DocsDoctor

John Bradshaw's 'In Defence of Dogs: Why Dogs Need our Understanding' - http://www.amazon.co.uk/In-Defence-Dogs-Need-Understanding/dp/014104649X (The US edition is called 'Dog Sense', I think) Bradshaw is a British scientist specialising in anthrozoology - i.e. the science of animal/human interreactions. It's designed for the general reader though, to summarise current scientific knowledge about dogs and how they have evolved in relation to us. A very interesting read, certainly helped improve my understanding of dog behaviour. He does a blog in Psychology Today too, I've just discovered:http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/pets-and-their-people

Doc would do this initially when he was left on his own, as did my neighbour's little cockapoo. Both have grown out of it. Always sounded to me like 'I'm here all on my own and where are the rest of you-ou-ou?', and this was more or less what John Bradshaw said too, on a recent UK TV documentary about dogs left by themselves. So it's separation anxiety, yes, but if she's not otherwise distressed she'll probably grow out of it too.

Yes, the distress may be down to the Tramadol - it doesn't suit every dog. Inform your vet - she should be able to prescribe something else. Sedation for x-rays is pretty standard for dogs, though because greyhounds are so gentle and tractable they don't always need it. My Doc was quite happy to lie still on the table for one spinal x-ray, somewhat to my vet's surprise, but was put under for another in the shoulder area as that required his front legs to be stretched out and we didn't think he would 'hold the pose'. It sounds a sensible way to proceed in this case.

Yes, absolutely. A generation = the average length of time from the birth of a parent, to the birth of a child. Usually calculated at about 25-30 years for humans, at least in the modern western world. See e.g. http://www.ancestry.co.uk/cs/Satellite?childpagename=UKLearningCenter%2FLearning_C%2FPageDefault&pagename=LearningWrapper&cid=1265124426382

Good topic, thanks for raising it - I read JJNg's reply with interest and shall hope to learn more as the thread develops! I'm no expert but interested in the historic context and would point out that here in the British Isles there are three distinct types of greyhound - the courser, the racer, and the show dog - and that the split has emerged over the last hundred or so years. 1. The courser. Historically the purpose of a greyhound was to hunt, not race round a track! Rules for coursing (in which two greyhounds at a time compete in the pursuit of a hare) were codified by the sixteenth century, but it was from the late eighteenth century that competitive coursing, selective breeding and the keeping of stud books really took off, with the Waterloo Cup (the big prize) first awarded in 1836. Coursing has been illegal in the UK since 2005, but still goes on in Ireland, where the Irish Coursing Club still holds the stud book for racers and coursers alike - with some crossover between the two types, but coursers tend to be taller and bigger-boned than the racers, with deeper chests, heavier legs - they need the stamina to be able to run twice a day, over uneven terrain. 2. The racer. I believe that when racing became popular in England in the 1920s many Irish coursers were imported - they proved better at it than the English ones, because they had a background in 'park coursing' (coursing in an enclosed space, by then illegal in England) which favoured sprinting rather than staying power. As a new specialist racing dog emerged through selective breeding it tended, not surprisingly, to become shorter and slighter than the courser. 3. The show greyhound. Again a distinct type - bred again from coursing stock, but this time for elegance - tall, narrow, exaggeratedly deep chest, elongated nose - following on from the foundation of the Kennel Club (in 1873), and the Victorian passion for competitive dog shows. Greyhounds actually won several relatively early Crufts Best In Show in 1910, 1914 and 1928. Edited to add: of course I know that you have show (AKC) greyhounds in the States too. And I haven't attempted to answer the original question either, just thought some of you might like thinking about the history behind it all, like me!

Not something I've experienced. I'd check in with the vet - ring the evet if it's out of hours. Maybe it's nothing, just him trying to get the anaesthetic out of his system, but better safe than sorry!

Applying the Manuka honey: clean wound, pat dry, slather on a little bit of the honey using a clean knife or spatula, cover with a low-adhesive dressing, then fix the dressing on... ... the last is actually the tricky bit, with elbows - getting the dressing to stay put! I have recent experience as Doc fell down playing with his teddy bear and gave himself a haematoma on his, which ended up having to be drained. Regular bandages kept falling off/down, even when applied by the vet - the best solution turned out to be to use the smallest size of human tubigrip bandage. I would apply the honey, hold the dressing over the wound, apply a small double-sided sticky pad (the kind people use to stick things to the wall) to the back of it, wriggle the tubigrip up over it and into position and then get it to stick to the pad. If you are using a tubigrip it will apply pressure to the leg, so you need to watch out that the paw doesn't swell - you can overcome this by moving the tubigrip around, taking it off altogether while the dog is resting and you are around, and a bit of gentle massage. The alternative is to bandage the whole leg, but Doc is a bit of a wobbly old boy these days so we didn't want to do that and muck up his balance. I made him an elbow protector to go over that, he is still wearing that indoors for now as although his elbow has healed there is still a little bag of skin that needs to shrink. That's made from fleece, with velcro fastenings above and below the elbow joint, and a section of neoprene (a vandalised bottle carrier!) sewn on to prevent any damage if he bangs himself down on his elbows as he lies down.

Some greyhounds including mine do seem to find children especially delightful, because they're on the same level as them I guess. I really wouldn't give him another chance to practice this behaviour though, you certainly don't want it to become a habit! My Doc is also a big boy and loves all visitors. When he first came here he would try to jump up at them - we stopped that by putting on his lead when the doorbell rang, and keeping it on while people came in, and until he'd calmed down. Or if you have a dog-gate you could keep Chance behind that initially. You need to get visitors to cooperate too - nice and calm, no squeals of excitement, and if he does try to jump up get them to cross their arms and turn their backs on him. I would also work on redirecting excitement into a more appropriate activity - Doc discovered his own, and now greets visitors by grabbing his teddy bear and galloping around with it in his mouth, which I encourage as we all think it is cute! Other people teach their dog to go to its bed when visitors first arrive...

Yes, I thought it was very good too. I believe 'Dog Sense' is the title of the American edition of 'In Defence of Dogs' - not a separate book. He pops up being interviewed on the TV here in the UK from time to time and always seems a very sensible chap. He's an expert on cat behaviour too and recently brought out 'Cat Sense', a study along the same lines: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cat-Sense-Feline-Enigma-Revealed/dp/1846145945/ref=la_B004N3A20I_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382797075&sr=1-1

Well, I would leave the crate with the door open, and focus separately on teaching him about housetraining. I never used a crate for Doc (they are not usual in the UK, where racing dogshave lived in kennels rather than crates) and found that he was being so anxious to please he was very quick to get the idea. I just followed the guidance below (from the UK Retired Greyhound Trust website), more or less. As greyt_dog_lover says, he will be stressed right now and may be drinking more than usual, so take him out often - if you have to go out, taking him for a proper walk first rather than just into the garden will help encourage him to 'empty out'. House-training We can't guarantee a house-trained dog but most Greyhounds are clean in their kennels, and once they know where you want them to empty, they will be happy to stick with that routine. House training should begin as soon as your dog arrives home. Take them straight into the garden, wait until they relieve themselves and then reward them with a small piece of cheese or a dog biscuit. After this initial visit to the garden, keep repeating the routine at regular periods throughout the day. It is advantageous to take your new pet for a short 5 minute walk at regular periods throughout the day. During this time it is unlikely that the Greyhound will have had a chance to have an accident and they will be thoroughly familiar with the idea that any 'toilets' are to be done outside. Thereafter, if your dog has an accident indoors, bear in mind punishment does not work and can make the dog worse. Anticipate when your dog needs to go, take them outside and praise and reward them when they 'go'. Any 'accident' in the home should be washed thoroughly with a solution of biological washing liquid, as this will take away the smell, otherwise they will constantly re-mark over that spot. Take them to the toilet immediately after food, when they get up and before they go to bed and, of course, in between. Some signs to look for when your dog needs to go to the toilet are restlessness, pacing up and down, whining, scratching at the door or circling. Of course, at first, there may be no signs as the dog will have been used to living in a kennel, but Greyhounds are generally clean animals and learn very quickly.

What training is it he needs before you ditch the crate? Is he actually learning anything, sitting in there howling? Could you just try whatever it is without it, and see how he does?

Welcome! Yes, so long as your photos are already up on the internet it should be easy to post them here - for more information see http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/121707-how-to-post-a-picture/. I look forward to seeing pictures of Blaze and Pops!

What a handsome boy he was. I'm very sorry for your loss. Run free, dear Kingsley!

Just picking up on this - I had this about eighteen months ago with Doc, when the vet told me that because of his back problems he shouldn't do stairs any more. When I said I was worried that he wouldn't settle downstairs on his own, she said 'you know what? Make sure he has a really comfortable bed downstairs, settle him in it with a nice treat, say goodnight, and just go up. Don't fret about it, and he won't - in fact, I promise you that in a month he'll have forgotten that he ever wanted to go up there.' And she was right . I did block off the stairs with a chair for the first few nights, but it turned out that I was much more worried about it than he was! Also - I don't know this is appropriate for LS, but thought it might be worth mentioning that we have found hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, and acupuncture all helpful for Doc's back problems (he is 12 now, and has a compressed vertebral disc space near the junction with his hips, a problem with his right hip too). He did a course of hydrotherapy last year, walking on a water treadmill at the vets - he didn't like it much but it did help build up his hip muscles again. The physiotherapy he still has every so often, from a nice girl who comes to the house, does massage and also some manipulation, and finishes off with some cold laser treatment. She has also given me various exercises which we do every day to help keep his muscles moving. The acupuncture was again done by a vet who came here to the house (very much easier to get the patient to relax and get the full benefit!) - we did a course of six sessions and now she will just come back if he is stiff and needs 'retuning.' He is still on Metacam and Tramadol but the other treatments do help keep him comfortable and active.

Can't say I've ever had this problem but I wonder, how have you been offering him the water? Might it be something to do with the container you are using? The problem may just be that it's different to what he's used to, or even that he finds it scary - some dogs don't like drinking from metal bowls, for instance, because of clatter/ reflections. I have a handy sort of plastic bottle with a dish-thing attached for Doc when we are out and about - initially he couldn't work out what it was for, but when I picked it up from the ground and offered it at head-height he soon got the idea!

My sympathies. This is something I have been thinking about recently with Doc, too. Not that he has cancer, but he is nearly twelve and with a bad back. At the moment he's coping well, and evidently enjoying life, but he's not a candidate for surgery so at some point and as his back continues to crumble I'll have to face this question too. My first thought is: it's all about quality of life. Look into her eyes, and I think she will tell you whether she still wants to be here. (It was easy to see with Doc, when he first came down with his back problems last year, that he was in so much pain that he didn't. If the vet hadn't been able to sort that out PDQ with painkillers, followed by rehabilitation, I would have insisted she let him go.) My second is: do you have a good vet, one you trust? If so and you are in doubt, you should be able ask him or her for advice. My third is: be practical. Think about any arrangements you may need to make BEFORE there is a crisis. I'm sure the thing about 'better a week too early, than a day to late' is true. My fourth is: I know I never ever want to be in a situation where I am keeping Doc alive for my sake, rather than his. Hope that helps.

Sorry, this is not something I've ever come across but hopefully someone will be able to help soon - this site has lots of very experienced greyhound owners! In the meantime, could you maybe take a photo of the indent and post it on here? (You will need to post it on a hosting site like photobucket first.) Not sure from your post if it has suddenly grown in size, if so if it was my dog yes I would go see a vet asap. Otherwise I might prefer to leave it for my regular vet, as she knows him so well - but only for a few days, not for weeks or months. The exercise intolerance suggests to me he is actually pretty uncomfortable - greyhounds can be very stoical about concealing longterm pain. Lots of healing vibes for your boy, anyway!

I'm pretty sure the Burgess Supadog was one I tried for Doc, when I first adopted him. (Seven years ago - where did the time go?!) But it wasn't a great success - I gave up after the first bag, because he didn't like it much, and all the fillers it made him poop a lot. As others have said, the important thing is to find a product that suits your individual dog, and that may take a bit of experimentation. The whichdogfood website link that moofie gave is useful for comparing ingredients, though I see its 'expert' only gives Doc's dry food one star! That's Gusto, a cheaper line from the firm that makes Autarky. I'm sure it contains more cereals than some would countenance, but he enjoys it, and it suits his constitution... I have always added some wet stuff to it however, as the rescue suggested - greyhounds get used to fairly sloppy food in their racing days. These days that is usually a block of minced meat or tripe from the pet shop, as he is an old boy and needs the extra protein. If tinned food is more convenient, Butchers' Tripe would be my suggestion - the original formula 'tripe loaf' one - cheap, readily available, doesn't contain any cereals.

It's anxiety. The bed is a place that smells strongly of you, so she's trying to reassure herself by mingling her scent with yours. Continue to work on alone training, and meanwhile can you just close the door to your bedroom when you go out?

As others have said, it should be fine - just keep her beside you and on a shortish leash, so she doesn't try to forge ahead. Doc and I have sometimes had to do several hundred steps up or down on the London Underground (because dogs aren't allowed on the escalators) - very good exercise!

I'm so sorry - lots of healing and calming thoughts for you both. As JJNg says, you staying calm and confident will help her. I wonder if manuka honey dressings might help with healing up some of those wounds?

The way the puppy was moving, most probably - they tend to squirm about a lot, compared to adult dogs, which does make them look like prey objects. So be cautious!

Very sensible article. My vet has put my old boy under quite a few times by now - he is eleven and a half - for one thing or the other, and I feel she has got it down to a fine art. Something not mentioned there, but which does really seem to make a difference to speeding up his recovery time, is opting to use an IV line to maintain hydration.

Don't worry about finding canned pumpkin - get some porridge oats and just sprinkle about a tablespoonful of those, raw, on her food at each meal. Does the same job!

As others have said you need to find out about her recall, and probably work on it, BEFORE you let her off somewhere that's going to be full of exciting distractions. Have you been calling her to you in the house? Does she come? Do you reward her when she does? Once that's working you can try outside, but do it somewhere safely enclosed and empty of other dogs, squirrels etc to start with. If you can recruit a friend to help, a really good exercise for reinforcing a recall is 'greyhound (staghound in your case!) catch'. Both of you should be armed with exciting treats - small cubes of cheese worked for us - you walk 10 yards or so away, your friend lets Izzy off, you call and reward her and make a fuss of her when she comes ('clever girl Izzie!'). Then your friend calls and rewards her, then you, and so on... Once she's got the idea, then you can start working with distractions. My top tip would be, you don't want to have to call more than once - that just gives her the idea that it's not that important to come. So watch what she's doing and to begin with call when she's looking at you, not while she's engrossed by something else. Once that's working, another good game is 'hide and seek' - hide behind a tree or whatever while she's got her back to you, and then call her.