How can I get her to stop following me everywhere?

[jow]

Help! I brought my new greyhound home this afternoon. She's only been in kennels so home environment is strange to her. She's settling pretty well but she's following me everywhere, I can't leave the room without her behind me. Any advice for how I can get her to stay and not follow me? I'd like to go to bed tonight :-) I don't have a gate I can use tonight and I want to avoid her sleeping in same room as I'm worried that's what she'll get used to. 

Thanks

[allthehounds]

Hi, congratulations on your new addition. I don't think you should expect too much if you only just brought her home today. I've had several Velcro dogs and some took a few months to settle down and some of them followed me everywhere all the time! A home environment will be very strange for her so you'll have to patient and it'll take some time before she's confident enough to stop following you. She's probably just worried and wants to make sure she's not being left on her own. Our dogs sleep in the bedroom with us so I can't help with that I'm afraid but I'm sure once you find a routine that suits you both things will be easier. I hope you get some sleep tonight wherever you end up and I'm sure things will work out in the end as it is very early days! Good luck.

Sian x

[sassbu]

You will have to suck it and see with sleeping arrangements tonight if you haven't got a gate yet Some greys HATE being shut in a room and will try to claw their way out, others on the other hand love the comfort and security a crate brings and will use that as their night time retreat too. I think if you really want some sleep tonight and you want to help her settle and you cant set her up a bed outside your bedroom door but where she can see you then a few nights in your room until she finds her feet will not mean that she can't ever sleep somewhere else in the house. My grey has slept happily both in our room and downstairs as I wish depending on the circumstances. Once she becomes secure in the home environment she will probably be happy sleeping downstairs or separated from you by only a baby gate.

As for her following you around, from tomorrow start leaving the room and shutting the door for a minute at a time and then returning. Expand the time you do this activity for and then leave the house, again short lengths of time gradually expanding. Once she finds her feet, realises she's staying put and that you will always return, she should stop following you all the time. Don't greet her enthusiastically immediately when you return, just act calmly and normal  

Keep us updated 

[jow]

Thanks both. I think a bed in my room is the best option for tonight, I don't want to stress her out. I'll also try leaving her in the room tomorrow, I need to build up to half hour so I can pop to argos for a baby gate :-)

[andywillow]

Most of ours sleep upstairs with us, they all have their dogbeds around the bed and sleep as long as we do. One of ours chooses to sleep downstairs as he doesn't like the stairs and has a choice of sofas so never hear a peep from him.
Personally I don't have a problem with them being upstairs and love them being close to us, only one of ours gets on the bed at night, we never hear her get up, she is like a ninja and creeps up in the dead of night
Obviously its very early days for your new arrival (congratulations by the way!) Hope she settles soon, they are fabulous dogs to have as pets.

[Lisa]

You may find this helpful....

greyhoundgap.proboards.com/thread/29756/new-hound-home

Everytime you leave the room even if its only to go and put the kettle on shut the door. You go upstairs to the toilet shut the door. Completely remove attention for a few days and allow her to get her independance

[futuramafan]

Molly was like this from day one and I still find she wants to be in the same room I am in most of the time. She also sleeps next to my bed as she got so distressed when I tried to get her to sleep downstairs. However she does stay happily on her own when I go out which was what I was initially worried about. I think it stems from them being worried that you will leave them and as such it gets better with time. I think Molly follows me now more in hope of a treat than because she is anxious. Also I now find that if she isn't sleeping next to me I can't sleep properly anyway! Good luck!

[jow]

Thanks everyone. I've taken your advice on board and seen improvements already. I've been closing the door and leaving her for short periods, I even managed to pop out to Argos and get a baby gate. She wasn't barking or whining when I got back but she was standing by the door looking for me, that could be because she heard me coming back though.

I've moved her bed to my bedroom at night and after a few battles to stop her getting on the bed she settles and she's been brilliant. - think she'd still be there now if I hadn't got up! She seems to only try to get on my bed when she can't see me so I've been sleeping on the wrong end of the bed so she can still me. I'm hoping to eventually move her bed into the spare bedroom or even downstairs.

One other question, how do yours manage with stairs? I wasn't expecting her to be able to use them but she was straight up and down within 5 minutes of bringing her home. I've no problem with her going upstairs but she looks so awkward coming down them I'm worried she's going to fall and hurt herself. Do they all look so awkward? Wondering if I'm being overly concerned. I have laminate floor at the top of stairs and then carpet on stairs so sometimes her feet slip as she tries to go down.

[nikki1984]

Morning we have had our greyhound a week today and well she was exactly the same to start with. Now as I am typing this she is laid in her bed in one room and I'm in another. Give your little one time to settle down xx

[julies]

I've moved her bed to my bedroom at night and after a few battles to stop her getting on the bed she settles and she's been brilliant. - think she'd still be there now if I hadn't got up! She seems to only try to get on my bed when she can't see me so I've been sleeping on the wrong end of the bed so she can still me. I'm hoping to eventually move her bed into the spare bedroom or even downstairs.

One other question, how do yours manage with stairs? I wasn't expecting her to be able to use them but she was straight up and down within 5 minutes of bringing her home. I've no problem with her going upstairs but she looks so awkward coming down them I'm worried she's going to fall and hurt herself. Do they all look so awkward? Wondering if I'm being overly concerned. I have laminate floor at the top of stairs and then carpet on stairs so sometimes her feet slip as she tries to go down. [/quote]


Make haste slowly with separating her from you as ex-racers have always had company so they're usually very worried about this whole new world then the only familiar person leaves them on their own however you need to make sure she's not fixated with you so a very short time on her own every so often is great- I'd recommend a child gate as racers will rarely have had a solid door shut on them and that can freak them but also leave one of your worn jumpers in her bed so it smells of you and get her a couple of Kongs to occupy her when you're not there ... fill them with mashed spud and bits of chicken, liver, sausage etc etc and a bit of peanut butter round the top and hopefully she'll enjoy you leaving her

For stairs - take two long (Bath) towels and fold them lengthways .. put one under her tum by her hind legs and the other round her chest, hold one in each hand at the end so you're standing up and well balanced then you 'walk' her down but supporting her too ... ex-racers can often get worried with laminate floors or can slip badly and hurt themselves ... when I do home checks I always tell people to get rugs .. cheaper than vet's bills

Welcome to greyhounds and Gap

Julie x

[sassbu]

Yep I've got a cheap but respectable looking rubber bottomed bath mat on my laminate by the stairs as they do like to hurtle up and down at great speed lol

[jow]

Great advice again, thanks.

The bath may sounds like a great idea, I'll try to pop out later and get one.

As for the kong, I've got her one and have been leaving her with it when I've popped outside for couple minutes but I've just been putting a few dog treats in there. I like the idea of filing it with mashed potato etc, should keep her occupied for much longer. Mind you, she's just spotted a squirrel through the window so that's her occupied for the next hour!

Thanks everyone, I've been waiting a long a time to get a greyhound and done loads of reading before hand but there's nothing like experience.

[ReggieK]

Hi

I'm in a similar boat to you, got my first grey just 13 weeks ago. With regards to the stairs, mine is the same. Sounds like I have a pet horse in the house

I was worried as well at speed she goes back down the stairs, so to slow her down I walk down slowly beside her so she doesn't rush so much to catch me up. It seems to work, she's a tad slower and a lot more controlled now, but that may just be time and experience.

Look forward to hearing how you get on over time.

[jow]

A progress update...

A week on and she's been doing really well, I've been able to leave her a couple of hours at a time (always with a Kong stuffed with goodies) and she's been sleeping downstairs.

But then yesterday....I went out in the morning and left her for 5 1/2 hours (longer than planned but had an emergency trip to the dentist), she was great when I got back - no accidents and her usually bouncy self.  As the day went on she started whining whenever I left the room and then at bedtime she was whining and barking so I ended up having to sleep downstairs with her, I'm sure this isn't a good idea but I didn't want her disturbing the neighbours and she was pretty upset. So, looks like it's back to the short trips out of the room again and gradually build up.  My concern is tomorrow is my first day at work since having her, I've got a dog walker coming over to take her out during he day so she'll be by her self for 3 1/2 hours in the morning, then have a nice walk and then be by herself again for around 4 1/2 hours. Hopefully it'll all be fine and last night was just a blip. 

[samburns]

Just wondering....how did you react to her when you came home from being out?  Its really important to ignore her when you come in, difficult as that is - especially if you are feeling bad at having left her for longer than expected.  Also you need to be consistent when you return to work, so for example if you're not working over the weekend you still need to leave her on her own (pop out and do some shopping for a couple of hours maybe) so she doesn't get used to you being there all the time for two days.  It sounds like she is doing really well though