Adjustment Angst

adjustment_angst_cartoonHelping your dog get adjusted is a very important part of the greyhound adoption process. And with patience, understanding and lots of laughter the first few weeks, you’ll find you have the most wonderful pet imaginable.

What you have to remember during the adjustment period is that your greyhound has lived his entire life in a kennel. This means upwards of 23 hours in a 2×4 wooden crate. He may never have been inside a home before, and he has no idea who you are or why you are taking him someplace. Becoming a house pet involves a very dramatic change in routine for him, and he can be a little scared and baffled by all the new things around him. But most of these dogs adapt very quickly to the plush life as a household pet — wouldn’t you?!

Initial Nerves

You may feel a little nervous about getting your greyhound. Well, your greyhound is lots more nervous than you are. And that nervousness manifests itself in a variety of ways. He might pant, whine, move around a lot, have a drippy nose, sweaty paws, and start getting flaky skin and diarrhea. These are all common symptoms and will disappear once the dog feels more secure and calm. You just need to be patient.

Car Ride Home

Also, remember, he hasn’t spent much time in a car, and you’re a stranger to him (but not for long!), so on that car ride home he has a reason to be nervous. Reassure him with your voice — calm and soothing, and with your actions — steady and slow. And make sure, right after the car ride home, before you go into the house, to walk him around the yard first and let him go to the bathroom.

Length of Adjustment

During the initial adjustment period he’ll be getting used to you, the house, the car, the kids, the pets, the stairs, the beds — get the idea? Remember, be sympathetic with your greyhound’s situation — he has had a traumatic upheaval in his routine track life, and it may take him some time to adjust. Usually the initial adjustment period only takes a few days, though. He’s an intelligent dog, and soon he will grasp what you expect of him. Your patience, love and understanding will help your greyhound.

You’ll also find you have a shadow. Your greyhound will follow you everywhere you go. To the bathroom, to the kitchen, to the cellar, to the door when you go out. This will continue until he realizes you are really his and aren’t going to disappear.

As your greyhound becomes more secure with his surroundings and starts to trust you, you’ll see his personality emerging. He might steal your possessions and hide them, or smile at you when you come home, or start demanding to be let on all soft things. These signs mean you now have a bona fide member of your household.

Choosing A Vet

Choice of a veterinarian is another important decision. These dogs have difficulty with regular anesthesia, and a vet that does not follow the anesthesia guidelines you got in your adoption packet will have a dead dog on his hands. So, choose a vet who has worked with greyhounds and is familiar with the sighthound group. Do not be afraid to ask questions of your vet, or to find another vet if you have concerns! It’s your greyhound’s life at stake.

Exercise

Exercise and play is addressed in the Running and Playing chapter, however, during the adjustment period the more you walk, play and run with your pet in the first few weeks of ownership, the easier the transition from racing greyhound to family friend.

Some dogs are accustomed to running up to three days at the race track. They are bred and trained to run, so up to this point it’s been their greatest pleasure. The change from race track to house is exciting, but also confusing to your new greyhound. Think of how you would react to a similar situation. Exercise can help you and him keep everything in perspective. You’ll both feel better and less overwhelmed. Additionally, you’ll find your greyhound bonding to you more quickly. And who knows, maybe you’ll drop those pounds you’ve been talking about shedding.

Bonding

These dogs seem to choose to have a relationship with you. They are very polite and friendly to everyone, but they learn to trust you. While other dogs seem to blindly trust, greyhounds are uniquely independent, almost cat-like in the way they choose to bestow affection. The more you do with your dog, the more solid your relationship becomes. The more you touch, play with and love these dogs, the more you get in return. Once your dog feels comfortable with you, take him with you whenever you can. It helps in the bonding process. It also helps them to get the picture of their new world. They have never seen cars, grocery stores, etc. They are very sociable dogs and will be curious about everything.

Another thing that helps with the bonding process is the sleeping arrangements. Do not shut your greyhound in a separate room to sleep. From his track days, he is used to sleeping with lots of other dogs, so he will much prefer to sleep in the same room with any member of the family (in the same bed, if you let him!). He will feel more secure and is less likely to cry or cause damage during the first few weeks if you allow him this pleasure.

Separation Anxiety

It is extremely important to remember that your greyhound has never been left alone before. He’s either lived on a farm with lots of dog friends, or lived in a crate in a kennel with 40 dogs or more. So if you have to leave him at home — ALONE — he’s going to be scared and confused. He’s wondering — Where did you go? Will you return? Where am I? There are a few things you can do to ease this separation anxiety.

Practice leaving your greyhound for a few minutes at a time. Don’t make a big deal about leaving (if he thinks you’re going someplace and having more fun than he is, then he’ll definitely be upset!) and just leave for 15 minutes at first. Increase your leave to a few hours. He’ll get the idea that you’re coming back, and his anxiety about you leaving him forever will be eased.

Initially, dog proof your home. Keep windows unobstructed from knick-knacks and blinds. Your greyhound will go to the windows first to look for you, and if there are blinds or other objects in the way, they could get eaten when he gets anxious. Muzzles, the plastic, open ones, can be used to minimize any destruction that might occur when you are gone. Every adoption group gives out a muzzle.

If anxiety is bad, borrow a crate, just for the first few weeks. Remember your greyhound has always lived in one, so it’s very familiar. It can be used to make the transition from racer to pet more quickly. Here’s the routine: For the first two weeks, the greyhound is placed in his crate when left home alone. Then, when he knows the family routine, he is again placed in the crate — but the door is left open, giving him the choice. After a couple weeks of this, the crate can be returned and a happy house pet exists.

Crates are not needed by most greyhounds, particularly when you have another dog in the household, or you are home most of the time. But once in a while there’s an uncertain hound that needs the firm guidance of a crate until his new life becomes more understandable. I would wait to see your greyhound’s reaction to being left home alone, before borrowing or purchasing a crate.

Becoming A Statue

I’m talking about a greyhound trait of stopping dead in their tracks and refusing to budge or look at you. This usually occurs when they are scared, nervous and don’t know exactly what is wanted of them. The more insistent you get, the more insistent they get that they are not going anywhere. And they’ll win.

This most often happens when you are teaching them stairs, or trying to give them a bath in the tub, or walking on an unfamiliar street. The best thing you can do is be very patient and wait them out, the whole time offering verbal encouragement and making it seem like what you are asking them to do is the most fun in the world. When you’ve tired of waiting and encouraging, then as a last resort just pick up the greyhound and move him to where you want him to be. (Don’t lose your patience and yell, because you’ll ruin whatever good you had accomplished.)

Smiling

Some greyhounds smile, and this causes people who don’t know them to jump a mile back. They have a lot of long white teeth showing when they smile. My theory is they smile to ingratiate themselves to those around them. If you’ve got a smiler, it is really quite amusing and very harmless.

Ears Back

Most greyhounds keep their ears pinned back to their heads unless they hear a noise that causes their ears to straighten up. This is not a sign of aggression, my guess is they think it makes them more streamlined and cool-looking.

Eating Grass

When your greyhound is meandering around the yard, you might see him eat grass. Let him. The grass provides a nutrient he feels he needs, and doesn’t do him any harm. I’ve also noticed greyhounds eating grass when they have upset tummies, or are feeling stressed about something. A few dogs will then vomit up the grass and whatever was in their stomach that was making them feel out of sorts. The majority of greyhounds do not vomit after eating grass.

Leash

Every greyhound will come to you leashed trained. They know to walk quietly and easily next to you. However, please keep your greyhound on a leash when he is not in a completely fenced area. Centuries of breeding will cause them to chase anything that moves. They will take off, they will not listen and chances are that they will get hit by a car before you catch up to them. The best way to hold a leash is to place your hand through the loop and then grab the leash. This way the leash cannot slide out of your hand. Retractable leashes are not recommended as they can get tangled easily, especially with a big dog. They don’t provide the stability of the nylon leash. Four or six foot nylon leashes work well.

Flatulence

And you must be warned. A greyhound fart will wake you up in the middle of the night, and can clear a room. During this adjustment time, he will be expressing himself this way. The stress, the newness, the food, the treats — it all affects his gastric system. Acidophilus pills, or plain yogurt, can help cease the flatulence.

In summary, the more time you spend initially getting to know our greyhound, the quicker his adjustment period will be. If you can take days off when your greyhound comes into your home, it can really help this adjustment period. You will be surprised at how quickly your greyhound becomes attached to you and your family and what a difference your presence makes to him…and his presence makes to you.

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