3greytjoys
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IMO, spray bottles as punishment for a dog's behavior is not desirable because it teaches dogs to distrust and shy away from their human; fear bottles; fear water being squirted (including hoses); and if they need to eliminate, they may do so indoors without first attempting to communicate to their humans -- since they learned their communication caused punishment.
We need to use spray bottles frequently for cleaning off paws; spraying wound medications, etc. Helps a lot if dogs feel trusting of their humans and comfortable with spray bottles.
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Sorry that your new boy is struggling. Seems that you're doing a great job trying to help him.
- I'm curious about his schedule on non-work days?
- What time does he eat breakfast on work days, and non-work days?
- What time does he need outings on non-work days while humans are home? (Helps to keep a temporary time record initially.)
- Are his stools firm?
- Is he on any medications?
OP Quote: "This problem didn’t start until after about a month in – the first month, he was very quiet when we left for work or if we went out at night. We could leave him for the full workday with no problems." End quote.
Surprisingly, that might have contributed to his difficulty. He started realizing he was being left alone, crated for very long periods (full workday + travel time, and sometimes at night). Greyhound kennels typically let hounds outside to eliminate every 4 hours starting early morning and throughout day until evening/night bedtime. While some of your boy's barking may be linked to learning to be an only dog for the first time in his life, feelings of anxiety/abandonment may have been silently building up during the first month. Additionally, crated dogs only method of communicating their need for a potty break is vocally (whether anyone is home to let him out or not). Great that you recently hired a mid-day dog walker to offer him a potty break.
Xanax can have the opposite of desired affect on certain dogs. (Xanax increased one of our Greyhound's anxiety.) Helps to initially test medication effectiveness when humans are home (on non-work days) when hound is naturally relaxed.
In your case (apartment + complaining neighbors), I would try a different medication, even if it takes time to build up in his system. When a dog is feeling anxiety, their brain is much less receptive to learning from alone training. Ideally, during alone training, a dog isn't left alone beyond his/her own comfort threshold. Since that isn't possible when pet parents work away from home, medication can help the dog relax enough to benefit from alone training (assuming hound gets elimination breaks). Even longer-term medication should be considered temporary, i.e. just use medication long enough to combine with alone training until dog is adjusted to his/her new life.
You could try securing a floor level mirror directly across the room from his crate. (Ensure the mirror does not reflect any sun into his crate.) Seeing a Greyhound's reflection helps some new hounds feel less alone.
If he's a chewer, Durabone - shaped like a flat fist with arm, "souper" size (made by Nylabone) could be used as a stress/boredom reliever after he finishes his Kongs. That specific Durabone is easy for Greyhounds to handle/chew. There's a potential for a chipped tooth with any hard toy but consider risk to benefit ratio for the behavior issue you're addressing. http://www.entirelypets.com/dchwbcnfls.html
Seems your vet knows Greyhound blood values are different from other breeds, but might be worth checking your hound's numbers against link below.
Quote per Making sense of Blood Work in Greyhounds:
"Greyhounds have lower neutrophil counts than the reference range for dogs
(3,000-10,000/μl or 3-10 X 109/L); thus, neutrophil counts as low as 1,800/μl (1.8 X 109/L) should not be of concern if the dog is healthy." End quote.
Source: See Pages 3 and 4 here: http://www.greyhound-data.com/dir/446/Making_Sense_of_Blood_Work_in_Greyhounds.pdf
Good luck.
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Mike: Congratulations on your new family member, Dallas!
Some of these challenges (worms; house training; and eating stuff that could be unsafe) are typical things we experience with newly adopted dogs. The spleen surgery is an exception (spay/neuter surgeries are typical). Not sure how long into surgery recovery he is now, or if walks might be uncomfortable for him, but you're right, it would be preferable if he's able to safely eliminate close to home during this most focused house training. Until you're able get the cat problem handled, perhaps someone in your adoption group could loan you a 4' tall exercise pen to set-up close to your house door (still within your main fenced back yard) as a temporary hound potty zone. Ex-pens can be set-up in a rectangle or U-shape using the house as one side to expand the pen's space. We opened an ex-pen to use as a flat fence (with metal fence posts) to fully enclose a side yard. Hang in there; your extra caring effort will be so well worth it in your long, loving relationship with Dallas.
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Positive thoughts for Emma's speedy recovery! Hope she'll feel much better without that problematic digit. The IV bag paw cover works well for us, too. (That said, we weren't dealing with snow when our hound had a digit amputation.)
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If you haven't seen Simon race, this link still has his active replays: http://www.trackinfo.com/dog.jsp?runnername=Sg%27s%20Mazeroski
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What a treasure you have there. He traveled a long way to his forever home after racing in Palm Beach, Florida. My guess is that S. and G. are the racing owner's initials/kennel name.
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Time. Time. Time.
Add loads of patience.
And more time.
She has never seen stairs before. Or city traffic. Or anything else that we take as normal 'life'.
Please take the time to read this Kathleen Gilley article...
http://forum.greytalk.com/uploads/gallery/album_3279/gallery_21971_3279_4292.jpg
I think this is a working link to the article BatterseaBrindl mentioned: http://www.northerngreyhoundadoptions.org/ThoughtsOfAGrey.php
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This seems odd to me and I have a sensitive nose, too. None of our hounds (male or female) have had a poor odor (as long as their food was agreeing with them). They get a wipe down before and after social events or Meet & Greets but rarely ever need a full bath. Paws get washed off after leashed hikes.
Does the kibble smell similarly to the hound's odor? If I recall correctly, Canidae ALS includes fish; could that be part of the odor? You didn't mention what people food she's eating at night, but perhaps she's having a negative reaction to those foods.
I would launder her bedding in perfume-free laundry soap/detergent, and eliminate any scent beads, etc. Depending on the outcome of your vet visit (ruling out infection, etc.), a limited ingredient diet might be worth a try. Natural Balance might be one option.
I use a soft, equine Oster finishing brush on our Greyhounds. If interested, I'd suggest buying one from your local equine store. (The quality of on-line brushes can be questionable.)
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Do you know Simon's racing name?
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Hqpcapps, if you happen to see this thread: How is Henry doing now after a couple of months working with him?
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Oh interesting, thanks so much! reverse sneezing is what it looks like for sure. I'll take him to the vet if it keeps happening. Would never have thought of mites. Hopefully it was just the temperature change coming in or dust or something.
How often was it happening when yours had mites? were they long episodes or short frequent?
Our hound's case was fairly severe. Her reverse sneezing was happening multiple times per day, every day or every couple of days. Both long and short durations -- I suppose depending on how active the mites were at any given time. The long-term mite damage affected her ability to smell. She had a slightly drippy nose (clear), but it was assumed to have been from cold winter weather, and her separation anxiety. She was miserable from those pesky mites.
Nasal mites can be transferred dog to dog but none of our other hounds (or cats) were infected with mites during the months prior to diagnosis and treatment.
I doubt Simon has a foxtail, (he'd likely be going crazy pawing at his nose) but if your area has them, keep him out of tall grasses. They're usually more of a problem in spring and summer months.
BTW, he's so gorgeous and I love his long, shapely tail. (Remember to be extra cautious of his tail when closing doors to house/car. Many hounds have had tail amputations from door injuries.)
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Agree with reverse sneezing.
He might have sniffed up a foreign body like a plant seed, etc., but if it's been an ongoing issue, I'd have a vet look for nasal mites, or nasal worms, etc.
Upon adoption, one of our hounds suffered through many months of nasal mites before I finally diagnosed it. (Nasal mites were not problematic in our area so our local vets missed it.)
They are easily treatable, and our hound has not had any recurrence in almost a decade.
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Assuming it's a surface scrape and you're sure a vet doesn't need to clean, stitch or care for the gash to avoid infection, perhaps modifying this figure 8 technique could work:
While keeping the wound dry, if needed, Bitter Yuck could be misted very lightly on the outside of the vet wrap bandage.
Watch closely for infection heat or swelling.
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I'm so sorry for your loss of Diego. Thinking of you all on his Gotcha Day today. May his spirit remain close in your hearts.
Godspeed Diego.
Too many losses to process in such a short time.
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Glad Davis is feeling better! Hope the pathology results are okay.
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Good question regarding stool guard: I would not leave a stool guard on any non-supervised hound for any length of time. Dogs hang their head down to drink water or vomit; fluids including vomit can't drain out fast enough, which can suffocate/drown a dog.
Hopefully others will chime in re: veterinary bandaging techniques.
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Congratulations, and welcome home Eden!
Hope you'll post plenty of photos of Eden's future puppy antics!
(Looks like FB requires a login to see Eden's photo.)
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I don't know what your trainer teaches as a release cue, but the word "release" works well since it's rarely used in everyday language. "Okay" is not desirable because it's used too often. (Example: Dogs may hear their humans conversing in a parking lot and mistake hearing "okay" as the dog's cue to exit... in front of a moving vehicle.)
If you haven't stumbled upon the Greyhound seminar excerpt below, it's an excellent read to help understand Greyhounds' previous kennel life. Your trainer, and dog-walker might appreciate reading it also.
Thoughts of a Greyhound
By the late Kathleen Gilley
"This breed has never been asked to do anything for itself, make any decisions or answer any questions. It has been waited on, paw and tail. The only prohibition in a racing Greyhound's life is not to get into a fight--or eat certain stuff in the turn out pen.
Let us review a little. From weaning until you go away for schooling, at probably a year and a half, you eat, grow and run around with your siblings. When you go away to begin your racing career, you get your own "apartment," in a large housing development. No one is allowed in your bed but you, and when you are in there, no one can touch you, without plenty of warning.
Someone hears a vehicle drive up, or the kennel door being unlocked. The light switches are flipped on. The loud mouths in residence, and there always are some, begin to bark or howl. You are wide awake by the time the human opens your door to turn you out. A Greyhound has never been touched while he was asleep.
You eat when you are fed, usually on a strict schedule. No one asks if you are hungry or what you want to eat. You are never told not to eat any food within your reach. No one ever touches your bowl while you are eating. You are not to be disturbed because it is important you clean your plate.
You are not asked if you have to "go outside." You are placed in a turn out pen and it isn't long before you get the idea of what you are supposed to do while you are out there. Unless you really get out of hand, you may chase, rough house and put your feet on everyone and every thing else. The only humans you know are the "waiters" who feed you, and the "restroom attendants" who turn you out to go to the bathroom. Respect people? Surely you jest.
No one comes into or goes out of your kennel without your knowledge. You are all seeing; all knowing. There are no surprises, day in and day out. The only thing it is ever hoped you will do is win, place or show, and that you don't have much control over. It is in your blood, it is in your heart, it is in your fate--or it is not.
And when it is not, then suddenly you are expected to be a civilized person in a fur coat. But people don't realize you may not even speak English. Some of you don't even know your names, because you didn't need to. You were not asked or told to do anything as an individual; you were always part of the "condo association"; the sorority or fraternity and everyone did everything together, as a group or pack. The only time you did anything as an individual is when you schooled or raced, and even then, You Were Not Alone.
Suddenly, he is expected to behave himself in places he's never been taught how to act. He is expected to take responsibility for saying when he needs to go outside, to come when he is called, not to get on some or all of the furniture, and to not eat food off counters and tables. He is dropped in a world that is not his, and totally without warning, at that.
Almost everything he does is wrong. Suddenly he is a minority. Now he is just a pet. He is unemployed, in a place where people expect him to know the rules and the schedule, even when there aren't any. (How many times have you heard someone say, "He won't tell me when he has to go out." What kind of schedule is that?) Have you heard the joke about the dog who says, "My name is No-No Bad Dog. What's yours?" To me that is not even funny. All the protective barriers are gone. There is no more warning before something happens. There is no more strength in numbers. He wakes up with a monster human face two inches from his. (With some people's breath, this could scare Godzilla.) Why should he not, believe that this "someone," who has crept up on him, isn't going to eat him for lunch? (I really do have to ask you ladies to consider how you would react if someone you barely knew crawled up on you while you were asleep?) No, I will not ask for any male input.
Now he is left alone, for the first time in his life, in a strange place, with no idea of what will happen or how long it will be before someone comes to him again. If he is not crated, he may go though walls, windows or over fences, desperately seeking something familiar, something with which to reconnect his life. If he does get free, he will find the familiarity, within himself: the adrenaline high, the wind in his ears, the blood pulsing and racing though his heart once again--until he crashes into a car.
Often, the first contact with his new family is punishment, something he's never had before, something he doesn't understand now, especially in the middle of the rest of the chaos. And worst of all, what are the most common human reactions to misbehavior? We live in a violent society, where the answer to any irritation is a slap, punch, kick, whip, or rub your nose in it. Under these circumstances, sometimes I think any successful adoption is a miracle.
He is, in effect, expected to have all the manners of at least a six-year old child. But, how many of you would leave an unfamiliar six-year old human alone and loose in your home for hours at a time and not expect to find who knows what when you got back? Consider that if you did, you could be brought up on charges of child abuse, neglect and endangerment. Yet, people do this to Greyhounds and this is often the reason for so many returns.
How many dogs have been returned because they did not know how to tell the adoptor when they had to go out? How many for jumping on people, getting on furniture, counter surfing, separation anxiety, or defensive actions due to being startled or hurt (aka growling or biting)? So, let's understand: Sometimes it is the dog's "fault" he cannot fit in. He is not equipped with the social skills of a six-year old human. But you can help him."End quote.
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Here's a good source for kennel muzzles (and proceeds go toward greyhound adoption): http://www.gemgreyhounds.org/GEM-Store/kennel-muzzle/Ditto for GEM's Greyhound basket muzzles: http://www.gemgreyhounds.org/GEM-Store/kennel-muzzle/
GEM ships orders quickly, but another option is to ask your local Greyhound adoption group for a muzzle. (Most groups provide one for each adopted Greyhound.)
If you don't have a convenient place for a baby-gate, a free-standing exercise pen is an alternative option. (We place ex-pens around doorways and fence gates in a U-shape as an air-lock divider system. Our ex-pens are 48" high for our tall Greyhounds.)
Exercise pen examples: http://www.midwestpetproducts.com/midwestexercisepens/exercise-pen-sizes
Your training goals look excellent, assuming it's strictly based on positive, reward reinforcement methods. (Definitely no physical force or dominance methods.)
You're smart to watch Marco's own walk duration limits. If he wasn't walked much previously, he may need to build his endurance gradually.
Great canine family photos! Marco is a handsome boy!
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Nothing in her routine has changed, except I was gone for a bit.
She is 9 now, and I often wonder if dementia is getting the best of her, then she will snap out of it and act normal.
I'm curious about your mention of signs of dementia. Does she happen to be taking any medications or over the counter supplements?
We don't leave her outside for extended time, but she also has a heated dog bed in a dog house where she is toasty warm any time we do leave her out there. Yesterday I told her "stop" each time, and then ignored her. We went through this several times. When she was whining prior to her dinner, I ignored her and fed her a bit later than normal, hoping she would get the hint that the whining gets her nothing. It just grates my every nerve to hear the whining. When she needs out to potty, she stands by the door wagging her tail, and if you are not in the room, she will come to see you, which never happens otherwise. The whining is not her needing to go out.
I understand that you had already determined Ruby wasn't whining to ask for a potty outing. I only mentioned the potty outings as an "if" because one of our elder hounds recently started whining as a pre-alert while still on her bed, just before standing up to ring her bell to go outside to eliminate.
(I'm just surprised about a dog house. Our adoption groups don't even allow Greyhounds to be temporarily left inside a fully enclosed garage -- due to Greyhounds' lack of body fat, lack of undercoat, thin skin, and their unique temperature sensitivities. Too easy for hounds to suffer from temperature discomforts, hypothermia or hyperthermia. They're fine with hounds having fenced yard access through a dog door as long as hounds have 100% access back into to their family home.)
A common reason for sudden increased whining is a result of family dogs who are boarded periodically. They quickly learn to fear the possibility of being (temporarily) abandoned (in their mind) by their people. I realize Ruby stayed home with your husband recently; perhaps she's responding to your absence, or a collective concern re: her people's trips. Hopefully, it won't take too long to reduce her whining since it's relatively new behavior. Good luck, and try to have patience while ignoring her whining, and praising her for being quiet. (When I'm trying to help improve one of my hounds' less than desirable behaviors, I try to focus on what I love most about them.)
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Welcome to GreyTalk. Many good suggestions in all three posts above.
I'm curious about what your trainer is suggesting to modify your new Greyhound's behavior?
Using the Greyhound basket muzzle could be especially helpful. If you haven't already, please dog-proof the room/s to which he has access, and ensure there aren't any hooks or levers that might catch his muzzle.
When entering another dog's home, and without making direct eye contact, immediately gently tossing high value treats towards the dog while happily and confidently talking to the dog often helps. (Assuming the dog is food driven enough to eat treats.) If hound is too fearful of visitors, it's often better to remain silent while tossing treats -- without direct eye contact, and front of human's body should be turned away from dog.
One quick mention re: your hound's outings: If he's not getting an outing after eating breakfast, I would add that important potty opportunity to his daily routine.
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Congratulations on your adoption of Simon!
He's such a handsome boy! Love all the photos but the close-up is super cute.
We wish you many happy, healthy years together.
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I'm so very sorry for your sudden loss of Noelle. Our thoughts are with you during this difficult time. Eventually, may happier memories of Noelle offer you some comfort.
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Oh gosh, this is a heartbreaking update. I'm so very sorry Taylor has been diagnosed with Hypertrophic Osteopathy.
Thoughts and prayers for the medications to relieve his symptoms as long as possible.
Thank you for taking such excellent care of your special boy. Your loving devotion to Taylor has impacted his life beyond measure.
Wishing you many more treasured moments together...
Here's a good source for kennel muzzles (and proceeds go toward greyhound adoption): 
Teeth Chattering
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted
All of the above; additionally, when it happens overnight in winter, it might be a sign that she's too cold (chattering and possibly shivering). I often need to recover our hounds with a blanket (even when they're wearing jammies).