by Glenda Taylor 

For foster guardians and new adopters, here’s a list of tips that may help you smoothly transition your greyhound from life at the track to life on the couch, and preserve your cherished valuable items, or sentimental knickknacks, not to mention your sanity! Remember: in many cases, you are caring for a puppy in an adult body. A lot of our greyhounds come to us under the age of four and, like a human toddler, require patience, love, consistency, vigilance, and correction.

• Before bringing home a greyhound to foster or adopt, inspect your home for possible doggie targets: Hide or remove any electrical cords that are within nibble range. The same goes for TV remotes, eye glasses, cell phones, etc. Be vigilant and HIDE in a drawer otherwise the greyhound might think this is something similar to a Nylabone and its O.K. to scrunch, chomp, and annihilate. Training a greyhound also makes for a very tidy home!
• AGR Tag & Adopter Address/Phone Tag: Your greyhound has been micro chipped so the yellow AGR tag needs to remain on the dog’s collar. It has the telephone number for 24 PetWatch.com – 1-866-597-2424. If your dog gets loose, this will help someone locate you. A tag with your name, street address and phone number also needs to be on your greyhound’s collar as this is another way to help your greyhound come home safely.
• HOLIDAYS: Greyhounds should not be exposed to: holiday decorations, especially tinsel, Poinsettias, Halloween candy, candles, and Easter Lilies.
•  Wagging tails: Greyhounds have long tails and, when excited, those tails will whip around at such speed that Cat Woman will slink into retirement. If you have low coffee tables, one whip of that tail will clear whatever is displayed. Keep anything of value off the coffee table and place behind closed doors. If the tail wagging turns into happy tail [the end of the tail will start to bleed and will need to be checked and wrapped by the vet to prevent a future tail amputation] tell the dog to ‘knock it off.’ Stand by the dog until it settles down.

When first introduced to a home, especially if there are other dogs, male greyhounds may mark their territory for a couple of days, meaning your furniture! When this happens in your presence, send them immediately outside and praise them when they urinate in the yard. If marking occurs when you’re absent from the home, local pet stores sell products such as PetZyme that removes pet stains and odor to prevent additional marking. Rinse off the furniture under attack, and liberally spray on the product. I’ve also heard that vinegar works quite well. Consistent monitoring of your hound to ensure this behavior is not repeated is a MUST.

For one volunteer - who has experience with ‘fast leg lifters’ - is to leash them to her for the first couple of days. Many of her greyhounds have learned how to do laundry and make the bed. They’re such good helpers!

• Pulling on the Leash: When walking your greyhound, every time the dog pulls on the leash, stop walking, and the dog will quickly learn not to pull you down the street. Remember to use only a Martindale collar or, if the greyhound pulls too much, a strong harness.
• Crating:  This tip is especially important for foster guardians as you are training the dog in readiness for a permanent home.  If you’re away from the home for no more than four hours, you can crate the greyhound. When you return home, and for the first couple of weeks the dog is with you, make sure the dog is in the same room with you and not allowed to wander throughout the house. If the dog is feisty and misbehaving when you’re home, crate the dog for a while until it settles down. The dog has to earn the right to be with you. A constant vigil to correct and, most importantly, praise correct action is a must.
• Paper products: If you have newspapers, magazines, books lying around, or wastepaper baskets that have not been emptied, beware. Greyhounds are fascinated with paper products and will shred and scatter them throughout your living room.
• Garbage: The smell of garbage is tantalizing for greyhounds. If you leave the home, place the garbage can in the garage or behind closed doors otherwise you will discover garbage strewn around the home when you return. Another good tip is to stack 6 empty pop cans containing pennies on top of the garbage can. The noise alone will make the greyhound back off. This technique also works well for counter surfing.
• Exercise: One of the most important things you can do for your greyhound is walk its legs off. When greyhounds are walked several miles a day, it keeps them in good shape, engages their interest in the world around them, and tires them out. A tired pooch is a well behaved pooch.
• Indoor and Outdoor plants:  Greyhounds may be tempted to nibble on plants. Place inside plants out of reach – especially Sago Palm plants - and make sure your outside plants are also not poisonous to greyhounds. In Arizona, oleanders are popular as is potpourri in the home, but both are poisonous to dogs. Also, antifreeze, insecticides and herbicides are dangerous to dogs and need to be kept out of reach. For a more comprehensive list of poisonous plants and foods, log onto: http://www.entirelypets.com/toxicfoods.html or http://www.aspca.org/      
• Poisonous Foods: include: chocolate, grapes, mushrooms, baby food, raisins, onions, tomatoes, caffeinated beverages, alcohol, garlic, Macadamia nuts, cat food, milk and other dairy products, raw eggs, raw fish, cooked bones [chicken, fish, turkey, pork, beef,] walnuts, and Xylito [sweetener in sugar candies, gum, etc.] Greyhounds are dogs and need dog food, not people food, so please don’t serve the dog chicken enchiladas with beans and rice!
• Clothing and Shoes: Usually greyhounds will transport your underwear and socks to the patio for the neighbors to view, but they will not shred them. Shoes, however, may not receive the same respect. So be sure to place all clothing and shoes in your closet and away from nosey noses and sharp teeth.
• Crafts Materials: knitting needles, wool, crochet hooks, glue, paint, paintbrushes, ceramic pots or plates awaiting painting, stained glass, anything on an artwork table either needs to be removed or covered with a large towel. Depends on the hound how extensive the doggie proofing. One volunteer concluded that when her dog tried to take the television to his bed to watch ‘Animal Planet’ while she was absent from the house for a couple of hours, the dog needed to be crated.
• Toilet Bowls: Either put the lid down or close the bathroom door, as drinking from a toilet bowl that contains cleaning solutions could invariably mean a trip to the vet! Other items that may pique your hounds’ interest in the bathroom are sponges and pumice stones. Chemicals relating to the bathroom or the kitchen always need to be behind closed doors and out of reach of greyhounds.
• Teach your greyhound basic commands: ‘Come here’ and use the dog’s  name frequently. When the dog complies, reward it with a biscuit. If the dog counter surfs with its paws or nose, ‘Off’ is a good command to use and praise the dog when it obeys the command. When cooking, it’s wise to place cooked food in a safe house commonly referred to as a ‘microwave’ or a cool oven unless you want that tenderloin to disappear through the doggie door.  If you have cats, smaller dogs or encounter dead critters on walks, use ‘Leave it.’ Again, praise the dog when it obeys the command. Consistency is the key to good training.
• Furniture: Hard objects such as wood furniture will grab a greyhound’s attention and may be chewed, such as corners of dining room tables, bed posts, arm chairs, etc.  Greyhounds are sight hounds. If you choose not to crate or are away from the home for extended periods of time, cover furniture with towels or old sheets. What a greyhound cannot see, they rarely touch, unless it smells like food or garbage! Another tip is to use bitter apple products as these too may detract a greyhound from a tooth work out.
• Bathroom Training: For those foster guardians or adopters that are in the workforce, if possible, it’s best to install a doggie door in an arcadia or sliding door as it makes house breaking much easier. If a doggie door is not feasible, a consistent routine of putting the greyhound outside when you get up in the morning, immediately upon returning to the home from work, and again before you go to bed will train the dog to your routine and his/her bathroom needs.
• Greyhounds are inquisitive: If you are away from the home for no more than four hours at a time, and your greyhound has exhibited destructive behavior, crating is an option to keep the greyhound out of mischief. Gates to corral them in certain sections of your home work, but never put a greyhound in a room with a closed door. Greyhounds need to see what’s going on – remember, they are sight hounds. If you are in the workforce and away from the home for many hours during the day, provide toys, Kongs, and Nylabones. Other dogs are a tremendous help for companionship and will prevent the greyhound from becoming bored and possibly destructive.
• If you are away from the home 8 to 9 hours a day and have no other animals, a greyhound may not be for you.

If anyone has other tried and true doggie proofing tips, please email Glenda Taylor so we can keep the list updated.  Thank you.