the first few days. A crate is usually a good idea set up in another room away from the hustle and bustle of the other dogs, the children, etc. Remeber the dog is going to be confused at first and things will seem strange and overpowering, if the dog feels too much responsibility it will become overwhelmed and this could lead to behaviour traits. The dog may choose not to take itself off and settle easily but if it does want time out and you have provided the bolt hole so to speak it will lead to happier settling.
If you dont have other dogs in the house then its even more important to get the dog use to being given time out. If you dont do this and do it consistently you could end up with problems resulting in seperation issues (this will be noted in a seperate topic) From the very first day the dog arrives with you make it have time out on its own, during the course of everyday. Use the bolt hole tactic again and find one room with a smallish space (ie kitchen) provide a bed and feed the dog there also. Top tip is probably DO NOT shut a door on the dog, greyhounds especially tend to freak when presented with a solid door, yes these dogs have been kenneled during their racing lives but they can still see out, shut doors usually results in manic scratching, blind panic and damage. Use a dog gate from Argos £34.99 OR a babygate highering it off the floor around a foot. The dog gates are already higher than standard babygates and you can also open them and walk through.
Start by placing the dog into the kitchen or safe area for as little as 1 minute (if the dog is already displaying problems when left) if the dog does the minute without whining open the gate do not say a word and let the dog out (dont praise for being quiet you want the dog to think its normal and not what is expected) if the dog does alright with one minute try two up to five and so on and so forth. Do this literally on the hour everyhour.
For dogs that arnt displaying problems start with five to ten minutes and continue pushing up the time. Remember consistency is the name of the game, dont get complacent or drop your guard the dog needs to learn to have independance.
If the dog is already showing signs of stressing after as little as two minutes and starts to howl/whine/bark, ignore the behaviour for a couple of minutes it may subside. IF it doesnt DO NOT go to the dog call out firmly SETTLE DOWN from the other room you are in, if the dog then settles down leave for a minute after the whining has stopped and then open the door again saying nothing. Again be consistent. This needs to be kept up for a good few weeks.
We sometimes have a dog put through these methods that does just fine all through the working week then the following Monday I receive a call from the owner to say that they have returned to work and the dog has kicked off again! WHY?? Because the weekend they have spent the whole time once again with the dog. The first few weekends of new dog ownership need to be kept to the routine time out during the day, if you have the dog settling with your work routine, make sure you still leave the dog alone for an hour or two morning and afternoon Saturday and Sunday for the first few weeks.
I hope this helps to explain and although it may be tiring to begin with it will lead to a happier, healthier dog with a better relationship with the family and other members of the dog pack
