GreytHoundPoet

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People tend to presume that younger = healthier but that simply isn't always the case. I know several young dogs that have died being spayed/neutered. I also know a 2-year-old dog in acute renal failure right now. I always do the pre-anesthetic bloodwork on any age dog that I am putting under. Sometimes you don't know a problem is there until it is advanced or something happens. Also, it is always good to have a baseline bloodwork done in case things go awry in the future.

I've only tried Bil-Jac with one hound (an extremely picky one who will go so long between meals if he doesn't like a food that he'll literally make himself sick and frustrate his vets and me). The dog in question has never turned it down and he's in great coat and condition.

I know several show and performance sighthound owners and breeders who feed Victor with great results. We haven't tried it but the dogs are all in great condition and coat.

Too many. I miss Argos so much it hurts.

Thank you so much, everyone. It has been a hard week for sure but I am glad that he is no longer suffering. Cancer is the worst.

Argos was a superhero. He taught me more about dogs, and myself, than I ever imagined. Coming from inauspicious and mysterious background, he eventually rose above it like a phoenix from the ashes. Argos was a hunting dog from Spain (adopted from Scooby Medina) and he was an adventure. In many ways he was the most difficult dog I have ever owned. However, he taught me more than any dog, or person, ever has. He taught me about trust, respect, love, courage, commitment, patience, adaptability, independence, baby steps, and human nature. He grew and blossomed like a flowers and changed like the seasons, slow and deliberate. When he got sick we did not talk about it a lot with people other than close friends and family. There were so many questions and we did not get a lot of answers. Towards the end he faded fast and we finally had an answer that we did not like. Even on his way out he showed us empathy and understanding beyond what we could imagine. He also showed us love and appreciation. People who don’t believe that dogs have a soul have never met this dog. Our journey with him started at an airport. We had chosen him to come in our lives and we drove to Atlanta to pick him up and start him on that journey. The waiting and the anticipation was killer. When we finally got the clearance to get him we were faced with a dog with haunted eyes. He coped fairly well with the trip and the transition but as he settled in we realized that this dog was not quite what we were expecting. Argos had a lot of trauma and history to work through. Things were rocky at first but we were committed to him and, over time, he began to trust us. Gaining his trust took time, patience, and understanding. It was a slow process, like dusk to sunset, but when we earned his trust it was beautiful. He had a lot of fear to work through and simply traveling halfway across the world and gaining a new home wasn’t enough. He had to confront his fears and we helped him along the way. He grew and changed with each passing season. From fear grew trust and respect. They bloomed into courage and independence. We took a dog who was so terrified of life that he almost couldn’t function and walked with him to a life filled with confidence and happiness. It was a long journey, and sometimes a rough one, but the destination was so perfect, so beautiful, that it was worth it. There were milestones that made us, grown adults, cry. Two specific moments come to mind. One was when we tried (probably foolishly) to take him to a picnic. He wasn’t quite ready but we had to try. There he met a Hispanic family. Argos hated Spanish and Hispanic accents. One time we were out walking and he heard a man tell us that I had a beautiful Greyhound in Spanish. He had a complete, thrashing, panicked melt down, tried to drag me home, and hid for days. So when he slowly, cautiously approached this family and let them get down to his level and pet him I cried. Right there, in the middle of a public picnic, a grown woman was crying over a dog being petted. Those who knew him understood the moment. The other time was when we were at the creek near our home. He spent a little while watching a family that was sitting on the rocks. Eventually, he started walking towards them, no fear, no trepidation, and asked the family to pet and love on him. Cue the waterworks again. He had never asked strangers to pet him, let alone approached them. The family was very kind to him and it was a beautiful experience. Eventually he went from fearing people in our home to greeting them enthusiastically, helicopter tail going full force, and sitting on their laps and kissing them. He loved his people very much. Argos was more than his journey. He was a dog who ran for the sheer joy of it. While every other hound that we have ever had here has preferred to run with others, Argos ran both by himself and with others. He’d let loose and fly. It was beautiful to see him so free and happy. He was fast and extremely agile. He loved to “stalk” other dogs in the yard. He would start by standing and hunting. Eventually he would lay down in a perfect sphinx position and then lower his head to where his entire body was one flat plain. Then, when the time was right, he would launch at the other dogs and initiate playtime. He also loved to chase the occasional fluffy creature that was brave enough, or stupid enough, to come into our yard. He had an intense prey drive and never forgot where he spotted or flushed a prey animal. Argos was misschievous and entirely too intelligent. He was a food thief and found creative ways to get anything he wanted. Often that led to naughty behavior but the charm about Argos is that, despite all of his mischief, he would look at you with the same love in his eyes that he did 20 seconds before being naughty. It was just part of him. He had a brain and a love of tasty things, especially instant breakfast, and the motivation to reach for the stars. Argos had intelligent, expressive eyes and no matter what the situation was you could always tell exactly what he was thinking and feeling. He was also an exceptionally affectionate dog. While kisses were sometimes shared he was always free with snuggling. He almost always wanted to be touching a human or other dogs and you could almost always find him snuggled with his packmates or favorite people. He spent years sleeping with us and loved to wrap himself around the other dogs and put his head on them. He loved resting in laps and often laid across us. Argos loved to eat. He loved all kinds of treats and got insanely excited about them. He even learned to sit for a while. He loved to chew bones, hooves, and other things and to take the eyes and sound makers out of new toys. He was excitedly play with a new toy until he took apart what he wanted and then he was done. He also loved Lorelei and bonded tightly to her. When he first came home he had some trouble integrating with the other three dogs. We fostered her and he bonded to her immediately. They slept together, played together, ate together, and became BFFs. We always joked that Argos adopted Lorelei. We just paid. We spoiled him on his last weekend and let him eat a ton of things he’d normally get to eat, and chew so many things. I even let him have a little instant breakfast. He was so happy. Argos was a strong spirit. He suffered from some medical setbacks along the way (head tremors, cancer, various injuries) but he never let them get him down. Even in the end, in his last moments, he made sure to kiss my face vigorously over and over as his last goodbye. I will always cherish those last kisses, a gift from a dog who knew he was loved and was content. He was a fighter, and a lover, and his spirit was never broken. We let him go before it was. I laid next to him, eye to eye, as he slipped away and he looked completely at peace. Justin and I are going to spread his ashes in the field where he once flushed a bunny and spent years checking back. He will be a wild spirit forever chasing bunnies. It would have made him so happy. He made me a better trainer. He made me a better dog person. In truth, he made me a better person. My life was forever changed by that little Galgo. He was an ambassador for his breed and an ambassador for traumatized dogs everywhere. But, even beyond all of the inspiration that he provided, he was one of my best friends, and my family, and my much beloved pet. Run free, Argos. Chase bunnies in heaven until we meet again. ??? - July 28 (He was between 8-10 years old.) Argos was adopted on October 16, 2008, back when Galgo adoption was rare. Many people have told us that he paved the way for education and understanding about the breed and adoption. His legacy lives on. I posted a ton of pictures of him on his memorial page on my website: Argos memorial

I've bought mine at Lowes. They have held up well over the years.

I don't have dog specific albums but I have found that my yoga and dance music soothes the Thunder phobe in our house.

Honestly, ignore the stuff you read online and talk to your vet. You can get an Xray done to see what is going on. We've had dislocated and broken toes here with various hounds. They vary a good bit with location, severity, weight bearing vs. non-weight bearing, just bone vs. soft tissue also involved, chances of re-dislocating, etc. We have not had to amputate any of my personal dogs' toes but we came close to it. The biggest mistake that people make with toes, in my opinion, is that they don't limit the dog's exercise long enough and they let them re-injure themselves by letting them run and play way too soon, especially if they don't know if soft tissue was involved or not. One of my girls has had a break in one toe and a dislocation (a really bad one) in another and has bounced back with stronger toes than ever, in part, because we were so cautious with her healing. I don't run to the vet with every little thing but I don't play when it comes to feet and toes and, probably because of that, we have a lot less re-injuries despite the fact that my dogs run hard daily. You can wrap her feet with vet wrap to help for a little while, if support is needed.

My Galgo made a fine running partner for a normal runner and did well. On days he didn't get to run he was quite content with the usual romp in the yard and some brain teasers. He's been sick off and on for a few months and has not been able to run and brain games and walks have been good for him. If you want to run a marathon you can borrow my Ibizans. Running a 5k with them is just a little warm-up exercise.

I just use normal dog shampoo with conditioners. I used to use the same shampoo for everybody but once we started doing competitive events I got fancy. I have a special shampoo for black dogs, a special shampoo for white dogs, and a special shampoo for wire coats (for one of my Ibizans) but that is because I liked that added touch, not because it is required.

Are the people that are putting them on Greyhounds using the rubber ends that cover the sharper metal?

To my knowledge most Galgos are up for as much exercise you can give them but can definitely chill when needed. That has been my experience with my Galgo. He loves all the exercise that we can provide but on off days he chills just like the Greyhounds do. That isn't to say that he's happy with tons of off days, mind you. He still wants to run in the yard daily and has more energy than the typical Greyhound. He just also enjoys extra exercise and activities. My Galgo stays around 52 lbs. He's a small guy. However, my Greyhound girls are 49 lbs and 52 lbs. The smallest Greyhound girl I have personally known was 42 lbs, but that is very uncommon. I have seen smaller Galgo girls. Anyways, I guess what I mean to say is that there are options either way. You could also look into Whippets. They are a nice, mid-small size and have a good energy level.

One of my Ibizans skips meals during storms.

My hounds maintain the same weight and body condition year round. Three of mine lure course and straight race in the fall, spring, and winter and everyone receives the same amount of food and exercise per individual, we just adjust the times. Our weather is mild enough year round (summer means we run dogs well before 8am and after dark) to maintain fit, active dogs. In this case I would get a stool sample and check for worms again. They can be a pain to eradicate. Six cups of any food, even cheap stuff with tons of fillers, is a lot for a non-athlete Greyhound. Six cups is what my extremely high energy, (runs for hours upon hours a day) performance Ibizan Hounds get a day. I wouldn't freak out though. I would just get it taken car of as soon as you can. A little too thin is actually healthier than overweight and he's not sickly underweight by any means. You will find that even when he is at a fit, healthy weight people will comment that he is too thin because you will still see rib outlines and part of the spine and hip bones. I jokingly tell my adopters that if people don't comment that your Greyhound is too thin then it is fat.

Some dogs never do it, some dogs do it from day one, and some take a while. Don't sweat it. I even have one here who roached as a puppy all the time and no longer does.

Yes, but it depends on the dog and the amount of prey drive, training, and consistency. I know open field coursing dogs and hunting dogs who live with small prey animals, but their owners are vigilant about observing behavior, creating and maintaining necessary boundaries, etc. They know how to work with the dogs and are very good about it. I briefly had a rabbit crash here on her way to a new home and it survived, despite me having all non-cat safe dogs, but this was prior to my insanely intelligent problem-solving Spanish breeds who could have figured out how to open the room, open the cage and eat the rabbit in the time it took me to go to the bathroom. Actually, the Ibizans are good about live-to-hand so they probably would have brought the rabbit to me, alive. My Greyhounds are much more mellow about stuff like that, even my crazy prey drive girl. If she can't see it she does not care. The others would probably have to see it move. I kept Anya Good-Bunny in her cage and took her outside on a leash away from the dogs or only let her hop around in the house when the dogs were put up. She wasn't with us long enough for them to get bored of her but I imagine it would have happened.

I certainly did not say that. I just offered information. If you can dedicate yourself to fulfilling all of a puppy's needs and have a ton of patience then go for it. Just don't expect the puppy to act like a retired racer (which is where a lot of adopters get turned off of puppies). I'd raise more in a heartbeat.

Greyhound puppies are no worse than normal puppies. Greyhound people just think they are worse because they are used to older Greyhounds. That being said, puppies are a HUGE commitment to raise them right. Mine is 4, almost 5, and still insanely energetic. We lure course and straight race, which gives her an outlet to focus her drive and energy into. You need to be sure that you can meet all of the puppy's needs because, if not, I would let the puppy go to somebody who can meet those needs and adopt an older dog instead. Sometimes first time owners do great with puppies and sometimes it is a huge nightmare because they really needed that first adult dog to learn with. Puppies need a ton of constant socialization (new experiences, new people, new dogs, new noises, etc.) which should continue throughout their lives, same as any dog. I expect any dogs that I raise to be able to cope with a lot of crazy stuff and I build a foundation for them very early on. By time my puppies were 6 months old they had already met hundreds of dogs and thousands of people (no joke) and been exposed to tons of different environments and noises and I continued that socialization all throughout puppy hood and into adult hood. We took classes. We did events. I left them with "strangers" (friends, but new people to them) and walked away in various venues. I did everything I could to raise confident, happy, unflappable adult dogs and it worked. I had the added bonus of not dealing with genetic skittishness and other issues so I did not have hurdles to jump through. They are bombproof but it took a ton of commitment. Puppies need a lot of physical exercise, but nothing too structured and hard on their growing bodies, and a ton of mental stimulation. They run for hours and hours. They nap for moments and then run for more hours. My Greyhound pup was actually more wild and independent than my Ibizan pup but both flourished with the socialization, training, exercise, and stimulation that I gave them. Neither ever chewed anything inappropriately or destroyed anything that was not theirs to destroy. However, that was mostly because I stayed on top of them and kept them exhausted. A tired puppy is a good puppy but a puppy that does not get what it needs is horrible to live with. I actually am in the minority and I tend to prefer home-raised Greyhounds, but I like high energy, crazy dogs. I have 3 retired racers, and have had more than 50 come through my home, but the home-raised dogs have been more "doggy" and rough and tumble, if that makes sense. I would happily raise more in the future. However, most of my friends who also own Greyhounds and have experienced my puppies would never raise their own because they are exhausting, stressful and crazy. They can also be wonderful, super fun, and amazing....if you do it right. P.S. Both of the puppies I raised are muzzle trained. I just gave them yummy snacks through the muzzles. They need them to straight race here so I went ahead and taught them early.

Have you tried Ace bandages? I have some that work like fabric vet wrap and can be reused.

Temperament should be just as important as conformation (if not more so). A good, reputable breeder should focus on function, temperament, and conformation. Are there others in his litter like him? Sometimes anomalies happen and other times the lines need to be examined closely. Unfortunately the Greyhound breed standard is lacking a temperament description and thus varying temperaments could be argued to be correct when, in fact, they may not be right. Our Ibizan Hound standard includes the correct temperament for the breed and is something that reputable breeders focus on. Anomalies still happen and sharpness and other issues pop up sometimes though. That is when hard decisions have to be made and sometimes plans change. Unfortunately I have far too much experience with screwy temperaments, as at some point in my life I decided to be insane and take on project dogs. I've had sharpness, true aggression, various types of reactivity...you name it. As a friend and I discussed recently it really can be frustrating to manage a dog rather than just live with it, no matter how much you love it. I have actually had quite a few sharp, or otherwise undesirable in temperament, NGA hounds so it isn't just an AKC thing either. In my opinion sharp dogs, dogs with temperament issues, and spooks should never be bred, no matter how much they win in a ring or on an professional track. But what do I know?

As for the toe popping, you may or may not notice it based on severity. When my girl decided to dislocate a toe she does it in an epic way and I have had a vet pop it into place. But I have a boy who has a wonky toe that looks like he has popped it in and out without me noticing. The vet agrees.

I'm not going to lie. It was difficult. My girl is the highest energy Greyhound I have ever known. She can course 5 times a day on a 900 yard course and still run more (clearly we don't make it a habit, but she can). She literally runs with Ibizan Hounds for 4-5 hours a day nonstop and still does not come in and crash. She's good for 10+ mile hikes and still ready to run. If we can do it anyone can. Every time it re-injures it can become a worse injury and if you aren't careful you may end up having to take that toe someday. I have known quite a few dogs who have lost toes for this very thing and some did worse damage to other muscles due to repeated injuries.