greysmom

How adorable!!! I've always wanted dogs that would snuggle together, but we usually get all the space guarding ones who don't want anyone to *breathe* on them when they're laying down!!!!

Get that girl some ice cream!!!!

If you're considering a harness make sure it's a 3 or 5 point safety harness, as regular harnesses are *very* easy for a rambunctious dog to back out of. Many people will continue to use the martingale collar along with a harness for added security, using either two leashes or one leash with a coupler situation attached to both the collar and harness at the same time. Just FYI, in general, taken with a grain of salt - females tend to be much more... in your face, busy, into things, bossy. Basically more like your girl! And males tend to be more laid back and let life happen as it comes to them. Exceptions abound, but your girl sounds very normal for her age and sex. I agree with Don above that your boy *may* be happier as an only dog. That being said, he will doubtless get used to having a sibling. If you decide this girl isn't necessarily the right fit, talk with your group about getting a more calm female, or even another laid back (but confident) male for your next foster-with-intent. If her food bowl is closer to the water bowl she may be guarding her food rather than the water. If she's just guarding it because she can, then your solution should work. I am generally of the opinion that dogs whould work out relationships on their own. The exception, of course, is if there is any danger whatsoever to your boy. And no one gets to bully anyone else in our house. Redirection and time outs help when you have a very energetic younger dog come into the house. We also make sure all our dogs get one-on-one time with us every day - a time when we are just paying attention to that dog. Whether that's a special walk or play time, a good brushing session, or just some quiet time in another room.

The perfect illustration of how I feel about the weather right now!!!!

If you believe he might have been injured, getting him to the vet asap is critical. The sooner things like this are caught, the easier it is to treat. I will just add thatperhaps the bug spray has driven bugs either into the walls or out to the yard where they are now causing enough noise to be heard by your dog. Their hearing is so much more acute than ours. The only other thing to mention is to discuss "Sundowner's Syndrome" with your vet, particularly if he's an older dog.

This book will help you as well. It's mostly for leash reactivity with other dogs, but will have some good tips and techniques you can try. Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash Reactive Dog

Completely normal. Don't worry. If you were working normally, she'd be doing exactly the same thing at hime all day, just by herself! Remember, she's a senior dog technically, though at 9 they can still be quite active in bursts (likely when visiting your parents house!) An hour walking sounds like it's plenty, especially if she doesn't want to go any farther. And most greyhounds don't really "play" the way other breeds do. If you can set up safe/social distance play dates or meet ups with other greyhound owners, she would probably appreciate it, as many greyhounds are breed snobs and don't recognize other breeds as creatures like themselves. Some short visits to a dog day care might also be fun for her. Investigate the possibilities and see what you come up with in your area.

About 2-2 1/2 years old. So you have a while to go yet. Exercise and play sessions will be your friend. Remember, on a farm she would still be running with her littermates in long turnout pens all day, every day, building up muscle and stamina to get ready to head off to racing school at 15-18 months old. So anything you can do to tire her out will help. Including tiring her mind with puzzle food toys, snuffle mats, playing hide and seek games, obedience training, and the like. They are learning sponges at this age and learn things really quickly. Set up play dates with other playful young dogs (doesn't have to be greyhounds), and consider having her attend a day care for a couple mornings to work off some of the more energetic outbursts safely. They aren't called "landsharks" for nothing - always moving, full of sharp teeth!!! Tiring her out will also help her stay asleep during the night. Puppies are amazing and fun, but they are also more work than the retired racers most of us are used to!

I'll Be Home Soon by Patricia McConnell This short booklet will walk you through how to deal with Separation Anxiety step-by-step. Available as an ebook and in paperback. Get a couple of Kongs - the black kind for hard chewers - and work on getting him used to using them while you're home as a treat. You can freeze them so they take more time for him to work on with squirt cheese, canned dog food, peanut butter, liverwurst - whatever he likes best. If he's not interested in the Kongs in the beginning (many are not) simmer them for a few minutes in some broth to get rid of the rubbery smell/taste.

I'll just add that a *really* long race for a greyhound still only takes around a minute to complete. A normal 550-660 yard race is about 30 seconds long - less if they're going really fast! That's considerable shorter than even a thoroughbred race - more like a short quarter horse race! And they do this only once every 3-5 days. The rest of the time they are getting massages, lounging in the therapy pool, laying around in the sun in the turnouts or their kennels, and eating and sleeping!!! So two walks a day is considerable MORE exercise than they usually get when racing. She probably *is* a bit afraid of the dark since they aren't regularly turned out late in the evenings, so being outside in the dark with only a flashlight or streetlights could be pretty scary. If she'll pee right beofre bedtime that's really good enough!

It's not a question of hardware failure, it's one of security. I almost always end up using two leashes or some sort of coupler when I put a harness/collar on my greyhounds. In my experience with multiple dogs through the years (all older retired racers) they become confused and lose whatever training they have walking quietly if they don't have the familiar pressure of a collar around their neck. They kite all over the place on the end of the leash, statue, pull amazingly hard, go off in their own direction. Plus, it *is* added security if you are using just a regular harness, which most greyhounds can easily get out of if they try hard enough. Nearly all the galgo rescues I know of recommend using both a harness and collar for their new adoptees. People use harness for many different reasons - medical, legal, physical. I *always* use a harness on my young puppies until they learn enough commands to not be a super flight risk, and a martigale fits them better. If they are acting up or being squirrely puppies, I can grab a harness more easily and more safely than a collar. Slip leads/collars are OK if you have the training and/or supervision to use one, but I would *never* suggest them for first time dog owners or someone just starting out with training a newly retired greyhound. You can easily injure their neck and/or pharynx and cause permanent damage.

How have his poops been? If they are normal-to-good it's likely his whining isn't caused by the deramaxx. Though do make sure you're giving it to him on a full stomach right after a meal. If his stools are bad or getting worse, I would contact your vet asap as he likely is having a reaction to it. Nsaids are tricky - one will work fine for one dog and be horrible for another. We've had bad luck with Rimadyl here, but meloxicam is fine, while others say the exact opposite. So you just may need to try out a couple to see what he tolerates.

Yes, it could easily have been sleep startling, or a response to being manipulated in a painful way (or at all), or he just doesn't like his butt to be touched. The important thing to remember is that this wasn't a *deliberate* show of aggression towards you and it wasn't personal. If he had wanted to hurt you badly he certainly could have. It's probably mostly bad luck he caught you as much as he did. He's not a "bad" dog, or even a cranky one - it's just the way dogs react and communicate. He likely forgot about the whole thing seconds after it happened. I wouldn't even look at it as a failure of any kind in his training or bonding. This is a dog who responded exactly the way a dog usually responds. You can go ahead and do all your plans - they can't hurt and likely will help - but like I said, it sounds like he's fine. It's harder for humans to forget and move on! Now you know what NOT to do, so you and your partner just have to remember NOT to do it. Every dog teaches us something, and you just had a lesson.

Separate the training from the actual walk time. Also, it won't hurt her to wear a well fitting harness 24/7 for a while. Just watch her in case she starts chewing on it, and check under her armpits frequently so it doesn't pinch her. You may also need to get a different type of harness to break her association with it.

IMO, the difference between a true "spook" greyhound and just a very anxious one, is that a spook can't calm themself down one they get to a heightened state of anxiety. Something is just off with their brain chemistry and it just keeps spiralling out of control. Instead of him getting used to things, they remain super scary, and his body just won't let him relax no matter how much time passes. Here's a good book that can help you work through things and give you some direction for training and deconditioning: The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnell You should also get one of these harnesses, called a spook harness, from Majestic collars. It's a good three point harness that should prevent him from backing out and getting away. Many times people will use two leashes, or one leash with a short coupler on the end, to attach to both the harness and the collar. Just for added security. Majestic Spook Harness You may also want to discuss with your vet using a short course of anti anxiety meds as you work on his issues. It doesn't mean he will be on them for life, but they can be a helpful tool in your "anxious dog tool kit." You can get a lot more info and suggestions of you search here through the T&B section for threads on spooks or anxious dogs.

With puppies it's all about playing, so are you *sure* she's fighting you and not playing with you when you put the harness on?? If she found it objectionable she wouldn't leave it on without fussing at it or chewing it off. Best way to get through this phase is to do short (very short) practice sessions with tons of yummy treats. Break down the steps of putting on the harness and work sequentially through them getting her to be calm and allow you to fit it on her. First teach her to "stand" - like a showdog, give her a command to accomplish. Then, "stand" and put one paw in, or whatever is the second step. Make it short and fun and use whatever treats work best with her to get and keep her attention. She's a cutie pie!! And don't worry - the puppy phase only lasts 3 or 4 years!!!

At our LGRA events the lure is a squawker, covered in fabric fur, attached to some white plastic bags, so it both makes a sound and has visual interest. If you haven't been to a professional lure coursing event I would urge you to consider it, even if you need to drive a few hours to get there. The AKC website or ASFA may also have suggestions for proper courses and set ups. I know the lure coursing group here sets them up so that they can run both ways - forwards and backwards - I guess so they can get twice the racing out of a single set up.

Sweep!! We finally put a gate across our deck opening to the yard and got a walk through screen for the door. Now we can usually find at least one outside lounging in the nice weather.

How addicting they are as companions. My DH and I have had dogs all our lives, first growing up, and then once we got together. All different breeds, sizes, energy levels - we weren't newcomers to owning dogs, and we started out just wanting to do a good deed in adopting a dog that needed a home. DH was actually not thrilled with greyhounds initially. They were "funny looking" and their noses were too long, and he had a whole list of why he didn't want one, but he agreed to go to a local meet and greet "just to look" at real greyhounds. We came home with our name on the list to adopt a sweet 6 year old bounce we met there, and we haven't looked back since 2003 and 11 greyhounds ago. We have three now, but we've had as many as 6 at one time with no issues or problems. And we can't ever see ourselves not having a greyhound until we just can't handle having any type of dog due to age.

A 6 year old dog is plenty active for kids, plus also, calm enough not to overreact to the kids playing. He will also be fine with all the activity you describe, though you may need to get him in condition again depending on where's he's been recently. If he's been at a track until the track closed or he retired he will be in excellent shape, ready to go hiking with his new family. You will need to protect his paws until they toughen up a bit so no extended walking on pavement or gravel surfaces right away. Grass or soft dirt trails would be fine. If he's been hanging out at a farm or with a retirement family he *may* need some reconditioning, you'll have to see what shape he's in. See how he's muscled up, if he needs to lose weight, the condition of his paw pads - your vet should be able to help you assess his physical conditioning and give you suggestions. Several daily short walks will work him into longer hiking trips. Be careful of a lot of activity in warm or very cold weather. Greyhounds don't have a lot of bady fat (if at a proper weight) and they can't regulate their body temperature. They can overheat or become too cold very rapidly, so proper covering and hydration are important. Otherwise, don't have a thought about adopting a 6 year old. They can be the perfect dog for you!

Andi's super power seems to be standing exactly where I want/meed to walk. And then pouting after I tell her move!!!!

Spirit!! In addition to what everyone has said above, often they will have an increased heart rate with pain. Check it when he's laying down and relaxed. This is a physical symptom I try and keep track of throughout their lifetimes, so I know what a normal rate for a particular dog is, and when it's elevated. I'd second the Galliprant, as it seems to be much easier on stomachs than other nsaids. Just always give it on a full stomach right after eating. A low dose of Gabapentin might also be in order. If that duo doesn't aleviate his symptoms, a true pain reliever like codiene sulfate (NOT Tramadol) would be worth trying. Getting old sucks. Watching our sweet hounds get old is even harder. {{{hugs}}}

PS - we haven't seen a Cletus pics in a LOOOOOOONG time!!!!!

My first thought is pancreatitis. Seniors stomachs are so touchy sometimes - human and canine! - and even small changes or additions can set them off. A gastrointestinal food might be the best way to begin if the vet hasn't suggested it yet. Something low, low fat and high fiber. Or try just adding *insoluable* fiber to her food - Fiber tabs (check for artificial sweetners if you use a human brand), or beet pulp. Limit all treats and add ins, too. Second thought is that Pred is unhelpful except as a last resort. It has *never* helped my dogs eat more, and only seems to cause problems. She doesn't want to eat because she feels crappy, and even the thought of food makes her nauseaus. If she has enough body condition, I would fast her at least 24 hours, then start with something new - either a RX diet or extremely low fat home-cooked. Very small portions several times a day. Third thought - not sure that gabapentin is an appropriate pain reliver in this instance. Since it's mainly a nerve pain agent, it can't be helping too much in this case. And Metronidazol and Synuclav seem to both be antibiotics?? I haven't heard of Synuclav before though it seems to be like Clavamox here in the States. And the metro is an antibiotic as well. She may be getting an antibiotic overload, especially if she's sensitive to them after all this time taking them. You don't seem to be adding any pre/probiotics back in to her, so you may want to start there. FortiFlora is the gold standard of rxs for that here, and it may be a better place to begin than OTC or human add ins, like yogurt or buttermilk, as the dosage is very specific and consistent. {{{hugs}}} for sweet Peggy. I really hope you can figure this out for her.

My first thought is that now that he's more comfortable in his new home he's not *really* potty trained. The second thought is that he already seems to be an excellent "human trainer!" It's difficult for us with the pandemic going on to really keep a strict schedule - off days and work days are all mixed up and we aren't really disciplined like we would be if we were doing our normal get-up-and-go work routine everyday. But that's what he needs. Set a schedule for him that will work when you go back to "normal." He needs to go out every time he wakes up, after every meal, after every play session. Basically if he starts moving around after being still he needs to go out for potties. He looks like an adult dog, but at 3 years old he's still got a LOT of puppy left in him. Most greyhounds don't settle into a more mature personality until 4 years old or later. If he's been released into adoption without any splinting or bandaging he's probably OK to do stairs. Greyhounds have never been alone in the their whole lives and that's the hardest thing for them to get used to. They want to be with their pack all the time, and having him sleep in your room is the easiest way to bring home to him that he's a part of the family. It will also allow you to keep an eye on him if he needs to go during the night, If you have room for his crate that would be swell, but that shouldn't be a deal breaker. You can keep using the crate for when you leave the house either way.