greysmom

Just seeing this Donna. Glad Joe T is home and with a plan going forward. Somehow, even hard things seem easier if there's a plan. We're sending all the white light and healing thoughts we can. Kisses for sweet Joe.

The muzzle may be needed short term. Try smearing the inside with peanut butter and giving it to him as a treat while you're there. Otherwise, fill a couple more kongs and freeze them. It'll take him longer to get through frozen filling. If you don't want him getting too many calories, try flavored water or juice or broth. Many dogs do not respond to "bite not" products. You may need to try something else. Maybe a different brand would work better.

That's AWESOME!!!!!! I about cried the first time Cash actually made a move towards a stranger rather than away. She didn't let the stranger pet her! But it was a - quite literally - small step in the right direction! Good job!

Sounds like your doing ok. Might help to put a warm pack on it several times a day to help it keep clean and help it heal.

I'm so sorry for you and your family. Abby was a dear, sweet girl and she will be greatly missed. Run fast and far and free among the stars and Angels, Abby girl....................................................

Set backs are very common and can be triggered by what *we* would think of as very minor changes. I might talk with my vet about leaving the meds in place for a little while longer. I believe it takes somewhere between 6-8 weeks for new training and behaviors to really set in, and in a dog with severe SA it may take much longer. They are never really cured, and set backs can occur even years later.

It's hard to say for sure on short observance. The shaking could be a lot of things from just being tired and out of shape to lumbosacral stenosis or nerve damage. Same with the sore spot on his shoulder. Both are things to keep an eye on and take him to the vet for if there's no improvement in a week or two. Some further questions: Is he limping? Is he favoring one leg when walking or trotting? Does he whine or make an ouchie sound laying down and/or getting up? Can you generally touch him all over and bend each leg/joint without him giving evidence of pain? How is his weight? Does he have a nice tuck up and can you see his last three ribs? How is his appetite? Does he eat with enthusiasm or pick pick pick? What and how much are you feeding him? Supplements? Other's will chime in, I'm sure, but in general he should be getting a good quality, low-fat kibble of sufficient quantity to hold his weight easily. You can add canned food in if you want. I would add a glucosamine supplement - try the one from The Greyhound Gang. He will most likely self-regulate his exercise. If he wasn't getting any before, a 1/2 mile was probably too long for him, especially after a good play session in the yard - he probably doesn't need both exercise activities in the same day. Seniors are AWESOME! You're going to have great time with him! Good luck!

Get your greyhound out of this class now. Period. Seriously. You seem to have a better handle of training than this teacher, and you know what works for your grey. If you want to socialize her and have some fun training together, research other trainers and classes for ones that use positive reinforcement, and/or greyhound only classes taught by greyhound savvy trainers. Dominance/Alpha theory has been pretty much refuted by animals behaviorists. Even wolf researchers, who put the theory forward in the beginning, now say that alpha pack theory isn't what they thought it was at first. If you watch Cesar Milan, his training works because of *him,* not because of his methods. And really, all he's telling the humans to do is get a spine and not let their dogs dictate what happens in the house, and get the dogs much more exercise. It looks really dramatic and makes for great TV mostly because of how bad the dogs are, and how pathetic the people are, in the beginning.

You can't evaluate, analyze, train or treat a spook as you would a dog that does not have severe anxiety. Normal behaviors simply don't apply. Her world is entirely made up of this that scare her and things (probably very few things) that don't. And the one thing in her world that she felt comfortable with and safe with has abandoned her. Please give her the time and space she needs - and spooks seem to need exponentially more time than other greys to do everything. She is frightened and grieving the loss of her one friend. Feed her wherever she will eat. Give her water wherever she wll drink. If you need to leash her to go out, then you leash her and make sure she stays on her regular schedule. This is not coddling her. She is absolutely not in any mental state where any training or behavioral modification can make any impact. Let her be - for now. See how she does after you bring home her new companion. And give her time to adjust to this change too. If, after two or three weeks, you are not seeing any incremental improvement (and they may be small) in her behavior, I would urge you to talk to you vet about some interim prescription help for her. Don't feel like drugs are a cope out. You can't help her if there is a chemical imbalance in her system that will not allow her to get better. It doesn't mean she will need to be on them forever. But no living creature should have to live their lives in a state of constant fear and anxiety.

Well, wool *is* a natural product - it would be the chemicals used in processing and dyeing which would concern me. Though if it was a small piece, say, less than a couple inches, and you already saw it come through, she's probably OK. My Toni is like that, only it's paper and dish towels.

If Andy is like mine, he probaly didn't chew his kibble much anyway! If he needs more food, you can do several things to give him some more calories. >Add cooked rice or cooked small pasta and boiled, crumbled hamburger (or ground chicken or turkey) >whirl the dry kibble in a blender/food processor to kibble dust (measure out his normal kibble meal before you whirl it so you know how much he should have) >add fiber to his meals if h's getting loose poops His mouth is probably really sore. Keep ahead of his pain as much as possible. Definitely go back to your vet if he's getting too dehydrated or not healing well. Good luck.

It doesn't really matter what the fight was about. You're the human, you're in charge - not Frosty. By allowing him to constantly bully Echo, you are reinforcing her timid and anxious behavior, and his behavior as a butthead. Whatever it was about, Echo felt threatened enough to bite instead of giving in, and that means she was pushed too far and felt that was the only response she had left. Most dog bites are not by aggressive dogs, but by dogs that are so afraid that they resort to their ultimate defense - their teeth and jaws. Trust me. I have one of each too! I have to be on Toni constantly or she would become a holy terror - she has a strong personailty and is very confident. She thinks the world does, in fact, revolve around her, and that she should have whatever she wants whenever she wants it. She picks on my male who outweighs her by a good 10 pounds. She growls at dogs walking in the next room, stands over them to get their bed, pushes in to get treats and food first, and generally is a total PITA. You also need to build up the confidence of your scared girl. She needs to know she CAN have the bed she wants. She needs to know she CAN win at tug-of-war. She needs to know it's OK for her to go out the door in front of Frosty. She needs to know you will stand up for her when she need you to. She looks to you - or she should be able to look to you - for benevolent and fair leadership. It's your job to advocate for her. It's not about yelling or over-the-top corrections. If Toni is trying to move a dog off a particular bed, I step in and re-direct her to another open one. If she's snarking just to be snarking at one of the others, she gets firmly told to stop and is redirected to another behavior. If she's bullying Copper in the yard, I call her to me and have her do a command - watch me, or one of the others she knows, and she gets rewarded. If she's guarding the couch, she loses her couch priviledges. Her behavior has gotten much better as she's finally figured out I'm more stubborn and more patient than she is, and she's not going to get what she wants by being that way. Frosty will not get jealous if you make him stop bullying Echo. He will, eventually, understand that you're in charge and not him, and that you're the one who determines who does what. He will relax and your home will become a calmer place. But you need to make it that way first. Muzzle them if you need to, to make sure everyone is OK and to give you some space to regroup and decide what to do. Then just do it! Good luck! I'm glad no one was hurt worse than a few scrapes.

Hmmmm.... Dude eats hot peppers sometimes - and acts like he does like them, though he likes anything marginally identifiable as "food." Jalapenos don't do anything to him. He doesn't even drink extra water. He's gotten some hotter ones, but they were pickled so I don't know if that makes a difference. Ate them with relish and, again, no consequences. Dude, Stomach of Iron, Brain of Porridge!

Cats know, I don't know how they know, but they absolutely know who is going to FREAK the most by being around the cat. My three will come running from every part of the house to torment my mother, who does NOT like cats. My total cat-loving friends come to dinner and they could care less - just TRY to find them! They KNOW! So it's highly unlikely this cat will stop tormenting Spencer on his own. If the cat and other greys like to walk together, then OK. But when you take Spencer, carry a squirt gun or bottle and firmly discourage the behavior. You probably will not be able to change Spencer's attitude toward cats if he's a zapper. If he's workable with indoor cats, you may ultimately be able to desensitize him towards this one outdoor cat with a LOT of time and training. Just sitting around on the deck with a bunch of super yummy, smelly treats, Spencer and the cat. I would also crate the cat inside the garage or house so Spencer can't hear him. The cat is not going to be happy, so he's going to make noise - loud, skreechy noise. Putting a light-proof cover over the crate might help, like you do with large parrots. You may need to work with the cat to get him used to the crate - put him in there for short periods with yummy canned food, then lt him out, then put him in. Desensitize him to the experience a bit more than just shoving him in and come what may. Good luck.

Definitely contact the company. And also take a list of ingredients in to your IBD vet. Interestingly, I would probably suggest the gel *instead* of the spray! You put it directly on the teeth and I don't think there would be much he would swallow. The spray just kind of goes everywhere, and I think the chance of ingestion is higher. There! Now you can decide! Any other opinions??

I started using it on Copper about a month ago. We use the spray - and there's no way I can do it more than once a day! We do it right before bed. He does get a tiny treat after I spray him, but I haven't noticed it making much difference to how the spray is working. He has horrible teeth! Needs a dental about every 10 months. And horrible breath! Well, since I began using Petzlife, his breath is better and his teeth aren't quite as bad. I also am a bad dog Momma because I don't brush their teeth. The others get by with just chew bones every night, so finding this for Copper has been a Godsend!

We had much the same thing happen when we adopted Cash (our super spook). She did race succesfully, but did not find retirement to be the peaceful and restful experience it should be. We adopted her knowing her problems and willing to work with them. She had been with us for a month when we suddenly lost our oldest female grey. Cash had been making good strides towards noralcy until then. She completely fell apart. Having two other greys here (both older than her and both males) seemed to not make much of a difference. I agree to let her stay where she feels safe for now. She's had so many changes recently and is probably just overwhelmed. Keep her to the same schedule, if at all possible, maing sure she's getting enough to eat and drink, and going potty OK. Otherwise, let her be. Visit he in her safe place for brief periods to encourage her and let her know you're there. Give her yummy treats if she'll take them. If you haven't picked out a companion yet, you may want to take her along to see if she has a preference. Cash definitely prefers other girls -mostly I think because they are always kept in gender-based groups in the kennels and farms. An older, female bounce might be just the thing. Good luck and I'm so sorry for your recent losses.

Yeah! Hope she's home and resting comfortably by now!

Kerry, I'm so sorry this happened to handsome Sagan. I also agree that Merlin probably didn't even know/care it was his brother in the middle getting raked over. If you think he's getting a bit too over-confident, then the NILIF should help. I have to keep on Toni all the time - she's a major dog bully! - to keep her quite literally in her place. I love on her as much as the others but she gets fed last, she gets treats last, she goes out the door last, she has to "do" something for anything she wants. She basically doesn't get to "win" at anything! It's the only way to keep her from becoming a maniac with the others. With people, she's the sweetest dog ever, but she definitely needs rules and boundaries that are pretty clear and always enforced. If you go ahead and break up your group into smaller ones, you should do the same with the dog parents who attend. If your dog is running, you should be one of the playground attendants. Or draw straws or numbers or something so that the people can rotate who is watching the group. That way some people can socialize themselves and the dogs will be properly supervised. Give BOTH boys a kiss from me!

Run fast and far and free sweet Angels...................................................................

I too am amazed that you can free feed with that many dogs! Not that any food stays around long at my house! Toni would look like a keg with legs and Cash would be skin and bones! It may be too much commotion for her at feeding time. If she's a bit timid anyway, then the hubbub of eating and kitchen noise will overwhelm her. If you can, put her bowl in a more out-of-the way spot. Give her time and patience and she will hopefully come around. Watch her weight carefully. She won't starve to death if she misses a few meals but if she starts to lose too much you may need to go to scheduled feeding times to make sure she is getting enough nutrition. You can use any food-grade, high omega-3 oil to help her coat. You may find olive oil works with her as it doesn't have as much aroma as fish oil. Don't try and give her too much at once or you'll have a dog with diarhea. If you don't have a Zoom Groom, you should invest in it. It really gets down to the skin and helps loosen the dead flakes and hair. Plus, it feels really good!

You can get in her safe space in small doses and watching for her comfort level. Try to leave before she gets uncomfortable - or *too* uncomfortable! Cash was really much like Bree when we first got her. She was just beginning to come out of her shell when we lost our oldest grey. We didn't even ralize at the time how much Cash was relying on Libby, but Cash simply fell apart when Libby died very suddenly. She spent hours and days upstairs in our bedroom - her safe spot - and will still retreat there if she feels anxious. Something that I'm happy to say is becoming less and less frequent. We just let her hang out there, and visited her frequently. Eventually, she started spending more time downstairs with the rest of us. She wouldn't eat in the kitchen even though it was just steps from the living room. She needed the open space around her to feel safe enough to eat. She is eating in the kitchen now (after months of moving her bowl inches closer!) though most of her body is still in the living room. She's just silly! Cash's biggest problem with us is that she won't come inside consistently when we want/need her too. All our other greys LOVE coming inside since they all get a treat right away. Cash could care less about a) staying with the rest of her pack, and getting a treat. It took months before she would take anything, let alone from our hand. And she still will actually spit food/treats out of her mouth if she feels threatened/anxious. I've never seen a dog that will do that! She would not let us come up to her outside and she wouldn't come to us. So she has been on-leash outside for nearly the whole time she has been with us (3 years). This has been getting better, but I still don't risk letting her off leash if I don't have four hours to spare trying to catch her in the yard! As I said before, there were several things we did that helped her. Also involved was putting her on alprazolam (generic xanax). It helped the training sink in. We're now in the process of weaning her off it, and so far so good. We're not noticing much if any increase in her anxious behavior, so we're hopeful she won't need any further medication therapy. The thing that helped her the most though (and I'm not suggesting this as a solution for you) was when we adopted another *girl* grey. We didn't really think about it before we brought Toni home. Cash had two older grey brothers at home already, so it wasn't like she was a singe dog in the house. However, the change in Cash's behavior after Toni came home was so remarkable it was hard to miss. It was like she finally realized this was home and she was safe. We figure it must have something to do with the fact that greys are kept separated by gender in the racing kennels, and she felt more comfortable with another girl around. Go figure! We don't have the problem you do regarding the leash. Cash is the best of our four when walking on-leash. And we always have collars on at home, so that's not an issue either. Just some things to cheer you up! Time and patience! Patience and time!

As the Mom to a super spook, I'll put in my two cents. You already know 3 months is not a very long time. I'll say again - for a spook, it's NOT a very long time! Cash has been with us for a bit over two years and is just now beginning to act like a "normal" dog most of the time. Two things that helped us the most: 1) treat her like a normal dog, don't coddle her behavior too much. 2) teach her things that help her build trust in you and confidence in herself. 1) Yes, she's scared of a lot of things. But *you* know those things won't hurt her and are OK. She needs to see that you have confidence in those things and in her. If the only place you can touch her is her special pillow, then you should go there many times during the day - just a quick pet (on her body or under her chin NOT on top of her head as that's threatening), and a treat, some kind words and attention. You're not taking away her safe place, you're telling her it's OK for you to be there too. If you want to go for a walk, go there and put her collar on and say "OK! Let's go!" and lead her away. Don't let her fear stop you from teaching her the stairs. Use the leash and really really yummy tasty smelly best-in-the-world treats - liverwurst or stinky cheese or hot dogs. If she won't take it from your hand, set it down for her. Do several repetitions and then stop. Let her go back to her safe pillow and decompress for a while. When she's calm again, go to her with a treat and a quick pet and leave again. In a couple hours, try the stairs again. Expose her to the things that scare her in very small doses. Keep your eye on her to monitor her anxiety level and keep the sessions short and positive. Happy, matter-of-fact voice - no squeaking or baby-talk. Encourage and reward. 2) One of the best things we taught Cash was the "watch me" command. She needs to be able to take a treat and at least be with you calmly on the the leash or off. You could even do this while she's in her safe place. Show her the (really yummy!!) treat at her nose, "watch me!" and bring the treat towards your face. If she follows the treat at all, tell her "good girl!" and give it to her. Gradually extend the nose-to-nose until you can have her looking in your eyes before she gets a "good girl" and the treat. My theory - looking into the eyes is a very dominant behavior. By encouraging her to look at you (and you at her) you're giving her confidence and telling her it's OK to do that with you. Find other ways to boost her confidence and increase her trust - other games and commands. If your other dog(s) help her then have them near her and use them to help build her trust. As far as eating goes, I'm not sure why there would be any objection to a fearful dog eating where she feels comfortable. I understand the logistical problems involved, but hopefully, this will be a short-term thing and not a for-the-rest-of-her life thing. Feed her first and keep her in her crate until the others are done. Or feed her after the others are done. Eventually, she should be able to eat where you want her to. My Cash spent almost a year eating in the living room where she felt safer before being able to transition to the kitchen with everyone else. The melatonin is obviously not helping her, or not helping her enough. You can try other OTC help like Rescue Remedy or DAP diffusers/collar. I would also urge you to talk to your vet about some prescription medication, at least for the short term. Before training can be of any help, her brain needs to be in a state where she can accept it. If she is never calm and always fearful/anxious no matter what is happening or who is near her, she needs some additional help to gain that brain state. Once she is in a receptive frame of mind, you can really help her. Prescriptions do not mean that you are a failure as a Mom, or that your home is not the home for her. It just means she needs more help. It also doesn't mean she will need to be on them for the rest of her life. My feeling is that I wouldn't want to live in a constant state of fear, and if a drug could help me, then it should be used properly as a tool to help, along with behavior modification and gentle desensitization techniques. You may want to rethink her participation in Dewey this year. It sounds like it may be to much for her, and traveling is never as secure as your own home. Just my feeling.

My girls both love water and would like to swim, I think, but we only have wading pools. I haven't gotten up the nerve to take them anyplace deeper! The boys believe they will melt if they get too wet, so that's that for them. Dude loves to jump off things and I've always wondered if he would do dock jumping.

It's all in the tail, obviously!