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My dogs do NOT like to be separated from each other. SA from me? No way. They have SA from each other. For the first week I brought Truman home, I tried to gate him off in his own area for housetraining purposes. He wiggled through the cat door to be with Henry. Once he got too big to get through the door, he started knocking the gate over. Maybe Hutch was distressed that he could see his brother, but could not interact with him? Just a thought. P.S. We told you there'd be "OMG, what have I done?" moments! You're doing a good job. It only gets better from here.

I got the throwing stars.

Agree with Jen... This is probably going to be a matter of making accomodations vs. training. However, the "wait" command and door training are both still immensely helpful. Put your hand on the door, and reward the dog for being in a sit or down stay. Turn the handle, open the door a little piece. If the dog breaks the stay, the door closes and you start over. Eventually, the idea is to be able to walk in or out of the door without the dog bolting out. This one took a lot of practice for my guys because they know an open door usually means going somewhere fun. ETA: Josh, am I understanding you correctly? You let Boomer go from the car to the house by himself (i.e. no leash)?

OMG, I love deerhound and wolfhound mixes! She is ridiculously adorable. What is her name?

Right, I don't think you'd go to jail or anything. But I think they could sue you in civil court for damages and maybe pain and suffering? God knows how much they would get. How can you really put a pricetag on a dog's life?

Ahhhh okay, that would make sense as to complete the circuit. I understand now.

I could've sworn I saw a video once where people who were in military or police training locked arms, and the taser's current went through all of them. Of course, now I can't find it.

Poor Paul... I hope he is recovering. That's sort of the point I'm trying to make. If you stunned that yorkie with a stun gun and it died, you'd be in hot water, even though your dog was the victim.

That's what I'd be worried about too. And what if the dogs are touching? Does the current also stun your dog?

Go Jovie!

Awww, Chevy you are a brave boy!! Tell your maid mom that breakfast in bed is essential!

Drontal Plus, albeit expensive, is the easiest fix for common worms. Deworm and use a monthly heartworm preventative like Heartgard Plus, which covers roundworms and hookworms. Cleanliness is important, but in my experience, dogs and cats can pick up parasites no matter how clean your house or yard are. One month I decided to use up some extra Frontline I had on my INDOOR cats (I usually use Advantage), and two of them ended up with ear mites. I have no idea how.

Sounds like you're in good hands. I keep thinking about Neko and checking the thread for updates. Sending more good thoughts for you and your boy.

I think this is something we can all agree on. As for Kota, my advice is to keep a pocket full of (high value) treats on you at all times. If you notice that he grabs something he's not supposed to have, immediately use "drop it" or "out" (or whatever command you're using). Show him the treat, and once he opens his mouth to let go, say "good boy!" and trade up. Because he's a bit of a guarder, the idea is to re-train his thinking so that when a hand approaches, he understands its intended purpose is to give rather than take away. Once he becomes reliable with the command, you can phase out the treats. Also, your dog may benefit from some hand feeding. It sounds like he's making good progress. I had to laugh though about Kota slowwwwly grabbing the stuffy at the pet store. My younger grey does the same thing if he really wants something, but knows I'm watching.

Everyone is going to have their own opinions... but again, I would just question the legality of weapons that could do irreparable damage. For example, "Yes, I admit that I wasn't obeying leash laws, but that didn't give you the right to slit my dog's throat." That, and as ClawsAndPaws noted, it's important to make sure the weapon you're carrying is legal for your specific jurisdiction. Also, Rachel makes a good point about stun guns. Wouldn't the current run through both dogs, assuming they were touching?

So very sorry to hear this bad news... take care of your little man.

When it rains, it pours. Good thoughts for you and your pack.

Was the vWD test negative?

So funny- that's exactly what my guys do! I wrote about it in this thread: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/293897-jealousy-when-housemate-plays-with-other-dogs/ I asked my trainer about this behavior, and she didn't really have any other suggestions except giving Henry time outs and/or taking them to the dog park separately (not really an option). I used to not mind it so much because Truman is still very young (18 months), and when he was a puppy he would annoy other dogs. When he did that, Henry would go and body blocking was almost like a correction. He was like my babysitter! Now, Truman gets worked up because he wants to play with other dogs. Henry is just a "big brother" about it.

That's true... Halt! is on a little clip that you can connect to your leash or your belt loop, which helps matters a little bit.

. Yes. The kitten got killed, and the adoption coordinator talked me down and attributed it to pack mentality and the presence of a kitten vs. an adult cat. So I decided to give it another shot, and as time went on, I watched Payne develop more and more aggressive tendencies toward the cats. Although I wasn't home when it happened, all logic and reasoning suggests that he killed the kitten. With a heavy heart, we had to find another foster home for him. Since then, the dogs and cats have been fine. One of my dogs, Henry, is a bonified cat-safe greyhound. My other, Truman, is cat "curious" because he wants to chase and play with them. So it is possible to train "cat workable" greys to be safe with cats, it just takes time and work. To the OP, being able to distract is a good sign... lunging, on the other hand, is not. So whether or not Hutch will be safe around cats/small dogs remains to be seen... just do everything possible to set the dog up for success and keep your cats safe. It's still very hard for me to talk about my experience because I failed everyone involved. It's one of those things where I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive myself. I would hate for someone else to go through something similar. I am, however, happy to report that Payne was adopted (in a home without cats), and he's doing very well.

Just wanted to add, Halt spray has 4.1 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Several of the reviews describe personal accounts where people had to use the spray and found it both effective and convenient. It's also safe and doesn't do irreparable damage to the dog's eyes, so it wouldn't be a huge deal if you or your dog got it in your eyes. I would be very reluctant to use a stun gun or any other type of weapon, even if strange off-leash dog posed a threat to my dogs. The legality of it seems questionable. I could see someone twisting the story, and I'd be the one paying for THEIR vet bills. This sort of reminds me of the Lexus Project story where the on-leash greyhound attacked a small dog that approached off-leash. Just because that person was negligent in regards to the leash laws, doesn't mean that dog deserves to be hurt or killed. And we're not necessarily talking Kujo and coyotes here... a senior greyhound on GT was attacked not long ago by a Yorkie. That dog suffered a great deal of puncture wounds and required medical treatment. If the greyhound owner took a stun gun to the Yorkie and killed it (right, wrong, or in different), I imagine a huge legal battle would ensue.

I've already deviated enough from the OP's original question. Whether you allow your dog to growl or not growl is a personal preference. My dogs don't growl at humans anymore- I feel that through training and desensitization, they have gone through a process of behavioral extinction. It is quite possible for dogs to develop other communication signals as an alternative to growling. I am merely making the point that it's the OP's decision whether or not he wants to tolerate growling at some distant point in the future. I realize that I participate in more training and probably have higher expectations for my dogs than most owners. My forte is formal obedience training and therapy dog work- arenas where growling is not acceptable when the dog is not in serious pain or imminent danger. Good job to the OP! I love to see new owners working through problems instead of bouncing the dog. Kota sounds like a smart boy.

So sorry for the less than encouraging test results. Hopefully the bone marrow biopsy will tell you more. Did they put him on any meds yet? Prednisone at least?