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So sorry to hear about Treetop's passing. I'm glad you could have some comfort knowing that the timing was right. Still doesn't make it any easier, though.

Agree! That being said, OP is likely to run into the same problems with any other newly-retired greyhound. I wouldn't give up on this one just yet.

Hi, and welcome! Lots of good advice already given here, but I wanted to comment specifically on this. I wouldn't correct the growling first, because that's probably confusing for him (i.e. "mom is mad, so why is she giving me a treat?") When the growl happens, go right to trading up, and try your best to do it in a happy, light tone. Also, I wanted to add that if your dad entering into a room is enough to elicit growling from Biggie, there is definitely some level of fear there. Fear can cause an otherwise gentle and friendly dog to do things they normally wouldn't. In this type of situation, the only way to reverse his fear is through positive associations. Have your dad toss some treats to Biggie from across the room. No eye contact, no loud voices, nothing that can be interpreted as threatening. Work up to having Biggie take treats from your dad's hand. Have him be the "giver of all things good." If your dad is unwilling or unable to follow this type of protocol and insists on the "firm hand" approach, it's probably best to keep them separated. It's just not worth the risk. I have two very sweet greyhounds (who have also been extensively trained as Canine Good Citizens and Therapy Dogs), and despite their training, I'm 100% sure they would bite if someone tried to hit them.

Given that this is your first grey, everything you're feeling and stressing about is 100% natural. But greysmom is correct, all the behaviors you're describing are very typical of newly adopted greys. From your original post, I wouldn't say there's any underlying problem with your dog specifically. And unless she's routinely being destructive, having accidents, or vocalizing for hours on end, her SA is probably very manageable. It can take awhile for your dog to settle into her new home, even if she was fostered somewhere before. Given that your girl retired later (at 5-years-old, instead of say, 2), her routines are more ingrained. But with that being said, even the most well-adjusted grey usually requires more than a few weeks/months to "get it." There's an adage about greyhounds that goes: the dog you come home with is not the dog you end up with. Very true! Just be patient with her.

Oh no... You guys are in our thoughts.

Ooh! She's so pretty! She reminds me so much of a young Henry (also a Rico dog and a red brindle).

So sorry to hear about Chloe. This thread is such a wealth of knowledge- I hope it gives you some help and comfort. Henry had his second round of Doxo yesterday. So far, so good. His CBC looked really good, and to my surprise, he wasn't a nervous wreck this time. We'll see if the side effects get any worse with after round 2. I set up a session with Nicole Begley Pet Photography for May. She did some photos for us a few years ago that we absolutely loved. I wanted to have some photos to remember Henry's journey. I also sent in an application to get new plates on my Jeep. This is what its supposed to look like.

Henry had a really good week. We went for a long hike at the lake earlier this week and a run at the dog park today. He's slowly getting more comfortable running, playing, and bossing Truman around. He goes in for his second dose of Doxo tomorrow. Wish us luck that everything goes as planned.

Yep, sounds like typical coprophagia. Muzzle with a stool guard is your best bet. Sometimes, taste deterrent supplements can help.

Sounds like he's just stressed because he wants to be with you. My dogs are the same way. If they know I'm somewhere in the house and they can't get to me, they freak out. I understand your situation, though, re: him not doing stairs well and the issue with the cat food. The best thing you can do (and it's easier said than done) is to ignore him. If you're continually calling out to him and he hears your voice, then he had learned that his actions are getting attention. In this case, the negative attention (i.e. being yelled at) is reinforcing the behavior. If you 100% ignore and are consistent about it, he'll learn that this is his routine, and that's it. No point in trying to change it. I don't even think you need the Melatonin. A kong or some type of treat/chew that will keep him busy/distracted before bed would probably be just as effective.

I'm doing a combo of Cosequin and Missing Link (Joint and Hip formula) for Henry. I can't really say I saw miracles, because we started using them preventatively. But I did notice that he's no longer shaky on his back leg anymore. Some people on here swear by Fresh Factors for older greys.

Be careful, especially with the coyotes. They are very clever. In our neck of the woods (Southwestern PA), the game commission brought coyotes in to manage the deer population. Someone at our dog park had a close call after a female coyote started coming outside the fence whining like she was in pain/heat. His dog got curious and jumped the fence, and as soon as that happened, a pack of males came out of their hiding spot and ascended upon the dog. They were stalking him the whole time. Of course, in certain parts of the country, greyhounds are bred to hunt coyotes, so they would stand a better chance than say, a little white fluffy. Still very scary, though!

Oh no! Sending good thoughts for Ben!

I hope I didn't sound like a jerk. I have an anxiety disorder myself, and I get bent out of shape when psychotropic meds get a bad wrap. I think a lot of dog owners think that if they try meds, that means they've failed as a trainer. Definitely not the case if it helps the dog in the long run.

It does sound like a lot of food, but not out of the realm of possibilities. My Truman is 82 pounds and eats between 2.5-3 cups of kibble at each meal with various supplements and mix-ins. He's also two-years-old and pretty active, so I think it depends on the individual dog.

Ehh... there are a lot of opinions on this one. Here's my two cents... 99% of the time, it's never a good idea to adopt another dog purely to solve behavioral problems in the first one. An adoption group is going to give advice based on their own agenda- they want to unload more dogs. But getting another dog is a HUGE decision in terms of time, expense, training, etc. Is that something your daughter wants? And it also begs the question, what if that dog has behavior problems? I've seen instances where people brought in a second dog to "fix" the first dog's SA. After a few months, that dog also developed SA, and the whole situation turned into a holy mess. Both dogs just ended up exacerbating each others' anxiety. Another thing is, what if down the line, there comes a situation when the two dogs need to be separated? What if, god forbid, one of them dies? IMHO, adding a second dog doesn't solve the problem- it just puts a band-aid on it. I would definitely try medication first. There are meds like Clomicalm that are specifically designed to help with SA. And nothing against your daughter, Linda, because I'm sure she's a perfectly decent individual and she's just trying to do right by her dog. But I've never understood why there is such a stigma against anti-anxiety meds. Just because it's a psychological issue, doesn't make it any less real.

I'd go back to Housetraining 101. Since crating seems to have been counterproductive and stressful in the past, I'd use baby-gates and/or x-pens to decrease his level of space. The premise behind crating and confinement is that the dog learns to "hold it," otherwise, he makes a mess of his den. But if a dog learns he can go to the bathroom inside and still has enough enough space to walk away from it, that's when it becomes a really hard habit to break. I'd limit him to one room of the house, preferably a kitchen or somewhere with flooring that's easy to clean if he has an accident. If you're still finding piles of poop, make the space a little smaller. But, when he starts to do well, gradually give him more freedom. A dog isn't considered officially "housebroken" until they've gone 60 days without an accident, so try not to give him too much freedom too soon. The other part of this regimen is that there has to be a very strict feeding, exercising, and elimination schedule. No free feeding- bowl goes up in 15 minutes if he doesn't eat. Make sure he gets sufficient exercise prior to you leaving for the day. I'd also want to pinpoint exactly when he is having accidents to make sure his housebreaking issues aren't connected to separation anxiety. A good way to do this is to set up a laptop/webcam and create a UStream account. If he's having accidents shortly after you leave, it could be SA-related. If it's in the middle of the day or close to when you get home, then you know it's just a matter of timing and adjusting. This is an excellent resource on housebreaking. It's a short and reads almost like a pamphlet, but it's very thorough.

Five years and two months... hope for us all. So sorry for Maggie Mae's passing. She was such a special girl.

I agree that Seka needs more in terms of pain management. Osteo is one of THE MOST painful types of cancer there is. Better to be ahead of the curve than behind it. It's good that her lungs look good, though. You may have a decent amount of time left if the cancer is slow-going and hasn't metastasized yet.

Fingers crossed for Summit.

Oh no!

So very sorry to hear about Lana's passing. I was holding out that things would improve.

Check with the vet before you cover it with anything. If the skin is raw and infected, I'd be worried about the fabric rubbing and irritating it even more.

Yes! My Truman is a compulsive licker when it comes to small cuts or injuries. He never lets anything heal- just bites and licks it back open. The muzzle stool guard combo has been an amazing tool. The other thing you may want to consider is a low-dose sedative, at least temporarily, since this is clearly driving her crazy. Our vet gave us Valium the last time Truman got stitches on his leg. It calmed him down so that he wasn't miserable while his injury was healing. ETA: Yes, the stool guard solves the problem of them being able to get their tongue through the holes. And they are MUCH easier to crate this way. Our guys can do everything normally with a muzzle and stool guard, even go out the dog door.

Kim, did the vet give Casper a script for any type of anti-anxiety or sedative for the days he receives chemo? I told the onco I was concerned that Henry was starting to get stressed going there. Last time, he was shaking like a leaf and started statuing when the tech tried to take him back. They gave me Trazadone, so I guess we'll see if that helps any. Usually, Henry's very excited to be going anywhere, but he's quickly developing a negative association with this vet.