cleptogrey

when emily died on jan.2nd we watched secure, happy 3 year old felix change and become depressed. he eventually started to pee in the house when left alone and was hang dog all of the time. felix came to us at 7 weeks and always had emily, the alpha bitch, around.we tried toys, more training(agility) and even more outings than usual. he just wasn't the same. felix even stopped hanging out in the studio while DH painted. so, we decided to foster. since DH is unemployed and now is resuming his antique business(i am not too optomisitc in this economy)& painting the thought of another mouth to feed and vet bills were out of the question. felix picked up, perked up and returned to his old self with the foster dogs. well, the second foster has stuck around, she was too good a match for felix and had 3 of emily's and 1 of felix's ancestors. as DH has stated, "we fed 2 dogs before, so why can't we do it now?" annie was DH's birthday present and the best present of all to our mourning pup. when ever he sees a black greyhound(emily's color) he is sooo animated and yodel's like mad.who said they don't remember? if you are planning on moving, were you planning on moving while you had 2 greyhounds? what's the difference on moving w/ one vs. 2? basically the same question that DH asked when felix found the right partner in crime? sorry to hear about your loss, i remember reading your post. her death was so sudden and even when you are prepared(emily had osteo) it really hurts.

ahhh...the old "i'm temporarily deaf syndrom!" been there! a good game that you can play, starting in the house and then taking it outside might just help get your pup motivated to COME! start INSIDE and always have EXCELLENT TREATS....say her name, really happy and animated. when she comes, hold the collar and reward and verbally praise. repeat this inside so she "gets it" then start hiding in different rooms, upstairs, downstairs and have numerous people do the same call- just the name and always hold the collar. transfer activity to outside(in the yard), also have a friend or family member working at a different spot doing the same activity and super reward. let her be outside, you inside and repeat again. also while you now walk your dog outside, randomly call her name and either back up or change directions so she comes up to you- and treat when she does it. you have transfered the come activity to daily life. by now she should be "getting" the concept of name-returning-food/praise practice this a lot- until you are really bored w/ it, but do it often and at unexpected times. you should have lots of hot dog chunks or deyhdrated liver in your pockets by now. at a dog park or fenced in area(field, tennis/basketball court) with a friend try the same exercise WITH OUT other dogs around, so she can focus.with all of this practice- a couple of weeks at least-she should respond to her name and treats. if she spaces out and suddenly turns a deaf ear.... slowly walk over, try her name again, reward if she comes, (the distance might be too great too soon) and leash her up, always be happy and cheerful and reward her. if she plays a game darting all over the place, don't get frustrated, gently sit down and have your treats and wait. she will come. too soon, too early, more conditioning is needed, possibly w/ distractions of other dogs in a traditional obedience class with an experience trainer who has lots of tricks. I DO LIKE THE USE OF A WHISTLE AND THINK THAT ONCE SHE REALLY "GETS IT" INSIDE AND IN A CONTAINED AREA THE WHISTLE SHOULD BE INTRODUCED. BUT MAKE SURE THERE IS A CONNECTION TO YOU!!! THAT IS STEP ONE. REMEMBER YOU HAVE A SIGHT HOUND,NOT A TERRIER OR WORKING DOG.

FRONTLINE SPRAY????exactly how do you use it? do you sometimes use it in conjuction w/ frontline top spot or instead of?

re: tethering system i only use a leash which gives them enough room to lie down- a long line is a joke!!! instant tangled legs and potentially a serious problem. never had a problem w/ a dog jerking and trying to take off after something. i will say if your dog have a strong prey drive, then hold onto the lead or keep them next to you at the picnic table! my two have always looked like the two who were sacked out in the pine needles under the tree. we generally have sleeping dogs at the campsite unless the stove is stoked up.but i am always on the look out, one of mine is know to eat leads...the same one who hates being penned up, yet loves crates-go know. oh, i bring a thick rubber backed bathmat for the pups to lie on. easier to wash and less to asorb the rain which we always have when i go camping.boy do brucie & bumper look comfy! http://hphotos-snc1.fbcdn.net/hs274.snc1/10116_100391613313497_100000279751144_9804_4249751_n.jpg

DOES ANYONE USE TICK GUARD FOR DOGS? ANY ADVERSE REACTIONS AND DOES IT REALLY WORK? ARE ANY OF THE USERS REAL LICKERS? HAVE THEY REACTED? a friend will be leaving her greys w/ me and she does not use anything on them. i mentioned the johnson and johnson lavendar powder info- the dust from the powder was toxic!- her reaction. tick guard was suggested, but now she wants to know if her dog who grooms himself will become ill....oy!!!

i hate lugging around more gear than necessary when i go camping. so, i resort to a clothes line strung up inbetween 2 trees and a leash hanging down- which can move back and forth. i give them enough lead so they can lie down or attach the pups to the picnic table. that's where they generally want to be, near the food. our dogs are usually so exhausted from hiking that the movable leash works well. both want to be inside the tent anyway@! on top of the comfy sleeping bags. we NEVER leave our dogs unattended, if so, they are in the truck in the shade.

giardia can be really difficult to clear up. interceptor should keep you old boy free of worms- is he on it as a heart worm preventative? mmmmm....talk to your vet. the pepto will block the asorption of the meds, so do call him first. since you are not a grain person, i guess over cooked white rice w/ 25% beef or chicken is out of the question. that works for me. good luck!

when emily was on pain management for osteo she was prescibed a combo of tramadol and metacam w/ a booster of amacidine. amacidine is a human anti-viral which seems to boost the effectiveness(sp) of the metacam. there was a paper published in or around the begining of december(that's when she was diagnosed)that the anethesioligist had just read which stated the benifits of the amacidine. it worked well until her shoulder developed a fracture. sorry about the spelling errors, i can't down load the new spell check!

to me obedience training a FUN and the way to CONNECT with your pup. aside from all the saftey issues which it discusses- stay, leave it, COME....there is a relationship that developes that is deep rooted. it's the relationship that i look for, everything else unfolds in due time. my newest gal, annie, is typical sight hound, independent, aloof, a little unsure of herself and a tad resistant. i'm going to do a repeat of basic intro(and we are only on week 3 and i know it) to really get her focused and confident. but i know once things click, she will enjoy it even more. it's also a positive way to bring their personality out.

oy, those cats in the garden are a real problem. a good friend who has 4 greys has been dealing w/ that problem. well, it has subsided since 2 of the greys got the cat- and nearly ripped it apart. well, the cat survived, one grey had a nasty bite, the other good scratches but that cat has not returned...since. prior to the double grey attach the same cat was terriorizing the dogs, one ran after it into the gate, bent the bar holding the fence in place and really scratched himself up and skinned his head under the chain link fencing and ripped up his hocks stopping. it took a good month or more for the poor pup to heal. it seems as if only an attack will send it on it's merry way unfortantely. i had ferrel cats in my yard when my terriers were alive. they used to jump the fence to escape, lucky it was years ago with slower dogs or i would have contended w/ the same situation as my friend. i used to scatter dehydrated coyote urine around the property, it was really bad at one point, a neighbor was feeding the ferrel cats and a litter was born in her garage. i also remember using moth balls as well. i got the dehyrdrated urine at a good garden center, i'm sure you can find it on line.

look into bite-not collars. there should be a thread somewhere. felix needed to stay away from his staples for 2 weeks, he did really well w/ the bite=not collar i made.

HOW EFFECTIVE IS IT ON TICS? HOW OFTEN DO YOU REDUST? HOW OFTEN DO YOUR PUPS GET BATHED, DOES THE POWDER CAKE UP ON THEIR SKIN? I LOOKED IT UP AND IT HAS CAMMOILE(SP?) FRAGRANCE AS WELL AS LAVENDER. IS IT JUST FRAGRANCE OR THE REAL STUFF? CAMMOMILE IS SIMILAR TO RAG WEED CHEMICALLY- PYRETHIUM IS THE MAN-MADE FAXSIMILE TO BOTH WHICH CAUSED ASTHMATIC/ALLERGIC REACTIONS IF ONE HAS A SENSITIVITY. DOES ANYONE IN YOUR HOUSE HAVE HAYFEVER? IF SO, DO THEY REACT? I AM SUPER SENSITIVE TO FRAGRANCES.

crate or belly band and use nature's miracle to clean the scent. your seats will need to be saturated, but the stuff really works. i personally would go for a crate.

can you gently clean the outer part of his ears? maybe baby oil on a cotton ball and wipe them clean, don't go into the canal at all. just the cosmetic exterior which is easy to clean. as the infection heals there most likely will be black waxy crud that can gently be removed. remember to hold/pull(gently) his ear straight up when you insert the drops and rub the drops into the canal. this should feel pretty good to him. one vet had me stuff a small cotton ball in to keep the meds in emily's ear so she wouldn't shake it out. i didn't keep the cotton ball in, just temporarily so she didn't shake the meds out. emily came to me with a deep ear infection. 2 rounds of meds and it was cleared up. i hope you are as lucky. all of the ear inflamation that i have dealt w/ just pop up, sometimes difficult to clear up, sometimes easy. remember their ears are like funnels and catch lots of dirt and debris, maybe that's what some of the krud is. oh, be careful not to get water down their ears when they are bathed, i use a wash cloth or sponge to clean all the folds and cotton swab it after the bath. do talk to your vet when you return for his recheck about maintance and cleaning as well.

i personally don't like cesar milan's shows, but end up watching some of them anyway. there was an episode w/ a large dog and a suv and major fear of cars. see if you can find the episode, it will help. it was a matter of attitude, positive reinforcement and FOOD from what i remember. as posted before make the treats really worth while and be persisitant and positive. it will take some time and make sure that you have a non-skid carpet/bathmat for the pup to land on when it's finally in the car. also try backing it up to a curb so the jump will not be as high and hup, hup and away. greys can jump just about anywhere if they want. i remember having the tail gate of our toyota pickup truck closed, but the door for the back of the cab open. emily was so excited she lept thru the small opening and landed on all of our camping gear. she was a hound ready to go anywhere at anytime!

your loss will always hurt, he will always be remembered and loved, loosing a companion stinks. but he will never be lost, he's in your heart forever especially when you open the fridge! i didn't know how important the rememberance section of g.t. was until i used it, i hope it comforts you as much as it comforted me....now...get a tissue!

we just went thru loosing our female(cancer), giving our remaining grey a chance to adjust to life as a solo dog and learning that he was not a happy camper. so, i decided to foster and see if anything would really click w/ our solo boy. the first foster was a beauty and fun but not the right match. the second (who my adoption rep. encouraged us to foster, she really liked her) did the trick, the two just melded together and she "got with the program" really quickly and it seems as if she has ALWAYS been with us. talk to your greyhound group, the seed has been planted- you have posted and are looking for reinforcement. see what they have for adoption and take london out to meet the pups. when the right one comes along both you and london will feel it. having two is easy, as easy as one. take your time and look around, too many greys are out there looking for homes. one is surely looking your way!

yes, uti is much easier to exorcise than a ghost. did your gal mind her crate? he she didn't it might be a good idea to reintroduce her to it while you are getting her back on schedule. many feel really comfortable in their cloistered space and it might be a good retreat for both of you as you catch up on your sleep.

looks like the beginning of a corn to me. but when in doubt i soak the foot 3xs (if possible) in either epsom's salts or organic gray french sea salt. both have wonderful healing properties and if there is something that needs to be drawn out, they will help. i just let it dry up and harden up. if it turn out to be a corn, welcome the the world of owning a greyhound!!!! my late gal emily had a corn in a similar spot which could not be hulled since she always walked off the edge of the corn. oh, i have been told by my vet to avoid bag balm. he finds it does not have any real healing properties. i know from using tons of it on my cracked fingers it did nothing.

i always train w/ high quality treats...this pup LOVES cheese and dehydrated liver so far. felix was fussy about cheeses, emmentahler did the trick for him and any left over chicken or meat.emily baitied w/ anything including a bandage on my finger, she chewed thru the food down to the bandage on a stand-stay! one of the trainers i am friendly w/ knows about the tunnel. her comment was,"i leave that trick for the really difficult dogs." i guess i'll be in for fun and games. annie has been doing nice lured downs now w/o the tunnel in the kitchen. my floor space is 6x9' and i have 2 greys cluttering up the floor doing their tricks for a tad of cheese these days.

ok, watched neversaynever's video and read the instructions and down she is!!!! 2 tries and it was much easier than what my dh was learning in class. they were maniputating the front legs, too fussy. i straddled a chair and had her tunnel under. i knew that there had to be a new trick out there. every dog is soooo different, this one would not be lured into the down position w/o the leg/bridge baracade(sp?). passing the link on to the local school. thanks

just curious- i was wondering what techniques are currently being used by individuals to teach "down". i have trained for many years and it seems as if there is always a new spin on techniques. i generally start w/ luring the pup into an almost down, assisting w/ moving front legs down and a gentle lean(almost a hug) if the pup's rear is still up in the air and LOTS OF TREATS AND PRAISE and a click if i have enough hands. i was just wondering what else people are doing these days. giselle, are you out there? neversaynever....are you there as well?

yup, muzzles except for felix who always has a soccer ball in his mouth! he was not kennel raised and has no idea about nipping and becoming agressive when he runs. also he can't bit another dog since he ALWAYS has a full mouth. our older female was a vampire- 18 staples later...she doned a hot pink muzzle her fashion accessory. the new pup we have doesn't wear one when she is playing soccer, she managed to get on to the leauge, but when she isn't going after a soccer ball....the fashion accessory is on her snout!

the bottom line is to watch out for the symptoms. diaharreah(sp?), cramps, some vomiting. it can easily be passed off as a stomach bug, but if your vet knows of other cases in the area he/she will act promptly upon treating it. that's why my saluki was able to survive. i had him at the vet within 3 hrs. of the onset of symptoms. i did not kid around knowing that it was in the area.

this cheap old time remedy helps clear their throat....one squirt(i use a baby medicine dropper filled) of lemon juice down the hatch! the juice breaks up all the mucos and your dog stops hacking away for a couple of days. i save antihisitimes for real sever allergic reactions. generally i use the store's own brand of real lemon.