Fruitycake

it was cheaper at Winners, but honest, it is soooooo worth it. I second the "worth every penny" evaluation! Sure it's expensive, but worth not having to worry about torn or broken garbage bags, or tipped and rifled through garbage cans. It also prevents them getting into something that might harm them (string, plastic bags, bones). I figure that part alone makes the price tag more palatable! Seriously, worth every penny. As for the renewed counter cruising - if ever a dog who is trained not to go on a counter decides to just check it out again, say for old-times-sake, and finds something good...*poof* out goes the training. If your dog is really food motivated, as mine is. Rewards training is way more effective at modifying a behavior than punishment training (as the noisemakers are, even without you being the punisher), and found food is so very rewarding!

Nope, you are quite obedient! I'd say you passed with flying colors (and aren't your dogs proud!). Monty and Allie know that they eat after we eat our dinner, so when we pick up the plates all heck breaks loose in our house in the excitement that they're going to be fed, yay and whoopee! (Even if we eat late because someone works late and they were fed an hour before, we're done so they eat!) Those darned programmed dogs....

As other say, there could be a multitude of reasons for her not liking things on her back or things going over her head. When she's lying down can you put items on her (light items, like a pillowcase or sheet or something) or does that make her frightened or upset? It could be she just doesn't feel right about it and may never like it. How is she about putting her collar over her head? Is she head-shy too? Our Monty likes his jacket, and needs it because he's a chill-bug, but he also gets all itchy because I think it rubs his fur funny and tickles him. He stops on walks and shakes a lot, and while we're walking he'll do a weird staring-into-space head up and stretched out with a kind of arched back and he starts swinging his back end toward whoever is walking him. Sometimes walking nearly sideways and pushing you hard toward - or off - the edge of the sidewalk. It means he wants his back itched and if you rub his back he gets this dopey, "I'm in heaven" look on his face and his bouncing step gets even bouncier. Then his speed kicks up and it feels like you're walking a dog on a pogo stick.

A lot of people don't necessarily ask. I've had lots of people say "I always see pictures of greyhounds with muzzles on because they're so aggressive, but yours seems really sweet". Not just once but over and over. Of course once I explain they say "ohhhh!", the problem is it's the people who DON'T ask you about the muzzle that are going to go around talking about the aggressive greyhound at the dog park. I agree. There are a lot of people that don't ask because they already "know" the answer. I've been told by people that greyhounds are vicious, that they'll attack anything smaller than they are, that they bite so need muzzles. I've also heard comments between other people when seeing us (at Petco/PetSmart locations or on the street) and NOT aimed at me, that "greyhounds are vicious and attack so they wear muzzles." And I've called them on it (Monty's frightened of enthusiastic squirrels for goodness sakes, and lives with two cats that stampede right over him when he's in his bed!). And why did you ask the question if you weren't looking for advice? Yes, you should be concerned about the behavior and the safety. You should also not muzzle if others aren't muzzled. Your dog might be able to outrun other dogs - IF he wasn't in the midst of a tangle and caught up in the fight/attack/kill frenzy that can happen with a yelp or certain movement on another dog's part. And the muzzle isn't 100% proof against your dog injuring another. Greyhounds can do a fair amount of damage even with muzzles on (killed cats and wild things in yards, for example) and all it would take is one yelp of pain to get dogs whipped up in a frenzy. If you dog isn't well socialized and well behaved, don't take him to dog parks. It's like the parent of a bully saying "well, I took away his knives and brass knuckes before we came to the park, and will yell at him if he hurts another child, but his roughhousing and pushing kids around is just play." Until he breaks a kids arm or something pushing just a little too hard. Would you put up with that bully behavior from your children, or from other children aimed at yours? Be safe, and help your dog be safe. Socialize him first, and if he plays nice then he gets to go to dog parks.

Vet Dr. Sophia Yin has written a lot about this kind of problem (and behavior issues in general) and has some great videos available on her website. http://drsophiayin.com/resources There is one specifically about conditioning a dog to permit nail trimming (but this dog is relatively calm about it, your work will be a lot longer than the video shows). Dr. Yin showing video of desensitizing dog to nail trimming I am using much the same with our non-grey, only with a Dremel and we're not even to the actually using it on her. Just trying to make this something that she won't panic about and I'm not trimming yet.

My Monty is over there "looking at me" with demon eyes right now. He's one who sleeps with eyes open and rolled back in his head. He's also twitching his eyebrows -- tee hee! And he doesn't sleep bark, but he does sleep growl. That is the only time we hear him growl at all! Our other dog, Allie, is a sleep barker. Freaky noise, that.

The dog is being trained, whether the owners are trying or not. Trained that chewing is an all right activity and he can choose what he wants to destroy. Trained that he doesn't need to follow orders or walk nicely on a leash. Trained that he can do whatever the heck he wants, and it doesn't matter. Manners training is more than "sit" "stay" and "lie down" (though those are helpful). The best way to start training is to do small gentle steps and encourage behaviors you want and discourage behaviors you don't by making that less pleasant than doing what you want. Make it fun, take small steps, and you can do it. Saying that dogs don't need training until they're adults is like saying that children don't need education or manners until THEY are adults (or at least teenagers). Good luck, then!

I don't know how often your sister is there, but even if he knows her and likes her, she isn't one of the primary members of his pack and what he might accept from you isn't necessarily something he'll accept comfortably from her. (A human example might be how I allow my husband into my personal space, and maybe some very close friends, but acquaintences don't get to go there without making me very uncomfortable.) The definition of "personal space" can and does change, and having a baby around can add just enough stress to put someone who he might have previously enjoyed being close to as someone he's just edgy about just because of the stress. And even though you've probably done all the right things in getting him happy and enjoying the new baby, change of ANY type is a stressor and can cause changes in comfort zones. Let him have his space where he is always free of intrusion and make sure everyone abides by it.

I am really lucky now - our dogs get home-raised chicken feet for free because my in-laws raise chickens and ask for the feet to be saved for them at butcher time. Monty stares at the freezer when he knows they are in there. Some day I'm going to arrive home to a fridge with a hole in the door from the power of his laser-eye stare. On a related note...has anyone ever tried turkey feet? They are raising turkeys too, and I wondered if that'd work as well.

If she's whining when you're home and she's outside, she probably wants company. Either for you to let her in, or for you to come outside and be with her. Either to play, or just to hang. They are pack animals, and you're her best bud (well, except for your grandson, apparently) and she just wants you closer. We have a whine-talker too (well, he's a talker all around), and he whines when he wants out, or when he's bored, or when he wants attention, or when he's about to do zoomies, or after he potties.... He actually barks at the more exciting times (see's someone on the street he knows, is going to get fed, gets to go for a car ride...). This wasn't an instantaneous thing: at first he wasn't nearly as talkative as he is now.

I agree. A new greyhound gets only small treat that I have control over. I've heard that the best rewards are those that are VERY tasty, and yet very small so it isn't the gift that keeps on giving (or something they can store for later). I'd also suggest not using bones (a high-value, long-term treat) for rewards for proper behavior. You want immediate positive and it to be only associated with the good behavior (not self-rewarding, as she had done when growling you away from her bone...which she then got to keep).

I'm sorry to hear you have a shy pee-er too. Our Monty was this way for about the first month we owned him. We had to walk and walk and walk and walk and anytime he'd even think about peeing he'd look at us and then be like "uh, nope, there are people here" and continue on. We had to studiously pretend to be elsewhere (other side of the universe, kinda) to allow him to do anything. No looking at him, no talking (praise was an absolute no-no at first!) and he had to be as far from us on the leash as possible. Made me wish I had Gumby arms, so I could have stretched out farther than about 7' from us, but there was no way to do that. He did the same with poop (to the extent that he'd only poop in (or on) bushes for the first few weeks). That got ugly and very very messy. So, if your dog is anything like ours, my suggestion: Pretend to be anywhere else. Be absolutely silent, and don't move when there's even a *hint* of pottying. If you have to check, the corner of the eye without moving the head is the best way and only very quick glances and hope not to be seen looking. Change routes, if possible (this works for Monty, but I don't know if it would work for others - he'd pee on one thing and then would refuse to even go near it for weeks). If you have a day where you'll be able to dedicate to her, try giving her a LOT of water (flavored so she'll drink lots), and walk and walk and walk and walk so she gets used to it. If possible, keep her outside with you (pack a lunch and have a picnic on a bench or something and offer her more flavored water). Good luck.

Don't let her fuss for a while and then get up and interact with her, either. That will just delay her satisfaction and make her more determined and make her fussing last longer until she eventually stops (because last time it took 20 minutes of fussing to get her up, maybe this time it'll be 30 minutes...or 40..). If you're going to get up, do it immediately at first fuss or don't do it at all. I agree at the really good exercise and making certain she's pottied before bedtime so you know that isn't what's causing the fussing. We went through this kind of fun too. Monty wasn't too bad at first, really, but then later he did have giardia and would fuss and we had to take him out every hour or so so we had to start completely over again training him to sleep through the night after he got well. It was weeks before we could be certain of a full night's sleep after that!

Think of the scary noises and actions around a weed whacker, and you might see why she'd be worried about you. I doubt they have a lot of experience with those in the kennel, and if they do it probably isn't when they're out (and I would assume it would not likely be by their main handlers, but I could be wrong). Maybe she's worried you'll spontaneously start making the whirring whippy noise and start throwing grass and debris around at other times too!

Could be anything. Maybe he decided that he missed his prior sister bad enough that he'd take advantage of this one and not give her too much guff. Maybe he realizes that he's got it good and while he may have to share he's willing to share with her because she shares with him. Maybe she doesn't have some annoying tic that just irritates him and makes him growly. Maybe he's just in love with her.

If your dog finds something (anything) so precious that he/she will not allow you or someone else to take it without offering resistance (from growling, to grabbing and running away, to actually biting/fighting to keep "offenders" away) they are resource guarding. It can be mild, to extremely severe. It could be anything from food (relatively common), toys (also pretty common) to beds, to a person, or anything, really. I have a friend whose dog is possessive of him - won't let any other dogs near him because he is HERS.

I knew a dog that could easily scale chain link fences (up to 8 feet tall), so I agree that if it isn't covered, don't leave the dog outside alone!

Good for you in thinking of all ramifications before bring someone home! I don't think your schedule would be to horrible, especially if you can get someone in to help with middle of the day potty breaks early on. I say early on because when they're settling into the house there may be more accidents because they may not know the schedule yet, and may not have their bladder/bowels sufficiently trained until you get 'em settled in. I'd try to adopt when you can do some "away training" (there have been a lot of threads on it in the Training and Behavior discussion), and if possible work with your local group and see if you can get someone who is laid back and calm about absences. Fresh off the track they can get worried about being alone, and may kick up a fuss that the other apartment dwellers wont appreciate! Our Monty was a whiny boy when we first got him, but now that he has settled in he's fine. As for play-dates, you can see if your local group or people from the local group have regularly scheduled play dates, or whether you can convince someone to let your boy go to their house and play in a backyard with their greys. Our Monty doesn't have much of that, since we also don't have a fenced in yard, but he gets lots of walks a day, and loves to sniff everything as he strolls through the neighborhood.

I have to laugh. Our Grey would probably weigh 200 lbs or more (he's on phenobarb, so is hungry ALL the time) and our cats would probably be little furry bowling balls because they absolutely love the dog food. Allie, our non grey, would probably keep her weight normal because she's not as focused on food as the other 3. It all depends on your dogs and how they do.

And sometimes it's something in the dirt they like (Rabbit pellets, anyone?).

I hope the behavior doesn't switch like our neighbor's dog (across the street, not immediately next door) has. She started out shy, retiring, wary of anyone coming by...but something's changed and suddenly she's a fence fighter. She was adopted as an adult so maybe she finally figured out she's "home" and wants to protect it, I don't know. They've had her since early winter and she's just changed behavior over the past couple of weeks. She never is taken on walks or anything, and they have no other pets, so maybe she is unsocialized as well. It makes me a little concerned for her. She's a pitt or pitt cross, and I'm not afraid that she's going to do anything because I can see that it's more of a fear thing but people might assume she's a "bad" dog because of it. Her tail is tucked and her ears are flat when she barks...oh, I wonder if Allie's Enemy* scared her one day and now she's convinced all dogs walking past are out to get her... AE does pass right by her back fence. (*Allie's Enemy is a neighborhood boy dog, a Gordon Setter cross, who isn't at all dog friendly and lunged at us one day because her walker (the guy who usually doesn't walk him) came around a corner and we were all surprised. It was our (humans') fault, I know. The GordonX lunged and snarled at the end of his leash, and thank goodness his guy had a good grip on his leash! Allie was surprised for a moment, then told the Gordon to "eat those barks" in her own snarl. And she hates that dog to this day.)

From the various books and training videos I've read/seen, the physical clues are sometimes more quickly learned than the verbal. Hand "stop sign" or body block/getting into their space and "pushing" them back with your personal space (if your dog has and recognizes personal space!) can be a really great reinforcer. Monty's not a door rusher, but Allie is, so we've done this with her. She also has more personal space so is easy to "push back" from the door without even touching her by getting between her and the door. Monty's pretty good...when he can see that you mean it. Walk out of eyesight and he pushes boundaries a little (he waits for his dinner...but if you go out of sight to put his measure cup away he hurryfastquick snatches up a mouthful of food and gulps it down before turning around to give you those so innocent eyes as if he doesn't know what happened). Oh, Monty, Monty, Monty....

It not only depends on the dog but the cats. Our grey is great with the cats (well, he could wish that the 6.5 lb Fruitcake would leave him alone - she's a bully toward him), but the cats had already been "dog-trained" by a dog that was great with cats. She didn't see them at all (which meant exactly that, she was blind to them and would trample them if they were in the way as if she didn't see them at all), and had come from a home that had cats so it was perfect. It took Marlie about 6 months before my cats calmed down enough to hang with her - more for the spooky Shade Man, less for the confident Fruitcake. They didn't like that she was active and strange, but at first she was supremely obese so didn't move much (except at dinnertime). When Monty came in we "no kitty" trained him, and after 2 days we knew it was a good match. It was certain when Fruitcake did kitty zoomies through the house and went to jump over him and he lifted his head and she slammed into his neck. His reaction? To come over to Mommy and Daddy and whine and roll his eyes back toward his bed so we could tell him he was OK - that the big mean kitty wasn't going to get him. He has absolutely no prey drive, though. Once a squirrel being chased by another ran *under* him on a walk and he flinched back from them. Crazy dog. It is possible. If your dog is good with cats, see if you can bring your dog into the home for a visit (with leash) and see how the cats do. And how long is the owner willing to work with the issues of cats and dogs that don't get along (we had a litterbox in the bathtub so the dog could never get into it, and the bedrooms and bathroom were all territory of the cats only for about 6 months).

They are still having serious problems with control of their own food supply there. Melamine in baby formula, added to milk for human consumption, lead in toys sent out of country, and who knows what other crud. If they don't mind adding it to food they keep in their own country, I certainly can't see them caring if it ends up in the US or any other foreign country! I do have to admit that I don't feed many treats to the dogs, though. Their food is USA made [Taste of the Wild] and they say they don't use stuff from China [have to hope they're "truthin" on that], and treats are chicken feet, turkey necks, pieces of fresh meat from our foodlines, so they're pretty much not getting stuff from China.

Take them for a walk together, if possible. If not, bring them to the front yards or non-fenced area on leashes so they can meet. I don't know how other-dog friendly Lexie is, but Monty is completely other-dog friendly and is fine with the neighbor's little terrier crosses whether he meets them on leash or visits their house.