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Awww, congratulations! I've had Truman since 15-weeks-old, and he's now 20-months-old. My $0.02 is this. The dog you're looking at is probably not going to have the stereotypical "puppy" problems that people usually think of (i.e. housetraining, chewing, jumping, pulling, etc). It's likely that he's grown out of those kinds of things behaviorally. Note: I say "probably" because there's obviously exceptions to every rule. The biggest thing to consider is that a 12-month-old will be VERY immature. He'll also have way more energy than your two girls. There's a good chance he'll be more challenging to train. Even though Truman is almost 2-years-old (and has passed five different obedience classes including his CGC), he is still ridiculously stubborn. While I found it very cool to watch my puppy grow up, the adolescent stage presents its own unique issues. Their hormones are still leveling out, so you can expect some moodiness, behavioral regression, and unpredictable behaviors. It sounds like you have a good environment to add an adolescent if you choose to. Having two adult females who can help train and correct him is a huge advantage. I don't think I would've lasted if I didn't have Henry as my "babysitter." As for neutering, they typically say to wait until a dog is at least a year old. There are certain hormones that regular bone development, so when dogs are spayed or neutered very young, it can sometimes cause growth problems. However, I think you would be fine to neuter him now. In fact, it's better to do it sooner than later, as neutering will help calm him down, plus reduce possible unwanted sexual behaviors like marking and humping.

Glad he's doing well. Maybe your regular vet's office can put some surgical glue on it?

I love it!!! Truman's BFF is his Siamese kitty. I had a custom collar made for him with this print. We get loads of compliments on it.

I am another fan who admired Kevin from afar. Thinking about him today and admiring his picture on the CG calendar as I flipped to May. What a special boy.

It's possible. The only thing that Henry can eat raw is chicken feet- everything else gives him diarrhea.

I am jealous at how lucky some of you are! I've owned, fostered, and pet-sat for many dogs over the years, and I also work a typical 8-hour work day. I learned the hard way that many dogs just don't "get it." There's NO WAY I would let a dog have free-roam of my house when I wasn't home without some type of formal housetraining. Even when I was home, the dogs managed to sneak off and have accidents. I'm curious, when you guys adopted your dogs, did you just leave the house and cross your fingers? If you can't be there 24-7, how else do you teach housetraining other than confinement or crating?

Neither of my dogs play or wrestle with humans. They play with each other and with other dogs. The most I get involved is when I toss a toy for them to chase. I'm pretty grateful for this because I HATE when dogs get up in your face and want to rough house. I find it annoying. IMHO, greyhounds have more manners and respect when it comes to interactions with people.

We had just the opposite problem. The worst diarrhea of Henry's life was after he ate a raw knuckle bone from the butcher shop. Virtually no problems with smoked bones.

He's not doing it to spite you. Dogs don't instinctively know that they're supposed to go outside unless you teach them. Go back to Housebreaking 101. Take him out on a schedule, ensuring he has ample opportunities to potty after mealtimes and naps. Praise and reward him everytime he does his business outside. Never scold if you didn't catch him in the act. Unless you're home and can monitor his movements 24-7, you'll pretty much have to consider some type of confinement method. It doesn't necessarily have to be the crate, but you'll need to confine him to one area using some type of training tool, like an x-pen or baby gates. Just a word about crate training. I've seen lots of people CREATE crate anxiety in their dogs by only crating them when they leave the house (thus causing the dog to associate the crate with a negative action). Make his confinement space positive by giving him treats, kongs, chewies, etc. when he's there. Let him be there at times even when you are home. Never force him. Make it a part of your regular routine, and after some time passes, you can expand his space room by room and give him more freedom. Some people are lucky enough to have dogs that just seem to "get it" and can have free reign of the house without any accidents. Nine out of ten can't. It doesn't mean that your dog is intentionally trying to test your patience- it just means they need extra training. Treat him like he was on his first day, brand new and straight off the track. Whatever training method you use, be as consistent as possible. IMHO, don't use belly bands or pee-pads. They seem like easy fixes, but they're not. A belly band is used to correct marking, which is a totally different issue. And by using pee-pads, the dog learns that it's okay to go in the house. You want to set the mentality that it's NEVER okay to go in the house. I made this mistake with my puppy, who is now almost two-years-old. Every few months, he'll pee in the same place we used to keep the pee-pads many, many months ago. It's just easier to do the hard work in the beginning to have a dog that's reliable 100% of the time. Also, it's also still highly possible that his accidents are the result of separation anxiety (as evidenced by him having accidents despite the duration of time you're gone from the house). You may want to consider an anti-anxiety medication at this point.

Yep, I get them from PetSmart. Whether bones will work or not depends on how aggressive a chewer the dog is. I can get away with the smaller knee bones (Dentley's brand). I get five in a pack for about $11. Some people do better with knuckle bones, though, because they're bigger. Henry's going on 6, and he's never had a dental.

I told Christine (half joking, half serious) that I wanted to take him home. His first placement fell through two days after he was released from OSU. But... it looks like Freddy is staying put at Christine's house. She can't really make it official since her husband said "NO MORE DOGS!" But he ended up fitting in well there, and he has a really good bond with Christine. He really was a dream. He started play-bowing at Henry and romping around. He's a real sweet dog.

Freddy looked incredible!! He gave me kisses through his muzzle- I could've cried. I totally fell in love with him. Just as sweet and handsome in person. What a really nice happy ending for Freddy.

Knee bones every week, and my guys' teeth look great.

So adorable! Please tell me that's a Siamese cat on his collar.

Another green bag convert here. The formal name is "Iams Proactive Health." You can get it in two different kibble sizes, large breed and mini chunks. We get the large breed because it seems to force them to actually chew their food. I buy the huge 46 pound bags from Sams Club for around $38.

Were they on antibiotics after the dentals? Sometimes, ABX can deplete the healthy bacteria in the GI tract. Using a probiotic like Forti-Flora to build up that bacteria again might help.

Truman was definitely Moody Blues at GIG. He was being a snarky brat. I expect him to laze around and sleep for a few days.

Just now seeing this... I am so sorry you and Kebo are going through more troubles I love Kebo, he's one of my favorites on here. Best wishes for a successful recovery.

One more thing (not sure if this applies though). For CGC/TDI, they allow regular, plain harnesses. I believe it's because some dogs have medical conditions and cannot have pressure or strain on their necks. So they can't make a blanket rule that "all dogs must use flat buckle collars." If the same is true with Rally, you could get her a nice fitted harness. That would give you a little more control.

I really agree with NeylasMom and brianamac here. It seems like OP is looking for some magical solution? There's no real way to do ANY type of training unless you put a leash on your dog and teach him how to greet other dogs appropriately. Simple as that.

Yay!! Glad you're seeing an improvement!

Hmm, I don't know about Rally. But if they're anything like CGC/TDI, they don't make exceptions for sighthounds. I had to test both Henry and Truman on flat, buckle collars. All of Henry's therapy dog work has to be performed on the same. Luckily, all of these things have happened indoors, so I've never been too concerned about him spooking and backing out of the collar. On a puppy though, I can see your worry. If there is a national, overseeing organization for Rally, I would maybe get in contact with them for clarification.

In the U.S., people bash Hill's and Purina all the time for not being "premium" foods... even the veterinary formulas get a bad wrap! When I think of "premium," I think of the foods that are $70 a bag foods that are sold at private, boutique-y stores. In my humble opinion, totally unnecessary. So Kristie, even though you're feeding the higher end formulas, you helped make the point that the term "premium" is relative. Thanks! Bottom line: it just depends on what works best for your individual dog.

You will get a million different answers, because the "best" dog food is the one that works best for YOUR dog, and that varies greatly from greyhound to greyhound. Many people try several different foods before they settle on one that works. My only advice is to not read too much into what's considered "premium." Those are all marketing buzz words and fads (organic, wholistic, limited-ingredient, grain-free). When I was brand new, I wanted to give my dog the most expensive, highest rated food I could find. After five different "premium" brands, he was still getting diarrhea and constant digestive upset. We now feed Iams Proactive Health. Many people on this forum refer to it as "green bag." Yes, it's cheap and I buy it from a grocery store (gasp!) but it's the only food I've found that doesn't give my dogs problems. If you look above, the poster with the username Krissy is a vet, and she feeds her dogs Hill's and Purina. I also supplement their meals with rice, oatmeal, cottage cheese, ravioli, bananas, greek yogurt, lean meats, bones, and lots of different homemade cookies, muffins, and biscuits. They won't touch vegetables (some will). It's all trial and error for the most part. Best of luck with your girl! She's gorgeous!

Yep, they will do that. Eventually they give up once they realize it's not coming off. We muzzle regularly so they're used to it.