register for free
View our sister sites
Our sister sites
Our sister sites
Our sister sites
greyhoundrick
New Member!
greyhoundrick is offline  
Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 2
Male 
 
15-05-2017, 12:27 AM

?: Older greyhound with behavioral problems

Hello everyone,

We have adopted greyhounds for 20+ years but have never had a situation like this.

We just adopted a 7 year old former racer, a female named Misty. She has been in a foster home but for a very short time.

When we met her she was very sweet and friendly and seemed low key.

We have had her for 2 months and she is a real handful. She is extremely high strung, very competitive with our other dogs and is very curious, gets into mischief and basically acts like a 6 month old puppy (or worse).

We can handle everything she does EXCEPT when she constantly chews up things when we leave her with our other 2 dogs to run errands, go to work, etc.

Our dogs are never left alone more than maybe 4 hours tops. We walk them all everyday for 30 minutes and they have a back yard to run, play, explore all the time.

We have "puppy proofed" our home (even though she is 7 years old) and no matter what we do she finds something to chew up. This includes furniture, towels, paper, boxes, etc.

We are considering muzzling her now. She has a plastic muzzle they used at the race track kennel, but are afraid she may go crazy with it on and cause even worse damage.

If you have any ideas, suggestions, and/or comments I would appreciate them very much. We are at our wits end.

thank you so much for your time and I am anxiously awaiting your input.

best to you all,

Rick
Phoenix, AZ
Reply With Quote
Trouble
Dogsey Veteran
Trouble is offline  
Location: Romford, uk
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 14,265
Female  Diamond Supporter 
 
15-05-2017, 07:18 AM
Put her in a room where there really is nothing to chew except what you give her. Mine go in the utility room when I'm out, tiled walls and floor and literally nothing left lying around, all cables are behind appliances. The alternative is you could confine her to a crate when you go out. I wouldn't muzzle her when left home alone.
Reply With Quote
greyhoundrick
New Member!
greyhoundrick is offline  
Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 2
Male 
 
15-05-2017, 02:34 PM
Originally Posted by Trouble View Post
Put her in a room where there really is nothing to chew except what you give her. Mine go in the utility room when I'm out, tiled walls and floor and literally nothing left lying around, all cables are behind appliances. The alternative is you could confine her to a crate when you go out. I wouldn't muzzle her when left home alone.
Thanks so much for your input!

We tried muzzling her early this morning for about an hour and that stopped her from chewing things, but will definitely take note of your suggestions. Maybe a crate would be best.

Thanks again for your help!

best to you,

Rick
Reply With Quote
Dr. Dennis Thomas
Dogsey Junior
Dr. Dennis Thomas is offline  
Location: Spokane, WA USA
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 42
Male 
 
21-05-2017, 11:19 PM
I have seen a lot of dogs damage themselves trying to get out of a crate. If you decide to crate her, put her in it and watch her from a distance for a while and see what happens. Broken teeth, damaged claws and digits can be the result of a big dog trying to get out of a crate.

You might, for the meantime, try to find something to give her before you leave that will help her with the anxiety. Bach Flower Rescue Remedy, Valerian Root and calming essential oil blends might help take the edge. Remember, non of these recommendations are about resolving your problem, just about protecting your stuff while you are gone.

In order to get this resolved, you will need to dig deeper with the help of some professional. Trainers are great for counter-conditioning but still not effects at resolving the problem. I would look for some help from a holistic vet who can step back and find out the deeper root imbalances that are creating these behavior patterns. I like Chinese medicine for behavior patterns because it works with energy and everything, including behavior and emotions, are energetic in nature. Good luck.
Reply With Quote
Chris
Dogsey Veteran
Chris is offline  
Location: Lincolnshire
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,921
Female 
 
21-05-2017, 11:26 PM
If the dog is an ex racing greyhound from a track, she is likely to be used to being kennelled so I doubt a cage will freak her out and she may well settle very well in one. The only way to is to try and see what happens, but as Dennis says, keep a watchful eye at first.

You don't say what she chews? If it's stuff laying around, the answer is obvious, but as you say you have puppy-proofed then I doubt that's the case. Provided she doesn't chew on doors, emptying off anything within reach in the kitchen and confining her to that one room while she is left may be worth a try.

Good luck, let us know how she gets on
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Older weimaraner eye and ear problems keith wardrop Dog Health 11 13-05-2012 12:55 PM
Kathy ~ Very Friendly Older Girl - 8yo Black Greyhound KerryGreyhounds Dogs for Adoption 0 15-04-2011 10:54 PM
George ~ Brilliant Friendly Older Boy - 8yo White/Black Greyhound KerryGreyhounds Dogs for Adoption 1 09-11-2010 03:29 PM
New pup problems (Older dog keeping her too much in her place? Ignore or intervene?) Stormey Training 4 26-08-2006 09:44 PM
Problems with new puppy (older male dog pushing him about & growling) Cyrus Training 15 19-04-2006 10:33 PM

© Copyright 2016, Dogsey   Contact Us - Dogsey - Top Contact us | Archive | Privacy | Terms of use | Top