Greydawg

Heisman does this to me sometimes, and yes, it can hurt. I don't discourage it, because he only does it to me and I understand that it is his way of saying, "Mommy, I love you." (grin) At least that is what I have read about this behavior. He sure acts happy when does it, not at all aggressive. And besides, it doesn't hurt THAT much. If he did this to others, and especially to a child, I would strongly discourage it - without punishment, like Batmom wrote above.

One of our boys has the same problem with his paws. The vet gave him a "Depo-Medrol" shot. 1cc, according to my receipt. It lasted 4-6 weeks. We fight this allergy problem all during the year here in Florida, though sometimes it is worse than other times. We have spent a bloody fortune trying to get to the root problem of it - with only mediocre results. My neighbors recently turned us on to "GentaSpray" by Butler Schein Co. It is by prescription only, and it is not to be used indefinitely. Their dog suffers from hot spots at times and it is the only thing that works. So far, it is giving our poor guy some relief from biting/licking/gnawing at his raw, angry-looking feet. Good luck.

Happy wags and wiggles! What a gorgeous girl! Welcome to this wonderful breed - and many congratulations to all of you!

Seriously? After what everyone is telling you here? "... he is begging to go to the dog park... The guy just loves to run?" Maybe he just loves the freedom to chase down and bully other animals. You said you are new to this breed. Take heed, ignorance is not bliss. You have a world class Formula One race car, and you need to understand how wonderful - and dangerous - it can be. Re-think your motives in taking him to the park. Also, if you have not done so already, please read the current GT post "Dog on Dog Aggression at the Dog Park." Love your new boy Ace, give him sufficient exercise everyday, teach him how to have good dog manners, make good decisions for him, and for goodness sakes, don't take him to the dog park.

Our silly-head, Alex, does the same thing with his bed pillow before he goes to sleep. He also licks the tile floor sometimes while lying on a throw rug. Long, slow licks. What's up with that? It is like he is in a trance. No apparent harm done, just an obsession, like you describe. He has plenty of toys and chewies of which he often plays, and he gets an appropriate amount of exercise every day. So, like you, I don't think he does it out of boredom either. We chalk it up to just one of his many funny little idiosyncrasies.

Some GH people believe it is our "duty" to let our retired racers run regularly, but I don't share this viewpoint. It would be fine if a safe run is readily accessible, but don't sweat it if not. I do not consider a public dog park a safe place for Greyhounds. In my opinion, we can have perfectly well-adjusted, socialized and fit Greyhounds by leash-walking them, everyday. And at our sides, what a great way to enjoy them, too!

No matter what we tried, Heisman would not even attempt to get into the SUV by himself. (Why would he? He had us very well-trained to lift his 78 lb Highness all the time! Ha!) Eventually, to help me, Hubby created a homemade "ramp" out of scrap wood, accessorized it with nice indoor/outdoor carpet and comfy handles to easily manage it. He designed it to fit nicely in the SUV with the dog so I could use it to get Heisman back in when we were ready to come home. Then our second Grey, Alex (Alexander the Greyt-hound) came to live with us and Alex had no problems getting in and out of the SUV. It didn't rub off on Heisman though, and he continued to wait for his Personal Assistants to get him into the vehicle. One day, something happened while Hubby lifted him up. Maybe stubbing his toe getting in? It happened so fast. He screamed bloody murder for two or three straight minutes on our driveway, until all the neighbors stumbled out of their houses to see what we had done to him. He was perfectly fine after the small concerned crowd gathered around us -- there was no blood, no bruising, no tenderness, no signs of any injury. Thank Goodness. Then like an Olympic athlete, he proceeded to jump in the back of the SUV and joined Alex without any further fuss. From that day forward, he jumps in and out of the SUV, effortlessly and without any urging from us. Don't get me wrong... I am not recommending this technique to train your dog! It did convince me that his resistance was 100% mental, and all we were doing was enabling him. Ha! What a character he is!

Oh boy... My Alex does the same thing! Around the house, he is outgoing, obedient, playful and silly. Outside during our walks, on occasion and for no apparent reason, he will sometimes just put on this brakes. What is his body language? Just picture a big, strong stubborn mule. He wears a determined look on his face and stiffens his body. Trust me, there is no way to budge his 90+ pound majesty when he gets like this. I have tried pushing, pulling, cajoling, pleading, treating, enthusing, threatening, promising, sprinting and every other kind of "ing" I can think of - all with defeating results. My other Grey waits patiently as all three of us stand like silly-looking statues on the sidewalk, for many minutes, waiting for Alex's spell to pass. (Sigh.) Is he playing me? Definitely. Alex never locks up with my husband, whom he has the biggest "man-crush" on. I have had other people pack-walk with us, and Alex locks up indiscrimInately with everyone. Everyone, except with hubby that is. Alex wouldn't dream of ever disappointing him. What in the world is going on in that canine brain of his?