Brindles

3 Ways to turn your 6' Leash into a No-Pain, No-Pull Harness I've found that a plain ol' leash makes a better training tool than any of the harnesses or haltis on the market. No need to spend money if you already have what you need! 1) Drape the excess leash below the dog's chest in front of the legs. 2) Loop the leash under the chest and up through the collar. 3) Loop the leash under the dog's chest and back up over itself. See the infographic below for a visual. Happy Walking!! Turn Your Leash Into a No-Pull Harness by rachelhogue, on Flickr

That''s awesome! How do you recommend training greys to live with chickens? My DH and I have talked and planned a bit tonight. I think we are going build a coop using whatever we can find (we're hitting up the Habitat Resale store tomorrow) and set it up in a corner of backyard. Then, we will only have two sides to fence to make a yard for them. They could stay in their yard while we are at work and then let them out to free range after we get home (and have let the dogs out and put them back inside). The hens could then stay out until dusk. From what I read they naturally go back to the coop then. We could then close them up for the night and open them up in the morning. Do you all think this plan will work? Do you think our grey will just get used to them being in her yard and will loose interest. Do you think the dogs will eat the chicken poo? Would it hurt them if they did? I live in a rual area and have never heard of dogs getting sick from chicken poo. The dogs wouldn't be in the chicken lot, but the chickens will be allowed to roam the backyard when the dogs are inside. Another thought I've had is to train my BC to heard the chickens back in when needed. Do you all think that could work out? First, make good use of a muzzle! Second, use a leash. Correct any behavior geared towards eating the chickens. This includes things as simple as putting her ears up or focusing too hard. Once mine were able to go without muzzles, I would feed them together a lot. Doing so reinforces the fact that the chickens are new additions to the "pack" and helps the dog accept them quicker. You could use the fence to the coop as a barrier and start doing it early on. The chickens will naturally put themselves to bed, but you have to make sure they use their house. They'll try to get as high as they can, so if they're roaming free, they'll try to use a tree instead. If they roost where you don't want them to, just pick them up and move them to their house. A few nights of doing that and they'll figure out where they're supposed to sleep. Your border collie would definitely be an asset! That would be really fun for the dog and convenient for you. Chickens are super fun pets. You'll be glad you did it! You should check out the Backyard Chickens forum.

Try baking soda. If that doesn't work, just give it time and it'll stop. You can still walk her, just keep an eye out and take her home if she starts limping.

That's a blanket statement and a bit unfair. Chickens are NOT disgusting and full of disease if they're hand raised in your own backyard. They're surprisingly clean as long as they have space to roam. They can be kept in the minimum amount of space suggested (last I heard it was 10 sq ft per chicken) but I'd recommend doubling it if possible. I've found 2-3 to be a good number.

Train your greyhound. It absolutely can be done. I did it with mine, and all three had extremely high prey drives beforehand. They went from drooling, staring, barking, teeth chattering to this in just a couple months time. If you don't want to put the time in to training, a chicken tractor might be your best bet.

Don't feel overwhelmed. Just do your best to have fun with your dog as much as possible and it will all fall into place.

Muzzle training is a fantastic idea. Good for you for being responsible! I'd get a plastic basket kennel muzzle from Birdwell. I trained my Great Pyrenees by just putting the muzzle on him. Seriously. You can read all the articles you want, but it's a lot easier to just put the muzzle on the dog. Do it nonchalantly and pet her so she knows it's not punishment. She'll be confused at first and try to take it off, but after a little while she'll give up and lay down. Once she's calm and leaving it alone, go take the muzzle off and praise her. Give her some time to forget about it, then rinse and repeat. ETA: If the greyhound muzzle doesn't fit your mix, try an Italian basket muzzle. There are a bunch of different sizes. I had to get the biggest one for my Pyr because his head is ginormous.

Try typing this in Google: first aid kit site:http://forum.greytalk.com

Have you tried feeding her on a cookie tray? The more spread out the kibbles are, the harder it is to gobble it all up.

If the top of her foot is swollen, it could be the sesamoid bones or swollen joint capsules.

Are you sure it's just her paw? Can you post a picture?

I agree with this. "Grain free" foods use tubers instead of grains. It's still a starchy, plant-derived filler no matter how you look at it.

I gave my allergy boy 50 mg in the morning along with loratadine (generic Claritin) per vet instruction and that really helped him out. Keep checking for fleas. Dazzle had a similar episode a few years ago. He itched and lost hair for nearly 3 weeks until finally I found ONE single flea. He has a flea allergy, so he's hyper-sensitive.

I hope your crew gets to feeling better soon, Judy! One year I spent a grand total of $70 at the vet for BOTH dogs. Echo's back problems started back up almost immediately after their next round of annual vaccinations, and I wound up spending $1000 just in the first month. So you're right, it will catch up to you!

I'm so sorry

It's also called crepitus. Not a big deal; it's just air under the skin, usually a sign of a puncture wound. Just disinfect the scab and keep an eye on it. Try not to worry too much

Ohh, yep. A lot of greyhounds with dewclaws have a teeny pad like that. For some reason I was thinking they were a lot more developed like they are on my Pyr. Thanks for the pictures!

Can we see a picture? ETA: my Great Pyr has pads on his double dewclaws on his back legs, but I don't believe I've ever seen it on a greyhound.

It can be worth the trouble if it's done right. I wouldn't do it without consulting a canine nutritionist first.

Echo had that problem and it never went away. She never had a UTI, but she was constantly dirty back there. I spoke with numerous vets about it and they all said the only way to fix it permanently was through surgery. No way was I about to put her through that. The vets agreed that it wouldn't be worth it. One vet actually flat out refused to perform a vulvar tuck on any dog. It's an anatomical problem, so I'm skeptical that a diet change would have any effect on it.

Oh, no. I am so, so sorry. There are no words.

Is he cramping? Check the muscles of the back, shoulders, and legs. If they're hard, he's cramping. Have you been able to isolate what part of his body the pain is coming from?

I'm so sorry, Mary

4 to 5 weeks seems excessive. I'd be getting a second opinion, but that may just be me.

Have you tried massages with liniment?