Gryffenne

Thank you thank you thank you!! When I first adopted Sammi 8 yrs ago, she had very high prey drive that I was working with. BUT to work with it, I had to SEE it. She could see small furry things sooner than I could, so I would watch her head/ears. Sammi's walking buddy, a Pom, had a doggy mommy that was a very devout CM follower. Oh how we would get into it that I wasn't doing things "His Way". basically, because I was walking Sammi literally hip to hip (not shoulder to hip or behind me). or fully in front of me. (Umm... where I could see her head! The brat faceplanted me walking behind me). or when she saw me "allow" Sammi to walk in front of me into the house. (actually, no, I told Sammi to) For me, it was much easier to open the storm door & door, then have Sammi walk in, and shut them behind me than to open, walk through, have her walk through while I was leaning out on one foot at a precarious angle to keep the storm door open behind her long body so it wouldn't catch her tail when it slammed shut Oh, and she would inevitably step on that one foot i was balancing on. Nope. Easier to have her go through first. Put me right at the door then. As to the OP's issue of the bed/furniture. Sammi was on the futon in the living room at the homecheck .But, once she was home, I do remember having to remove her from the furniture for guarding them. Same for my bed once. She growled at me, I "growled" back, telling her to get off of the bed, and wouldn't allow her back on it for a week. She never growled at me again about it. Hugs~ Most dogs hate them. To them, you are putting your front paws around her and your muzzle (face/mouth) against her neck. Some learn that you are showing affection and accept/like them. Some tolerate them because it's a weird thing their weird human does. Some will always dislike them. I didn't hug Sammi right away, and I don't allow strangers to walk up and bear hug my dog. Especially strange children. I started out petting and leaning like she does. Then an arm over her as I petted her. Now, years later, she leans into a hug and rests her head at my neck while letting out a long sigh. She will actually push into me for a hug. But I have known dogs that never got into the whole hugging idea. I don't know if it is all sighthounds, or just my weird diva, but she is always looking at my face/in my eyes. Especially when she wants something. Maybe she's trying hypnotic suggestion

Sammi is sort of "egg trained". If there is an egg sitting in view on the counter, she will NOT put her head/nose near the counter. The reason being, years ago when my mom was visiting me, I was making something -cookies for my son, i think... something that involved eggs- and I was chatting with her while baking. Well, I was turned towards my mom while cracking eggs on the edge of the counter. The last egg, I went to thwapp it off of the edge of the counter and it made a really bad sound and instantly shattered in my hand. My mom immediately starts laughing herself silly. I look down, and there is Sammi with raw egg dripping across her needle nose. Apparently she had put her nose up there to see what I was doing and I cracked the egg on her head. Also have a friend that had a 2x4 trained great dane. It fell on his feet as a puppy, scaring the daylights out of him. Ever since then, if there is a 2x4 across a doorway or in his way, he will not step near it, he'd rather sphinx behind it and whine because of the evil 2x4

Most greys, especially top loaded females, can clear a baby gate with ease if they have the desire to do so.(And if you put it up too high, they can wiggle under) Sammi normally doesn't clear a baby gate, because she has learned that it means "stop", I think she humors me by staying behind it. Heck, Last Thanksgiving I was doing a lot of cooking in the kitchen along with DH & DIL. Sammi was underfoot, even on her dogbed, so I had to bar her from the kitchen. It's a very wide archway, so all that I had that was long enough was a 12" x 12" x 6foot box to lay across the archway. She first stood forlornly on the other side of it. Then she laid down next to it and rested her head on it. This is the same dog that I have witnessed: ~Jumping into the back of a Blazer ~Jumping up into the backseat of the cab of a 4x4 F150 ~Jumping over me to get on my bed and her feet didn't touch me or the bed ~Jumping 5 feet off of the ground to get up into a loft bed (Happened ONCE. her getting down scared me so bad I wouldn't allow her to pull that one again) Like I said, she knows what a barricade is for and either respects it, or humors me by staying behind it. But I wouldn't trust her to not go over it if she wanted to. Now, there ARE taller "gates" that are more permanent that you can actually have a secondary part that you unlatch and push open like a door. Those might work better than the baby gates you see at Kmart, Walmart, Target, etc... The house we're in now, I love the set up. All 3 ways into the house require 2 doors to go through: Front room (enclosed porch/summer room) + living room, Side enclosed porch + kitchen, or back door + utility room door. Eventually when we redo the summer room & porch to make them more usable, I will be adding storm/screen doors to their outer doors. Watch out for Huskies as well. The ones that I have known in my life were far worse than the greys I have known about doors & bolting/running.

Oh what a little lovey! Very Handsome!

some of the ones I have used (based on how offensive the person is, or if I know them or not) -you dont see overweight track stars very often -she is perfect for a greyhound -it is actually an optical illusion - she has the waist n hips to die for! - *just smile and move on* As for a retort years ago to a really really rude n pushy owner of an obese beagle that was wheezing and waddling.... my irish temper flared at that one. my general reaction is usually just mild humor, a smile, and a quick "its a greyhound." You will find some people are willing to learn new things, while others will roll their eyes and not believe anything you say.

Greyhounds are one of the few breeds, especially common after age 3, that can find contentment and fascination in watching paint dry Don't get me wrong, they are intelligent dogs. But unlike (for example) labs, they don't require YOU to entertain them. Or like border collies which can sometimes become destructive if "bored".

If I can't take Sammi with me (my preferred option), I usually opt for a friend that she knows -and I trust- pet sitting her in our home OR taking her to a friend's house, preferably someone either familiar with her, or with greyhounds. Your group may be able to help you with this one, actually. I took a trip to DC years ago and my group helped get me in contact with someone near me with greys. All these years later, her and I are still friends I, personally, avoid boarding/kennels. Have never had a good experience with any of my pets that were boarded.

They probably do not want to mow or take care of anything. Maybe asking for that bark mulch stuff? My first thought was sand, but I can easily see some parent thinking it is their child's snadbox and flipping out because a dog poops in "their" sandbox.

Yep. Every rescue is different. While we don't, at the moment, have a fenced in yard, what we DO have going for us is the fact that every single one of the 3 exits out of this house require 2 doors to go through. (I pointed this out to DH when he asked about the process of adopting a grey)

Sammi "talks" to me all the time. I admit, I've enabled the behavior because I talk back to get her going. DH's kryptonite is the head delicately placed in his hand. Or the full body lean in & sigh. DSS is a sucker for the chattering. DS caves at the "ASPCA commercial eyes" (she seriously can look like the pups in the commercial. Big, sad eyes. And if you're holding food in your hand, she can expose 2 more ribs and her hipbones a more thorough guilt trip. Is there PB in it? She will develop a full-body quiver, sometimes holding one paw up, to complete your trip. ) Sammi can keep track of who is most vulnerable to what

a 6' privacy fence & turning our yard into a private paradise is a dream of mine. The cost would be outrageous tho. DH and I have discussed that IF we buy this house, we will start out with something cheaper, yet easily removable (can't remember what it is called atm. My old neighbor had that type of fencing. Semi permanent). DH wasn't too keen at first about fencing the yard in. He can see fencing in a good chunk for Sammi to be able to run around. He just couldn't understand why I'd want to fence it all in. I wasn't always like that either. But nowadays, where someone can walk onto your property without your permission or knowledge, use something & get hurt on your property without your permission or knowledge, and then sue YOU?! Or the teen delinquents sneaking their beer, cigs, & drugs in the back corner of your property without your knowledge or permission, getting caught and YOU are blamed? Screw that. My property, my stuff. Keep yourself and your brats off of my lawn. ... unless, of course, I am hosting a BBQ! Then come on over! But use the front gate ETA~ Sammi used to be able to clear 5' easy peasy. Tho, she'd have to really be motivated, I think, to still do so. As in... I am on the other side of said obstruction. She'd be fine with a 4' chain link, but then again, she wouldn't be out there unsupervised.

When I first adopted Sammi, I made it very clear to my son (not yet 5 at the time) that her space was HER space. Leave her alone when sleeping, and if she walked into my room -which was right off of the living room- to NOT follow her. That was her way of getting away from whatever was stressing her out in the LR. It worked very well. As she became more comfortable with us, and us with her, I allowed him to approach her more while she was relaxing, but we called her name out and had her lift her head and look at us to "prove" she was awake. He understood that Mommy startles awake, he can startle awake... and so can Sammi. (Part of me, while dreaming of another grey, is not looking forward to training a household again Sammi is almost bomb proof in the house with her pack, a new grey coming in would be a culture shock. Especially for DH & DSS who weren't with us for Sammi's first months. They've only experienced how she is now, after 7 yrs) I also explained to not hug her/kiss her right away, either. How I explained it to him, and to others along the years (and how my dad explained it to us as kids) was think about it from the dog's perspective. A Hug: You are putting your front paws around their neck and your muzzle is going to the back of their head/neck. That's a fighting move to an animal. A Kiss: not much different, you're still putting your muzzle to a part of their head. The funny part of my story here A few months after Sammi was with us, I started to lean on her (not a full hug yet), she was starting to lean back and rest her head on me while fully relaxed. One day, I naturally planted a light kiss on her "kissy spot" (She has a small tuft of hair right between/above her eyes). She accepted it. So that became our routine. A few months later, I noticed that Sammi would frequently walk up to me and bop me with her nose right on my forehead, or lean up and bop me there lightly while I was petting her/cuddling. It dawned on me.... it was like she was imitating me kissing her in the same spot on her head The first time that she did it to DH, he griped about the wet nose, until i told him that she was kissing him She does do the canine kiss/lick, but very rarely. She seems to be a needle nose bopper.

Sammi was unintentionally trained to walk across the driveway and in the woods at my dad's house (house & yard are back in the woods). Never really thought about it until I moved and there was one tree in the yard. She saw the leaves on the ground and drug me there to go. Now at our house, we have 3 lots/corner with a bunch of trees behind/beside the house. If you don't lead her, and let her decide where to go, she tries dragging you into the trees to go on the leaves We tried retraining her to a sandy patch between the house & the trees, but she would have none of it. I think it was too small of a space for her liking. Next spring when we enlarge the garden, we will enlarge her area as well and see if she will change. Otherwise... trees it is!

Wonderful story Someday, when my son and DSS are grown, I would love to take some of the problem greys/unadoptables and work with them. But right now, there are unfortunately certain behavioral issues that we can't have in the house. I can tolerate a lot from a pet. Sammi was SOOOOO shy, she was a boderline spook when we adopted her. But thankfully, she has never tried to snap or bite. I can live with the SA, the shyness that means we can't go to meet & greets (even if there were any around here), and occasional accidents because of the SA. But while there are minors in the house, I couldn't deal with biting But someday! Someday I will be able to say, "Give me the most difficult, neurotic, unlovable, problem child-pet you have." When I was fresh out of college, I had ferrets & no kids. They were my fur babies. One day, i was called by a friend to do a rescue pick up. A little female that was caught in someone's shed. She was flea ridden and terrified. Luckily I had acrylic nails. When i went to check her teeth, she bit down so hard she went through my glove and shattered the acrylic on my index finger. She was a vicious little terror. But i worked with her. I wouldn't give up. Then to compound issues, she was intact! She went into heat and had to be operated on. I nursed her back to health. And then she went blind shortly after the surgery She learned to trust me, and eventually my xDH. She became such a sweet little thing it was such a heart-warming feeling to see her learn to trust and become one of my favorite pets.

My Sammi is very shy. She has scars, and 2 of them were caused by her accident. Never abused from what I could find. I've been around a grey that has been abused. No more scars than a typical thin skinned dog would have,. Friendly and outgoing to everyone she met.

Three times in 7.5 years I have heard Sammi growl at non strangers (humans... a rambunctious 18 mo old husky is different ). Strange men at the door, she does not like AT ALL.... and if they have a white shirt & black tie on, she turns into a hound from hell and goes ballistic. 1~ Newly in our home, she was laying on my bed, and on DS's blankie. He went to get his blankie and before he even tugged it, she growled at him. I spun around, looked her right in the eye and growled, "OFF!" and instantly removed her from my bed. She wasn't allowed on it for 3 days/nights. Never guarded my bed again. 2~ Shortly after that, she tried guarding the couch. I growled, "OFF" back at her, she didn't budge. Just stared back. I touched her collar, she realized I was serious and jumped down. Never guarded the couch again. Fast forward 6+ years... 3~ The morning after she had fallen down the stairs at DF's, she was scared at the top and he picked her up with the intent to carry her down. She growled, he changed his mind. Quickly. Wasn't guarding tho, it was terror, I think. I've had other breeds and a foster grey all try to guard MY furniture, and I don't let it fly. That is MY furniture, not theirs. I allow them on it, they do not get to choose who they allow up. Everyone but the stubborn rockheaded husky/GSD mix took one time of being removed from the furniture to get the point across who owns it. She took 3 or 4 with the couch. With the bed... I lost count. She hated my (now ex)H on it. Maybe she was telling me something, tho....

Thank you! Will definitely check those out! With winter coming, how much charge can solar items get when it's overcast for weeks at a time?

Splitting the meals also might have helped as well. But we are also green bag converts as well. As to the runny poop on a walk clean up? OH OOH!! I can answer that thanks to someone years ago on GreyTalk when I first adopted Sammi Take newspaper or magazine pages with you on a walk (A paper plate would even work). Soon as they start to squat, stick the paper on the ground under them. Mess is on paper. Just grab the 4 corners of the paper, pick up, and deposit into the poop baggie mess free! Great for getting a clean sample for the vet as well

Our yard isn't fenced in (unless you look at it from her point of view and it is fenced by The Dark Beyond at night). So she always has one of us going out there with her. She used to love her early morning and her evening walks. It's been over the past year as her eyesight has started to weaken (don't notice it at all unless it is dark, vet thinks that her daylight vision is still fine, it's only very, very light cataracts and they haven't worsened in the past 8 months) that she has gotten very skittish outside. Always praise her for going potty. DF has a game he plays with her after she potties, where he lets her bounce along on her leash and does a sing song "bouncy bouncy bouncy" next to her that gets her revved even more to bounce around. She will NOT bounce at night. No matter how happyhappyjoyjoy DF is, she makes a beeline and drags him to the door, head down and tail tucked like she is running from something. Being Doctor Who fans, DF has joked that The Silence must be in the yard or trees at the back of the yard, because as soon as the door is shut and she is safe inside, it is all forgotten and she is happy bouncy Sammi again.

Years ago, we had an Irish Sheepdog (iirc, also called a border collie). We all had a fun game we'd play with her: Get on all fours and hunker down, cover your neck -to protect against her feet - and looking like a ball, basically. Then a high pitched, "Mindy! Mindy, get me, Mindy!" and she would go nuts barking, leaping over your, determined to get her nose to your face to lick you. We all played that game with her. Then one day, I was showing my best friend that game. Mindy knew her, she practically lived at our house. My friend laughed at Mindy bounding around and over me and, while laughing, put her hand on my shoulder to "help" Mindy get to my face by knocking me over. As soon as her hand touched, Mindy went from barking and wagging like a goof, to guard dog. She jumped over me, aiming for my friend and almost caught her wrist. It suddenly, and that quickly, wasn't a game to Mindy. My friend was okay, and we learned to keep that game in the family as solo play with Mindy. Sammi tries to be fun police. If anyone is trying to yell (they're boys), wrestle, rough house or anything with DS she will move to stand between him and the offender, giving them her best dead-no negotiating with her- stare. Usually that is their signal to change what they are doing, or I remind them to. I think it's cute how she stands guard with him, but I don't want them pushing her limits past that stare. let a real threat be the one to push her. Try being in the middle of enjoying cheese and realizing that your grey is looking down at you from above your loved one's shoulder. Tail wagging. Confused look on her face. And you can see the drop of SNART about to drip out of her nose onto his shoulder.

Not sure if this was Food & Dietary, or Behavior. Sammi's eyesight has slowly been declining, especially at night. Going out to potty in the dark has gradually become quite the ordeal with her. No more night time walks, or early morning if it's dark. She won't leave the property. She statues, refusing to go. She cowers She takes ForEVER to finally go. After yesterday morning when she ghost squatted and then had an accident because I had to go to an appointment (my fault, I should have taken a flashlight to be able to see and make sure she produced something) I decided she has to now wait for breakfast on school mornings. Why? Because she will sleep in all morning... as long as DF and/or I are in the bedroom... on the weekends & not wake us to go potty, but soon as we get out of bed, she wants breakfast. Going that long also means her bladder/bowels can hold it longer than 6am on a weekday morning. But, she cannot last more than 10 minutes after she eats to go potty. So once she eats in the morning, she has to be taken out. Today was the first morning she had to wait. I got sighed at. Trampled when I went for coffee. Glared at. Puppy faced. Stink eyed. And finally, when it was light outside, I almost got run over when I grabbed her food dish. No issues going potty with the sunrise DF is hoping to find the time to study the wiring to see if he can install a flood light out the back door for her. For now, I may look for a camping lantern for at least the last potty before bed. Even if he can install a flood light back there, will it even be enough? She gets so timid in the dark. Any sound/movement from the Terrifying Dark Beyond has her cowering and refusing to potty.

Also my first thought. If I feed Sammi more than 2 cups at a feeding, she will have the big D Sammi is also a Hoover that forgets to chew. If her kibble is dry, she would inhale, then choke or throw it up. We also use the warm water method and it has helped her immensely.

So very sorry

Entering late to welcome a fellow Michigander!

Saw this on the news. As they were announcing it, I blurt out, "China again." Wasn't shocked