Bria: Furniture, food and following us around

[Paul G]

We adopted Bria 5 days ago, and we're doing our best to make her feel as welcome as possible. We've got her a crate and a bed, and we've installed a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs so she can't go upstairs unsupervised.

There are lots of things she's great at, but though we believe she may have lived in a house before being rescued (she's never raced) it seems that she hasn't had much behaviour training. So, there are a few things we're struggling with:

Furniture: We don't want her to climb or sit on the sofa, but she keeps trying whether we're there or not; if we're not she'll just get on, and if we are she'll jump on the spare seat or push into any space she can find. I realise she's still adapting to her new environment but this is something we really want to nip in the bud. I've struggled to find much information on how to deal with this, but one method is to put her on a house lead and lure her off the sofa with a treat, then praise her. Has anyone had experience of this and dealt with it successfully? Is this the best/only way, or are there better methods?

Food: We can't eat around her. She'll try to get any food, be it on a table, on our laps, wherever. Even if we're stood eating in her presence she'll try to get at what we're eating. The only way we're dealing with this at the moment is to crate her whilst we eat. I don't want her to see this as a punishment so I've bought a Kong to put in there with her, though we're yet to use it. Obviously this isn't a solution, so I'd appreciate any advice on how to overcome this.

Velcro: Finally, she's following us around the house a lot, which is fine because she's still investigating and adapting. She'll get up to investigate various noises, particularly if she thinks we're going into the kitchen. We're keeping the kitchen door closed at the moment because it's not dog-friendly. If she thinks someone's going to the kitchen she'll charge after them and when she doesn't get in she'll whimper at the door. The same happens if she thinks someone's in there (the top half of the door is a window). She knows food comes from the kitchen, but we don't know if she's doing this because she's expecting food or because she can't see us.

[vickyb]

You need a dog gate on your kitchen door asap. A baby gate might work but they're a bit lower than the dog ones and as she's very food orientated she may try to get over it. Argos sell them for a reasonable price. Greyhounds tend not to like closed doors but baby gates are fine as they can see what's going on. Rather than crating her can you use the dog gate to stop her getting to you as you eat? Its very common for them to try to steal any food - look on it as a survival instinct and no one has ever taught her that it's not acceptable to steal although some of them never do learn

As for the furniture can't offer much help as we use throws and they're free to go everywhere in our house, beds too. If you're not there you could try putting things on it to fill it up although it's surprising how small they can curl up if they're determined to get onto furniture!
I 100% believe that using food and praise to lure her off is the way to go, don't try shouting or dragging/pushing her off, that's just a recipe for disaster.

Sounds like you're on the right tracks with praise and prevention. Good luck, but I think the dog gate will make life easier

[sammy13]

Bria sounds like a typical greyhound girly. We have throws on our sofas too as they do love to be comfortable and snug. My 2 are allowed on the beds too. Nell will only beg for food when we sit on the sofa. If we sit at the table she will lie in her crate. Bracken will be next to you when any food is about yet she is the greedy one not him. Good luck with her x

[allthehounds]

Hi, Bria does sound like a very normal greyhound and 5 days in a new place is still very early to expect much from her although as you are doing it's never too early to start with some houserules! Having said that though I'm afraid I can't offer much advice about keeping her off the furniture as like a lot of people here we too just cover the settee etc with throws and our two always get the best seats in the house. In fact with each additional greyhound we've had to go out and buy more sofas!! We end up having to sit on the floor or out on a limb whilst the dogs always seem to end up on the sofa in front of the tv and fire. Our new girl, Lily still follows us everywhere and she's been here 5 months nearly but we don't mind that much and if we do go out and leave at home she behaves herself until we come back when she throws herself at us and wrestles us to the ground in a flurry of licks and kisses!! It is important to make sure your dogs behave in the way you're happy with but I'm afraid that for us it's all about spoiling them and making sure their life is as good as it can be for the precious time they're with us. I'm sure some of the others will have good practical advice for you though and I hope Bria brings you much happiness. Good luck with the training. Sian.

[gilli176]

Dog gates so she can see you but can't follow you especially when you're eating and yes praise her and train her with food. As for furniture mine I'm afraid are allowed on all furniture so I have no idea how to keep them off it. Good luck and 5 days is early but it is good to have the rules in place from the beginning for her

[gazer]

All mine lie where they want as well, sofa, our bed, their beds and occasionally the floor

Throws can protect the sofa, give it some thought, you can't beat having a warm greyhound next to you .   But if you really don't want her up there then, well sorry I have no idea

I still can't leave food about it will get stolen, I use a tall gate to stop them getting into the kitchen at times as any one of them would still counter surf
If she continues to beg while you are eating, be firm and tell her no, or teach her 'bed' and she can go there whenever you need her to.

Five days is no time at all, you will see loads of changes in her as she settles in, she has alot of things to adjust to and it will all take time.

Enjoy her and good luck

[kamkay]

Jet is allowed on our sofa too ( I think it may be illegal to not allow them access!) When we go to my parents' house he is allowed on the sofa as long as a hooman does not need the space and we have trained him to respond to "off" and a reward. He responds well to this even though he does harrumph a bit as he settles on the floor! Funnily enough the word off has no effect in our house.

[Flaperoo]

She and you are doing brilliantly . She knows you are the people she is dependent on and it really sounds like she has no anxieties or hang ups just wants to be with you . In the first five days this is amazing.

Sofas and beds are a perfect height for her to climb onto. They smell of you, they are reassuring and comforting
You need to make a better alternative - If not on the sofa where does she rest? Whenever we buy new dog beds I make sure they have the curves and angles a greyhound likes, they must be soft and they need to smell of you. Last year I bought four new lovely beds and they ignored them , someone on here suggested I put dirty sheets, towels, socks, underwear , clothes anything that smelt of us on them - a few of her favourite toys could also be a good addition, but as she is just off the track she may not know what toys are . This advice did entice them onto their new beds. They still like to sit with us on the sofa from time but if we say "basket" our word for fo to your own bed they do quite happily. This took about 6-8 weeks.

Eating - Her senses are overloaded with wonderful new smells. Usually a firm "NO" is enough. If you are new to dog ownership you may think you are communicating a message but she may not get the same message as you think. I am a great believer in as few words as possible - they don't understand words - she probably doesn't know her name yet . Gently lead her to where you want her to be (her crate is fine) and then ignore her. We have an open plan lounge/kitchen and love entertaining so it is really important they don't beg at the table. This requires you to be totally consistent and NEVER feed from the table OR give leftovers at the end of your meal. Food is probably one of the most difficult things with greyhounds because they have never really known when their next meal was coming. Four months ago I got Redge straight from kennels and the track, if I'm honest he is still a work in progress despite having three other dogs to show him the rules. After four months he no longer hovers or stares at us when we are eating but as soon as I move from the table he is still over excited about getting the leftovers. I never give them to him at that time. When they are settled I call them over and they all get an equal share.

Velcro - As other's have said she will feel more relaxed if she can see you. I have had Oafy for three years and he still whimpers if he knows we are in the house but he can't see us; I believe this is because he is insecure and it hard to see what more we could do to make him more confident - we just accept him as he is. I work from home alot in a small study and even though they have lots of comfy beds close by all four will lie on a hard floor next to me just to be close . If I close the door they wait outside, they now respect my need to work but deep down they would all prefer to be beside me.

Bria sounds like a dream of a greyhound - virtually any rescue dog could have the behaviours you raise but for a working, kennel dog she is really doing very VERY well.

Please keep us informed - Have you posted pics yet? It would be lovely to see her

Good luck

Maryx

[ritab]

We have a Stressless leather reclining sofa and the seats are shaped and quite firm. The dogs have 2 very soft comfy beds - one along the radiator, and they hardly ever come on the sofa even if we want them to. In fact Gizzi just wouldn't get on there until Lena came to live with us. But like everyone else here we don't stop them from getting on the sofa, or the bed.

We have had Lena for 4 1/2 months now and she still thinks food is for eating. However she isn't quite so persistent when it's our food now, but it has taken 3 months at least.

It has seemed to take ages for things to settle down with our first (20 months with us now) but she is really lovely now. We thought it would never get any better - but suddenly you realise they have changed - and Lena is getting really settled now. We keep saying "it's only 4 months since she came" whereas with Gizzi we were panicking all the time because we didn't see immediate changes.

Just be patient - Gizzi didn't race but she was a kennel dog for 3 1/2 years, but she was surprisingly good in the house. Her problem was that she didn't interact with us, didn't like to be touched, etc. Now she is wonderful and likes a fuss and even asks for attention sometimes.

I give mine pigs ear treats in their crates and they don't mind being shut in for that. But they both spend quite a bit of the day in the crates, doors open. However they love their beds in the front room when we watch TV. So try something soft and squishy by the radiator - it works here...

[nataliesian]

Hi, I agree with everyone else. Mak is allowed on the sofas but he must get off when he's told same with the beds ! As I type he's currently lying next to my bed on the sheepy rug rather than his basket- he's sulking because I sprayed it with essential oil and made him get of my bed :0) he always does it and will be back to normal tomorrow :0) when we first had him we quickly worked out he didn't like closed doors, we got a double height babygate and he jumped it. I think he's unusual but I mention it because in the end I trained him not to go past an imaginary line on the floor unless I called him over it. Was much easier than it sounds but it did take a while. He's doesn't whine now as long as he's not shut in. It takes time but it's worth it. Sounds like you have the beginning of a beautiful relationship zx

[tinar]

Keep up the good work, you are doing really well for just 5 days.

Someone told me it was at least 2 weeks before their personality started to really come out and I thought that was a fair comment.

Consistency with food is crucial but most greyhounds have attended the 'how to look starving' training course, and the rules are if you give in once you go back to square one. Ours don't beg when we have a knife and fork meal but 'hand' food - sandwiches, crisps, snacks etc - is now fair game for begging. Those in our house who don;t give -ever = don't get begged at!!

Greyhounds are 'special' and as someone once said to me - more feline than canine - loving their home comforts.

Please give us regular updates on Bria's progess.

[Paul G]

Thanks for the information and encouragement everyone, it's really useful and reassuring.  It's been a more stressful week than we'd expected, but that's more our fault than Bria's. We're expecting too much too soon, and need to be more patient.

She's got a dog bed with a homemade padded bed on top. She's also got a blanket and a couple of toys (which she's really taken to) so I think it's comfortable enough. We're going to give her some of our clothes to see if that improves things. If we think we need to we'll get her a more comfortable bed. I've seen the memory foam beds; are they good for greyhounds? If not what would you all recommend?

We crated her this morning with a kong, and she seems perfectly happy to be in there even if we're not around (we heard a couple of whimpers but I put that down to her being able to hear us and not see us). We were both of out of sight in different rooms for a good 20 minutes and I didn't hear a peep out of her. She's kept going back to the kong for more, and she's now happily dozing. I don't want her to see the crate as a punishment, so I'm hoping the kong will resolve that for Bria (and me).

With our food we won't be feeding her straight from the table. We just need to find the best method for calming her down when our plates come out so she allows us to eat. I think we'll have to crate her with a distraction whilst we eat, whilst continuing to be rigid with her feeding times.

[gazer]

Bed wise I use cheap single quilts from a supermarket usually 13.5 tog which is nice and warm, folded over (with a cover on) must admit tho' some of the beds have 2 of these quilts in, folded over or pillows underneath.  Greyhounds love comfortable squishy beds that they can snooze away on
Because they are cheap and cheerful if anyone has an accident, instead of trying to wash the quilt I just chuck it and get a new one, I just wash the covers regularly.

[allthehounds]

Same here for bedding, can't go wrong with cheap duvets/covers. I do have soft and rigid dog beds but inside them put duvets or old blankets. Our dogs always like to "dig up" the bed especially at night so the more padding in there the better as it gives them something to make a nest out of. I must admit it doesn't look very comfy lying on a big heap of blankets that they've piled up but they seem to like it! I also buy cheap fleeces for winter and add them to their beds or put them on the sofa. All those things are easy to wash and dry and replace as need be. Keep up the good work, sounds like you're doing really well with her. Sian.

[vickyb]

I've heard that a lot of dogs aren't keen on the memory foam beds as they're quite firm and not snuggly. I bought a big thick memory foam offcut cheaply off ebay, shaped it to fit an oval foam basket, put it in a quilt cover to make a supportive base for my 3 legged greyhound - but she won't go in it unless it has a folded over quilt on top!
I'd be wary of spending much on a bed for the time being unless it will fit in your washer or has a waterproof cover just in case she does have any accidents. Sometimes they can even though they seemed fully trained to start off with. A cheap thick quilt in a cover folded in half is ideal, especially for summer. In winter if the floor is cold or draughty they may need a bit more. Our 4 have a mix of flat beds and big soft baskets.