krissy
-
Posts
2,587 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Gallery
Store
Articles
Posts posted by krissy
-
-
Sorry for your loss.
I loved seeing your pictures of beautiful Katie. -
We are expecting a hoodie from Cottage Hounds to arrive next week which I'm excited about.
We have 4-legged Jammie's for Summit from Needlenose apparel
Kili has a rain jacket and winter coat from Chilly Dogs (not bought by us though, they were a hand me down from one of my drug reps who lost his greyhound last year and kindly gave them to me when Kili was just a pup).
The rest of their coats were all made by me, though last spring I saw that Shedrow had new coats that are a better fit for a greyhound so I might make a trip out there soon.
-
Summit moped for a month after we brought home Kili. I think part of it was that an 8 week old puppy takes A LOT of time. Anyway, he got over it and now things are good in the house again. What is interesting is how he KNEW this one was staying. I mean, we've dog sat several times and fostered short term. The one dog we dog sat was with us for 3 weeks! Summit had no problem with that. The day Kili came home he seemed to know she wasn't going anywhere. Go figure.
I try to give each dog some time every day alone with me, either on a walk or training.
-
So sorry for your loss.
-
I routinely give and take chews while the dogs are eating them, especially in the beginning. Later on when they've proven that I can take things away from them I just do it once in awhile as a reminder, and give the chewy right back. I try to make it so that the only time I take something away without giving it back is when the object is something they can't have (found food or bone on the road, garbage, objects around the house, etc.). In those cases depending on interesting the object is and how much the dog wants it I'll trade for a food reward. If it's something boring like when puppy brings me my classes I tell her "off" and chances are she'll drop it before I get to her or else I just take it and put it away. She's not really interested in my glasses, she just thinks it's fun to pick them up and relocate them.
-
Thanks.
I do think I have pretty good (it's all relative, right?
) timing/handling skills, especially when I'm being thoughtful about it although I'm very aware I have plenty of room to improve. But I've always naturally been good at spotting when people should reward or are being slow/missing reinforcement opportunities. But when you're learning multiple new things at one time, you start to adjust one thing and that other thing you just learned goes away. 
I had another example just a little bit ago of the change I'm already seeing in Skye. Jerkhead barking dachsunds that live downstairs cause her to bark and run to the door when they go in and out so she's to come and sit in front of me instead. I would say how good she is at is depends on how she's feeling and how loud they are.
Tonight before I even registered that they were barking she had shot across the room and was sitting in front of me, *at attention*. She's also mentally/physically tired from all day yesterday plus an extended slumber party with her bestie, but I don't think that's it.ETA: Especially because she's playing like a maniac right now, by herself.
Awesome! Makes you feel good doesn't it? I had a moment like that with Kili at agility class this week. There was a new dog at the class for a behavioural consult. He was on a leash and being very good, but he was NEW. When they came into the ring I had just taken Kili out of her crate. She was SO excited about a new dog. She looked at him, tail went crazy, and then she plonked her butt down in heel position and looked at me. I was ecstatic! Gave her a reward and lots of praise. She looked at the other dog, tail goes crazy, and then looked at me! So I know that feeling. Makes you feel validated in all your hard work. Keep it up cause you're doing great and the trainer is going to see that as well!
-
Hello and congrats from cottage country! Be sure to post a picture when you get her home!
-
I'm in Canada so a lot of the companies up here won't be options for you. But basically each company usually has a big range in prices depending on how much coverage you want.
My plan is about $90-100 a month for Kili and my deductible is $250 per year (not per incident). That seems like a lot of money but I have unlimited illness AND unlimited accident coverage, as well as $400 for dental treatments and $350 for "alternative treatments" (Kili's chiropractic adjustments are included in this category), as well as $400 a year for preventative medicine (heartworm, annual bloodwork/fecal sample, vaccines, etc.). They have cheaper plans for as little as $30/month but the upper limits are $1000 or $5000 I believe... and trust me, that doesn't even come close when you have a real problem! We haven't even had Kili a year and insurance has already paid out about $7000 on her. No complaints about the company whatsoever. They've paid 80% of all charges. Premiums don't increase with age of the pet, but your deductible does.
I'm with PetSecure, but some of my friends have Trupanion (which is available in the States I think) and they are very happy as well. It's just a lot of research and being careful to check out the fine print. I love having insurance and having peace of mind and I recommend it to all my clients.
-
a good friend just went thru the mystery of how to take a gh's blood pressure- her vet took it - it was HIGH,the dog was standing. she was sent her to a cardio specialist. the specialist told her that a gh must be lying down when bp is taken. from what she remembered it's due to their anatomy- large chest and extra volume of blood. her dog was rechecked- normal on his side. just thought i would share that tid-bit. not sure if it's fact or fiction, but it came from a visit to a caridio specialist.
good catch on your observation anyway....
Any animal should be laying down when BP is taken. Try convincing a cat to stay laying down while you put a cuff on them and inflate it!
-
That last picture!!!!
-
She's probably at the very upper limit of normal. If she was my dog I'd consider her fat and would drop her back down to her adoption weight. But I like lean dogs.
This is Summit. This is an old picture but his condition/weight have really never fluctuated since I've had him. He's happy at this weight. I feed him 3 cups a day. When I first got him I was feeding 4 cups a day, but I've since discovered that he holds the same weight regardless of that extra cup and just makes more poo. Of course, when I first got him he got fewer treats because he wasn't training at the time, and since then he gets lots of extras for agility and obedience training. Probably makes up that extra cup of food.
And then Kili fluctuates a lot as a pup. Every time she has a growth spurt she gets super skinny. The first photo is from about a month and a half ago when she was in a growth spurt and got super thin. This is a little skinny for my liking, but I accept it because she's a teenager she she's going to look like a beanpole from time to time.
And here she is a few weeks later after filling out:
August 18 (her 1 yr birthday)
And last weekend:
-
No personal experience with EDTA for pannus. Summit was initially on a dex/cyclosporine combo when I was in vet school. It was the win/win situation. The cyclosporine reduced the amount of dexamethasone (which has more side effects... Though honestly the absorb very little from the eye anyway) and the dex reduced the amount of cyclosporine (which is much more expensive). Now that I'm graduated and I get my drugs at cost I switched to 1% Cyclosporine only. Never noticed any difference between the two clinically. His eyes have been great ever since starting treatment.
Edited because auto correct doesn't know what dexamethasone is but apparently knows dex amethystine?
-
Hard to tell in that last photo... angle and lighting aren't the best but I think she looks gorgeous in the first picture. That's where I would want her, personally. If you think she looks heavier now (more coverage over the ribs) then I would get her back down to the 67. She's probably okay at 70, but it is a hard picture to tell and I admittedly like to keep my hounds on the leaner side of normal.
-
That was beautiful. Dang allergies already this early in the morning.
-
I wouldn't eat dog food either if I was getting goodies like that!
My dogs get kibble and nothing else at their meal times. Every once in a blue moon I might give something fun in their food (a sardine, a tiny bit of canned food, a spoonful of yogurt). And I mean once in a blue moon... like every 2-3 months maybe. They get lots of goodies at other times for training, or when we leave for the day. But at meal time they just get kibble. And if someone decides to be picky for no reason (i.e. not sick) then they just go hungry. I don't entice them to eat. I don't offer the food again 10 minutes later. I don't change their food. I just take it away until their next meal time. So if someone doesn't eat breakfast they wait until dinner for their next chance. They learn pretty quick that way that they best eat what is put in front of them or they'll have to go hungry until next meal time.
-
I'm not exactly sure what your concern is. Are you worried about being knocked down if she bowls into you? Or are you afraid of her overly enthusiastic play that she's going to go over the top and nip you?
In my experience your best bet is to stand still when a greyhound comes running at you. Most of them have good brakes and great maneuverability. I've never had one of my own dogs run into me accidentally. With my puppy I engage in personal play at times (running around, stomping, jumping at each other, etc... playing without a toy basically) and she will in those cases jump up at me and if she gets really excited she will nip at my arms, sometimes a little too hard which I don't appreciate. In which case I just cut the play session short until she settles and then we try again. Or I might substitute a game of tug for the personal play so she can have something to put her mouth on.
Even my big 75lb male barreling at me at full speed doesn't worry me. He'll go around or stop in time. He always does.
-
I don't have a lot of experience dealing with a dog that has established SA. We rent so it's important to us that the dogs are okay being left alone. We work really hard in the initial few weeks to establish that trust that we'll be back. We've been lucky so far that we haven't had a dog that couldn't make that leap of faith.
While routine is helpful, I also think it can do a disservice. Sure, the dog becomes an angel during that scheduled time. She knows when to expect you back. But it doesn't clearly establish to her that you will always come back... only that you will come back at 6pm if it is a weekday. Personally my approach was to not give the dogs TOO much routine. You obviously cannot always help the fact that your will have a fairly strict routine during the week (though sounds like not so much anymore for you) but we've always tried to leave randomly as well. In the evening, all different times on weekends, etc. it can be helpful to get up early on a weekend and go through your work routine... then just sit on the couch and watch cartoons. Or take a day off work or go in late one day. Leave and come back many, many times in an hour then watch t.v. for an hour. You want you leaving to be boring.
Also, for working at home... is she with you all day? I found it helpful to separate myself from the dog when I was home studying. I would crate the dog and then go to a different room to study for 2 hours. Then we'd have a snack together, go for a walk, and I'd let the dog lay on the floor at my feet while I worked for an hour. Then back in the crate for an hour. This way I find the dog gets the idea that even if I'm home doesn't mean they get to be with me. You don't crate but you could use a baby gate or something.
-
Keep us posted! Sounds like a good experience!
-
Even our puppy is not a cuddler. Both hounds are happy to have us come down to their beds and snuggle, and they will both come looking for ear scritches. But neither of them will climb up on the couch and cuddle. Kili will climb up on the couch with us but essentially doesn't really want to be touching. She has on rare occasion come up on the couch if I am laying there for a nap and snuggled up against me for a snooze. But that's rare. Summit never cuddles.
But they show in other ways how happy they are to see us. They just show affection in different ways than other breeds. I don't really like clingy dogs myself, so I enjoy their hands off approach.
-
So sorry to see this. It is still always a shock for me when a hound passes on GT that I know. Loved his reports and was looking forward to this one when I clicked on the link.
Not what I was expecting.Run free, Joe. I guess they were in need of a good reporter at the bridge. I'm sure he'll do a stand up job there as he did here.
-
In my experience the best way to tire out any dog is hard off leash running. If recall is not reliable and/or prey drive is a problem you may need to do this in an enclosed area (fenced baseball diamond). I hike my dogs off leash at a conservation area and also take them to a dog park at the same park. For the pup who still has tonnes of energy I will also jog with her off leash along the trails for a half hour or so (and then maybe still stop by the dog park on the way out! lol). If you can track down a fenced ball diamond you might be able to jog with him in there, or at least play fetch.
-
Summit is learning to jump up and put his paws on my shoulders. This is a big trick for a dog who basically does not take more than 1 foot off the ground except when running/playing. Ne never puts his front feet up on anything higher than the couch (and ours is low because it is a futon). He can only do it if there is good footing, so not in the house on our fake hardwood. But we work on it outside. I ask him for a paw. I take that paw and hold it and then ask him for his other paw, and then help him up to my shoulders. He thinks this is a great trick.
-
Amen to that.
-
Yeah, I don't mind the scar, it's just 2 major surgeries in 12 months is quite a bit. And the size of the incision just means more pain, longer surgical time, and potentially longer recovery. She did not bounce back the way most puppies I see do. Of course, that could also be because she had a prolonged anesthetic and multiple surgeries... not just a spay like most 6 month old dogs would have. Anyway, just sucks that she needs surgery again but I did not want to spay her at 7 months old. It was unfortunate that she had to have an exploratory done and ended up not finding anything (better that than finding a major problem of course!).
I loved seeing your pictures of beautiful Katie.
) timing/handling skills, especially when I'm being thoughtful about it although I'm very aware I have plenty of room to improve. But I've always naturally been good at spotting when people should reward or are being slow/missing reinforcement opportunities. But when you're learning multiple new things at one time, you start to adjust one thing and that other thing you just learned goes away. 
Ernie Stomps His Feet When He Meets New Dogs
in Training and Behavior discussion
Posted
Every so often Summit meets a dog that he just loves and he wags his tail a million miles a minute, play bows, then stands up straight and stomps his feet at them. It's really cute. Could be that, but as others have said a video would be most helpful.