a_daerr

It's a very rare scenario that a dog has aggressive outbursts for no reason, unless there is some underlying pain or medical issue. What happened leading up to the bite? Hopefully we can give you more feedback if we can get some more specifics about what happened before and after. P.S. Dominance theory, or the belief that the dog acts out because he needs to 'be in charge,' is not widely accepted as a legitimate theory among pet behavior professionals. This chart by APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) may help you interpret your new guy's behavior in a more credible way than any of the 'dominant' or 'alpha dog' Cesar Millan type stuff. http://www.apdt.com/petowners/choose/dominancemyths.aspx

Definitely. An MRI could cost thousands.

Agree. Just to be on the safe side.

Dominance theory (pack behavior, alpha, showing the dog who is in charge) is largely pseudoscience and has been disproven by dog behavior experts. The APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) has even put a section on their website to dispel all the myths about 'dominant behavior.' There is no evidence that walking through doors first or growling or pulling on leash are ways for the dog to be in charge. Absolutely none. Cesar Milan, the person responsible for sensationalizing dominance theory, is a fraud and a phony with no formal education of dog behavior. Now that I've gotten that out of my system... The behavior you're describing is actually very common in greys. I'm not sure what types of dogs you've owned in the past, but if your experience is with non-sighthounds, you'll probably need to throw it out the window. Greys are highly sensitive and communicative with their emotions. Their behavior and personalities differ greatly from some of the more common 'family dogs' (i.e. retrievers, gun dogs, and working dogs who, as a breed, rarely growl, tolerate rough-housing, and may require a firm training style). Greys are still amazing and make wonderful companions, but they do have their own unique set of behavior 'quirks,' at least in the beginning. Resource guarding, space guarding, and startle/sleep aggression are probably the most common issues that come up in the T&B section of this forum. I'm sure you'll be able to search through the threads and get some helpful advice. So not to fear, you aren't the first to go through this (and certainly not the last). There are ways to address the behavior with counter conditioning and positive reinforcement. Very often, this behavior is reduced or eliminated over time. Sometimes the dog is never comfortable with humans in his or her space. Then we, as owners, accept that our dog may not be the type to snuggle in bed, but that's still okay. Respecting each other's boundaries is a part of ownership. One basic thing to remember is that growling is a form of communication, so it's likely that your dog will growl on occasion. Greys growl- I've never met one who didn't. It's her only way of telling you she's uncomfortable with something. It's very dangerous to punish a dog for growling, because then, you take away their only means of communication, and it often leads them to a more drastic type of expression, like a snap or bite. Even if it's something that seems really silly to humans (like the prolonged eye contact, which by the way, is a very threatening thing to do in 'dog language,' think two dogs staring each other down before a fight), she didn't like it. Once you become more bonded, tolerant, and attuned to each other, the growling gets lesser and lesser, and she won't feel the need to growl at every indiscretion. Understand, though, that it is still her tool to use when she needs to. If I had a nickel everytime my two boys growled at me, I'd have a ton of nickels (counter this with my lab-owner friend, whose dog she has never seen growl about anything in his entire life). Certain breeds are different and have different thresholds of emotions. On the topic of scars and abuse... You'll probably never know where she got her scars, but every greyhound is bound to have them. I adopted an AKC greyhound as a puppy. He was a pampered prince and had no experiences of the 'hard life.' Yet, even he's covered in minor scratches and dings (from running, playing, and general clumsiness), even more so than my retired racer. He's also a huge growler with a ton of anxious hangups. I've had him his entire life, so of course, I know he was not abused. Do I understand why he does weird stuff? Absolutely not. It could be genetics, it could be his interpretation of past experiences, it could be anything. A lot of new adopters jump to the conclusion that scars and behavior issues automatically = abuse, and (while you'll never know for sure), it's probably unlikely. I think we as humans feel the need to rationalize everything, and if there's a behavior problem, there has to be some heavy explanation for it. Most times there isn't (and if there is, it follows a complicated set of 'dog logic' which we can't understand). Even though your dog wasn't a racer, I doubt her owner would have abused her. When you're using an animal to work for you (whether by hunting or racing, whatever) it doesn't make sense to inflict injury upon them. A hurt dog doesn't perform as well as a healthy one. I agree with the others about consulting 'The Other End of the Leash' or even 'Greyhounds For Dummies.' These will give you a great baseline of dog behavior and how to interpret/remedy it. Try to stay patient and positive. Best of luck with your new girl.

You guys are both pretty young, right? All the young people I know say they 'hate' stuff. Probably a bit of an exaggeration, but for teens and 20 somethings, it's common vocabulary. My guess is that BF is probably scared to get snapped at again. It's probably easier to express dislike than fear. Hope things are going better! Keep us updated!

Sometimes they get stomach bugs (virus related), just like humans. If it resolves itself within the next few days, I wouldn't worry too much.

I reduced it on Web Resizer by 40%. ETA: For whatever reason, my version of IE won't let me see the web file size. Under size, it just says "unavailable."

Agree with this. I'm interested to see the responses. One of mine does the same thing. Whenever he hears the car door close, I can hear him inside freaking out, whining, jumping up on the furniture, pawing at the door. It's probably my fault because when I get inside, I usually give him lots of lovins and pets. I'm sure there's a way to counter condition by leaving and coming home a bunch of times, ignoring the craziness, and only rewarding calm behavior. I'm just not sure exactly what protocol you'd follow.

I see what you're saying... I'll give you my reasoning, which of course, is that of an un-expert person. I think I'd be more concerned about her renal values than the WBC, because the kidneys are responsible for flushing out the anesthetic after the procedure is over. WBC deals more with fighting infection, which isn't a huge deal for an MRI because they're not doing anything invasive or opening her up. I'd opt for pre-anesthesia bloodwork to check all her other levels, then have a conversation with the veterinary anesthetist. Maybe they could do the MRI with just a light sedative (ace, valium, or something) instead of general anesthesia.

I chopped a decent amount off. Does this work?

Are you worried that she won't handle the sedation of the MRI because her counts will be low?

Alright, back to the drawing board.

Trying to fix this to work. Did this get yanked for file size or commercial requirements?

I'm so glad that he's making a slow, but steady turnaround. Big hugs to you for not giving up on him.

This brings tears to my eyes. Here's why... One of my boys, Truman, is very "Joe-like." I adopted him when he was 15-weeks-old with the intention of training him for competitive obedience and therapy dog work. That went out the window very quickly! He's an anxious dog- hates children, has problems with leash reactivity, and harbors about a million little hang-ups that make him a terrible candidate for a working dog. I was constantly disappointed and frustrated at his behavior. I started realizing that he would probably never live up to my expectations... But that's all they were. MY expectations. Once I let go of those and started accepting Truman for who he is, managing his problems was, admittedly, a lot easier. He's a loving, silly boy who gives toothy kisses and takes awesome care of his older greyhound brother. I'm so glad there are Joes (and Trumans) out there to teach people like us about acceptance and unconditional love.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/merial-announces-new-claims-for-nexgard-afoxolaner-now-approved-to-kill-two-additional-species-of-ticks-259803361.html In case anyone was wondering, Nexgard is approved to kill black-legged (deer) and lonestar ticks.

How terrible that all this happened so quickly. I bet you (and your petsitter) feels awful. Following this thread and sending good thoughts for your boy.

Agree with the others! Lots of new adopters try to put weight on their dogs by increasing kibble and loading up on treats. Both of those things are likely to cause diarrhea (counter-intuitive, since a dog doesn't gain when the food is going right through them). I'd probably just keep things the same and let her adjust. When they stop racing, they fill out pretty well with a regular diet. Four cups is pretty standard. ETA: Oh, and get used to people constantly making "you dog is too skinny" comments. You're bound to get those all the time, especially with a fawn. Their ribs and body contours tend to be more obvious, since they don't have stripes or spots to act as camouflage.

That's what we get. Some people get the mini chunks. The only real difference is the size of the kibble pieces. We get the 46 pound bag at Sam's Club.

IMHO, muzzles should really only be used for: Situations where all other dogs are muzzled (i.e. a multiple-dog household where a new member is being introduced, an off-leash play group, more than one dog in a small space, like the car) Dogs who are destructive chewers Dogs who actively scavenge for food Dogs who are aggressive with other dogs who have past behavior of biting/snapping/instigating Vet procedures that may cause the dog to bite out of pain Cat-training or small-dog training with high prey greys Not a good idea to muzzle her in a public place like a pet store, dog park, or on walks. You want her to be able to defend herself in the off chance that something goes awry. If you want to start taking her places where other dogs are around, just keep a wide berth until you can reasonably predict her behavior. A week is a very short amount of time, though. I'd probably hold off and do controlled interactions with calm, well-behaved dogs that you're familiar with first.

Try not to over-analyze her weight. People will say that retired greyhounds should be at their racing weight or a few pounds above after they come home. Those aren't hard and fast rules, considering that many greys will lose a fair amount of muscle once they're off the track. Unless she's actively losing weight, has a parasite problem, or visually looks skinny (spine, hip points, and/or ribs protruding), a few pounds fluctuation isn't a big deal.

A lot of greys don't do well on these kinds of foods- too rich. IMHO, food labeled with these buzzwords are a marketing scheme to get you to pay an exorbitant amount of money for dog kibble. There's nothing wrong with grain or corn or carbs in the diets of domesticated dogs. I'd try her on IAMS green bag. Works miracles for soft stools. At least try it before going to the extreme (and expense) of prescription food.

Henry ate them raw... much like chicken feet, it is a grotesque and disgusting thing to watch/hear.

Are you sure they aren't nipples? Males have them too, and sometimes they are tiny, inconspicuous, blackhead-looking bumps. The reason I say that is because I posted a similar thread awhile ago, and I was shocked to find Truman had nipples! So embarrassing! Here's what I mean… those three little black bumps are nips.

Any updates? Her FNA is scheduled for tomorrow, right?