Post by Lisa on Sept 9, 2004 4:08:19 GMT -5
Okay, youve just adopted your dog, had long in depth conversations with the fosterer who told you that the dog was housetrained or was doing well with the housetraining. Youve brought the dog home and its soiling in the house. Welcome to dog ownership 
You may find that the dog will pee once in the house on arrival, this is either a combination of anxiety or YOU not reading your new dogs signs well enough and not know that the dog needs to toilet. Greyhounds arnt great barkers, in fact most dont bark at all. So therefore they struggle to let us know when they need the loo. Once settled it becomes easy to read as they are lazy chuffers and if they get up from sleeping and wander round, you can usually guarantee its time for a toilet break.
When they first arrive their anxiety levels are at the max, they may be pacing, panting, whining, acting slightly manically so you can expect at least one accident whilst you both learn to read each others signals. During this time get them out every half hour and wait!! Once they do perform even if just a little the minute they stoop or lift use a command word such as wee/toilet. Then praise them like mad. Start to use this word each and everytime you let them into the garden they will begin to associate this with you wanting them to perform.
A good tip is when you go to the door to let them out, ask them excitedly if they want to go wee wee's, keep asking them in an excited tone until they get whipped into a frenzy then let them out and tell them go wee wee. They will then start to associate being at the door to the garden with asking to go to the toilet. Dogs understand tones more, than words and certainly dont understand sentences so one word commands and tone of voice is imperative.
Greyhounds are usually naturally clean dogs, stemming from years of kenneling with regular breaks, which allows them to build bladder control as they dont like to soil there immediate areas.
IF your dog has pee'd in the house and you didnt catch them, ignore it, its no use taking a dog back to the scene of the crime and expecting it to understand why your pulling out your hair and ranting and raving like a mad man, they wont understand. Simply take the dog out of the area the soiling occured and clean up, use biological washing powder diluted to clean the area, it is the only effective thing to get rid of the scent to them or they may do it over the mark.
IF YOU DO catch your dog in the act give a firm NO, take the dog by the collar (lightly) do not grab or lunge, place them outside and give the command.
Another dog tip for a persistent offender is to keep the dog leashed in the house for the first few days, and the leash attatched to yourself. Dogs will sneak off to soil and wont like to do it in front of you. So if the dog is leashed to yourself and you place the dog out every half hour, giving the command and then praising the dog will start to understand quickly.
REMEMBER though as said before, most greyhounds are perfectly clean, the odd accident at first is the norm and they will quickly slip into a routine.
You may find that the dog will pee once in the house on arrival, this is either a combination of anxiety or YOU not reading your new dogs signs well enough and not know that the dog needs to toilet. Greyhounds arnt great barkers, in fact most dont bark at all. So therefore they struggle to let us know when they need the loo. Once settled it becomes easy to read as they are lazy chuffers and if they get up from sleeping and wander round, you can usually guarantee its time for a toilet break.
When they first arrive their anxiety levels are at the max, they may be pacing, panting, whining, acting slightly manically so you can expect at least one accident whilst you both learn to read each others signals. During this time get them out every half hour and wait!! Once they do perform even if just a little the minute they stoop or lift use a command word such as wee/toilet. Then praise them like mad. Start to use this word each and everytime you let them into the garden they will begin to associate this with you wanting them to perform.
A good tip is when you go to the door to let them out, ask them excitedly if they want to go wee wee's, keep asking them in an excited tone until they get whipped into a frenzy then let them out and tell them go wee wee. They will then start to associate being at the door to the garden with asking to go to the toilet. Dogs understand tones more, than words and certainly dont understand sentences so one word commands and tone of voice is imperative.
Greyhounds are usually naturally clean dogs, stemming from years of kenneling with regular breaks, which allows them to build bladder control as they dont like to soil there immediate areas.
IF your dog has pee'd in the house and you didnt catch them, ignore it, its no use taking a dog back to the scene of the crime and expecting it to understand why your pulling out your hair and ranting and raving like a mad man, they wont understand. Simply take the dog out of the area the soiling occured and clean up, use biological washing powder diluted to clean the area, it is the only effective thing to get rid of the scent to them or they may do it over the mark.
IF YOU DO catch your dog in the act give a firm NO, take the dog by the collar (lightly) do not grab or lunge, place them outside and give the command.
Another dog tip for a persistent offender is to keep the dog leashed in the house for the first few days, and the leash attatched to yourself. Dogs will sneak off to soil and wont like to do it in front of you. So if the dog is leashed to yourself and you place the dog out every half hour, giving the command and then praising the dog will start to understand quickly.
REMEMBER though as said before, most greyhounds are perfectly clean, the odd accident at first is the norm and they will quickly slip into a routine.
indeed!