krissy

I love this idea. If I ever have children and have enough space, I would definitely do this. As it is, we basically have 2 dog rooms... we just don't have children to keep out of them! Most greyhounds tolerate babygates very well. We use a gate on a daily basis. At night I use it to barricade our bedroom door to keep the hounds in the bedroom (we don't like closing our bedroom door because it's an old house and the heating isn't very well distributed, so the bedroom gets icy cold if the door is closed), then when I get up in the morning I move it to the kitchen door. I can't be bothered to keep my counters clear so this prevents anyone from thinking about counter surfing. When I go to work I put them in the dog room, Kili in her crate and Summit usually loose, and I gate the door to keep them in for the day. Kili jumps higher than the average baby gate in agility, and FAR higher in SuperDogs shows. However, she has never shown any inclination to jump the baby gate. Part of that may be that we have hardwood and tile, which isn't great traction, but I've also never had her try to jump her x-pen either.

OMG... Retro 70's aerobics gym wear! That would be amazing. In hot pink of course.

Kili racked up almost 5000 points in 60 minutes on the treadmill tonight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBj2G1pETO4

Ah, too bad, should be a fun time! They have an annual picnic in September you could plan for. Lots of fun and games!

When Kili came home at 8 weeks old she was already larger than most Italian greyhounds. At that age she weight about 5 kg, and put on about a kilo in the first week I had her. I would guess that she reached full grown whippet size by 18-20ish weeks? She was large border collie size around 5 months old (well, height, not girth). There should be no confusing a greyhound and Italian greyhound at any age I would think. I suppose whippet could get dicey if they also lied about the ages because of the size overlap. In general a whippet has slightly finer facial features than a greyhound, and many (but not all) tend to have more roach to the back. But the big thing at that age I think is the size, and so if you were lied to about the age of the pup that could make it possible to pass off a whippet as a greyhound. 8 week old whippet puppy (just a random image off google) Kili at 8 weeks Owner of Kili's sister breeds whippets. When she got her second greyhound puppy she had a couple of her own whippet puppies. She sent me these photos... The greyhound is the blue brindle at the bottom of the image. He was 9 weeks old in this photo. The above two are her 11 week old whippet puppies. The greyhound puppy is 11 weeks, the whippet puppy is 13 weeks

Hello from Edmonton! You should bring the family up to the Edmonton Pet Expo this weekend and come visit the Northern Sky Greyhound Adoption group's booth. You can ask all the questions you want and meet lots of hounds.

Run, don't walk. Pet store puppies never come from good breeders. While not all of them come from horrific conditions in puppy mills (but lots do), they are still not from solid, reputable breeders. I have a greyhound from a breeder. She would never give puppies to a pet store and let someone else choose homes for her puppies. Greyhounds are not a dog for everyone, and a good breeder has a much better chance of picking the right homes than a pet store. Heck, pet stores don't even check if someone should have ANY dog. I have seen far too many problems with pet store animals... health, behavioural, and yes questionable breed. The benefits of a good breeder are multiple and far reaching. Thought and foresight into choosing parents. Health testing of the parents to make sure they are clear of common hereditary diseases. Proper socialization and medical care as a puppy. Ongoing support throughout your dog's life - I still talk to my breeder regularly, and should anything happen to me I know my dog will be in good hands as she'll go back to her breeder. Please get your puppy from a reputable breeder. If you need help finding one I'm sure I can help point you in the right direction. It is well worth it for you as an owner to have a healthy, well adjusted dog that lives a long life, and it's also helping to save thousands (millions?) of dogs in the puppy mill and backyard breeder systems - supply is controlled by demand.

Kili missed her goal by just a couple of points a couple of days last week (like literally by one point on Sunday), so it's really not as bad as it looks. lol. So far this week I think she had her best day ever, and has hit her target twice already. She should make her target today too because it's treadmill day! To me, this is the whole point of the FitBark really. Yes, it tracks the current activity, but the point of tracking the activity is to give you a kick in the pants or a pat on the back. Just because a dog enjoys being lazy, doesn't mean a little extra activity wouldn't be beneficial to them. Summit is happy to sleep pretty much all day, but he gets a lot of benefits from activity as he ages. For an older dog outings and exercise keep the mind sharp, and maintain the muscles and joints to keep them in better shape for the long haul. He doesn't run like mad very much anymore, but he enjoys getting out and smelling the roses (or the pee mail). He still happily trots along for an hour long hike on the trails (meanwhile Kili is madly zooming and doing triple distance) and when I tell people he's almost 11 they are always surprised, commenting on how he's in such great shape and still has so much muscle tone. As for Kili, she has learned how to mostly have an off switch and she doesn't NEED that much exercise, but boy does she love it when she gets to do more, even in the winter. Most of the time, even though she's chilling on the couch, if I get my butt motivated to go for a walk she is absolutely overjoyed. I've probably taken her winter activity level up by about 40% compared to last year, and Summit's maybe 20% just because of the FitBark. I'm a fan. I got mine during the Boxing Week sales, which was nice. They carry them at Best Buy. I suppose you might be able to get one cheaper on Amazon or something.

You choose your own goal. There are 3 broad categories and then you can fine tune it from there. There's "Average" (50 percentile) which is around 3000-4000 points I think. The next one up is the one Kili is in which is considered "Active" (75 percentile) at 9400 points. And then there's "Olympian" (90th percentile) which is 12,000. But you can choose exactly what you want, those are just starter guidelines. It also tells you how your dog is doing compared to "similar dogs". So Kili's average is something around 8,000 and similar dogs (i.e. other greyhounds and similar breeds/mixes) are averaging around 6,000. I'm not sure how you would find a facility, Kili's chiro told me about the place we go to because she works out of the facility once a month. When I google "Dog treadmills Edmonton" it's the first hit that comes up. You could try just cold calling doggy daycares, veterinarians, and canine rehab facilities near you and someone may eventually be able to steer you to a place that has them for recreational use. The treadmill is really awesome for the winter. I have no use for it in the summer when Kili goes jogging and biking with me, and we can hike off leash at almost any hour of the day (best part about Edmonton is that it's light out until 11 PM in the summer). Kili has taken to the treadmill really quickly, and it's a great way to bang out half an hour or an hour of steady exercise. She seems to enjoy it too which is important.

I got Kili a FitBark about a week and a half ago. We're having a lot of fun with it, and it's keeping me motivated to make sure the dogs get more exercise. In the summer we get plenty of exercise, but in the dead of winter it can be challenging in Edmonton. We have been fortunate that the winter has not been too bad so far, but the days are still very short which really limits our running time on work days. The picture is a little blown out, but here it is on her collar. It's a great size, easy to use, super light. Kili doesn't even notice it. And this is what the tracking app looks like on my iPad. You can click on each of the 1 hr increments to get a break down of how many minutes your dog was resting, active, and playing. Last week we missed our goal a couple of times by only a couple of points - close enough! One of the "creative" ways we stay active in the winter is by going to a local doggy daycare that offers a treadmill service. We discovered it at the very end of last winter, so I took her for their complimentary first try. Now that it's getting cold again I bought a membership and plan to take her once or twice a week regularly. She takes to the treadmill quite well - I got her up to a trot last week on only her second time ever on the treadmill. The one thing I would say about the FitBark that I think needs to be tweaked, is the settings for "active" and "play" - or perhaps they need a fourth setting. I have found that a walk registers in as "play", and because I'm pretty sure there's also some sort of multiplier for consecutive minutes active, a 30 minute leash walk actually scores more points than short, intense bursts of energy. For example, the one day we went to flyball practice for 3 hours and she didn't make her goal that day. She was out for about 4 turns, each probably under 10 minutes apiece, so total time "playing" was not very much, however flyball is an intense sport so I'm pretty sure she burned more calories than she does on a leisurely leash walk around the block. That said, as an estimate of activity, it's still pretty useful. I also enjoy looking at her data from overnight and when I'm away at work. It's fun to see a random hour where she had a lot of activity (at like 2 AM for example), or that she logged 2 minutes of "play" at 3 PM while I was at work (and she's in a crate). Anyone else here have a FitBark? PM me and we can add each other as friends!

I have these for Summit. I did a little "review" on them on my blog: http://apexagilitygreyhounds.blogspot.ca/2015/02/get-grip.html All in all I really like them. He doesn't mind them and doesn't pull them off. They do eventually come off on their own, but I would sometimes find them in the house so I could just put them back on again. And they do seem to make him feel more confident.

Sounds like they think this is Idiopathic Vestibular Disease? This is my favourite thing to diagnose in old dogs, because it looks horrible and owners are very upset and then I get to give them good news. I had a 15 year old husky come in last week, owner absolutely devastated thinking she was going to be euthanizing her dog. I got her nausea under control and sent her home. By that evening the dog was able to stand and meet her husband at the door when he got home from work. Most dogs are almost normal within a week. Fingers crossed for Twiggy that's all this is and she'll be home soon.

While most dogs don't enjoy being restrained or manipulated, most are actually quite tolerant of it, so generally we wouldn't ask unless there was something in the dog's behaviour to suggest it might be an issue.I do not always ask if a pet is okay with something, especially if it is a very friendly animal and it is a very minor thing that the majority of pets are okay with. (It's certainly different if the dog has been giving me the hairy eye all through the appointment already.) I really appreciate it when clients tell me their dog or cat doesn't like something, so I can take the appropriate precautions to keep myself and my staff safe. I've had owners tell me their pet is REALLY BAD for something, and then the pet has been totally fine, but I still appreciate their overcaution. I have had clients put me and my staff in very dangerous situations by not informing me of their pet's behaviour. It only takes one bite to do serious, permanent damage. Now that you know he doesn't like being restrained or manipulated, I can assure you that all medical staff will appreciate knowing that information up front. It doesn't make Jake a bad dog, and you'll actually be protecting him as well by letting the staff know. The last time I got bit (actually, it was the first time too), was a dog that launched himself at me the second I opened the kennel door (he had been sitting there nice as pie the whole time). He wasn't current on his rabies so I had to go to the walk-in to get my rabies titres checked and the dog had to be put in 10 day quarantine for observation. The whole thing resulted in both myself and the owners having to field numerous phone calls from public health. I'm not sure if he got an official bite record out of the whole ordeal or not, but that's a possibility. Glad to hear that Jake is okay and hopefully will be feeling back to his usual self soon.

I highly recommend GiNA - the wait will be worth it especially for a first time greyhound owner. The support you will get from them will be very beneficial in the months and even years to come. We fostered for them to warm our landlord up to the idea of us getting our own, and they were amazing and helpful through the 3 week foster period. Then when it came time to adopt our own dog, I was a little too eager (desperate might have been a better word) and we went to GRA to get our boy. I wouldn't trade him for anything - he was perfect for us, but in all other respects I should have waited and gone with GiNA as they provide a lot more ongoing support. Thankfully we'd already had that foster experience and gotten so much advice and support, and Summit was a bounce from another family who knew the ropes of home living (and the family that had to give him up were so wonderful - they sent us his medical history and told us everything they knew about him... I stayed in contact with them and the wife follows our blog to see what Summit is up to). I don't know too much about NeedleNose - but if they provide a lot of post adoption help then you probably can't go wrong.

Hello from a former Ontarian! We found coats like the Chilly Dogs ones worked well in Ontario. Now that we live in Edmonton they are not enough and I'm searching for alternatives. What does work for those days that are colder than average, is to layer. Our dogs have fitted vests, and also 4-legged PJ's that can be worn in the house and under their winter coats. Still not enough for Alberta, but served us well in Ontario!

There won't be ongoing drops because there won't be an eye. We don't just sew the eyelids closed over the eyeball, it actually gets removed. In many cases the lack of tissue in the socket results in a sinking appearance (so instead of being flush with the face it becomes concave). There are certain techniques that help to minimize this, but as a general rule it's purely a cosmetic issue. I think perhaps the poodle as drops for the other eye? Or she didn't have an enucleation but a different procedure.

Poor Dexter! A big one will be the need to wear a cone. Although most of us manage to get away without ever using a cone for our dogs after surgery (opting instead for the muzzle), you're going to have to make Dexter suffer through one. He won't be able to lick the eye, but the most important thing is that he doesn't paw the incision, and the only way to prevent that is with the cone of shame. I've never enucleated an eye on a greyhound, but I have done a dog and a cat. Neither had any significant concerns following the surgery. Pain control is very important, but really not any different than any other surgery. I'm assuming with everything going on that he's no longer visual in this eye? If not that also minimizes some of the adjustment period. Still, he may see shadows and light changes on that side, so I would be careful when approaching him from that side (just making sure he knows you're there, and when you go to touch him you should try to approach from the side he can see so he's not startled.

I personally dislike licking, so I've never tried to teach it, but... I'd probably use a smell (like peanut butter, or canned dog food) and apply it to where I want her to lick. Not an actual amount of food she could get, but just the scent. Then when she licks the spot I'd click and give her a treat. Rinse and repeat, name the behaviour (or put a visual cue) and fade out the yummy smell.

It could be the lighting of the pictures, but I like him much better at his "race weight". I prefer for dogs to be on the leaner side of the ideal range. Depending on build it can differ, but for many greyhounds that means just seeing the point of the hips (and feeling them clearly), and clearly seeing the last 3 ribs, with a hint of an additional 3-4 - which is what I see in his race photo. What this actually means as a number may differ now because he may have different levels of muscling. I might be a little biased by liking to see my hounds lean, but a lot of greyhounds I see could stand to lose a bit of weight as they're a little "fluffy" for my taste.

Is she on anything for arthritis? A good joint supplement (I recommend a veterinary one to start so you know if there's no improvement that it's not due to quality of product), possibly switching to a joint diet, and maybe trying Cartrophen or Adequan injections from your vet. My Summit doesn't have any obvious signs of arthritis on his x-rays, but he limped on his left front leg every winter since we got him (he was 5.5 years old when we got him), but these things make a huge difference for him. Though I have to say the biggest improvement was when we moved from Ontario to Alberta, which I think has something to do with the lower humidity here. Hopefully, you can figure it out and get some answers. I know how frustrating it is to not know what's going on. Kili has had x-rays of her entire spine trying to figure out her on and off reluctance to jump in agility (immediately fixed by a trip to her chiro) and none of the orthopedic specialists can figure out why she does it. We've basically just been recommended to keep managing it the way we already are, but it still gnaws at the back of my mind that I don't have an answer. I'll likely keep pursuing different people and techniques to try to figure it out. I'm probably just throwing a lot of money at a minor problem that I can't figure out, but at least I feel better knowing I'm ruling everything out.

Run free and enjoy all the octopuses, Darcy. Hugs to your special family.

Ha! Cute! That's how Kili plays with puppies and small dogs in the house. I guess it's universal! I'm actually always quite impressed with how appropriate and gentle Kili is with smaller/younger dogs. She plays really rough with dogs of similar size, but frequently lays down on the ground to play with the little ones.

Not sure why it didn't want to let me post this last video, so going to try in a separate message. 2.5 year old Kili playing with a 6 month old small breed puppy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL5rG74ORzc

Kili loves to play and she loves to play rough. Here are some examples over the past 3 years. 28 week old Kili playing with a couple of other similar aged and sized puppies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIFT629G1iM 5 month old Kili playing with a similar sized dog. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5FHnRC9OI8 9 month old Kili playing with a 17 month old Standard poodle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwDoA3ba-tk

You'll be fine. I adopted Summit in my third year of vet school. I specifically chose a greyhound as the best fit for my busy student life. We didn't have a yard and I didn't really live close enough to go home at lunch, so most days Summit hung out at home for 6-8 hours while I was gone, and we walked 3-4 times per day for exercise and potty needs. When I was home we'd hang out on the couch and study, or go to the dog park down the road from us with friends and their dogs. A lot of other students had dogs, and most of them had much higher energy dogs than I did. One of my classmates got a Ridgeback puppy right before final exams one year, and it turned out just fine. A greyhound is far more adapted to a student lifestyle than a lot of other breeds, so if they can do it... well then a greyhound will likely excel at it. Kili I got fresh out of school. I graduated in May, moved in June, and got Kili in October. She was a lot more work than Summit since she was a puppy. I did take her to work with me for about the first 8-10 months because she had a lot of urinary issues and had to be let out frequently until we could resolve them. But since then my dogs typically stay at home instead of coming to work. At my last job I was able to go home every day at lunch, but at my current job that's not really feasible so they stay home all day. Generally the only time I bring them with me is if I know we need to be somewhere right after work (agility class or something), or if I know I'm likely to get stuck at work late (and/or my BF won't be home on time). Your work schedule is only as demanding as you choose for it to be. Yes, if you choose a specialty or to work at an emergency clinic you're probably going to have longer hours or weird hours, but that's something you choose for yourself and there are ways to work with it. My current job has 2 shifts, but regardless I'm only scheduled for 9 hours. Emergency hospitals have weird hours and sometimes you might get stuck a bit late, but it's not like they can legally schedule you to work 18 hours straight, you just might have to work a weird overnight shift. Dogs adapt to that. My dogs don't always get fed at the same time every single day, or get let out at the same time, but they always get fed 2 meals and they always get let out an appropriate number of times per day.