How to Transition Retired Racing Greyhound Dog into Home

Retired racing greyhound dogs make wonderful indoor pets, but they have some adjusting to do as they transition from living the life of a racing greyhound to a life of retirement in a home. Everything about living in a house is new to a greyhound, so ease the dog's transition by minimizing the number of adjustments he must make during the first few days in your home. If you will make the effort during the first few days to ease the dog's transition, then you will have many years of enjoying the payoff. Here is how to transition a retired racing greyhound dog into your home.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Crate
• Patience

1. Research the dog's life at the greyhound rescue. Find out about his schedule so you can keep it the same for the first few days in your home. Ask questions about his environment, such as whether the rescue keeps a radio or fan going in the kennel, so you can set up a similar environment at home.

2. Set up a crate in your family room. Because retired racing greyhounds have spent most of their lives (over 20 hours a day) in crates, they view their crates as their "safe place." By placing the crate in the family room, the dog can observe your family's routine from the safe familiarity of his crate.

3. Introduce the greyhound to his new home. Show him the boundaries of his backyard first, and allow him to relieve himself before going into your house. Walk him on a leash through each room of your house so he can become familiar with his new surroundings.

4. Leave the greyhound in his crate. For the first two days, the greyhound should spend the vast majority of the day in his crate. Remember that spending most of his time in a crate is familiar and feels safe. From the safety of his crate, your greyhound is adjusting to the sights, sounds, and smells of his new home.

5. Walk your greyhound outside as soon as she leaves the crate. While your greyhound is crate trained, she is not housebroken yet and might not understand that your carpet is not a good place to relieve herself.

6. Sleep near the greyhound. Retired racing greyhounds have never slept alone; other greyhounds have always surrounded them. Consider setting up a crate in your bedroom where the dog can sleep at night. Otherwise, your dog will feel anxious at being left alone for the first time in her life.

7. Keep the greyhound on a leash as you go about your day. After the first two days of adjustment, let your dog follow you around the house on a leash for a week or two. By keeping the greyhound on a leash, she will feel less overwhelmed by her newfound freedom, and you will be able to tell her immediately what things are off limits in her new home.

Tips & Warnings

• Give your new greyhound lots of attention and reassurance when she is out of her crate, but leave her alone when she is in her crate.
• Do not let your greyhound out of his crate when he is whining. If you do, he will whine more frequently.

[FaithAllen]

on 11/20/2008 We just adopted our second greyhound and used the tips again. Her transition is moving along smoothly.

- Faith

[hyperionwriting]

on 11/20/2008 These are good tips - I hope to be using them soon!