GeorgeofNE

Well, I'm lucky that I don't have this problem, BUT! I don't keep ANYTHING edible out. Ever. Someone flamed me once for saying to someone maybe they should try that--as if it were a completely unreasonable thing to suggest. I don't think it is--but that would for sure solve the problem! Where to put it? If your cupboards are full, I know someone here on GT had to stash things in their microwave to foil their dog! Sounds like you got a new trash can already to keep him from trash edibles.. Regarding gating him out of the kitchen--you could get an x-pen, and instead of folding it into a pen, use it as a wire wall. I had to do that to block George out of one area of my old condo.

I think you just got lucky in your prior home. I'm certain Rhode Island has plenty of ticks and fleas, what with being right next to Mass. and the size of a dinner plate! The Preventic collars work pretty well. For your yard, keep the grass cut, keep any yard refuse cleaned up (leaves, etc.). My town (Canton) was recently reported as having a "hot spot" for Lyme disease! Of course the rest of the family lives on Nantucket, AKA tick disease heaven. I wonder if the realtors selling the $20,000,000 houses mention that?

They will be fine! I couldn't do it, but they WILL be fine. They'll be together, right? It won't be so bad. And as someone else said, they're NOT children. I thought that was a strange comment myself. And even so, children would survive just fine too!

I would be very unhappy if your dogs were behaving like that at a dog park. Yes, it's "natural" for them; Greyhounds are, I believe, pack hunters. Which is what's happening. As a single dog, your first one played more or less like a "regular" dog. Now that she has a pal, they've formed a very small pack and are ganging up on other dogs. They pick the wrong dog, and there is going to be a HUGE problem. Not good candidates for the dog park unless they're alone. I walk my dog for exercise. It's good for both of us.

For my boy, the risk of anesthesia (bad time when he had his first and only dental) seems to me much higher than any risk of a broken tooth. He gets a marrow bone every Saturday and Sunday, and the vet is amazed at his teeth. I think, however, I just got one of the dogs who has naturally good gums and teeth. If you have one of the dogs with a bad mouth, I don't think any amount of brushing and bones will replace the need for regular cleanings.

I don't permit it--although George is not a crotch sniffer.

Glad I'm not the only one!

I used to have one! For Kramer. It had a quick release buckle where the leash hooked to the belt. It also had a place to hang a pouch (for baggies, treats, whatever). It was awesome! I personally would not use it with George, only because on those rare occasions when he decides it would be funny to sprint, it's like begin strapped to a rocket, and I would be afraid he would pull me over!

It's a question that troubles me too, and probably the most painful thing I had to consider when my last dog was terminal. I could not carry him (75 pounds), and he needed to be healthy enough to jump into the car to be taken to be put down. How do you decide when it's time given those constraints? It was brutally painful for me to think about. I always figured if I had to, I would put a blanket under him and drag him. I also figured adrenelin would allow me to lift him into the car in an emergency (I have an SUV and it's quite high). My brother's ex-wife got custody of their 115 dog, and sadly the dog died suddenly in the middle of the night, and she awoke to a cold dead dog next to her bed. She couldn't even move the poor dog so she had to call my brother to come do it. Very sad.

Preventic collars are great. However, like anything, some dogs are more sensitive to them. My old dog, a mutt, got very sick when I put one on him. He was fine when I took it off, but it was very dramatic.

Food allergies are, according to the veterinary dermatologist I took my old dog too, much more commonly the PROTEIN source in the food, not the grain. I'm sure there are dogs allergic to grains, just as there are people. But there is nothing evil about grains. If your dog is healthy and happy on whatever you feed it, then it's a good food for your dog.

Oriental Shorthair (and for those unfamiliar with the breed, they're a bit like a Siamese on uppers!)

I don't mean to keep the cat away ALL THE TIME. I can't do that either. I'm in an 875 sq. foot condo. I mean when the dog gets fed up, I pick up my cat, carry him to the bedroom (which is equipped at all times with a litter box and food) toss him on the bed, and shut the door. If the cat won't leave the dog alone, it's time for me to remove the cat and let the dog have some peace! They do actually get along, it's just that the cat pushes EVERYONE'S buttons (and likes it--his nickname is You Little Bastard!) You might get a chuckle out of these-- Tickling the dog's feet just to get a rise out of him (didn't work that day) A classic! My favorite photo There are no words for this one! This was about 2 days after I got this particular cat

Unfortunately, the only topical that actual REPELS ticks is K9 Advantix (or however they spell it). Frontline Plus takes quite a while to kill a tick, and won't actually keep them from climbing on to begin with. It's what I use, but only because I have a cat that is almost always in close proximity to the dog and my vet doesn't want to chance it getting on the cat. Preventic collars are safe to use on Greyhounds and work VERY well. They repel tick, and if you're very concerned, you might get one of those for the trip. Unfortunately, the only topical that actual REPELS ticks is K9 Advantix (or however they spell it). Frontline Plus takes quite a while to kill a tick, and won't actually keep them from climbing on to begin with. It's what I use, but only because I have a cat that is almost always in close proximity to the dog and my vet doesn't want to chance it getting on the cat. Preventic collars are safe to use on Greyhounds and work VERY well. They repel ticks, and if you're very concerned, you might get one of those for the trip.

A behaviorist can only tell you things to try. They can't "cure" the SA. I didn't notice if you'd tried crating him? Crating caused my dog's problem, but my PRIOR dog freaked out if he WASN'T in a crate. For some dogs, it truly is their safe haven. Yogurt gives my dog diarrhea; not quite sure why so many people on GT are so high on yogurt, but don't give it to him if it upsets his stomach! I just use peanut butter in George's Kong. I smear the peanut butter around the inner surface. I used to toss a few milk bones in there too, but he never got them out. After I stopped crating him, one of my neighbors (I did the note/email/phone number thing to all my neighbors as well!) came over and said, "I hope you didn't get rid of your Greyhound because of ME because I was willing to put up with it for a while!" and she was so suprised to see him standing behind me wagging his tail. She couldn't believe it! One thing the behavior specialist I spoke to suggested I try seemed a little silly, but it's worth a go! Do you have an answering machine? The older kind where you can hear the person who is leaving a message? She had me calling George 30 minutes after I left, then again in an hour, etc. Just so he'd know I hadn't disappeared entirely. I don't know about that one, but I thought I'd pass it on! Any chance you could consider a cat as a companion? I do think that helped my last dog--when I got him a pet!

I'd stop taking her to the dog park, since she doesn't enjoy it. I can't imagine that it's going to help her. I don't think classes can EVER be a bad thing! A calm, structured environment where she's close to you at all times might help her. There are also medications that might be worth a try; things to help her be more calm while you work on behavior modification. I do think that some dogs are just born that way and stay that way. Good for you for wanting to help her!

Is this your first DOG, period? Or just your first Greyhound? I only ask because it doesn't sound like there is much of a routine that's working for you AT ALL. Are you ending your walks as soon as she's gone to the bathroom? If so, yes, she is learning to hold it. A leash-walked dog needs more than just a trip outside to go the bathroom. They need exercise. And frankly, with a new dog, the more the better. Get up earlier, spend more time walking. I know it's not that easy--and lest you think I'm full of it, I get up at 5:20 AM and walk my NINE year old dog (that I've now had four years) 2 miles. Why? Because I leave him alone all day while I work, and I believe that he needs it. The bite is unfortunate, but easily avoided. "Trade up." Offer the dog a small dog biscuit and then take the Kong with the other hand. She doesn't know and trust you well enough yet to just surrender her prize. A dog doesn't magically become "well behaved." Every thing you do, every day, is teaching her something. Try getting on a schedule--more exercise, consist times for walks, meals, etc. Be patient. Contact your adoption group too, please. They need to know you're having some issues, and can probably help you!

Agreed! That's what they were born and bred to do. Some may not NEED it, but I will never not give my greyhounds, or any breed, a chance to run. I live right in Boston. I have no yard. I walk Minerva everyday, rain or shine. Twice a week I bring her to my parents' house to run. Many people bring their greyhounds to baseball fields to run. Not all of us have the luxury of a place to take our dogs to run. My parents HAD a house. The yard was fenced, and approximately the size of a large living room. They sold the house, Dad is in a nursing home, and Mom is in a small apartment waiting for him to die so she can move to assisted living. They have a fenced "yard" and she and I went there not a month ago. George sniffed the fence. He ran about 20 feet, once. Believe me, in my dream world, I own a house with a fenced in yard. Sadly, my home buying budget was about half of what I would need for that. There are NO parks in my town that you can allow your dog off lead. And to add to the frustration, George is a "breed snob." So even if I were to pack him up and drive to the nearest dog park, two towns over, unless it was empty, I can't let him loose. So my only options are an empty park that's fenced, which I do not have access to any more (there was one where I lived before, and I took him three times, and he ran exactly once when I started running and screaming "And it's Driven by Chile by a mile!"), or a Greyhound only play date. Mary Jane has been kind enough to have us over a few times, and as she can attest, George is MUCH more interested in sniffing her fence than running. So to suggest I am denying him his birthright, and I know you're not specifically flaming ME, is, well... I'm guessing George gets a lot more exercise with our 5X daily leash walks than many a dog with a fenced in yard!

Oh dear. Been there, done that! My case was a little different. 1) It was a condo, so I didn't have to worry about my landlord tossing me out, and 2) I was chairman of the condo board, so really, what could anyone do? and 3) and this is the key one, my dog was crated. When I stopped crating him, he stopped howling. And he was HOWLING. At the top of his lungs for hours on end. I know 'cause I videotaped him since I thought my neighbors were exaggerating. They were not. Things you didn't mention doing yet: DAP diffuser. May not do a thing, but won't hurt. Music instead of talk radio. Rumor has it country music is very popular in track kennels. That's all I've got for you! Besides making VERY nice with the neighbors that is!

I deal with it about 10 times a day. If George had intended to hurt my cat, he would already have done so. He gets fed up, and my cat is 100% fearless, and probably also a bit crazy. He just keeps on going. The growling does escalate to snapping, but that's as far as it goes. If it gets out of hand, I will from time to time lock the cat up to give my poor dog a break. Sounds like your dog is just telling the cat enough; it's really up to you to intervene when it gets to the snapping stage, as the cat CLEARLY isn't getting the picture.

I'm from Canton, MA There aren't a lot of dog parks around, period. There ARE, however, Greyhound groups that organize play dates from time to time. Greyhound Friends, in Hopkinton, has a fenced in field. Greyhound Adventures leads greyhound-only walks every Sunday at various nice locations. Fun for the dogs to be with their own kind at these sorts of things. What you do need to know is that you may not have a dog who chases, but dog parks can get rough, and Greyhounds have very thin skin. So even a playful dog park nip can turn into stitches at the e-Vet for a Greyhound. That's why Greyhounds are muzzled in the turnout pens at the track. So they don't accidentally injure each other. I walk mine 2 miles every morning. The few times I've taken him to a fenced area or even a play date, he has little to no desire to run. He's much more interested in sniffing and peeing. I no longer worry about it. He will bust out and do "zoomies" on the end of his leash once or twice a week, and that seems to get out the excess energy that our walks do not.

1) Search this forum for the many old threads on this topic, and 2) be patient!

My Mom swears my father, who has late-stage Alzheimer's, is even worse during full moons. But I have read that studies show that people PERCEIVE things differently during the full moon because of the mythology of the full moon. And yet--the stories persist! As to my dog, no. The full moon does nothing to him (or me). My cat is always a lunatic, so ...

If your dog doesn't have reliable recall, you should not have him off leash at the dog park IMHO. Every time you call him, and he doesn't respond, and you have no way of compelling him to (e.g. a long line, which is obviously not going to work at a park with a Greyhound), you are training him more and more that "come" is not something he has to do. Please don't feel I'm being critical. My Greyhound wouldn't come when he was called if I had filet mignon and a potato, if he didn't feel like it. Which is one of many reasons we do not visit dog parks.

They're not "trained" that way; it's just that the kennel workers tend to show up early and wake them up! I've had my dog for four years, and I don't think he's ever slept past 6 AM. I feel fortunate though, because it was 4 AM when I got him! I'm an early riser anyway, but all the advice you've gotten is spot on. Take her out right before bed, and then just deal with the noise in the morning until she learns it isn't going to work!