GeorgeofNE

She may have somewhat iffy night vision--my old dog did, and before I had his eye checked, I kind of thought he was loosing his mind! If it were me, I'd just get one and use it in the yard at night until she figures out it's harmless!

I don't think any of this (except possibly the ears) sounds food related. What does the breeder say?

I saw something on the web--little no slip grips that stick right to your dog's pads! At the time, I thought it was stupid, but... I can't remember where I saw them, but I'm sure if you Google "non slip paw treads" or something you could find them. Might be worth a try?

Are they going on carpet? Wood? Vinyl? I myself use a powdered urine remover from "Planet Urine" (www.planeturine.com). They explain very well how pouring liquid onto a liquid stain really just spreads the urine further, and deeper in the case of carpet. The powder absorbs liquid and you vacuum it up. I got their monster kit which came with a black light. Be warned! It finds more than just urine, but I was HORRIFIED to see how far I had spread urine with my old method of clean up (back when I first got George, he peed a LAKE on my carpet. It was so bad it, the smell brought tears to my eyes).

Doesn't matter to me. George doesn't have a weight issue; the few calories the oil add are insignficant as far as I'm concerned. He's an active dog, not a Victoria's Secret model! He loves them in oil, water, or tomato sauce!

Cute signature Deb!!! I guess you're coming off my "client" list permanently!

That's not normal. I'm in agreement with his anal glands or possible even a sheath infection. A greyhound should not (does not!) normally need to be bathed more than once or twice a year.

Do NOT leave a dog in an x-pen unattended unless you have made SURE you cannot knock it over yourself. It is so easy to knock one over it's not even funny. My old dog was confined to an x-pen for MONTHS and I found out the first day how darned dangerous they can be. I had to put all kinds of weighted things at the bottom inside to prevent the pen from collapsing. I would also not spend my money on thyroid tests. The primary symptoms of thyroid problems are skin and coat issues; not behavior issues. My guess is the crate is actually causing the problem here. I agree with the alone training--and frankly, if the incident was after their visit at lunch, I'd suggest they're just interrupting her day and probably causing double the anxiety; leaving her twice each day instead of just once! I had hired a dog walker for George, and it didn't help him a bit. Is the dog getting a good long, brisk walk every morning? A Kong with peanut butter ONLY when they leave? Music playing? These are all things I tried, and the only thing that really made a difference is stopping the crate! Once I did that, he was fine!

There is no correlation between marking on walks and marking in the house. George lifts his leg CONSTANTLY on walks, and has never marked inside, although he has at Petco and the vet's office. Sounds like your boy just doesn't QUITE understand the entire house is his domain. I would not crate him after letting him be uncrated for a while. He will not likely take well to that. The belly band should curtail the behavior if it truly is marking--but you'll have to shut the dog door so he doesn't try to go out to pee and pee in the band. You don't want to send him mixed messages.

You've gotten all the good advice you need--and your future plan is perfect. My Greyhound actually sleeps with his eyes open sometimes, so having your child not touching the dog on the bed is the safest bet! I hope she doesn't hold it against the dog!

Dogs are not unlike people in that many of them tend to loose their hearing, at least in part, as they age. This is not a greyhound issue, is what I'm saying. It's just a dog thing! My parents' dog is now mostly deaf, which is kind of a relief for the poor guy cause he was terrified of thunder!

Could be that two weeks just wasn't long enough. I hope it goes away for good this time!

I'd be very concerned about a vet who isn't aware of how frequently NGA Greyhounds are afflicted with bone cancer. I took my dog in with a limp, and the first thing the vet said was, "Because he's a Greyhound, I want to go straight to x-rays, and even if nothing shows, I want you to bring him back in two weeks for another set." Maybe I'm just fortunate to live in an area with a fairly high number of adopted hounds so the vets know...but I'd call the office tomorrow and insist.

There are a million trainers, and a million training methods--but those books are GENERAL training techniques for "regular" dogs--not gearted toward training a retired racing Greyhound whose entire life has been totally different from the average pet. Someone please post that piece about all the things that are totally new to Greyhounds?? It took my dog 18 months before he TURNED AROUND in the condo (versus walking backwards out of a room). Sounds like you're rushing a bit, and at 5 weeks I'd be thrilled if my hound were housebroken, eating well, had firm stools, and seemed to be adjusting to living in a house!

Exactly! He's totally freaked out. I'd give him the food he's been eating, mixed with a bit of warm water, and some peace and quiet in which to eat it. And try serving it to him in the crate because that's where he's used to eating. It'll be fine!

Most kennels will not board animals that have not been vaccinated against kennel cough. Did the kennel as you about that? IMHO you need to take the dog to the vet. If it is kennel cough, it's easily treated (or will go away eventually on it's own, but it's highly contagious).

My concern is the space heater. I'm guessing you're not in the United States, based on the use of the term "conservatory" which is not something most of us have-- Space heaters are extremely dangerous IMHO. There is no such thing as a safe one as far as I'm concerned. Year after year, houses burn down after a space heater goes on the fritz. Is there some reason you can't have your dogs in the house with a dog door?

If her blood works is good, there's no reason she should suffer and NOT take NSAIDs regularly. As my own doctor says about MY arthritis, "There's no reason to suffer!" She may be worse at night for many reasons; if she's been active during the day, she could be sore. If she's been too inactive all day, she could be very stiff. If the temp is dropping, it could make it worse. George takes a daily dose of Deramaxx, and he is doing really well with it. No upset stomach, no change in his blood work, and he's more comfortable.

Omaha Vaccine

I too have cats, and both of them are fairly vocal. They sound nothing like a squeaky toy even to my inferior human ears! I also wouldn't worry about not buying animal-shaped toys. Even greyhounds seem to be able to tell a stuffed toy from an actual animal! It's smart to be cautious, but I think you're OK without worrying about this particular issue,.

I allow my dog on the bed at my house, and not at my parents. He has no problem distinguishing between OUR furniture and Granny's. Same with my last dog. Actually, that dog got on my mother's furniture ONCE and she let him know in no uncertain terms it was not acceptable. It was priceless, the look on his face as Granny chewed him out wagging her bony finger at him!!! So it may not be a problem making him understand that things are different at someone else's house.

Sorry if you've already said what you've done MEDICALLY. Doesn't sound like a dog who is horribly stressed out, so I would be concerned about things like stones or infection. Suggest (if you haven't done so in the past couple of weeks) you take some urine to the vet for a urinalysis. I feel your pain, believe me! Been having issues with my guy on and off since I got him. Whatever his problem is does not show up on any tests, but clearly responds to antibiotics, so we're treating something new now. But I spent about $3,000 on tests only to be told "there is nothing wrong" and yet every time he is given antibiotics, it stops. Go figure...

Dogs have no concept of "revenge." That just isn't how they think. If they did, I assume everyone who puts hats on their dogs would have been murdered in their beds by now!