SETTING GROUND RULES

Set the rules for your Greyhound the minute he arrives at your home.  Don’t allow him to do things that are not acceptable just because you “want to give him time to settle in.”  Treat the dog with love and respect, but firmly enforce the rules of his new home.  Failure in this regard could allow habits to develop now which may be difficult to correct later.

THE YARD

When you get your newly adopted Greyhound home, introduce him first to your yard.  Take him to the place where you want him to relieve himself.  If he does relieve himself, give him lots of praise.  Let him look around the yard for a little while.  He will be very curious and want to check out all of the smells and sights.  Remember, from the time you pick up your Greyhound, almost everything he sees, smells or hears will be new to him.

INTRODUCING OTHER DOGS 

If there are other dogs in your household, we always want you to bring them with you to choose their new friend. When you arrive at home with your new greyhound, introduce the dogs again -- outside. Monitor both dogs' behavior until they have gotten through the initial "meeting" stage. We recommend a muzzle be used for this first introduction, both as a safety measure and to reinforce to the Greyhound that this dog is to be a friend. Still, be careful and watchful the first few days to make sure the pecking order is established without undue power struggles or injuries. And supervise them at feeding time until you're sure each dog knows which dish is his.

SPECIFIC AREAS FOR “RELIEF”

If you want to train your dog to relieve himself in a particular area of the yard, now is the time to begin this training.  Take him to the pre-determined area each and every time he must relieve himself for the first week or so, praising profusely each time the desired action occurs.  Soon, your dog will only relieve himself in this area.  Remember, consistency and abundant positive reinforcement is the name of the game.

INTRODUCING YOUR GREYHOUND TO THE HOUSE

After allowing a little time for outside exploration, take your Greyhound inside the house. You may want to introduce him to the house on lead. Let him explore the house a bit, with you at his side. This will allow you to begin effectively setting those ground rules! Keep an eye on him and if there are any signs of him planning to relieve himself in the house, tell him "NO" in your best mean mommy/daddy voice. Not a soft no, but a loud, sharp "NO." If he relieves himself in the house, immediately take him outside. It isn't necessary or desirable to be mean or rough with the dog. An abrupt "NO" and being led outside a few times should be sufficient. If at all possible, make sure you have a couple of days when you first pick up your Greyhound to spend with the dog. Watch him very closely the first few days, reinforce the house rules consistently, and you will be off to a great start with your new friend.

Once you have introduced the entire house, take him outside to “do his business” one more time.  Greyhounds are very sensitive, and if you are able to correct them “in the act” of undesired behavior, they learn very quickly what behavior does not please you.  Make sure you spend just as much time (preferably a lot more) praising them for good behavior.  Greyhounds WANT to please you!

INTRODUCING YOUR GREYHOUND TO YOUR CAT 

Many of our adopted Greyhounds live with cats.  When introducing your new Greyhound to your cat, make sure you are all in the house and that you have control of the dog.  Bring the dog into the house (with its muzzle on) while you or another family member is seated with the cat in your (or their) lap.  Show your Greyhound by petting the cat seated on your lap that the cat is a member of his new family and was in the house before he got there, and therefore, not a play toy. 

Greyhounds tend to be curious about the small, fuzzy beasts, and will run right up to the cat to investigate.  Keep the Greyhound under control at all times, preferably on lead.  If the cat runs, the chase instinct will kick in and your Greyhound will probably chase the poor cat.  This is why the “lap trick” seems to work so well -- you are able to keep the cat relatively stationary for the initial introduction.  Be sure to praise the Greyhound for nicely sniffing and investigating the cat.  Any inappropriate behavior must be quickly and firmly discouraged.  Again, a sharp “NO” to the dog while continuing to pet the cat seems to work well.

Monitor all encounters between your new dog and cat for the first few days.  Be very careful of allowing your Greyhound and cat to be outside together until you are sure what the dog’s reaction will be.  Many Greyhounds show absolutely no interest in a house cat, others a little curiosity and a rare few think they are stuffed toys to be played with.  Outside, cats may be another matter entirely.  Keep all encounters quiet and restrained for the first few days.  If we know you have a cat, we will recommend only dogs we have monitored around cats or feel relatively certain will be “cat safe”.  While we can’t absolutely guarantee that your companion will be “cat safe”, we do test at the kennel to get an idea of their prey drive.