Gryffenne

Welcome to GT! My mother was also attacked by a large dog as a child, so naturally was afraid of Sammi when I first adopted her. Sammi taught her that not all big dogs are scary. For the next few years until my mother passed away, Sammi was her beloved grandpup, spoiled kitchen help, and finally quiet nursemaid. Rule #1 about Greytalk: Pictures are loved, looked at, welcome, encouraged and... well.. borderline a requirement!

Sammi used to love 3 mile walks in the morning when town was quiet. Now, she can't handle 3 blocks without a pain pill when she gets home. Lynni is done after a mile. She is so bouncy and energetic in the house, tho, that I am not too worried. River will walk as long as I am willing to. She has no limit that I have found so far. Our weather has been so weird this summer, that we haven't really had any pattern to our walks. More of a "Hey, it's not too hot, I don't need to become a Antihistamine Zombie yet, it's not raining, it's not too cold! Let's go before Mother Nature changes her mind!" (Seriously... Almost August and we have a "Wind Chill listed this morning?!" ) Thank God for the quiet Dog Park here in town. If it's been a few days without a good walk for L&R, we can take them down there when it's empty and let them burn off energy. 10 minutes of running around like toddlers on Red Bull and they are happy.

So Sorry for your loss

So adorable that he brought you your shoes! Even as much as I detest winter (especially this past winter we had ) I don't think I could resist that! I am dying laughing though, at the descriptions of the 2! My Sammi would definitely be the bundled up Eeyore. She hates extreme weather. Too hot or too cold or too humid... she darts in and out to get her business done. This is going to be our first Winter with Lynni & River. And, I think, River's first real snow. Oh yes, Camera will be charged and ready to go at the first hint of white stuff!

Today is better. A little stiff, but good spirits She's already bounced around going potty and played with a few stuffies this morning

Thanks guys No heat ATM Sammi is sprawled in her Throne, bad hip up... tongue hanging out, relaxed face, front paws flung forward..... I think her pill kicked in

Sammi forgets once in a while that she is 11+ This evening, after dinner, she got excited when I was getting the leashes out and did her kangaroo hopping behind me. When I turned, she collided with my elbow while hopping up and her back leg gave out She fell HARD on her side. I checked her over carefully, no sensitive spots. She walked fine. No limp. Well now, a few hours later, she is stiff and wobbly. I wouldn't say she is favoring it, more like determined to tough it out. I gave her one of her pain pills and she is snuggled next to me on the couch, staying still and looking completely pitiful. Should I apply heat/keep her hips warm? I feel guilty because it was my elbow she bonked that tipped her balance, even tho I know that her back end is getting weaker and she has sprawled or tripped on her own accord. (Her back end is the #1 reason we moved our bedroom to the downstairs. No more stairs for our little lovey. ) Hopefully she feels better in the morning. I'm worried about her.

Dogs normally will not starve themselves. He could be stressed out being in a new home. I know when I am stressed, I lose my appetite. Some greys have iron stomachs. Some can be pretty sensitive to new foods. I would stick to the food he was fed by the adoption group. Once he relaxes and sets into his routine, if you feel the need to change his food, start gradual. A normal rule of thumb: current food 75%, new 25% for the first week, then try to up the new a bit more. (Example: 50/50) If his tummy handles it (no blow outs, gas, or diarrhea) do that for a bit, then more new food (25/75). If that is handled, go full new food. That's something that I have to do with Sammi, or deal with the consequences (when the pet food scare/mass recalls were happening a few years ago, there was no choice in "gradual" at one point. She actually did fine in that instance. A few other times where I had to feed her something else, it wasn't very pretty. Lynni and River were both able to do a sped up version of switching from what they both ate (2 different kibbles) to the IAMS green bag Sammi eats without issue. To put your mind at ease, get him in for his wellness check up with your vet. At the check up, they usually do a fecal and a physical. So that could rule out anything like worms affecting his appetite. When they weight him, you will have an idea of his weight and what it should be. Most vets have no problem with you stopping in to weigh them once a week, especially new dogs with concerned owners As for affection and playing, just wait Sammi was a shy, quiet little shadow her first few months. Slowly, she started playing with her stuffies. But I couldn't be in the room. Then I could be in the room, but I couldn't be watching. Then i was allowed to watch. Then I was allowed to interact. Lynni came into the house and took over the stuffies the first day she was here. River, like Sammi was, is more reserved. I don't think she has the full idea of what she is supposed to do with them. She will grab one and jump on the sectional with it. Then lay there on it staring at me. Sammi took months to roach for me or snuggle with me. Lynni and River both roached in the first few days and were master snugglers in 2 weeks. (I was also working on sleep startle with them, so I wasn't encouraging snuggling right away). It's been less than a week, so he is most likely still reserved.Your boy's markings and natural body movements may "appear" that he is upset, depressed, just not "happy". Lynni's ears are almost always perked up like little envelopes. She always looks curious, and with her mask of white on her back face, even when her ears are relaxed. River... well with her eyes and her brindle stripes... if her ears are relaxed, she has a "I am plotting to take over the world" mastermind/Evil Genius look on her face. Her whole face changes where her ears are perked or fully alert. Lynni usually has her head up higher than her shoulders (she's also the smallest of the 3 so maybe she's compensating for height ) River, like Sammi, holds her head naturally lower. Like a wolf stalking it's prey. Again, with the markings on her face, depending on her ear position, she can look upset or almost depressed. Yet Sammi, with her markings (red fawn/white face) in the same stance doesn't. ETA~ A fun suggestion for you: Keep a journal/any emails with the group. Even bookmark this thread! hehe When I first adopted Sammi, I was emailing back and forth with her foster mom a LOT She was my first grey, but not my first dog by any means. I kept those emails. I recently re-read those emails from 8 years ago. Stuff that I had forgotten about, or things that concerned me greatly back then, etc... was a fun read to look back to how we were in the beginning and seeing how we are now I already have a good list of threads about River that someday, I hope, I look back and laugh about.

If she is at all food motivated, treats with the praise works great! All 3 of mine came to me as not wanting to potty, particularly poop, on lead. Sammi (8 years ago) i started the double lead and turning my back (pretending to ignore her) and a yummy treat- like a piece of cheese when she potties. Gave her as long as she needed the first week. Second week, I started shortening the lead(s) down to 1 lead. Still gave her unlimited time, praise and the yummy "special" treat. Next week, we're down to 1 lead. Now she gets 10 minutes to produce something or we're going back in the house and trying again in an hour. Same lead, same treat, same 10 minutes. I did the same thing with Lynni and River when we adopted them. Got them both down from 40 minutes each to 15 minutes & all 3 are done (each going out 1 at a time).

Large milkbone style treats after the afternoon potty break (aka lunch) and at bedtime. I discovered many years ago that a treat at night = Sammi NOT waking me up at 4am. Give her anything smaller or try to skip it and she will not settle down on her bed until you get that large milkbone for her. Even Lynni and River now look for the afternoon & nighttime bones. I use small treats for training. ~When training to potty on lead, or in a designated area, since all 3 are food motivated, treats made it a snap to train. ~Starting to train L&R to sit/lay for treats. Sammi sits, lays, and shakes for a treat. Sometimes, if she wants what is in your hand, she will sit at your feet and offer a paw. If you ignore/don't see her, your thigh is hit with that paw (and as you look down, she is right back into perfect "shake". almost like, "Hey!" *whack* "Do you not see me sitting here looking pretty??) L&R also get treats when meeting new dogs. Sammi still gets them when meeting new people (she's very shy). ~Then there are the treats when they lay down and don't bug us during meals. If we're eating something safe for them, I save them each a bite. Now, if we're eating pizza... well Sammi is drooling as she keeps her gaze locked on the "pizza bones" (The heartbroken look on her face the day we had a cheese stuffed crust and no one left her a pizza bone was beyond priceless) And throughout the day, if I am cooking/baking, I use little morsels of what I am working with as "just because" treats. My friend's older husky, Gizzy, was food obsessed**. I helped her learn and train NILF training (Nothing in Life is Free) for that dog. It helped tremendously with Gizzy. Something that I have not had to do with my own dogs, but if the need arose, I have no problem doing it. **While people frequently will hear how great we are for "rescuing" our greys, Gizzy was a true rescue. She was abused and neglected by a BYB. I will never get the image out of my head when my friend first brought her home. Imagine a Siberian Husky's head and tail on a rescued Galgo's body. So there is a deeply psychological reason for her food obsession. So her past, plus the Husky's spirit and need to have a "job" made her an ideal candidate for NILF.

Greyhounds weren't my introduction to crate training. Many years ago, I had a huskyxshepard mix that a coworker, after hearing my then husband and I lament about the difficulty housebreaking, loaned us one and taught us about crate training. When I was adopting Sammi, I bought a crate. We used it the first 2 nights, after 2 sleepless nights, we brought her bed into the bedroom and gated her in with us (in that home, the bedroom was too small for a crate that large, plus collapsing it and moving it every morning and night to and from the bedroom wasn't going to happen unless there was no other way. I used the crate during the day while at work for about a year. Then one night I was coming in from work with my arms full of laundry (I dropped off my suits at the dry cleaners) and didn't see a hot wheels car. I stepped on it and slid. Ended up crashing into Sammi's crate with her in it. From then on, she wouldn't go into it. Funny thing, I still traveled with it. Many hotels have the idea that the designer purse breeds are too cute to be destructive, yet a large breed requires one. So the hotel personnel see the crate, feel better, and Sammi's bed is dropped on the floor next to the hotel bed. I still have the crate, it's in our storage room. When we adopted Lynni & River on the same day, DH and I discussed the crate and our options. Lynni, in a foster home that crated. River, fresh off of the track and at the adoption kennel, also used to her own "apartment". We decided to try the first night without the crate, but if one of them needed it, we would get it. 6 weeks later, it's still in the storage room.

Once he confirms it, yes! Getting woken up at 4am, first reaction is usually (straight into pillow while half asleep) "Go back to bed, River!" I am pretty much sure, between the sweating, dizziness, and headaches that he wakes up to, that there is something to her doing this. Even without seeing the numbers. Like I said, her "normal" routine is TNT on legs until the alarm goes off. That triggers HER to go off and begin her morning lovefest. The abnormal routine happens randomly at night. Although, looking at day notes, I am seeing about 9 hours after he last ate something (like if he had a late dinner, or a small snack at 7 pm...4 am // late snack at 10pm on Friday night, 7am she was on him. We first thought because during the week, we are up at that time. First Saturday in weeks we could sleep in, the alarm was set for 9am) So maybe it isn't so "random" after all. YES! Another difference between her "normal" and "abnormal" routines! With her normal one, waking up/sitting up only encourages her to wiggle, squirm and love on me more. With the routine in question, us sitting up and talking, or going to the bathroom causes her to lay back down and fall back to sleep. Maybe she sees it as "doing something about it"?

No words can take away the pain. My heart breaks for you, Pam.

When we first adopted River, she seemed to love our "Morning Lovies" routine. If I wanted to sleep in, that meant when DH's alarm went off, I could not open my eyes or talk otherwise, it was time to get ponced on by a very ZOMGSOHAPPYTOSEEYOU River. Usually, she has her head right on the bed almost nose to nose with me. Wiggling like she is going to explode, a quiet whine being emitted. Just waiting for my eyes to open so that she can pounce. This is her normal morning routine. Alarm goes off and she is waiting like TNT with legs for me to wake up. The past few weeks, though, she has occasionally woken us up before the alarm by whining & barking. And now that our bedroom is downstairs, she can easily get to DH's side of the bed. At first, we thought that because she had access to his side, she was wanting to do her morning pounce on him. Nope. When she is drawn to his side of the bed, she almost sounds agitated and frantic in her whining. She isn't waiting for the alarm. This behavior is happening before the alarm. She will poke at him until he is awake. It's not always a consistent time that she is doing this, either. It's not because she has to go potty, nor that she is starving. This morning, I started wondering what she might be really doing..... DH is Diabetic. Last week, when River did her frantic wake up, DH growled "River shut up!" She only became more frantic and in his face. He sat up and that was when I noticed that his pillow was damp. He mumbled that he had to go to the bathroom. When he came back to bed, he was shuffling his feet. I asked if he was okay and he said that he "just stood up too fast." This morning was another frantic wake up call by River. DH's pillow was damp again. Could River possibly have a natural skill at detecting when his sugar is dropping? And know to be alarmed by the change enough to want to wake us up? I know that the breath changes when a diabetic's sugar spikes or crashes severely. I think, also, the sweat changes odor, but not sure on that one. Lately, DH has been having a more difficult time regulating his sugar. He's recently started spreading out his breakfast & lunch at work so that he has oatmeal in the AM, 2 hours later he has fruit or yogurt, 2 hours later is lunch, 2 hours later is another small snack and then 2-3 hours later is dinner when he is home. This has helped greatly in keeping him level during the day. BUT now that I think about it, he's been frustrated by a few pounds that he's gained. Because he has spread out his daytime food intake, he's often omitted his night time snack because he is worried about calories and/or carbs. After today when the pieces started forming an interesting picture, I asked him if he often has had night sweats the nights/early mornings that River is waking us up... particularly time times that she is choosing to go after him to wake up. He said that thinking back, yes, his pillow is damp the times she goes after him. DH is going to start keeping his testing kit & a small notepad right by the bed. He's agreed to TRY to not grouse at River if she wakes him up, but instead to test his sugar and feel his pillow. I am curious to see what, if any, pattern emerges. Could she be a natural at sensing diabetic hypoglycemia? Or is she just being a brat. Has anyone had a greyhound/sighthound that could detect this? And IF this is what is happening, and NO I am not the furnace in bed (He likes to tease that I am having a hotflash making him sweat), then besides making sure he adds a high protein snack back in, not sure what we'd do next. Get her formal training?

Oh Pam I am so sorry *big hugs*

Sammi never touched my coffee in the 8+ years we've been together. Or wine, tea, water, etc... A few weeks ago, I was starting to lose track of how much coffee I was drinking Like I could have sworn that I had a practically full cup, but then suddenly I would see it almost gone! So I'd sip what was left in the cup and get some more. I must be losing it, right? Not remembering how much coffee I was drinking. Usually I wouldn't notice the practically empty mug until I sat back down from doing something. Then, last week, I got up to go to the bathroom and when I came back, I reached for my cup and saw it was empty! Now I know darn well, since I pass the kitchen to go to the bathroom, that I JUST looked in that darn cup before getting up to go to the bathroom So I got more. I realized that I left my phone in the kitchen. Sat the cup down and went to grab it. Come back around the corner and.... RIVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brat is a coffee addict! Currently, after my discovery of the caffeine thief, I've been using a ceramic travel mug with a silicone sippy lid in the mornings. And if I am not at my computer, it is moved to where I am, or the kitchen until I sit back down again. Thinking of how many times I drank my coffee, that mysteriously evaporated... I hope that she didn't backwash too much

Adding to what Brandiandwe said about checking for red flags, if they are going to be home alone because everyone works outside of the home, I'd do a mini session of leaving them alone in the home. Some dogs are cool with being home alone, some like a TV or radio on. Some can get distressed, become destructive or very vocal, or have accidents. They aren't accustomed to being completely alone. If you have close neighbors (apt/condo) and the grey will be home alone because of work, that would be something you'd want to know if they can handle. Also, unless you are meticulous about cleaning of counters, tables, etc... all the time be prepared for a counter surfer. Some don't ever try. Some are curious, but get the idea quickly that it isn't something you approve of. Some will help you in your goal to keep a clean, non cluttered home. Houseplants within reach? Make sure they aren't poisonous. Again, not all greys are the same. Some ignore houseplants. Some think it is their personal salad bar. Some won't eat them, but take one look at the potted plant and think it is an indoor yard for them to dig, and possibly try to potty, in. Most greys aren't very playful with stuffed toys right away. Some are as soon as they walk in. Other than that, look to do things with them that you will continue to do with them. Are you wanting a hiking buddy? Take them for a long walk. Not a full blown hike (some have to work up to that distance). Are you wanting a jogging buddy? Same as the hiking, they may have to work up to the distance that you are used to, but a mini version to see how it goes is okay. Are you wanting the poster child for "45mph couch potatoes" that will sleep most of the day like a 80 pound cat? Or are you wanting a more active hound to interact and play with? Basically, try to do activities, even if they are scaled down for time, that your normal day will consist of. If you like to sit and watch a marathon of Netflix and not be interrupted, go for it! If you're out in the backyard working on projects or your garden every evening, do it! Be observant, but don't change your routine too much, as you're wanting to see if you and the grey fit in reality, not just for a sleepover. ETA~ Yes! Painters tape, or even sticky notes to show where windows are can be very helpful, especially to a hound that has never been in a home environment before. They may not see the glass window pane right away, it's a hole in the wall.

I've used these in the past as well. Once with a foster that needed weight ASAP and once with Sammi when she was ill. Now that Sammi is older, I have been keeping an eye on her weight and was just about to go looking for the recipe again when you posted this! This isn't the original article I had when I was developing a homecook diet for Sammi years ago, but it's close. Gelatin

Sammi is also getting weaker in the back end Acupuncture used to help, not so much lately. But her spirit, heart and appetite are all so strong still. She still has zoomies daily... just not as long lasting. We're preparing to turn the main floor utility room into our bedroom soon, so that she isn't coming down the stairs any more. Her night vision is almost nil, and her vision in normal light is starting to go. So between her vision, her determination to keep up with the young'uns, and her wobbly back end, we feel it would be safer for her to stay on the main floor. Which means we all stay on the main floor with her. DH even relented to dogs on the sofa because it is easier for her to get up and down from there, than from our bed, or even from the floor. Even her "throne" (overstuffed chair) is getting harder for her. A few weeks ago, it looked like she wanted up on the bed to snuggle with me. I invited her up, but she changed her mind. instead she turned and kicked River off of her dogbed and laid down as River jumped up to snuggle. I almost burst into tears. She just looked at me with that goofy smile of hers and laid her head down and sighed. She doesnt go on long walks anymore, and it about kills me to leave her at home when the younger 2 go out for a walk. If I take L&R to the dogpark for a run, and Sammi doesn't get to go, the look I get is so sad. But the local one is all sand and within minutes you can see her struggling to just walk across the sand to get to a warm spot to sun herself.

Everyone is different. Without being privy to the visit with the specialist, I can only speculate. She may have ignored your question because the answer was too painful, or she didnt want criticism knowing that the next day was The Day. Her pup's cancer may have been too far progressed, inoperable, something else compounding the issue, etc... for anything but being helped across the bridge.

So very sorry

Sammi went off TOTW Pacific a few months ago. It might be something up with the formula. Another idea, tho.... how hot has it been there this past week? I know Sammi will go from normal poop to big D if it stays hot & muggy for too long.

It seems that a treat in hand, and one at a time with the hounds (even if there is 2 of us home atm) is the trick to speeding up Lynni & River. Otherwise they get too distracted with someone else out with them.

Sammi took forever to roach. Each time we've moved, she took a while to start roaching again. She leaned the day I went to sign the papers for her adoption and bring her home, cuddled with my son on the futon within minutes of coming home, and then backed off in the affection/cuddling area for a few months. River and Lynni were both roaching within days of coming home. Major leaners (River can take out your legs by pressing the back of your knees if you aren't aware that she is there ) A friend, who has had about 10 greys in her life, has only had 2 roachers and not all leaned.