GeorgeofNE

My dog is one of those one cup, twice a day fellas, but he's only 64 pounds. My last dog ate 2.5 cups twice a day when he was young. As he aged, he needed less and less. He was a mix, not a Greyhound. I've had George for five years, and he weighs exactly the same now as he did when I got him. He walks about 2 miles with me every morning--he's going to be 10 in September. He does get a generous amount of biscuits during the day--which is why I keep his meals so small. I would definitely even out your dog's meals, but don't let him fool you. George would eat any time, night or day. If I were to believe him, he's ALWAYS "starving."

I'm a big believer in crates--for SOME dogs. Turns out the Greyhound I adopted considered being crated like being sent to his own private hell. He was beyond miserable. I know, because I videotaped him after I had neighbor after neighbor (I live in a condo) complain that he was "howling for hours." I didn't believe them. When I watched the tape, I cried. Before my door was even all the way shut, he tipped back his head and howled until the 2 hour tape ran out. Oh sure, in between howls he might have licked his Kong for a second or two. But that was all. He never relaxed. I tried all the alone training tips. I tried DAP. I tried all kinds of things. Nothing made any difference. George was nearly 5, and had been in a kennel environment his entire life (aside from his stint in foster care). Why wouldn't he be OK in the crate? Well, cause in a kennel, there are dogs above you, next to you, across from you. Very, very different than being locked in a wire box all alone in a condo while the person you just met disappears. As soon as I put the crate away where he couldn't even SEE it, he was fine. He never chewed anything. He never stole anything. He never did ANYTHING bad. Your mileage may vary, but really, it seems rather clear your dog doesn't consider the crate a "safe haven" (which is, after all, much of the point of a crate). If he's housebroken, I'd say stop with the crate.

If you search in Training and Behavior you'll find tons of information. Your best source is probably the Patricia McConnell booklet, "I'll Be Home Soon." Should be able to find that on Amazon.com.

My dog is eating the fish and sweet potato, and he NEVER farts. First dog I've ever had that was virtually fartless. However, none of his other foods made him fart either.

George was a crate chewer. The only comment I've ever gotten from the vet is that he has SPECTACULAR dental health "for a Greyhound" because he has NO tartar. I do not brush his teeth, and aside from the dental he had when I first got him (he did not do well with the anesthesia), his teeth have had NO attention other than bones. His lower front teeth are pretty much gone. His his upper front teeth are also. His molars, what they actually use to eat with, are terrific. I don't worry about it. There is no sign of pain or infection, no bad breath, and my vet thinks they're fine.

Great picture, and you seem like a very nice and rational human being! I was a little confused by your comment that you never use the dog's name unless you're calling him--the recall command can be anything you want it to be--and preceeded by the dog's name--but there's no reason not to use the dog's name for other things. My Greyhound is certainly not a dog I'd ever let off leash (George has an attitude!), but my prior dog was a mix, and he was off leash often. He first learned the voice command, then I taught him a hand (arm, really!) signal, and then a specific whistle blast. Please would say constantly, "Oh, you're so LUCKY he comes!" Uhm, no, I spent a heck of a lot of time training him! Enjoy your boy!

Oh yes, I have about $10,000 worth of ruptured ACL experience. There is a very simple manipulation that gives an instant answer to "is it ruptured." A partial tear would be more difficult I suppose. I would strongly urge you to see a board certified orthopedic surgeon before you proceed. My dog was a mixed breed. He suffered a total rupture just running on a flat, grassy field. I was fortunate enough to get an appointment that very night with an Ortho at Angell Memorial, and it took him all of 5 seconds to tell me the ACL was torn. Kramer had a TPLO surgery, and unfortunately (and rarely!) he ended up with a bone infection which, nearly a year to the day, nearly killed him because it went undiagnosed. A second surgery to remove the hardware and clean out the infection, then 2 months on heavy duty antibiotics and he was right as rain, but it was a really long, painful recovery for him. He was only 5 at the time.

I think George was 7 (or 8 at the most) when I found out he probably has LS. He'll be 10 in September. I know people have varying feelings about it, but I would not subject a dog to spinal surgery. Not that could afford it to begin with. Just the MRI before the surgery is more then $2,000. George is doing quite well three years later. I exercise him daily (gentle exercise) and I give him Deramaxx and Gabapentin daily, and if he falls on the stairs (typically he goes SPLAT going up the stairs on bad days) I give him Tramadol. I have kept his weight down, and his hind end muscles toned--the specialist we saw said those are the single most important things you can do for a dog with LS (or any form of joint problems). My own doctor has given me the exact same advice for my arthritis, so it works out well for both of us!

There's a big difference between a brief meeting on leash with a strange dog, and a family dog of another breed! So I think there's hope for your sister's dog. My boy behaves in the same manner as yours. It's fine with me--but when I got him, my parents had two English Setters, and if we were going to visit them, my dog was going to HAVE to learn to deal with them. What worked was introducing them outside (not in the house) and George was muzzled. I had to leave his muzzle on for about 6 hours, and when he stopped reacting at all to them, I took it off, and he was fine from that point on. Return visits were no issue. He seemed to understand these were family members--and also that he was in THEIR house! They never played with each other--barely even looked at each other as a matter of fact, but there was no more growling at all.

In the dog world, she did nothing wrong and certainly doesn't deserve punishment. You need to deal with the wild boy! Not sure why you're crating HER if he's the one running amok?

In my experience, the crate isn't going to help with S.A. if the dog isn't comfortable with it to begin with. Dogs who ARE happy in the crate right off do very well in it, but you can do the alone training and everything else that helps with S.A. without putting him back into the crate. My dog was totally miserable until I gave up on the crate, and fine after!

My dog is nearly 10 and he has a spinal condition, but we still walk about 2 miles every single day, rain or shine. A greyhound can most certainly build up to what you do--particularly since 3 miles in an hour sounds like a relatively leisurely pace.

Before you do anything else, I'd suggest a trip to the vet to make sure there isn't something physical going on, since things seem to be going down hill. You're smart to contact your group; I hope they have some good suggestions for you, but I'd want to rule out that the dog isn't ill in some way first if she were mine.

I use Grizzly Salmon oil, in a pump. That way you get the oil the dog needs without the gel cap material you don't. I don't believe there is ANY food that has sufficient quantity of omega fatty acids to be all that beneficial on its own.

I never stopped it, 'cause they said if your dog was going to get sick from it, he would right away, and I had already been feeding him from the bag, which I had disposed of so I had no idea what the codes/dates were! I did, however, buy a bag of Blue Buffalo which he really seems to like, so I may just switch for good.

I get all George's dog drugs from Omahavaccine.com

I never use "no" as a command. You have to make her understand "no jumping" and "no begging." You need to use a command and then show her what you mean. It helps to start with basics like "go lie down" and "stay" too, so you have an alternative. For example, if you're eating, it's easier to teach her to go lie down on her bed while you eat than it is to convey to her that the food on the plate is yours. She sounds like a sweetie! First time I had food out for a little gathering, George just walked right up to the bowl of chips and started chomping away. He figured it was food, he could reach it, why not eat it? I laughed and laughed. Then I put the bowl where he couldn't reach it!

Exactly--my last dog was a mixed breed, and he was one tough city-raised boy--the only things that scared him were freaky things that I won't go into--but he had no fear of thunder or other loud stuff. So one summer I took him with the family to the Nantucket fireworks (on the beach). He HATED it. Not only was he unhappy, but frankly he ruined the evening for my family and we ended up leaving and walking home he was making such a fuss! If you go ahead with the plan, PLEASE make sure your dog is strapped in to a harness. George (my Greyhound) is pretty fearless, and shocked the heck out of me one day when he freaked out over a carnival ride moving, got out of his martingale, and was inches from backing into a busy street. Now if I take him anywhere that might have unusual things like that, I have him in his harness just in case.

Just feed him MORE of what he likes I guess! Or how about some kind of stew added to his kibbles? Something with meat or chicken, some pasta or rice--I bet he'd love that! My dog weighs less than he did when he raced, and he weighs less five years after adoption than he did when I first got him. I attribute that to some loss of muscle, as I do not consider him underweight. If he's in good health with energy and his bloodworks is all good, it is probably normal for him. Just like people, some dogs are naturally thin and it doesn't mean they're not healthy and fit.

The notion that a dog can't be left alone for the workday is relatively new. If you can afford a dog walker, great. I don't happen to have the money for a daily dog walker, so I don't use one. I'm on my second "my own" dog now; he's alone Monday-Friday for 9 hours. He does just fine. I do make a point of getting up early and getting in a good long walk no matter what the weather, but he's fine. My last dog was fine. Doesn't sound like she needs to be crated at this point. I think I'd leave the crate up and the door open. To me a crate is a useful tool for housebreaking and for those dogs who find it comforting, but I would not be using a crate after a year and a half if my dog didn't have any issues.

I'm guessing the ear question has to do with what KIND of allergy the dog may have. Have you tried seeing if Benadryl curbs the itching? That might help you eliminate pollen allergies as a cause of the itching.

Lots of dogs do this, not just Greyhounds. I personally find it adorable, but if you don't like it, you can just make a "naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhhhhhhh!" sort of noise and take your hand away when she does it--she'll get the idea.

The words "teach" and "cat" are cracking me up--but my cat is actually a Tasmanian Devil in a cat suit. The idea of teaching him anything is just so..foreign!

In a pinch you can use a lightweight towel or a large t-shirt tied and wrapped in a clever manner!

First of all, you should ALWAYS feel you can call your adoption group with questions. I laughed when I got to "he seems bored." He's a Greyhound. Most of them sleep most of the time. Sure, they like their walks, their meals, and SOME of them are playful, but generally speaking, compared to your typical house pet dog, they are EXTREMELY lazy (or laid back, if you prefer). I can't tell you how many new adopters post on GT frantic that there is something wrong with their dog, or they think it's unhappy or even sick because all it does is lay around. Welcome to the world of Greyhounds as pets! I suggest that before it becomes an issue, you find and read the "I'll Be Home Soon" booklet by Patricia McConnell. It's a good idea to kind of let the dog just BE when he's new to the home and resist the urge to smother him with attention. Sounds like you're doing pretty well with that if you're crating him when you're home at least a bit. As to the length of time it takes to adjust--I think a month is very optimistic, although a dog that young won't have such engrained behaviors as dogs who spend a lot of time at the track (like mine). My dog did not really turn into who he is now (as a pet) for 18 months. Took him over a year to get on the bed. Took him 18 months to understand he could TURN AROUND inside instead of walking backwards out of a room. What can I say? He's very handsome, and I'll leave it at that! There is a good reason they're often referred to as 45 MPH couch potatos. Deep breath, you're fine!