3greytjoys
-
Posts
2,040 -
Joined
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Store
Articles
Posts posted by 3greytjoys
-
-
Welcome to GreyTalk!
Yes, there are Greyhound adoption groups in central CA. Please take a look at this map link with group contact information:
http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/directory/list.cfm?usState=ca
I agree that Greyhound forum support is highly valuable for all of us. Quite different from years past when dog "parents" flew solo.
We'll look forward to reading about your new Greyhound experiences, and possibly a new hound in your future!
-
ASPCA site:
Onions and Garlic
All close members of the onion family (shallots, onions, garlic, scallions, etc.) contain compounds that can damage dogs’ red blood cells if ingested in sufficient quantities. A rule of thumb is “the stronger it is, the more toxic it is.” Garlic tends to be more toxic than onions, on an ounce-for-ounce basis. While it’s uncommon for dogs to eat enough raw onions and garlic to cause serious problems, exposure to concentrated forms of onion or garlic, such as dehydrated onions, onion soup mix or garlic powder, may put dogs at risk of toxicosis. The damage to the red blood cells caused by onions and garlic generally doesn’t become apparent until three to five days after a dog eats these vegetables. Affected dogs may seem weak or reluctant to move, or they may appear to tire easily after mild exercise. Their urine may be orange-tinged to dark red in color. These dogs should be examined by a veterinarian immediately. In severe cases, blood transfusions may be needed.
VPI site:
Are All Onions Dangerous To Pets?
All onions — whether cooked or raw — are a danger to your pet. It takes a very small amount of onions to poison your cat or dog.
Consumption of as little as 5 g/kg of onions in cats or 15 to 30 g/kg in dogs has resulted in clinically important hematologic changes. Onion toxicosis is consistently noted in animals that ingest more than 0.5% of their body weight in onions at one time.*
About 600 to 800 grams of onions can cause acute toxicity. Your pet can also become poisoned by eating extremely small amounts of onions over a period of time. -
I'd suggest calling your friendly ER to ask about unsafe onion powder amounts per dog's weight.
If they tell you to induce vomiting: Hydrogen Peroxide dose is 2 tablespoons for a 60 Lb. dog.
(The breakdown is 1 teaspoon per 10 lbs. of dog's weight.)
-
I don't know about your girl specifically, but the last time I checked (couple years ago), your girl's sire "Lonesome Cry" was still doing great and in good health. I was told that he is one of the easiest handling dogs they've ever had on the farm.
-
Try to enjoy your happy time with Huston today. He will benefit from your love and positive strength.
You're both in our positive thoughts for a smooth and successful surgery tomorrow.
-
Agree that some Greyhounds are truly hypothyroid. Seems it's more commonly cosmetic issues. If anyone is concerned about their hound potentially being hypothyroid, please do read this link which includes Greyhound breed specific information to share with your vet: http://www.greythealth.com/hypothyroid.html
-
No need to answer the following questions here, but please consider them:
Did this hound come through an adoption group, or did he truly walk from a racing track kennel directly to you?
Do you know if he was he cat and small dog tested outside before you got him (hopefully more than once)?
(Testing is never a 100% guarantee for any animal but does help as a baseline.)
If you got this boy through a Greyhound adoption group, please call them to ask one of their Greyhound experts to come over to evaluate his behavior in your own home and your outside neighborhood environment.
His "indoor" behavior responses you mentioned are are good, but it's important to keep up extra careful management for your cat's safety. Watch the hound closely after returning from his walks to see if his cat interest escalates inside your home.
His outdoor high voltage neurotransmitters can take a long while to subside, and each exciting prey encounter can build upon those levels in a dog's brain. Be aware that a cat can be harmed by a large muzzled dog, even if the hound play pounces with his legs.
Your local adoption group should be happy to help evaluate his behavior. BTW, I agree with all others' posts above. Although, I'm only reading about this hound vs. seeing his behavior in person. IMO, this dog should not be allowed in any occupied all breed dog parks. As others mentioned, even if there is a large dog side, other breed owners don't fully understand and abide by those rules. They aren't thinking in terms of other hunting breeds, nor about different breed play styles. As mentioned, the safest play dates are "all Greyhound" play dates where ALL Greyhounds are muzzled to ensure group play safety. Greyhounds have thin skin that rips easily. (It's not safe to muzzle only one dog without muzzling all dogs.) Thanks for asking your original excellent questions. Good luck with whatever you decide.
-
It's fine to use a martingale collar plus a harness until he gets used to city life. (I find that safer for new hounds/fosters who arrive right off the track.) There are different types of harnesses. Here's an example of one designed to reduce a dog's pulling: http://www.softouchconcepts.com/index.php/product-53/sense-ation-harness
Many Greyhounds are super excited upon arrival because life in their new adoptive homes is so different from what they've experienced at the racing track or breeding farm. It's common for most hounds to calm down over time as the newness wears off. Some remain high prey, but those hounds usually aren't considered indoor cat-friendly. When Greyhounds are considered cat-friendly or cat-workable, they can usually eventually learn to view "indoor only" cats as family members. Outside is different. Small animals outside are often viewed as prey, especially when the small animal is in motion. Naturally, that triggers excitement for a dog.
Dog parks can be risky for any dog breed, more so for a retired racer or any of the sighthound or hunting breeds. Not sure where you're located, but if there's an adoption group in your town, they might offer "Greyhound only" play dates. If not, nearby Greyhound owners might have formed a play group or walking group. Some people find other public fenced areas, or they schedule dog park visits for very early morning before any other dogs arrive.
Leash and Walking Safety Tips:
It helps to place your hand through the leash handle, and wrap it around a couple of times, then hold the excess leash with both hands while walking with the dog's shoulder next to your thigh (usually on human's left side). This "heeling" position maximizes human's safe balance and control. The leash should be held short enough to control the dog in that position but slightly loose, meaning, ideally the dog should not feel "constant" leash tension/pressure. (I know, not easy when dealing with new pullers.) Heeling can be practiced during walks including left/right turns, a figure 8, U-turns are especially helpful when you want to avoid a small animal.Attach a pouch of treats to a belt loop for walks, make your happy self more exciting than other outside stimuli, keep the dog moving and distracted (either looking at you, or at least away from the small cat/dog). If needed pick up your pace to a jog either arcing away, right/left or U-turn away from the small animal.
Naturally "capturing" a dog's good behaviors, and adding a word to that behavior works great with the sensitive Greyhound breed. Example: Practice teaching "look" or "watch me". When he looks at your face, say the new command word and immediately reward him with a yummy treat and happy praise. Immediate timing is important so the dog understands the connection. Home practice should be brief, under a couple of minutes. Greys lose interest fast, in which case stop training for that session, or day. Keep training happy and fun.
If possible, practice "look" or "watch me" and brief "heeling" exercises in your calm home environment first. As you've already noticed, it's much easier to work with dogs when they are under their threshold vs. over threshold. The "high voltage" situations increase their excitement so much that it makes it harder for them to settle and become receptive again. Teach "leave it" for the cats and anything else off limits to him.
If you feel like this hound needs to wear a Greyhound turnout muzzle during outside walks for now, that's fine too. (Small dog owners might allow you more space.) Please let us know how things progress. Good luck with whatever you decide.
-
Agree re: collar and summer shedding. It's fairly common for Greyhounds to have thin fur. Many adoption groups hold "bald butt" contests during Greyhound gatherings. One of our hounds has never had fur under his neck, belly or thighs, and only wears a harness for leash walks. He's 12.5 y.o. and has cleared many vet checks in his lifetime. It's typically cosmetic and nothing to worry about.
I'm not a big fan of adding coconut oil to dog food (or people food) because it's a saturated fat. Too much fat can cause medical problems for dogs. Good quality kibble foods are manufactured with a balanced amount of oils.
Side note: Like people, it's good to be careful about pets not spending too much time in direct sun to avoid sun-related cancers (especially lighter colored pets).
-
Oh Pam, what a heartbreaking time. I'm sorry that Poodle is having such difficulty. You and Poodle are in our caring thoughts.
When we've had cats or dogs struggling with serious later life mobility concerns, we've placed them in a nicely padded crate if leaving for brief urgent outings. The smaller space seems to keep them from attempting to move around too much. If the crate is not a plastic airline type, crib side-bumper pads help keep paws from catching in the wire openings.
Take good care.
-
I think you're very smart to keep using the crate to keep your cats safe. (Our cats sailed over baby-gates, and banked off the wall above the gates just for fun, even with the baby-gate installed 5" to 6" above ground level for the cats escape route.)
Begin feeding meals in the crate, and make that her happy, safe place where she is rewarded. When you are supervising in the same room, it's fine to leave the crate door open while she's resting comfortably inside the crate. Occasionally walk by and quietly close the crate door for a little while (10 minutes or so, later increasing time gradually) while you're watching TV, reading etc. She will need to be in the crate whenever you can't supervise her (and muzzled when she's out of the crate if cats are free or if cats' door might be cracked opened even for an instant -- cats often rush out). It's important to ensure she doesn't view the crate as a negative place where she goes *only* when you leave the house. Our group discourages any human furniture privileges for about 6+ months. That time allows for hound to begin adjusting to a new home, and to begin to show his/her temperament towards family members (including cats), and to begin developing "family home" manners. It's nearly impossible to know this soon if she has sleep or space issues, in which case she may be better staying off the human furniture anyway.
There are many good reasons for dogs to at least remain comfortable in crates after adoption, including when they must be vet hospitalized, injury recovery, traveling with their owner, visiting dog sitters' homes or friends/family homes, boarding, community emergency (fire, tornado...) etc. Open door crates are often viewed by dogs as their safe canine den/cave.
Congratulations on your fabulous new girl, Fly! Happy you both made the trip home safely!
-
Since I'm not sure how long you've had your hounds, I'll share some general thoughts for consideration.
I agree about outside noises or yard work being a possible factor. Seems they're getting more than adequate exercise, assuming that includes ample opportunities to stop, sniff and eliminate.
A couple of interesting keys regarding separation anxiety (you may already know these things):
Many dogs with SA can't physically hold urine/bowel as long as they normally would when they are not feeling anxious.
(Similar to humans feeling the need to urinate more frequently immediately before an important event, public speaking, etc.)
Example: Our SA hound needs at least 3 non-rushed morning "elimination outings" before we leave. One potty outing upon awakening; one after breakfast; one immediately before being left alone.
Anxiety is fear-based. Dogs should not be punished for anything stemmed from their fear.
Example: If an anxious dog is punished for an accident, it magnifies fear and anxiety, and compounds undesired behaviors for a long, long time. Also damages dogs' trust relationship with humans. (There's a saying about it taking hundreds of atta-boys to counteract one reprimand.)
Greyhounds are even more sensitive to human moods than other breeds.
If Ken (Greyhound) has been with Daddy Mike during the day a lot, Ken is likely becoming more and more reliant on Mike being home; thus, when both humans disappear, Ken is more uncomfortable so his anxiety drives him to chew as a his calming and coping mechanism.
I assume the dogs were fully housebroken before; if not, possibly limit their space with a baby-gate temporarily.
Dog-proof by removing non-dog-friendly items from their reach, yet provide dog-safe alternatives.
Workable treats like peanut butter stuffed Kongs, or food cubes are helpful if hounds can be separated for safe treat enjoyment.
Chew toys, like "Durachews" by Nylabone are helpful to redirect/reduce anxiety, but they should be thrown away before they get too worn down (for tooth safety). (A Greyhound favorite Durachew looks like an arm/fist, souper size.)
First, I'd ensure Ken is medically cleared (no urinary infection, etc.).
If needed, Ken could wear a "belly band" (temporarily) when left home alone.
A Greyhound turn-out muzzle could prevent Ken from destroying non-dog items in the house, while remaining able to drink water.
(If Ken is muzzled both dogs should be muzzled for their safety, unless they're separated. If only Ken is muzzled, he can't defend himself if Gracie gets in a tiff with him.)
As you already realize, dog barking is often stemmed from stress, fear, or territorial behavior. It's also some dogs way to communicate to humans when they need a potty break/walk/meal or to entice dogs to play, etc.
If you're so inclined, teaching hounds to (touch) ring a bell (hung very short on a door knob) with their nose provides wonderfully clear communication with humans when hounds need a potty break.
I hope some of this might help. Good luck.
-
I hope Piper's spay surgery went well, and you're all excited about her return on Friday.
It's fairly rare to be able to find Greyhound littermates, much less adopt a pair -- congratulations!!
Thought of something you might enjoy. If you haven't read the popular short excerpt from seminar speaker, the late Kathleen Gilley, consider taking a peek at your leisure. It's an interesting perspective of racing Greyhounds' life that helps people new to retired racers understand more about some unique differences of Greyhounds. http://www.northerng...ge_1501563.html
Best of luck with your new additions!
-
He's trying to tell you something. Don't know whether you live in a city or rural area, or whether your hound is prey driven, but since dogs' hearing ability is unbelievably keen, I wonder if he's hearing a wild animal on it's nightly route, or unlikely but maybe a neighbor coming home from a late work shift...
Some questions come to mind:
What time does he eat his last meal before bedtime?
What time is his last evening outing?
Have you taken him outside when he awakens at 2:00 AM?
If so, what does he do while he's outside?
Is he on any medications that may have panting or anxiety as side effects?
Can you think of anything that's changed for him or his environment since this started?
Since you mentioned it's been happening for months, I'd assume it's not fireworks in the distance.
Rather than treating his symptoms, it would be wonderful to try to pinpoint the root cause.
You're right about Thundershirts not being worn too long.
-
Unfortunately, counter-conditioning doesn't work for all of them. I have spent much time trying, with previous dogs, but as I said, with Jim no amount of tasty food treats would induce him to set one foot on the floor. He would honestly have starved - and if he had tried, he'd have injured himself again and for what? Yes, the world is full of slippery floors, but mostly not in the places I want to go with my dog. Sid, who is a registered therapy dog and a tripod, used to wear Pawz rubber boots on his hospital visits. There ARE ways round it.
And I don't want my dogs injured just to try to make them walk on floors that scare them. I see no point to it.
Agree with silverfish.
... instead of using the rugs as a permanent crutch.
In my experience, rugs are not a "permanent crutch". Rugs are for Greyhounds' basic physical safety of having secure footing in his/her own living environment. Sure it's nice to have a hound that isn't frightened of smooth floors, but IMO there's no reason to risk a dog's medical safety at home when a reasonable solution is to provide secure footing for their walking mobility. Too many hounds have had serious accidents from slipping on hard surface floors. Some hounds have been left in pain for hours (spread eagle) unable to move until a human finally returns home. Secured runner/area rugs are worth their weight in gold for our pack.
-
We use "Natural Care" Hypo-allergenic pet shampoo. It's soap-free for sensitive skin, and can be used on dogs treated with Advantage without reducing it's effectiveness.
Earthbath products are nice (IIRC, their oatmeal with aloe is a mild shampoo). They offer a conditioning cream rinse too.
-
Through tears, my heart truly goes out to you and your family. I am so sorry Duke was not able to recover. It sounds like his caring veterinary team did everything they could for him. I imagine he knew how fortunate he was to have been able to spend his retirement as a member of your loving and caring family. I wish it had been longer.
Godspeed sweet Duke.
-
So happy to see that Duke improved a bit since your previous visit. Continued prayers of strength for Duke, and your family.
-
Please try to place rubber-backed bath mats or rubber-backed rugs down for Chloe ASAP. If you don't have any extra mats stored in a closet or can't find someone from whom to borrow them, please move the food/water bowls to Chloe's carpeted room.
Considering a permanent solution: I'd strongly recommend buying some cheap runner rugs, plus rubber rug-grippers to place underneath the runner rugs. Many Greyhounds have suffered serious injuries from falls on hard surface floors. One of whom died while attempting a zoomie, but fell and slid into a wall.
Please continue watching Chloe very closely and consider a vet visit if needed.
-
I completely agree with others. Please stop using a pinch collar on a Greyhound. Please consider going back to a soft martingale collar (or a harness).
Newly retired Greyhounds are often hesitant to take walks for many reasons. Some important reasons have already been discussed in this thread. Additionally, some new hounds may have minor racing injuries that could still be sore/painful. New Greyhounds arrive into retirement with very soft paw pads. Our new adopters are encouraged to limit walks during the first couple of months or longer. This is to allow time for new hounds to adjust to a strange new environment, sights and sounds of a home/neighborhood after suddenly being removed from the only life they've ever known of kennel/track life.
Also, to slowly build-up their paw pad toughness to be able to endure longer walks. Pads are so soft when they retire that they can be worn down to a painful level quickly. First few days might be a 2 or 3 minute walk. If hound is emotionally comfortable, and ready to walk further, the next several days might be 6 minutes, then very, very gradually working up to 30 minutes+. Paw pads should be checked frequently to ensure they aren't wearing down too much. Some hounds have nearly invisible corns which make walking extremely painful.
Please do seriously consider silverfish and Batmom's previous posts. I posted more information about the medical dangers of pinch collars on page 2 of the link in Batmom's previous post. I understand that many dog trainers still don't realize the dangers of metal pinch collars, especially on the sensitive Greyhound breed. Positive, reward-based teaching methods work well for Greyhounds.
-
A choke collar is a single metal chain. A pinch collar has metal spikes. Both are dangerous for dogs, but much more dangerous for Greyhounds. Our Greyhound adoption contracts include a clause that these collars are not to be used on Greyhounds. The veterinary and veterinary behaviorist medical community discourages the use of these collars.
Greyhounds' necks and throats are even more sensitive than other breeds. Greyhounds have no protective fat layer, no undercoat of fur, and barely any outer layer of fur. These types of collars can cause or contribute to severe medical problems such as laryngeal paralysis (paralyzed throat flaps that eventually suffocate dogs to death). Neck damage can cause permanent nerve damage that extends throughout the body and into hind legs. Many people would not notice gradual internal damage happening from these collars. Permanent and progressive medical damage can crop up years later.
Excerpt below explains some of the dangers of using prong collars:
"Choke and prong collars are designed to punish dogs for pulling by inflicting pain and discomfort. They can cause serious physical and emotional damage to dogs and should never be used.
The use of choke collars has been associated with whiplash, fainting, spinal cord injuries leading to paralysis, crushing of the trachea with partial or complete asphyxiation, crushing and/or fracture of the bones in the larynx, dislocated neck bones, bruising of the esophagus, bruising and damage to the skin and tissues in the neck, brain damage and prolapsed eyes caused by sharp increases in pressure in the head, and other injuries.
The metal spikes of prong collars pinch the skin around dogs' necks when they pull and can scratch or puncture them. Over time, this can cause dogs to develop scar tissue (which has no feeling) and/or build up a tolerance to the painful pinching sensation and thus continue to pull, making walks even more difficult. Dogs may interpret the tightening of a choke or prong collar around their neck as a stranglehold (which it is, after all!) and become fearful or even aggressive.
The most humane and safest option for walking a dog who tends to want to pull is a front-leash attachment harness, such as the Sense-ation. When dogs lunge or pull while wearing the Sense-ation harness, the front leash attachment redirects them back toward the dogwalker. With patience and positive reinforcement, walks can be a pleasant experience for both human and dog." End quote.
http://www.peta.org/about-peta/faq/what-are-the-dangers-of-using-choke-and-prong-collars/
-
Vets taught me that cool damp towels work as long as the towels are removed as soon as the dog's body heat warms the towels; otherwise, towels trap and increase heat. Check towel every few minutes, and rerinse towel with cool water as needed.
We slowly rinse their paws, legs, armpits, chest, then tummy with water to help cool them down in warm weather.
If taking a walk on a sunny day and the air temperature is anywhere near their tolerance threshold (for our hounds that's 70 degrees), we rinse them off before and after the walk. A pet water bottle allows them a drink and to be wet down during the walk too.
-
I would be sure to walk her for a bit before you get in the car and then don't stop. She is new, you are new. I wouldn't stop with a new dog.
Agree with 4my2greys and kamsmom. Two hours is usually not too long. The only exception is if she looks like she's about to explode to eliminate inside the car.
(Hopefully the adoption group will not have fed her a big meal just before her ride home so she won't need to go potty.)An important tip for you is regarding her leash when she is being walked:
Place your hand through the leash handle, and then wrap it around your wrist and hand a couple of times.
Then hold the leash with both hands for safest control.
It's safest to walk with a dog's shoulder next to your leg. (Please don't allow dog to walk at the end of the leash too far in front of you.)
It should all go fine. I'm excited for your new adoption!
-
Air conditioning is usually very helpful in keeping them in a normal environment, so eating wouldn't be an issue.
If dogs have been outside on a walk or had play time earlier and got overheated, it could affect them for many hours thereafter.
Not sure of the duration timing of Sidney's disinterest in meals; however, this seasonal timing of fireworks celebrations can create hesitation in eating meals. Other stressors unrelated to food can build-up for dogs which can prevent their interest in meals at other times.
One of our hounds (who has SA) often refuses to eat meals until all the other hounds have finished their meals, and relaxed for a nap. Sometimes she prefers to wait a few hours after others' meals are finished, or sometimes she waits until bedtime to eat. If she waits too long, it causes a vicious cycle for a couple of days because her tummy is empty too long, then she shuts down to eating anything until the next day. She's a rare case, sometimes prefers dry kibble, but usually watered down. I test her first with dry food in the morning. (If wet kibble needs to be saved longer than about 30-45 minutes, it should be be refrigerated to keep it from going bad, then reintroduced at the next meal time.)
(Hopefully the adoption group will not have fed her a big meal just before her ride home so she won't need to go potty.)
How To Deal With Small Dog Prey Drive?
in Training and Behavior discussion
Posted · Edited by 3greytjoys
I respectfully disagree with the above suggestions for the OP. OP was concerned about a strong new dog overpowering her; therefore, the safe heeling training techniques are much safer for the handler, Greyhound, and the potential animal who could be harmed if an extremely frustrated hound suddenly bolted to attack an outside prey target. (Highly determined hounds can bite through muzzles, and can harm prey with their legs.)
Forcing newly retired Greyhounds into those types of highly stressful, restricted, potentially threatening situations can negatively affect the neurotransmitters in the hound's brain for a long time (days+ or longer). The excited and frustrated hound's learning receptors can shut down and delay the desired result, even creating completely new behavior problems. Better for the new hound to develop a healthy, respectful, trusting training bond with the hound's new handler first, then slowly begin to desensitize the hound to outside stimuli -- without "flooding" the hound.
IMO, placing hunting breeds (or many other dog breeds) in all-breed occupied dog parks can set them up for failure. If a hound suddenly follows his/her deeply-rooted instincts (bred for thousands of years to hunt moving prey), the cost can be huge. Humans can't run 30-45 mph to reach their dogs in time. Not only could others' smaller dogs be harmed, but if any dog becomes labeled as dangerous from a dog park incident by their city's animal control, most ACO's will seize, impound, and euthanize the dog. Lawsuits, emergency veterinary bills, court costs, and fines can wind up costing tens of thousands of dollars. IMO, it's just not worth a quick run in occupied dog parks.
Greyhound races only last about 30 seconds. A leashed brief jog, hike, or walk with their owner gives retired hounds plenty of exercise.
The post below is worth a reread:
OP "Newbie": I'm happy to read about this boy's progress, especially in that unexpected risky small dog situation. Fingers crossed that he may work well for you. He sounds like an affectionate sweetie -- a diamond in the ruff (pun intended).