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I have not used that particular product, so I can't really comment there. I do use a twin-sized electric blanket for my pups. I got it at Target for $30.

Feel better soon, Henry.

AKC hounds do not have a high prevalence of osteo, like the retired racers do. But of course, there is always a possibility it could be anything. My bet is a sprain or soft tissue injury. I'd probably ask for an x-ray and anti-inflammatories/pain meds.

It sounds like you're doing fine. I wouldn't even call it SA if she's only whining for a few minutes. Just take a deep breath, and take it slow!

Congrats! She's adorable!

The other thing to consider might be eye contact. One of my guys used to be very uncomfortable with dogs/people who made prolonged eye contact with him. I suppose he felt threatened in some way. We did a lot of training with 'look at me' and 'look at that.' Lots of rewards just for giving focus and eye contact. No punishing for growling. The other piece of advice I have is not to put her bed in a place where she feels boxed in. I made that mistake with one of my dogs. I put his bed in the corner of the room, which is fine for some dogs. But I think other dogs need to see an 'escape route' so to speak. If she's in a corner and feels trapped, that could be contributing to her anxiety. The other option, as Judy mentioned, would be to try out a crate. It may make a difference if she has one place where she can retreat and feel safe when something makes her nervous. I applaud you for keeping Cleo and working through her issues. Not an easy thing to do.

That's a trait that some AKC breeders will actually breed for- well sprung ribs. I don't think that my Truman would've shown too well for that reason. He is very flat-ribbed.

A harness could be very beneficial, or it could make the problem ten times worse. For my guy, the harness made him feel more constricted, which then caused his leash reactivity to be more severe. He hated it. He would actually run and hide when I brought it out. One big thing to consider is- what is your behavior like when you're walking her? When you see a possible distraction that could put her over threshold, do you tense up and automatically tighten the leash? I was doing that instinctively because I wanted to have better control in the event he freaked out. Over time, I learned that my behavior was contributing to his anxiety.

I know two dogs with Kiowa Sweet Trey sires. Neither of them are "fat," but they don't have very high tucks, and their ribs don't show. They look a lot stockier and have shorter faces compared to my two. KST has 14,000 offspring though, so I'm sure they come in all shapes and sizes. I came across this pic of Lonesome Cry. Miami definitely has the same shape.

For us, it was a matter of Truman wearing Henry down. Truman likes to snuggle with whoever or whatever he can. Henry didn't like that at first, but we reached a certain point where he decided, "Alright, FINE." Now, they lay together without any problems.

Ohhhhh... I get it now.

Specky. I'm so sorry for your loss. She was one of my favorites.

Went through this same thing... here's my thread from a few months ago with very helpful info from others. The key was focus training "look at me," and "look at the dog." http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/293327-on-edge-while-on-leash/

It's possible that he's just grown accustomed to you switching up the food and giving wet food. Now, he may think if he holds out, something better will come along. If that's the case, you can add anything and everything you can think of (including a new formula/brand of kibble), but it will only work temporarily. I'd set down his bowl, no mix-ins, and give fifteen minutes to eat. If he doesn't eat, bring the bowl up and try again at dinnertime. You usually only have to do this once or twice for the dog to get the point. It feels like a battle of wills, but a dog won't voluntarily allow himself to starve.

I think P&G has already taken over, at least on certain formulas. I called IAMS to report Henry having terrible gas from our last bag of food. They sent me a voucher for a new bag, and the return address on the envelope was P&G.

Good thoughts for Hopper. I don't have any advice re: scheduling. Henry does well getting his meds whenever dinner happens to be that night. I don't have to dose it at strict intervals.

I've had Truman since he was 15 weeks, and he got to a stage where everything went in his mouth. Everything. We redirected him by always having a variety of things to chew on. His favorites are Merrick knee bones and rope toys. Fifteen minutes twice a week is probably not enough- I'd start giving him regular chewing sessions everyday. As for training what's appropriate and what's not, it's all about supervising and redirecting. If he's particularly destructive and you can't be there to supervise, it might be best to muzzle.

Henry has been home for close to three years, and believe it or not, his personality is STILL evolving. When we first got him, he was majorly fear aggressive. Very shy, froze and statued all the time, freaked out by loud noises, hated children and men, hand shy. He had pretty much every problem in the book. Our trainer thought he would always be spooky. Fast forward about a year, and he was almost totally over his fear issues. Bombproof. Friendly and happy out in public, even earned his therapy dog certificate. Still very polite and well-mannered... Then his personality got way more outgoing with the addition of our puppy. He went into 'big brother mode' and totally exuded confidence. He went through another huge personality change when we got his seizures under controlled and started meds. Way more affectionate and snuggly. He also became ten times more playful, energetic, vocal, and spunky. I think we have only begun to see his 'true' personality. They really do surprise you. My guy is a 100% different dog than the one I started with.

You're having the 'oh, sh!t' moment. I think we've all been there. If you're patient and gentle, you will have a different dog in a few short months- you won't have to be afraid of him, I guarantee it. Lots of good advice from the others. Robin is a great resource for shy dogs. Good luck, and keep us updated on his progress.

It's a good idea to teach your dog to wait politely at the door from a safety standpoint (so they don't go bolting anytime they see an open door). But to answer your question, no. Letting your dog out the door first won't lead to them being "alpha" or "dominant" over you. The whole not-letting-the-dog-walk-through-the-door-first notion was wrongly interpreted by researchers among a group of captive wolves. They picked up on behaviors of wolves snarling and posturing over who could get through an open door first. But they later determined that this was a group of wolves who had been thrown together from various sources, so they were acting more like rival wolves than wolves in a common pack. That behavior has never been seen in wild wolves (or in domesticated dogs), leading most animal behaviorists to believe it has absolutely no credible basis.

You're right. This can absolutely happen when the dog starts to settle in following the first few days/weeks. My Truman sleeps downstairs on the couch. But to OP, it's not a great idea to bring a brand new dog home and try to crate them in another room all alone. I had a foster who chipped teeth and bent the crate bars because I tried to crate her in a room by herself. It was awful. Most of the crating literature I've read (including Greyhounds for Dummies) recommends crating the dog wherever you spend most of your time, and allowing them to sleep either in a crate or on a dog bed next to your bed. During that initial transition, it's calming for them to see you and hear your breathing. Once your dog is fully settled in and housetrained, then you let them choose wherever it is they want to sleep at night.

Got it. Thanks!

Truman is on Rimadyl, Cephalexin, and Valium following a puncture wound from a GSD. The Valium is to calm him down because he is restless and agitated and keeps obsessively trying to lick the wound (without the meds, he'll lick the inside of his muzzle/stoolguard for hours). Anyway, I'm noticing that he's eating significantly less, which is abnormal for him. He'll chew his food into small pieces, but then spit the food back out into his bowl. It usually takes him 3-4 minutes to eat, but now he's standing at the bowl for 10-15 minutes, just chewing and spitting it back out. He also threw up once yesterday. It seems to me that he has an upset stomach or no appetite, but he's doing this behavior to fake Henry out, so that Henry doesn't swoop in to steal his food. This is the second day that he's eaten less than half of his usual amount. The vet recommended giving Pepcid with food, which I've done, but no improvement. Which of the meds is likely to be causing his stomach upset? Rimadyl? At this point, should I ask for a different combination of meds? Bland diet? Poor Trumie.

I'd say that all the dogs in the pics provided look pretty similar. None of them are overly ribby (although it's hard to tell on Dudley because of his brindle patches). Is that what you're wondering, Denise? If you should be able to see more ribs, spine, and hips? Some dogs are, some aren't. I wouldn't worry too much about it, as long as he's not gaining at a rapid pace, and he seems healthy otherwise. Henry is a Great Son dog with a Gable Dodge grandfather. He looks ribby all the time.

Great advice from everyone. If it were my dog, I'd work on trading up with every member of the household. Just in case he'd get ahold of something dangerous/toxic, you'd want the closest person to be able to ask for a "leave it" or "drop it." Trading up is also a good exercise in bonding, not from the "dog should be subservient" standpoint, but one of mutual respect.