How to acclimatise your Greyhound to being left at home

When you first get your Greyhound, it's vital to prepare him for being left, not just wait till you want to go out then go, even for short periods. He (or she) may never have been completely alone before. Follow the procedures below to lay a foundation, then even if your dog is by nature prone to separation anxiety, you may prevent the problem.

If you come home and find damage or mess, whatever you do don't scold your dog - you'll make him scared of you, increase his anxiety, and make everything worse. It's not his fault, pet dogs are bred to need human company and the behaviour is a panic reaction, not some attempt to 'punish you' for leaving them. Be neutral while you clear up, then go back to normal with them and start the training below.

Separation Anxiety is a dog’s inability to cope when left alone. Typical severe symptoms are howling, barking, scratching or chewing at furniture and fittings, and even wetting and messing around the house in your absence. Depression and hyperactivity may also be caused by it, and extended and/or over-exuberant greeting on your return is another sign. Some dogs may even become aggressive when they sense your imminent departure, trying to stop you leaving.

Separation anxiety can sometimes start in a dog who didn't used to suffer from it, in response to a change in the home such as the arrival of a new pet or baby, or a change in your patterns of absence. Some dogs become prone to separation anxiety as they get older.

Separation anxiety generally does not get better by itself, more often it gets worse—you have to fix it for them!

In order to stop the ‘bad’ behaviour your dog needs to become more confident and secure in himself, and less dependent on you. You need to teach him this by changing the way you treat him in the house.

Breaking the bad habits

Step One is to teach your Greyhound some independence. If he follows you around the house, for example when you get up to make a cup of tea or run a bath, you must stop him from now on! In order for him to become more confident about being left when you are out, he must learn to cope with letting you out of his sight when you are in the house.

He must have a bed of his own, somewhere warm, and he must learn to sleep only in his bed, and to stay in it when you leave the room. If you know that as soon as you leave the room he will get up to follow you, then hide around the corner and be ready for him. Put him back in his bed and start to leave the room again. Repeat this until you can leave the room without him following. Be prepared to do this every time you leave the room until your dog understands the command. At first this may seem tough and demanding on you and your dog, but if you can win this battle of wills he will soon begin to value his new den as a place where he can truly relax and feel confident in your absence.

Step Two is to desensitise him to your departure: your dog will associate all the usual going out procedures i.e. putting on your coat, picking up your keys as the start of his period alone, and thus will begin to fret. You need to desensitise him to these stimuli, so at any time of day go repeatedly through these actions quietly and without fuss, and then sit back down. Repeat these actions until your dog looks positively bored.

Step Three is to build his confidence: now you need to test him further. Start to shut him in the room while you move about the house, for very short periods of time, and then leave him alone for short periods. When you do leave the room or go out don’t make a big deal of it. It is a normal every day occurrence and as little fuss as possible should be made of your dog. If you hug him or look lingeringly at him, he will think the pair of you can’t possibly cope without each other. Try to ignore him leading up to the time when you go, tell him firmly to sit in his bed upon leaving and quietly shut the door. The only way your dog can learn to cope on his own is if you can wean him off of his dependence on you. He is addicted to his owner, and it is his owner who must make him realise that he can have a life of his own.

It can help to ignore your dog when you get back home. Some experts have found that waiting until your dog calms down before your greet him increases his confidence, by enhancing his perception that you have everything under control.

Quality time: when you do want to give your dog attention feel free. BUT do not let your dog dictate what he gets and when. Call him over for a cuddle by all means, but don’t allow him to slouch at your feet, or paw at your lap all evening. He needs to learn to feel confident and learn to sleep in his bed while you are out, so he must use it when you are in.

Training: it is very important to get to grips with general obedience so that your dog will know how to please you and know his place generally in the household. All dogs should know their name and understand the words COME, NO, and STAY. If yours doesn’t then try a training class. You can find details at your vets, pet shop, feed merchant or from other dog owners and walkers. Communal classes will improve your dog's self confidence which will help reduce his problems.

Occupy his mind: if you are strict on yourself and follow this advice your dog’s confidence will increase, and his anxiety (antisocial behaviour) will decrease, There are some measures you can take to help in the meantime. Don’t leave valued chewable items with your dog, and give him things to keep him occupied - his favourite toy, and a long lasting chewy bone. Buy ‘Kongs’ (available at any pet shop) and wedge something edible in them that your dog will like. Dogs treat them like bones and will spend hours trying to get the last bit out, and most dogs will eat plain bread stuffed in! If your dog is fussy then you will have to shop around for a good treat (however make sure that you are not piling the calories on your hound).

If the habit is too strong: occasionally the problem has become so imprinted on the dog that even when his confidence does improve he still chews or even excretes out of habit. For these dogs an indoor kennel may be required. These have proved to be very successful, but you will need further advice on its proper use.

Obviously, don't leave your dog for longer than you have to, and try to avoid very long absences that your dog will very quickly learn to fear— when you go out he can only guess when you'll be back.

Whatever you do, if you're not making progress don't struggle on alone with your dog unhappy, call us, the earlier the better.