PrairieProf

Since your grey is new, it's entirely possible that her feet are just a bit sore from not being used to walking on pavement. Rubbing a little Bag Balm into her pads (you can get it at most drugstores) wouldn't hurt.

My vet, who previously prescribed/recommended Sentinel as what he felt was top of the line, has now switched to Advantage Multi, a relatively new product. I *hate* having to use two topicals in a month (since we still need Frontline for ticks -- the Advantage Multi covers everything else) but he was so clear that he'd never have switched if he didn't think it was the best/most effective, I felt I could hardly ask to stick with Sentinel even though the pill is SO much less hassle. He tries to be really cutting-edge and I trust his experience. I did check that Advantage Multi is safe for greyhounds. Quite expensive, but I only have one dog.

Beth also marks like crazy whenever the conditions are at all conducive.

I also found the Dummies book very overwhelming -- I don't recall it saying specifically to do everything in the first few days, BUT it never gives you any sense of a reasonable timeline (for things like basic training) so it made it seem like it all was somehow supposed to happen at once. The good thing is that even if their teeth get a little grotty after a few weeks, good care (and turkey necks!) will improve them. I'm a bit tooth-obsessed with Beth and have tried lots of products. I do brush daily now, which fortunately she tolerates, and that and raw bones a couple of times a week seem to work pretty well.

:clap Let's hear it for poop! (And was it reasonably firm too? Double score! )

When I brought Beth home it took well over 24 hours for her to pee! The advice that finally worked was to get a chair and a book and just sit in the yard and ignore her for a while. She definitely needs to get moving to poop, though -- either with a fairly fast-moving leash walk or loose in a space that's big enough for her to really trot back and forth in to find her spot (my yard doesn't qualify, unfortunately).

I put the cat's food down a step on the stairs that lead from the kitchen to the basement -- it isn't far, but my grey can't reach her head below her feet so she leaves it alone. As you may well soon learn, grey digestive systems tend to be extremely sensitive, so getting into cat food is likely to lead to very unwanted effects. And yes, keep her away from the kitty litter too -- dogs love poopsicles!

Yes, we walk; not as long, probably, but just as regularly. I got a long rain slicker and rain pants, and that helps (carrying an umbrella does not seem feasible with a leash in one hand!). She's kind of miserable at first, but she cooperates -- and she wears a raincoat too, FYI, so that helps a bit . And yes, she pees and poops -- I actually think it is easier to be leash-walking for this as we generally do rather than having to coax her to do her business in the yard when she'd rather be inside. And hey, you're in Georgia -- at least you don't have to walk through blizzards, ice, etc! Welcome to GT and being a dog parent! Invest in some good walking shoes . . . we walk so much it's given me foot problems when the shoes aren't ideal.

Welcome to GT! I spent a number of years imagining what it would be like to have a dog and sometimes when I was taking walks I'd be walking my "imaginary greyhound." For a year and a half now I've been walking a real one, and am very happy!

Play biting is Beth's one and only bad habit that I can think of (well, if you don't count hogging my bed!). I know I give her terribly mixed messages since I basically don't think it's a good thing but she also does it as a sign of playfulness and too often I find it cute and don't discourage it properly and will even play back a bit. But what doesn't hurt when it involves biting a coated arm or gloved hand in the winter is a real problem in warm weather. And when she's off leash Beth combines the playbiting with jumping and getting pretty rowdy -- it absolutely wouldn't be safe around children, for example. I would ABSOLUTELY discourage this in a foster. What if the dog play-bit the wrong person in his adoptive home (hurt or frightened a child, say) and got returned because of it??

That's great if you live in a place like Chicago, but remember that out in the sticks such options are generally scarcely to be dreamed of! And many of us live hours from our adoption groups. A good, caring, experienced positive-reinforcement trainer who can learn as she goes and modify if needed from what she sees of your dog's responses is really what a person needs, whether at Petsmart or elsewhere.

I didn't do the puppy class, but Beth passed Beginner through Advanced classes at Petsmart. I found it a very good experience, though the physical facilities certainly aren't ideal. It's all positive reinforcement training. I think a lot, though, depends on how experienced and competent your particular trainer is -- ours was very good and had years of experience, had competed in obedience with her dogs, etc. A nice thing is that their policy is that you can retake any class for free, even if you pass. We re-took both Intermediate and Advanced to get extra practice.

My crate is 42 x 28 x 31 and was recommended by his foster mom (so presumably the same size), and he had no crating problems with her. Reading here last night I started to get the idea that might be too small for him. I haven't measured him but he is 72lbs. He can clear the doorway of the crate without it hitting his back. Anyway, I'm hoping I can stop using it altogether...(see update below). For the record I have a 59-pound girl and use a 48" crate. 42" does sound a bit on the small side to me especially for a male, though I've no doubt plenty on here have used that.

And I'm just wondering, since I didn't see it mentioned, what size is your crate? The bent bars just made me wonder about the outside possibility that it might be small for a big boy which then led to him pushing against it more than he ordinarily would.

Solidity of poop for my hound is always related to how long it's been since the last one. I don't think there's anything at all unusual about that, or poop being looser in the afternoon than in the morning. The longer it stays in the colon, the more water is reabsorbed into the body. Though if it's really runny you might still not have found the perfect food (alas). Beth generally has good afternoon poop on TOTW Pacific Stream.

Our diamonds have 2 gaps in the outfield corners but we bring babygates and a swath of temporary fence to close them off. Gaps are about 2'. Does the trick. Very good idea -- I've considered it, but I'm single and handling so much gear for multiple open places with a hound in tow just feels overwhelming to me. One of the local places Beth can run has an entry gate that is chained open and I close off the gap with bungees draped with a blanket or tarp; this place is only a block from my house so it's easy. But I agree, you've got to get creative!

Where do you live? If you post here (in a new thread) you can probably find other grey owners in your area, or folks who know about things. I feel really lucky because, while I don't have much of a yard either, I've found two unofficial fenced areas walking distance from my house Beth can run in, in addition to the park when it's safe. Frustrating though because all the local ball fields are created with gaps in the fencing so they're a no-go.

http://k9apparel.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=130_118&products_id=2570 They used to have multiple colors; I'm hoping they're just out of stock in all but black now, as I need some new ones but want more red ones to match Beth's red winter coat! Remember, no guarantee that your dog will tolerate boots if she hasn't worn them before; fortunately Beth fusses a little bit the first time or two I put them on in the beginning of winter but then doesn't seem to mind them. "No running in the snow" would mean no running for 3-4 months here, and that ain't gonna happen....

When conditions seem crusty/icy or at all prone to injuring my girl's legs, I put on her Voyagers K9 Apparel tall blizzard boots. She's never had any injuries with this and she does run and play in the snow regularly.

Deer or elk antlers have also been highly recommended here -- I got one and Beth likes it. They're not that easy to find, maybe in a high-end natural pet boutique or you can order them online.

Basically I agree with the others -- I take Beth to the dog park because it's one of the few places for her to run, but at empty or non-busy times. She also can get ramped up and too intense for many dogs -- not only small dogs (whom I now NEVER let her loose with, even though she's fine with them on leash) but also submissive dogs and puppies (under a year, say) -- "nippy and competitive" puts it very well, and of course greyhounds can catch everybody else in a flash. She doesn't seem good about obeying other dogs' signals to back off when she gets excited. With other large, confident dogs she can play well. So I encourage you to find places or times where your grey can run solo, and a greyhound playdate or other carefully selected opportunities for socialization - I believe that's really important, but it's sort of a balancing act with safety. There are also things in some areas like hound hikes; or a good training class also provides an opportunity for some controlled socialization with other dogs. I won't say I don't find the limits kind of depressing when I see all sorts of other big dogs apparently playing benignly with little ones, but I guess it's just a trade off for the general wonderfulness in every other area of having a greyhound.

Welcome to GT. I hope you can post some pictures of your dogs and tell us more about them in a happier time. Sending good thoughts to Panther.

I've always assumed it's because most other dogs are in general barky ---holes. Beth always wants to meet other dogs and isn't as good at ignoring them as I'd like (she's friendly when we do have a greeting), but of course she's a grey so she doesn't bark. (Except when playing -- she's really barky then!) Are you sure the dogs you're seeing aren't barking at all the dogs they encounter?

I like Oliver fine, but "Lionel" popped into my head as keeping the first syllable of his racing name while sounding fairly dignified.

I am so very sorry. Wishing you enough time to make some good memories yet.