# Finally! :D



## Lyndypop (Aug 8, 2011)

So my boyfriend and I finally got an Italian Greyhound! I have been looking for one for a long while, but the rescues around here are few and far between, often with no IGs in need of homes, or have requirements I cannot provide (ie personal yard, other dogs, or they have health issues that require a considerable amount of money). I put an ad out on a Utah website, and last Saturday we adopted a 3 year old female named Bianca. Her previous family couldn't keep her due to allergies, so we adopted her for free, and picked her up last Saturday morning! She is loving, smart, walks well on a leash and doesn't have accidents, does well with other animals and children (including my hedgehogs, who she kind of just ignores, even when sharing lap space), has a low energy rate, and is, in other words, the perfect dog for us. Right now she is snoozing sprawled out on both our laps, and we are just as content as can be! The only problem we have is with leaving her alone (see novel below if you have any tips or suggestions about that, haha.) IGs are probably one of the most.. Undog-like dogs I've ever seen. XD They are very odd, and I love it. I felt the need to post this here because there are no IG forums, and I had to express my excitement somewhere!



















Bianca is doing very well, except one problem. She goes into a panic anytime she is alone. I mean, when it's just her and I at the house, I can't even pee with the door shut without her going nuts. XP She fusses and yipes and cries. She doesn't start to ruin anything, and she is fine as long as she knows where I am and has access to me, but we've been having to take her to my mom's for babysitting while I am at work. I would like to leave her for a day to see what she does, but I don't want her hurting herself or having one of the neighbors complain about her noise. We have been trying to spend little bits of time with us outside and her inside, but her behavior is the same. We are hoping that this is something that is coming from her being in a new home, but I have a feeling that it isn't. In her old home she had another IG with her all the time, so I don't think she has ever actually been alone before. I would hate to crate her, because she does well without a crate, and we can shut all the doors to stuff to where she would only have access to the living room and kitchen (with everything she could get into put away and inaccessible).

My family adores her and likes to watch her, but I don't want to be dependent on them in order to leave my house when I can't take her with. XP What would you suggest doing?

I think if she could be okay with being alone somewhere and know it's not a forever situation, she would stay out of trouble and just sleep. She is litter trained as well as outdoor trained, so accidents wouldn't be a problem. I mean, I am only gone 5 hours at most.

I have started the simple exercises for helping a dog get over the separation, like leaving for small amounts of time and coming back, being in a separate room than her for a little while, but it's happening even when we are home and near her. If we aren't engaged with her, she throws "fits" by jumping up and hitting us, or whining and attacking her blankie or toys. She'll lay down for small amounts of time, but then pick up her antics after a short while. If I am home alone and getting ready for work or something, she will lay down, but if I'm sitting in the living room at the table or in the kitchen she throws her fits. She will throw them if both of us are here regardless of what we're doing.


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## Avarris (Dec 3, 2012)

Hey Lyndy. I don't have a lot of experience with IG's, however I'm fairly well versed with Retired Racers. My sweet baby Nike was a spooky dog. Meaning that she was skittish or nervous. She had SEVERE seperation anxiety... So bad we had explosive diarrhea, even when crated. (Yeah I know gross) So, after a little research and a lot of endless hours of training and working, I was able to not necessarily cure her, but make her less reactive. When we first brought her home another person on the street had her ready to jump out of her skin. By the time I lost her, a school bus could drive by and she would barely give it a glance.

One of the first things we did with Nike set up a space that we could enclose her in without crating her. So say like the Kitchen. You put a dog bed in there, food and water dishes, a blanket and some toys. This would be her space when you aren't home. Now the hard work comes in. I had a kong that we stuffed with treats, or yogurt, or pumpkin(which helps with soft poops or the big D), and sealed it off with peanut butter. Freeze the kong. To start working on alone training set the whole thing up like you ARE going to leave. Get the kong out and give it to her, and make sure she is focused on getting that treat out of there. Close everything up like you are leaving, and walk away. About a minute later come back, and pick up the kong and put it away. She hasn't gotten the treat yet, hopefully you had one in your pocket (I missed a step lol) and give that to her instead. Eventually she will associate THAT particular toy with good things and she only can have it when you are going away. Rinse and repeat, as she gets more successful being engaged by the toy, increase the time you walk away from her. It took me and my exhusband a year to rehabilitate Nike to the point that she could be left home for 6 hours by herself. Thankfully, at the time our schedules worked out to where she wasn't left alone more than 4 but we stayed out extra to keep building her confidence in being alone. 

There was a lot more work done but thats the short version. I hope it helps and maybe gives you some ideas. Feel free to PM me and maybe I can help you work out a plan.


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## Lyndypop (Aug 8, 2011)

Thank you so much! That is a big help, and it gives us some direction.  I'm sorry your dog had anxiety that bad, that must have been heartbreaking as well as stomach turning. XP There are few things in this world that are worse than their diarrhea! I don't think her anxiety is at that level, but we don't know for sure, because we haven't left her alone yet. I just worry that she might throw a tantrum, or not stop yelping and upset the neighbors. It would be a lot easier if we had a house! 

Right now our schedule is pretty lenient on time, at least mine is. My boyfriend works 12+ hours everyday, and where I only work 4-5, it gives me a lot of time to work with her. We have a Kong, but I think it is too big or there is something amiss, because I did read that those were good for this kind of training. I wanted to give her one at least once so she knew what it was about and would want it when the training started, but I ran into a problem. She will lick at it for about two minutes before giving up on getting the treats inside. There are multiple factors that could be the problem- either she doesn't particularly find the treat worth the effort, or it is her teeth that make her avoid it. We noticed she has a broken canine, and I don't know if that is stopping her from really wanting to get the treats inside the Kong. I gave her a Dingo once (not a huge fan, and I probably won't give her one again, she tore through it too fast and it made her really irregular for about two days, plus I wouldn't feel comfortable giving her one while I was away knowing the dangers associated with them) which she didn't seem to have any pain with, but I don't know for sure. We are taking her to the vet soon. I will try the treat thing you described, so maybe that will get her to realize the Kong is a good thing that she should want. 

We were thinking about getting a crate for a large dog that has the bars and not plastic, and have it large enough to set it up like the kitchen. I have a feeling she would hop any gates we put up in the kitchen so she could get to the bed or the couch. 

She enjoys walks, but right now it is cold outside, so she wants nothing to do with it, haha. We are still getting her used to the jacket concept, right now she just freezes in horror until we take it off. Maybe once she gets used to it, I will be able to take her on walks, which I read helps with leaving them alone. Wear them out, feed them, then they are ready to snooze until your return! XD We'll have to play around with different techniques and treats for her that she'll like. She is still very new, and while she is fairly comfortable, I think she'll come out of her shell a lot more in a month or two. 

Right now I've started little things, like shutting the door when getting ready, or stepping outside without her, but she is still pretty nervous. I'm still unsure about how much praise is too much for the minute or two she is actually quiet for. I read that a dramatic return makes them feel like leaving is a big deal, when you want to project the feeling that it is just a simple routine, but at the same time, you want to reward them for being quiet so they can know that that is the behavior we are looking for. I am still covering bases on pack dynamics. She is great on a leash and won't try to eat anything without permission (or an audience, she won't eat her food without us watching) and things like that. However, she does get demanding with attention, and is constantly on our laps and sleeps in the bed, so I don't know if she thinks she's the boss or if she knows we are the boss, you know? Reading the training advice is easy, but actually applying it is tough. 

I feel like I am rambling, haha! Sorry! I just hope some of this info can help give some insight into what is going on. I'll definitely PM you tomorrow!


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## Avarris (Dec 3, 2012)

Actually you've given me a lot of information to help tailor what you're trying to accomplish. And there is a lot of information flying through my brain trying to get out, and my fingers just aren't going to let me get it out fast enough.. So I'll get out what I can and hope it makes sense.

First: Breathe.. Yeah me too... Okay

You don't have to enclose her in the kitchen, it was a general location. Nike hated the kitchen but was extremely comfortable in the living room where our scent was the heaviest, and the corner of the couch I sat on was her favorite spot to be when we were gone. (My spot was always warm when I came home so I know thats where she was laying til I walked in the door hahah) So, gate off a room that she's really comfortable and relaxed in. Put on your shoes, but don't leave. If she sits quietly while you do that, once you have your shoes on treat. Her most favorite treat. The one she can only have when shes' being quiet (or alone training as I call it). If you go the pumpkin route, use real pumpkin, not the pie filling stuff thats not good. Frozen yogurt worked really great with Nike. It may work for you. Nike only got it for alone training so she was super excited about getting that treat. Bones and stuff were regular treats. So make it a special treat for this type of training. Once she sits quietly for about 5 minutes after you've put on your shoes, you're ready to add another step. Pick up your keys. The biggest key to alone training is break it down into the simplest steps. Get your shoes and coat on get your keys, open the door. As time goes on, these things won't upset her. Then you can walk out the door and come back. Coming back you don't want to be excited when dealing with dogs with SA (seperation anxiety) The best thing you can do is come in and ignore. No touch, no talk, no eye contact until she sits quietly. Once she sits quietly, then praise with petting, belly rubs, or ear scratching. That way food isn't the only positive reinforcement she gets, but she also learns that when you get back, if she sits nicely while you get in the door, she'll get lovins from you.

The jacket might be a bit tougher. Have you tried just letting her lay on it and sniff it before putting it on? I can imagine from her point of view, someone that much bigger than me shoving my legs and head through something to be a scary thing. Even if it is to protect me. She associates the jacket with something scary. If you let her just be with it and maybe put it where she sleeps it becomes less threatening. Just like with SA training, break it down to the smallest step. Once she can be around it without being afraid, you can start pulling her legs through it, Its alot of information. Ill let you absorb and let mey brain try to catch up!

Edited to add: This was my Nike-Bean:


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## shetland (Sep 2, 2008)

Bianca is absolutely beautiful! How lucky you are to have her with you!


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## Lyndypop (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks Shetland!  She is just too cute!!

Thanks Avarris! Nike is gorgeous! Do you mind my asking what happened to her?

I can start doing that today.  I will start by finding the thing she goes crazy for and make that the treat. Breaking down the steps helps a lot, and just so you know, your post made perfect sense, haha! We have already started with training treats for going potty outside. They detest the cold, so some motivation to want to go outside is a must, haha. So she knows that she DOES get a reward for doing good things for us. Time to bring out the big guns, aka, some peanut butter, and see how she likes that! With the Kong we have, we were using the dog eazy-cheese stuff that sprays into it, maybe she doesn't like that stuff so much. I don't think pumpkin will be a must, since so far she has had pretty healthy poops, but you never know when they get under stress how their little bowels will react. Hopefully she doesn't get sick like Nike! That must add to the misery and negativity to her people being gone. 

As for the jacket, once we get her *actual* jacket, I will definitely start slower than just putting it on her. Her other jacket we bought initially was a tad bit too small for her chest, so we were starting to just put it on her untied so she could get used to the idea, but she was not loving it. I will try letting her sleep with her new one to get used to it. We have exchanged the jacket twice! The first was a small that looked about right (we went shopping the day before taking her home) and it was way too small, exchanged for medium, STILL a little small.. So large it is! XD We are either exchanging it tonight or tomorrow.


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## Avarris (Dec 3, 2012)

I don't know if you get snow where you are, but here in Ohio.. yeah we get snow. They actually make little booties, which is great for the hounds. Salt and snow clumps dont get stuck between their pads and helps to keep the pads from cracking due to the weather. Most of the sight hounds detest the cold. They have no body fat and dont have a lot of fur to keep the cold out. Its that streamlining for speed. I'll post some links for some people that I know in the gryehound community that make custom collars and coats.. and even Jammies for hounds.. including IG's 

As far as what happened with Nike.....I'll sum it up because it still make me angry to this day. Basically 4 years ago my husband decided he didn't want a wife who couldn't have children. Instead of just leaving he felt the best way to express it was to put his hands on me. So he went to jail, and I took Nike and moved out. Unfortunately the apartments that I moved to wouldn't let me keep Nike so I asked my rescue if they could put her in foster care until I could find something more suitable. After awhile it became apparent that in my newfound singlehood I couldn't afford a place that would allow me to have a dog that size. (And she was a small greyhound at 55lbs) So I ended up giving her back to the rescue organization. She was adopted by her foster family. They send me pictures and updates, and we are trying to arrange a visit soon. She's doing really well, but I miss her. The group was impressed with how well I was able to build Nike's confidence in the three years she was with me, and given the circumstances that I gave her up are still willing to adopt to me when I'm ready to adopt again. From what I understand she is no longer spooky, and is in fact the Alpha dog in her pack of 3. I still volunteer with the organization and when I finally reliquished Nike back to the group I donated Nike's collar collection to the group. I think her new Mom kept 5 of Nike's collar collection. I don't blame her they are stunning!

Some links for you:
http://www.houndtime.com/ <--coats n jammies
http://www.2houndsdesign.com/ <----This is My FAVORITE collar shop  
http://www.downtownhoundz.net/ <----My favorite coats n jammies

All of these ladies are WONDERFUL and will help you with sizing and everything. I love em all.


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## LarryT (May 12, 2009)

What a looker, congrats!


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## Lyndypop (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks Larry! 

Wow, that's awful. I really don't understand why people have to be so.. Childish about things. >.< I have heard so many horrible divorce stories, and I don't understand why others can't let their ex spouse just be happy. You loved the person at some point, and you shouldn't want to ruin their lives just because you are through with each other. Abusing someone because of something they can't control is doubly ridiculous. Hopefully things will look up!  It's good that Nike is somewhere that she can be happy. At least you know the foster family that adopted her will take good care of her and let you see her.

We usually get snow, but right now it's fairly warm for December with only some mild rain. XP So I haven't had to deal with her in the snow yet, but muddy, cold ground. She is very good about going potty outside even though it makes her miserable, haha. I am familiar with the booties and jackets (I have been looking and looking at these guys, and the original plan was to get a puppy from a breeder we know in May, but we posted an add just to see and got this little sweetie) I just didn't actually buy any of them yet. I didn't want to buy them without knowing how big the dog was going to be, you know?

Considering that her previous home was up in the mountains, I am very surprised that she doesn't seem familiar with jackets.  Then again, I have no idea if she wore one before or whatnot. They didn't really let us know what she had or anything. They gave us to her with a ratty regular clip collar and nothing else. Not even a full belly that morning! It's bizarre, because these people were definitely not hurting for money (you should have seen this house!) and they were very sad to see her go and were picky about who she was going with, so I have no idea why they didn't give us some of her stuff. Oh well, though, we got her, and she is wonderful!! We dropped a ton of cash getting her everything she needed, including a martingale collar, which they happened to have at Petsmart under another name. Petsmart learned that she was an adoption, and even though she wasn't adopted through them gave us a sweet package deal of training classes, a vet visit, free bag of food, a grooming, discount for microchip and tons of stuff for twenty bucks, which is pretty awesome.

The night before we officially brought her home I bought this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimmering-Silv ... fresh=true

It's only for walking, but it is very pretty and looks comfy.  We're getting it here today at some time, so we'll see. I'll also put up pictures of her new coat once we exchange it tonight after I work. It is very similar to those! Thanks for the links, the jacket with the big neck is awesome. I have a huge scarf that I am thinking of turning into a coat for her, and that model could work!


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## Avarris (Dec 3, 2012)

IMO with the booties, I'd wait til adulthood (if you get a puppy- use infant socks and stick some wax paper in the bottom) Since she's as big as she's going to get you can get booties for her as you can. I *love* the collar. Its beautiful. I'm pretty partial to 2houndsdesigns.com though. I know Alisha. She guarentees her work, and they fit beautifully. I've never had any problems with Alisha's collars. She has one that she does yearly called the Hope For Hounds collar. That collar I buy every year, even though I don't have a hound. A portion of the proceeds for the HFH collars goes to fund Cancer reasearch in greyhounds. Most cancer research done in greyhounds is done here at OSU, so it makes it double special for me.

I'm fortunate that Nike's new family gives me updates, and allows me to visit from time to time. They definitely don't have to do that for me. When I got the first email from the family I was surprised, and it came at a time that I was really depressed. It really made my month getting that update. I'm glad to hear she is doing well where she is, and even happier knowing that I helped her on the road to becoming the confident hound she is today. The love, blood, sweat, and tears, I put into her were worth it and I'll do it again someday. Right now my living situation just won't allow for it. With 3 housemates and a ton of animals already here, adding another dog, even a greyhound to the mix is just too much.

As far as my exhusband goes.. I'm glad to have that chapter of my life closed. I've moved on, even if it has been slowly, and making the best of what I have now. All I can do is build, go forward, and continue to do what makes me happy. Don't feel bad about it. Be glad that I am where I am.. All roads traveled lead somewhere. My divorce brought me down the road to hedgehogs, so its a good thing  If you need more links or help with the SA/alone training just let me know or send me a PM. Im always happy to help a houndie!


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