3greytjoys

I completely agree that not every obedience trainer understands the sensitive Greyhound breed, particularly retired racers. Obedience actions are completely foreign to retired racers. Greyhounds are highly intelligent, and often learn things differently than other breeds. Many hounds would never consider allowing anyone (especially a stranger or a new owner) to use any forceful method on them. (They'd stop that in a hurry with a growl or bite!) I much prefer to work with a Greyhound's natural behaviors, and build upon those behaviors. Greyhounds are very easy to train the basics at home with their natural daily movements. In general, watch the dog to catch him/her doing something right naturally, so you're simply teaching the hound a "word" for his/her natural action, then treat and praise, praise, praise. Training should always be done in a happy environment. The dog should feel like it's a fun game to learn something new. If patience thins, stop and try again the following day (or later, if needed). A dog will shut down fast if training isn't fun. Work towards building trust, being very careful not to create distrust (as that "obedience trainer" did!). (If a Greyhound has any rear leg or back pain, or old injury, I would not recommend teaching "sit".) All of our hounds, and all our fosters were trained successfully with these methods. Here is a snippet of one of my previous posts: (Posted 17 June 2011) Try to set your hound up for success. Watch for the hound to lie down naturally (easy with Greys). Get ready with special treat in hand. Once hound's rear end touches carpet (or dog bed - if no space aggression), you move over to stand directly in front of the dog's body. Your body is blocking the hound (into a natural sit) while preventing dog from lying all the way down. Immediately say "sit" and give a yummy treat, and praise, praise, praise with happy excitement. Do this whenever the dog goes to lie down naturally, and the hound will learn "sit" in no time. If desired: A clicker can be used if you want to "click" immediately when the hound's rear end touches the carpet (or dog bed), but just treating with a special/rare treat works fine in most cases. (A person can make a clicker sound (like horseback riders) if you don't have a clicker training tool available.) Another method: Some hounds can be lured up to a sit, from a down, but that can be more difficult for a non-food motivated hound, and some hounds are less likely to move again once lying down. Some hounds do a side sit vs. straight sit. This is fine as far as I'm concerned considering a Greyhound's body design. I'd never expect a Greyhound to sit for a long period. Their long racing legs make sitting (especially a "straight" sit) less comfortable than other breeds. Repeat your preferred method once or twice per day (under 5 minutes) until the hound "gets it". (Dogs have a short attention span.) Greyhounds learn best with gentle, positive training methods (no physical force). Even something as simple as guiding a hound onto a scale at the vet's office. Better to lead gently with the leash (circle around if needed) vs. trying to manhandle him/her into place. A bath mat with a rubber undersurface would help in class, but I would find a positive method trainer. Good luck, and please let us know how it goes.

Just a different perspective... I'm not an M.D., nor a veterinarian; however, I respectfully question/disagree with the idea of ingesting extra Coconut oil (on purpose) as a "health benefit" for dogs. Coconut oil is one of the highest saturated fats. We know too much saturated fat (animal or plant) leads to many serious diseases in humans and dogs. Organic Virgin Coconut Oil: 1 tbsp = 12 grams of Saturated fat (14 grams of total fat) vs. Peanut oil: 1 tbsp = 2 grams saturated fat vs. Canola oil: 1 tbsp = 1 gram of saturated fat. Higher quality dog foods are made with a healthy balance of oils already in the food. Unless a veterinarian recommends adding oil to dog kibble, I'd hesitate to add oil, especially a very highly saturated oil like Coconut oil. The combined oils (including dog food oil) could become too high for a dog's healthy daily allowance. Current year 2012, the American Heart Association recommends minimizing the intake of any type of "Saturated fats" and "Trans-fats". AHA includes Coconut oil and Palm oils on the "bad oils" list. The risks outweigh any benefits. (Coconut oil is hard as a rock at (my) room temperature. (I understand it softens at higher temperatures.) Side observation: I find it more difficult to wash coconut oil from a glass container even with commercial dishwashing liquid. Personally, I'd hesitate adding it to our Greyhounds arteries, heart, liver and kidneys, especially on a daily basis.) Any doctors/veterinarians/medical experts able to post recent scientific results to clarify either way?

I whole-heartedly agree with other posters to please not use a flexi-lead, especially for Greyhounds. Many Greyhound groups also say no to Flexi-leads. A few reasons: 1. The hard handle can be dropped very easily. Loud noise of handle hitting ground / cement / pavement spooks hound. Hound takes off running becoming more and more freaked because the loud handle is "chasing" after hound. Sadly, it's a recipe for disaster. 2. The longer the Flexi-lead, the human loses control of dog more easily. If a sighthound suddenly sees something in the distance and feels more freedom, hound is more likely to bolt towards perceived target / prey. Likely results: Flexi-lead gets dropped. If not, hound builds speed in 2-3 strides and chokes / breaks his/her fragile neck when reaching end of lead. (The latter is the same reason a sighthound should never be tethered to any object, besides a human.) 3. Flexi-lead cords can be difficult to see. Common scenario: Dog's Flexi-lead is extended, alert bike rider doesn't see a dog near a human. Bike rider rides directly into path of Flexi-lead cord and crashes causing serious injury to him/herself, dog's owner, and the dog. (Instead of bike rider, a skate boarder, roller skater, or jogger could have same result.) Other side of coin: Two other dog owners (different breed) dropped their own dogs' Flexi-lead handles. Those dogs charged and attacked our Greyhounds. If using a longer lead while teaching leash pottying, a wider cotton or nylon webbed lead would be safer than a Flexi-lead. A dog dragging any leash while running can kill him/herself by stepping / tripping on the leash, breaking their neck, but at least fabric material leashes are quiet if dropped. Good to work in a quiet fenced enclosure without public recreation and without any other dogs while doing long lead training. (If other loose dogs in the fenced enclosure started running, the Greyhound's reaction is to take off running with the pack.) This link's webbed adjustable leashes are made to any custom length, and can be made with a safer trigger snap: www.fancyk9s.com

Happy bridge birthday Phene. I know your spirit is close to your momma's heart. You are so missed.

Oh poor Arwen. My sympathy to all who knew her.

Hounds do burn more calories in colder weather to maintain body temperature (even in the Bay Area). Our hounds eat more kibble to maintain weight in winter. It's a great idea to do fecal tests at least once a year since hounds can pick up undesirable hitchhikers throughout the year.

Congratulations!! Your boy is quite a handsome model.He sounds like a sweetie. How funny that your cat is comfortable lying on the metal crate top. I guess that lovely long fur helps with cushioning. Great that they get along so well too.

Just checking in on Neville. Any update since his vet appt? Have you tried to start giving him a bedtime snack, and covering him with a blanket or Greyhound jammies at night?

Agreed. If the lab/pitt's attention can't be called off the animal, most likely that lab/pitt's prey drive is much too high to live with a small animal. I knew an Akita who jumped through a window into a house to attack an airline crate with cat inside. The Akita threw the crated cat throughout the whole house trying to break and bite the crate open.

Welcome to GT from the West Coast! Wow, your new boy is so handsome! He sounds like a total love... Congratulations!! We'll enjoy reading more about him as he blossoms to show his full personality.

I know, I know... of course the aggressive dog is more of an illegal risk, like an aggressive dog at a dog park, etc. I agree that any legal repercussions would be slim to none, but she's also on the condo's Board (with the Chihuahua owner), so her actions set an example for others. She might want to consider if locking people out of the yard, albeit briefly, would be acceptable for other residents to do the same each time they take their own dogs in the potty yard. Maybe so, or maybe not. People don't know how others will react to being "locked out" of their only "approved" dog potty yard, even for a brief time. Accidents happen, a key could be dropped and lost anywhere in the yard for much longer than the 20 seconds it would normally take to unlock a gate. Even though OP's dog acted in self-defense from being provoked, she might not want to put herself in a situation to build escalated strife with the Chihuahua owner or with other resident dog owners by locking the gate. I was just sharing my experience. We considered securing a gate for a brief muzzled Greyhound play date in a public common fenced area for the same reason, just long enough to quickly gather hounds to exit. I was informed by the "City" that it's illegal to lock/secure a gate to a public fenced enclosure. It is also considered a fire hazard. The OP has been offered a lot of information from many posters, and is going to make her own decisions anyway. I hope she's able to work out a successful solution to keep her hound, and other resident dogs safe.

I am so sorry for your loss of Jackson.

I should have added that it would be advisable to contact an attorney first re: specific content before (or if) sending a letter. The letter suggestion was meant only as proof of common citizen request for the Chihuahua owner/s to "not allow their aggressive Chihuahua off leash in an occupied public space." (Their unleashed, aggressive Chihuahua could charge/attack ANY adult person, child, or dog.) Animal Control letters warn to keep a nuisance dog under control for "general public safety." Again, safest to contact an attorney first re: proper content if sending a letter. Understandable if you don't want to send a letter in your case with a close neighbor and peer, but keeping date records of the Chihuahua's attack is good. It is helpful to keep a list of other people who have verbally complained to the Chihuahua owner about his dog being a dangerous nuisance. Personally, I'd check local laws first re: other peoples' suggestions of temporarily locking, or bungee binding the gate of a common "public" fenced area. That is illegal in my region. I imagine it would be the same in common public areas of a condo community. One person doesn't "own" common space, even temporarily. Understandably, all residents of the condo need to feel safe enough to potty their dogs, yourself included. Secondarily, maybe your local Greyhound adoption group could direct you to an "all muzzled Greyhound play group" so your hound could run in a fenced enclosure with other Greyhounds periodically. (Unless your hound has a racing injury preventing running.) One quick mention re: obedience classes. Good idea to work in that controlled setting. Greyhounds are extremely sensitive, and most are very smart. I find they respond well to very gentle and positive training methods that build from their natural movements (instead of forcing them into positions). I wouldn't count on being able to do much with that Chihuahua, especially if the owner is unwilling to cooperate. Good luck with everything.

I echo everyone's sympathy for Payden's blindness. Below is a wonderful tool to administer pills. One $3. tool lasts decades. I use them with ease for dogs and cats. http://www.entirelypets.com/pillgun.html I shoot the pill down center throat, close pet's mouth (muzzle upwards), rub outside of throat once or twice (downward motion) to encourage swallowing. This method takes 1-2 seconds, and I know it went down the hatch.

Oh Melissa, I am sooo deeply sorry for your loss of Avalanche. (Crushing... I can hardly see through tears to type.) He was fortunate to have you as his loving mom. My favorite picture of him is the one of the two of you hugging in your previous thread. He loved his momma. Godspeed Avalanche, and may his beloved brother, and other littermates help guide him... I'm sooo deeply sorry for your loss.

Here's a link to one of my favorite sources: Merck Veterinary Manual. If desired, you could try a search of his top symptoms "canine abdominal bleeding", etc. http://www.merckvetm...m/mvm/index.jsp I agree re: Amicar (Aminocaproic Acid), if it's available. Sending strength to Ave, and to you.

Oh nooo, I'm so sorry to ready that Avalanche is in ICU!!! Hopefully someone else will chime in with other medical possibilities. Our broodie has Hemangiosarcoma too, diagnosed summer 2010. I am completely amazed she's still with us too. Ave is in our thoughts and prayers, as are you!

I'd suggest writing them a letter, copy for yourself, then send original U.S. Certified Mail requiring a return receipt signature. If worst case scenario ever happens, at least you'd have proof of warning in writing with their signature receipt. I don't know how much it would help in court, but it's better than the owner conveniently denying previous warning conversations with you! The Chi. is a danger to other dogs and should not be placed in public circumstances. You might be better off either only using that fenced area when no one else is in it, and standing by the gate to catch smaller dog owners before they try to enter; or sticking with leashed neighborhood walks. One mention re: muzzles. I agree that muzzling is safer for other smaller animals but loose hounds can still harm a smaller animal with it's legs and muzzle. Please be aware that it isn't completely safe for your dog if she is muzzled in a fenced yard with other larger dogs. If a larger dog went after your hound, your hound could not defend herself. SOME hounds can learn to be around small (non-aggressive) dogs; however just like some hounds are not cat-safe, it completely depends on the hound's prey drive. Placing hounds in an outside setting can become "game on." A similar incident happened to two of our leashed hounds during a neighborhood walk last month, but this Chihuahua charged us from being loose in his driveway across the street. When the owners (both present, as they were unloading their car) came to retrieve their aggressively attacking dog, the man's famous last words: "Don't worry, he's all bark and no bite." One of my hounds hasn't been able to take a walk outside yet! We're still nursing puncture wounds on her legs and paw pads!! There are sprays available to deter other dogs, and many people carry a walking pole.

I'm glad she's recovered from her scary fall. BTW, Greyhounds frequently collapse during bathing if the water is a bit too warm. Next time she might be able to stand if the water is a little bit cooler.

Try not to worry. You can turn this around and into a great day. Here is a good distraction and will help build trust: If you have yummie dog treats (mild cheese bits, meat or kibble) you could play a little game of "Find It". Simply toss a treat on the ground in front of him, let him eat it, then toss the treats a little farther away from him to eat, then a little farther away. After a few minutes, stop and you go do something else for a while. A little later you could get excited and call him in a happy, high voice. Give treats every time he comes. If he's scared to come, go back to tossing treats on the ground. Play that game a few times. Last, when you feel he's feeling safe and comfortable with this yummie game, toss treats in front of him into the doorway of the bedroom (but you stay away from the bedroom), toss more treats deeper into the bedroom, just let him get the treats and you go away and you do something else. He needs to see that good and happy things happen in the bedroom and that he is safe there. I'm guessing he will willingly go back in the bedroom soon. Give him love and pets today, and if you have time, a happy walk usually helps clear an emotional cloud. It would be nice if he's trustworthy enough not to force him into his crate tonight. Maybe just a muzzle for his safety, if he chews things during the night. If you work on weekdays: tomorrow, you might consider beginning to feed him all meals in his open door crate for a while to help him feel comfortable in the crate again. The goal is making him feel the crate is his happy and safe place.

Do you have jammies or a coat, and a blanket for your hound? Some whine when they are too cold. I wonder if your hound's food might be giving him gas? What food is he eating? Sometimes one of our hounds whines at night when he's hungry, or needs to go potty. I give all the hounds about 1/2 cup of slightly moistened kibble as a bedtime snack to keep their stomach acid down by early morning. Re: exercise, remember that Greyhounds are sprinters. Their races only last about 30 seconds. When we take our hounds to Greyhound only, fenced playdates (where all dogs are safely muzzled to protect their thin skin), some hounds simply hang around the humans getting attention and don't run at all, some enjoy running intermittently for 20-30 minutes, and some run a few laps then immediately lie down by the humans for the rest of the time. They don't need extensive exercise. They do enjoy their daily leashed walks too. I'm home with my pack all day. Besides their walks, they play with toys for a few minutes, have several potty outings in the yard, but they rest most of the day (like cats). Some love to chew on hard "Durachews" ("Souper size", bacon or chicken flavored, made by Nylabone). Even taking a hound to a Meet and Greet can be nice socialization for them away from home. Hounds do like to sleep near their people, so I hope you can discover the underlying reason for the whining so you can both get a good night sleep. Your hound is definitely trying to tell you something. Crating all alone in another room can be very stressful on a hound. Good luck and please keep us posted. We're here to help you. Thank you for posting to GT.

Thanks!! I agree could be stress, or medical (urgency), or maybe his subtle cues aren't being noticed. I know you've had him 6 months, but Greys never needed to learn how ask to be let outside before retirement. They don't know how to let humans know when it's time. The kennel door person just automatically showed up every 4-6 hours, including immediately after meals and water. In retirement, some hounds won't get up unless someone makes them get up to go out, especially in rain, snow, or cold temps. How many times have we not wanted to get out of a warm bed to go to work... I sometimes have to talk to one of my hounds in a stern "manly" voice to get him to move. All our hounds are trained to ring a bell when they need to go potty outside. It's an excellent, clear form of communication. I highly recommend it. (Glad to see the link Mariah posted, I hadn't seen that page before.) Our bell is strictly used as a potty call bell, and we take the ring serously and hop to it ASAP. Sometimes our youngest hound wishes the bell would work to open a baby-gate too, but it never works, no matter how many times she rings the bell then runs over to the baby-gate. She must think we humans are pretty stupid. (The cats are toilet trained, and flush too. Wonderful except during water rationing years. lol) Good luck with your hound. If it turns out to be a medical problem, I hope it's resolved quickly.

Yea to Bruce's improvement! At this point, I agree that it does not appear that Bruce has true S.A.; just a temporary adjustment period. I'll toss in few more suggestions as general food for thought... I completely agree about keeping him crated while he's adjusting to living with your cat. I'd recommend feeding all meals in his crate (meals = super strong positive reinforcement of crate = happy place). Please do let him outside within 5 minutes after finishing meals, and then back inside to relax freely in studio with you. (Like early puppy housebreaking lessons: dogs go from crate directly outside to potty before spending free time in house.) New hounds usually need more frequent potty outings than long adjusted hounds. Before departing for work, give ample opportunities to drain his tank. (Some hounds who go on leashed walks (both sexes) hold back a urine reserve for "marking" purposes.) If he needs to potty before you get home to let him out, it's natural for dogs to whine to express their discomfort. I agree re: radio on news "talk" station, or very mellow (sleepy) music. (TV is okay but daytime talk shows have frequent loud audience clapping, which may awaken him/set off whining, especially if he awakens needing to potty.) Personally, I would not subject hounds to stimulating rock music all day long. I prefer to encourage restful behavior with relaxing music. Dogs' hearing is MUCH more keen/sensitive than human's hearing. (Our hounds sometimes whine if the TV or music is too loud, or when certain tones hurt their ears. Just happened this week during X-Factor on TV.) "Carpet squares" (fit like puzzle) are good for pet owners to form carpet areas. Easier to clean than full size area rug. As mentioned, rubber backed throw rugs are okay too, unless you want something thicker/more dense under foot. In lieu of a live second Greyhound, a large mirror placed at floor level reflecting the hound's own image back to himself can help an only hound feel less alone, especially at first. (Retired racers are used to seeing a kennel full of Greyhounds when looking out of their crate.) Be careful to secure a mirror safely. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Make sure it doesn't get any direct sunlight at any time of day. (This avoids a reflective fire hazard.) Also, leaving your worn clothing next to crate is comforting for them to smell. Hard "Durachews," "Souper size" (made by Nylabone) help relieve boredom for chewers. Best if flavored bacon or chicken, etc. I recommend the hard "Durachews" for hounds to chew even when owners are home. (Don't buy "original flavor," that is really no flavor at all.) If needed, smearing peanut butter on the hard "Durachew" the first time helps Greys learn it's their own toy to chew. They last a very long time, and are great to help keep teeth cleaner! Even if a new hound isn't an immediate chewer, I keep hard "Durachews" available. One of our newer hounds just started chewing a Durachew after 20+ months. I am thrilled since that hound has poor teeth and already needed 2 full dentals. Durachews help the other hounds' teeth so much. We can extend time between dentals. Collars and crates: Please don't leave a Martingale collar on inside house. It's great to leave Martingale collar connected to the leash for walking outside. Even though Martingales are soft fabric, they are still "choke" collars. The D-ring can catch on many things inside a home. Any tags are best placed on the side hardware of a Martingale, not the choke D-ring. IMO, the safest 24/7 ID collar is a flat, embroidered ID collar without any tags or ring (ours are reflective at night). Other hounds' tags have gotten caught between crate bars... very dangerous. A flat breakaway ID collar, or no collar is safer while inside a crate. Otherwise, a flat ID collar is great to have on a hound 24/7.

When considering pro dentals, we need to look at hound's teeth, and very importantly, the gumline. Bacteria enter the gumline, eventually damaging tooth roots. Soft Plaque (brushable) hardens to calculus (not brushable) on teeth, all causing periodontal disease which travels into the dog's body possibly causing serious life-threatening diseases. (Same with people.) This link shows pictures of stages of periodontal disease: http://www.treaschwi...m/stagespd.html I understand and agree re: not wanting to place hounds under anesthesia more often than needed; thus, daily brushing with a pet safe toothpaste is excellent preventative care that we can control. One of my fosters arrived near her 7th birthday. Her mouth was in horrible condition. She immediately needed 26 teeth removed. Not too surprisingly, she passed from cancer 6 months later. 6 years of tooth neglect (raw diet). Our own hounds need professional dentals every 1.5 to 3 years. All our hounds get daily brushings with CET toothpaste, if I'm exhausted, at very least, oral rinse. Our hounds with the most healthy teeth and gums get daily brushings, plus are our natural "chewer" hounds who enjoy daily chewing on hard "Durachew" bones (made by Nylabone). Many vets in my area (west coast) charge on a varied scale depending on patient's periodontal stage (Stages 1 to 4, mild to severe). Our pet dentals start at $400.00 up to $1,000.00 for later stage periodontal disease (even for cats!). These prices are another good reason for us to brush daily, expanding time between needed dentals. I agree that dogs should not have bad doggie breath. Brushing helps that greatly too (unless there is underlying gum damage/infection). Our human breath (and teeth) would be terrible if we didn't brush our teeth daily. Thanks for asking this good question that may help others too.

I agree with mcsheltie's comment. I know a very strong, tall person who landed in the hospital with a very serious back/neck injury from falling over a Greyhound who was zig-zagging in front of the person. It really is so much safer to teach hounds to walk with their shoulder area next to a human's thigh. (Walking/heeling on the left side is commonly taught in dog training.) This position allows for easier handling and safer control, especially if a "sighthound" tries to bolt unexpectedly towards a critter the human doesn't see, or in excitement towards a child, bike or whatever. There isn't much control if a hound is walking/trotting far in front of a person at the end of a leash. A zig zag or an unexpected bolt could easily result in a human fall, and/or a loose hound trailing and tripping on a leash running up to 45 mph.