Help me get my dog outside
September 10, 2013 8:34 AM   Subscribe

We adopted Willa on Sunday afternoon. She is a sweet, placid 3-year-old retired racing greyhound. She seemed to settle in okay on Sunday, but since Monday morning she has been very fearful and anxious. The most problematic manifestation of this is steadfast refusal to leave the house -- she freezes up and has to be carried/dragged over the threshold to go outside to do her business.

Sunday evening, we got her into the harness and out the door, no problem. She was confident and curious and did really well on the leash. About a third of a mile from home, she froze up, and we had to coax and drag her back. I'm not sure what it was that spooked her -- could have been traffic noises, other pedestrians, or the simple fact of having to walk up a hill. Monday morning, I got her into the harness, had to encourage her out the door, and we made it all the way around the block before she froze up feet from home. I had to carry her up the 4-5 steps to the front porch and coax her inside.

Monday afternoon, she peed on the carpet before my partner had a chance to get her outside. When I got home from work an hour or so later, I got her into the back yard to do her business (which I rewarded with praise and treats), but had to coax and drag her in and out of the door. Same deal this morning -- she's okay in the house, okay in the yard, but getting to and from those places is daunting. In the house and yard, she will (eventually) obey "Come" when I offer a treat, but she will not cross from inside to outside (or vice versa) for all the hot dog pieces in the land.

I realize she's completely overwhelmed with all of the new changes the past few days have brought and I know that I need to be patient with her, but I also need her learn that she has to go outside to relieve herself.


By bodily dragging her into and out of the house, am I setting her up for a lifetime of fear of the harness and/or the outdoors? Is there a better way of getting her outside?


Other possibly relevant info: She was fixed on Friday. Since Monday, she has been spending the VAST majority of her time in her crate and seems fearful of pretty much everything, though she was outgoing and curious when we got her home on Sunday. She is sociable and allows us to pet her. Our back yard is fenced in, but one side is pretty low, and I worry that if she were off leash, she could jump it. Finally, I am a first-time dog owner, so any general dog-whispering tips and/or reassurance would not be unwelcome.
posted by coppermoss to Pets & Animals (14 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
How is the weather? My mom's dog is a greyhound mix, and she absolutely hates walking on wet or cold pavement. It's gotten worse as she's gotten older as she has arthritis. Putting a sweater on her helps a lot.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:39 AM on September 10, 2013


That was more or less my experience with ex-racing greyhounds (in Philly, coincidentally--I wonder if you used the same greyhound adoption place). I hate to break it to you, but they're really hard to acclimate to their new lives, particularly if you don't have other dogs, and particularly as a novice dog owner. Definitely never, ever let them off-leash in the city (even in your back yard). They go off like a shot, either chasing something or running from something. Seconding PhoB's advice to make sure they have good warm coats.

Ours (two successive dogs that could not be made happy over several months) had terrible separation anxiety, and we ultimately gave them back to the fostering organization, and cut them another check to help with their programs. Each dog, tellingly, was placed with a family 1) well out in the sticks that 2) had several other greyhounds.

Best of luck.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:47 AM on September 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Start indoors and have her in a small/closed off area with one exit. Sit on the other side of the exit and just talk to her calmly. Don't necessarily call her (because if you call and she doesn't come, then that is teaching her that that word is meaningless), but talk nicely (I generally keep up a stream of "it'd be really nice if was sitting here with me, I'd love to pet her and rub her belly and maybe just sit and watch tv. is my favorite good girl." etc, just using her name a lot, but no specific COMMANDS), maybe squeak a toy or rattle a treat can but otherwise ignore her. Don't poke your head around or reach for her or pull her, just let her decide she'd rather be with you than not with you. When she comes through the doorway/threshold/whatever on her own, PRAIIIIIIIIISE and treats and let her know that that was the best thing EVER (though with nervous dogs, being too effusive can have the opposite effect, so you can judge what is the best praise/positive response for her). When she is doing that confidently inside, try it to the backyard. Block off an area (or move her crate) near the doorway, so the only option she has is to stay put or come through. Repeat with back door until she's doing it confidently. Move to front door and do the same.

If she does ok in the back yard, perhaps give her the first week or so hanging out in the back for potty trips instead of the "OMG SCARY BIG WORLD" walks.

I would try to stop dragging her out the door in the meantime. If she can't be out of the crate and not pee, then keep her in the crate in the morning until it is time to go out the door (or at the end of the day or whenever she transitions from crate to potty trip normally). If you have time, do the process I mentioned above for EVERY potty trip, put the crate next to the back door (or gate her in an area near it), attach the leash, go out the door, wait. She'll come out when she needs to pee.

posted by HermitDog at 8:54 AM on September 10, 2013 [9 favorites]


So many things are potentially brand new to greyhounds. Is there someone nearby with a more settled greyhound who can come over and model things like going in and out of doors, not being bothered by noises, etc?

They spend their entire lives with other greys, and on top of everything else it's super spooky to be alone for the first time around people with their weird houses and neighborhoods and stuff. It would probably help you get a lot of traction if someone could come over, even just for an hour, and show Willa the ropes a little. (Also, it's tons easier to get a dog to pee outside when another dog is peeing outside.)

I would also be a little worried about pain or infection, if this has gotten dramatically worse since her spay. I know nobody wants her to go into heat, but I'm kind of surprised the rescue organization didn't either tell you to wait or have it done before she was homed. It's a little much at once.

If it was me, just based on a little experience fostering/transporting and the litany of surprises when I brought my own rescue home, I'd get a pack of pee pads (the ones with a scent attractant in them for housebreaking) if the option is peeing on the pad or peeing randomly in the house. You can keep moving the pad closer to the door, out the door, into the yard, take it away when getting outside stops being an issue. (Bonus: if she has a UTI you'll be able to see blood on the pad.)
posted by Lyn Never at 9:07 AM on September 10, 2013 [2 favorites]


Best answer: A few things that come to mind:

1) What is she motivated by? Food? Play? A special toy? People? Once you figure out what she wants, you may be able to coax her a little more easily.

2) When she freezes, does she just not want to go forward? Is she willing to go back? If you can get her moving at all in any direction, you may be able to get her spun around and moving forward again.

3) Is the space just inside/outside the door slick hardwood or tile? When my hound started freaking out about the door, it was because he'd lost his footing on the linoleum. A rug helped a bit.

4) Ultimately, a lot of fearful hounds need to learn that it's okay because The Boss knows what's happening. Say "let's go home!" in a cheerful voice, walk purposefully, and if that doesn't get her going, it's okay to pull her by the harness. If you have the type that has a strap between her shoulders, you should be able to suitcase-carry her until her feet start moving. She's not going to like it, but it gets the job done.

It's going to take time. Eventually, if you're patient with her, she'll start to figure it out, but right now it's been 2-3 days, and everything is super new to her. Stick to a schedule, and don't overwhelm her with a lot of new things at once. Read some stuff by Patricia McConnell (The Other End of the Leash is great) in the meantime.
posted by specialagentwebb at 9:24 AM on September 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


First, omg greyhounds might be the laziest dogs you can find. They like sofas and warm fluffy beds and naps. Lots of naps. Former racing greyhounds had very (VERY) regimented lives and very limited options for where they could go. Novelty is one thing that has been lacking in your dog's life for a long time. And now, there is no shortage of new (and scary) things.

By bodily dragging her into and out of the house, am I setting her up for a lifetime of fear of the harness and/or the outdoors?

Yes, potentially. Stop doing this. You might lure her out with treats. Or put her fluffy dog bed in the great outdoors. But dragging her in and out will not do you or her any favors. Being dragged someplace is very scary, no matter how scary the place you're being dragged might be.

Doors by themselves might be troublesome for her, depending on what the egress what like at the kennel. Stairs are almost definitely new and weird. Ditto the suggestions about investigating the surfaces near the doors. Anything slippery is going to turn on the doggy klaxons. (As an aside, your dog will almost always choose the carpeted areas for puking or diahrrea having. Why? Because carpet is where the traction is. Put super slippery socks on all your extremities and then simulate heaving a slick floor. I promise you'll fall. Dogs don't like falling, especially not when there's puke involved.)

Did she come from a Greyhound rescue? If rescue, they might have some specific tips, and it's possible she had a "foster" home before she came to you. Contact as many of these people as you can for support and tips. They want your adoption to be a success, and many many people will bend over backwards to help you find a solution/explanation for what is going on. Someone might also know exactly what motivates Willa. For some dogs it's praise, for others it's treats. It might be one of those, or something else. If you can skip the trial and error phase and move right along to the quid pro quo part of your bonding, that will help you both.

What others have said above about textures and temperatures is so true with greyhounds. They are picky picky dogs (of course there are outliers who love nothing more than splashing around in mud puddles...) Greyhounds are also fairly fragile dogs. The risks of you carrying her up a flight of stairs and tripping are real. I'm not trying to freak you out, but a greyhound is not a dog to wrestle with, and definitely not one that you can land on.

Get yourself and the dog to a trainer as fast as you can. Sure, she's had lots of training about racing life, but maybe none about house life, and certainly no professional training about your house life. It sounds like you definitely have had no professional training about dog life, and absolutely none about life with this dog. A good trainer can teach you how to talk to your dog (how to indicate through body language and tone of voice that you really do want the dog to do what you are asking. Because uncertainty just makes dogs think people are crazy. And a dog that thinks you're crazy is not going to listen to you.) Training is also good for consistency, which most dogs really really need, and former racing greyhounds especially appreciate consistency. Again, her schedule up until now has been rigid and her movement greatly restricted.

Bonus points for the trainer if they have a lot of experience with former racers.
posted by bilabial at 10:02 AM on September 10, 2013 [5 favorites]


Best answer: Reward, reward, reward.

Do you know about anything she REALLY loves? Like, irresistible OMGYESIWANTITNOW love?

Get that out. Go stand over by the door. Treat and praise.

Then take a step out the door. If she follows you, treat and praise.

Keep going further outside until she is where she needs to be. Copious treats of course, along with as much high pitched "GOOOOOOD GIRLLLLLL!" as you can muster.

When I first adopted my dog, it turned out he was afraid of stairs. Which is unfortunate because I live up a flight of stairs and there is no other way into the house. Luckily, one of the volunteers at the shelter had let slip that he really loves bread. And I happened to have half a loaf in the fridge. I ran inside, grabbed a slice of bread, and lured him upstairs step by step. I had to keep doing this for the first few days I had him. Then I cut back to just a treat at the top of the stairs, with copious praise on each step.

I stayed in the habit of praising him as he went up the stairs for months after he stopped really being anxious about them. Just because, you know, he IS a good boy.

Six months later, he goes up and down stairs like it's nothing.
posted by Sara C. at 11:17 AM on September 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


Our 'hound was also afraid of stairs, and she suffered horrible separation anxiety. Crating helped a great deal, as did adding a second dog (who was not a greyhound). She calmed down considerably and was pretty much the Best Dog Ever...and oh gosh I just looked at your picture and she was brindled, just like Willa.

She couldn't have cared less about going outside, frankly. Just long enough to run out, do her business and trot back to the door for a return to endless naptime. We got her to run a few laps of the fenced in yards, but by and large she only moved quickly towards her food.
posted by jquinby at 11:32 AM on September 10, 2013


Also, with rewards, don't start with standing outside and making her do the thing you really wish she'd do. Make it incremental. Start by standing near the door, and treat her for being OK with being there. Then take a step closer. Get her gradually comfortable with the notion of what's going on, and excited about treats, and then take her a little outside her comfort zone (again, gradually.)

I'm currently on a VERY LONG training program to treat my dog's separation anxiety. I knew it was really working -- if slowly -- when I saw it click into his psycho little dog brain that our training sessions are a fun game where I go outside for just a second and he gets a treat. We're still working very gradually (SIX MINUTES WOOOOOOO!), but the first step was getting him to be relaxed around the idea of working on it.
posted by Sara C. at 11:36 AM on September 10, 2013 [1 favorite]


If you can get her moving at all in any direction, you may be able to get her spun around and moving forward again.

Nthing this. This is my secret trick for my dog's more stubborn moments. Not going to work if the dog is anxious or fearful, but sometimes just changing up the dynamic of what's going on can help break free of a situation.
posted by Sara C. at 11:52 AM on September 10, 2013


Patience, patience, patience.

Slow, slow, slow.

I don't believe that you have to keep pushing her or else all these behaviors will be ingrained forever. I think it's okay to let her hide in the house for a while, carry her over the threshold, even let her pee on doggie pee pads for a while.

I suffer from anxiety myself, and I once had an episode with a trajectory that was remarkably similar to hers. I had a unbelievably stressful few months, but I kept pushing myself to keep up everything that I normally do, even when I started having anxiety attacks and became less functional. I basically pushed myself into being way less functional than I would have been if I had just given myself a break right at the start, even a break from things I "should" be able to do. Because I ended up taking a break from all of them in the end anyway!

I think that she'll be okay if you just let her take a break from anything new and just keep sensory stimulation to a minimum for a while. If you can find out what her living situation/schedule was like when she was a racing dog, you might want to do a gentle approximation of that, just to give her some familiarity/structure back.

You can also try anti-anxiety medication from your vet. But I don't think you should use it to push her, I think if anything it should be used to just make her more comfortable while she is trying to adjust and recover naturally from all this stress.

She doesn't sound like she has a long history of trauma, only that she is just dealing with a lot of stress from the changing circumstances. If you go really really easy on her, and are patient and reassuring and calming, I think she will come out of it naturally.
posted by cairdeas at 12:06 PM on September 10, 2013


Oh poor Willa!

Nothing to add but to repeat the other suggestions of being really, really patient and calm. You have my sympathy as being a first time owner of a newly rehomed greyhound is indeed stressful. It does get better, and in retrospect it will feel like the time flew by.

Also, I was also going to say that our greyhound, who we've now had for over 7 years, is the bestest dog in the world, and then LITERALLY AS I SAT DOWN TO TYPE THIS I saw she'd peed on the carpet. She never does this, so I assume it's in solidarity with Willa.
posted by nev at 4:02 PM on September 10, 2013


Best answer: Willa is very beautiful, and she's lucky to have you. I have to say I'm very sorry that one of your first answers here was from someone who had bad experiences with greyhounds -- that's not the norm. Some are special cases, true -- true of all dogs. The good news is that greyhounds typically have a really good support network for the adopters. Your adoption group should be able to give you useful advice, and if they can't, I suggest a visit to the forum GreyTalk where if you post your question in the Behavior and Training subforum, some incredibly experienced owners and trainers are likely to help you. You can also search the forum for "statuing" or "freezing". If GreyTalk or your adoption group doesn't help, let me know and I can put you directly in contact with greyhound adoption coordinators who have a wealth of knowledge.

Your new girl has multiple things going on -- she's healing from her spay, she's new to being a pet, and she's in a new place. Go slow with her and reward every step -- I mean that literally -- and you'll have a gentle companion for life. Once she's not hurting from the surgery, you may find positive changes happen much more quickly, but don't stop the treats and encouragement.

Lure her out the door and back in with the most delicious treat she's ever had. Sardine, beef, chicken, marshmallow, whatever it takes. Treats are not a crime -- there is no reason we should expect dogs to work for free. Treat if she doesn't like the leash or harness, treat when she comes back in the house. Make walks an all-party.

I have two greyhounds, and they have me convinced greyhounds are the breed for me -- not saying the best for everyone, but the best for me. That said, it took multiple months for them to fully realize they were home for good and their personalities to fully emerge, and several years on I still see positive changes in their behaviors. I want to strongly second those above who've said "patience."

Greyhounds are really smart and sensitive dogs. They respond well to positive reinforcement as nev said; avoid being loud or forceful. Just be calm, gentle and confident and if you need to, say, this is what we're going to do now. And have the very best treats in the world to reward what you're asking for -- I use rotisserie chicken, hotdogs or dehydrated liver when we're learning new things. Works with even my non-food-motivated hound.

They are very used to their routine and they LIKE a routine, first at the training kennel, then the racing kennel, then at the adoption kennel, all of which tend to be quite similar (turnouts at 6 a.m., 11-12 p.m., 4-5 p.m. 9-10 p.m. for example). If you can find out what her most recent or successful schedule was, that should be useful to you. If you can't, establish a schedule and keep to it for quite some time. Make small changes if needed, and bring in a trusted dog walker if needed to keep the schedule.

And I'm sorry I'm longwinded tonight, but it's so common for anyone with a new dog to hit a wall and wonder if they did the right thing. I'm quite certain you did the right thing, and I'm equally sure it's going to take a bit of time to see that.

Feel free to MeMail me, and I'll give you my phone number if that helps.

Greyhounds are amazingly resilient and adaptable. It just takes time (amount varies), tools and tips, and treats (amount varies). More than anything else, keep yourself calm, confident and happy. Willa will be right behind you.
posted by vers at 5:53 PM on September 10, 2013 [5 favorites]


Response by poster: Thank you all so much for your responses. Willa is still having trouble negotiating the actual doorway, but once she's helped through it she bounds down the stairs and into the yard. This morning, she entered the house without assistance for the first time! She is still timid, but is definitely becoming more confident every day. She is camera-shy, so have a bonus thank-you picture of the cat wondering what he's done to deserve this.
posted by coppermoss at 10:26 AM on September 13, 2013 [2 favorites]


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