3greytjoys
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I believe the time between her final night outing and first morning outing is too long. None of our hounds can hold urine for 9+ hours, even during overnight darkness. Your best bet would be to anticipate her body's current functional needs, and intercept by providing her a quick outing before she reaches her holding limit. Then go back to sleep, if needed.
Is any water added to her kibble meals? If not, I would suggest doing so. Moistened kibble is swallowed more easily, and it could reduce her need for drinking as much water from her water bowl close to bedtime.
A 42 inch long crate is not too large for a Greyhound. Dogs are supposed to be able to stand up, turn around easily, and lie down without folding their legs when crated. Actually, 42" crates don't even allow Greyhounds to stand up erectly. (Racing kennel crates are larger.) During winter, she may be curling up more frequently at one end while trying to keep warm (or when trying to avoid a urine accident!) but she will need that 42" crate size in summer. BTW, since Greyhounds are temperature sensitive and our house is fairly cool in winter; our (open door) crates are partially covered with a blanket or sheet, and our hounds wear Greyhound jammies to help them stay warm. (One exception: Avoid covering crates with fabric for hounds who are known chewers likely to ingest the material.)
Positive thoughts to your partner after having broken both ankles! Recovering from one fracture is difficult but both at once must have been awful!
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Welcome to GreyTalk!
Congratulations on both of your Greyhound additions!Yes, it's wonderful to be surprised by their blossoming progress -- often noticeable at 3 weeks, 3 months, 3 years, and beyond.
You're fortunate to be able to adopt hounds from the same family. (We've brought in four family members.) What is Banksy's racing name?
It's fine to ask your adoption group about his activity during his past 2 months. They may or may not know that information.
Just take everything slowly. Give him plenty of time to rest, and adjust to his new forever home and family.
Soft paw pads are very common with newly retired Greyhounds. They're accustomed to soft sand tracks and turn-out pens. When health permits, we usually start new fosters from the track with 5 minute walks, gradually increasing time duration over the first 2-3 months. This allows hounds to adjust slowly to their strange new environment, and allows paw pads to begin building toughness without causing sores (which can happen if hounds are over-walked too soon). Also allows walking muscles and endurance to be built gradually. Building endurance is different from their 30-second race sprinting condition, and it's possible your boy may not have had much (if any) recent measurable exercise.
Your vet should be able to guide you re: improving his skin. Please do get a fecal test, and TBD test (tick borne disease) if not tested upon his arrival into CO(?). The adoption group should let you know which kibble he's been eating. Helps to start them on the same kibble until he's been home and settled for a while. It you want to change kibble later, do so gradually over 3-4 weeks (unless he has a severe reaction to current kibble). Enjoy your litter mates!
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She peed in her bedding this morning, I was in the room, there was no warning, she just got up squatted and peed all over her bedding and then lay back down to snooze for the rest of the morning!!
It's tough to determine a potential cause for this accident with limited information. I'm unclear if she already had her initial wake up outing prior to her accident, or if her bladder was simply full from holding urine through the night, time duration since her previous outing, or what her humans were doing just prior to her accident. By the way, it may seem odd, but a Greyhound "standing up" after resting is a warning signal.
Some thoughts:
1. Some other medical infection as o_rooly mentioned, or a rare long shot possibility of a lingering spay surgery complication, etc.
2. Many dogs (and humans) naturally need to urinate immediately upon awakening.
3. If her humans were already preparing to depart for work (shower, dressing,cooking breakfast, etc.), she's likely learned her humans' predeparture signals on work days. Anticipation of her humans' long work day often increases a dog's anxiety, meaning they need extra outings before your departure.
Example: If hound and humans awaken at 5:00 AM and humans leave at 8:00 AM, hound may need 3 outings before humans depart for work:
- Quick outing upon awakening.
- Exercise walk with eliminations (after waiting 1 hour after her breakfast to reduce risk of bloat).
- Last quick outing within 10-15 minutes or so of human's departure for work. (Human needs to feel calm, otherwise dog might become too stressed to eliminate.)
4. Consider adding an extra large puppy wee wee pad on top of her bed for now (unless she's a chewer), to help ease your clean up. After an accident, it's important that her skin and fur is at least very well rinsed with fresh water and then dried off, and her wet puppy pad replaced with a dry pad. Keeping her clean and dry is important and will prevent urine scald/burn.
5. BTW, alone training includes desensitizing dogs to predeparture signals. (Sessions of picking up and putting down keys repeatedly; putting on and taking off work day shoes/jacket when you don't have to leave, etc.)
Our hounds sleep in the same room with humans, so it's easy to bounce up the moment the first hound awakens/stands up (15 year old hound awakens first now), so all hounds are rushed outside to eliminate immediately. Outings thereafter as noted in post #10.
For your girl, I'd focus on housebreaking 101 (so to speak) by escorting her outside more frequently, and watching her like a hawk inside; doing alone training; and if you or your partner can't swing by the house to give her an elimination outing during your lunch break, try to arrange for a dog walker or dog experienced neighbor to take her out to eliminate mid-day during your work week. There's a learning curve, as U.S. racers have never had to learn to give "signals" to humans when they need to eliminate because they've been on a kennel schedule where someone just appears to take them outside regularly. When I get new fosters, I begin taking them outside every hour the first day (though they don't eliminate every time, they begin getting the idea of housebreaking); increasing to every 2 hours the second or third day; 3 hours the next several days/weeks, eventually to every 4 hours. After their housebreaking is solidified, and they've settled into their new home well, some hounds can last a bit longer.
You mentioned getting a behaviorist -- I'd suggest anyone working with the sensitive Greyhound breed should be using positive reward reinforcement methods only.
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What is her typical crate schedule?
How often is she taken outside to eliminate?
One of our hounds' separation anxiety increased when the routine suddenly changed (human was home after family member's accident). I agree with others' suggestion to work on "alone training" to help ease your girl back into being alone. Please do a search for alone training specifics but in a nutshell: human leaves her sight for very brief periods (one minute or two initially) with a yummy Kong treat (smear the inside with plain peanut butter). Human returns before dog reaches comfort threshold (i.e., return before dog shows any sign of anxiety) and human picks up Kong immediately. Repeat, repeat, repeat -- gradually increase time human is out of dog's sight (but timing is strictly dependent on dog's comfort level). If signs of anxiety surface during the session, drop back to previous time limit dog remained relaxed/comfortable.
Separation anxiety is fear-based. Consider a time when you may have felt especially nervous about a presentation, meeting, performance, flying, etc. Dogs, like humans, often need to eliminate more frequently when feeling stressed or anxious. Dogs are not spiteful. Please understand that when dogs are feeling very anxious many can't physically hold urine/bowel as well as they can when feeling calm/relaxed. As frustrating as potty accidents are, please be very careful to not scold her for potty accidents, or anything else she does based from fear. Scolding magnifies the initial problems tenfold+, creates new issues, damages a dog's trust in humans, etc. Better to calmly and silently clean up the mess. If catching her about to squat/pee, happily and swiftly escort her outside then praise for eliminating outside. Aside from elimination accidents, if she happened to be scolded for crying/barking, it may have curbed her only communication option to alert a human that she desperately needs to eliminate, especially when she's crated.
Our adoption group recommends hounds' elimination outings a minimum of every 4 hours during day/evening (similar to racing kennels). Our own hounds and canine visitors are taken outside a minimum of 5 to 7 times per day: i.e., when they awaken in AM, before and after meals, again immediately before human departure/s, after a nap, last minute before bedtime, or whenever they pace, sniff the floor, look out a window, go to the door, approach a human, etc. Good luck.
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Welcome to GreyTalk!
Depends on how many hours he's being left alone without being taken outside for a potty break?
If 12 hours, that would be too long for dogs to physically be able to hold their urine repeatedly. (That could eventually cause urinary tract/kidney problems.)
Is he fully emptying his bladder before being left alone, and before bed?
Is he being leash walked, or does he eliminate in his own fenced yard?
(Males are notorious for holding back a little extra urine for marking purposes during walks.)
I've been having good success using Nature's Miracle "Advanced Formula" severe stain and odor remover. If a pet store doesn't stock it, it can be ordered from stores that carry regular Nature's Miracle. We buy the 1.5 gallon size, including the battery-operated sprayer nozzle -- which saves a lot product waste. That said, I just noticed the manufacturer might have made a formula change with a stronger scent(?), so you might ask about unscented, if preferred. My last purchase of "advanced" formula" was over a year ago, likely the previous formula. (Regular Nature's Miracle has not worked well here for many years having multiple cats and hounds.)
We don't have a carpet shampooer, so no advice on that option.
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I'm so sorry to see that you lost your sweet Mary last year. She was one special brood matron (if I recall correctly). Her caring tolerance of Fencetop was remarkable. I hope Fencetop has adjusted okay.
to you and Fencetop. -
Oh thank goodness she was able to vomit the sock!! What a HUGE relief that you decided previously to cancel her euthanasia appointment!!
I knew a Greyhound that died from ingesting a ladies sock.
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Quote: "Is this kind of behavior typical for Greyhounds? My wife and I decided on a retired racer because we'd read that they were low-maintenance dogs that didn't require lots of long walks (though I don't have a problem with that, if needs be) and slept most of the day. As our work schedules now leave an eight hour gap where a dog would be home alone and we live in condos, we can't have a dog that can't stand any alone time - it's not fair to our neighbors, and it's not fair to the dog." End quote.
Newly retired Greyhounds from the track or kennel require an adjustment period. Time varies. Everything about solo home life is completely foreign (and often scary) to a new hound suddenly separated from his/her kennel full of hounds and people. Every Greyhound's reaction is individual. Generally, youngsters are like full grown puppies, and usually don't begin showing maturity until at least age 3. New dogs (who may feel they're being abandoned when humans walk out the door) often need extra potty outings during the day, sometimes their body can't physically hold urine/bowel as long as they can while humans are home when dogs are feeling safe/relaxed within their family unit. They also need extra outings before humans' departure.
Quote: "I'd like to find a dog that will fit well with our environment, but I think it might take a while before my wife and I are both ready again. As I said earlier, we're both pretty upset and feel like we failed, despite hours and hours of research and desensitization & alone training." End quote.
Often, SA is mild and simply linked to environmental changes, other times it could be linked to genetics. (Only one of our hounds has had genetic SA.) In your case, I would recommend waiting until your group can find an older, more independent, proven confident Greyhound perhaps between ages 6-8, or a brood matron, etc. (Our wonderfully confident, current brood matron is 15; they can live a long, healthy life.) Of course, all dogs require some maintenance: Greyhounds' adjustment period to an urban home/family life; and since you're in a condo -- likely at least 4-5 daily elimination walks in all weather (our younger hounds ask for 5-7 yard potty outings); a lifetime of daily tooth brushing; regular veterinary care, including fecal and blood tests; full professional dentals (Greys often have poor teeth); nail trimming, etc. Yes, most Greyhounds snooze often but hounds with severe SA may not be able to fully rest until their people are safely home to sleep for the night. All dogs (regardless of activity level) are pack animals and desire to be with family, whether animal or human. I don't know your reasons for wanting a dog (aside from lower energy level than your previous Border Collies), but perhaps another option worthy of consideration might be an indoor cat who could be toilet trained (eliminating the need for a litter box). Many cats can be walked with harness and leash, but walks wouldn't be a multi-outing daily commitment like dogs.
Under the circumstances, please try to remember that you are doing what's best for Ace. Greyhounds are a wonderful breed. Best of luck to you and your wife.
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A couple of my fosters behaved in a similar manner. Our rule: Greyhound was ALWAYS inside a fully locked crate if any human even needed to open a door to enter the cats' enclosed safe room (resident cats are especially alert to darting out of the tiniest door opening from their safe room, even if human's foot and leg are used as a block). We use 4' tall ex-pens as an extra air-lock safety zone to give humans an extra split second to collect an escaped cat -- before cat and (muzzled) hound might connect. (Muzzled hounds can still kill cats.) Hound was always crated whenever supervised cats had their turn walking freely in the house. IME, a baby-gate is not safe enough to keep cats out of a room, nor is a baby-gate strong enough to keep a prey driven dog inside the dog's room. (My cats jumped over the top of the baby-gate while banking off the wall just for fun.) Also, a cat maneuvering a baby-gate takes extra time which could become more dangerous if a prey driven dog is chasing the cat. Those fosters were placed in non-cat homes.
Please do not take chances. Dogs can snag cats in one split second. Hounds have snagged cats when hounds and cats were right at a human's feet, or within easy arm's reach. There is simply not enough time to intervene. Hounds will jump up to snag cats walking across the top of a 6' fence-line. While experts can try to determine if a hound might be "cat workable" with extensive work, deeply-rooted prey instinct cannot be trained out of a highly prey driven dog, regardless of time and effort. As one who did cat testing for Greyhounds arriving from the track, I agree with others that hounds' reactions can be variable depending on the hound's state during the time of testing (e.g., some hounds are confused by a new environment, or tired after travel, etc.). Bottom line: I would ensure new hound is locked inside the crate whenever cats have a turn to walk freely in the house, and do not leave cats roaming the house when humans are absent, even if new hound is crated (some dogs escape from crates), cats should be behind a closed and fully latched door. That sort of management could take months or years for prey driven hounds. If the latter, it's not fair to the Greyhound or the stressed cats. Better to exchange the hound earlier in the process. An Akita jumped through a closed window from outside the house to get inside to attack a crated cat. (Cat's travel crate was mangled but cat survived in crate while being dragged throughout the house.) Good luck.
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If there is subcutaneous growth, it may be deeper than it appears. I'd would take photos of what is visible next to a measuring tape.
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thanks for all the input; I hadn't thought of nasal mites but our other greyhound who is 7 going on 8yrs hasn't had any symptoms and so if it's contagious I guess that makes mites less likely...
Just thought I'd add that we had a pack of hounds in the house while only one hound was suffering terribly from nasal mites. Fortunately, the nasal mites never spread to the other hounds during the many months of trying to learn her diagnosis.
I'd agree with culturing Oz's discharge (and if needed, other tests too). Hope the Keflex resolves the problem!
Oz seems to be a smart boy!
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I'm not a vet, nor do I know your region. Your hound's unilateral nasal problem might be different (growth, fungal, bacterial, etc.), but one of our hounds suffered terribly with reverse sneezing and nasal discharge for many months. After seeing multiple vets and initial treatments didn't work, I diagnosed her symptoms through the source below. Turned out to be nasal mites.Treatment series listed on same page worked perfectly. Ten years later and still no recurrence. http://www.merckvetmanual.com/respiratory-system/respiratory-diseases-of-small-animals/canine-nasal-mites
Perhaps a slim possibility, but since your boy's sneezing started months ago, I'll mention that foxtail grass awns can enter and disturb the nasal passage cause infection, and continue traveling more deeply into the body. https://www.petcarerx.com/article/why-foxtails-and-dogs-dont-mix/1236
Good luck and please let us know whenever your boy's diagnosis is determined.
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I'm sorry that you're all going through this situation. Sadly, I agree with macoduck's post #2 and others with similar recommendations.
Since you are pregnant, returning your Greyhound back to your "Greyhound only" adoption group ASAP is the safest thing you could do for all concerned. They could rehome your girl to a quiet, adult only household with Greyhound experience, plus a requirement to never allow her on humans' furniture, and to ensure her undisturbed personal resting space.
Being able to focus freely on a child until after the child starts grade school would be a safer option. Thereafter, perhaps consider a child-friendly breed suited to your child's personality, and set them up for success by keeping humans on human furniture, and a dog on dog beds on floor level. Many Greyhound groups will not adopt to families with young children because in a nutshell, a toddler or small child's brain has not developed/matured enough to control their natural behavior around large dogs. Many Greyhounds are not used to being around children, especially in restricted indoor spaces. As a side note: Infants/babies should never be placed on same/floor level with any dog of any breed.
Re: Greysmom's mention of "positive-reinforcement only" training: this means positive reward based training only (no punishment whatsoever). That can be helpful for some dogs and their family; however, considering the extent of your husband's injury and that you're expecting a baby, I would be hesitant to suggest that route for your situation. I was severely bitten by our family dog (different large breed) at age 5 (not my fault, nor the dog's fault), and have seen many dog bites since then. The wrong trainer (outdated dominate methods) can destroy a dog's successful chance at life.
I would encourage you to contact the Lexus Project ASAP for a quick chat (before Animal Control reaches out to you) for your hound's best interest: http://www.thelexusproject.org/content/origin-lexus-project
Good luck.
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Welcome to GreyTalk! Congratulations on your recent Greyhound adoption!
I'd agree with others to completely eliminate your new hound's sofa privileges for many reasons (present and future). Consider as your son grows, he will want to have friends visit and sit on the humans' furniture.
Just like consistency is important for children, same holds true for dogs. Considering the dog's perspective, it's not fair to allow him on the sofa only sometimes but not other times, and then expect him to abide by confusing, inconsistent rules. Cushy padded dog beds in a safe place (away from traffic paths) are much safer for families with dogs. Dogs can feel relaxed and secure knowing their own dog bed is their undisturbed, happy, forever safe zone.Hubcitypam brought up a good point about soft strokes vs. pats (preferably on a dog's shoulder, side or upper thigh). Additionally, dogs often prefer their fur be stroked in the same direction as it's growth pattern.
Oh yes, we completely understand that Greys are often in a recumbent position. That said, it's preferred to wait until dogs are standing up and have walked away from their safe bed zone before petting.
Sometimes dogs' signs of discomfort are almost too subtle to notice: in addition to your points, could be a quick eye glance away, brief expression freeze, furrowed brow, stiffening lips in a C-shape, brief head turn away, whale eye, etc. You're right, ear position signals for other breeds don't count for Greyhounds. I agree that if your hound offers the gift of a growl, it's a valuable communication warning of dog's discomfort to which humans should respect and back away. Since he didn't offer a warning growl, he's probably feeling his space is being invaded too often, and he's "running out of spoons". Spoon theory: http://yourdogsfriend.org/spoon-theory-and-funny-dog-gifs/
Gently tossing treats at home could be helpful. Walks can be especially exciting (or stressful) for some recently retired Greyhounds, so I'd caution against your son holding any part of the leash secondary to an adult handler until he's much bigger, and your Greyhound has settled into retirement much longer. Newly retired Greyhounds can be especially unpredictable during walks. They can see small critters or a small piece of litter blowing in the wind a half mile away and may attempt to chase, so it's safer to avoid having a small child connected in any way to the dog's leash or even walking between the adult handler with Greyhound.
As difficult as it is for your son, offering your new Greyhound extra personal space, and extra freedom to walk into a quiet room to retreat away from noise and activity will help their relationship long-term. Greyhounds are a wonderfully calm, quiet, and highly sensitive breed.
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Crushing. I'm so deeply sorry, Kathy.
I truly believe there is a significant reason that you and Jane found each other. She's in the very best, most loving and comforting place she could have landed. Her time living as part of your family will be her most valuable and appreciated time of life.
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In the two months she’s been here, she’s had no health issues: no diarrhea, great appetite, no SA, etc. She had Interceptor for her heartworm meds on January 1, but she had Interceptor without a problem in December. (Was taking ivermectin capsules while under SEGA’s care.)
Depending on Jane's x-ray result; might be worth a second look at a possible adverse reaction to Interceptor. Since it stays in the body for a month(+/-), it might be a reason for Jane's sudden daily vomiting. No need to answer these questions here, just a few thoughts for you to consider/discuss with your vet:
Was last December's Interceptor dose administered with food?
What time of day was Interceptor administered on January 1, and was it given with food?
When was her first vomiting episode thereafter on Jan. 2?
Has vomiting improved whatsoever 11 days later?
Where was the Interceptor purchased?
If on-line source, how long did it sit in a mailbox or on porch (possibly exposed to sun or temperatures out of drug's safety range)?
(You probably already know that many drug manufacturers will not guarantee medications if bought on-line due to counterfeit drugs; lack of supplier's storage safety control; and shipping problems. In contrast, manufacturers often pay for dogs' treatment if their guaranteed product caused a problem or didn't work to prevent a heartworm infestation.)
Questions for your vet:
What is Interceptor's life and half life?
Does any of the drug accumulate within the body from month to month?
Could Jane's prior Ivermectin dose overlap/react to Interceptor?
Quote (re: active ingredient in Interceptor):
"The most common clinical signs reported include ataxia, tremors, lethargy, vomiting, mydriasis, disorientation, and hypersalivation". End quote.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4152460/
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I'm trying to pretend I'm not worried by having lost two greyhounds in the past 10 months. Or that three of the five greyhounds I've lost were 8 years old when they died.
We'll keep positive thoughts for your beautiful Jane. -
I suppose it depends on the tolerance and medical condition of the individual dog. One of our hounds was required to be under anesthesia for x-rays or other medical tests that normally don't require anesthesia.
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if they are x-raying her she will need to be put under, no food, right???
Yes, excellent point! So probably no food for at least 12 hours prior to her vet appointment.
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What worked for us to keep Pogo off of our bed (dogs are allowed on the couch) was to get a plastic floor mat that you put under office chairs so they will roll easily on carpeting. We put it on the bed with the nubby side up. We couldn't forget to do that or we would find Pogo on the bed when we came home.
Yes. There are pet products made with this nubby design in mind for sofas, chairs, table tops. If you can't find anything in the dogs' section in your local pet stores/on-line, check the cat sections.
Otherwise, try blocking off the sofa with items that won't harm a dog if the item falls on the dog. Depending on your sofa access, large palate size pieces of cardboard (e.g., often found near Costco's shredder inside the rear of the store) are great to block off the walking pathway to the sofa. I use that sturdy cardboard under crates and dog beds too.
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Kibble manufacturers taught me that kibble is temperature sensitive. I was taught that it should never be stored in an outside container or even in a dry garage due to temperature fluctuations.
That said, one of our hounds has always had an unpredictable appetite, so her uneaten wet kibble is placed in the refrigerator after about 15-30 minutes -- to limit bacteria build up. It's likely that some nutrients are damaged, but otherwise we would have been throwing away her breakfast about every other day for 10 years.
Important side note: Kibble oils go rancid, and can contaminate new kibble. Kibble manufacturers recommend storing kibble inside the same bag in which it was purchased. If people dump fresh kibble into a pet food storage container, manufacturers recommend the container be washed with soap and water, rinsed very well, and dried very, very thoroughly before adding fresh kibble. Scoopers should be washed before each fresh bag of kibble is opened.
I'd suggest contacting Daisy's kibble manufacturer to ask how long her dry kibble can be stored at room temperature once opened. If sealed tightly, it might last longer than you'd think.
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I'd call the vet re: feeding breakfast. I'd be inclined to skip breakfast thinking a mass of kibble might slightly obscure something small in the x-ray(?).
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Thanks for the additional information. A little more food for thought...
In addition to eliminating upon awakening, most dogs need to eliminate after eating meals/consuming fluids. (Eating gets bowels moving.) Some need to eliminate within 15-20 minutes or within an hour of food intake. Hookworms; medications (e.g., Nexgard side effect); extra food; and dogs' stress in a new environment can contribute to loose stools. Loose stools often create a greater urgency to eliminate -- crated dogs only have their voice to call/alert that desperation. (BTW, hookworms often take more than one treatment series to completely eradicate. Fecal retests are important: a false negative is common depending on hookworms' growth stage.)
Might be helpful to notice if his relapse days are usually on Mondays or Tuesdays. Some people find that keeping a similar schedule 7 days a week helps hounds adjust more easily. That said, you made an excellent point re: more of your neighbors being home to hear him vocalizing during weekends. Dogs are pack animals and need time with their humans, so it may take some creative juggling for a while. At the very least on weekends, keep practicing alone training within his (quiet) comfort threshold.
Few more things to try:
- If you don't have a cat/small pet: Baby-gate him into one of the family's most used rooms, leaving his crate door open for his padded, comfortable resting. Dog-proof the room (for Greyhound's height 5'-6' tall on hind legs). Helps if dogs do not have physical access to the door from which humans depart, i.e. create a buffer zone if possible. (I understand you left him out of his crate previously, but this space-controlled half-step makes a big difference for many hounds.)
- No fanfare from humans during departures or returns. Some experts recommend humans silently slip out the door during departures; others suggest it's okay to say "I'll be back later" (or the like). My experience is silent departures work better for some dogs.
- Encourage his independence by creating a little extra space wherever your hound rests while humans are home, i.e. place dog bed across the room from human's sofa (vs. dogs on the sofa or 6" from your feet!). Periodically reward hound by tossing treats to him for resting quietly on his own bed.
Be ready with treats to teach "down" by capturing him when he's naturally about to lie down. Happily teach him "go to your place/bed" with treat reward.
- Stay happy and positive in interactions. Don't scold him, especially for behavior rooted from fear/anxiety (anxiety is fear based); otherwise, it will backfire by him losing trust in humans, plus increase/magnify undesirable behaviors. If he snags a human's item by mistake, calmly "trade up" with a higher value toy or dog safe meat treat, etc. (BTW, if you eventually offer a Durachew toy, it's okay to smear it with plain peanut butter or lowfat cream cheese -- if enticement is needed.)
Many people find this short booklet helpful:
I'll Be Home Soon, by Patricia McConnell: https://www.amazon.com/Ill-Home-Soon-Separation-Anxiety/dp/1891767054/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484104489&sr=8-1&keywords=ill+be+home+soon
Try to keep an open, caring mind. He sounds like a sweetheart, well worth your understanding effort.
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You and Burke are in our understanding thoughts.
Murray will be forever missed on GT too.
Congratulations on both of your Greyhound additions!
to you and Fencetop.
Help Needed
in Training and Behavior discussion
Posted
Welcome to GreyTalk!
I agree with Krissy. First, I'd work on alone training to evaluate the root of Lily's anxiety level.
You may have already determined the most important considerations before adding a second dog: Can you afford to double the lifetime expenses of food; heartworm preventative; veterinary care; dog clothing; supplies; etc., and can you commit to the responsibility of a second dog for the life of the dog? Do you expect to stay in your current home long-term, and would two dogs be legal to stay with you there forever (if it's a rental)? No need to answer these questions here, just food for your thought.
I'm not sure how long you've been in your new home, but I'm not surprised that Lily is struggling with this third major change within a short time (not to mention previous changes before her retirement). Retired racing Greyhounds are strongly accustomed to living in large packs (they've never been alone until retirement), and most enjoy the company of other Greyhounds more than other breeds. Fine if you were to consider a different breed, but I'd suggest a similar size dog with a similar respectful temperament and play style if you decide to get another dog. (Many of us with multiple Greyhounds use basket muzzles on all our dogs when they play/run together in a fenced enclosure outside because retired racers are often competitive play mates. Muzzles prevent injuries from a tooth snagging their thin skin, etc. General rule: If one dog is muzzled, all dogs must be muzzled; otherwise, a single muzzled dog can't defend him/herself from a non-muzzled dog.
If not too far away, perhaps Lily could enjoy play dates with her Poodle friends, and/or ask your Greyhound group if they arrange Greyhound only play dates.
"I'll Be Home Soon" is a short booklet by Patricia McConnell that could help you with Lily's separation anxiety: https://www.amazon.com/Ill-Home-Soon-Separation-Anxiety/dp/1891767054
One of our hounds has separation anxiety. In her case, I am her most important target. She's had 3 hound mates, two of which did very little to support her emotionally, but she is joined at the hip with one other hound. They do everything together; one won't go out in the yard for a potty break without the other. Positive reward reinforcement obedience training helped our SA hound a lot by increasing her self-confidence and helping her understand the workings of the family household. "Go to your bed/place" was an important action for her to learn so she could learn to be okay independently (vs. being underfoot at all times). Our SA hound excels as my top obedience hound because she's so eager to please her human.
In case you missed this recent thread, you might pick up some helpful tips for your situation: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/320026-started-peeing-in-the-house-crate-after-6-months/
Good luck, and please let us know whatever you decide.