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We've had Henry going on two years. He started off as a very shy dog- submissive and somewhat unconfident. After four training and obedience classes, Henry is 100% a different dog. He is certified in both CGC and TDI. He willingly approaches people and has perfect, well-mannered behavior in unfamiliar situations. The one thing I do notice is that Henry yawns A LOT. Not the big, prolonged "I'm so tired!" yawns. Very quick, sometimes repeated little yawns. He does it all the time, even if he's just getting attention at home from me and DB. I've read that this can be a nervous behavior dogs use to calm themselves down in times of stress. I'm wondering if he does this as a way to reassure himself? Maybe just a nervous habit that he developed from his younger, less-confident days? I wonder how I should interpret this behavior and if I should do anything back as a sign of assurance.

About six weeks ago, I had a conversation with my trainer regarding food. Henry had been eating Science Diet Lamb and Rice for about a year. No real problems with the food- it's just that I started doing more research and discovered I'd been paying $50 a bag for low quality food made with high amounts of corn meal. I made the decision to switch Henry to Taste of the Wild (High Prairie) for nutritional reasons. It was a VERY gradual switch that lasted several weeks- I started using the TOTW as treats, then slowly followed the 25% 50% 75% plan while closely monitoring poops. Now we are 100% on TOTW and he devours the food at mealtimes (he never did that with Science Diet). However, I am starting to notice that he is licking more. He licks his paws, legs, bum. I hear him licking in the middle of the night, and I don't feel like he ever did that before. I also feel like his teeth have gotten noticeably more gunked up after switching (I'm now doing Petzlife twice a day in addition to more frequent brushing and CET chews). I'm reluctant to switch to a different food again, considering this was such a process. I'm wondering if this is a normal adjustment period or if I should switch again? If so, should it be a different brand altogether? Go back to Science Diet? Stay on TOTW but with a different protein source? Any input is appreciated.

Sprinkles' nose Sprinkles and Henry doing TDI stuff.

Are you fostering Prince? I saw him on the website, and he really does have a pink nose! One of my friends has a grey named Sprinkles (below) who also has discoid lupus. I'm not sure she gives him anything by way of medication. But I do know she feeds only grain-free because food with grain tends to aggravate his skin.

We had this EXACT same problem with Henry. Greyhounds seem to have "selective hearing." If Henry doesn't like the command I'm giving, he'll sometimes look away and pretend like he can't hear me! The best thing you can do is to assert your position as the leader. After a few good yanks on his martingale, Henry knows that he's only allowed on the bed when he's invited. We've done a great deal of work with learning the difference between "MY bed" and "YOUR bed."

Sending positive thoughts your way for Mira. Keep us posted!

I am so very sorry for your loss. Bee Wiseman has been one of my favorite GT hounds for a long time. I had no idea about her backstory. You are wonderful people for giving her the chance she deserved.

There are some excellent interactive toys that I saw on "It's Me or the Dog" with Victoria Stillwell. I have the tug-a-jug (Premier) and the hide a bee (Kygen). I think they're wonderful. It gives the dog something they have to work hard at in order to actually get the treat/toy. The thought it that the busier they are, the less destructive behaviors they develop. Both of these items got excellent reviews on Amazon. You might want to give something like this a try. Hide-A-Bee by KYGEN Premier Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug

Here comes Henry Cotton Tail! I want to take him to see the Easter bunny this year. It would be like an ironic revenge.

Ahh, sounds like your new girl is shy about peeing on leash. My dog, Henry, hates pooping on leash. I think some dogs prefer privacy and just do not want anybody watching them do their business. I found that a good solution for this is clicker training. We worked with a trainer and had great success with the clicker. It's a unique sound that dogs can easily associate with praise. As soon as your dog motions like she's going into a pee, click. Then, when she finishes, click again and treat her. I'm sure as time goes on, she will become more confident and learn what is expected of her. Good luck!

I used to take my Henry to doggie daycare a few times a week. He loved it initially, but then another lady started bringing her two boxers- both of whom were very badly behaved. There must've been an incident that scared Henry because I can't even take him in the parking lot now. He starts shaking and won't even get out of the car. It sounds to me like your dog has some hesitation toward the dog park (for whatever reason). But he trusts you very much and wants to please you. He may be content to go for walks with you or just play at home. Our adoption group has a lot of greyhound-exclusive events and opportunities for the greys to play together every couple months. Henry definitely comes out of his shell in the presence of other greys. Maybe Tracker would enjoy something like that?

It took me a LONG time to teach my dog Henry how to sit. I wanted him to test for his TDI, and it is necessary that the dogs (even greyhounds) sit on command. We actually participated in a greyhound-only basic obedience class and NONE of the dogs were good sitters. To my understanding, it's a very unnatural movement for most greys. They're usually completely up or completely down. "Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies" has a great section on teaching sit. Unfortunately, the only way that worked with Henry was to physically scoop him and slowly lean him back into a sit. If you're going to do it this way, it's important that your greyhound really trusts you! I only needed to do this a couple times, just to get him used to the movement. He was still very cautious at first, and we had to work extensively with different surfaces, etc. We also used lots and lots of good treats (Henry loved cheese). Now, he's a sitting fool. Good luck!

My greyhound, Henry, was very shy when we first adopted him. Shy almost to the point of fear aggression. We had several incidents that sound similar to what you've described. Henry did NOT like other people coming near his bed. He snapped at me once and also at my sister-in-law. My boyfriend was ready to give him back to the kennel, because we were so upset and clueless about what to do. I worked with a trainer who was really great. Now, Henry has his Therapy Dog and Canine Good Citizens certifications. He is much more confident and allows us to do just about anything to him. (Really, I mean anything- we pick him up and make him dance, ride him like a horse, etc.) Looking back, I remember how frustrating this behavior was. My advise is to just hang in there. Maybe consult with a trainer to associate positive things about people being in his space. We used lots and lots of treats and toys. It may also be a reality that your grey will never share his sleep space. No dog is perfect- Henry still growls when strangers come to the house and approach his bed. But almost all behavior is manageable with the right training. Good luck!

The picture is a little dark, but here's a video of my Henry roo-ing.

I also say nay. I took my Henry to an indoor/outdoor dog park that also does doggie day care. It was okay for short periods of time (an hour or so) but after a few bad experiences, I can't even get him near the parking lot. It's very hard when you have all different ages and breeds of dogs with different ways of playing, different energy levels, and different levels of training/obedience all placed in the same area. I could tell that it made Henry uncomfortable when dogs were constantly running around and barking. Certainly, you know your dog better than anyone else, so it's up to you to make the decision about whether or not doggie daycare would be a good idea. I would definitely say two things though: (1) Do your research and make sure you are 100% satisfied about how professional, clean, and well-staffed the daycare is, and (2) Be an advocate for your dog. Look for the signals that will tell you whether or not your grey is happy with it.

Our Henry sleeps in the bed, but to be honest, I wish we never encouraged it in the first place. Unless you have a very large bed, greyhounds tend to be hogs. Those long legs will sprawl out and before I know it, I'm curled up in the furthest corner clutching the tiniest piece of blanket. Also, Henry sometimes has space issues and forgets that the bed belongs to ME, not him. He's growled at us if we change positions or try to move him. I do agree with the others, that if you allow your grey on the bed, you should absolutely teach them commands like "down" and "move." Henry knows that when I raise my voice and point to the floor, that it's time for him to get off. Good luck!

My three-year-old, Henry, had his first seizure last week. Seems like it may have been a fluke thing. We haven't experienced any other problems before or since. But because of this, I'm very interested in epilepsy in greys. I'd very much like to participate in your survey.

My dog has obedience training with another grey who has problems very similar to yours. She put him on a grain/gluten-free diet. It has helped immensely. Good luck!

Thanks to everyone! Your answers are definitely appreciated! I spoke to our trainer, who confirmed what everyone here has said: He's fearful of strangers encroaching on the area where he feels most safe. When we first got Henry, he was very shy- so all things considered, he's made a great deal of progress in three month's time. The training class especially has been incredibly beneficial in helping Henry come out of his shell. Now that he's gained some confidence, he's started to express his fear more overtly (growling, etc). The trainer suggested many the same things that were brought up here- namely leashing him, and asking guests to leave him alone when they enter the house until HE is ready to say hello. She also gave us the idea of "Treat, Retreat," where we can ask our guests to throw him treats (instead of hand-feeding). This way, he begins to associate strangers with good outcomes with as little risk as possible. She also said that it's important not to discipline him or baby him when he growls. The less we focus on the bad behavior, the easier it will be to phase it out of these situations. We're going to start trying all these things, and I'm certain he'll get better with time. Thanks for all your help!

I've had my grey Henry for about 3 months now. He's a very nice dog, somewhat submissive in nature. Just some background info: Henry is a 2 1/2 year old red brindle. We adopted him from an organization where the dogs are kept in kennels, so he had not been fostered before we adopted him. He loves other dogs (especially other greyhounds) and shows no sleep/food aggression. We had him tested for everything by a vet who specializes in greys (thyroid, UTIs, you name it) and he's in excellent health. He stays at home by himself during weekdays while I'm at work (no crating), and has shown no separation anxiety, no potty-training problems, etc. Right now, we're working on basic obedience training once a week with a certified dog trainer (clicker/positive reinforcement training) and responding very well. The problems we're experiencing deal mainly with fear-aggression. We started noticing it around children. His eyes would get real big when they approached him, and he'd try to hide behind me. Then, probably within the first few weeks of getting him, he growled and snapped at my sister-in-law (an adult). I thought it might have been a one-time thing, since she tried to lean over him when he was on his bed in the corner of the room. But then he began growling at certain people who come over to our house. He gets visibly nervous if certain strangers try to touch him (but with other people, he's fine). It seems strange that he has these (seemingly) arbitrary moments of aggression, because he spends a lot of time around strangers. We take him everywhere, and he is great with strangers in pet stores, parks, the training center- all public places. But when people come to our house, the growling seems to get worse. He especially doesn't like my sister-in-law, who now doesn't like to come over because of Henry. We've tried giving him treats when these moments happen, but he acts totally uninterested. I've tried to find a pattern with the people he's shy around, but I don't see one. He's growled at men, women, children, adults. I'm absolutely willing to keep working with him. But what should I do?