Separation Anxiety in Greyhounds

In this video I thought I would talk about separation anxiety. I cover the symptoms and some ways to treat the condition.
Here are some links to some other resources to help you with your separation anxiety issues.
www.greyhoundt...
greyhoundcare....
www.kentgreyho...
www.greyhoundg...

[@marks7502]

Congratulations. Treatment for separation anxiety is long hard work.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. It was quite the process, but worth doing

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching

[@ethanwalker1942]

Your welcome

[@samanthaaiello]

This makes me the most nervous with adoption. I volunteer at a local grey rescue, so I am used to the sight hound aspect (freezing, zoomies, training, their strength, etc), but there are some things you can’t experience until they are adopted. I am so nervous that I won’t be able to help the separation anxiety. These videos are so helpful. Thank you!

[@magnusgreyhound]

We were complete newbies when we adopted Magnus. Setting up a routine and doing all the steps I mentioned in the video did work. It can be challenging but you can overcome it.

[@samtravis4822]

Our greyhound had terrible separation anxiety and would whine, pace and pant immediately when left (he was in kennels for 7 years before we adopted him). We tried everything for a year before accepting that anti depressants might be needed. Now with these and a lot of hard work and routine he is finally happy being left for several hours, spending that time roaching in his crate or on our bed. He never got to a point of being calm as we built up time initially, but did gradually improve with repetition. A white noise machine to block out some of the external noise helped also. It has been worth the hard work though, he’s so much more confident and happy in general now.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching and for taking the time to share your experience

[@Denisedf1994]

Thanks for your tips! I love your videos. Next month my adoption dog is finally coming, a spanish greyhound :-) i’m so excited.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Wishing you all the best for your adoption.

[@hennokeers4641]

Superb video about the subject. Also very important is your calm and relaxed Scottish accent and "timbre" to calm down the hoomans who are worried about the anxiety of their sighthounds. It works 2 ways. Most excellent.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Glad you like the video.

[@jenniferloyd-pain4429]

Thank you so much for your videos! My husband and I adopted our greyhound, Finn, two months ago and are working on being able to leave him on his own. Your video not only gave us many helpful tips, but seeing the beautiful Magnus and Scout is a bonus.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Glad you found the video useful.

[@ambel573]

omg our greyhounds name is also Finn and is getting adopted soon :D

[@andyclark1173]

Thank you for your great knowledge and tips the best video on separation anxiety. Thanks again.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Glad you found it useful.

[@GrannyReplica]

I am getting ready to adopt and this point is what scares me the most. I mostly work from home, but a couple of days out of the week I have to work from the office and..I don't know what will happen during those days.. If I'll be able to handle things, do something helpful.. Oh, yeah, my insecurities are having a field day, field weeks, actually.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Each dog if different. It can be hard if they suffer from separation anxiety. Do you have anytime off when you bring your pup home. We put Magnus in doggy daycare at first while we were at work then transitioned to a dog walker. You will want to get something arranged if you will be at work all day. Practice the separation training from day one. It can be hard at first, but at some point they will figure out they will be okay. Best of luck with your adoption. They are great dogs. I had no experience when we adopted Magnus.

[@GalaFerrari]

Thank you so much for all the tips!! My grey suffers from separation anxiety and it pains me to see him so sad every time my partner and I have to leave the house :(

[@magnusgreyhound]

Hope they can be of some use to you. It was really tough with Magnus in those early days. Thanks for watching

[@bluesky9577]

I love all your videos! Thank you... great advice!

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Hope you find it useful.

[@bluesky9577]

@@magnusgreyhound We are looking to adopt a retired greyhound so i have been doing lots of research and your channel is very informative. We are going to kennels on Saturday. 😊

[@magnusgreyhound]

All the best with your adoption. They are great dogs. Just need a bit of patience to help them settle in.

[@bluesky9577]

@@magnusgreyhound Thank you. I am looking forward to the experience! I have given your Instagram a little follow too.

[@playme129]

Excellent presentation.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks again for watching

[@AitorEguzki]

Thanks for all the videos! I have two angels called Paco (Spanish Greyhound) and Lola (Ibicean Podenco mix with Spanish Greyhound). Paco used to eat his nails when we were leaving, but thank god he quit…

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Glad you like the videos

[@adamsalafia6324]

Love your videos. These video are the reason why my wife is now more open to getting a Grey. Could you do a video on feed /walking/ zoomies on time frames of how long you waiting in between those activities and feeding. Thank you so much.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Will see what I can do.

[@adamsalafia6324]

@@magnusgreyhound that or how you travel with them would be interesting. Like what you bring for a road trip.

[@FourTwenny]

I set my phone up to record my whippet when I went to the store about a month ago. She screamed the entire time I was gone. When I come out of the shower she jumps up on me and gets the zoomies. She is a retired show dog. I got her when she was 4 and a half years old. I have only had her for 6 weeks.

[@magnusgreyhound]

It will get better. We did a lot of coming and going training with Magnus. It did take a lot of training, but it paid off and we were able to leave him for several hours without any issues. All the best

[@crazy-ane2691]

Thank you so much for posting this.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching.

[@ethanwalker1942]

BEAUTIFUL DOGS!

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for your kind words.

[@keziahewitt3027]

Thanks for this video! Very helpful and reassuring

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Glad you like the video

[@melissashelby2339]

Another informative video! I wonder if having another, calm dog in the home helps with separation anxiety? I’m about to adopt a greyhound and already have another dog in the house who does not exhibit anxious behavior.

[@magnusgreyhound]

It should help having another calm dog around. Thanks for watching

[@CindyRink]

Thank you for the tips! 👍💖😊

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Glad you found the video useful.

[@jakerubino3233]

My Doberman Greyhound X was rescued after being mistreated and abused quite badly with multiple different behaviours having unique responses developed from each specific abuse she was subjected to. Her separation anxiety was very bad but not so much on the extreme where she would be destructive or whine. She would get very depressed and sad and mainly trouble lick to comfort herself. Out of all the different hang ups she initially had, I was able to eliminate or at least massively reduce all but two - her debilitating fear of thunder (more than any dog I’ve seen or heard) although the thunder vest helped significantly, and separation anxiety. Nothing I could do would help this especially as she was so intelligent and would always outsmart every ploy I’d use to not be predictable in my routine or random trips away. She would even display deliberate sulking behaviour on return, but this was only a surface behaviour as no amount of sad acting could hide her tail and it’s inability to follow the script 😂

[@mel999.]

How is she doing now

[@robertnoble3768]

mighty Magnus lives on in Video we lost our herbie greyhound in January made Amber cry so I adopted a rough coated lurcher Peggy

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for your condolences for Magnus. We are so glad I have so much video to look back upon.

[@Goit_Goit]

We've had our new rescue for nearly a week. It's early days but he's displaying all the attention seeking and distress traits you listed for severe SA. He's a proper velcro dog and becomes very upset when left on his own for even 30 seconds. He won't even touch his Kong full of food. We'll try and follow your steps and hope he can work through it.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Its small steps at first. Will take them about 3 weeks to know the routine. Keep all comings and goings low key. Almost ignore your dog when you come and go. We had to use multiple things with Magnus. Do a lot of the desensitisation stuff, such as putting coat on a off but go nowhere or pick up house keys lots and put them back down again and go in and out of your front doors lots. Making sure they get plenty walks also helps. Kongs with frozen food and lucky mats are good. As are puzzle food toys such as our snake or ball toy which keep them engaged for a long time. We used to take it one day at a time. We also used the dog anxiety music on KZbin. They have videos that last several hours. These helped to calm Magnus. Doing as much training as you can now will pay off in the long run. We got to the stage where we can leave him for several hours without any issue, so you will get there. The first few weeks are the hardest as they settle in. Hope this helps. Here is a little article about separation anxiety so you can understand the background of Greyhounds. Understanding Separation Anxiety in Greyhounds. One of the most common complaints we hear from new greyhound adopters, has to do with what is known as “separation anxiety”. What it means, is that when the new adopter leaves the home, the greyhound becomes extremely stressed. This behaviour can manifest as “fretting” (hyperventilating), whining, barking, or all of the above, as well as engaging in less creative behaviours--like chewing things, and/or other not quite constructive expressions of angst or agitation. While there are sedatives that the vet may prescribe for extreme cases of anxiety, it may be of some help to look at why a greyhound might exhibit this upsetting behaviour. From the moment he or she came into this world, your greyhound was probably never alone, for even a moment. They are raised in the constant company of their dams and littermates, and while the dam will be separated at some point, the littermates usually remain together. There are often dozens of other pups on the breeder's premises, and they are kept in kennel runs adjacent to one another, where they can be seen, barked at incessantly, and/or goaded into dashing competitions, or display-of-fierceness contests. Then, in the racing kennel, often the litter remains together, and the larger pack is introduced to them. There, they learn to do everything in concert with their pack/colony, and their handlers, and the atmosphere is quite social. Even in their kennels, they remain in visual contact with their kennel mates and their handlers. Quite often, littermates may spend their entire lives at the same venues, with the same handlers, and remain together until one or more of them is retired. So, is it any wonder that a newly adopted greyhound, suddenly thrust into what for them is an alien universe, full of strange things and unfamiliar people---and perhaps without the company of other greyhounds, for the first time in his life---might feel some uneasiness? There can be much more than meets the eye to a greyhound's anxiety. Any number of triggers might induce anxiety in the new adoptee, from the strange new objects and appliances in the home, to the new smells, sights and sounds of the neighbourhood, to any of the many changes in his established and ingrained routine, to which he/she must now learn to adapt. The most overlooked of these triggers being, that the greyhound has no idea what he did wrong to have suddenly been picked up and plopped down into this entirely new, and (often) intimidating situation. There is a blind spot among some adopters, which can fail to perceive even the possibility that the greyhound may have been perfectly happy with things as they were, as a racing athlete, one among many---a pack member. Contrary to popular greyhound mythology, the vast majority of racing greyhounds, are quite content and fulfilled doing what it is that they have been bred to do, within a colony of their peers. Working dogs are generally that way. Most relish and thrive on their work, and the physical and mental stimulation it provides. Greyhounds prosper with routine, punctuality and repetition. They blossom when they are as free of all stresses as we can make them. But they often have some reservations about novelty. They are used to regimentation and predictability, and their whole lives have revolved around the narrower confines of the breeding, raising, training and racing environment, as opposed to the brave new world of the adopter's home, social outlets, and leisure time activities, in which the dog may now be included. Regardless, he no longer has the outlet of training and racing to pleasantly fatigue himself, and to relieve pent up stress---a very important factor to be aware of. The new, retired adoptee was likely already bonded to one or more of his/her handlers, and often, to one or more of their kennel mates---who are now, suddenly, gone. It's a huge void to fill for most of them. This bonding, by the way, generally happens over a period of time, where the greyhound learns who, in their circle, can be relied upon and trusted. Just because a newly adopted greyhound may resign himself to the fact that you are his new human, and even be amenable to it, doesn't mean that you have bonded with him--or he with you. That may or may not happen, with time, depending upon your individual greyhound’s adaptability---and your own. The point is, of course, that separation anxiety can be more of an "I simply can't deal with being alone, and I miss my job and my friends" anxiety---especially for the new adoptee. Smothering the dog with toys, treats and attention won't usually be a panacea for the anxious, newly re-homed greyhound. That elusive panacea is more likely to be routine, punctuality, stress reduction in the home environment, physically and mentally engaging the dog in stimulating, healthy activities--and time--time for the greyhound to learn to trust, to rely upon, and then to eventually bond with their new person(s).

[@magnusgreyhound]

They probably won't touch the Kong in the early days as they will be too stressed to eat. At the early stage desensitisation training is what to focus on. This may be the first time they have ever been on their own. Also the home environment is new and scary. After the 3 week mark you should see a change in their behaviour. It took Magnus about 3 months to truly come out of his she'll and settle in and show his full character.

[@Goit_Goit]

@@magnusgreyhound thank you so much for your reply, we really appreciate the explanation. I'll read through the article and make notes. We've really stepped into the unknown by adopting our grey... It's great that someone out there has already trodden this path.

[@magnusgreyhound]

We were completely new to dog ownership so had no background to draw from. Magnus had separation anxiety, resource guarding and sleep startle when we first adopted him, but we were able to get through it without any professional help. Do not put too much pressure on yourself. Just take it one day at at time and do not worry about what happened the day before. At some point a switch will flip in your pup and they will just get it and you will forgot the hard times. If you have any further questions at any time. Just ask in a comment in the videos.

[@Rincewindcl]

Really helpful video, thank you.

[@magnusgreyhound]

Glad you found the video useful.

[@julianengel492]

Thank you, this was really helpful

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Glad you found the video useful.

[@savvystarfire6667]

Your vids are always so informative, and I love seeing Magnus and Scout :) When we get our first dog (hopefuly a Greyhound, if not a golden retriever) Is it true that Greyhounds can make good Emotional Support dogs, as I'm hoping to train our dog to be my ESA possibly

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Glad you like the videos. I know a few greyhounds who are therapy dogs. They are very calming.

[@savvystarfire6667]

@@magnusgreyhound cool, thanks 😊 It's good to know there are such a variety of things that can help with Separation Anxiety!

[@lynhorley7975]

Beautiful Grey's ,Magnus &Scout . Their lovely faces at the beginning of this video ❤. Did you find the anxiety problem was worse when Magnus was an only dog ? , maybe I naively thought having a mate would help massively when you guys go out 😕 .Many thanks love your videos 😍

[@magnusgreyhound]

Magnus was really bad when we first got him. We had it pretty resolved before Scout came on the scene. We have been starting the process again as both have been a bit clingy since we have been home all the time with lockdown. Just getting them comfortable again with the process in case we need to return to the office.

[@francescagraziosi9733]

@@magnusgreyhound we are still working from home so we are leaving the dog in the kitchen with a kong for a few hours and then in the afternoon we open the door he roams around on the landing part but we try to not to give him attention ( even if it is very hard) ! We think if we go back to work it will be harder to get him used to it …

[@lisadennys6045]

Very helpful!

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Glad you found the video useful.

[@samjones0528]

Magnus and Scout are so cute and beautiful

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching and for your kind words.

[@robertnoble3768]

mighty Magnus lives on in vidio

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching.

[@davidlunn4842]

Do dogs experience anxiety when separated from other dogs. I am thinking of getting another hound as the dog in the house is about to leave when the stepdaughter goes. She is concerned her dog will get anxious.

[@magnusgreyhound]

They can miss the other dog. Getting another dog does not always solve the separation anxiety issue. It worth spending the time training to make the dog less anxious when on their own, although it is a slow process.

[@simonesolas2672]

Thankyou for your fantastic videos . Did you find Magnus experienced side effects from the anti anxiety medication? Did it take long to work? Best wishes from Australia .😃🦋💕

[@magnusgreyhound]

Thanks for watching. Glad you like the videos. Luckily we never had to go as far as getting anti anxiety medication for Magnus. We were able to get him comfortable being on his own with training alone.

[@simonesolas2672]

@@magnusgreyhound , would you be able to give me an estimate of how long it took to get Magnus to cope with separation with training. I realise this would vary for each dog is very individual . I work in aged care and work is so stressful in the pandemic and now worrying about our beautiful grey while I'm at work is alot . He is only ever alone for 3.5 hours maximum. He has only been with us for 2mths .I have watched all videos and they are inspiring and informative. I had no idea how beautifully natured this breed could be ,a friend told me to look into adoption and about your chanel when we were looking at getting a dog and the rest is history. Your chanel is effectively inspiring people over the other side of the world to save this breed from goodness knows what outcome.Thank you . 😊💕

[@magnusgreyhound]

It took about 6 months to get Magnus fully comfortable with being on his own. But we saw progress after a few weeks. I used to film Magnus when we left him in the house to be able to monitor his behavior/progress. He had very bad separation anxiety, not all dogs have this. We found we had to use several different factors to get him comfortable from coming and going training. Sit in place training, no saying goodbye before departure and keeping them low key. No hellos when arriving home (for the first 10 minutes) ignoring him, until he is calm. We also used separation anxiety music on youtube. We would play this all day long. We also had frozen kongs and interactive toys to keep him entertained. All these things helped. You may not need any or as much as these to make him comfortable. 3.5 hours is not that long. Hope this helps.

[@simonesolas2672]

@@magnusgreyhound thank you so very much. I have read your message several times and I believe it strengthens my resolve which in turn enables my husband and I to deliver our plan with confidence and a sense of hope. We already love our greyhound Sonny so much and the stress and worry about his emotional state while we are work is hard to cope with along with our pressure filled jobs. Sonny is a wonderful chilled out beautiful dog 95 % of the time. We are already seeing improvements with his separation anxiety and you have helped us enormously. Thankyou once again and just so you know all the work you put into your lovely ,informative ,entertaining videos can change lives, humans and Greyhounds. Many Greyhounds are discarded in Australia and what a shame many people are unaware of how beautifully natured these magnificent creatures are.They are somewhat unusual but just quite exquisite. Sonny brings so much joy and also a relaxed vibe to our home . I'm sure if Greys could speak they would thank you also. Sending 💕 from Australia

[@magnusgreyhound]

Glad you find the videos help. I looked for videos for info when we got Magnus, but there was not much beyond the first day. There are now quite a few videos, but most talk about the issues but I wanted to show them. With the separation anxiety. Another thing you can use is cheese bones. They last a long time and stops them chewing other things. The separation training can be very boring and repetive but it will make a difference. After a while Magnus would play with his toys and treats for 5 to 10 minutes then sleep the rest of the day. For many Greyhounds this is the first time in their lives that they have been on their own and they need to learn how to cope with this and learn they have not been abandoned. All the best with Sonny. They are great dogs and we are lucky to have them.

[@timmason43]

What dental treat is magnus eating? They look like they would be perfect for my hounds

[@magnusgreyhound]

Himalayan cheese bones

[@francescagraziosi9733]

Do you leave the dogs around the house or a specific area ?

[@magnusgreyhound]

Magnus and Scout have the full run of the house with the exception of the kitchen when we are out. When we first brought Magnus home we started with our bedroom were the crate was and the hall. Once he was doing better with the anxiety we let him have the whole flat with the exception of the kitchen to roam around in. The pups tend to hang out in their beds when we leave the house without them.

[@francescagraziosi9733]

@@magnusgreyhound we did it the other way around … we put our Lurcher in the kitchen only but he gets a bit of anxiety so we are leaving him there a few hours in the morning with the kong and then leave him a bit in the afternoon on the landing and in the evening he has his bed next to ours … but he still suffers from a bit of anxiety

[@magnusgreyhound]

@@francescagraziosi9733 we had to do months of coming and going training to get him comfortable to be on his own.

[@francescagraziosi9733]

@@magnusgreyhound thank you hopefully he will get better and we ❤️ your videos. They are very funny and cute 🥰 Magnus and Scout are great names.

[@bobbydrake4674]

I’m looking into greyhound adoption I understand every dog is different. I live alone and will be gone for around 10 hours a day 4 days a week. I have been told this will be ok by the organisation but was interested in some honest opinions from some owners

[@magnusgreyhound]

Only my opinion, but I think you may need to get either a dog walker or day care for the days you are working, as that is a long time to be on their own and without a bathroom break.

[@bobbydrake4674]

@@Lonewolf.wildcamping hey thanks there keyboard warrior. I asked a question for that reason. Hope you have got your aggression out of your system and can move on with you day.