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I have had Kizzy/Noodle for a few days now and she doesn't like being left alone :[ she whimpers even if I go upstairs and Velcro dogs me when I am downstairs. I've had to sleep on an air mattress in the kitchen even because she doesn't want me out of her sight. she was ok with a crate but when I left her for more than an hour in it she pooped and messed it all over >:[ now she is shy of the crate so while I work on that with her she gets confined to the kitchen. She isn't destructive at least, but babycam shows she doesn't really sleep and has whining spells while she lays apathetically in bed. Then after a few hours she poops and or pees which is not fun and also annoying because I take her for walks before and after. She is not careful about her mess so I just have to clean the whole kitchen floor (thankfully not her bed yet but it is a matter of time). She doesn't care about yummy food in puzzle toys if I am not there. Radio seems to make no difference. she's just sad. I know it will take her some time to settle in, but I have to return to full days of work next week. I will try to come home for half an hour at lunches, but I worry that might agitate her more (or double the mess). I've not had a dog with separation anxiety before so I am trying to do everything right if I can, but it breaks my heart knowing she is upset. I dont really know how you can tell if a dog is getting better at being left alone, or if they really are better off with a dog buddy. She at least has stopped whining while she lays in her by while I am still in the room hanging out though. I will see how we do for a couple weeks, but yeah I am worried that next week might be a disaster of her crying and messing all day and me being anxious and upset for her at work and then trying to repair dog emotional trauma :| I don't know how I would tell, but if she manages to tolerate being left all day, that still doesn't seem as good a life for her as maybe one where she'd have another dog, or someone who stays home more. I feel bad, now I'm second guessing having her, she is a lovely sweet girl and I want this to work. But it feels like she is not very happy right now. I'm hoping she just needs more settle-in time as greyhounds do. I also feel kind of guilty that I guess I was spoiled with union, who had no problems, would happily be left all day and not mess ever, was super outgoing and independent. I guess part of me is disappointed Kizzy is turning out not to be as Easy a dog and that makes me feel guilty too! Sigh emoji skoolmunkee fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Dec 6, 2016 |
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Dec 6, 2016 20:04
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Give it time, whatever choice you make will be the right one. In the meantime, playing separation games might help ease some of her separation anxiety. Hang in there Tizzy/Noodle, we need more hounds in the thread! In Spartacus related news, we've kinda-mostly stopped the midnight wake ups by just toughing out his whining, and he got a negative screening for the vet from hookworm! He still tries to get us up early for food, but we've managed to convince him we WILL feed him eventually, so he'll settle down after some reassurance. Last weekend after being let out at 5:00 am he stayed quiet until 9! We've also been restricting his water when we're not around so he doesn't overindulge and have accidents, but that had the side effect of teaching him to drink from the toilet :/ Closing the lids has mostly fixed that. Overall he's become noticeably more affectionate and attached. He's also become very defensive about the house barking at intruder mailmen and service people. He somehow knows family and friends though; those get the happy tail whap 
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Dec 7, 2016 00:53
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skoolmunkee posted:I have had Kizzy/Noodle for a few days now and she doesn't like being left alone :[ I also have a Noodle with SA (Dane/poodle though). SA really sucks and I am sorry that you have to deal with that. Our Noodle's previous family eventually had to give her up because of it but she did find a new home with us, so it may end up ok if you have to re-home your dog. If you do decide to try training, check out Patricia McConnell's I'll Be Home Soon or go here http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/separation-anxiety and follow the steps. It can work but training takes a lot of time and patience. According to the book most dogs take 6 weeks but ours is way past that benchmark... The main thing I think you need to do is not leave Noodle alone until she is trained. It is not easy but every time she gets scared while you are gone is undoing any progress she made. For our Noodle, either one of us is home or she is with a sitter unless we are training. Doggy daycare is an option too. Sorry again that you have to deal with this. It sucks but it can get better.
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Dec 7, 2016 03:38
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Well never being left alone is not possible unfortunately. I think she is actually doing pretty good for her situation, I just dunno if I am equipped to make things better for her. I called the greyhound place and had a nice talk with the main lady who has lots of experience with greys in new homes, she gave me some advice and a pep talk so things are good.
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Dec 7, 2016 16:45
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skoolmunkee posted:Separation anxiety We got Winston over two years ago, and when we first got him he had terrible separation anxiety. Like we had to patch the wall around the door that he chewed on. We got noise complaints from our neighbors, he had accidents, everything. We were pretty sure we were going to have to return him, but figured we'd get a trainer first to exhaust every option. It doesn't sound like Noodle is that bad, so your best bet is to read a few books and talk to the people from the rescue agency as they are usually very knowledgeable. Most separation anxiety will get better pretty quickly once they pick up on the fact that you will indeed return. But just in case it doesn't get better or gets worse, here's what we learned from helping Winston: 1. Where does she currently sleep/go to relax and lay down if she's near you? You mentioned that she was fine in her crate, but after having an accident she's a little bit shy, so she's going in the kitchen in the meantime. Where ever you leave her should be her "home" so to speak, you don't want her to start associating a location or even her crate with "this is where I go when I get left alone, which I don't like". Most hounds like their crates and are really comfortable spending time there, so if that's the best place stick with that. Some aren't though. Winston was pretty young when he came off the track and I don't think he spent extended time in his crate when he was fostered, so he wasn't a fan. I wouldn't recommend not using the crate, but it's something to keep in mind if things aren't getting better. Winston has a bed in our bedroom that he sleeps on and is where lots of good stuff happens (food, pets, naps, etc). 2. The fact that she's glued to your side is endearing, but it's a habit you'll have to break her of if she continues to have bad SA. Winston would similarly shadow us around everywhere, seemingly afraid to be out of our sight, I guess in case we snuck away when he wasn't looking? The trainer taught us a useful, simple exercise to help boost his confidence and get comfortable moving away from us. (Quick aside, we got lucky Winston is super food motivated, so depending on how much Noodle likes treats this will be either easier or more challenging). Get a handfull of high value goodies and bring Noodle to her crate/bed/whatever. Sit with your back to her and the bed. In one hand, hold out a treat, and use it to guide her off the bed. Most likely, she'll just sniff/lick your hand and want to get the treat. Gently guide her back to the bed (again, doing your best to keep your back to it), and then give her the treat. Repeat until she gets a hang of the idea that when you move her off the bed, she only gets the treat when she moves away from you with your back turned to go back to her bed. Eventually you'll get the point where you can do ten of these in a row or so, and really reinforce that it's okay to move away from you, you even get treats if you do it! 3. Once that's been clearly established, the next step is that every time she goes to her bed/crate on her own while you're doing other things, she should feel like she hit the jackpot. I mean, act like she just got up on two legs and started talking to you. Get absurdly excited and praise her, give her treats, lots of pets etc. Every time you see her do it. It just reinforces that the bed/crate is good place where good things happen, so she will want to go there, and not feel the need to be by your side all the time. 4. Food. This gets a little tricky, because you said she doesn't eat when she's left alone. The trainer had us stop giving Winston his meals when we were at home, instead he got his food when we left him alone (it was also in one of those kibble dispensing toys, but that only works if your pup isn't in a crate and can push it around and engage with it). The point wasn't necessarily the distraction, although that helped, it was to establish, again, that good things happen when people leave, so it's not something to worry about. In fact, they'll look forward to you leaving, since it means breakfast or dinner. So it might be worthwhile to try and giver her her food when you leave. It sounds like you have a way to monitor remotely which is good, you can watch that to she how she behaves with the food. Does she ignore it at first, then decide later to eat? Graze throughout the time she's left alone? Obviously, if she doesn't touch her food at all, you don't want to starve her, so you'll have to go back to feedings when your're present. Lastly, and most books will get into this too, but it's really important not to make a big deal about leaving or returning. When you leave, just put Noodle where she needs to be and give her her food and/or a treat. It's tough, but don't spend time even acknowledging that you are leaving. Dogs are quick to pick up on those signals, and can sense if you're nervous or anxious, and it will make them nervous or anxious. Same thing when you come home. Don't give a boisterous greeting. Hopefully some of this helps. Treating Winston was one of the most stressful few months we'd ever had, but in the end, we got a great, goofy, somewhat neurotic hound. 
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Dec 7, 2016 18:41
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I adopted a grey a couple of months ago, but never bothered posting in this thread. So here's a picture of my greyhound, Gnome, making a weird face while sleeping.
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Dec 7, 2016 19:31
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skoolmunkee posted:I have had Kizzy/Noodle for a few days now and she doesn't like being left alone :[ A few days isn't very long. I work from home so I had the advantage of being able to work up to long absences, but my Elvis was visibly distressed for weeks everytime i left. He didn't use a crate at his foster or his first adopter(surrendered for some reason) and he is amazingly potty trained, so I've only cleaned up 2 messes so far. He goes nuts for peanut butter, so I would fill a kong with peanut butter and leave it for him whenever I left. At first, he would be so anxious alone, always standing at the window looking out, that he wouldn't even look at the kong, but after a couple of weeks he wouldn't even notice when I left. After he finished the peanut butter he would stand and watch out the window for most of the time, and then he started taking short naps. Short naps turned into long naps, and now very rarely I can get inside without waking him up. When I started attending classes at the local college and leaving home on a regular schedule, he picked up on it fast. Once he figures out how things work and gets comfortable, then it's easy mode. I haven't had to use a crate, but making sure the crate is comfortable like Constantly LARPing said will probably help a lot with the mess if that continues. You can put liners down to make cleanup easier. If you don't want to crate her, you can confine her to a room or area, but make sure the confinement is a safe home like a crate would be. Pick up some Nature's Miracle or other pet stain cleaner and urine destroyer if the messes keep up, that stuff is amazing at getting up stains. My rescue gave me some Purina branded probiotic to help with upset stomach during the adjustment if your noodle dog is having loose stool. It's also important to remember that just about everything he does and experiences is new and stressful. I don't like peanut butter, so I don't really keep it around the house except for for Elvis. I recently discovered he also loves string cheese, and will jump up out of his nap no matter the time to run into the kitchen when I open a piece. He also really loves bread, but there isn't a good visceral sound or smell from a loaf. Soon your dog will be so comfortable you can't even get her up to go for a walk. 
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Dec 7, 2016 19:36
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mrking posted:bread Mine would come running into the kitchen every time he heard a knife on the cutting board
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Dec 7, 2016 20:20
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slap me silly posted:Mine would come running into the kitchen every time he heard a knife on the cutting board Bread loaf count is up to five with Spartacus. More if you count things like pretzels or the time we stopped him before he tore into the loaf.
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Dec 7, 2016 20:24
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Greyhounds just seem to be carb fiends, pitas or naan are like the only foods Reese will try to steal from our hands.
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Dec 8, 2016 05:15
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Abby likes everything but nothing gets her attention more than a banana being peeled.
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Dec 8, 2016 05:33
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Tortolia posted:Greyhounds just seem to be carb fiends, pitas or naan are like the only foods Reese will try to steal from our hands. Heh, thanks for the heads-up; I like a good curry with naan, so I'll have to make sure I don't give Taz a sample of any, to avoid him trying the same thing! 
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Dec 8, 2016 05:34
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Things were great with Spartacus, he was sleeping through the night, or if he did whine at us he would settle down after we ignored him. Except last time, after whining for a long time, he let loose on the rug  So back to trying to figure out from his whining whether he 1) needs to go out to pee 2) wants to go out and make sure that fukken dog isn't there 3) will die of hunger if he isn't fed RIGHT NOW or 4) is lonely and wants someone to sit on the couch with him downstairs. So there's just enough of a chance that he needs to go out that we can't ignore him any more, but odds are usually that we don't actually need to get up. gently caress you, rear end in a top hat.  So does anyone else have trouble getting their hound to hold it through the night? We let him out right before bed at 10:00 and we usually get up at 6, but he couldn't even make it to 3:00 when he went indoors.
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Dec 15, 2016 00:34
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Did he actually empty out at 10:00, or did he just fart around and mark a bush or two?
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Dec 15, 2016 00:54
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slap me silly posted:Did he actually empty out at 10:00, or did he just fart around and mark a bush or two? He's normally out there a while (and unloads on that bush he's killing), but we might have to watch him more closely.
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Dec 15, 2016 01:45
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My guy (R.I.P.) would occasionally neglect to perform during his before-bed yard time. I eventually got him mostly trained that if he wanted back in but the door was closed, he could go pee and the door would then magically open for him.
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Dec 15, 2016 04:13
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Yeah Gannon's been a real prick about the cold weather lately. I get us both bundled up for a good walk and he just does a quick pee and turns around and starts pulling back to the house then starts whining again 20 minutes latter because he has to poop. He's also not draining at night and needs to go out super early every morning. I'm just going to half to forced march him around the block for the next couple of months.
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Dec 15, 2016 04:34
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Haha so it's a sighthound thing? Willow's been a PAIN about going out to pee/poop, takes about four attempts and major cajoling to get her to go outside, and if I don't stand outside with her and close the door behind me she'll just pee quickly and try to run back in. I have to suffer the cold wind and rain with her in order to make sure she poops before bedtime.
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Dec 15, 2016 08:14
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Can confirm that I knew one sighthound who hated making GBS threads in the rain.
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Dec 15, 2016 08:33
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Thanks for the advice guys, we'll work on making sure he drains the tank at night. We hadn't been watching closely because he's been so intent on marking that bush and going outside in general; he's been a bit of a door charger, something we've had to train him on, even in the rain. We'll have to see what cold and snow bring to that. As thanks, have yet another stupid picture of my stupid dogs:  (I'm told they did this to themselves)
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Dec 15, 2016 22:46
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Adam's current walking schedule: - Go out, immediate #1/#2 - Nose at snowy bushes and then look at me, asking me to whisk everything tormenting him away - Go to the nearby pet shop - Hang out there for a while - Walk the rest of the strip mall - Back to the pet shop - Maybe a few droplets before going back to the hotel room That's with 2 layers; it is currently about 8F here. Here's our cool conversion van btw, he luvs all of its propane-powered heat 
SUPER HASSLER fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Dec 15, 2016 |
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Dec 15, 2016 23:04
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DarkHorse posted:As thanks, have yet another stupid picture of my stupid dogs: You too
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Dec 16, 2016 04:22
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one of our girls seems pretty unfazed but the other is just "the most miserable dog in the world" after abut 5 minutes. Its not even that cold...
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Dec 16, 2016 17:55
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I know that posture poo poo, the grass is still green for fucks sake!
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Dec 16, 2016 19:24
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 Rico is digging this super soft ground stuff that falls from the sky. He also figured out that snow is ice, one of his favourite treats. He keeps eating it, acting like he's stealing a special treat. 😍
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Dec 16, 2016 21:25
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Bought a teddybear that had a scarf and tried it on Willow, which made her sad because she worried it meant she was going outside in the rain. I'm really glad she's fine with dressup so it's easy to get coats on her.
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Dec 18, 2016 02:55
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I give Willow an A+ for that sad dog stare.
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Dec 18, 2016 15:28
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   Meesha died last week. I haven't been active in this thread but It's cathartic to write about it anyway so I hope you'll forgive it.My best friend was with me through chemo, breakups and a move from move to Norway to the US. I left him with my inlaws farm in eastern Washington while me and the girl went to Greece for a few weeks to volunteer in refugee camps. They have a huge yard and he was able to run free as much as he wanted, and play with two other dogs. He loved it there. They had my car and last Sunday when they pulled in coming home from church he spotted the car, presumably thought it was me and ran to greet me like he always did. Unfortunately the netting fence gate was latched and he ran headfirst into it and snapped his neck. By all reports it was over before anyone could get to him. I've lost my best friend, a source of comfort and joy beyond anything I ever thought was possible to gain from an animal and it's absolutely soul crushing. He was three and a half years old, and he was a Good Dog. I always thought I would be able to be there when the time came. People tell me I shouldn't be so down about 'only a dog' but to me he was family and my world is a worse place without him in it. Rest in peace.
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Dec 18, 2016 20:30
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Oh my god that's horrible! I'm so sorry for your loss, Meesha looks amazing Please feel free to share stories, I love hearing about dumb lovable dogs, and it's clear Meesha was well loved
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Dec 18, 2016 20:39
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Oh no! That sounds so terrible. So young, too - he's only a little older than my own greyhound even, who I recently met. Really sorry for your loss - sounds like Meesha was a fantastic dog
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Dec 18, 2016 21:42
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Two more photos of Meesha. Growing up in the cold north of northern Norway he needed proper clothing. We had a friend sew a thick fleece coat for him. I was military at the time and he needed to fit in when I took him to work, so camo pattern was a no brainer.   Edit: second pic is from the day I picked him up from the breeder. 7weeks and a few days old. Nuclear War fucked around with this message at 22:46 on Dec 18, 2016 |
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Dec 18, 2016 22:43
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I'm so sorry for your loss. Meesha looks like a sweet soul. Don't worry about the rude people who don't understand the loss that comes with losing a friend.
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Dec 19, 2016 13:43
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Spartacus is such a loving princess. He's decided some of his dog treats aren't good enough for him, and spits them out if I try to reward him. I've been using cat treats just so he continues training. On that note, even cat treats can't convince him to lean down to pick up the ones he drops from his dumb face. Lazy prick. Cookie seems pretty happy with this state of affairs, though. Still having problems with pee, he barely made it to six hours, even controlling his water. He also failed several four-hour stints, but I think that's because he figured out how to lift the toilet lid. Should have figured; as my sister said, "I guess if you have a wedge for a face it's pretty easy to force something open." He's been great with letting me wipe his paws, and he's finally got spin and shake down reliably now. Working on the next tricks will be a challenge, because he hasn't done much that I want to capture. Anyway, tl;dr: my dog is dumb and terrible and will soon have his third birthday this month. 
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Jan 1, 2017 22:51
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That's a lot of birthdays to have in one month. Happy birthday Spartacus!
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Jan 2, 2017 00:07
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I never taught Abby much of anything, except stay (sort of) and "off." Anyway she got a new blanket for xmas, it kind of confused here at first because it was static-y though she seems to like it now. Though she just walked into my living room with it half on, trying to figure out how to get it off. Confusing stuff.
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Jan 3, 2017 06:28
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Didn't take any pictures, but yesterday was Idunn's 2nd birthday and the 2 year anniversary of me adopting Wren. Many burgers were had.  Anyway, happy late xmas! 
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Jan 4, 2017 02:50
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actionjackson posted:I never taught Abby much of anything, except stay (sort of) and "off." In the am, our dogs love to rub on the couch and bed and what not then jam their little snoots into our legs and hands to say hello. On dry days they become little electricity type Pokemon that try to kill my wife and me with thundernose attack.
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Jan 4, 2017 03:32
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Xguard86 posted:In the am, our dogs love to rub on the couch and bed and what not then jam their little snoots into our legs and hands to say hello. Hah, mine likes to rub his neck all over the carpet, then jab his nose into the back of my head (or the side of my neck) when I least expect it. That or, if I'm using my PC, rest his head on my arm and put as much weight as he can onto it, to really let me know he's there (Sometimes followed up with a sneeze for good measure, so his saliva and mucus goes all over my lap/legs, etc...)
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Jan 4, 2017 04:26
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Spartacus sings the song of his people. Usually right around 3 am 
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Jan 5, 2017 00:27
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Nacho is definitely getting more comfortable with us. He's a sensitive doofus, and we wouldn't have it any other way   His first time dealing with snow. He was unimpressed 
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Jan 9, 2017 17:18
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