Gryffenne

A few weeks ago, DBF and I noticed how much Sammi was drooling when eating a treat or licking her legs on her bed. Also her breath was horrid. After inspecting her mouth, a broken canine was discovered. After talking with the vet, it was decided that the tooth is getting pulled, and while she's under, they are going to do a dental, check her one eyelid that has caused constant tearing, and she's getting her nails trimmed. I know it's minor compared to what else shows up in H&M, but could use some good thoughts Still worried for my baby.

If Sammi didn't get breakfast, I would be the one crushed... by her! If it is a school/soccer morning with an alarm, I get the 15 minutes of snooze-cuddles. But if I hit the snooze again... then it starts. The polite whine... then the not so polite whine. Then a zoomie attack. And then... that split second of silence. Just long enough for my brain to register the zoomie has abruptly stop and that I have 0.5 sec to move before 84 pounds of hungry greyhound lands on me. Sunday mornings I get an extra few hours before we start with the polite whine and progress to the landing. In fact, with my messed up sleep schedule, she gets more than 2 meals. Same amount of food at the day's end, just split up a bit. A biscuit when I get home from work after potty trip outside IF we are getting up at 6am for school in the morning. If I want her to sleep in, she gets a mini b'fast and goes pott before bed. This ensures no trouble until about noon. Then she gets a small lunch. Dinner is about 7pm. School days, she gets the biscuits at bedtime, B'fast (mini meal) at 6am when DS gets up and takes her out to potty. Then she gets brunch (the rest of b'fast) and another potty break before we go back to bed after he goes to school. This buys me time to sleep.. usually about 230pm she wants up. A biscuit or a handful of kibble and then dinner is 7pm. As for human breakfast food. Sammi loves eggs on her breakfast. Oatmeal, too. I remember years ago, a boyfriend trying to teach me my bane as a cook. Over easy eggs. (I can cook just about anything you ask of me, but for 33 years I could not make an OEE without busting the yolk.) So Sunday mornings were the full on breakfast mornings. And my OEE egg lessons. Well, any eggs that I busted the yolks on became Sammi's eggs. And then it happened... the morning I made 6 OEE and not one busted yolk. i was so proud! BF leaned over my shoulder and then looked at Sammi to sadly announce, "No egg for Sammi, Mommy didn't bust a yolk." I look down at my forlorn grehound laying so patiently on her kitchen doggie bed. Look back at the eggs. Back at Sammi. Look at the eggs and BAM!! nail one with the turnerthingamabob. "Oops, I broke one!" Nowadays, where busting a yolk is rare, she gets one no matter what. busted or not. ETA~ The biggest reason that I split her meals up (besides my love of sleep) is that ever since she had to go off of raw (no freezer space/availability issues in podunk) if she eats more than 1 cup of food at a time, she will get the big D.

Sammi is also a chatter hound. I remember when I first moved in here with my best friend. She was startled hearing Sammi chatter at me when I would come home from work, get her meals, get her leash, etc... I explained what it was, and it became my roommate's goal to get Sammi to chatter at her. About 2 months after we moved in, I was at work checking my phone on a break. In all caps, I see this text message: SAMMI CHATTERED AT ME! OMG OMG OMG Between that and the full on couch roach, we knew she was adjusting to the move.

Bedroom door stays shut at night so that a wandering husky doesn't wander in there (Sammi has a few toys that for some reason or another she is possessive over, so they stay in the bedroom.) Sammi is all over the room. She starts out in bed with me, then may move to the floor. Then the overstuffed chair that was my mom's. Then her den (aka my walk in closet). She LOVES that closet. With the shelves and dresser in there, the free floor space is the width of a costco dog bed and the depth of 2. Her special toy bin is in the back, next to the dresser & under one of the clothing rods. In the summer it is right by the window that holds the AC unit. In the winter it is closest to the heating vent. Then when my alarm goes off, she's back on bed for 15 minutes of snooze snuggling. But when it was just DS, Sammi and I, she would be all over the house. Kitchen to get a drink, check in on DS, check to make sure the sofa was still cushy enough, that the futon was still long enough and that her dog beds were all fluffed properly. Then back into my room to steal my covers or hog the bed.

Give him time My Sammi was the same way. When I first adopted her, I was told that I adopted a serial stuffy killer. I swear I got the wrong dog. I had bought tons of toys & she even had her own toybox to house them all. Never touched them. Then, about a month later, I was in the kitchen and heard out in the living room - Squeak! Squeak.. Squeak.. Squeak! As soon as I peeked into the room, she stopped. It went on like this for a few weeks. Then she started not minding me watching. Then we progressed to me being in the room watching, but if I tried playing or even acknowledging her playing, she stopped. Then I could finally do a running commentary and talk to her while she was playing. Finally I was invited to play by having a stuffy flung at me and her waiting expectantly for me to toss it in the air for her to jump, grab and slam to the ground in a plabow. Nowadays, she has her zoomies (bursts of play energy) and doesn't mind if I watch or join in I've had toys flung at the back of my head when on the computer, I've had toys tossed at me in my chair reading, I've almost gotten sideswiped walking into the room as her and the stuffy are about to land where I am standing, I have woken out of a dead sleep to *thump thump squeak thump...silence.. WHOMP!* as 85 pounds of greyhound lands ON me in bed because her zoomies hit while I was sleeping. I've had to confiscate toys she's trying to sneak outside with her to the car. I've giggled and watched her bring a toy down from the bedroom to play with, only to have the husky try to steal it and Sammi taking it back and walking it back upstairs in a huff.

How refreshing to hear from a family with a realistic outlook about an interaction like this. I agree. I was from the generation that if the pet retaliated (vocally or otherwise) my parents immediately were on the case with, "What did you do to the dog?!" I am raising my son the same way. Where I used to work, I had a coworker that was whining about how she was afraid of their dog and considering putting an ad on CL because he constantly growls at her daughter. I asked why was he afraid. "Well, she doesn't mean to hurt him, she's just clumsy I guess. He really should get used to it." um.. really? Before I could formulate an answer, another coworker piped up, "So your kid is hurting the dog, that hasn't bitten back yet, and you're putting an ad up on CL?" (Yes was the answer) "For the dog or the kid?"

Good luck with your decision to keep him! One of the things that caught my attention, tho It's also normal for a greyhound of any age. A lot of people call them "zoomies". My girl is soon turning 10 in December and still gets a zoomie attack a couple times a day. They don't last as long as they used to, but she still goes from 0-60 in the blink of an eye like a ferret on Red Bull. Bounces around, attacks her toys, tosses them, chases them, play-bow/body slams them and then, as quick as it started, she's napping again. Usually just as I get the camera ready A 2 yr old is still in "Landshark" mode, and will calm down (usually) into the couch potato we all know and love. But the zoomies may stay

Sammi doesn't mind the rain TOO Much, but I really try to get her out if a storm is coming before it hits land. She will prefer to hold it til the storm quiets down, if given the choice. The worst ever was a full on Lake Michigan Blizzard. Sub zero temps (where the windchill is so bad the weatherman warns against breathing without nose/mouth covered), ice/sleet, blowing snow and near hurricane winds. In that event, I put newspaper down in the garage. At first she wasn't sure what I was wanting her to do. Once I opened the door to walk out of the garage with her leashed, she statued in the doorway staring at the raging storm, turned around and walked over to the newspaper. Each time she pottied, I immediately bagged it up and tossed it in the trash and laid out fresh paper.

Sammi loves traveling. Be it across 3 states, across town, or across the street. She knows, tho, that she cannot get in the car for a ride until she potties, so when we go outside, she ignores the car to do her business. It's after she is done that she is trying to drag me to the car (except when scared, the only time she has bad leash manners is when trying to give me the subtle hint about the car)

I tried this to slow Sammi down. She used to be a normal eater (hoover, but didnt puke or choke/gag) but when we moved and didnt have the resources for a raw diet anymore, she was starting to scare me with how fast she was eating her kibble. So I read a bit and found the ball theory. She picked it up in her mouth and dropped it next to her dish. Got a bigger ball thing... she used her nose under it to launch it out of her dish and bounce it off of the wall. Tried an inverted ceramic mug that my roommate was going to toss because the handle broke off. Within a minute, I hear a commotion and then CLANGGGG-G-G-G-G-G-G-G. She pushed the mug out of the dish. So now I wet it with warm water and let it sit for a moment, then feed her. No choking/gagging any more.

I haven't really thought about mixing in canned food for Sammi. Usually she gets part of whatever meal I am making mixed in. (If I am making myself some eggs in the morning, she gets an egg, too. If I am making dinner, I may save her some of the meat/protein before I start seasoning/preparing it.) Otherwise, it's hot water (otherwise she hoovers and chokes) coconut oil (after work), and her glucosamine (evenings).

I think Sammi would hurt me in my sleep if I even thought about feeding her once a day She started out at 2 meals a day for years, Over the past year, she's started a third -smaller- meal a lunch time because she was starting to go bonkers a few hours before dinner. Tried with a large milk bone and that wasn't cutting it. Then I realized her missing kong held about 1/2 a cup of food. Gave her that amount for lunch. Solved the problem.

Firm "NO!" or "NO Bite!" If firm doesn't work, VoG (Voice of God) When he lets go, praise him for being a good boy. I haven't had to do this with a greyhound, but with an adolescent husky, to get the message across, I had to wrap my fingers gently, but firmly, around her muzzle while using the VoG "NO BITE" then praise her when she sat quietly looking at me. She wasn't biting me, she was mouthing me. But "bite" kept it simple. ETA~ You may have to correct before the nip happens. To warn him off that the intended behavior isn't tolerated. If he is getting excited and then nips, get him before the connect. That is what I had to do with the husky. I knew what she was intending, and put a stop to it before it happened. Otherwise, he might think that you're praising the letting go, and will nip to get the letting go praise. If that makes sense? Sorry.. work nights and just waking up.

If he is sneaking off to rooms for accidents, I would suggest more baby gates and/or keeping other doors closed for the time being. You're basically teaching him that this house is a big "crate"/home/den. When Sammi first arrived home, I allowed access to the living room & my bedroom (LR was where everyone was, my Bedroom was right off of the living room and also a place for her to retreat that no one but I could follow.). After a week accident free, I opened up the dining room & kitchen area (the way the layout was, no way to block the kitchen off). After another week accident free, I opened up the hallway that led to the bathroom and my son's room, but kept those doors shut. Then the bathroom door was left open, then my son's door. Sammi used a crate the first night with the door closed. After that first night, she would not tolerate being closed in the crate, so a dog bed was put in my room. She still always had access to her crate, tho, in case she wanted to go relax there. Unfortunately, a year later was the last time she was crated. I crated her to carry stuff in from the car one night and as I was carrying in the last load, I tripped. I crashed against the crate and got pretty banged up. She was okay, but became terrified of her crate. I never really had a reason to use it since. Opting for babygates & doors if I need to separate her from a room for some reason. Good luck! PS~ I would suggest keeping a diary of the first few months. You will be amazed at the blossoming your grey will go through (And the stuff that used to worry you ) I have re-read the emails I was sending to Sammi's foster mom that first couple months, and my very first posts about Sammi and I chuckle now. Not even the same hound... or the same hound momma

Frankly, I would be more concerned that child was grey friendly. I grew up with all sorts of pets and animals around the house. Where, if the pet retaliated (Vocally or otherwise, the first reaction was, "What did you do to the dog/pet?!" Not what parents of later generations turned into, by blaming the animal. Son raised the same way) My son was born into a home with a cat, dog & ferrets. He has always had a surreal gentleness with animals.When he was 4.5 I started researching dogs and found Sammi. I fell in love with her picture and was determined to adopt her (to the point that I filled out my app in a way that only she fit my "criteria" yeah, I've evil that way ) But even tho I wanted her, I knew that there had to be a connection between her and DS for her to be in my home. If they didn't clique, she wasn't going to be the dog for us. Thankfully, they clicked This was Sammi's Gotcha Day. 15 minutes after she arrived home. DS was on the futon first, she chose to climb up there with him. He is technically 4 in that picture. He turned 5 a few weeks later. BTW~ We were required to read Childproofing Your Dog because I had a young child in the home. I disregarded 75% of the book. I didn't believe in making a pet tolerate rude behaviour from a child. I chose, instead, to instill respect for a living creature in the child. Now, my roommate's 9 & 12 yr olds? No way would I have brought Sammi into this house if they were the age DS was when we adopted her.

Sammi also went from being an only dog and content with it to living with 2 huskies, one her age, one that wasn't 2 yet when we moved in. They also play very roughly and --while supervised-- we allowed Sammi to let her feelings on the matter be made clear in canine language. And she did. We were there to back her up and make sure it didn't go beyond a snark. Everyone learned quickly the playtime rules: ~No jumping/roughhousing on the furniture. (Sammi noticed that rule and that is where she hops to watch them) ~No bouncing off of Sammi, I don't care how wound up you are!! (This was more for the teenager husky. Sammi growled out that rule, she listened. Now when she plays, she's more observant of her surroundings and doesn't get too close to Sammi until she's ready to nap and then slowly approaches Sammi and lays down curled up with her.) ~When Sammi gets a zoomie attack, she doesn't always have brakes installed! (They hop to the couch when Sammi is flying around) There were a few growls and barks at first, but thankfully they all understood each other. Giz (alpha of those 2) tried to dominance play with Sammi...once. Very quickly learned there was a new, taller alpha in the house. In fact, Sammi really "frowns upon" that type of play between them. If Giz pins Bella and didn't immediately get up, Sammi will get up off the couch, walk over there, and stare at her until she lets Bella up. If she doesn't, Sammi barks that booming bark she uses for a strange male at the door and Giz will let Bella up. Very grateful that my roommate understood that Sammi's snarking at a rambunctious younger dog was akin to an adult telling a wound up toddler to settle their butt down. I also had her read "He Just Wants to Say Hi!" and the post about a greyhound's life (Article by Kathleen Gilley floating around here on GT) so that she would understand some of Sammi's quirks. As for food aggression, well Sammi surprisingly wasn't the one with it here (I feared she might have issues) it was Giz. We worked out a feeding plan for this household that is seamless now... well, as seamless as things can be with kids in the house. Sammi & Bella are fed in the kitchen, Sammi first (by the door) and then Bella by the sink across the kitchen. Then Gizmo has to wait on the living room area rug -calmly!- for her food to be served by the dining table and she is given the command to go eat. This was done for 2 reasons. 1. Trying NILF on Gizmo. So far it's helping a ton with her attitude at meal times. 2. Gizmo isn't food obsessed, she's food possessed. She was a true rescue from a horrid situation and I don't think this is something she will ever fully grow out of. If she isn't watched carefully, she would try to bully Bella from her dish and steal her food, and not let anyone near hers. Being submissive as she is, Bells wouldn't try to get her food back. I really wish I would have recorded Giz the day she thought she could steal Sammi's food with the same ease I was watching the whole time, we were all tired of Gizmo's bullying of Bella if they weren't carefully monitored (even in separate rooms, there had to be an adult /gate between them, or Bella crated since due to previous home, you cannot crate Gizmo) and I had said "maybe let her try to steal a dish from a dog that won't be bullied?" So there I was, watching the Queen B as she tried creeping in between the doorway and the wall, between Sammi and the wall to get to the dish. Sammi, without even a growl or pausing in eating waiting for Giz's head to be at her shoulder... then steps down on her foot. Giz yanks her foot back and backs up to reassess the situation. She tries again. And again, without pausing or showing she was even aware of the fluffy monster next to her, she waits for Giz to get to her shoulder, and this time, she shoulder checked her against the wall. Giz won't even enter the kitchen now if Sammi is standing across the doorway eating, which suits Bella just fine. She knows Sammi won't try to take her food, and I think she feels safe eating with her there, because if for some reason she is being fed and Sammi isn't at her position by the doorway, Bella won't eat. in fact, quite often Sammi kinda hangs out in the kitchen/DR doorway until Bella is done and they both walk out together.

Definitely the key phrase for all of this (and any advice, really). Excellent advice, and tailored to your family and your dog. I startle awake if I fall asleep alone in the room. I occasionally have night terrors-like nightmares. My son suffers the same. So he has grown up thinking everyone and everything startles awake and to never lean over anyone, or suddenly touch them, to wake it/them up. He was about to turn 5 when we adopted Sammi, so for our household, he was very easy to teach how to wake & approach Sammi. Either call her name, or make "the sound" to get her to lift her head and look at you to ensure she is awake before approaching. ("The sound" is akin to a kissy-sound, only it's higher pitched -suck the air in faster) Would it be that simple for other households? Nope. I had to "train" my roommate's children when we moved here last year and they were 8 & 11 at the time.They took more training than DS did, but that was simply because they were not familiar with the sleep quirks my little family -DS, Sammi and I- share.

Don't be too hard on yourself. You know your limitations, you expressed them to that group and they (possibly) still sent you home with a hound out of your league and may not be a fit in your household. Not your fault in any way, shape or form. It would fall on them. Don't let them (or anyone else) try to place the blame or guilt onto you over this. Talk it over with the trainer and see what they say.

Excellent idea. Poodle the brat will stand at the water bowl and stare at me until I dump it and fill it with cold water from the fridge. He likes his water fresh and cold. That is exactly what I was thinking. Sammi does NOT like the smell of (and I am sure the taste of) heavily chlorinated city water. She would rather have straight up Pedialyte over some city water we have experienced. And after almost 3 months of soft serve that we traced back to the water she was drinking when she first came home, I now travel with waterbor grab a bottle of water out of the cooler at gas stations. (Since I am sensitive to different city water when traveling, it was already normal for me to grab water for me when traveling, no big whoop to bring enough for her, too )

Sammi is a major chatterer My roommate was so excited the first time Sammi chattered for her (means she's relaxed enough to be herself) that she texted me at work to let me know

I was just coming to post this myself. A good friend of mine lost 2 greys within a month of each other and I think that I've seen this brand at her house. Sent her a direct link, really hoping that I was wrong about what food she uses.

Hopefully this helps. A bit long, sorry about that: When I first adopted Sammi, because of her height, I taught her to lay on her bed while we ate at the table. No treats from the table EVER. If I had something left over, I fed it to her away from the table. Usually her dish, sometimes just one piece I offered her from my hand. **(funny story about this to follow) She was a major counter surfer, keeping food off of the counter and enough NO's! helped curb that to the point I can now be marinating a fat steak and she won't even look at it. I think the egg that I cracked on her nose helped, too I didn't mean to. I was talking to my mom and making something. I was cracking the eggs on the edge of the counter and suddenly one didn't crack... it went thwumpppp. My mom instantly almost pees herself laughing and I look down at Sammi who now has egg yolk dripping off of the bridge of her nose. Ever since then, if I am making something and there is an egg on that counter, she stays 3 feet back which means, even if a recipe doesn't call for eggs, I still have one sitting there Thankfully, Sammi is very easy to give treats to. I would trust her to take a Cheerio from a baby, she is that gentle about it Treats were given only when I asked for something of her, sit/lay, etc... I discovered that giving a treat when she came in from going potty created a "Ghost squatter" monster with a bladder that was apparently the size of a chick pea since she suddenly HAD to GO OUT NOW every 10 minutes... just to squat and produce nothing. She learned soon after that she had to produce something to get that treat. So now she comes in and sits facing the fridge where the treats are and waits for me to hang the leash and take off my shoes. Even taught the 2 huskies that trick Now, speaking of the huskies. The younger one (Bella) isn't that food motivated, she was just a little... rude... about treats. Sammi dealt with that one the day she had the guts to snag a treat given to Sammi right from Sammi's mouth! That was the only time I can for sure say that I witnessed a dog intending contact and miss their target. If Bella was Sammi's height, she would have gotten nailed. Between Sammi's snap and me racing after her to crouch over her, open her jaw and remove the treat was enough to teach her never to attempt that stunt again with Sammi. That happened before we moved in, now she adores Sammi. Idolizes her like a little sister would their older sister. Accepts reprimands when she goes too far in play, follows her, eats next to her without fear (Gizmo, the other husky will try to steal Bella's food, but won't go past Sammi to do so. Sammi ignores Bella's food dish, but hangs out in the kitchen until Bella is done) The older one (Gizmo) was a rescue from a horrid situation. I've seen pictures of her when my roommate first got her. Imagine a fluffy SH head on an underweight whippet's body, then the fluffy SH tail at the end. Unfortunately, she is now at the other end of the spectrum from too many grandma's' taking pity on her. If Sammi is food motivated, Gizmo is not only food obsessed, she is food possessed! Gizmo is now the LAST one to get her dish at meal times. (She was first before we moved in, then after Sammi, but was starting to get mean about food, so now she has a routine she has to follow to eat) Gizmo is no longer allowed in the kitchen when food (human or dog) is being prepared. At meal times where she is being fed, Sammi gets her dish, then Bella (both in the kitchen, Sammi is by the door and will actually block it with her body to prevent Gizmo from getting to Bella's dish. She started this on her own the one time Gizmo squeezed in and attempted to get the dish) Then Gizmo has to be laying down in the living room, calm, and her dish is brought in and set down. She has to remain laying down until she is calm and has "lost" her stare-down with the human. (Dang bull headed husky! lol always tries to stare you down, and loses, then tries cute and innocent, loses, tries the intent stare again, loses, but still tries again the next day) Then she is given the command to have her meal. Treats are the same thing for Gizmo. She has to lay down and remain calm, not fixated on the treat in hand, and she will be given her treat- below the nose otherwise she tries to snap at it. When humans eat, she is not allowed to get near the table or "in their face" about it. No one is allowed to hand her (or any dog) a treat from the table. Since we have started this with her a couple months ago, she has become a lot calmer. She used to knock people and dogs over to get into the kitchen. She would almost injure herself & others to get across the living room if someone was eating a snack. She used to be practically up under people trying to eat. At treat times she used to try to intercept a treat for another dog. She used to attempt to bully Bella for her food dish before hers was even done, yet still guard her own. Now, people do not have to stand watch over slow-as-a-sloth Bella, Sammi does it. Gizmo would almost take a finger trying to get a treat from your hand. Now she is calm and patiently waits her turn. She would try to take food from the kids hands (she tried once with my son and found his fingers wrapped around her muzzle and a firm eye-to-eye NO from him) Is she flawlessly perfect now? Oh heck no. It's still an every day training session. We're still working on her staying out of the kitchen. The other night she almost tripped me zooming in there and I grabbed a wooden spoon and banged it against Sammi's stainless steel dish that was still empty in my hand. She still sometimes becomes possessed and wants whatever you have. But she has come a long way. Ok, now for Sammi's funny story about the dinner table. ** I was so proud that I had taught Sammi to lay down near my chair at the dinner table until I was done eating that she was invited to Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' home that first year we had her. She was an angel at dinner. My mom was constantly complementing her on her good table manners. Well, like most large holiday dinners, we had coffee afterwards, right at the table. I did not realize that getting my coffee was her "sign" that I was done eating. At home, after dinner I would get my coffee and either move to my computer or to the couch. I thought the moving away from the table was her sign, not the coffee cup in my hand. Because as we were all sitting there relaxing, there was suddenly a peculiar sound coming from under my mom's elbow. Then 2 quivering ears appeared with that sound again. Mom looks down and starts giggling. Poor Sammi was SO confused. I had my coffee, she had been good, where was her slice of that delicious smelling turkey? She was quietly trying to hint about it and practically shaking with each soft, delicate nasal whine she emitted. My father, after mom had passed away, also discovered that if there is not something soft for her to lay upon, Sammi will stand at the table "begging". Not for food, but for her bed that she is supposed to lay upon while we are eating

Sammi gets a bedtime snack. It could be anything, really. A biscuit, a peanutbutter heel, a raw baby carrot. Something to eat on her dogbed in the bedroom. Otherwise she will pace and whine and be a general butthead until she gets her bedtime snack.

Yeah.....it's the reason I block my dogs out when I do yard work. Every time I bend over to do ANYTHING there is a nose on my butt! Fricking Fracking Dawgs........ Sammi doesn't wanna sniff nether regions, but she has goosed me, and my roommate, numerous times. My roommate has now adopted my style of if I have to stop in a doorway, I turn my body since one of the "hairy hemorrhoids" (or as Sammi has been dubbed, The Assteroid) is usually following at close range.

I had all intentions on failing.... Ive seen a few people on here just about get crucified for returning dogs... The ones that get crucified on here for returning dogs aren't foster homes. For those that crucify, that is the key difference. For me, she didn't fit with your pack. They were there first, they are your first priority.