krissy
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Posts posted by krissy
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Crate aversion can develop when the only time you crate your dog is when you're leaving the house. My advice is to start crating him for small intervals of time when you are home. When he goes in the crate, reward like crazy. Use high value treats, like Kongs or bones to entice him. Then leave the house for ten minutes, come back and let him out. There are some dogs with true crate anxiety that require an alternative training method... However, if your boy is going in his crate regularly with the door open, it sounds like you can still work with it. If he is reluctant to go in, don't push or force him in. Trying gently leading him by the collar, encouraging him in a happy tone, saying 'yes!!' and 'good boy!!' when he goes in.
I agree that it's not a good idea to stop crating altogether if your dog isn't reliably housebroken and there's a likelihood of him being destructive in the house. Here is another good resource on crate training.
This. And taking it even a step further... ask him to go in and don't shut him in. So in the evening when you're home ask him to go in. Give him a treat and immediately let him back out if he wants (or if he chooses to stay in there just keep giving rewards and don't shut the door... as long as he stays in the crate he gets rewarded). When he comes back out don't reward him or make a big deal, don't coax him out. Then ask him to go back in again. Ask him to go in and let him come back out several times in a row (like 5) and then just walk away. Do this several times at all different times of day. Do it several times in the morning before you do finally shut the door to crate him.
Any time you see him in the crate on his own with the door open toss him a treat, or give him something really good like a pig's ear to eat in there.
I personally think it is super important for dogs to like (or at least amicably accept) crating. I have way too many animals in hospital that freak out, cry, howl, dig, and chew when they are hospitalized. At some time in any dog's life s/he will probably have to be in a cage/kennel and it is best for everyone involved if the dog can deal with it, better if they like it. Kili runs right in there whenever it is open. If I bring her to work on a quiet day and let her wander around loose (or have a play date with a co-worker's dog) I always leave the observation kennel door open for her. When she decides it's time for a nap she goes right in and lays down. Even Summit who hasn't been routinely crated in several years has to accept being crated the odd time. When we visit my inlaws the dogs have to be crated when we aren't home. They aren't comfortable with the dogs being loose and I totally respect that. It also means that when we go for family dinners we are often allowed to bring our dogs and crate them somewhere in the house. Summit runs right in, settles down with his treats and then takes a nap. No fuss.
And yes, Summit started to not want to be crated after we'd had him home for about 3 months. But he was housebroken, small animal safe, and not destructive. He was a bounce and had previously been in a home for 2.5 years. And he will still crate nicely for the non-routine days when it is needed.
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Having been diagnosed with a "persistent hymen", it sounds to me like Kili's determined to keep her virginity, lol! All kidding aside, I'm relieved for you. Great news!
Lol, well too bad for her, it was definitely forcibly taken from her while she was unconscious (that sounds really horrible... You know what I mean!).
And owww! for you. That doesn't sound pleasant!
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Yay! Just popped into surgery so her surgeon could show me what she's seeing, which fortunately appears to be nothing. She thinks the tunneling they were seeing is part of her persistent hymen. So looks like she's coming home tonight and hopefully will be cured.
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So scope showed a persistent hymen. That was broken down and suspect ectopic ureter. They are prepping her for her nip tuck and then she is having surgery to check out the ureter situation. Which is a nightmare because if there really is an ectopic they need to keep her for 2 days to keep an eye on her urine output abilities and reultrasound. I have no idea how I'm going to come back and get her in the middle of the week with work since the specialist is 2 hours away (not like I can just pop by on my lunch break). So I'm hoping it turns out to be nothing.
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Good news! Kristie, if this one can't do agility, you could always add ANOTHER puppy! I'm sure Summit would love that. 
Ha ha. Never. Over my dead body. Lol. As much as I love Kili and as good a puppy as she is... there will not be another puppy for a long, long time!
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Just checking in for an update. Will continue to think good thoughts!
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Poor Chevy! Hope he has a quick recovery.
Do you know these dogs? Do they belong to a neighbor?
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Excellent news, when you consider what the outcome could have been. I assume "anesthesia no concerns" means surgery's no longer necessary?
No, sorry, it means the cardiologist isn't worried about her not being able to handle the anesthesia today or bad things happening. We're waiting for her scope now and that'll determine if we go to surgery.
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Cardiac ultrasound was okay. Mild mitral valve dysplasia. Cardiologist told me to listen to her extra carefully every year. Anesthesia no concerns for today. Agility okay.
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Kili is back to see her specialist. Recheck ultrasound looks much better but now we feel more confident about a possible ectopic ureter, which is a ureter that doesn't open in the right place. So she's definitely going to have a scope today and since her vulvar conformation isn't great we're going to do a quick nip tuck. Just in case it is contributing to her problems. If the scope shows an ectopic she's going right to surgery.
On top of that her heart murmur hasn't resolved and since she's now over 6 months it's a little concerning. So now we're waiting for cardiology. The heart is my main concern now. I got her 110% for agility and if she has a problem that precludes that then I'm in big trouble.
Wish us luck.
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Welcome from Lindsay, Ontario. You're a bit far from us but I think you'll be fortunate enough to find some greyhounds in your area.
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The panic and second thoughts are normal. I was so excited when we go our foster boy. Then the first two nights in cried in his crate for about an hour while we were in bed. I cried the second night. "I've wanted a dog my whole life and now I can't have one because I can't deal with it!" is what I told my boyfriend because I was tired and just wanted to sleep. We only had him 3 weeks and I just about cried when he left for his new home. The house felt so empty without him. We went out not even a week later and brought home Summit. He was a bounce that had lived with cats so I had no worries about him eating my rabbits, and he had no separation anxiety so I didn't worry about him getting us evicted from our rental.
Brought home Kili this fall. I was SO excited. I had been getting updates and photos from the breeder for 3 weeks. I could barely sleep the night before. I drove 3 hours to the breeder to get her. It took me more than 3 hours to get home as I stopped to visit friends and at DBF's work so he could meet her. I got all the way home and felt so good. Put her in her x-pen for the night and she spent almost ALL night screaming, throwing herself at the top of the x-pen (so the next night I switched to the crate). I just thought "Oh my god, what have I done? I can't have a puppy. I don't know what I'm doing. I have NO patience. What was I thinking?"
Breathe in. Breathe out. This too shall pass.
Alone training starts the second they walk in the door. Let them settle and get used to the place. Don't lavish attention on them. Don't be overly comforting if they are really needy, just be a calm and reassuring presence.
I would crate to keep the cats safe. Get a baby gate and gate off a room so the cats can get in and the dogs can't. Pull your furniture out about half a foot from the walls -- again so the cats can squeeze in but the dogs can't. Muzzle when the dogs are out of their crates and/or if you won't be closely supervising. Keep them on leashes with their muzzles on at first if you're really nervous.
Stuff Kongs every night before bed. Give them to the dogs in their crates as you head out the door. Leave a radio on. I recommend crating about 15-20 minutes before you anticipate walking out the door. Don't let them out or acknowledge them for 10-15 minutes after arriving home, or until they settle down and are calm (this was never an issue for any of our guys except the puppy at first). Feed meals in the crate for the first little while if they seem reluctant about the crates (note: reluctant means just that, if they're destroying crates or have severe anxiety you might need to investigate options other than the crate).
Breathe in. Breathe out. Most of these dogs are "plug and play" for the most part. Both our experiences with retired racers was like that. Sometimes there are problems but you're prepared for them. And the ones you're not prepared for you have the adoption group and GT for. Enjoy!
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Could I just remind some posters that the incident didn't occur at the dog park, but rather when both dogs were leashed and being walked? Sometimes I think we get derailed talking about dog parks (which obviously can be an issue) but problems also occur, and just as suddenly, when everyone is leashed, as in this incident.
Well I previously addressed the leash incident, but since it went back to dog parks I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents about that too.
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Cranberry only works on bacteria that have pilli, which unfortunately most don't. It seems that there is a higher proportion of bacteria having pilli in kidney infections. Generally cranberry "can't hurt", unless a dog is prone to forming stones. Cranberry may promote stone formation and probably shouldn't be used in dogs that like to form stones.
I used it for awhile for Kili's endless kidney infection problems. Didn't seem to help much if at all.
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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.
Agreed. You need to be vigilant at the dog park and make sure you keep an eye on the dogs that are there, but I love having Kili play with other dogs. It's great socialization and it tires her out. And they have FUN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIFT629G1iM
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Thanks for sharing. That must have been a hard thing to do.
While I think it is wise to always be vigilant and perhaps avoid small, hyper dogs... avoiding ALL other dogs is really not a solution. If you do that your girl's socialization will suffer immensely and under socialized dogs are dogs that have problems coping with social interactions. She very well may get MUCH, MUCH worse simply because she becomes unaccustomed to interacting with other dogs. And trust me, you cannot avoid all other dogs all of the time. Accidents happen. Someone could drop a leash and a dog comes running up to you. No problem, you have your dog muzzled. What if the other dog is aggressive and now your dog can't defend herself because she's muzzled?
I'm not saying you let her run willy nilly and walk face to face with a small fluffy. I am however suggesting that maybe some training classes might be a good idea. Summit is horribly aggressive towards huskies and almost no other dogs. However he has learned to look to me for guidance. I can safely have him off leash on the trail and call him back to me if I see a husky. I then ask him to watch me as we walk past the husky. But I'm always vigilant. If we DO go to a dog park or something like that I keep a close eye on the in-gate. If I see a husky coming I leash him up and return him to my vehicle.
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Depends on how your dog reacts. He may be fine with some groups but need to avoid other energies and play types. Kili plays well with everyone but I've had her since 8 weeks and she's played with more non-greys than greys. Inusually take Kili in first and observe the other dogs. If I think the other individuals are okay I go back to the truck and bring Summit in on leash. I allow him to meet the other dogs and then I let him go. If he gets too snarky at any point he goes back on leash. If he really can't deal with any individual there he goes back to the truck. Some days he has a blast and other times he spends the whole outing in the truck.
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I put sunscreen on Summit ( and will on Kili as well) when we are out in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. I also try to provide him with shade (also for avoiding heat stroke obviously). Summit has pannus too so I really keep an eye on his UV exposure. For example, I now cart around a beach sun shade/tent at my ultimate frisbee tournaments so that he has constant shade while we are outside all day multiple days in a row.
You have to be careful to pick a safe sunscreen. I spray all areas where he is thinly haired (belly, bum) and then I cover his eyes and do his nose/muzzle. He and Kili both have areas of their eyes that don't have black eyeliner, and those worry me the most for skin cancer since I can't put sunscreen there.
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Summit makes the most irritating noises licking his boy parts. Drives me nuts. I just say his name in a "tone". Sometimes I have to remind him 2 minutes later. Then that's the end of it.
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I'm a kayaker so never tried to take Summit canoeing. I can see him not enjoying it much. Not so even so much because of the tippiness but I'd have to put a lot of blankets down for him I think. Kili I could see enjoying canoeing.
It is the one regret I have with owning dogs. I can't take them in the kayak. And since we always take them on camping vacations with us it means I rarely get to kayak anymore unless we do day trips. I've thought about switching to a canoe so they can come along but I really don't like canoeing nearly as much as I love my kayak.
ETA: When in ANY sort of boat, motorized or not and regardless of breed, dogs should wear a life preserver. People should too. I don't care how good a swimmer any human or dog is, anyone can be injured or knocked unconscious in an accident.
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So sorry Tornado had to leave you.
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Anyone have any experience buying from them? Looks like they actually ship to Canada so just looking for some thoughts on them.
ETA: they have Plato's! We bought a package of the salmon treats when we were in Ohio last summer. Had never heard of them before. HUGE hit.
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I'm 24 (25 in March) and my BF is 28. Summit is 8 in May and we got him over 2 years ago. Kili is 6 months old this weekend.
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I always tell my clients that I can't tell them what a lump is by looking at it. I might suspect that a lump is "probably a fatty lump" but that the only way to know for sure are to get a sample and send it to the lab. Some people don't worry about it beyond that, other people want it diagnosed ASAP. If you're worried have a sample sent to the lab to get some answers.
Good news! Kristie, if this one can't do agility, you could always add ANOTHER puppy! I'm sure Summit would love that. 
Does Everyone Train Their Dogs To Do Tricks?
in Training and Behavior discussion
Posted
Summit knows all his basic and not so basic commands which I don't consider tricks: Sit, down, wait, come, back up, down in the middle of a run, heel, automatic sit at the side, touch hand or target.
Then we ran out of purely obedience stuff so we started into "tricks" (some of which are not exclusively tricks): shake a paw, other paw (useful for putting on sweaters or wiping feet), spin, bow, "be stealthy" (belly crawl), roll (roll flat on his side from a down, useful for nail trims and exams).
I think that is it right now. I ran out of "tricks" I cared to teach.