GreytHoundPoet

Puppies are so much fun! They are adorable as a survival tactic.

They often lose weight post retirement because they lose muscle mass unless you work hard to keep them in fit, active condition. It varies depending on the dog's structure, but feeling the spine and seeing some ribs is totally normal on most healthy, proper weight Greyhounds. I wouldn't worry unless she starts to look super thin and loses too much muscle mass. Read this: http://www.greyhoundcrossroads.com/index.php?page=weight

Most likely, depending on your dog's structure, you should always see some ribs. When dogs leave the track they are in peak physical condition, despite the fact that people think they are too skinny and try to pack weight onto them. That extra weight converts to fat as they lose musculature in retirement unless you keep them fit. The amount of food also depends on the things I mentioned above: quality of food, dog size, age, metabolism, and condition. Check this out: http://www.greyhoundcrossroads.com/index.php?page=weight This is one of my Greyhounds. I actually raised her from 8-weeks-old. I don't have easily accessible pictures of my others at the moment.

http://www.greyhoundcrossroads.com/index.php?page=weight

A lot of dogs self-regulate their food intake. I have 3 here, out of my 6, that always have. They will not eat very much (and will skip meals) unless they get a good amount of exercise. They maintain beautiful, fit conditions and proper weight so I have stopped worrying about it. I can't tell you how many vet conversations it took for me to calm down about it and just watch to make sure they maintain and don't lose. Food amounts also vary by quality and dog size, age, metabolism, and condition. For example, on the exact same food, my 38lb Ibizan gets 1.5 cups a day, my 44lb Ibizan gets 6 cups a day, my 55lb Ibizan gets 5 cups a day, and my 68 lb Ibizan gets 2.5 cups a day. The 44lb and 55lb ones are young and extremely active dogs, while the other 2 are very active compared to a Greyhound but kind of lazy for Ibizans. My Greyhounds are a bit closer in food amount. My 52lb girl ate 3 cups a day when actively lure coursing and 2 in the off season and retirement, and my 49lb girl eats 2. Both are seniors now.

I wouldn't focus on that small amount of weight loss right now unless he starts to look and act like something is wrong. Has he been checked for worms? He's adjusting to retirement and a new life. Unless you are keeping him in top performance condition (which entails more than walks) he will lose weight as he loses muscle mass. All of my Greyhounds have stayed at or under racing weight their entire lives. A lot of people put weight on them as a general rule and, as their performance muscle deteriorates unless kept well conditioned, fat piles on and replaces the lost muscle. There are a lot of variables when considering general build so no hard, fast rule applies to all dogs. Unfortunately, I see a lot of fat Greyhounds, and even obese ones. This is an excellent guide to Greyhound weight: http://www.greyhoundcrossroads.com/index.php?page=weight.

Ducky, I really am incredibly sorry that you had to say goodbye to her so soon. Her last 2 years were filled with love and care and you are to thank for that. The other hounds are also in wonderful homes because of Potato and you. I'm glad that she got to enjoy comfort and love in the end and am grateful to you for contacting me and ultimately bringing my little girl into my life. We're sending you big hugs and lots of thoughts.

The treat in the muzzle is a great idea. Mine get excited about muzzles because that means the lure machine is coming out and it is time to have some fun.

I would utilize that muzzle when needed. She may not like it but she'll get used to it. They can drink water and even carry toys with basket muzzles on. Surgery to remove foreign bodies is costly (well over $1,000) and has a less-than-fun recovery time. I would also up her physical exercise and mental stimulation because she sounds bored with pent up energy. People seem to latch onto the idea that Greyhounds need barely any exercise in general but they all benefit from consistent exercise and some need more than others. I have one here that needs a ton and holds her own, energy-level wise, at 8-years-old with Ibizan Hounds (think Dalmatian energy in sighthound bodies). I have had others that would be fine with a few walks a day. Mental stimulation is often overlooked in Greyhounds as well but they greatly benefit from training and many love puzzle toys and activities.

No, you hold the drill and reel the entire time. You have to because it will not go on its own. Somebody stretches the line out to the end. Somebody has to hold the dog until it gets moving and the lure is far enough out not to get caught. It's a 2 person task. My husband holds the reel and runs it and I stretch the line out, grab the dog, and slip him/her.

The setup involves a fishing reel and requires a drill to run it. You can get different lengths. In order to add turns with pulleys you need a significantly longer length than to run them straight. Turns that are too tight can cause injuries to fast hounds. If you do not use pulleys they just run straight to you.

I have lure poles and the Simplure from the Greyt Chase (link: https://www.thegreytchase.com).I got one long enough to add pulleys. My dogs used to lure course competitively but we are in between retirement for my older ones and my youngest growing up so we play at home.

I understand that. I live in the middle of 18 acres of woods (mere feet from my doorstep and grown up to my fence) in between 2 overgrown fields that my hounds spend a lot of time in. We have tons of deer, coyotes, and other fun stuff. I get ticks when I go outside but they don't thankfully. We can't keep free range poultry here that could help because of the coyotes. My neighbors have all tried with poor results.

Interesting. That sounds like a bad tick issue. I have not had to combine them because the Serestos have been so effective on their own. I know the way they fit seems to be very important for how effective they are.

The only thing that works for me here in SC are the Seresto Collars. I checked with 4 different sighthound savvy vets (some of which are involved in racing, rescue, and breeding sighthounds) to ensure that they are safe. My Ibizans get into high grass, overgrown fields, and deep woods and the Serestos keep fleas and ticks off them. They work great on my slightly less adventurous Greyhounds too. They also come out super cheap per month if you get them with good deals. I buy mine at around $35-$40 online and they last 8 months so it comes out to about $5 a month per dog.

This, or they can also be purchased from reputable breeders or hunters.

Hmmm...interesting question. Anecdotally, I have had around 100 Greyhounds come through my doors as either fosters, overnight or short-term guests, or personal dogs. I've had a pack that fluctuated between 4-10 dogs at any given time due to these extras in the last decade. I cannot honestly say that I saw anything that indicated one gender having more separation anxiety than the other. These gender-based questions always interest me because I have had such a large sample size for an individual person but such a small one in the grand scheme. I have not had any personal dogs have separation anxiety from us because the pack has always been a strong emergency backup blanket in times of stress. I will say that some dogs that were totally fine in my home and pack exhibited SA with adopters when they became an only dog or one of two. I had a female here who was so bad that she broke out of a crate, destroying it and injuring herself, destroyed my couch, brand new comforter, my curtains, and my fan. Oddly enough, she was fine as an only dog, probably because her new owner worked from home. I had a foster male who howled and howled for hours and had to be placed with another Greyhound and a less busy family to keep him happy. I have noticed that males tended to bond more closely and be more needy than females but I certainly had my share of very needy females. I've really had the gamut, from true spooks to extremely outgoing (almost lab-like) Greyhounds (like my 8-year-old girl who is wild and tries to greet everyone with hugs and kisses), from sweet, soft temperaments to extremely sharp ones, from puppies to seniors, from pack oriented to dog aggressive (fun to manage in a pack, let me tell you). I'd argue, based on my limited experience, that things like this have a lot more to do with the individual dog, proper socialization, training, home situations, and genetics (nature + nurture) than gender.

Wow! I know 100lb (fit and conditioned) Greyhounds that aren't that tall. That has to be some kind of record.

Prey drive is not the same as aggression. Prey drive is innate and focused. A stable dog can have strong prey drive and not attack other dogs. Also, outdoor prey animals are different from indoor family members. Many cat "safe" dogs are fine with their indoor feline friends but view strays as fair game. That being said, if your dad is that concerned about it do not let the dogs outside together or invest in a basket muzzle just in case. I can tell you though, damage can still be done with a muzzle on so it is not an excuse to leave the dogs unsupervised. Education is always my priority but if he is not receptive to that you can accommodate him fairly easily.

They are handsome! Is he 35" at the shoulder or head? Because if he's 35" at the shoulder he's within the Irish Wolfhound standard for height. Big boy!

Yes, in general they sleep a lot, especially as they get older. Mine are just the weirdos that don't sleep all the time. Whoever made that accusation never met any of my Greyhounds. They've always lived with Dalmatians, a Galgo, or Ibizan Hounds so my Greyhounds are actually fairly active. My youngest Greyhound (at almost 8...geez) has been here since she was 8-weeks-old and has always been a wild child (5+ mile hikes? No problem! Run for hours with Ibizans? Daily! She swims, barks, digs, etc.).

She's beautiful! That short wire/mixed coat is cute.

Some of the Petco/Petsmart trainers are good. Some aren't. After undergrad and before grad school I worked as a Petco trainer. I went through a few months of intensive training back then. I don't know what the program is like now but it was basic but decent back then. Clearly I have sighthound experience. The benefits to these classes are more for socialization and focus training in public than anything else. I train rally obedience and other things at home by myself but do take my dogs to various training classes for the experience of training in that kind of situation. I'm also a lifetime positive socialization advocate so we do all kinds of things together.

Don't be too disheartened. My girl gets around fine and has few flareups. She'll be 10 next month.

I have a girl with SLO. She's had it for a few years now. When she has a flare up we do meds (doxy and sometimes steroids). Otherwise, we supplement omegas and other healthy things. My local specialist and the vets at my practice have commented that they see SLO more in Greyhounds than any other breed or mix.