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Guinness! My Truman prefers Dr. Pepper.

What Kristie said is really important. You will inevitably have moments when you think, "Oh dear God, what have I done??" We seriously debated returning Henry (my heart dog, love of my life) because we didn't think WE were cut out to be dog owners. Truman gave me every problem in the book, and I've had my fair share of head-in-hands bawl sessions over him. It's a huge adjustment period for everyone, especially when they're whining, throwing tantrums, and testing your patience. Just try to be as consistent as possible.

You'll be fine! And trust me, you're going to make mistakes. Everyone does. Good luck with your new boys. I love the dynamic between boys, especially brothers. You'll have a lot of fun.

It is possible for low-prey, well socialized, and well trained greyhounds to go to dog parks. Both of my guys love going to the dog park. Truman probably wouldn't have survived puppyhood without it. Then again, I am very vigilant about observing them at all times and their interactions with others. Also, we've worked extensively on "leave it," "drop it," and recall training.

Trust is a dangerous thing... One of my fosters was fine with cats 99% of the time. He would let them run by, swat at his tail, and share his bed. Being naive, I decided to stop muzzling him. Then, out of nowhere, he grabbed one of the cats and ended up killing her. This happened some time ago, but even now, I still feel a mess of emotions. I failed my kitty, and I also set my foster up for failure. As you said, it is difficult and confusing when your dog does something unpredictable. The best we can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best. I'm glad you're not giving up on Bonnie. She's not a bad dog- she just couldn't fight her instincts this time.

You can also try using a water additive, like Dental Fresh. I've been using that for years with my dogs (and cats) with excellent results.

Just wanted to update this to say that the salmon oil is working wonders!! Sleek, soft coats and they both love the taste. No difference as far as I can tell regarding Plato versus other brands.

This is exactly what happened with Truman. The first few bandage changes, they took everything off and same thing. The wound was wet, and the smell was awful. He had to be on ABX for an infection. The syringe allows it to get air, but the problem is that it doesn't offer much in terms of padding. So there can still be trauma to the tail as they wag it and hit it off things... which then prevents it from healing properly. If you keep having issues, PM me and I can give you more info about the pipe insulation trick. Unfortunately, happy tail and tail injuries in general are one of the most difficult and frustrating problems to deal with.

I just wanted to add one thing. it's not really a good idea to leave your dog muzzled in a group of un-muzzled dogs. For one, they can still attack and/or kill a small dog with a muzzle on. Secondly, it creates a dangerous situation if a fight broke out, as your dog would not be able to defend himself. Typically, the rule of thumb is everyone is muzzled, or no one is muzzled.

I panicked at first too because neither of my dogs 'got it.' I had to hold the flap open for them and coax them through with food. Also, Henry took some time to realize he was 'allowed' to go out unsupervised. My advice is to give her a little time to investigate and get used to it. It took us a couple days, a week tops.

I love her smiley picture! What a pretty girl.

It's sort of a highly debated topic, but some people use melatonin for hair regrowth.

I believe this is what Paisley had... She had multiple transfusions, but didn't make it. But under normal circumstances, I believe the disorder can be somewhat managed with meds. I hope so! Glad to hear he's feeling better.

This thread just hit 150 posts... we might've overwhelmed the OP!

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Our park is divided too- there are sections for large dogs and small dogs. Unfortunately, owners do not always obey that rule. We once brought a foster grey to the dog park and had a really close encounter after someone decided to bring in a teacup Yorkie. The same foster had a scuffle with a medium sized dog (over 30 pounds), but it was white and fluffy so he believed it was fair game. Nine times out of ten, he was okay with other dogs. But there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to prey drive. I had to stop bringing him to the dog park for his own safety and the safety of others. It just wasn't worth the risk... And don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-dog-park at all. My other two boys are low-prey and well socialized with all breeds. We love the dog park and go there almost every day in the summer. But then again, both of my dogs have participated in extensive obedience training, their recall is reliable, and I've had them long enough to predict their behavior and understand their signals. Here is my $0.02, and take it for what it's worth. If your dog is high-prey at all, dog parks are just a bad idea. Sherlock may be okay most of the time, but there is always that chance that he won't be. Realistically, you can't stand at the entrance and tell everybody entering, "Well, my dog might not be okay with yours, so you can't come in." And even if you are as vigilant as possible, dog fights can happen in a fraction of a second- before your brain would even get the message to leash him up and separate him. Plus, I NEVER recommend leashing a dog in the presence of a group of off-leash dogs. It immediately changes the dynamic, creates a situation of vulnerability, and makes your dog a target to the rest of the perceived pack. For now, I would contact your adoption group and ask about a greyhound-only playdate where all the dogs can be muzzled and run freely without the threat of harming other dogs. Then, if you work with his prey issues and maybe attend some obedience training, he may be able to be trusted at the dog park in the future. If this is not an option and you decide to continue bringing him to the dog park, just keep in mind that you assume the responsibility if he injures or kills another dog.

Vetericyn is a miracle solution! I use it all the time on my two klutzy boys. Hopefully there's nothing stuck in her paw. For what it's worth, I fostered a little female who would hold her back leg up real high and hop around like that (only did it outside once she got running around). Her issue was an old racing injury that caused the joint to pop out every so often. When she did that, it was very noticeable. If the Dragon Slayer's limp is slight, I'm willing to bet it's linked to the paw, not the leg. P.S. Welcome to the wide world of greyhound injuries, ailments, and calamities!

Oh dear... I remember when he had the seizure a few weeks ago, and he managed to bounce back pretty well. Hoping and praying your little guy comes around.

Hi Kathy, I can't access your videos from my work computer (our firewall blocks YouTube), but I'll be happy to look at them later and give you my $0.02. For what it's worth, I put my utmost trust in Jennifer (JJNg) for all things medical and behavioral. She always gives me succint, effective, and well researched information.

There is a current email list. Post or PM your email address, and I'll be happy to add you. I'll check and see if anyone is interested in this weekend. We had fun last time, but it was unbelievably muddy. I should've worn hip waders.

This is good advice. Henry loves getting baths- he would probably take one everyday if it were up to him. He gets all wound up and starts leaning/rubbing against the walls. Truman, on the other hand, is a huge baby and sulks the whole time. When he's done, he looks like a drowned rat. The dog park we use for playdates is about 45 minutes away, so by the time we get home, the mud is already dried and caked on. I'm pretty much forced to use soap for those times unless I would get a higher pressure attachment for the tub. Last time, I had to literally scrub, rinse, and repeat before the mud even started coming loose! You can probably imagine what the inside of my car looks like.

Hi Snowy's mom! We are lucky here in Pittsburgh because the regional humane society offers classes exclusively for new greyhound owners. However, we've taken MANY classes- basic, advanced, CGC/TDI, greyhound-only, all-breed. And (at least for us) very little work was done off leash. Once we got into harder commands like down-stay-recalls, we either clipped them on a 20 ft. lead or the instructor held their leash during the exercise. You may be thinking of agility work, where the dog is expected to run an obstacle course off-leash. Chances are, you won't be doing anything like that unless you really get into training and go onto more advanced levels. If Snowy is high prey, it may be a good idea to see if there is a class available that doesn't include small dogs. I wouldn't opt for private training unless her problems become dangerous or severe. It is good for them to work in the presence of other dogs- it helps develop confidence and self-control in distracting situations.

Yep, cold pressed and made in the USA. That much I do know. And your math must be good (both are about $1.60 an ounce). I've seen some pretty good coat improvements with just a few days on the salmon oil... their skin was flaky from having two baths in the past month or so (thaw = muddy dog park). Their coats are usually fine without any supplements, but I like the idea of the added internal benefits. We'll probably keep using it.

Great news!

Awww, I'm sorry Snowy is having problems. I hope your mom won't be offended by this statement... but sometimes owners create problems in their dogs by inadvertently sending mixed messages or not being consistent enough with their training strategies. It sounds like this might be the case for Snowy. Dogs who are never rewarded for begging will stop. Dogs who are never rewarded for barking will learn that it's not an acceptable way to get attention. With consistent training and a regular schedule, these types of impulsive behaviors should decrease over time. The fact that they're getting worse leads me to believe that Snowy must be getting some type of gratification by acting out. The good news is that we all make mistakes!! I posted a thread a few months ago that I was having some training issues with Truman. I was frustrated because he would always do the commands flawlessly for the trainer, but then fell apart for me. Someone gave me the advice to video-tape myself training him and make observations about what I was doing wrong. It was no wonder he wasn't getting it, because my method was all over the map. I was grateful for the opportunity to learn from a professional. I could've read 100 books and Greytalked until my fingers fell off, and it still wouldn't have been a substitute for real-life, hands-on training with an expert. This is a long way of saying, I think Snowy probably could benefit from a basic obedience class. Between my two dogs, we've done over a dozen different classes, and I've never heard any of my classmates ever say they regretted it. Mostly everyone sees improvement and enjoys it so much that they go on to do more challenging, advanced classes. At the minimum, it will give your parents a foundation for appropriate training methods and an opportunity for Snowy to channel her energy into something positive. Either way, I hope Snowy starts to turn a corner. I really believe that behind every dammit dog is a good dog waiting to come out!