Greyhounds have a solid reputation for being intelligent, trainable dogs that are an absolute joy to have in the home. But are greyhounds easy to potty train?
Greyhounds can be fairly easy to potty train as they are not prone to messing up their space by going to the bathroom in it. These dogs are very clean and are happy to comply with your desires for them to go outside. However, you will still have to implement some potty training and establish a bathroom routine with them to keep them in the habit.
There are some factors to be aware of that can make it either easier or more difficult to potty train your greyhound. Any deviations from their typical bathroom habits are also important to note in case they signify any potential problems.
Are Greyhounds Easy To Potty Train?
Greyhounds can be easy dogs to potty train. These dogs are fairly easy to train on a variety of actions or commands, so long as you approach training in a manner best suited for these gentle dogs. Rewards-based training and repetition will ensure you have the best success when it comes to potty training.
There will be a period of feeling uncertain for your greyhound when you bring them home. This is completely normal. As they are sniffing out your home and getting to know their new space, they might be a little apprehensive at first to communicate with you. This might lead to them having an accident or two before they understand that they can ask you to take them outside.
Since greyhounds appreciate their environment being clean, they are likely to avoid having accidents all over the home as they don’t want to be around that kind of mess. They like spending most of their time inside sleeping and cuddling, so they don’t want to have to navigate around their toilet inside their home.
Once they learn you’ll take them outside, they’ll usually wait for you. Otherwise, if you have an area with puppy pads set up for when you’re not home that’s placed far away from their food and bed, they’ll go there when they can’t hold it in anymore.
Factors That Impact Greyhound Potty Training
Your greyhound may have already received some house training and potty training before you adopted them. This will depend on where you brought them home from. For instance, greyhounds that grow up in foster homes will usually have some form of potty training, and transitioning them into your home will be much easier when it comes to potty training.
Greyhounds who were in shelters, pounds, or kennels may not have had a proper potty training schedule implemented, so they may need a refresher course when they come into your home. Greyhounds that are also retired from racing may not be house trained, since they would usually be kept in kennels when they weren’t working.
Potty Training Your Greyhound
It’s recommended to let your greyhound explore your backyard or outdoor space when they arrive home. It should be one of the first areas they sniff around in, and it could help give you some indication of whether or not they feel comfortable going to the bathroom there. It’s also a good idea to have some puppy pads set up in your home until potty training is complete.
Have treats on hand and reward them with a treat and a “good job” when they go to the bathroom outside, and do this for a while after you bring them home. You should also have somewhat scheduled times that you take them outside to go to the bathroom so they know to expect that they’ll be able to go outside.
Until potty training and housetraining has been fully implemented, you may want to avoid feeding them too late in the evening so they don’t wake you up in the middle of the night to go, or worse off, go in the house.
How To Handle Accidents
Accidents happen, regardless of how well trained your pup is. You can expect that your new greyhound might have a few before they’ve become used to their new environment and understand their new routine. When it happens, just try to clean it up right away so the smell is gone. The smell may attract them back to that spot for potty time if it remains.
One of the telltale signs of a nervous dog is having potential accidents in the house. Attempting to punish this behavior out of your greyhound won’t work; in fact, it will likely make the problem worse. Accidents happen regardless of potty training, and it’s important that you don’t lose your patience with your greyhound if they slip up occasionally.
If they happen to poop in the house, one way to show them it’s unacceptable without being forceful or mean is by picking it up in a towel, and having them follow you to your outside space so you can place it outside. Them seeing that this is where poop belongs can help them learn that pooping needs to happen outside, not inside.
When you stumble upon them relieving themselves inside, point towards the outside and tell them they need to go outside. Don’t yell this at them or they’ll get scared. Instead, being firm but calm will help them recognize that what they are doing in the moment needs to be done outside.
Will Greyhounds Ask To Go Outside?
A greyhound’s usual way of asking to go outside is quiet. They won’t usually bark and bark until you let them out. They won’t come right up to you and guide you to the door. Instead, they may wait patiently at the door and hope that you come along and let them out.
When they become impatient, they may start to pace at the door and whine. This makes it important to learn your greyhound’s habits while you train them so you know their own quirky way of letting you know they want to go potty outside.
It may seem an impossible task, but as an attentive pet parent, you’ll learn your greyhound’s tendencies and communication techniques pretty quickly. You two will develop your own special relationship in a way that lets both of you know what the other needs or wants. Knowing your dog’s bathroom habits also helps you determine whether or not something is out of sync.
Tips For Successfully Potty Training
As mentioned, implementing potty training and a bathroom schedule for your greyhound needs to start as soon as possible. Doing this early in their time at home with you should make it so potty training is one of the first things they learn. You absolutely have to remain consistent with your training and be sure you have the time to dedicate to establishing a bathroom routine with your greyhound.
Be sure to be mindful of the cues your greyhound gives you when they want to go outside, when they recognize it’s time to go outside, and how they behave outside. As you are working through potty training with them, give them a treat when they go to the bathroom outside.
Don’t punish them or get upset with them if you stumble upon an accident after it’s been done. They aren’t going to understand why you’re upset, so there’s no use. Showing them the accident and scolding them for it isn’t going to help either. It’s best to only try and correct the behavior in a calm manner when you catch them doing it.
Be sure that you continue to reward your greyhound for doing their business in the proper areas for a while, even if it seems like they have everything under control. Give them a treat as soon as they are finished going to the bathroom, and not when they come inside. As said before, consistency is key with these adorable dogs.
Potty Training When You’re Not Home
You should have a designated area in your home, such as a bathroom, with puppy pads down. You should help your greyhound become familiar with this area so they know that that’s where they should go to the bathroom when you’re not home. If someone can come by and walk them if you’ll be out for long, that would be ideal.
While it may seem yucky, having a towel with a small amount of their urine on it by their puppy pads will create a scent cue for your greyhound that those puppy pads are the designated place to use the bathroom inside. This should only be left out before you have to leave so they don’t only want to go to the bathroom in that particular area.
Final Thoughts
Are greyhounds easy to potty train? Generally speaking, yes, but that doesn’t mean potty training will be effortless. When they’re young or new to your home, you shouldn’t expect them to be perfectly behaved. Show patience and a sense of calm, and keep consistent with your training, and your greyhound will learn in due time where the potty is.