a_daerr

Oh my goodness! So sorry you are dealing with this. One thing you need to be VERY careful about is how tight you wrap the bandages. I made that mistake, and almost overnight, Truman's tail became infected and necrotic. I've had vet techs also do the same thing. Even though it's tempting to wrap it tightly (to make it stay on), err on the side of looser.

Have faith! Truman is coming around. His leash aggression issues have all but subsided in less than a month. In fact, last week after class, a golden rushed up and jumped on him on-leash. He did a little 'errr' but no serious reactions, and he was 100% fine afterwards. I thought for sure this was it- he turned into a mean, high-strung adult dog. I got upset a few times and cried. But just when I thought hope was lost, he went back to his normal dog-loving self. Fear stages are the worst.

I started by working them on their beds and luring up from a down. If he's having trouble, you'll need a really high value treat. Bring out the big guns- steak, liverwurst, something with a strong scent. It also helps if you sort of back them into a corner or against a wall so they don't have room to stand. Lure the treat up and backwards, right at nose level. When he gets into the sit, however brief it is, mark it with your cue ("good sit!" or click, if you're doing clicker training) and keep practicing. Once he's got that, phase out his bed and practice on other surfaces. Then once he's got the right motion, he'll most likely figure out how to go directly into a sit from a standing position. After that, it's just a matter of practice. Both of my guys sit before getting leashes on, before being given their dinner, and it's their default motion for every treat/chewy/bone. If you've tried all that and he really doesn't seem to get the movement, you can sort of cup his body into a sit by gently, but firmly pushing back his chest while using your other arm to take out his knees. It's uncomfortable the first time, but it doesn't hurt or traumatize them. I had to do it this way with Henry, and afterwards, the lightbulb went off and he got it right away. Obviously, you'd only want to do this if you've had this dog for awhile and he trusts you. Would NOT recommend this method unless the dog has been home for awhile and is comfortable being with you manipulating his body. Just a side note- I have been in several "greyhound only" training classes, and the owners say, "He won't do it! It's impossible!" And lo and behold, by the end of it class, every single dog learned to sit. Yes, some of them were side-saddle. Some had a raised paw. They usually don't hold the sit for very long. But it definitely can be done!

I love Vetericyn Wound Spray for stuff like that. It's expensive, but it's been a miracle worker for us.

So sorry you are going through this. As the others have said, it sounds like he was having cluster seizures. He needs to be on an anti-convulsent medication ASAP. I highly recommend you consult with a veterinary neurologist. Your regular vet most likely will only have knowledge about the two most popular seizure meds- Phenobarbital and Keppra. The neurologist will be able to give you much more pharmacology information to find the right medication (or combination of meds). A lot of people balk, assuming that specialists are too expensive. But for us it was only around $100 and saved us much more in repeat visits to the regular vet. My Henry has been seizure free for nine months.

There are a million threads in here regarding separation anxiety. If you search it, you'll find lots of good advice. My only comment is about meds. I don't know why there is such a stigma about using meds to give your dog some relief and help ease him through the transition. Many times, owners only need them for a short period of time. If your dog broke his leg and was crying in pain, you would give him medication, right? It's the same thing. Anxiety is a very REAL condition and often warrants meds. Many dogs benefit from Clomicalm, SSRIs, and other fast-working anxiety meds. They don't make your dog a zombie or change their personality, or any of the misconceptions that people believe. If you've done all you can with alone training and feel like you're hitting a brick wall, don't let your hound suffer. Consider meds then.

Ours was on linoleum. Slippery, but not impossible. ETA, Batmom, look at test #4 (sit stay) http://www.tdi-dog.org/images/testingbrochure.pdf

In both Henry and Truman's tests, a down-stay was not accepted. They had to sit- even greyhounds. During the "meet and greet" portion where you stop and shake another dog-owner's hand, the evaluator asked me to sit Truman on my side during the introduction. I actually remember during Henry's test, he didn't hold his sit for long enough (kind of slid into a down), and even that wasn't acceptable. The evaluator had me bring him back up into a sit and hold it. I started by working them on their beds and luring up from a down. If he's having trouble, you'll need a really high value treat. Bring out the big guns- steak, liverwurst, something with a strong scent. It also helps if you sort of back them into a corner or against a wall so they don't have room to stand. Lure the treat up and backwards, right at nose level. When he gets into the sit, however brief it is, mark it with your cue ("good sit!") and keep practicing. Once he's got that, phase out his bed and practice on other surfaces. Then once he's sitting all the time, most likely he'll figure out how to go directly into a sit from a standing position. If you've tried all that and he really doesn't seem to get the movement, you can sort of cup his body into a sit by firmly pushing back his chest while using your other arm to bend his knees. Obviously, you'd only want to do this if you've had this dog for awhile and he trusts you. We're practicing for the TDI test, and they now have to do sit-stays for one minute. No exclusions for greyhounds. You can imagine how hard THAT is.

When you originally said you had five small dogs and were adopting a greyhound, I started thinking about my own dogs. While they're safe and appropriate with small dogs, they get annoyed easily. It would take either of them a LONG time to adjust to living with one. So while Prada is probably safe and appropriate with small dogs, keep in mind that she may be overwhelmed by all the action. As the others said, move her bed out of the main thoroughfare. Also, make sure she has her own space where she can retreat when she's feeling overwhelmed.

Let me know how it works out. I thought about using a GL for Truman, but worried it would make him freak out and worsen his leash reactivity problems.

Look through this thread for Chad's post. Chad (greyt_dog_lover) is the "resident expert" on cat training. His advice is always extremely helpful.

I am so happy to read this. It looks like you found an excellent solution. You made a responsible and well thought out decision by adding James (who is older, calmer, and well-adjusted) rather than taking your chances with a brand new grey. Way to go!

There are lots of seizure dogs on this board, and they live very full, happy, normal lives. My Henry is epileptic. You're right, though, seizures are scary. But in a young, otherwise healthy dog, they're very manageable.

Exactly. Here's the downside to making a savings account for emergencies. You'd have to save $50 a month for 8 years to pay for a $5000 surgery. I put aside money every month for routine stuff- vaccines, Frontline, Heartgard, check-ups. But that little bit of money wouldn't help me in a crisis.

I believe VPI is the most common one offered through homeowners. Steer clear of that one! This website was pretty helpful for me.The major thing you want in a pet insurance policy is one that pays based on what your vet charges- not based on a fee schedule, because those are always extremely low-ball estimates. I'd go with either Healthy Paws, Embrace, Trupanion, or Pet Plan US.

You will get A LOT of different opinions on this one. Lots of people advice against using bones because of the likelihood they can break/chip a tooth. Also, rawhide is a hot button issue. With that being said, my guys get both. For bones, we use Merrick Corporal Caps (knee bones) twice a week. They also get rawhide rolls and CET rawhide strips from the vet's office. My other secret for good teeth is a water additive. The bones, in combination with the other things, gives my guys perfect teeth without regular brushing. Henry is almost six, and he's never had a dental. In fact, the vet just mentioned to her intern last time that Henry and Truman are the poster-children for greyhounds with good teeth.

I would be beyond angry if I sent my dog in for what appeared to be a routine dental, and they gave him back sans 20 teeth. Even if they felt like it was necessary, they should have called you. I'd be having a serious conversation with them.

I would argue that she SHOULD have some type of chew on a regular basis (everyday or every few days)... especially if you're like me and not the most diligent about brushing. So to answer your question, no, the answer isn't to just permanently take that item away. That will make the problem worse. Continue working on trading up, and doing it on a daily basis. Also, I'm not sure if you did this part or not, ALWAYS let the dog have the original item at the end. So for example, trade for a piece of chicken, give the rawhide back, trade for another treat, give it back. Then at the end of your session, leave her with the rawhide. She'll eventually learn that she has no reason to guard because she will eventually get that item back.

It's a personal choice. I have insurance because vet services are expensive, and I don't ever want to be in the situation where I would have to choose to put one of my dogs asleep because I couldn't afford their care. Just to give you a heads-up, accidents and illnesses creep up, even if your dog is 100% healthy. One of my guys was bitten by a spider, and the total amount of vet bills were over $1700. Think of how much it would cost if your dog needed surgery if he broke a leg or got attacked by a loose dog. Thousands! Pet insurance gives me a little more piece of mind that I can deal with those things financially. Oh, and I should also add, that if you do end up taking out a pet insurance policy, definitely shop around and read reviews. Don't go with the first pig in the poke. I originally went with ASPCA, and they were awful. I'm in the process of switching over the Healthy Paws or Embrace.

Me too. There is one who comes to our dog park who will incessantly bark and try to herd my greyhounds. They are a very challenging breed- super high energy and need jobs. I don't see many who would be good 'dog park dogs' except for a few BC mixes.

Someone used to bring in a tiny, baby puppy in the large dog section of my local dog park. She would just stand there and hold it. Then when another dog got close to investigate, she would shout "NO!" and bat them away. Even though my dogs are very appropriate with puppies and small dogs, they were continually going back and forth trying to see what was in this woman's arms. If she would've just set the stupid thing on the ground, I'm sure they would've lost interest in a heartbeat. Putting something above a dog's line of vision makes it ten times more interesting. General rule of thumb. In a public dog park, all dogs should be off-leash, un-muzzled, on the ground, and within verbal control of the owner. And I think it goes without saying that you shouldn't be choking/dragging/abusing your dog either. If this owner can't follow those roles, he's asking for problems.

Yes, very suddenly. Last year, he had a bad experience (almost attacked by a bully while I was leading him away by the colllar) at the dog park. Then recently, he was rushed by a boxer on leash. So for lack of any other explanation, I've been chalking it up to those two things. But yeah, he used to be happy and social on leash. Now, for whatever reason, he's VERY anxious. He has a lot of strange leash-aggression and leash-frustration behaviors.

Giselle, to answer some of your questions, yes. I definitely think it's related to stress. He does spend a significant amount of time scanning. He also yo-yo's between performing and being distracted. Strangely enough, though, he doesn't seem very distracted by the other dogs. It's everything else in the room. Last week, he spent a good 30 seconds sniffing somebody's backpack. If we're just sitting there and not actively working on focus exercises, he'll try to wander away to sniff and look around. There's a huge window that he's always trying to look out. A lot of the time, he'll work hard for the first part of class, but then we hit a brick wall. When this happens, he's still behaving appropriately, but he's totally tuned out to me. I can say his name and put the lure directly in front of his nose, but he'll refuse both eye contact and the treat. He does respond to his name or the word "look" probably 90% of the time, but sometimes I have to say the word two or three times. If he doesn't respond by the third time, I stop asking because then I know he's really stressed and I've probably already lost him. The trainer suggested trying higher value treats, which as you said, does work temporarily. The first day I brought roast beef, he went absolutely crazy for it. He had great focus in class and did every command perfectly. I used roast beef through the week, and he continued to work hard for it through the first couple sessions. But fast forward to training class that next week, and he was back to spitting it out. He did work for the chicken I brought (another "new" treat), but now he's getting bored of that. Like I said, I'm still bringing a variety of treats to class, but he'll refuse to take anything he's already had before. Also, I don't give him any kibble before class, so I know he's hungry when he's refusing treats. I'm betting that he would refuse a toy also. Like I said, he does respond to pets and verbal praise, but that's not usually enough of a motivator for me to get the desired behavior. This is more of a side note, but... while I feel like we are making progress on his leash reactivity issues, his behavior is still very hit or miss. Two weeks ago when we walked at the lake, he was an absolute nightmare. Relentlessly pulling the leash, barking and lunging at every dog. Then this weekend, at the same location and similar circumstances, his behavior was excellent. There was some kind of event going on with loud music, people, bicyclists, and quite a few other dogs. At one point, we walked between two groups of people with dogs- a black GSD on one side, and a huge newfie on the other. Big dogs (and also black dogs) are both triggers for Truman, but he managed to pass by without even acknowledging them. The one difference is that prior to leash walking, I let him run off leash in the empty section of the dog park. So I'm wondering if perhaps his problems are related to his energy level. It might help me to "pre-exercise" him off-leash before we do any leash work. Because when he's tired, his behavior is significantly better. I'm conflicted though, because that's almost like cheating. The goal, eventually, is for him to focus and listen to me no matter how amped up he is. But in order to continue establishing positive introductions and below-threshold experiences, maybe it would help as a short-term solution? I don't know what to think. He has made progress in class, and hasn't had any reactive moments there in awhile. And I guess my other question is this. He's about to turn 2 at the end of this month. Is it possible that this behavior is still part of adolesence, or is this ultimately the dog he's grown up to be? I know he went through some very exaggerated puppy stages, but he managed to come out of those mostly on his own. I can't help but feeling I've failed in some ways because he's been socialized and in some type of formal obedience class since he was 15-weeks-old. How do these negative behaviors crop up, when seemingly, I've really tried to do everything right? Like, leash reactivity is the last thing I thought I'd be dealing with since he's had hundreds of positive experiences on leash with other dogs. Why is he always losing focus when we have worked on "look" and eye contact since the day he came home. It's all so frustrating.

I had a cat who had lymphoma. She had a tumor on her lymph node that grew to about the size of a golf ball. She stopped eating, and I tried to delay the inevitable by force feeding her and pilling her with prednisone. This happened nearly two years ago, and I STILL feel guilty about it. I wish I would've had her PTS when she stopped eating.

I read an article about something similar in Dog Fancy. The dog was so stressed when company came over, she would be searching around the house for days on end to make sure the people *really* left. The owner said she'd be lurking around furniture trying to make sure people weren't going to pop out and scare her. The concensus was that the dog lacked confidence to deal with the presence of other people in the house. So the suggestion was to do A LOT of confidence building exercises and socialization. I think the same would apply to your boy. A basic obedience class would probably be really beneficial.