Good Home Wanted

[Lily]

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We have two lovely male whippets. We live in a semi with a small garden. Our whippets are with us all day, since we both work from home.

We take them for a long walk during which they are able to run freely every day, but the rest of the day we need to work. Still, the dogs have free access to the garden at most times.

While one of our whippets is very happy, Monty isn't . To put the problem simply, he doesn't seem to be a city dog. He's very happy when things are happening and when there is a lot of activity. He's extremely affectionate with any new person or dog that he meets.

We tried playing with him more, as it seems to be the only thing that he likes doing around the house, but our time is limited. I work full time and study on top of that, and I really can't give Monty the attention that he needs. When our other dog was younger and more playful, it seemed to do the trick, but as he's getting older and calming down, Monty is getting bored.

I love him to bits, but I don't think he's truly happy with us. He's restless and unsatisfied. We sadly came to the conclusion that the way for him to be happy is to find him a good home that is more suitable for his needs. I think that a much more active household with at least one more dog and preferably in the countryside would be ideal for him.

If anybody is able to help in any way, please PM me. Thanks.

 

[jostler]

Lily what a horrible dilemma. Is Monty perhaps from a working/racing line and is looking for more of a challenge? And how old is your older boy? Good luck with your search for a solution that suits you all :luck:

 

[whippetmad]

Have you tried to contact his breeder Lily?

 

[quintessence]

Teenage whippets can sometimes be a bit boistrous but they usually settle down. Do you think he just needs a bit more time. He sounds a nice boy with a lovely temperament. Why not persevere for a little while longer.

Jenny

 

[TC]

Far be it from me to judge, but I really think this lad needs a little more, myself.

Having had one very demanding whippet (energy wise), you just have to make a little more efort. All whippets are different one of mine would sleep 23.5 hours a day quite easily if you didn't take him out, but another one would be doing his crust.

Can I suggest that you maybe get up a little earlier to take him out for a good run before you start your mornings work, and then again at lunchtime. Play some ball or frisbee and really interact. Do some basic obedience training, as this wears them out mentally as well as physically. Then he should be much more satisfied and crash out when he comes home.

Once you finish work for the afternoon then play with him somemore.

I'm sorry, but I work, and make time for my whippets. I have one that would go stir crazy if I didn't do enough with him, it's up to me to find the balance. I couldn't just look to rehome him.

I don't mean to offend, I just hope you can see that others manage.

 

[~elizabeth~]

Sorry to hear of your dilemma. To be honest, young male dogs seem to go through phases of being more or less hyperactive, so there's still time for him to settle down yet.

I wouldn't assume a country home would necessarily be better, it might be more restrictive in some ways. We have to be very careful as we have deer in and out of the garden which one of my dogs is very keen on chasing, and walking off-lead in close proximity livestock can be very dangerous unless the dogs have been brought up to be used to them (and not necessarily even then with some individuals :- " :b ).

I agree, he probably needs more mental and physical stimulation; is there anyone who could pop by in the day to give them an extra walk or a play session; perhaps also try some more organised activity such as agility. Sometimes just knowing something fun is going to happen regularly at some point helps calm them down, and stops them being quite so 'creative' with their spare time.

Good luck.

 

[nicky12]

Far be it from me to judge, but I really think this lad needs a little more, myself.
Having had one very demanding whippet (energy wise), you just have to make a little more efort. All whippets are different one of mine would sleep 23.5 hours a day quite easily if you didn't take him out, but another one would be doing his crust.

Can I suggest that you maybe get up a little earlier to take him out for a good run before you start your mornings work, and then again at lunchtime. Play some ball or frisbee and really interact. Do some basic obedience training, as this wears them out mentally as well as physically. Then he should be much more satisfied and crash out when he comes home.

Once you finish work for the afternoon then play with him somemore.

I'm sorry, but I work, and make time for my whippets. I have one that would go stir crazy if I didn't do enough with him, it's up to me to find the balance. I couldn't just look to rehome him.

I don't mean to offend, I just hope you can see that others manage.

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im sorry but i agree with tracy here ,i used to work 9till5 and would come home take my heels of and put trainers on and be out the door with the dogs before id even had a coffee after a hrs drive home ,so you can do it if you really try and love your dogs like you say you do. i would bend over backwards to make shure my dogs were getting enough exercise and stimulation i used to play with mine in the kitchen as i was making tea or be chucking a ball up and down the stairs as i was making beds lots you can do with them even when your doing the house work .maybe give him sumore time :thumbsup:

 

[Nicola]

Good luck with whatever you decide is best in the end. :luck: I hope you find some of the advice provided useful.

Sometimes there are more factors involved in these decisions than first appear, so please don't be overly judgmental K9 folk.

I do agree that the countryside can be quite restrictive with regards to dog walking. I have to drive to a National Trust park to be absolutely confident I can let my two off with no fear of them chasing sheep, damaging crops and disturbing wildlife (nesting birds on the moorland etc).

 

[muttz]

I work 9 - 4.30 and have two young males. One is quite happy to sleep and potter all day but the 16 month old boy is almost ADHD !! I call him my ASBO boy but I put a lot of time into him He goes racing, agility training, I do basic obedience work with him and am constantly amusing him whilst doing other things at home. If you put your mind to it you can turn almost any sitiation into a game. I find mental stimulation (learning) tires him more than physical exertion. You have been given some excellent advice by some K9ers. Please persevere with your boy. He just might surprise you !! Good luck :luck:

 

[Lily]

Thanks to everybody who gave their opinion. I do agree with a lot of what you all said. However, I'm not sure I made myself clear enough.

I do play with Monty as much as I can. I don't have a 9 to 5 job, I work and study most of my waking hours and that means that on some days (though definitely not every day) I don't have any time at all for any extra play with him other than on the daily walk which I never miss. I don't think that's fair to him.

Before we decided on a whippet we read several books and websites about different breeds since we knew what our circumstances are and wanted a breed which will suit them. I guess being inexperienced dog owners we failed to realize there are large variations within each breed and that not all dogs are alike. I admit that this was our biggest mistake.

I don't mean to sound like I'm trying to just get rid of Monty. My only concern here is his well-being and happiness and it took me a long time to finally decide on writing this post. I will try my best to give him more attention and use all the advice I got here.

I hope that, like some of you said, it might be a phase that will pass (though he was always like this). Still, if anybody out there thinks they can offer him a more suitable home I think that's more fair to him since my workload and studying are not going to change in the next few years.

 

[boothros]

I appreciate your situation & hope that you persevere as this maybe only a temporary situation. At least currently, your whippets have each others company, might it make things worse for either or both of them if they were seperated?

 

[TC]

Okay, I don't want to go over and over your situation and the whys and wherefores of responsibilty etc. That won't get us anywhere.

At 15 months most whippets are testing the patience of their owners, so I really think that Monty needs to be given the chance to mature. IMO most breeds seem to slow down as such at a year, whippets it's more like two years. I have the whippet from hell if you want to talk about attention seeking. He was a real drain, and the reason I had to eventually try the option of getting whippet number two :- " he is now 2 and a half, and although much more demanding than the other two (and one is a 5 months old puppy (w00t) ) he is much calmer and can honestly sleep for England. I just need to make sure that I give him some attention inbetween naps.

You say that you work from home. I don't know if the dogs are in the same room as you whilst you're wroking or not? it could be that this might make a difference to his state of mind.

However, based on your last post, I'd like to make a couple of suggestions.....

Kongs are wonderful time fillers, brain teasers, and energy wasters. Try filling one with different biscuits. A mixture of small and large ones and then stuff the top with cream cheese, pate or kong paste. He needs to be able to get some small ones out inbetween fighting to free the larger ones otherwise he may lose interest. This can keep mine amused for an hour easily if the big biscuits are wedged in. I often cut up little cubes of cheese and pop those in randomnly as well. You can also stuff them with paste and then freeze, it takes them ages :- "

When you stop work to go to the loo or make a drink, just play with him for five minutes while the kettle boils. All these little sessions don't have to be long, just enough to make him feel like he is getting some interaction.

There are also balls that have holes in and all sorts of other toys out there on the market specifically designed for this reason...to keep a dog occupied.

Get a bubble blower, they make these with chicken and bacon flavoured bubbles believe it or not. My lot love this for a good old game and could quite happily pop bubbles for twenty to thirty minutes. All I have to do is fill it up and switch it on...they do the rest themselves.

Lastly, maybe you need to look at diet. If your dog is on too high a protein ration it may well be what can be classed as 'hyper' A simple change of food could make a lot of difference.

I have three whippets with completely different breeding. They all have individual needs and personalities. I do believe however, that at heart they are all whippets that will eventually require very little maintenance 8) they just need to get to three years old :wacko:

I really didn't mean to offend. I have just recently been feeling that dogs have seemed to become quite dispensable as soon as issues occur, and as far as I'm concerned, you have to work at everything in life to make it work...why not the dog that you take on as well.

Good luck with what you decide.

TCx

 

[quintessence]

Do you give your whippets bones. My Sparky (infamous on K9 for being high maintenance) loves a new bone, I know this sounds daft, but all that gnawing really tires him out. so he is occupied with his gnawing and then occupied sleeping.!

Mind, he doesn't get a new one very often, I make them work the ones they have, but it's another strategy.

Jenny

 

[TC]

Do you give your whippets bones.  My Sparky (infamous on K9 for being high maintenance) loves a new bone, I know this sounds daft, but all that gnawing really tires him out. so he is occupied with his gnawing and then occupied sleeping.!Mind, he doesn't get a new one very often, I make them work the ones they have, but it's another strategy.

Jenny

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Talk about missing the obvious :b Well Done Jenny to the rescue (w00t)

 

[~elizabeth~]

I work and study most of my waking hours and that means that on some days (though definitely not every day) I don't have any time at all for any extra play with him other than on the daily walk which I never miss. 

How long is the single daily walk? 20 mins, 30, 40 even? Do you really have no more time to give him attention in a day than that? It sounds like he is just craving human contact, especially if this is noticable that he craves attention when he meets strangers. We work at home too, OH particularly works very long hours as we run our own business but still finds the time through the day to play, and to be honest, even basic training for the easiest of young dogs requires constant reinforcement, repeated through the day at regular intervals.

 

[AnnSa]

Can you not get some help with them.

The days i work my daughter (who is 17 in june) gives Sada a onlead walk in the morning,

my sister takes her running with her at dinner time.

When i finish at three i go straight home collect her and take her down the beach

for an hours free running. Isnt there anyone who could help you

 

[Lily]

I work and study most of my waking hours and that means that on some days (though definitely not every day) I don't have any time at all for any extra play with him other than on the daily walk which I never miss. 

How long is the single daily walk? 20 mins, 30, 40 even? Do you really have no more time to give him attention in a day than that? It sounds like he is just craving human contact, especially if this is noticable that he craves attention when he meets strangers. We work at home too, OH particularly works very long hours as we run our own business but still finds the time through the day to play, and to be honest, even basic training for the easiest of young dogs requires constant reinforcement, repeated through the day at regular intervals.

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Our daily walk is about an hour long and out of that he runs freely at least 30 minutes. When I work they are always in the room with me (door is open so they can go out if they feel like it) and can always come to me for a cuddle and a bit of attention.

Thanks for the bones and the bubbles advice, I will definitely give that a try :thumbsup:

 

[05whippet]

Sometimes I think it comes down to what is best for the dog...and not just a matter of holding onto the dog just because you love him/her and want to keep him/her.

I would like to think that Lily has given this a lot of thought,as it is'nt something that anyone who loves their dog as much as she says she does should enter into lightly,we don't know the full ins and outs of this situation and to be fair,if she needs to re-home him for whatever reason then so be it. I do agree that pets seem to have become just another casulty of todays throw away society but I also think that sometimes people become very attached to their pets (as you do) and whenever a situation arises that is maybe beyond your control - as this one may or may not be - then that tends to cloud your judgement and you can forget that it is meant to be what is right for the dog and NOT you! And in certain cases the dog may be better off with someone else...now I am not saying that is the case here,but it is maybe worth a thought.

Anyway..whatever happens I wish Monty lots of luck.

 

[Susan]

It's not very nice to re-home a dog,,IT'S BLOODY HEARTBREAKING ,,I had to re-home wee Tam and now Ricky (new home found,,,going to meet his new owner this weekend ),,Sometime's you need to do right by the dog, I have my reason's why I re-home a dog.

My Gizmo is now 19 month's and a pain in the butt, he's started to stare at me, alway's wanting to play, looking out the window all the time,,not very settled at all, but it's what normal whippet's do at this age, he will settle down again Been there, read the book ,so they say

If you could just leave kong's, nice big bones, toys for him to play with, he might settle and be much happier and you would not need to go through the heart ache of parting with him.

If you do re-home him,,,do home checks, talk for hours on the phone, only let the dog go for an afternoon, then a night, then a week and then for life. You will know if it's the right owner's for him :thumbsup:

Good luck and I do hope it works out in the end :thumbsup:

 

[Indee]

I would suggest that you take the dogs for two walks a day, even if the second one is just a quick 10 mins round the block before bed. Dogs need a change of scene/smells and a stretch of the legs.

If you are serious about rehoming then you must consider that it will be a stressfull situation for both dogs and that issues may arise from this. It's not as simple as "remove the problem".

Whatever you decided to do, I wish you the best of luck :luck: