racindog

I use this protocol for my dogs and myself and have for years. I believe it is an effective preventative and it feels a whole lot better than just doing nothing. It is also completely safe. You never know https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/a-homeopathic-protocol-for-lyme-disease/

Wow what a fun day! Thanks everyone-and especially you Rocket- for making it so happy. I know that you made sure your wifey Lexie had a happy day too and that just adds to how wonderful it all was. Octane got xtra treats of various kinds all day and also had a happy happy day with lots of lovins. I so enjoyed seeing the vids and pics of all the hounds getting spoiled! There's definitely 'nothing finer in Carolina' Can't wait until next year!! But hey-a year is a long way off. However, .......there is a national french fry day between now and then- we may have to see what Rocket and the houndies think about doing up some fries like last years celebration......

Love his mug sign! Doesn't it feel good when the reach out to us like that?!!!!!

HAPPY BIRFDAY at the bridge Rocket!!!!! Sending love and endless french fries your way! All the houndies say THANK YOU for the special treats on this Spoil Your Hound Day!!

Rocket man!!!

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Welcome Rick!!!! WE LOVE YOU BRO!!!!! see ya got some of that good Gable Dodge too!

Next week there is a very special bridge birthday for our very owns ROCKET MAN !!!!! on Novembrr 24!!!!! In adddition to honoring and remeberng the great 1 n only ROCKET MAN!!! the day has spcial segnificants to all houndies. This is beecause tradition has establisheded dat the day be fureber designated as SPOIL YOUR HOUND day!!!!!!!!!!!. According to Rockets mom "November 24 was Rocket's birthday. ...when we lost him in October, we changed his birthday to "Spoil Your Hound Day." It was just a day to do something with your hounds like a special walk, or get them a special treat like ice cream or fries etc. Rocket would be proud to give other hounds any excuse to have food that was no good for them. I wanted to get this notice out-on behalfs of all the houndies- so their peeps can pick up some special delicious food that is no good for them or make plans for a walkie or whatever to enjoy Rockets's Spoil Your Hound Day. We can all agree fer sure that you can never spoil yer houndies too much!!! Love ya Rocket Man!!! We're all lookin' ferward to yer special day. Love and treats fer eberbody!!

I just completed raising a Belgian Shepherd puppy from 8 weeks to 1 year old (on next Monday) and wanted to warn you not to make the mistake I did. He was my first puppy for many many years. I feed raw because after years of doing so it has proven to me that it is healthier and cheaper actually because I don't have to run to vets for common problems that seem to occur in kibble fed dogs. They also have far better teeth and seem to stay far healthier with less problems as they age. HOWEVER I did not know how to calculate a scientifically perfectly balanced diet for a puppy with raw ingredients. I knew the proper balance of nutrients was absolutely critical for a pup and so I decided I would feed a big shot perfectly scientifically formulated puppy kibble for the first year or so. BIG MISTAKE. My poor little guy developed panosteitis (growing pains) straight-a-way At times he was in terrible pain and would even hold his foot(different ones at different times) off of the ground he limped so bad. That was when I learned from EXPERIENCED puppy raisers that the puppy kibble makes them grow too fast and hence panosteitis is the result. I felt so bad I had done this to him and caused him such suffering. The vet offered nothing except dog pain/NSAIDs which I refused to give to such a young pup because frankly they could have damaged his kidneys or worse. I found a protocol that called for raw food; NO carbs; various natural remedy's that have proven effectiveness, and lo and behold the pano flareups became less and less and eventually subsided all together. Currently he is the picture of health. As soon as I switched him from the big shot perfect scientifically formulated kibble that brought that horrid and painful disease on him to the raw he began to improve. I will never make the mistake of doing that to a pup again. And the raw was not 'specially' formulated or anything else. It is the same food-whole prey model based- the other adult dogs have always got. But the difference is the raw diet causes them to grow at an APPROPRIATE rate not to mention all the other benefits. The puppy kibble makes them grow too fast and then its a sad thing to see a puppy who should be happy and running and playing laying in their kennel not wanting to move because it hurts so bad and then knowing it was your fault for feeding them the stupid kibble. Never again. He is a beautiful strong healthy working dog currently in Search & Rescue training. So my vote is for raw.

Looks like local irritation to me. I'd prolly just put some soothing hydrocortisone creme/salve on it to hopefully keep it from itching and expect it to get well pretty soon. I am not a vet.

Well I hate to say it but I agree with your adoption group. You should NOT feel bad about returning him. It doesn't sound like he is in a good environment for his personality to me and he would probably do much better with a lower density of other dogs. IMO you can try everything under the sun with the best intentions and most dog aggressive and/or high prey dogs remain that way their entire life. It doesn't sound to me like a good match for a 1st time owner or your neighborhood. IMO return him. He will probably be happier in a less stressful (for him) environment with less dogs himself

Thanks for sharing that! I love hearing broodie stories as they confirm that mine were normal and not anomolies because they are so wonderfully a broodie. Both of my broodies Aggie Desperado & Momma Seabird were like Petunia in spades. In fact one day I brought home a ~17 month old working Belgian Malinois aka Maligator(the police & military dogs) who is to this day a dominant female. ONE TIME she crossed Momma Seabird and Momma Sea kind of stopped and swelled up and let out a very meaningful growl that caused the maligator to just leave straight a way hehe . The Malinois, who would not hesitate to go after another dog threatening her status, always gave Momma plenty of respect and a wide bearth and there was never a cross word between them after that! It used to be so funny to see a dominant female Maligator defer to a very elderly broodie but as us broodie owners have learned broodies are not to be messed with.

The nipping is genetic. It is in his genes and he is going to express it. What it is is prey drive. It is the reason greyhounds chase the bunny so to speak and is their key to survival in nature. He also has something called hunt drive. Hunt drive is what gets them to keep searching and keep trying to capture the prey. You will probably notice that he likes balls or squeaky toys or will get excited at squirrels? You cannot give his genes a makeover. In reality strong drives are a good thing and are highly prized and coveted for working dogs. It gives the dogs a capability to do things that average pets that do not have such drives simply can't do. The caveat is management as you have discovered. On the one hand you are blessed with a dog that would probably excel at certain dog sports and you can have great fun training and going places and accomplishing things with him that non drivey dogs just can't do no matter how bad the owner wants or how hard they train. On the other you have to manage that drive and TBH prey drive can be "serious" in that his drive will be telling him to chase, capture and kill. So you absolutely have to protect him from being put in situations where the opportunity to chase another animal exists. Please understand! He is not being "bad." He is NOT being aggressive. He is simply doing what he has been genetically programmed to do for 5,000 years. It is not personal with him. Its not that he doesn't like a certain animal/dog etc. It just that when he sees "prey" he does just like you and I and responds to his genes. That is why he gets along so well with other animals in general on walks etc. They are not acting like prey then and he so doesn't respond like they are. IMO if he is allowed off leash around other dogs that are not prey models to him then ALL the dogs should be muzzled. I think Louie sounds like a rather easily managed houndie for an experienced keeper. There is no magic formula for having dogs get along with each other- either they like each other or they don't. I would expect Louie to treat the cocker ok just as he does the dogs you encounter on your walks UNLESS the prey drive gets started up and many things can do that. A toy squeaking, a ball rolling across the floor, the cocker sprinting across the yard etc.. With experience you will easily be able to 'manage' Louie without any trouble but right now you don't have enough experience to do it easily so it will be work for you as you will always have to be super careful and protect him from 'going into prey drive" as much as you can. Its not as difficult as it sounds. You'll pick it up quick. Do a little more research on it and it will make more sense to you. Basically though it means you have an extra good dog that you just have to handle in a certain way that is not any big deal once you get some experience with it. JMO.

And he knew you would love them to....Thanks for sharing. Always feels good to get a little shot of Rocket Man.

What a wonderful update for his remembrance this year. Isn't it amazing how they teach us some of the most important things from the bridge? You are right, he taught you well. He will be with you always. His presence on this forum is still palpable. Rocket is still a part of us all and oh how wonderful that is. God bless you and Rocket! Always loved. Never forgotten.

You didn't do anything wrong in my opinion. YOU are the boss and are the one who rules that household and should be the one in control-not him. You don't have to ask him or bribe him into doing whatever you want. He actually wants and needs a leader. Letting them control things is actually harmful on many different levels. It can affect their confidence, make them a shell of what they could be etc., and in your case it sounds dangerous to me. You'd better be very careful he doesn't bite you at such times because he is clearly dominating you. I think you should find an experienced knowledgeable dog person to help you and Jack get on the right path. It will make all the difference. It won't be easy because with his large size he probably feels like he can control you pretty easily. However, it probably won't be a very pleasurable relationship for you if you continue to let him rule the roost and it certainly is dangerous. If you get help and take proper control ASAP it can make ALL the difference and you may turn this situation around to a blessed one. But as long as he is the leader and you are catering and cajoling to him-even when he disobeys you!- as it is now, then its probably not going to work out very good. And again please be careful you don't get bit! And the truth is taking your rightful control over him is the kindest and best thing you can do for him. The present situation is not good for him either. You need to do some obedience with him for sure. Please get a knowledgeable trainer (not a PetSmart big box deal). I can tell you this because I myself just went through it with a dog. I needed help and I found a great super qualified trainer and wow! what a difference it made. Unbelievable how much better things are now. So let me just encourage you to seek help because frankly IMO you have a problem right now that needs to be fixed and the longer you wait the worse it is going to get. And don't worry about it. It is totally normal to have issues that need to be dealt with and fixed when dealing with dogs. The truth is he will trust you more if you take control and be the leader than he does right now. Take care. All the best to you and Jack Keep us advised.

With clicker training you MUST reward immediately after clicking or marking the behavior with a conditional reinforcer(also a must). It is not something casual that you can successfully do without a thorough understanding of it or you can really screw up the dog. I would suggest that for starters go to https://leerburg.com/articles-obedmarker.htm and read some of the articles on clicker training so you can get some kind of an understanding about it. You have to "charge the mark" and other things-all are critically important- or else you will ruin the dog because he won't be able to learn properly since you are not training him properly. Some basic instruction from a good trainer would probably be invaluable to you. And BTW I am NOT referring to the so called 'trainers' at the big box stores like PetSmart etc. If you get a trainer get a real one where you will get your money's worth. Muzzles are good. I love muzzles. They will save $$$ in vet bills by preventing incidents so I am glad you are using one. And the dogs don't care about wearing them either. There is a muzzle called Baskerville that is designed so you CAN feed treats while they are wearing it. I do not know if it fits greyhounds but I suspect it does as it has many sizes. I have to use one for my working dog when the dog is on an aircraft and they are the ones who told me about it. It is good because you can feed them while they are wearing it and the dog can also be intubated and treated medically while wearing it! https://www.chewy.com/baskerville-ultra-dog-muzzle/dp/117374