Probably one of the most important aspects of owning an Italian Greyhound is successful house training. The best way is to have a good plan worked out before you bring your new Ig home.
This section will focus on potty areas and housing set-ups for keeping your IG when no one is home.
There are a number of different ideas and you can find one that best fits your home and yard.
Successful training is made up of consistency & confinement (and I don’t mean crating all day when no one is home). The area you wish your IG to stay in should be a safe, clean environment. If you choose a kitchen, or laundry room, check and make sure there are no dangers present. Such as electric cords that can be chewed on, or any soaps, cleaners, etc. in reach. All cabinets should have secure closures. Nothing should be hanging that an IG could get caught in, such as window shade cords, coats & such on clothes hooks, etc. These are accidents just waiting to happen. It’s like baby proofing, but remember an IG can jump!
Once you have decided on the area and have made it safe, the next part is to have an area for potty. The nice thing about Igs is that they can be litter box trained. We use the potty pan/litter box with newspaper, or a plastic tray large enough for newspaper. One can use the “doggie Litter”, but it can become messy, or end up being used as a new toy. Wee wee pads work well, and newspaper is even cheaper. You will want the potty area in a place where it will not be in the way of humans, but in a place that will be easy for clean up.
If you are using gates, please don’t go cheap. A good gate will pay off in the long run. I prefer the metal gates with straight narrow bars that are about 2” apart. No way for an IG to get a foot hold and climb. A good place to look is www.DrsFosterSmith.com
If you don’t have a room that will work for keeping your IG, then an Ex-pen is another great option. These are also found at the web site above, or you may be able to find one at a local pet store. If you plan on using an Ex-pen, you must be sure to include a TOP!!! Igs can be jumpers & climbers and you wouldn’t want to come home to an injured dog. Below is an example of an Ex-pen set-up with potty area and attached crate for sleeping/resting. This set-up was built by Mark & Trisha LaFluer. Note they made their own top out of press board, and secured it to all sides. It also works well to keep supplies handy. They built a floor with ply wood and attached vinyl flooring. This is an added extra, but the Ex-pen can be set up on any easy clean up flooring. You can find remnant pieces at hard ware, or flooring stores to place down on top of your own floor, or carpeting. You just want to make sure that the vinyl flooring goes out beyond the Ex-pen, so they can’t chew on any edges. The Ex- pen should be at least 36” high, and the ones with a door are nice to access clean up. An eight panel Ex-pen will make a 4’ X 4’ area when put together. Always remember a top!!!
Always make sure your IG has access to fresh clean water and soft bedding.
When teaching your IG to go potty outside it is important to show the dog where you would like them to relieve themselves. Always use a phrase to let your dog know what you want. Keep it simple and ask all member of your household to use the same phrase. Praise is much better than treats, and won’t cause you to have an over weight IG.
Knowing that the IG is not fond of the wind, rain, cold & snow. You may want to opt for other potty areas for outside. If you have a covered patio, or deck with access underneath, these might serve as weather blockers.
If not, a small shed/shelter can be built with a layer of gravel/river rock on the ground for an easy clean up. Three sides and a top, will work nicely. I have also seen a heavy duty plastic play house turned into a potty area. Or the chain link kennel 6’ X 6’ or there about that are sold at some pet stores. Covered sides and top with tarps in wet & colder weather times.
I also like this set-up done by Glen & Louise Ottman. They put in a doggie door on their door to the garage. They also added on to a small existing deck and used vinyl bath/shower walls as flooring and side panels along the rail slates of the deck. Plus an additional gate to keep the dog in just the confined potty area of the garage.
You can also use an Ex-pen layered with newspaper in your attached garage. Another option when the weather is not so “potty outside” friendly. There are many inventive ways to set up potty areas.
When you have to work away from home, you IG should have a place large enough to walk around and stretch his/her legs and a potty area and a bed or crate with soft bedding for resting/sleeping. Some water, toys and maybe a radio on for stimulation.
There are two great house training articles at these breeders websites. I suggest you read and print out both. Many thanks to Karen Thayne & Kathy Holmes for allowing me to add their articles to this web site!
