3greytjoys

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.

Agree with silverfish. 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.

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.)

First two things I consider when ours won't eat are possible dental pain (teeth or gums), and do they need an outside elimination break before their meal. If dental pain is an issue, a vet visit is needed soon but until then, letting kibble soften in water may allow the dog to get through a few meals. Yes Greys are temperature sensitive. Since you've had a few days of cooler weather, sounds like Sidney may have another issue too.

Agree. The Greyhound "bear fight" occurred 2' from me inside the house. There were no food bowls or toys out. IIRC, I was washing my hands as the hounds were gathering in "anticipation" of me about to begin measuring out meals. A small female foster attacked our big male. There was bloodshed, but I was able to stop them before serious injury. Another experience (different breeds) happened during early childhood. One of our family dogs killed our other dog because he wanted his own bone, plus our Labrador's bone too. That was a terrorizing early lesson about keeping dogs' high value resources safely separated. Elsewhere a Greyhound's body was ripped to shreds by another dog while being supervised by staff members. It was a miracle that dog survived the extensive injuries, surgeries, and long ICU hospital care. I'll stop there. I agree with you that dogs enjoy mouthing each other in play; however, as Alicia wrote, Piper and Abby are too volatile now. Excessive mouthing/teeth do appear to be an issue for Piper and Abby. Greyhound muzzles are considered differently compared to "all breed" muzzles. Racing Greyhounds are used to wearing turnout basket muzzles for their own safety when they are out of their crate. They can still drink water and pant freely. Greyhounds have constantly changing kennel mates during their career, plus they're required to wear muzzles to race with other hounds. Muzzles are a great tool for forever owners to use when needed, such as new transitions, nail trims, home wound care, veterinary care, to prevent a young dog from dangerous chewing, multi-hound elimination turnouts, play dates, and multi-hound car rides. If you decide to keep Piper, and after they have more time to develop new boundaries, hopefully muzzles would be needed less and less. Just a clarification re: Piper's collar (love her name ). I think I only noticed her martingale collar, sans separate ID collar. Great if you have an extra flat ID collar for her, if not maybe the adoption group will loan her one so she'll be wearing ID when she's out of her crate.

My deepest condolences to you during this most difficult time of grief after losing Jacob. You must have been doing a great job keeping him healthy for so many years. I'm sorry to see you've experienced much loss during recent years. I so remember the unique extreme heartache of being dogless after having multiple dogs for 25 years. My heart breaks for you. Please take good care of yourself. In time, I imagine Jacob would want you to find joy in discovering some new experiences. Godspeed your heart boy, Jacob. May his spirit live in your heart forever.

Judy, our deepest heartfelt sympathy to you, Mike and Kevin for your sad loss of Arrow. We always enjoyed your pictures and updates about your silly boy, Arrow. Remembering his recent birthday celebration photos brings a heartfelt smile. Feels like the end of an era with the Valentine's litter all together over the bridge. They are all missed here on GT and will always be remembered fondly. You are all in our supportive thoughts as Arrow rejoins his siblings running free. Godspeed Arrow.

Thank you for posting the video. I agree with using muzzles on both hounds now, and whenever they are out of their crates together during their transition. (Never muzzle only one dog because the muzzled dog is not able to defend herself in a tiff.) Greyhounds are muzzled for safety during turnouts at kennels, and later when in multi-dog homes during play turnouts, etc. Also, it can be dangerous to leave a martingale collar on hounds when inside the house or in a fenced yard. Best to remove the martingale collar whenever the dog is not being leash walked with his/her adult human. Dogs' teeth, paws, claws or anything else can catch on the collar's D-ring, either harming their playmate, or harming the dog wearing the collar. Any tags should only be placed on the side hardware of a martingale (not on the big D-ring) to help prevent a choking hazard. (Flat ID collars left on 24/7 are good, but best to remove the flat ID collar whenever hound is locked inside a crate.) Just a thought: might help to ask your adoption group if they would allow you a week or so to evaluate the transition before requiring the decision re: adoption. These girls are beautiful and hopefully they will adjust nicely in time. ETA: Yes, I'd be concerned about your mother-in-law too. Absolutely muzzle when they are together. Hounds often stand up tall on their hind legs when in a fight. I've had to break up two hounds who were fighting like bears by placing a tall chair-back between their faces. I held the chair by the legs to keep myself at a safer distance away. Very important to keep all things of high doggie value (food, toys, etc.) away/separate during new transition periods. BTW, both dogs ended up becoming good friends later but it did take time.

Tons of positve thoughts and prayers for Duke... and your family.