a_daerr

Very sorry for your loss, from one Truman-owner to another.

The NGA doesn't control which dogs are bred, they are a registry. The owners control which dogs are bred and registering them with the NGA is strictly voluntary, but necessary for them to race for pari-mutal purposes. It is very common for some purebred tattooed pups in a single litter not be registered. It costs money (a nominal fee) to register a dog, but if it is clear the dog isn't going to the track most owners don't. The majority of those dogs are not placed by a group, but some are. Some owners bring their dogs back from the tracks and sell them to coyote hunters instead of placing them into adoption. Not all greyhounds come off the track and into an adoption group and not all NGA greyhounds even go to the track. Thanks for all this information.

Listen to this one! She's an attorney

Maybe other people can chime in here, but from what I know, the racing industry is very heavily regulated in the US... which would make it hard to find legitimate greyhound mixes. NGA controls which dogs are bred in order to create better racers. When greyhounds come off the track, they are almost always immediately spayed or neutered (unless a male is in consideration for being studded out). I know my group is bound by a contract that they must spay and neuter prior to adoption. That's why it's so difficult to obtain greyhound puppies unless there is an oops litter or the puppy has a medical condition that prohibits him or her from racing. I'm not sure if the same applies to AKC hounds, because the ones who are actively showing are still intact. But they are also very difficult to find (you have to contact AKC directly for a breeder list, and even then, the breeders are very selective). I think AKC greys account for less than 10% of greyhounds bred in the US. Due to that reason, I don't know when an AKC would be in a position to mate with a non-grey. When I bought Truman from an AKC breeder, he was sold as a pet. So I signed a contract stating that I would neuter him when he turned a year old and that only the breeder reserved the right to stud him out if they so chose. I don't know much about the coyote-hunting greys, so maybe that's a possibility? Or a lurcher mix? They're more common in the UK, but I see them every now and again. ETA: Too bad about the DNA tests- someone from my vet's office used it and thought it was fairly accurate.

What part of the country are you from? Very few greyhound mixes in our area because the racetracks require the adoption groups to spay and neuter before adopting them out. But we have our fair share of whippet and iggie mixes. Ever thought of one of those doggie DNA tests? I think they're around $60 and are fairly accurate.

Agree- this seems like the best idea. Also, do you have pet insurance? We have an accident/illness policy to avoid major expenses for fluke, unexpected stuff. I used it this year for Henry's tail injury, and it came in handy. I got about 80% back.

Did they check to make sure the pudendal artery was okay? That's the primary blood supply to the penis in dogs... maybe in all the chaos, he nicked it? That would explain the bleeding, but doesn't really explain why the stitches didn't take the first time. I really don't know, but what an ordeal. I am terribly sorry you are going through this.

Henry will sometimes do this during a seizure. Without being there, it does sound possible that Charlie may have had a partial (focal) seizure. It's different than a full grand mal, because they may only have one thing that is affected (commonly facial twitches, lip-licking, snapping the air). Henry has both grand mal and partial, but he only seems to void his bladder after the partials.

Well, I could also give that a go. Hopefully she doesn't keep us up all through the night. I feel bad because I want her to be comfortable but I also need more than three hours of sleep. I hear you. When we brought Truman home, he was an older puppy at 16-weeks. He was AKC bred, so he was never introduced to a crate prior. So he really disliked the crate for awhile, he would whine and cry and go crazy inside for hours. There were times that I thought, "OMG, this was a terrible mistake." We had to extensive work just trying to associate the crate as a positive place- not jail! It was a gradual process with him, but he slept faithfully in his crate for about six months (at that point, he was reliably housetrained, so we switched the crate for his bed). Sometimes he'd get up in the middle of the night and I'd hear a few whines, but he learned to comfort himself and go back to sleep on his own. Because Nancy is a retired racer, she is familiar with her crate. She just knows that your bed is better! I would say as long as you are faithfully ignoring at night, you should see a turnaround fairly quickly.

This might be your problem. You're going to probably have to reintroduce the crate and start crating her through the night. If she starts whining or crying, ignore (it's really hard, but the best thing you can do!) Adult dogs are capable of holding it through the night, so I would take her out for last call and not again until morning. I was thinking that might be the answer. Should I keep her crate in our room or elsewhere? In your room, next to your bed if you're able to. It will comfort her to hear your breathing and see you.

Maybe GeorgeofNE will chime in here... I think she's had some incontinence problems with him and maybe be better able to advise. If Charlie hasn't shown any other symptoms of bladder/urinary problems though, it's a definite possibility that he had a seizure in his sleep (in which case, the vet can't really do anything). They could do bloodwork to rule out thyroid issues, but 9/10 times, it's neurological. While scary to watch, seizures are fairly common. Henry didn't start having them until he was about 4-years-old, and even at that, they were minimal (once or twice a year). Unless the dog starts having cluster seizures or has them 3+ times per month, it's not necessary to medicate. Was Charlie acting strangely at all? You said he didn't move all night- that would also be typical of a seizure because they are extremely tired afterwards. Did you notice any panting or confusion?

No history of seizures? Sometimes Henry will void his bladder after a seizure.

This might be your problem. You're going to probably have to reintroduce the crate and start crating her through the night. If she starts whining or crying, ignore (it's really hard, but the best thing you can do!) Adult dogs are capable of holding it through the night, so I would take her out for last call and not again until morning.

Hello and welcome! What a beautiful family you have!

Wow, she is striking. We have a lot of Gable dogs around here, and I always think they're gorgeous!

Thank you! (Although Truman's ego probably doesn't need to get any bigger!) He knows he's handsome, so he gets away with everything!

Awww... I remember reading about everything you went through last year. Faye Oops was a special girl. I'm glad she sent Darcy to you.

Have you ever tried liverwurst? The smell is super strong, and it's already pre-cooked.

Ehhh... I've taken close to a dozen obedience classes between my two dogs with various trainers. We have ALWAYS practiced interactions with other people by shaking hands with them and talking or "pretending" to talk to them. But I do agree with everything else Giselle said. I also think it's a good idea to have the trainer come out and make a recommendation because as much as we'd all like to give advice, it's hard to pinpoint the barking (i.e. fear, excitement, territorial) without actually seeing it. Can't wait to see her progress!

Oh dear, we're jumping headfirst into the "let them growl vs. not let them growl" debate again! Here we go!

You're going to get a million different responses... but FWIW, my vote is for Iams green bag. Yep, get the plain old Iams "mini chunks."

I remember this! I'm glad that Bruiser is going well. Also hoping that Lucky is just as... lucky. Can't imagine how you must be feeling.

Awww! Sounds like you are doing all the right things. Do you put music or anything on for her during the day when you're gone?

Here's Truman's raccoon tail.

Truman is over 80 pounds, and he somehow managed to walk on the beam (milkcrate height) in our last training class! Albeit, very clumsily, but he made it happen!