GeorgeofNE

Practically speaking, your problem is solved by taking her out on a leash for her last outing. There IS medication for dementia, although I'm not sure how well it works. Has her vision been checked? Because she might have night blindness. I had a mixed breed acting really weird on me, and it turns out he had a degenerative eye condition which made it very difficult to see in the dark and he was reacting to shadows and such. Keeping him on a very short leash at night and limiting our walks was all we needed to help him.

That is a nice update. Now what you do is track good days versus bad, and when bad outnumber good, be courageous and make the appointment.

Buck loves to eat grass, never throws it up, and I have surrendered to his need for "salad."

George woke up every single day at exactly 4:30 for six months. When I finally realized it was just what he was used to, I told him "go back to sleep" and ignored him. Took a few days, but he gave up.

This is a super update, and I don't mean to sound rude, but I just think it's really important that you not try and figure out his issues based on what might bother a person. You mentioned twice that you're a mental health professional and are applying what you know to your dog--and, well, he's not a hairy person. Have you read "The Other End of the Leash" by Patricia McConnell? If not, I'd encourage you to do so.

She is adorable, but I don't know where they got the idea that she's a greyhound mix! And in this area, any pit bull mix is labelled "boxer mix" to make it more adoptable. So she's probably a pit bull mixed with a mixed breed--maybe some sort of lab mix? Very cute. Reminds me of MY pit bull mix, Kramer. Smartest dog I've ever met!

Yeah, I agree. This is a mixed breed puppy. This behavior is typical of any puppy who is bored and making her own fun. She needs more than a 15 minute walk. If you can shift so that the bulk of her exercise is in the morning, versus the PM, it should help! Good luck, and remember, this too shall pass!

Remember, her care is up to YOU, not "the cancer doctor."

She can't "leave it for a while." You have to understand, in an elevator building, any fire alarm, etc. and the elevators shut down. You HAVE to be able to move your dog up/down the stairs.

Do you have slippery floors? Cause if you do, please please please get rugs. That will help a lot. Second, rather than rely on this "trainer," why are you not talking to his foster mom, or the adoption group? Third, and most important, I too live alone, in a condo, and my first greyhound had pretty bad SA for a while. But he did get over it! Exercise, exercise, exercise. DAP diffusers. A treat dispensing toy. And have a talk with all of your neighbors. Tell them, "I've just adopted a greyhound, and everything is new and scary to him. I am actively working on his anxiety, but please try to understand that for a couple of weeks, he may make some noise. Here is my cell phone number--please call ME (and not the management company) if he is disturbing you. If you'd like to come up and meet him, I'd be delighted to have you over for coffee." You'd be suprised how much good will that will buy you! All of my neighbors were super understanding once I talked to them (except one, who was the nastiest person in the building and I told her that since she was being such an ass about it, I hoped he made her life a living hell--but I don't advise that. I was chairman of the condo board, so.... ). I also would call George on the phone and speak to him through the answering machine (do they even make those any more). I tried a dog walker--but that made it worse. After a few weeks of doing THE EXACT SAME ROUTINE every day (including weekends), ditching the crate, ditching baby gates, VIOLA! I had a nice quiet boy. Now, he never really dug being left, but he learned that I was always coming back as long as my morning routine did not vary AT ALL. Same alarm. Same walk. Same treat. Same words. He needed the routine he had at the track (he was at one track for three years). Not the SAME routine, obviously, but the idea of routine. Everything the same every day. It can work out, but please have a long, frank talk with the adoption group. There is no shame in not getting the right fit the first time, if that's what ends up being decided.

I am sorry for your pain, but to me, it's not about what I want, it's about the dog. I myself would not even CONSIDER treatment on a 13.5 year old dog for ANYTHING more advanced than a cut. He has reached a ripe old age, one most of us can only hope for our dogs to reach. Clearly he is not doing too well or you wouldn't be asking. Letting him go is the most loving thing you can do. Be with him. Hold his paw. Tell him you love him, and release him from his worn out body. As my dear vet told me once, "I have NEVER had a client call me the day after and say, 'Why did I do it too soon?' but I have many call me and ask, 'Why did I wait so long.' So many of us have been where you are right now--know you have a lot of support and understanding, and remember it's about what is best for him, not you.

Lord have mercy does this give me flashbacks!! As far as your hardwood floors, please give him a break and get rugs. Now, the stairs! My George was stubborn to the bone. I also had three flights, enclosed, but they were black metal. I knew he HAD TO be able to go up and down because we had constant fake fire alarms and of course no elevators during a fire alarm. I spent WEEKS working on it. Tried everything. The only thing that worked was manually moving each paw onto each step. Finally, one day, he tried to billy goat jump an entire flight. He fell, of course, and his skin split open. Back to square one. My back hurt so much I could barely stand. One day, I decided to go about it from the TOP instead of the bottom. Bracing myself for the worst, I took three Advil, and headed for the stairs. That damn dog pranced down all three flights like a debutante at her coming out ball! Didn't even pause! From then on they were not much of a problem. When we moved to a new place, with no elevator, and three flights of carpeted stairs, I was "Oh no, not again," but he just followed the moving men up no problem! Long story short--don't give up. He CAN do it, and eventually he WILL do it. Cause like I always say, if GEORGE could learn it, any dog can.

There is no reason not to feed dry kibble. I just put a little warm water in and feed it immediately. I don't soak it. Why? Well, that's what my dad did! No real reason. I bet Buck would eat it dry, wet, or anywhere in between!

I would urge caution when using "natural" supplements such as l-theanine. My vet recommended Valerian Root extract, and within weeks George's liver values went WAY up. She was mortified, having recommended it without doing any research because a friend of hers used it on himself. I'd talk to my vet before giving him anything orally. As to a DAP collar, I use one on my cat (only the cat version) and it helps him a lot. He has been marking. DAP diffusers helped George with his SA. Never tried the collar but at the very worst it will not do anything.

I seems as if you've already decided, so please return the dog to the group you adopted him from. This dog is not aggresive. This dog is not being properly "read" by you. I don't want to say anything harsh, but you do this dog no favors by keeping him and having him labelled "aggressive" Call them TODAY. And bless you for realizing this is not working.

Most greyhounds have bald spots on their necks. You need to address the dog's skin and not worry about the rubbing. Start feeding her an omega fatty acid supplement. That will improve her skin and may lessen the hair loss from a collar or harness. For what it's worth, I find a harness useless for training and only good if your dog is a spook and apt to back out of a collar. There is a reason sled dogs wear harnesses--you've put the control device where the dog is strongest!

So, now you should address the weight issue. If even you think she's gained too much weight, then I guarantee you she has. Cut back on meals and treats until she regains her previously svelt figure. It's easier to get a pound or two off than 10 or 20. There are no benefits to being overweight, especially if you're a dog with long skinny legs.

What is "slightly elevated"? Greyhound values are not the same as normal dogs and if your vet is somehow living under a rock and doesn't know it, your dog might have been put on prescription food for no reason. It would help if you could post the results, esp. for creatinine and BUN. My George never once had a blood test come back with "normal" values. My former vet kept running test after test. Finally I emailed his results to Dr. Couto, who wrote back, "Please stop running unnecessary tests on this dog. His blood values are well within range for a greyhound." I gave it to my vet, she sort of turned white, gulped, and said, "Oh, he's the absolute expert on greyhounds, so...." and that was that. No more silly tests!

Amber, my admiration for you was huge when you agreed to take Zoe from her previous "family," but taking Manny and Ruby now--you're a greyhound hero! Susan (and Buck too)

I used them on my mutt (before George) and it was never a problem.

Call your vet. She may change the antibiotic. No point in enticing him to eat if he's just going to vomit it up.

Rawhide is as "acceptable" for greyhounds as for any other dog--which is to say it's probably best avoided! They end up swallowing it and it just sits in their stomach seemingly forever, and eventually they'll poop out a nasty gooey mess. I give my dog marrow bones from the supermarket twice a week. He loves them, they're inexpensive, and it's something for him to look forward to on weekends. Not sure how well they clean his teeth, but I do it more for his entertainment.

No, your dog doesn't "need" the dog park. In fact since you don't have a car and thus won't have any way to get her to the emergency vet should the almost inevitable "I took my greyhound to the dog park and she got hurt" incident happen, I would avoid it like the plague. Greyhound skin is just too fragile for normal dog park "scuffles." I live in Canton (outside of Boston). It's me and my dog. I have never once felt he was somehow deprived because we don't "socialize" with other dogs. He sleeps all day, on my couch (I have cameras I can monitor on my phone, so I know this for a fact), and then when I get home I walk him, play with him, feed him, and then he goes back to sleep on my couch. At night he sleeps on the TempurPedic Cloud Luxe with me. Is he somehow less happy than he would be if I forced him to interact with strange dogs? I don't think so. I do take him to the Greyhound Pets of America/Mass. playgroups a few times a year. He is mostly happy to see the kennel manager. I don't think he gives a rat's necktie about the other dogs, although he will run for five five minutes. Usually one of the other dogs will start to pick on him (he's a little guy) and then I end up taking him home. He always seems MUCH happier to get in the car and go home than a dog who "needed" socializing. My first Greyhound, George, hated all other dogs except Greyhounds. We went on some of the Greyhound Adventures walks, and he seemed to enjoy them, but honestly they stop to "rest" way more often then either of us needed to, so it took up too much of my Sunday and I haven't been with Buck. But those are fun events (if you're not walking for exercise).

First of all, don't let her stop to stare. You're in charge, right? Make a noise (like you'd cluck at a horse) and wave the treat near her face and just keep walking. The idea is the other dog is SO not a big deal it isn't even worth stopping for. If she continues to walk with you, give her the treat right away. If she stops, well, give her a tug and keep going. I'm a big believer that I'm the human, I pay the bills, so I dictated when, where, and how fast we walk. Sounds like you may have a "breed snob." George was like that, and honestly he never got over it. I just avoided other dogs. If people approached us, I would say, "I'm sorry, he only likes other greyhounds" and they would generally be smart enough to leave us alone. He did get used to my parents' two English setters by wearing his muzzle in their house/yard for an entire day. After that first day, he was fine. He never interacted with them AT ALL (never sniffed them, wagged his tail at them, etc) but he also stopped growling at them. So it CAN be done. Sounds like your dog is pretty new to you, so focus on getting her to trust you and working on her leash manners and walking nicely.

So, I am guessing you've never owned a dog of any kind before? I'll just address the bathing--dandruff is a normal greyhound thing. More frequent bathing will most likely make it worse, not better. Adding some omega fatty acid supplement (AKA "fish oil" ) to her diet will improve the condition of her skin and make decrease the dandruff, but greyhounds have, by nature, dry skin which is why they don't smell like most dogs-- A greyhound should not need a bath more than once a year, and many people NEVER bathe them. An annual visit to the vet should be sufficient for a young healthy dog.