Help... Unsettled greyhound

[Melanie]

Have you got a dog gate? I find them being able to see/hear you and not being totally shut out helps loads Best of luck for tonight and please let us know how you get on!

[Glenn]

Just one of the many pictures of me and "the kids"
Egor is the black one and pebbles is the lady in white!!!

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[andywillow]

They are both beautiful I'm suprised your white/black girl is the quietest one, most white/black bitches are slightly bonkers and the black males very laid back.
They are both lovely though and I really hope Egor settles tonight for you, love their names
Its so rewarding to watch them settle in and start to relax, it'll be worth the sleepless nights, honest it will!

[kamkay]

Lovely hounds!

[houndie]

sorry i can't help with the night whining problem as my 2 are superb at night and don't even bother getting up inthe morning until I push them out of the door but I do agree with what everyone else has said. He is obviously feeling very insecure and greyounds are definitely a breed apart.
You aren't 'giving in' if you allow them to sleep where they can be near you, ,you are helping them overcome their fears and learn to trust you. Again I say, they are totally different to other dogs in every way.
I can identify with the freezing when walking. I recently had a little bitch from ireland who was a lousy racer and had been passed from trainer to trainer so much that she had 8 different homes in 5 months.
She was a nervous wreck when she arrived and although she would jump in the car she refused to get out the other end, obviously thinking we were going to pass her on yet again. She also froze if we deviated from the usual walk,, so much so that if I went into our usual field but went the opposite way around it she would freeze.
For as long as it took I kept her to quiet familiar walks, never deviating until she was happy to do so.
I also took her in the car frequently and would stop and open the back and just sit with her. after 10 or 20 mins I would shut the boot and drive home. She eventually learned that whenever she went out she always returned home. I have had her 7 months now and although her tail is still firmly between her legs on a strange walk she is very happy to go for different walks and i have no problem getting her out of the car. She rarely, if ever, freezes now.
Good luck with your two and i'm sure you will overcome their insecurities with patience & time. The only real advice I can give is to try and think as they are thinking, see things from their perspective and try to feel what they are feeling.

[Glenn]

Hi just a little update... Opened the door to go upstairs and he got down in front of the sofa (where he sleeps in the day). That is where he spent the night and didn't wake us up once. So that's a start. He has been shocking out walking again stopping which ever way we go. Even on the route we go everyday. Think something on there may have spooked him. Will try a different way later and see how we get on.

Thanks again for all the advise

[sassbu]

Thats great news about settling through the night

Have you tried taking some treats on walks with you? Not the standard type they get at home, i mean really high quality special walking only treats ;D like sausage, liver, chicken that you can give to distract him and lots of praise? Once you get him round a standard route a couple times then you can stick to it for a while until he starts to pull you round in excitement ;D

Keep us posted

Sarah x

[julies]

Progress Their life has changed so much from racing that you/we need to remember to understand them - that's why many people can't train greyhounds- cos they expect them to behave like a dog that's had a normal upbringing which greys haven't had .... that's why they're so rewarding when they start to settle and really enjoy life

Yours are lovely- I have a real soft spot for black and white ones

Julie x

[andywillow]

Aww these houndies know what they want ;D So glad he slept well Its getting mine up in the morning thats the problem, I had to send Matthew upstairs to get Delta at 10.45 this morning as she refused to come down when shouted

[gizzy1]

I am on my second Greyhound now. Both cried if we tried to leave them at night. Diva now sleeps in our bedroom with us, its asthough they need the reassurance that they are safe and can see you. We are not disturbed all night and she goes to the loo when I wake up. In essence, our bedroom is now her kennel and her safe and quiet place she goes to. We tried a crate, but it made her worse, I think she felt trapped and enclosing them in a room can have the same effect. Diva chewed the doorframe if we closed the door. She now has free run of the house when we are out. We put chews out so she has never chewed furniture etc since. We also use creature comforts herbal drops which really seem to have relaxed her and she has settled really quickly. It just takes a bit of patience whilst they adjust to their and proably frightening new world. We had to carry them upstairs at first but they learn fast and like routine. You will get there x