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Post by sthomas048 on Jun 22, 2008 12:58:52 GMT -5
Hello Folks,
Im considering taking on a rescue Greyhound from a local charity and i have a few questions that im hoping someone could help me with. Having read a fair slice of the forum im curious about different "sleeping arrangements" that GHs and their owners have.
I have in the past owned a rescue dog that sadly didnt live with us very long due to personal circumstances at the time, but our little Staffie would sleep in the downstairs bedroom. This time i dont think it will work and so i have to consider other places a GH could sleep comfortably and peacefully in my home. I dont object to it sleeping in my bedroom upstairs.
We havent had a great deal of experience with owning a dog.
I realise its a stressful experience for a rescued GH to adjust to living as a pet at home and i want to make sure im doing the right thing. I hope im making sense !
Hoping someone can help with some kind advice, thanks.
Stephen.
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Post by dominique on Jun 22, 2008 13:21:17 GMT -5
Lisa's one of the the best person to give advice on this as she has masses of experiance with re-homing greyhounds, but a lot of people use a crate with a comfy bed in it to start of with as it gives the dog its own personal place to feel secure in. I haven't had a rescue dog but my lurcher when she was a pup loved going to bed in her crate (I put a cover over the top of it so it was like her own personal cave ;D) and she now has a bed downstairs which she goes to if she is tired, wants a little peace or just some 'her' time.
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Post by sthomas048 on Jun 22, 2008 16:41:01 GMT -5
Thanks Dominique, i hadnt thought of a crate and i can understand what you mean about a "personal space". I shall browse online for some prices tonight.
I hope its okay to post questions about (potential !) non-gap GHs ? I apologise if it isnt.
Stephen.
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Post by jackie on Jun 22, 2008 18:15:14 GMT -5
All mine have slept on their own beds, in the bedroom with us from the first night and all settled down and slept until morning. They never move until the alarm goes off. The only exception to this has been a couple of times when Clyde has whimpered and I let him outside to have exploding diahorrea. If he'd slept downstairs I would never had known he was unwell and he would have been distressed all night, probably making a mess, which would have horrified him. They like to be with their humans or at least other dogs and you do know they're ok and not up to something when they're with you.  |
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Post by vickyb on Jun 23, 2008 2:09:58 GMT -5
Our little one, non pointy sleeps upstairs, the other 2, lurcher and greyhound have chosen to sleep downstairs, but the house is open planish and we never close the internal doors so they are free to bed hop and there are dog beds and spare beds upstairs as well. I do agree with Jackie about them being able to get to us in case they need an urgent call of nature, which is rare but does happen. We have crated them for a few nights initially just until we all have the measure of each other but don't really have room to keep it up permanantly, but I wouldn't be without it as it gives peace of mind if you have to go out and leave a newby for a short while in the early days. All the best and congats on finding this site, the wealth of knowledge and help everyone gives is amazing  |
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Post by sthomas048 on Jun 23, 2008 4:40:24 GMT -5
Thanks Jackie, Vickyanne. This is what i was thinking of, if i havent got a crate then where shall my GH sleep ? I think it would be a bit too much to expect him/her to walk upstairs to the bedroom on its first few days here. I imagined i would have to sleep in the living room with him/her for a while ?! I wonder if someone in my local rescue charity would allow me to borrow a crate when the time comes ? Does Gap work its magic in South Wales ? I have contacted a local rescue but im curious about Greyhound Gap. Stephen. |
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Post by vickyb on Jun 23, 2008 5:04:31 GMT -5
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Post by sthomas048 on Jun 23, 2008 5:15:36 GMT -5
Good grief !  It could be dangerous at my home because our stairs are opposite the front door ! Ha. I think the stairs issue is something i could also chat to my local rescue about at homecheck. Stephen. |
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Post by Nettie on Jun 23, 2008 5:27:08 GMT -5
If you're worried about the stairs being opposite the front door then investing in a stairgate might not be a bad idea, depending on the layout of your home would it be possible to set up a stairgate a few feet inside the front door which would also give you an extra 'door' between the front door and the rest of the house.
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Post by sthomas048 on Jun 23, 2008 5:45:30 GMT -5
Nettie, sorry no i dont think the stairs leading to the door would be a problem, it just tickled me what Vickyanne said !
Time would have to be spent getting my GH used to going up and down stairs thats all, the main thing is id prefer to have the GH sleeping upstairs.
Stephen.
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Post by Barneysmum on Jun 23, 2008 10:52:31 GMT -5
My Greyhound Foxy (was my foster dog but I failed to let her go) had no problems going up the stairs - this was the first place she investigated but had trouble going down as our stair case is split and has a little landing half way up which she launched herself off and missed the 13 steps below her and ended up in a heap in front of the main door.
So the next time she went up I made her come down on the lead so I could control the speed at which she came down, carried on with this for a few times until she and Barney my lurcher could do them together of course at speed as normally they know a treat is waiting - dinner or walks.....
Hope all goes well with the new addition
Marie, Foxy and Barney
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Post by lurcherlot on Jun 23, 2008 12:58:21 GMT -5
Time would have to be spent getting my GH used to going up and down stairs thats all, the main thing is id prefer to have the GH sleeping upstairs. All 7 of my lurchers sleep upstairs, some on the bed, some beside it and some just outside the bedroom door .... lurchers on the whole don't have the problems greyhounds do getting downstairs, although they rarely have trouble getting upstairs! Good luck with your hound. |
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Post by sthomas048 on Jun 23, 2008 13:21:29 GMT -5
ThanksMarie, Foxy and Barney. Thanks lurcherlot. Every dog is different just like every Lurcher or Greyhound is different, some will take to stairs quicker than others then. Its putting yourself into the mind of the dog. What a helpful bunch you are on this forum ! Im quite keen now to get things moving with a homecheck soon.  Thanks. Stephen. |
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Post by elmuervo on Jun 24, 2008 8:22:36 GMT -5
;)Hi Stephen, We got our first greyhound, Barney, this April (I say 'first', because we're sure we'll have loads more before we're done!) as a big little-brother to our cross-breed Ellie. Barney had just retired from racing and came to us straight from his trainer, so he had never had any experience of being a pet or living in a home. We thought that things might be really tough for a while, but he has amazed us with how quickly he has learned, how little he demands and how much love he's willing to share, especially bearing in mind that he had a racing career and so had a seriously crappy start to life (if you'll pardon the language). Don't misunderstand me, it's a hell of a challenge in many ways, but my gosh to they pay you back in spades. Barney's hilariously funny and cheeky (he steals things ALL the time, drops them on his bed undamaged and then comes back for more, over and over again), and he's perfected his innocent "what?" look when you catch him red-handed (or pawed). That type of behaviour pattern is typical for a greyhound, and it's just the funniest thing to have as part of your life. Never a dull moment. Both of our dogs sleep in the bedroom with us, on their own individual beds (though Ellie's always squashed against me by the time we wake up, her having crept on the bed in the middle of the night!). Barney can be a bit grumpy about sharing sleeping space (also typical of some greyhounds because of their pasts - just Google 'sleep aggression'), so he stays on his bed and we don't hear a peep from him. There's no doubt that he loves the company while he's asleep - just not too close! Speaking of loving company - rather than adopt one greyhound, would you consider adopting two? Two would be hardly any more trouble than one, and they love the company of other greys . . . P.S. Don't worry about the stairs. Coax them once, and then pure nosiness soon has them flying up and down like, erm . . . greyhounds so that they don't miss anything!!! |
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Birdie
Ironing Piling Up
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Post by Birdie on Jun 24, 2008 16:28:17 GMT -5
All my dogs sleep in my bedroom in their own beds unless they are poorly then i do let them in for a cuddle.
Depsite finding Milo my 1st sighthound he was fine with stairs. Meg was a cruelty case from the RSPCA ad couldn't do stairs but she soon learnt as she did't want to be on her own. We just practised with her until she was safe.
Grace and Holly my most recent lurchery editions were both different. Grace went straight into a bed and after a couple of night getting out of it and trying to get in ours she was fine. Holly our little whippety girl had a crate i borrowed off a friend. This was mainly because she had only just been speyed and i thought it was safer for her as i had four other dogs and i didn't want her hurting herself by leaping about. Grace actually liked the crate and kept trying to get in it. As it happened when i removed the crate Holly was fine in a bed although still goes in phases when she likes to sneak in with us.
Dogs are pack animals and mine do like to sleep in the same room as us. If your dog chooses not to and is happy somewhere else then that is also fine. Meg always likes an afternoon siesta on the bed upstairs away from the other dogs. She was just the same when i only had her and Milo.
I am sure your new arrival will be fine with whatever but i would make sure you get a large eough bed as many are much too small. Some people have memory foam ones as GH's are a little boney and depsite many of them having a hard kennel life they soon get used to home comforts (i have found some cheap decent ones on the net and will find the link if you want it) Mine have soft washable oval beds and a duvet each (not that they ar espoiled of course.
When i found Milo i was dropped into being a GH owner and had to learn as i went along and wish i had had internet back then with people i could ask advice from so feel free to ask away .
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