GeorgeofNE

A little common sense goes a long way. Toss the pills--or return them if possible, and go back to the other brand.

I would listen to Batmom. There is no reason to believe it's the food versus the oil that caused the itch. Stop the oil and see if the itching stops. It'd sure rather have flakes than loose stool!

I agree with getting a male. I personally think that males are better companions, and tend to get along with both boys and girls. I think it IS a little shallow to be concerned about color--but not HORRIBLE either! After all, you have to live with the critter! I wanted a fawn and ended up with a brindle. I happen to think he's VERY handsome now, but no chance I would have listed "brindle" as one of my choices. I actually told them it didn't matter. My requirement did include male (see above) and cat safe. Beyond that it didn't really matter to me.

If my dog were 13, and was in enough pain that he needed that level of drugs, I would not be thinking about any further treatment of any kind. It's a very personal matter--just my 2 cents. My dog hates to even get his feet wet; water therapy would be akin to torture for him. Maybe your dog loves water--I suppose it might feel good, but I doubt in the end it would fix anything.

I commend your concern, but for what it's worth, I moved with my Greyhound (and three cats) and George didn't bat an eyelash! And our new home was very different--stairs instead of an elevator, totally different type of neighborhood, wood floor in the kitchen (he hates shiney floors), and he had a pretty serious case of separation anxiety when first adopted. My neighbors tell me that the first day I returned to work and left him, he cried for about two minutes, and that was it. I didn't do much to cater to him either--he's bonded to ME, not the condo! As long as I'm around, he's fine. He even spent a month with my mother this past summer in her place, and because he knows HER, he also did find. No complaints from her neighbors when she left him. Greyhounds are surprisingly adaptable. Most dog are, in fact! We moved 3,000 miles, twice, with a pair of English Setters. They never batted an eyelash, even flying for both moves!

It's not supposed to be easy for HIM. It's supposed to be easy for YOU. Any book on dog training will explain this in all the detail you need. Just pick a method and stick with it.

Ah, how I wish I hadn't done this!!! I just picked my dog up and put him on the bed the first time. He shook like jelly, and jumped off. Next time I put him up there I got on with him and fed him cookies and petted him. Eventually (5 minutes?) he relaxed, and that was all she wrote! Mind you this was about 10 months after I got him. Took him 18 months to figure out he could turn around inside and he didn't have to walk backwards out of a room...what can I say? I would NOT choose a Greyhound if I were looking for an excellent training prospect!

There's already a ton written on this topic, but my question is how much EXERCISE is she getting in the morning. You need to work on the alone training some more, obviously, but you also need to address the issue directly with your neighbors. First off, apologize, then explain that it's a temporary problem, you're actively working on it, and you'd really appreciate some patience. Bring them cookies! Give them your cell phone number, and ask them to please call you if they have an issue. That might prevent a call to the landlord. I went through this with George when I got him. It was awful. Fortunately, I owned my condo, and as luck would have it was the chairman of the condo board, so there really wasn't anything anyone could do to me. But I still felt terrible. I came home one day and our Super was waiting to tell me three different people had complained in one day. I video taped my dog. It was a nightmare. From the second I left until the tape ran out (two hours) he howled at the top of his lungs. For us, getting rid of the crate and any form of confinement worked, as did increasing his morning exercise, and TIME. Hang in there.

I wouldn't worry much at all.

Just one comment: money talks. Remember that next time there is a fund raiser for OSU's GHWP.

Neither of those appointments would entail checking her urine. Not even the best vet can diagnose a UTI by looking at a dog on the outside!

I personally think if he really did gain weight in that short length of time they must have been feeding him massive amounts of food, or something different then he gets at your house. Please remember that weight loss/gain isn't a psychological thing--it's about calories in and calories burned. Sure, people and the occasional dog or cat might get depressed AND STOP EATING. You don't lose weight because you're depressed. Weight loss is a symptom of something else. If it was really that easy for him to gain weight, I'd say it's a sign that he simply isn't taking in enough calories when he's with you.

My dog slept with me for years, and recently he stopped. I think the cats were cramping his style! I miss him, but I am sleeping better, and so is he. Anyone know how to pry a Siamese cat off your head when you're sleeping?

There wasn't a choice for "a little underweight" so I had to pick "you're starving her" because I do think she's too thin.

You've gotten some excellent advice--but I would also suggest it's very important you contact your adoption group. They (hopefully) know the dog a bit, and will have even more suggestions. They might even send someone over to watch exactly what's going on, and might notice something you haven't--for example, a ceiling fan that scares her, an electric fireplace the scares her. It could be lots of things-but it's important they know about what's going on so they can HELP you! That's the benefit of adopting from a group! And please, please, please--if she is just shy by nature (as the poster above suggested some dogs are) do not assume something bad happened to her. Some dogs are just born skittish.

You need to rule out a medical problem before you get too worried about her being not housebroken!

Where did you get the idea he had "little human contact"?? Greyhound puppies have TONS of human contact.

I also grew up with bird dogs--very easy to train English Setters. I find George has ZERO interest in pleasing me, although he is food motivated. I taught sit with the tried and true "tuck and fold" method--no treats, and then from there moved to down. What I cannot get him to do is stay. And he's a ninja! I get him laying on his bed, I tell him to stay, give him his hand signal, turn around, and he's right behind me! To be perfectly honest, I've given up. He walks nicely on a leash, he pees outside (mostly!), he doesn't bark, jump up, steal food, or eat my cat. He's handsome, and he's retired from a prior successful and moderately long career. You can't have it all. Just my opinion about my own dog.

That's more hair than a lot of Greyhounds have!

Angell is quite expensive, but you can be sure they know what they're doing. Don't you have a regular credit card? I looked at a Care Credit application once, and the interest rate was sickeningly high.

The man who taught me how to ride a horse owned both an Australian Shepherd and a Siamese cat (cleverly named Blue). The dog carried the cat around BY THE HEAD all the time. The cat didn't mind a bit. The cat also slept on the horse I leaned to ride on (a gorgeous Arabian named Casey). It worked for them. I would not assume the worst (which clearly you haven't) nor would I freak out too much, but I think to be safe it is probably best to discourage this.

I would have started the day I got her! With my dog, I had to! He was awful on a leash! I use standard training methods. A lot of people like the clicker, but I found it didn't work for ME (not George, me) because I so often needed both hands while I was training him, and there were no hands left to click! I just use praise and treats.

George eats Pacific Stream. Not only does he love it, he has awesome poops on it! To be fair, he also had awesome poops on Solid Gold Mmillenium (beef based). I think I just got one of those dogs who can eat almost anything. Now, Blue Buffalo? NO! Horrible diarrhea!

Pumpkin is used to FIRM the stool, not for constipation. Rice is used as a bland diet. It has no firming properties that I know of. And forgive me, but isn't rice a grain?? Anyway, when I picked up my dog, I was all set to feed him that night--the food his foster home gave me. Turns out it was full of mold (yeah, she had been feeding him moldy food) so I had no choice but to switch him. He had diarrhea anyway (gee, you think maybe you should have had that treated?), so it really didn't get all that much worse. The problem is this: what if the dog you end up with CANNOT eat a grain free diet?

Here we go again with the "he needs a snack." No, he needs to learn how to wait! Since obviously he doesn't have to go to the bathroom, you need to tough out a few days of making him go back to bed and lay down quietly. Sure, you'll be awake anyway, but lay in your bed and ignore him. George spent the first month with me waking me up at EXACTLY 4 AM. When I finally realized he was playing me, we did a bit of tough love. Took him three days to get the message, and now I sleep in until 5. True, that's pretty early, but it beats 4!