All your Greyhound has known was a set routine, so now together, you have to rewire their thinking so they can adapt to a new routine. The 3-3-3 is a general rule of thumb.

It can take 3 days to decompress. During this time, we recommend to keep their world small. Pick a quiet spot to place their crate so they have their ‘safe space’ to observe their new environment. They are unlikely to bark or whine when they need to toilet, so keep an eye out for pacing behaviour or repetitive movements towards the outside door. We do recommend taking your Greyhound toilet before/after meals, first thing in the morning or after a nap. Create a toilet routine for your Greyhound that works within your own routine.

After 3 weeks, your Greyhound will start to understand your routine. They may express behavioural issues or test boundaries while figuring out their environment, so during this time your guidance and support is needed. Encourage behaviours you favour, just remember your Greyhound does not understand generalisation, so reinforce desired behaviours with each new environment. If you find the desired behaviour isn’t happening, check if you’ve under trained or perhaps check the behaviour reinforcement has been consistent from everybody involved.

After 3 months your Greyhound will start to feel relaxed in their forever home. They should have a routine set and their personality and quirks will start to show. Continue to support and guide your Greyhound through new and different forms of enrichment and training.

• Increase their social enrichment through different people/animals in different environments.

• Cognitive enrichment through problem solving or creative thinking to stimulate their brain.

• Practice physical enrichment by exercising in different environments.

• Introduce different foods/feeding tools to promote feeding enrichments. 

• Build on their play enrichment by offering different toys or activities.

• Encourage their sensory enrichment by offering safe ways to stimulate their senses.

• Support their independence by offering enrichments that promote self-soothing or self-entertaining in safe ways.

Have any questions? Please feel free to get in touch with one of our team members - we will endeavour to support you throughout this journey, and with any concerns you may have while settling in your new Greyhound.