greysmom

Ok - Sorry - Had to go to an appointment - Here's a longer answer: Yes, adding a companion can help many greyhounds with SA. Some need a greyhound friend while others are fine with other types of companions. As was mentioned above, Greyhounds are raised with other greyhounds all their lives, and are never really alone the whole time from puppyhood until they are adopted. It sounds like Dutch is doing much better with another greyhound so I would start there. I'm normally not a big proponent of having your current grey involved in the adoption process, but in this case, it seems appropriate. In your original post you mention you've tried a lot of things to help Dutch. Let me sk some questions to clarify: Was the behavioralist you tried a certified Veterinary Behavioralist or a training behavioralist?? Many people who are "behavioralists" can only address training issues. A certified VB can address all the origins of behavioral problems - physical, mental, and behavioral. They are also licensed to prescribe drugs and should be congnizant of new treatments available. How many different medications did you try with him?? Often - just as with people - different drugs are more effective with different individuals. There are several classes of drugs available to treat anxiety problems, and several options in each class. They all work on different parts of the brain and in different ways. If you only tried one or two, you might not have exhausted your possibilities in this area. Some need 1-2 months to be truly effective, while others have a more immediate effect. Dosages can also be quite variable dog to dog. Here is a link to a thread I started here about my spook Cash. She does not have SA but you can read my research about the different anti-anxiety drugs, and some of the responses, including links to different resources. Cash's drug problem Good luck and keep us posted!

The short answer is "yes" it can definitely be that easy for some hounds. The long answer is - longer! Kudos to you for trying so hard with your guy! There will be an answer for you.

Run free and far sweet Rex! We'll miss you and your sweet face. To Deb and her family

Mine will go after my roses from time to time. Visit the poison prevention site for a list of toxic plants so you know what he can't eat. And, goes without saying, but, if you use fertilizers either sprayed or in the ground, don't let him eat anything. My angel Libby used to eat my cucumbers right off the vine, and last year Toni went for the tomatoes. They will eat anything!

They are bullying you! Bark bark bark and I want my *whatever* right NOW! And they get it. Don't let the sad eyes fool you - these guys know what's going on! Keep up with the squirt bottle and ignore her when she barks - tell her to go lay down and ignore her, especially in the mornng. Alternate solution: Teach her to bark on command and stop on command. It should be easy to capture the behavior if she barks a lot. Then you can just command her. Good luck. My Toni was LPH Cry Baby - and boy! she sure is!

Muzzle for a while until you're sure how they will both react. Don't leave high value treats out. That being said, with my four we don't muzzle or crate when we leave. I do have to dog-proof since Toni will chew towels and papers, so those get picked up and doors to the office and bathrooms closed. Other than that, we don't really do anything special. They all get along fine and we don't worry about them at all. You'll have a feeling for how it will go - make sure to try alone training with the two of them soon.

When does this happen? When you come home? Whenever he sees you? At random greeting times? The key is to stop the behavior before it starts. If he's doing it when you come home, try re-directing him with a toy or treat thrown in the opposite direction. If he knows commands - like sit or down or really anything - give him the command as soon as you enter. Treat after he calmly does the command. The turning away motion is a good one, except that he goes around to the other side - so turn away into the door or a wall or a chair that he can't get around. Ignore him and don't turn back until he's calm. All of these will require consistency, patience and lots of repetition. Keep at him about this as it could become a problem when your child begins moving around the house under his/her own power. You need both your dogs to be under control so start with basic commands now. They don't have to be obedience school level, but they need to know a command that settles them down.

Try using something smaller - like a hand towel or dish towel. Put on the grooming mitt and hold the smaller towel with that when you wipe - use the same motion as when you're grooming him.

I use 1 1/2" for my girls and 2" for my boys, just because of the difference in their sizes. I like the collar wide enough to give good control without being so wide that it looks like a turtleneck on them. Though if I find a collar I really like for one of them, I'll usually get it regardless of width!

It doesn't sound like a normal recovery from a seizure. Is it possible he had a stroke, bloodclot, or other brain problem?? You might need to have a CT scan or MRI to find the root problem since bloodwork probably won't show anything structural that's wrong. Please let us know how things go with your boy!

Cash does this all the time. She has particular areas of the house that she will stare at, like she sees something, where there isn't anything at all that I can see. Buffy might be hearing something she can't identify, or it's echoing behind her, something below/above human perception. Cash also isn't fod motivated when she's fixated and scared about something. She'll even walk away from her food bowl mid-meal if she gets that way. I haven't found any food to be sufficiently yummy for her to take from me in those instances. If Buffy responds to the clicker, have you tried using it on walks?? She already associates it with good things, so it might be worth trying. Also, if you can't anticipate and lure her forward with a really super yummy treat, you might try this: when she wants to stop and turn around, actually turn and walk her in the direction for several steps, then resume walking forward. It may look pretty crazy, but you need to keep her feet moving so she doesn't stop and stare and get stuck.

Dude had the same thing happen to him. He broke the toe and had to have it amputated. Two weeks later, the toe surgery site was all healed but the splint had rubbed several sores down to the bone. After that, it was 6 weeks of weekly bandage changes and antibiotics before he was better. It took him most of a month to use that foot again after everything was healed. He lost quite a bit of muscle tone too, but it built up again quickly after he started using that leg. He still does the three-legged thing if it's really cold out and when his foot is aching from using it too much.

Oh yah! Mine will *bark* fiercely when someone comes to the door, so I really don't worry about someone breaking in - though if they *did* actually get in the house they'd be the ones getting mugged - for pets!

If you have an unused crate for the dogs you might try setting it up in a quiet part of the house and use that spot as the cat's "safe zone" away from the dogs. You can confine the cat while still allowing him to be a part of he house so he gets more used to the new dynamics he's living under now. A squirt bottle is very useful, though if he was a stray he might not be water-averse like most indoor cats. I know I'll catch heck for suggesting this, so go easy on me people! In our house we allow more dog-cat contact than many here on the board. We have three very (very very) dog-savvy cats. They were all raised from kittens around and by our three Great Danes, so they are used to big dogs and not scared of them at all. All three of them are quite capable of swatting a dog if they feel threatened or uncomfortable and we've used them to cat-test with our group because they're pretty fearless. The cats will occasionally get a wild hair up one of their collective kitty butts and start playing with (as in harassing) one or more of the greyhounds. The dogs are allowed to tell them to "knock it off" when this happens, as they are much more effective than we are. The dogs don't chase the cats (who are totally indoor all the time) and would be stopped if they ever started, but my philospophy is that the dogs can say what is OK with them - up to a point which all of my dogs know. Most of the time the dogs just get up and move to another room out of the line of fire. They can also growl and bark at them which is usually enough for the cats. Very rarely will one of the dogs actually make any sort of physical contact, and it's most often to nose them away. I've never had one of my dogs - current or former - ever hurt one of "their" cats. (Outdoor cats are a completely separate issue.) I'm just saying... Please don't flame me!

If you can, you might try it when he's laying down. Toni HATES having her nails clipped outside standing up, but she'll tolerate it if she's inside laying down. I have no idea why. I'm just grateful for small favors as her nails are like bear claws and grow like weeds!

She doesn't sound like a true spook to me, just a grey who's taking her time adjusting to a completely new life. I think they just need to be a bit more patient with her, and let her go at her own pace. She's come a long way in just four weeks, which isn't really a very long time. And she's also still very young - still a puppy really - so she needs some extra patience. One thing they might try is to lessen her negative response to the leash. They should start carrying it around the house with them - wear it like a belt, or have it at hand, set it on the floor where she can see it. If she's at all food-motivated, she should get a yummy treat when she shows interest in the leash or even is calmly ignoring it. She needs to associte the leash with something she thinks is really great, and not the scary "walk in the park." This will also desensitize their other dogs so they don't get so excited when he leash appears. She's not going to fade away from missing a meal or two here and there. If she doesn't want to eat with the others (my spook doesn't always), they can feed her later when it's quieter, or simply feed her in her crate. Then she can gradually be integrated into the feeding routine as she gets more comfortable.

Hugs to you and Kendra! No experience, though it does sound like her deafness and blindness could be at least part of the issue. Age related doggy dementia might also be playing a role in the sudden aggression. If you haven't done it in a few months, it would be worth seeing what her thyroid values are as well, as thyroid can play a part in aggression issues. Hope your vet can help you figure it out.

Does she only do this while she's leashed or when she's running free too?? You might try PMing the user "Giselle" who I know has worked with her leash-aggressive dog. The only suggestion I have is to try and use the distraction method - be really vigilant and try and locate the problem dogs before she reacts, distract her with a *REALLY* yummy treat by using "watch me" or another command, hold her gaze and the treat until the on-coming dog has passed the danger point, then praise praise praise and give treats!

One interpretation: Something small and squirmy, making prey-type noises (whining, goo-goos, baa's), being held up by a food giver. He's obviously interested. Another: A small, alive thing he's never seen before, that smells different and which is making puppy-like noises, and getting lots of attention from one of his pack leaders. He's obviously interested. Only you can tell which is more likely from his reaction and body posture. If he's whining and has a fixated gaze that you can't distract him from, is chattering in excitement, drooling, tail held high and stiff (could be wagging though too), an upright and forward body position - he's likely having a prey reaction. But a more relaxed and curious posture, wih a low tail and head, maybe still some whining and sniffing - could be more curiosity and interest. If you're unsure about your dog's reaction to small children (or baby animals) then you should ALWAYS err on the side of caution. It only takes one accident. My boy Dude, come to find out, is not small dog or outside animal tolerant. But he LOVES babies and small children and will literally pull me over to strollers and babies in arms. Fortunately, these parents have all known Dude! He just buries his nose and sniffs these reeeeaaaallllllyyyyyyy long sniffs - like you would with a sweet smelling baby! And he loves to lick there feet, mostly because I think it makes them laugh and he loves that too.

Each adoption group will have its own standards and adoption requirements, so I think it's mostly how comfortable you are working with each group. I will say that the more honest and truthful you are with the adoption reps about your lifestyle and wishes, the better match you'll get, regardless of the group. It sounds like you've thought about this a lot and that's only a plus. Make sure you're committed to giving these dogs a home for life and not just to "rescue" them. Both my husband and I have had dogs (big and small) all our lives before adopting our first greyhound. There *is* something very special about this breed! But they're not necessarily dogs for people with very active lifestyles. I always tell people they're like cats with really long legs! Obviously, not all greyhounds are complete couch-potatoes, and many love love love to get out and go. For the most part, I would say that they love doing things WITH their people, and not just to be doing something. They are very much companion animals. What I would suggest is asking the groups (or whichever one you feel most comfortable with) if they have volunteer activities that you can help out with so you can have some contact with the breed. Go to meet-n-greets in your area and talk to actual greyhound owners. Pet their dogs and see if they feel like the right breed for you. Then, once you've determined 1) if you can afford two, and 2) if you *really* want two, you can discuss adopting with a group. Returns are way more common nowadays due to the economy and they are a great way to go for first-time adopters. Good luck and keep us posted!

The trick to distraction is to not *just* distract him with a good thing - bark bark bark give a toy. Give a command that he knows that you can reward him for - watch me, or sit, or something else that requires him to *do* something else. Toni is a big barker and we've worked on teaching her a "quiet" command. This works great for her as she's extremely food motivated and will do literally anything for a treat - even be quiet!

How's our little fairy princess doing this morning?? (Or afternoon, I guess!)

Sleep startling is a very common greyhound problem. Though some people have had some success in desensitizing their hounds, there is no real "cure." Our first greyhound was severely sleep aggressive and bit both my husband and I - drawing blood both times - in the first two weeks she was home. She did get better over time, but I would never have left her alone and asleep with a child, even though she LOVED kids when she was awake, and was the sweetest dog I've ever had. Some tips: > NEVER wake up your dog by touching him. Call his name from a safe distance until he is awake and aware, then ask him to do what you want. > Don't let him sleep in your bed or on the furniture. He should sleep on his bed in an out of the way place where he won't be disturbed by accident. If he can sleep in a crate I would definitely encourage him to do so. >In general, with ANY dog, but especially sleep aggressive greyhounds, NEVER leave your young child alone with a dog. PERIOD. >Teach your child as soon as possible to NEVER TOUCH THE DOG WHILE HE'S SLEEPING OR ON HIS BED. NEVER. Kids can learn good manners and respect around their dogs at a very early age. Chance doesn't do this because he's angry or wants to bite. This is a very normal response from an animal that has slept on his own, by himself, and is never disturbed when sleeping, his entire life. You can do a lot to make sure he doesn't bite you, your husband or your child, but you have to be diligent and remember to NEVER touch the dog while he's asleep. It takes time to make this a habit, so start now!

Definitely ask for a class at a quiet time. Not only does the noise distract and bother them, there's just too much movement for a sighthound to be able to focus. And make sure there aren't any littles in the class if your grey isn't small dog tolerant.

Thank you all so much!!! I really appreciate all the opinions and the links! I'm one of those people who likes to run everything up the flagpole to see what everyone has to say! Batmom, I do think it might be worth a try to see how she does on less medication. I will probably begin (very) slowly stepping down her dosage anyway. Also, I didn't say it before, but Cash's behavior really became a lot better when we adopted Toni. I had discounted the effect of having another girl here, as she had two other greyhounds (Dude and Copper) who happen to be boys. But adopting Toni, a female only a year younger than Cash, really had an almost instantaneous effect. It was like Cash finally decided this was her home now that she had a female companion. I keep telling my DH that we should try adopting *another* girl to see how much that helps Cash!