Fruitycake

This is the simple human trash can I have. It cost a fortune but it was well worth every penny. It is completely dog proof. I had a dog who was an expert at getting into trash. Even she couldn't crack this can. This is the can we have too! It was initially purchased because of my cat, who was an expert at getting into any trash can (and can open cabinet doors). Monty is a counter cruiser, but has never been able to get into the trashcan! It helps if it is placed in a nook, too, where it is between things so it cannot be knocked sideways. I love this trash can. Worth every penny!

I hope that your Nike has the good luck to be controlled as well as Monty has been on pheno. When Monty went on the pheno he had the clumsiness...but that was also after many seizures in one day (at least 5, we think it was 6 with one the day before the first one we noticed - when we were at work). After all of those seizures he also seemed to have had his hard drive reformatted and we got a whole new dog. So we got to start from scratch with him again (potty training, walking on leash, stairs, going potty on a leash, what cats were...). He's a little goofier now, and maybe more clumsy, but it's hard to remember exactly how clumsy he was since it was over 3.5 years ago that he went on his pheno after those seizures. He's completely controlled now, thank goodness!

I also wondered about giardia. We had a bout of that come through here and it was horrible. And sometimes the little buggers can be hard to see when they do tests, so there can be false negatives.

I might have to try that sock & DAP spray tip. We had our first storm last weekend, and Monty was beside himself. And then on Monday the neighbor across the street was home and he kept going in and out of his front (wood) stormdoor. It was windy and it kept slamming, and Monty was cowering and shivering again. Shesh. Maybe I should ask him to do it continuously for a day and see if flooding would work. (Seriously Monty, it's a door, and it's across the street!)

My two neighbors both have "Dogs on premises" signs on their houses and yards. It doesn't threaten people, or give any indication of potential threat, just warns people that there is a dog there so hopefully people won't open gates and leave them open. Or have heart attacks if a dog barks next to them or comes up to the fence when they're walking with their own dog. I like the signs: information without threat.

I agree that watering the spot where she went to dilute the urea is the best course of action. It prevents nitrogen burn, which is overfertilization and killing the grass. And if she kills spots in your yard, where do you expect her to go potty when she's back there? Would it be possible to have a mulched area, or something planted with tough-as-nails unkillable stuff where you can train her to go pee? Our first dog was trained to go pee on command, and would go on the "pee tree" area of the boulevard (she was always leashed). "Pee tree" was what I called the telephone pole and the very small plot of grass around it, and when we went out she'd head directly for it.

That's fine... but, if you can't control your dog.. or if you let your dog control a situation, then look forward to months of "training". Our issue is rabbits, not squirrels, but I agree. ATC Most certainly you shouldn't allow the dog to control a situation. With a dog that you can get to obey a sit or wait or stay or leave it command (whichever works in your situation) means that the impossible "take a different route to avoid triggers" doesn't need to be what you have to try to do. I personally would have to go to the Sahara to avoid things that Allie won't alert over (she is triggered by birds now too since her "cousin" - a Brittany Spaniel - came over and showed her that they are just as exciting as squirrels and bunnies) but now that I can get her to sit and watch, we're fine. If you know you have a high-density squirrel/rabbit zone and can avoid it, then do so AND train so you can control the situation when it does happen. Because it will. If you live in an area where they are everywhere, training constantly and consistently is all that you can do and it means also working at home with none of the gigantic temptations like squirrels with their fast movements and fluffy tails that wag as excitingly as a flag to a bull. That's all I was sayin'. "Changing route" doesn't work when the triggers are everywhere!

I have to laugh at the idea of changing the route. Allie (non-grey) is our hunter and she is totally focused on squirrels. She has her MANY "squirrel trees" in the neighborhood that she always has to check, because she's seen squirrels there a couple of times. Now that it's spring, and the squirrels are out and about and flirting and fighting and paying no attention she's watching the trees avidly. I've gotten her to the point of being able to get her to sit to watch them, and she'll lean forward but if I remind her she's in a sit she'll stay and only her eyes follow them. That probably took about 5 months to train, and she already could sit when not distracted when I started asking for it. Any training to do other things going on away from the lures of squirrels would probably be the place to start. Don't expect success immediately, or even quickly. At first I had to get between Al and the squirrel with my body and then block her from being able to move and see it and then get her to sit. She's loads better now, but still surprises us sometimes when she's seen something that we haven't. [Monty, grehound, meanwhile doesn't understand or care. He's had a pair of squirrels run *under* him when on a walk, and the only reaction was his coming back to Mommy and looking for reassurance that the squirrels weren't gonna get him. Crazy dog.] Oh, the funniest thing was that Al will still watch the squirrels in the trees as she walks - and she's walked into a snowdrift, a sign, a retaining wall and a tree. [eta: not on the same walk!]

My Monty was one of those frustrating statue-ers too. And he's developed a fear of thunderstorms and fireworks. Around last 4th of July, wth fireworks EVERYWHERE, I had to just stop at one point and sit and wait for him to "come back to Earth" because he was completely shut down. I sat on the sidewalk (I'd suggest someplace better, with your knee surgery so recent!) and I just waited for him to come back to me. This was after midnight, and I probably waited about 45 minutes for him to start to relax and move. I had decided that I would wait him out and that it wasn't his fault that he was so frightened because he didn't know that he wouldn't be hurt by those strange noises and things. I just waited for him, silently, as I watched the sky and the trees blowing in the wind and just waited. (This was hours after the last firecrackers/bottle rockets/fireworks had gone off, but he was jumping at car doors half a block away, trees tapping on houses, the sound of his own breathing [maybe an exaggeration...].) Would it be possible to take her out and just sit with her? No rewards, no demands to do anything, no touching or even talking to her, just sitting? I also like the idea of taking her downstairs and then coming right back up, if you can do that. Many times a day, if possible (a day off or something). Would it be possible to feed her there? [Oh, and you don't need to cook the hot dogs, raw works just as well!]

How much space do they have, and with that many animals and people it is a lot to deal with for both dogs and people. Everyone is probably distracted and missing things and delaying because of the distraction (as with driving, reaction times slow when you're trying to pay attention to different things/things are distracting you). Would it be possible to have a pair trying the "training of a human" experiment but with everyone else wandering around and doing other things and making noise and stuff (while you tape the training pair)? If you wanted to make it really difficult, find out what the people training in front of the class like to talk about/do and have everyone in the room talk about that (and throw in maybe their names, or their children's names or something - things that DO catch your attention even if you don't want them to), and every once in a while someone does a sharp vocal correction or gives a different command. Even if you don't tape, you could do it for about 5-10 minutes before the day's lesson and then stop everyone and ask "How easy was it to pay attention to what you were trying to do with everything else happening, even though you knew this situation was setup? Can you recognize how difficult it is for the dogs with this kind of distraction too?" Maybe it would illustrate how important it is to be patient! ETA: If you wanted people to see how difficult it is, you might split the group in half, half trying to distract and the others trying to watch the training and focus, then switch. That might be interesting too.

Definitely some playtime with you and with the Boston sequestered elsewhere is in order. Even a 5 minute playfest can do wonders, and then the toy gets put away until the next day.

In dealing with greyhounds versus other dogs, I wonder if part of the reserved behavior/lack of behavior offering is simply because they have both been bred and raised to *not* offer behaviors. There is a limited number of behaviors that this dog has been bred for, and in a farm/track environment they may never be rewarded for the kinds of behaviors that your average house puppy/dog is automatically rewarded for because these greys are living in a business environment. There's tasks to complete for the people that handle them daily, and while there are probably times where a trainer or someone could work with a dog to reward other offered behaviors, how often does it actually happen? Go into a play bow? Good dog and it's playtime! Bring me a stuffed toy? Good dog and it's playtime! Look at me and sit? What a great dog, here's a treat and we'll train you to sit from now on! Do something cute at any time I'm in the room? Good dog, here's a treat! Elephants in the circus are initially trained that they cannot break their chains when they are young enough that they cannot break away - and when they are fully strong enough to be able to break their leg chains, there are months and years of training that says it isn't possible so don't even try. Is this potentially something that could go on here? Months or years of not being rewarded for behaviors means they suffer extinction. I would think that if offered behaviors of all types go without being rewarded for long enough, no more offering of any behavior happens. to the OP and others with reserved dogs: Maybe you could encourage offered behaviors by always (for a while) carrying some of the absolute best treats in the universe (to your dog) and whenever the dog does offer you any positive behavior you treat. Want your dog to come for pets? Have treats on you and reward it first for even *looking* at you, then later for walking even close to you (without any prompting, just on their own!). It works for other commands, and is a very very slow but only positive method of training. Maybe this would help?

I don't think of it as an either-or kind of question. Dogs, like people, will be stubborn and pushy about some things they want or don't want, and laidback about other things. Many books by reputable animal behaviorists (and more recent journal articles) have backed off of the dominant/submissive way of viewing dogs and wild relations of them, and realize that sometimes they lead, sometimes they follow and sometimes they don't do anything [Monty, I'm looking at you]. It depends on the behavior and the specific situation. In our house Allie always walks in front when we're on walks, pushes in front of Monty to sniff something - does that mean she's "dominant"? Maybe. But maybe she's just really excited to go on walks and always wants to see new things and know what's so interesting that Monty is sniffing that she's missed in her hurry and is just always in a flurry and is a busy busy girl.

Wow, this was a while ago! Monty still doesn't like snow (last Saturday with our 17" was very humorous because the little dog loved it and Monty still needed to be firmly encouraged to continue to walk). I have now begun just catching because we never know what the result will be, bounce or splat. And I don't think I'd appreciate poo smear all over my nicely cleared off sidewalk. I was going to say "if I weren't a dog owner" but I have to say I just wouldn't appreciate it. Eww. He does better with booties, but still just doesn't want to walk in snow (it might not just be the cold/wet but maybe the resistance?). When I opened the door this afternoon (after about another 2-3 " of fresh snow) he put on the brakes again and tried to turn back around. I booted him gently out the door and he sighed hugely and walked with his head down nearly the entire way. (Oh, and you would think that as a boy dog, the 2+ foot tall piles of snow everywhere would make it easier for him to find a proper place to pee...not so. He still fakes about 4-5 times before he actually will release anything - sometimes taking 45+ minutes to find that one perfect place. That's just the way this boy works. )

I think it's great you're doing research early and wish you luck on your move!

Me! Good boy, Jeff! Yep, me too. I had to look at the poster to make sure it wasn't Trudy! Good boy Jeff!

When I saw the bag I had to laugh at the thought of it: picture of wolves on it and the main ingredient is lamb. What is wrong with that picture? When I mentioned it to the person at our store she said that it was TOTW's answer to single protein source food for those with allergies or sensitive tummies. As another mentioned, Pacific Stream is working well here so we won't change, but it is an option for those with other allergies!

At our local Chuck & Don's (high end pet supply store) I've seen muzzles for other dogs that are more like the greyhound basket muzzle, which might work for this kind of thing. I also think that focusing on what the dog is doing during the walks and trying to avoid the most berry-rich areas might be helpful, as far as you can. (For example, if they are mostly on the grassy areas, try to keep the dog to the sidewalks except for potty breaks, and those only on areas that are mostly fruitless.) You may want to check the type of berries/fruit against a list of toxic plants (the ASPCA has a list, though I don't know where you live, or talk with your vet about it), and if they are on the toxic list this becomes more essential. Though not every plant that causes digestive upset is truly toxic, this would be a concern of mine. Someone mentioned the "leave it" command, but what about a more general "watch me" or "heel" command, where the dog is supposed to be watching you and not being distracted by edibles on the ground? Maybe walk with treats and periodically ask for actions and then treat (sit, lie, dance, whatever you have your dog trained to do) and make you much more attractive than the goodies on the ground. Make sure whatever treats you have are wayyyy more attractive than whatever is on the ground and that rewards are given for NOT eating the groundfood.

Hmm, this thread brings up the question for me about indoor temps and what is "too cold" and how many have jackets on more permanently inside (it sounded like a lot of you don't). We keep our inside temp on the cool side (about 63 degrees F in the day when we're there, 60 when we aren't, and nighttime down to 56). Monty wears his original fleece jacket nearly all the time in the winter, inside and out, and if it is excessively cold outside (below 15 F or so) we change him out to his serious winter jacket for trips outside. He hates the snood, though, and keeps shaking his head and flinching at it so we roll it down even though his ears turn to little earsicles. When he gets bouncy and playful he gets his fleece taken off and then does some zoomies in the livingroom and when his breathing slows again he gets it put back on. Anyone else keep their hounds in fleece or jammies nearly 24/7 in winter? Anyone else keep their house as cool as we do?

I always wondered about those cord protectors. Are they a flexible rubber tubing? If so, if they were small enough to fit into my cat's mouth he would LOVE them. He likes chewing on rubbery things, and plastic things (I have a lot of Bic pens that are "autographed" by ShadeMan because he loved chewing on them, and the best toy for him is actually a drinking straw from MacDonald's). I like the taping the cords down, but if you don't want to tape them I know that some hardware stores sell rubber covers (for cords crossing doorways or walkways) that might work. Home Depot has one that I found by doing a Google search for "floor cord protector" and they call it a "Over-Floor Cord Protector" (good guess on a name, eh?). Good luck!

Not only E. coli but salmonella is a serious issue across many brands these days. The current recommendation is that absolutely everyone should be washing hands after handling pet food, because of the risk. Not that I do, but I don't have an immune system that is compromised. I believe that handling it safely could be as easy as getting some disposable gloves and scooping out that way, or at minimum washing your hands immediately after feeding. (If you think about it, what starts as their kibble ends up in their mouths - and on their bodies - so you may get a dose even if you never actually touch a piece of kibble or their dishes.)

I just got notice of this article and I think it is great that it's being brought up to a wider circle than just greyhound owners. It's about the Translation Genomics Research Institute recently starting a $5.3 million project to study the genetics and which dog breeds most affected by cancers (like osteo and greys). Let's hope they get some good answers for us! http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/2010/08/26/20100826dogcancer0826.html

Monty eats his out on the back cement slab, on leash (we have no fenced in yard). That's his summertime location. If it is raining, storming, or miserable cold (or too much snow for us to clear from the slab) he gets fed in the kitchen on the linoleum floor. Much easier to clean up linoleum with a spray bottle with vinegar than constantly be washing towels! He never lies down, and since I run interference between him and the other pets (who all clamor for his goodies) he doesn't feel the need to wander off with it. ETA: Since you're local, have you gone to the website Raws for Paws? They have really good deals on huge amounts of food. We've gotten turkey necks, chicken necks (for the cats) and the chicken giblets. If you can manage to get there for the pickups on Wednesday afternoons, it is sooo much cheaper than buying from grocers! Of course, you also need a big freezer or to share the load with someone with a big freezer. [Yep, I'm one of those crazies that got a freezer specifically for the dogs! Of course, that also meant we could buy 1/4 organic grass-fed steer and store it for ourselves, so we all win there!]

Hunh. I was thinking this was going to be a joke - like the cat facial expressions (angry, resentful, happy, hungry, etc. all having the same picture). I expected a table of images of sleeping dogs with all the different labels. Seriously, though, I think this is a great image for anyone trying to read nearly any type of dog. Well, those dogs you can see the body of, anyway. Leaning forward or away? Tail up or down?

I'm glad that your session went well and that you seem to have reached a good place where you can work with the suggestions made. I think having a trainer come in and do a little one-on-one is a great idea!