3greytjoys

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.

Glad Davis is feeling better! Hope the pathology results are okay.

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.

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.)

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. Source: http://www.northerng...ghtsOfAGrey.php

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!

I'm curious about your mention of signs of dementia. Does she happen to be taking any medications or over the counter supplements? 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.)

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.

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.

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.

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...

If Ruby has something important to communicate like needing a potty outing, that's important to provide. If she might need to eliminate, escort her outside and watch her eliminate, then take her back inside immediately. Otherwise, ignore her whining. (If needed, consider wearing ear plugs.) Do not engage in that type of two-way verbal communication if you don't want to encourage it. Teach her "quiet" or whatever cue you prefer. Remember to reward her with praise after she's been quiet for a few minutes. Please don't put her outside as a punishment. She won't understand; plus, Greyhounds are indoor dogs and shouldn't be left outside for extended periods of time, especially in winter or summer temperatures. Also, her whining is likely to escalate by being left alone outside.

I'm not clear if he's refusing his last outing on the days your husband has been taking him outside so much, or if it's on days he's only had 3 other outings, or on all days? What duration are his outings? Considering the cold winter season, please consider any potential medical discomfort first. Dogs' unprotected paws can quickly become painfully sore or damaged by cold, dry asphalt/cement; snow; ice, etc. Dogs can suffer from Chilblains disease (vessel circulation problems in cold weather); frostbite; burn from road salts, etc. If paw pads get wet, ice or snow can build up on fur around paw pads, and become impacted between pads. If not cleaned out after each outing, that ice can continue damaging cell tissue for a long period even after dog is back home resting. (I've experienced Chilblains and Raynaud's phenomenon which are extremely painful conditions. If not caught in time and progresses untreated, damaged/dying tissue can lead to gangrene, requiring amputation.) Whether medical, physical (e.g., too tired/exhausted) or behavioral, please consider that growling is his only polite/respectful way of communicating his serious discomfort about the situation he's facing. He's just trying to protect himself (from humans invading his space with intent to force him out). Safer to respect his warning. Please do not scold him for growling. If scolded, it could push him into escalating to a snap/bite to communicate his seriousness. - First, I'd ask DH to reduce or eliminate several of your Greyhound's non-essential daytime walks. - Increase the value of hound's late night treats (e.g., smelly liver, tripe, other meats) offered only to lure him up for last potty outings of the night. - Try reducing his dinner by 1/2 cup kibble. Then offer 1/2 cup food just before his last potty outing (to help encourage him to leave his bed). - Depending on hound's meal times, perhaps try skipping the potty outing just prior to his last bedtime outing. Any obedience training should be positive, reward-based methods. (I like to capture Greyhounds doing a desired behavior naturally, teach verbal cue and reward the action immediately.) Please let us know how it goes.

Once the urine scent is removed and fabric is dry, wrapping up and tying your floor length draperies safely far above his body's reach could temporarily help remove that attraction. Draperies probably look more like an appropriate pee spot to male dogs (vertical tree/shrub shape). Greyhounds are an independent thinking breed, and are encouraged to tune-out bystanders' yelling during races. The racing Greyhound is expected to focus only on chasing their prey/lure (not to respond to humans). Your boy may not have experienced anyone yelling at him for doing anything wrong; thus, appearing to have "selective hearing". He was probably just puzzled (and busy urinating) more than anything when a human suddenly started yelling. Eventually if desired, you could gradually try to teach him to ring a bell when he needs to go potty. This clear dog-to-human communication has been extremely helpful for all of my dogs (and me) for many decades. Bell touch training steps below: Teaching sessions should stay under 5 minutes to keep hound's attention. (Greyhounds shut down to learning if sessions take too long.) Hopefully, the bell doesn't have any sharp edges, if so, cover with stick-on felt. 1. Place a bell on floor by door, hide meat treats under bell (and around bell if needed). 2. Encourage him to sniff for treats. Whenever his nose happens to "touch" the bell, happily praise "good touch!" and reward with the treats (by lifting up the bell for him to eat his treats). Repeat this fun game for only a few minutes. Then stop for the day. 3. Next day: Practice above steps for a minute or two as a refresher. 4. Only if he's caught on well... next, lift bell in air (on your flat hand) a little closer to door knob. Encourage him to "touch bell". Whenever his nose touches bell, reward with treats from under bell. Repeat only a few times then stop for day. 5. Next day: Practice yesterday's lesson briefly. 6. After he really understands the "touch" cue, hang the bell on the door knob (up high, close to the knob). Again, hold treats under the bell on your flat hand. Repeat "touch bell" practice steps. Then stop for the day. After he understands the "touch bell" game really well, begin asking him to "touch bell" immediately before you open the door to take him outside for all eliminations. Keep treats handy to help reinforce this action until he begins associating the natural secondary reward of being able to eliminate immediately after ringing his bell. Once he begins ringing the bell on his own as a communication signal to his humans that he needs to eliminate, his humans' ongoing job is to drop everything and immediately take him outside for eliminations.

This ^ It really doesn't matter whether he's marking or fully urinating, he simply doesn't understand home life yet. He's never learned how or needed to provide cues for humans to let him outside because he was likely on a strict kennel schedule, including meals and turn-outs. Treat him as if you were house training a young puppy (but racers are easier since they can usually hold it most of the night while sleeping, daytime napping is different). If a dog is having an elimination accident, I happily call the dog or approach the dog silently to gently escort him/her outside, then happily praise for eliminating outside. One exception: some dogs physically/medically can't stop their eliminations mid-stream, in which case, it's easier to let them finish eliminating in one spot vs. rushing them through the house to get outside. Thereafter, watch the dog more carefully and escort outside the instant they awaken from a nap, after playing, before and after meals, just before bedtime, etc. I agree with leashing a dog to a human when not in crate during early house training. (Please do not tether a Greyhound to any object -- many safety reasons for this.) If using a belly band under supervision, please remove it before dog goes outside, and it should be changed immediately if wet (to prevent urine scald, rashes, infections, etc.). A raised voice often backfires by frightening some dogs into running away from a human while dog is continuing to release urine or is defecating. A spray bottle is not desirable because it teaches dogs to fear their human, fear bottles, fear their home environment, and cower away from other people. Better to work on building the most positive, trusting relationship possible with newly adopted Greyhounds. Greyhounds are a wonderfully sensitive breed. Congratulations on your new boy! Thank you for your interest in helping guide him through this early adjustment stage. Greyhounds reward us tenfold ++. BTW, Nature's Miracle "Advanced Formula" works well for us, but test on fabric or carpet for color fastness before using on a conspicuous area.

Welcome to GreyTalk Jamie, Nik and Basil! Congratulations on your adoption of Basil! Seems you've struck gold with Basil's fabulous character and stunningly handsome appearance. We wish you all many happy years together.

Since Merlin was just adopted into his new forever home (with children and cats) 1 month ago; his outings may be increased (at least partly) due to settling into a completely different life. Medical clearance is important first, and helps to establish a baseline with your vet. Another perspective: My fosters from the track are taken out every hour (or so) during daytime/evening the first day in a home; then every 2 hours for a few days; then every 3 hours, etc. (Our group requires a minimum of outings every 4 hours during day/evening throughout their life.) All of our own resident hounds have naturally asked for a minimum of 5 to 7 potty outings per day. Currently, our 15 year old needs even more outside potty opportunities. Dogs can easily learn a new place to go potty. Assuming your garden is fully fenced; consider escorting him in your garden using two leashes tightly knotted together (to temporarily allow extra length for his potty privacy). Reward every potty action in his own garden with treats and happy praise. During these potty training sessions, do not even take him to the field as an option. He'll catch on with positive consistency. Please use a standard 6' leash (or shorter) for regular walks. Double-long leash length is too hazardous for normal use for sighthounds. (Greyhound adoption groups in USA require retired racing Greyhounds only be allowed off leash within fully-fenced spaces; thus, the assumption that your garden is fenced.) Normal water consumption for dogs can change due to activity, weather, indoor temperature, lower humidity, medical conditions, etc. Below are veterinarians' examples for dogs' normal water intake by body weight: 60 lbs. = 6 cups to 7.5 cups per day 70 pounds = 7 to 8.75 cups per day 80 pounds = 8 to 10 cups per day 90 pounds = 9 to 11.25 cups per day

I'm curious about the duration of your hounds' stay at your DD's house, and how long the hounds have been back home with you? After ruling out medical, I'd lean towards learned and/or coping behavior and higher stress levels. Similar to changing homes types of stress; Annie trying to find her place in DD's existing family, etc. The resident dogs may have been causing Annie more stress than your DD saw. Also, as dogs age, they often can't tolerate changes as well as when younger. If any stress signals are noticed from Annie before going after Felix, I'd try to intercept with happy, positive distractions/separations before she reaches her tolerance threshold. Sometimes stressful reprimands after the fact increase dogs' overall stress levels causing them to react more negatively and faster in silence. The combined stresses could also affect Felix more deeply. I cared for a solo hound visitor who did fine for short-term durations (e.g., long weekends), but her internal stress level heightened dramatically if her parents were gone much longer. Our pack is wonderfully calm and accepting of all other Greyhound visitors and fosters, but that visitor lived as a single pet at her home. After her own time threshold, the visitor would exhibit similar behavior of semi-aggressively charging my hounds from afar. Post Annie's vacation stay, she may be moving her kibble to help create her own needed private eating space. Perhaps moving her meal station to a more private area could help her feel safer. Good luck and please let us know how it goes.

Robin: Not sure if your friend's hound eats raw meat, but Alabama Rot is suspected to be linked to raw meats (similar to E.Coli), so it could be present in Canada. The disease is found in the USA; SE Asia; Mexico; it's currently seen in the UK; and other regions. Commonly seen in fall/autumn season. In a nutshell, it is not always fatal, but can be fatal (in as little as 24 hours) if renal failure and/or thrombocytopenia is evident. Treatments differ depending on which of four patterns of clinical signs the hound is presenting. If the disease is caught immediately, before rapid progression, up to 50% of hounds could potentially respond favorably to rapid treatment. I have Care of The Racing and Retired Greyhound. If needed, if you want to PM me, perhaps I could read that section to you. Dick is correct. B. Fenwick is the name quoted in this book.

Welcome back to GT! Welcome handsome Roper! Wishing you a long, happy life together... Hoping for more photos as he settles into his new home.