# Italian Greyhound



## Caggsie (Aug 19, 2008)

Anyone got an Italian greyhound?


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## spatz1 (May 19, 2011)

No....

but i was wondering if yours is Bi lingual and takes comands in both languages as mine did :lol: :lol:

he was a troublesome one of these ...


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## Caggsie (Aug 19, 2008)

Soz Spatz, but what is she? Not an iggy I assume? Mine is all of 11 mths, but issues never experienced with any other dog, and ive had dogs for abosolute years. Lovely as she is! As we got her at 5mths, which is late for us, wondered whether this was the prob or whether they're like what she's like and I am getting too old! Joking apart, she a poppet, but this house training thing or lack of, according to the literature is normal for iggies, just want someone to confirm.

Edit, looked for whistle(boy) didn't see one so now has had sex change, sorry, should have said he, re-read your post.


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## Caggsie (Aug 19, 2008)

Thicko here just realised what your talking about, no not bi-lingual, in fact to be fair is welsh!!!!!! Born and bred.


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## spatz1 (May 19, 2011)

Caggsie said:


> Soz Spatz, but what is she? Not an iggy I assume? Mine is all of 11 mths, but issues never experienced with any other dog, and ive had dogs for abosolute years. Lovely as she is! As we got her at 5mths, which is late for us, wondered whether this was the prob or whether they're like what she's like and I am getting too old! Joking apart, she a poppet, but this house training thing or lack of, according to the literature is normal for iggies, just want someone to confirm.
> 
> Edit, looked for whistle(boy) didn't see one so now has had sex change, sorry, should have said he, re-read your post.


 :lol:

i thought him a segugio bred just around our locality (castel san pietro romano) for hunting wild boar where they met at the bar every sunday at the side of the house...He d had his tail shot and was an abandoned starving skin and bones who couldnt walk or raise his head to eat when he turned up near my car.... we adopted him and petrified of humans i had to feed him for a week before he could feed himself but he made a brilliant cheeky pet after initial agression...

Only tonight did i look for pictures of segugio s did i realise he was a segugiomaramano exactly as in the photo which explained his extroadinary sense of smell and as to why when we turned up in a bedford camper people ran for cover as he sounded like a pack of hounds as soon as we stopped and the click of the handbrake :lol:

He used to stand on the patio wall that looked down on rome 600 meters down and spread out 40 miles across and make a sound when i first heard it in the night like a ships horn and lasted some 60 seconds... he d cock his head and the dogs were answering all over the valley below miles away .....

this was the view he had from just to the right and slightly below and rome ringroad is the smogy fogy bit and it on clears on windy days to let you see a further 50 miles to the sea...

http://screencast.com/t/vZAVZpA8ye


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Haven't got an Iggie but have got a Whippet!

As you have hinted 5 months is late to start house training but can still be done.

First thing to realise is that paper down on the floor just teaches them to "go" indoors. Many breeders do it for convenience but it just delays things.

If you haven't got one already I would get a puppy den (crate). It needs to be big enough for the dog to lie flat in but not so big that the dog moves to the other end to toilet!

Introduce the den gradually as though it is the best thing in the world. Put her food in and toys and treats etc. Never let her out if she is whinging get her out when she is quiet.

Once she loves her den you are well on your way.

As you are probably already doing, take her out after sleeping, after eating, after playing and lots of times in between! When you can't watch her then pop her in her den with a favourite toy. Take her straight outside when you are ready to watch her again.

The whole idea is to prevent accidents. If she makes a mistake then do not tell her off or even give an exasperated sigh. Dogs are very sensitive and pick up when we are upset. If a dog thinks that you do not like wees and poos they will avoid being around you when they need to go! This, of course, means that they wait until you are out of the room or in bed!

Most importantly reward the right behaviour. As she starts to toilet reward her gently with smiles and words and when she finishes give her the best treat in the world! You are looking to train her to think "ooh I need to toilet - cor I get a treat if I go outside - let's go outside!"
Best of luck - keep us posted on your progress.


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## Caggsie (Aug 19, 2008)

Thanks Pat, we're doing all you suggest. She can't seem to go through the night, it doesn't matter whether crated or not. My experience with most dogs is they dont like to mess their dens, but she does. One of the probs are that she doesn't ask to go out either. So if we're occupied as she floats past the door she just does it. We have had her since june. She is now 11 mths and there is some improvement. All the literature about them tell us they are difficult to train due to such small bladders etc. she was being run on by a local breeder who decided to sell and was kennelled, so I anticipated some issues but had expected to have mastered the toilet bit by now. The other issues are being eroded slowly. She is a real poppet I have no intention of passing her on, just hoped someone on here may have one to compare notes as it were.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

It sounds as though the "reward" might not be doing it for her. Make sure you reward immediately she finishes her wee. Do not let her walk towards you as they then think they are being rewarded for coming to you. If you know how to clicker train you could click as she wees. (you need to introduce the clicker first) Timing is everything as you no doubt know. The reward needs to be our equivalent of a huge bonus.

There is a forum called The Whippet Forum that also caters for Italian Greyhounds. Might be worth chatting on there?


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## JLO (Sep 27, 2006)

Hiya, my black lab was quite late before I got him house trained, he is really really bright, just didn't cotton on with this, I think he must have been about 14 months before we got him sorted.

A thought which came to mind, is that one of my other labs couldn't go through the night, I got him checked out at the vets and it turned out he had crystals in his wee which was making him wee more and we had puddles every morning, we got that sorted and I stopped feeding him at night because he was fed on dry food, then he would drink loads, which needed to come out during the night, I changed his feed times to morning and it was much better.


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## Caggsie (Aug 19, 2008)

Thanks JLO, I too have swapped to morning main meal. She does however get a small meal at 5pm. This is two fold as she seems to permanently shake in this weather and I feel she needs the extra to compensate. She also is in a jumper due to the cold weather. She has no undercoat so unless heating/load fire is on needs additional warmth. I am willing to carry on with the trying as she is a real sweetie and I suppose if this has to carry on for the rest of her days that's how it's going to have to be.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Good point JLO. Always should do a vet check before any behaviour modification techniques :wink:


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## JLO (Sep 27, 2006)

Actually my vet said he was coming across the problem quite a lot in male dogs, he put the crystals in the bladder problem down to dry food and living in a hard water area (East Anglia) so with that particular dog I started soaking his food before I gave it to him, each dog is different and you have to see what works with each of them. 

My first two labs were indifferent to loud noises and you had to really work hard to get their attention sometimes, this one I have now is extremely sensitive to any noise, especially sensitive to a change in voice tone, he has been a doddle to train and is exceptionally well trained, however he is also the biggest wuss I have ever come across and is scared of most things and needs reassurances about stuff all the time, I don't which is more hard work, the lab that only listens half the time or the one which listens all the time and then worries about it.


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Is it true that Italian Greyhounds can only run backwards :wink:


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## Caggsie (Aug 19, 2008)

You taking the pith spacerunner!😃 to be honest don't understand the question, which will no doubt when having to explain will take the humour out of it.😘

Edit- numbers are supposed to be smiley faces.


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