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Seems coincidental that it only cropped up when you were away on vacation. My guess is nervous chewing.

Sarah, I just wanted to say that I think you've done a fabulous job with Luna. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is something medical that goes away with a round of ABX. If not, I would recommend posting on Care.com for a dog-walker. There are lots of people who are college students, in between jobs, stay-at-home parents, etc. who are looking for some extra money. And the other nice thing is that the website does background checks on everybody. In our area, a once-a-day dogwalker runs about $12 a day, which is probably what you'd spend on doggie daycare. The other option is to possibly train her with pee-pads. It's kind of a non-traditional approach, and you'd have to leave her crate door unlocked. But that would be a lot better than doggie diapers or bad-girl pants. I've found that those things are good aids for older dogs with leaking or incontinence issues, but not the best solution if the dog is totally emptying out. If she sits in a wet diaper for two hours, you're looking at the larger problem of bacteria spreading, which results in UTIs. And again, I really applaud your commitment to Luna. Not many owners, especially first-time grey owners, would go to such lengths.

Same. I had a cat who was diagnosed with lymphoma, and I will never forgive myself for forcing Pred down her throat in the last few days of her life. She lasted maybe a month from diagnosis to the bridge. If I could do it over again, I would've had her PTS before it ever got to that point. I'm really sorry for this bad news, and I hope against hope it's not lymphoma.

Batmom can probably comment more on lineages, but every Kiowa dog I've seen has the same short face, stocky build look.

Miami seems like he could be a stockier greyhound. Does he have Kiowa in his line? I just got done petsitting for my friend's greyhound who has a shorter face, less tuck, and almost no ribs or spine. But that's just how the dogs in his line look.

Geez, she is just a little thing! I'm hoping Vicki brings some joy after everything you went through with Tempo. Lord knows you deserve it.

The staples have pulled out (great ) and the wound is still open. But the good news is that it's no longer draining. It seems like the tissue is granulating. I'm taking him back tomorrow so they can look at the staples and take them out if necessary.

The dog will NOT like being crated in another room. I can almost guarantee that. It's best to either crate in your bedroom, or let them sleep on a dog bed in your bedroom at night.

Poor Truman. He's still obsessively trying to lick. He's wearing his muzzle, but now he's just licking the inside of the muzzle.

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/302077-resource-guarding-gsd-but-my-dog-is-aggressive/

I like Missing Link as an alternative to fish oil. Super fast results, easier and less smelly than an oil.

Two staples. Vet was pretty adamant that it was a dog bite, which I'll post about in another thread.

Definitely rule out bloat first. Panting and restlessness should not be ignored, especially in AKC hounds where bloat is much more prevalent. If you're sure it's not bloat or some underlying pain or medical problem, I'd muzzle everybody as a precautionary measure. I don't tolerate bullying among dogs... although I do understand and sympathize that AKC greys are almost a different breed. Everything you wrote about your Henry sounds very similar to my Truman- a little neurotic, puppyish, bouncy, no manners. Those are all reasons why we've done extensive obedience with Truman (for our own sanity and our other dog's).

Ugh, 3PM can't come soon enough. Here's what it looks like now. It keeps draining blood and clear fluid.

Well, overnight it seemed to get worse. It's seeping blood and clear fluid. I'm taking him to the vet at 3.

I tried boxers, but it was no good. It still didn't cover the spot. It's in an awkward location. Maybe I need the kids pants.

That is actually a really good idea! Thanks.

Truman has a cut on his leg that started small, but his incessant licking opened it up into a pretty deep, decent sized nick. When I came home earlier tonight, there was blood all over the bedspread. I'm trying to wrap it at least for a day or so to get it scabbed over. But I've tried it several different ways, and the bandage keeps sliding down. Any tips on how to wrap it? Should I go around the waist? I finally got his muzzle/stoolguard out to stop the licking.

If he's been home for over a year, and he's still freaking out over noise distractions and external stimuli, it's possible that you just have a spooky dog. You can do things to help lessen his anxiety... but this may be the way he is. Spookiness is a legitimate genetic trait. You can only get so far with training. I get what you're saying about leadership, and it's definitely important that your dog sees you as an authority figure. Anytime you use the word 'alpha,' though, it implies the obligatory Cesar Millan alpha dominance training trap that so many people fall victim too. I like Jen's 'benevolent leader' term. You want your dog to obey you out of mutual trust and respect, not fear.

Can we see a picture? Hard to tell without actually seeing it.

Batmom, Krissy, and Giselle are three of the most knowledgable and experienced people on this forum. They have given great advice. I think that once you lose the alpha nonsense, you'll be in a better place for training. Also, I would recommend taking some time to observe and learn your dog's specific triggers and cues. What does he look like when he's stressed, scared, excited, overwhelmed? If the dog is over threshold in any of these scenarios, the training will not be effective. It's important to understand when to push their boundaries and when to say, 'This isn't working, let's try something else or stop.' Be aware of your own body language as well- it's very difficult to make any type of progress if your dog is sensing your frustration or anger. I say this because I've taken over a dozen different obedience classes with my dogs, and it still happens to me when my dog isn't quite 'getting it.' Also, I don't think anyone has asked this question yet, but how long have you had this dog? I'm asking because it is so easy to fall into the trap of trying to do too much too soon with a greyhound. It took me six months to a year before I established a level of trust with my dogs to where I could clearly convey my expectations of their behavior. Just making eye contact in the beginning is a big deal. You may have to take a hundred baby steps before you can get the focus you want in a distracting situation (which is 100% normal and okay). A lot of that will come naturally when the bond is solidified, and the dog automatically looks to you for confidence and reassurance. Lastly, I should mention that in the training world, greyhounds are considered one of the more 'difficult to train' breeds, so don't feel like there's anything wrong with your particular dog. They won't work out of the sheer pleasure of pleasing a human. That's just how they are. You sometimes have to get creative in order to make it an enjoyable, fun, experience. And if there ever comes a time when neither of you are having fun, then it's time to stop and reevaluate.

Looks like I'm the minority, but I buy the large breed formula... I like the larger pieces. It forces my guys to chew, instead of just swallowing everything whole. To me, chewing = more dental action, and my greys need all the help they can get. There is something to be said for larger chunks. Before this, we fed TOTW, which was really small pieces. Henry's teeth were worse than ever then. His teeth did improve when we switched.

This occurred to me. Will they take it back if it's opened and a quarter of the way gone?

Hahaha. GeorgeofNE is good for that. Don't feel bad about asking questions. We were all first-timers once.

Missing Link! I had spotty results with fish oil, but this gave fast and very noticeable results. Very, very highly recommend. Everyone I know who's used it raves about it.