krissy

Can you explain what this protocol is? It's a training protocol to teach dogs to relax? Relax in stressful situations or...?

Would it help to ask for another behaviour when they reach you to prevent them from darting off too quickly? So when they come you then immediately ask for a sit/stay or down/stay before releasing them?

They can pick up tape worms from eating rodents. Rabbits aren't rodents, they're lagamorphs, but there's probably a good chance they can still pick up worms from them. You could worm him to be safe or check a fecal in a week or two (it'll take that long for eggs to start showing up).

Maybe it's just because I'm a total loser and have never really been into the party scene at University... especially now that I have my own place with my BF (we're like an old married couple... stay in and watch t.v. most nights), but I don't find having a dog wrecks my social life at all. I take them with me to visit friends (who love to see him), and you can still totally go out and party. I wouldn't recommend you go out and party on a regular basis... but we've certainly gone out to the bars the odd time and the dog is fine. I walk him right before we leave, give him his Kong and all the usual routine as for leaving at any other time of day, and when we come home at 2 in the morning he's fast asleep and we can barely get him out of our bed so we can sleep. On the same note, I've been on call and it's exactly the same. I get a call at 1 in the morning... I get my butt out of bed and into respectable clothes and then I give the dog his Kong and run out the door to see the seizuring cat. And depending on your dog, you might not have to go home often to walk him/her. Summit is more than capable of going 10 hours... he's not even desperate at 10 hours. Obviously we don't make him go 10 hrs regularly, but life happens... traffic jam on the way home from a day trip without the dog, etc. So I don't go home between classes to walk him unless I have a really big gap and want to take him for a longer walk. Maybe find a group that fosters dogs out and volunteer to be a foster parent. Then you can see what it's like to have a dog in University and what kind of personality fits best.

This is probably done in a secure room. The dog could be trained to lay on its bed. Just having a dog in the room and the patient being able to see a relaxed dog might be enough to reduce anxiety and stress. I would agree about having to check contamination issues though.

I'm a University student too (albeit I was starting my 5th year of Uni when I got Summit, and my third year of vet school) and greyhounds are the best dog for a student (in my totally unbiased opinion, lol). My boyfriend and I did a lot of research into breeds... okay, I did a lot of research into breeds and then we decided (again, more of an I decided) on the greyhound because they're low energy, quiet, and clean. Low energy shouldn't be mistaken for "doesn't need exercise" of course, but the wonderful thing about most greys is that they're more than willing to go for a 2 hour hike, but they're also happy to sleep 18 hours a day and go for 3 quick pee breaks (you know, during exams). My boy is fairly big at 75 lbs but he'll find any soft spot and just curl up and sleep the day away. We take him to a weekly greyhound run and let him out in the fenced backyard a few times a week maybe. I walk him for 30-45 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes when I get home from school, and 30-60 minutes in the evening. This is more than enough for him. He's a little older, but I know lots of younger greyhounds who are even lazier than him. You just need to find the right adoption group and to be prepared to show you are dedicated and responsible. I don't blame groups for being wary of students. I know of lots of stories of animals being returned or dumped when summer rolls around. But I also know lots of groups who have never had a problem adopting to a student and will do so readily if you show you will be a good owner. Good luck!

Summit is on Hill's J/D for his joints and it has lots of fish oil (for the omega 3). Not only has it firmed up his poo, but people are always commenting on how soft and shiny he is. He also gets tinned sardines every other week or so.

We have a non-barker too. Summit only barks in play, so usually at the dog park or greyhound runs. Occasionally when he's feeling frisky at home he'll stand right in front of you and his tail will start going like crazy, and he stands up real tall... and then all of a sudden he'll bark at you, especially if you ask him "what is it!?" in an excited voice. But he never barks at the door or visitors or at other dogs that are barking at him. Crazy dogs running along fences or pulling on leashes barking at him usually results in him completely ignoring, looking over at them excitedly, or whining quietly.

My only concern would be that if you alleviate the pain too much you'll have nothing to show the vet when you arrive. It's hard to localize the source of pain if the dog isn't painful anymore. Well, that and you don't want to give too much of an NSAID. I would give the meloxicam some time to kick in and I'd let it be until you get to the vet.

I use the wait command for impulse control. No matter what happens, wait means WAIT. Obviously we're still working on this for different stimuli and different situations.... He waits for his dinner twice a day, he waits at doors and gates, I often ask him to wait while I run into another room or upstairs to grab something, before meeting a new dog, etc. So no matter how exciting things are, he's learned to control his impulse to rush over and waits for his release command. And of course, like you mentioned, leave it is a great command for impulse control. I ask him to down and then I show him a treat. I tell him "leave it" and I drop it. If he tries to go for it I block him with my foot, with a verbal reminder, or by keeping a tight leash. As he gets better I start dropping the treat closer and closer until I'm dropping it right in front of his nose.

I'm not sure the OP's concern was about sleep startles or redirected aggression when breaking up fights. I think it can only be expected that if you get in the middle of a fight you might get bit... often accidentally, sometimes just out of redirection. Greys definitely have higher levels of sleep aggression compared to a lot of other breeds, but I think it's safe practice with any breed to wake them from afar before you get your face next to theirs. I think greys tend to be very tolerant. I can sleep on Summit, I can open his mouth, stick my hand down his throat, take blood from him all by myself, pick at things, clip nails, and so on and so forth with absolutely no response. I have seen a grey that got really nasty about dad clipping his nails. No biting, but some scary show. I think everyone knows their dog best and knows what their limits are, and greys are generally very tolerant by nature... but they're still dogs and you still never know when enough might be enough. I think it's always best to keep an eye on body language for signs that your dog is getting fed up and back off at that point. And of course, lots of treats and praise for tolerating unpleasant things.

Summit does not tolerate another dog mounting him. I can usually tell when the other dog is thinking about it and I'll get my dog out of there or tell the other dog off before he can do it. And if I'm not quick enough, well frankly the other dog asked for it. Summit occasionally gets a little too personal with intact females (i.e. dogs fresh off the track that haven't been spayed yet... like foster dogs) and he gets told off for it which is just fine by me.

Sometimes they suddenly decide to start up with SA or are anxious for some other reason. Summit chewed a huge hole in a door frame about a month ago. We are moving around a lot this summer and this was at someone's house where we were staying. He doesn't have SA but he was a little anxious with the move and it turned out he just didn't like the basement room we were living out of. I crated him upstairs for the rest of the time and he settled right down. When you say he has a Kong but he doesn't chew it... are you putting anything in it? Many dogs won't chew on an empty Kong. Summit doesn't chew his ever, but he will lick and roll it around to get the goodies out. I stuff his with kibble and either peanut butter, cheese whiz, cottage cheese, wet dog food, or sardines. Then I freeze it to make it even harder. I also leave a radio on for him and he gets several other food dispensing toys to occupy him later when the Kong is empty. Sounds like you may need to go back and do some reinforcement on your alone training.

Dr.Couto is in Spain right now. He is answering e-mails, though may not be as prompt. I believe he is supposed to be back on Wednesday.

I totally agree. I can't understand why groups don't take a more active role in advocating for obedience classes with greys. Sure, some don't excel, and some aren't overly enthused, but it's a great way to build a relationship with your dog and it can save your dog's life. Tricks aren't necessary. I know some people are just not the training types. They don't really enjoy training. That's fine, don't train your dog to sit or lay down or shake a paw. But I believe that every dog needs to know 2 things. Come and stay. The rest is all bonus.

I have also photoshopped pictures of my dog to make it look like he's running off-leash somewhere.... I just cropped him out of a picture of him running off-leash in an enclosed space into an image of a beach or woods etc.

If I remember correctly from the GRA forum, you didn't get Licorice all that long ago and they tend to be good about listening at first because everything is new and you are their one constant. But once they settle in some begin to get more independent. Summit is 6 (so a little older, but not OLD) and we do lots of obedience and agility training. Which means his recall is really good... not just for a greyhound but for any dog. He has low prey drive and doesn't chase small furries. But every dog has a weakness and it takes A LOT of training to get a reliable response in the face of those weaknesses. Even with Summit's great recall I always walk him on a leash. But he doesn't chase things and has reliable recall... so why don't I trust him? Well, if he sees another dog his recall is less reliable. I'd say it's still about 90% but it's definitely not the 99% that it usually is. And if he hears a firecracker or anything that sounds like a firecracker... he's high tailing it home by the most direct route possible. So just because you have a dog that has good recall still doesn't mean it's a good idea to let him off leash. I have had Summit do some accidental leash free walking. One time a gate at the baseball diamond where we run our dogs every weekend was left open (not the gate we use to enter and exit but a small one by the dug out that we didn't even realize existed because it had always been closed) and all of a sudden my dog was running on the other side of the fence. THAT is what his amazing recall is for. It's not so he can walk off leash all the time... it's so he will come back to me in case of an accident. Does this make hiking a bit of a PITA? Yeah, at first, but you get used to it. I hike Summit in a harness with a longer line so he can stop to sniff and pee without me having to stop every single time. You get used to it. It's a small price to pay to ensure their safety. Any time I have a moment of temptation I just think about him lying dead in the road and the pain that I start to feel just THINKING it immediately erases any thought of it. really? wow, I've never heard of that. I was just wondering what other people do with their greys. Licorice is very good at coming when he's called and will even stop mid-run to return to me (while at the dog park) so I've thought of letting him run on back trails... Just curious about other's input. Did you sign an adoption agreement? Because if you DID, I imagine it contains such a clause. Everyone I know has an agreement that says they won't let it off leash. My dog has NO recall, and I would never take the risk. My last dog was a mixed breed from a shelter; I signed no such agreement, and he was extremely well trained and I DID let him loose in safe areas. My dog is from the same group. I'm 99.9% sure there is no off-leash clause. I'd have to double check my contract to be 100%, but I really don't remember it.

We've been fortunate that Summit has never had sleep aggression while we've had him. But he was off the track for 2 years in a home before we got him, so maybe he worked it out. He does have LOTS of noisy dreams though. He twitches and runs in his sleep and he makes muffled barking sounds as well. He is definitely louder asleep than awake. He almost never makes a sound during his waking hours, but when he naps or at night when he sleeps he usually has one episode of running and barking. I would agree with crating him at night and just not touching him when he's asleep while he settles in. He may very well improve, and if he doesn't then that may be the time to start thinking about desensitization.

They make a DAP collar now too.

The other thing that I like to do is to give treats as reinforcement without releasing the dog. In other words I tell him to wait and after he's been waiting for awhile, or if I do something to try to distract him and he ignores it (I bounce a ball, open a door, get his collar and leash out) then I give him a verbal cue (you can use a clicker, a cue word like "yes" or "good", or just say "Good wait"), I give him a treat as reinforcement, and then I remind him that he's still waiting (I either say "wait" again or just give him his hand signal for wait) and I walk away again or do something distracting. I may do that several times depending on how he's doing. Then I give him his release word (for us it's "okay") followed by praise and maybe a treat.

I just told him to wait then opened the door, put down the food, etc. When he moved for it I'd say "No" or "ah ah" in a fairly neutral tone and gently push him back a bit or prevent him from grabbing the food. Then I'd repeat. In the beginning it's important not to be too ambitious in terms of the length of time you ask them to wait. You want to work up gradually. So at first, so long as he doesn't charge out the door as soon as you open it, I'd take that, give the release command and keep going. Then try asking him to wait for 2 or 3 seconds, then 5, etc. etc. If at any point the dog is consistently not able to wait for the specified length of time then you've progressed too quickly and should reduce the amount of time a little bit.

Thanks Robin. We'll take you up on it if we need to, but fingers crossed this is all he needed! We're going to do a level 2 obedience tomorrow. Should be fun to brush up on those skills.

We can't drive an hour home to Guelph for agility class (and an hour home again). I mean, I could, but there are days where I'm on call and can't, and there are days where I get stuck at work longer and we wouldn't be able to make it home in time for the class. I called all the places in Stratford and no one offers agility. I took him out to one place tonight though and she gave me the contact info for someone just outside town who DOES do agility, so I'm going to contact them and see if they can figure something out for me and Summit to do some agility. As an update, I moved Summit's crate upstairs to the living room and it would appear that he is much happier there. He lay down within a few minutes even though I hadn't left the house, and didn't even stand up when I came home. I couldn't video tape him because my camera is dead, so I can't know for sure but he seemed much more relaxed. We will keep the crate upstairs and see how things go day by day.

Yeah, it's kind of a sucky situation. I know some people think it's black and white, but personally I don't live in a world that is that simple. I wish I did. I am going to try tomorrow moving his crate upstairs into the living room. That is where he wants to be and why he's trying to break out. It's not because I'm not home (except for the fact that when I'm home he's not in his crate and can be in the living room... therefore it is kind of because I'm not home). So I'm going to crate him up there since he likes it up there. He will be able to see who comes in and out so maybe that'll make him less anxious or upset about hearing people he can't get to. My only one concern with this plan is that the "ignore the dog" upon arriving home part of alone training will be totally shot because no one else is going to ignore him... in fact the little girl is going to run in every time and make a huge fuss about him. I will talk to her mom about talking to grandma about "ignoring the dog", but I know from experience that when you tell people to ignore your dog... they nod and say they understand and then completely and utterly fail to ignore the dog. But anyway, maybe that'll be a better spot for him. We talked about crating the beagle next door so they could have company, but I don't know if she'll spend a lot of energy being annoying and trying to get to him, so might not be the best plan. The BF offered today to have Summit come home. I had not told him yet that I was thinking about sending him home after the weekend if this week went badly as well. He offered. I then pointed out how much extra work that would be for him... getting up even earlier to walk him, etc. He did sound a little overwhelmed... I think he forgot about exactly all the things I do with the dog AND rabbits and how much time and effort goes into taking care of the whole lot, but he still offered to have the dog home if I wanted. So, he's probably partly hoping I don't send Summit home, and he'll probably still do a lot less than I do in terms of walking and training, but he's certainly more than willing to take care of all 4 if he has to. I think he's getting a real appreciation for how much extra work I do in taking care of all our pets.

This. Also didn't you say you are only interning for about 4 more weeks? Maybe Robin could help for that time? Or maybe you and the boyfriend could "swap" the animals. You keep the bunnies in the basement and he keeps the dog. 40 minutes round trip is not that bad. I drive 45 minutes each way to work and back every day. My externship is 4 more weeks. Then we go to OSU for 3 weeks. OSU should be better though because we are staying with greyhound people. They have a couple of greyhounds and a non-grey, so he should be fine hanging out with them all day... real company as opposed to being jumped on by a puppy. I can't bring the rabbits. The family has cat allergies (they do have a cat) so they don't want the rabbits in the house. I did think of that and ask but they can't have the bunnies in the home. In terms of driving 40 minutes twice a day, yes, it's do-able technically, but I wouldn't be able to when I'm on call. But like I said, I did just meet a lady today with an older grey that is local and could maybe be convinced to have Summit over a few days a week as company for her old girl, so I'm going to try that avenue and see where that goes. I don't know where all the other greys in this town are. I'm told there are lots but so far have only met 3, and none have really been a good match for a dog sitter... todays being the best bet. I am going to call the doggy daycare as well and see if that's an option... but I'm still not sure he would enjoy that.