Laurenbiz

Hi all, I'm still trying to figure out our new neighbors. They moved in around Thanksgiving last year, and they let their Labradoodle 'doodle' in our front yard quite a few times. Now that they built a deck on their house, they let the dog outside in their backyard. So, the pooping in our yard has fortunately stopped! Now that the dog is in their backyard for potty breaks, Bernie has seem him/her quite a few times while he's been out. Bernie always trots up to the fence toward the dog to try to say hi. ...The Labradoodle either sees him and bolts up the stairs on their deck to go back inside their house, or the dog sees him and slowly walks farther away in their yard as so he/she is not close to Bernie. I just want to make sure with everyone else: I'm not crazy for calling this dog "anti social," am I? When I've brought this up with Justin, he always makes the comment, "Well, those neighbors are weird anyway." (I haven't had the chance to talk to them yet - Justin has tried to talk to the guy on a few occasions, and reports every time that he thinks the guy is weird!) PS - I tried talking to the dog, too, from my side of the fence. The dog doesn't come up to me, and he/she goes the opposite way when Bernie approaches the fence!

Very interesting thread! I have a story about my dear Monster Man, a stray cat that my family and I cared for when I used to live at my parents' house during high school and some of college. Monster died (my mom and I had to take him to our vet to be put to sleep,) in 2007 and I still think about him! A few Christmases ago, I feel that I saw him. I don't remember if it was Christmas 2007 (the first Christmas without him,) or if it was a later Christmas. I was at my parents' house for the holiday, and I walked into their basement to grab some wrapping paper. (Monster's final days were spent in my parents' basement since we took him in during the last year of his life.) I walked by a mirror in the basement, and I swear I saw Monster sitting on the chair that was reflecting in the mirror. I turned around and looked at the chair, and nothing was on the chair. But I think Monster was there on that Christmas with me!

Sorry, I should probably have said that he is 4 years old! He is taking Clomipramine for severe SA - he has been on it since late January and we actually are planning to visit the vet soon to discuss lowering his dosage to hopefully wean him off the meds. These are the only meds. The panting happened back in October and is now happening again. So, during the winter and spring, I did not see these panting episodes happen. His breathing sounds perfectly clear - nothing rough or rattling. Occasionally, he'll make a coughing sound when he eats. It is not consistent - it is rare that he makes that sound, but it does sometimes happen. He actually just barked at a police car (weird dog!) earlier this evening, and his bark sounded normal. The time today that he had the panting episode was after our evening walk when he laid down on his bed after we came back inside the house. Other days, though, the panting episode seems to come out of nowhere - before or after exercise. Just no warning, it seems. When he does this again, I will grab my camera so I can get video!

Well, he almost always does this when he is laying on his bed. Sometimes his eyes are even closed as he does the panting. (I know he is not asleep, though.) When his eyes are open during that panting episode, he usually just looks at whatever is straight in front of him. So, when he lays on his bed during that panting, he'll be looking at the chair or whatever is near that bed at the time. It's not that he is fixated on anything. He doesn't really look at me like he is wanting my attention. I'm not concerned that this is bloat - there is no pacing involved, he is not vomiting or acting like he tries to vomit. Just the weird panting!

Hi all, Bernie started a panting habit in the past week or so that we actually thought we had under control back in October when we adopted him. In October, we were originally feeding him a chicken-based dry food. And, maybe once a day, he experienced a strange panting episode that lasted a few minutes, then he was back to normal. When we finally asked our vet about this, he said that his panting was a symptom of abdominal pain. Also, Bernie had 'soft serve' poops then, so from the fecal sample, the vet also had another good reason to assume that his stomach didn't feel good. When we switched Bernie over to a lamb-based protein food, he never did that panting again, and his poops became normal. So, indeed the chicken causes him to have the stomach pains and the diarrhea. Probably starting last week, Bernie started that panting again. He did it tonight about 10 minutes ago. I haven't given him chicken-based foods, and his poops are looking normal right now. So, I don't know what to think of his panting. I tried extra yogurt and bread, thinking that these may help an upset stomach. These haven't worked, and I assumed that maybe he is just dehydrated. I've been trying to give him extra water, but these panting episodes still come up. The panting is not a typical panting. His mouth is not open; he has his mouth in a 'smiling' position and I can see his teeth. He breathes heavily, but he takes very short, small breaths. And the panting is loud. Does anyone have any ideas???

If he is barking at people as they near your property, then it sounds as though he may be somewhat territorial. Personally, I don't really see that as a bad thing. This is helpful to alert the owners of the home, as well. If he is barking at people who just 'pass by,' though, I would correct this. That just seems annoying, LOL. In your 14 weeks, if you've established some sort of command or sound that makes him stop an undesirable behavior, I would say to use that when he barks randomly to make him stop. Bernie's command is a sharp, "HEY!" (more like "EY!") when he is doing something wrong. Or you can say 'no,' or clap your hands, etc.

Anne, I don't know your vet, but he sounds like a great vet! You obviously have her in good hands - and in hands that are willing to go the extra mile to make sure things are done correctly and precisely to ensure that she will be happy and healthy with the operation! I am thinking about Beth!

I am so sorry! I gasped when I read your story! Bernie has zero prey drive (I don't know if he's really a Greyhound!...) so I've never experienced this. I LOVE Greyhounds, but I have to say that I feel so terrible for that kitten.

To the OP- I didn't put two and two together! I follow your blog, and I typed a comment about your table problem yesterday!

Hmmmm. I think I disagree. I see the logic behind your theory, but from Bernie's dealings with other dogs, I don't know if I can totally agree. Bernie is always very polite and mannerly to other female dogs - whether it be a tiny Yorkie or a Great Dane. He is also polite and mannerly with well-behaved male dogs, no matter the size. Where he gets bent out of shape is the male dogs that are obnoxious. On walks or at pet stores, any male dog that is squirming, full of too much energy, playful with him, is a dog that makes Bernie snap. Our neighbors across the street have a male Boston Terrier - who met Bernie on a walk and tried to jump up toward Bernie's face. Bernie let that dog know how he felt! I think that Bernie does this for two reasons: 1 - The male/male interaction is more of a dominant interaction than when he meets female dogs, so I think competition can come into play 2 - Bernie is four years old, and he has lived around other Greyhounds his whole life. Chances are, he has never dealt with other breeds of dogs that were high-strung and energetic. So, when he experiences this behavior (that he probably isn't comfortable with,) he lets those dogs know that he doesn't like it. I really do think a lot of it is just the fact that Greyhounds are more docile, gentle, and quiet than many - if not most - other breeds. And, ex-racers have really only known this behavior their whole lives, since they've lived 24/7 around other Greyhounds. When a high-energy Boxer comes into the picture, they just don't like it!

I don't really have experience with this since Bernie has zero prey drive. He even sees squirrels and rabbits out and about, and his response is, "Huh?" LOL. How big is the area that you hounds have access?

Slightly off-topic, but I have another question about eggs: I know that, with humans, we have a debate about the health benefits of eggs vs. the high cholesterol in eggs. Some individuals I know avoid eggs because they have high cholesterol. I ignore that, and I eat eggs because they are so high in vitamins and proteins, and low in calories. But - is there any concern with the high cholesterol feeding them to the doggies? I like to boil eggs once a week, and I give Bernie a hard-boiled egg mixed in with his kibble maybe 2-3 times a week. I don't know if that amount (a few meals a week,) is a good or bad amount of eggs???

During thunderstorms, Bernie kind of acts like, "That was a big noise. That was weird. Okay back to snoozing." So I can't tell you about thunderphobia. I CAN tell you about severe separation anxiety! Bernie has been taking Clomipramine since late January. Clomicalm is just the branded version of Clomipramine. As I said, we started him in late January was a 25 mg dose for two weeks. Next two weeks, 50 mg. Next two weeks at 75 mg - but we still weren't seeing changes in behavior at that point. He was at the 75 mg dose for a few weeks before the medication seemed to kick in. So, assuming you were to get a prescription now, you would see absolutely nothing different in your dog until at least sometime in probably late May. Have you tried melatonin?

I've never heard of kibble being good for cleaning teeth, either. Bernie wolfs down his food, too! I never immediately take him on a walk, nor do I let him outside for zoomies, after eating. I usually let him stay inside the house to simply digest for about 20-30 minutes. For his teeth, I brush them almost daily, and I give him Greenies and Petrodux 'Dental Chews' occasionally. If you're mixing in wet food, I would suggest cutting down on the two cups of kibble. Bernie started out with 2 cups of kibble when we first got him, but we slowly backed away from that amount once we started adding other items to his food. I now only give him 1 cup of kibble, mixed with about 1/2 cup - 1 cup of other foods: Yogurt, peas, green beans, hamburger meat and other raw meats, potatoes, carrots, bananas, etc. Good luck!

How long is your leash? Bernie has a 4-ft leash, and if I just have the end wrapped around my hand, sometimes he gets zig-zaggy and can cut me off, too. If I wrap it around my hand more and only give the leash a foot-long gap between me and his collar, he does a better job. You may want to try that, and also try the short leash walking on either side of you. I have no clue why, but Bernie is still hap-hazard with a short leash on my left side; when he is on my right, he walks perfectly.

Bernie has a Busy Buddy Twist N Treat, and he loves it: http://www.kvsupply.com/KVVet/productr.asp?pf_id=81709&gift=False&HSLB=False&mscssid=93AB49AFFF854747AE563DE4DADDE040 With the hound's exercise restricted, I think this would be great. For Bernie, he usually plays with this when he is laying on his bed!

Ummm...you do! Justin and I brainstomed about adopting a dog and considered various breeds for at least a year before we submitted our Greyhound adoption application. Once we met some volunteers and representatives with GPA-WI, they told us some of the following pieces of information: * Greyhounds are known as 'The Cat of the Dog World' * Greyhounds have never played with toys, and after introduction to toys, some may never even end up playing with them at all * "If you've owned other breeds of dogs before, you'll think you've adopted a totally different species!" my now Meet & Greet partner told me when I first met her * The 'settling in period' can take up to a year and you'll likely see a different personality in your dog roughly a year after living with you, compared to the dog you had on Day One Because we knew this information going in, we snickered when Bernie seemed to sulk around the house, or when he only seemed interested in staying on his bed. No toys, no Kongs, nothing 'fun.' Wow, all those people were right, we thought! We got Bernie in October 2010. This April will now be six months. I can tell you that I've already seen a difference in personality from when we first got him. Originally, we never heard a peep out of him; but he is a barker now. He also is crazy with squeaky toys - which he did not used to be. Give it time, give it time, give it time! I guarantee that even within six months, you will see personality changes!!!

You are not alone! Bernie went through a picky/weird stage in the first month or so that we had him. He was underweight when we got him, so my big priority was for him to eat since I really wanted him to gain weight. I always stayed in the kitchen to make sure he would eat. Sometimes he would, sometimes he wouldn't. But, our meal time is now a consistent procedure: I prepare his food, he watches me, I put his food bowl down, I go do something else in the house, and when I go back into the kitchen - the food is ALWAYS gone! If I read another post correctly, your hound gets 3 cups of dry kibble plus some extra tablespoons of wet food - twice daily? That's nearly 6 cups per day. He may have been not eating because he is just too full! Bernie is 70 lbs. I was giving him 2 cups of kibble twice a day originally. Then, a friend of mine (a dog lover/trainer, so I listened to her since Bernie is my first dog,) told me that dog food brands typically print misleading suggested values per dog's weight on food labels. Even though my bag said 2 cups, I cut back to 1.5 cups. And Bernie got better with eating. Nowadays, I give him 1 cup of kibble for his meal, mixed in with roughly a 1/2 - 1 cup of a protein-rich food (raw lean hamburger, yogurt, hard-boiled egg, etc.) and I've actually seen him gain weight.

Here is another thread on the forum that talks about how to post photos- http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/121705-how-to-post-pictures/http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/121705-how-to-post-pictures/

Hello all- As you probably know from my many other posts, Bernie has dealt with bad SA ever since we got him back in October 2010. Behavior modification techniques, crate training, safe rooms, belly band, DAP sprays/diffusers/collars, calming dog music, counter-conditioning training, 'calming' foods, etc., did not ever seem to help him. (The list goes on and on and on...) Bernie has been taking Clompiramine since late January 2011. The vet gave us 2-week supplies of various doses at the beginning. The first 2 weeks, he was on 25mg, the next two weeks, 50mg. The original small dose was to make sure that the introduction of medication in his system did not cause stomach upsets. We kept building from there. He has now been on 75mg for about a month. He is doing fabulous. He does not whine, howl, and tremble at the smallest sign that we may be leaving the house; nor do we come home to find puddles and/or brown presents on the floor! We now come home to a happy dog who has held his bladder and his bowls while he's alone. I have a few questions: * Even though I continue to do alone training, how long should I continue to keep him on the 75mg? I guess I'm wondering if any of you tried one month, two months at a 'good' dosage, and then weening off seemed too soon? (It's tricky to know if he's good with being alone after 100x alone training, or whether he's good just because of his medication!) * How long can a Greyhound typically be on Clomipramine before we need to get concerned about negative side effects? I do understand that long-term use can cause liver complications; I am not sure how 'long' we're talking about when we say 'long-term' use * Does Clomipramine cause dry skin? I don't have my RX patient info sheet with me at the moment to read the side effects. I feel, though, that Bernie's skin seems to keep getting drier and drier - I don't remember it being this dry last month or before that (at times when he was on a lower dose or not on the meds at all.) Thank you in advance for your responses!

From my experience (which includes just one adoption thus far!,) I think your idea with a week is very good. We got Bernie on a Saturday morning. We were off, of course, on Saturday and Sunday. Justin's boss was meeting him (they do not work together in the same location,) for meetings in/around the Milwaukee area for that next week. So, Justin had to leave town, and it was just Bernie and me Monday through Thursday, the following week. I had a half day at work on Monday, but the remaining days I did not take off work. If I were to go back in time and do this all over again, I would have done that quite differently. Bernie had somewhat of a difficult time settling in!

Yes yes yes! Exactly what I was thinking as I read your post. I assume that your biggest concern is about the child's safety. I suggest making sure that your dog is muzzled whenever it is around children. But, past that, I don't know if I can offer much advice. This sounds like you'd benefit from a consultation with an animal behaviorist. I've taken Bernie to an obedience class, and the trainer never covered space aggression. I don't know too much about this problem. Good luck

Here's what I've tried with Bernie! - Boiled sweet potato chunks - Boiled carrots - Frozen peas - Blueberries - Banana slices - Yogurt - Cottage cheese - Shredded cheddar cheese - Moist dog food - Scrambled eggs - Sliced-up hard-boiled eggs - Diced hot dog pieces - Hot dog smoothie drizzled on top! (Put hot dogs and nonfat yogurt together in a blender!) And the winner... - Handful of raw hamburger meat split into small chunks

Here are my two cents- After trying everything (I mean - everything - if you've heard about X helping with separation anxiety, we've tried X 100 times,) for separation anxiety with Bernie and never seeing progress in 4+ months, we resorted to the antidepressant Clomipramine. He's been on it since late January and he is doing very well. But, this was our absolute last resort. I would not seek a prescription from your vet in order to prevent problems that possibly could occur. No offense, but I find that idea unsettling. Have you tried DAP items, Rescue Remedy, behavior modification? I think it's best that you do training and use over-the-counter items to ease his anxiety in the process of the move. If his behavior is absolutely worse than what you ever expected, then medication should be the last resort once you've exhausted all other options to work through that negative behavior.

Usually, Bernie does a good job actually walking to our back door, and then moving his head around to eventually look at me. I know it's time. But, sometimes, he simply makes eye contact as he's standing just anywhere in the kitchen...and I go and open the door. Yep, he wanted to go out then, too! You may want to watch out for that. Also, I don't know if it really sounds like he understands house training yet. Anytime he uses the bathroom, be sure to give him a tasty treat immediately afterward. He should catch on. I don't suggest Resolve for cleaning up accidents...I prefer Nature's Miracle. Good luck