GeorgeofNE

I've never met a dog that wouldn't ACT hungry all the time. The dog should be fed an appropriate amount at a normal time and not fed on HIS schedule. He didn't get fed all day long at the track, he doesn't need to get fed all day long in the home! My 2 cents.

I think you're being too hard on yourself. I personally found clicker training to be way more of a pain than a help--but I know some people swear by it. At two weeks in, you should be working on leash manners, recall, and the real basics. I personally don't feel a clicker adds anything to those activities--but that's just my opinion so those who are so inclined to, don't bother ripping into me!

Just my 2 cents--that's a LOT of food. Could be you are over feeding him and he wants to save some for later? And he is trying to "bury" it? I dunno. Cute video, but that's way more food than my dog gets.

As someone with two artificial hips, I can tell you that some days I experience significant pain from nerve damage. There is really nothing they can do about it. And there is no reason not to give your dog Rimadyl if it helps. Your vet will want to do blood work probably every six months to make sure his organs are dealing with it OK, but please don't let your dog suffer if he doesn't need to.

Buck does not like unneutered dogs either. I'd call the police/animal control on your neighbor. They're usually particularly willing to help out with unleashed, intact pitbulls.

No, it's neither a "serious problem" or a "personality quirk." It's totally normal dog behavior!

While it's not common in greyhounds, it could be her ACL. A partial tear would enable her to use the leg to a point, but would also make her not want to.

Many of us on GreyTalk call that "leaving p-mail." All dogs do this. They smell another dog's urine (the "message") and they "reply" by peeing on top of it.

Put them on a schedule and stick to it. There is NO reason a healthy dog needs to get you up at night. Last outs at your bedtime, no screwing around, just to pee and then go to bed and that's that!

If the vet who checked him isn't familiar with greyhounds, he may well have misinterpreted what he was hearing. Greyhounds have a heart that is larger than a normal dog. I also had one vet tell me my mixed breed dog had a heart murmur, and another vet who rechecked a few days later literally laughed at that assessment. He said, "Dr XXX has probably never met a dog in such good physical condition because what I hear is the heart of an athlete, and no sign whatsoever of a murmur." No other vet in 15 years hear a murmur either. Don't freak out!

In my mind, "prey drive" refers to the desire to chase prey (typically any moving object, which is how they can use a plastic bag as a lure for lure coursing--if it moves, dog chases. That is prey drive or my understanding of it). What you are describing seems more like a leash aggression thing. Clearly you need to stop introducing him to other dogs--my George was a total breed snob and I figured that out after a few weeks. We never once approached another breed of dog, and it wasn't that hard. I would just say, "Sorry, he only likes greyhounds" when people wanted their dog to meet him. No big deal. As to his behavior around other greyhounds--I have no clue. That is certainly not typical, but I expect people with more hound experience will step in.

I think this poster must live in a country that is not the USA, because NO group I know of would adopt a dog out to someone planning on leaving it outside when they're not home. And yes, in parts of the US, some people do think that's an OK way to have a pet dog, but for the most part, we just don't do that here. We would also never, ever tell someone to give their dogs bones when you're not home.

My father used to give his dogs "Green 'Em," but I refused to let him give them to my dogs because there is no list of ingredients on the bottle. We have always had a fenced in back yard--front yard was pristine, back yard was for the dogs. Spots be damned!

Nothing to eat or drink after midnight. We do blood work well in advance, as my vet won't DO the dental until the lab work comes back, and why schedule the procedure if you're not going to end up doing it?

I get up at 5:30, and have every day for 18 years. That's more than an hour earlier than I need to because I have to walk my dog.

I have a feeling this is not a US person? Could you please let us know where you live? Fly wire is not an expression I've ever heard, but I assume you mean window screens? I would never leave my dog would bones to eat when I'm not home. I'm think you're not in the US as it doesn't sound like you've got a muzzle or a crate. Exercise her BEFORE you leave her, not after! There are baby proof latches that easily attach to your fridge, but I think to start with, put her muzzle on. Sounds like she has separation anxiety.

I was thinking about you last night, and wondering it could be something like an underground burrow, leak in a pipe she can hear but you can't, gas leak? We had a dog go nuts in our screen porch once, digging and digging at the floor. Turns out we had termites! Keep us posted!

It's not about "pecking order." But I do believe your dog will learn to see the cats as part of his larger pack. That's why indoor cats are different from outdoor, in your dog's eyes. Trying to create a pecking order as you see it never works anyway. They will figure it out. Your cats might hide for days--but then again they might investigate the dog. My old cat, Ming, was adopted by me when he wsa 11. He had lived his first 11 years in a home as a spoiled only pet. Then he was given to a couple with a yappy terrier who chased him. He was terrified, so they shut him up in a room. They knew that was no life for him, so they sought out a new home, and that's when I got him. They didn't really want to give him to me because of the dog--but George barely glanced at him when he arrived! The cat, however, was terrified. I kept him in his own room for a few days to separate him from my other CAT. When I let him out, he didn't go near George for weeks, but eventually realized George wasn't a threat, and he started walking past him--but keeping as far away as possible. Now, two years later and a different greyhound, this cat is 15 and sleeps on the couch with the dog.

Buck sometimes licks me when he's falling asleep. I wonder if it's relaxing? I don't let it go on too long. I say, "Thanks buddy, that's enough" and roll over. Ming used to lick my HAIR. I think he was grooming me.

Hi. When I got my first grey, I had three cats and I live in a condo (smallish). The single most important thing for you to do is to provide an escape room for the cats. He is probably more interested in them since they are sort of "on display" for him right now. If there were just out and about and doing cat things, it wouldn't be like "Hey dog! Lookit what's behind this gate!!" What I have is a tall metal gate that mounts easily (pressure mount, no tools required). It also opens for humans to pass through. But at the bottom is the genius of it all--a tiny cat sized door that can be left open! So you can easily pass in and out of the gate, the cats can to, but the dog cannot. You can also just mount a baby gate about 6 inches from the floor and that's their escape hatch, but I found that was a bit of a pain in the but--plus George actually army crawled under it the first time I tried to confine him that way! I would muzzle your dog, set up the escape hatch, and WHILE YOU ARE HOME AND SUPERVISING let the cats out and see where it goes. Cats are pretty quick and can duck under furniture, and as long as you are there to keep it under control, I think it's worth a try at this point.

1) Do not give her that long. Take her out for 10 minutes. Be pleasant and happy and say something like, "Time to tinkle." If she doesn't go, take her back inside and try again later. If she DOES go, praise her to the moon. 2) Never, ever end a walk right after a dog finally does produce. You can actually inadvertantly train a dog to "hold it" this way. So don't stay out until she poops or pees and then immediately go inside. 3) Sounds like something frightened her--can you take her out the front on a leash for a while? She'll get over it. But it might take a bit. I'm sure you'll get plenty of other good advice, but I believe dogs do best on a regular schedule. It's awesome you're home and she has access to a yard and time, but for now, consider a schedule built around a normal work day (as if you were working outside your home). Take her out first thing in the AM. Then feed them. About 45 later, take her out again (this is when I'd leash walk her out the front around the neighborhood). Then do your work. Keep her with you, but you don't have to let them in and out all day. If she hasn't relieved herself, and shows signs that she does, go ahead and leash her up and take her out for a couple of minutes (see above). As if you were housebreaking a puppy, in other words. Also, inspect the yard for something like fire ants or anything else that might have bitten her. She sounds like she's avoiding something that you might not see or hear, but she can.

Sadly, working in a kennel does not actually make one an expert at dog behavior. Sounds like your roommate is clinging to outdated ideas of alpha dog and such. I personally don't expect my dog to obey anyone but me, but I don't have to deal with a roommate either. She should put the dog on a leash and take it out in the yard for a quick pee break and a treat, not just turn her out and then have a disagreement when it is time to come back in. Your rug sounds well past it's useful lifetime. Get rid of it! And you need to clean the flooring underneath too. If your dog has peed inside so many times you can't even identify the spots, she probably thinks it's perfectly OK to do so since it smells like pee (to her, I am not accusing you of living in a pee stinky house! I'm sure you do your best to clean up). Most dogs hate being in an closed room (unless you're in there with them) so please don't do that. Perhaps you could baby gate her into one room to at least restrict the places she might pee? Put a comfy bed in there, some toys, try giving her a Kong. Try a DAP diffuser. Try a radio playing for "company." You don't mention if she's been to the vet lately or not. If not, perhaps a check up is in order with a urinalysis (not an expensive test) to make sure there isn't something physical going on.

Stairs are NOT that big a deal. Suggesting adoption groups should only give out dogs who can already do stairs to people who live in buildings with stairs is, uhm, well, perhaps a little much.

I have never gotten the kennel cough vaccine. It's only necessary if you're going to be boarding the dog.

So here's what I suggest. Let them out immediately when you get up. And yes, you CAN get up earlier. Would you rather have a dog crapping in your house or 30 minutes less sleep?? Bring them in, then feed them. Wait 30 minutes (this is when I drink coffee, watch the news, decide what to wear, etc.). THEN walk them. Most dogs will poop within a certain time period after a meal. If you're walking them BEFORE you feed them, that could be a problem. Perhaps I missed the sequence above and if so, disregard! But most dogs I think need to go out twice. Once to empty their bladder from holding it all night, and a second time after they've had time to digest breakfast.