Feisty49

Let us know how the day turns out. I think it will be fine.

My girl hated her crate from day 1. She was also terrific from day 1. No problems whatsoever. By day 3 or 4, the crate was folded up and put away, not to be seen again. For me and my dog, I don't see the need to have a crate up. If it's ever needed for, say, a medical reason, we'll deal with it then with the knowledge that I'm the human, she's the dog, and if she has to go into the crate for her own good, she will go into the crate. Some dogs like the comfort a crate can bring them, but it's used with the door always open. They can come and go as they please. I've never read that feeding in a crate was beneficial. It may be that with multiple dogs separation at feeding is necessary and a crate would do the trick. Yah, Greyhounds are sorta different but in the end, their tight little butts still belong to a dog. My suggestion is to relax, don't over think and enjoy your pup.

There are no guarantees in life. There really is no way to "make sure there will be no negative side effects from doing it." You'll have to do it to find out. Why do you say you'll continue to feed him in his crate? Are there problems otherwise?

I love his face! Andddd... I'd go with the squirt gun. LOL Yah, training is nice/good, but sometimes, personally, I want quick results. They definitely can train us. Annie knows that when I take her out for a walk or a P&P, she gets a treat when we come back in. She figured out pretty quickly after adoption that acting like she had "to go" got her outside, though she didn't really have to pee, and then back in for a treat. She manipulated me enough in the beginning that once out the door, she wouldn't even pretend she had to go. She'd just turn around and want to go right back in the house. I stopped that pretty quickly!

Love it when they "borrow" something. When I go out I deliberately leave a couple of things around so Annie can steal and hoard on her bed. Socks and mittens are her favorite things.

Pretty girl!

My Annie would pack her bags and move out if she had to live with a yappy, in-your-face dog, no matter the size. Just adding some levity. While some Greyhounds may be high prey, just as many are not. My girl is not at all and turns her back and walks away from another dog that is barking, yapping or making too much noise. She's much like her mom is with people. You've gotten good advice and will get more before the day's out. Also, you are taking this seriously and have done your homework. I too wanted a Greyhound for years (since the mid-'90s) but the time wasn't right until 2 years ago. They're worth waiting for. Good luck!

I also disagree with the 9 out of 10 stat. I am, of course, only a one-dog person. Annie has been almost perfect, literally, since day 1. But my group has at least 12 foster dogs in various homes and the temp parents don't have P&P problems. Some may for the first couple of days, though I don't consider that a problem because of the short duration, but the dogs learn right away that outside is where they do their thing, and we're talking dogs right off the track or, which could be more of a problem, the farm. I have no advice for you. Boy I wish there was a magic wand that would cure SA.

It's nothing my girl does, other than a regular licking once in a while. If I thought she was leaking, I'd be taking a trip to the vet, and I'm not one to run to any doctor, for my Greyhound or myself, at the drop of a hat.

Poor baby. It must be incredibly uncomfortable. Re milk: Milk can cause constipation. Dairy products in general can be constipating. What else are you feeding him?

She sounds terrific. We like pictures or at the very minimum a description. :--)

Just wondering if a long-nosed hound (aren't they all? .. LOL) would have difficulty in getting to the food. It's the first thing I thought of and don't know if I'm thinking crazy thoughts. I remember somebody posting a while ago that they put their dog's kibble on a cookie sheet, which slowed her down.

A question: You say he won't eat dog food. What does he eat? Also, an animal won't go hungry. If he doesn't like breakfast this morning, I bet he'll be hungry enough at supper to eat, but don't feed him people food during the day. He may like it and want it, but so what?

It'll be OK. Don't expect her to be scared. Remember, racing Greyhounds are used to being hauled from track to track. As far as she knows, she's going to another kennel. Chances are she'll settle down and sleep the whole trip. Unless she gives a strong indication she has to pee, I wouldn't stop for a potty break. It's only 2 hours. Someone else will know how many, but it's many hours between potty breaks at the track; 2 hours is nothing. Don't worry if she refuses to drink. Again, it's only 2 hours and some dogs don't like to drink when in a strange environment (my Annie is one of them). Even when home, my girl goes for hours without drinking. I'd go lightly with treats. To repeat myself, it's only 2 hours, she won't starve, and you don't know if the new situation will make her stomach unsettled. Before leaving, find out when she most recently ate, pee'd and poo'd and take it from there. A blanket is good. Maybe a stuffie also. Don't worry. It will be OK.

Re not saying good-bye: Everybody, and I mean everybody, in my Greyhound group [except for me ] tells every adopter to ignore when leaving and ignore upon return. I've read that a lot here on GT too. It's just not common sense to apply one rule for every dog.

She will eventually know you and yours and that your house is hers. It may take a while. It may take overnight. If it doesn't happen right away in a manner you hope, it will in the way she wants. As I've said so many times, my Annie is a very very calm Grey, which is saying a lot about a breed that is pretty calm. She doesn't do anything bad, but she's also not a dog who gets SUPER EXCITED about anything. It took months before she showed me that she was happy when I returned to the house from being out. There's nothing like having a dog NOT greet you at the door to make a person wonder WTH? LOL. It was over 6 months before she decided she would learn the stairs just so she could sleep upstairs with me. Until then, she slept downstairs by herself. I know now that Annie is a happy girl being my girl because she shows it, in a mild, calm way, but it took a while. Just saying love your dog and love on her no matter what and she'll come around, if she doesn't right away, in her own time.

I know this is the reason given for ignoring upon return, but twisting the reasoning around, my mind thinks it's a good thing to let the dog know, SA or not, that I'm home and it's a good thing. I left. I came home and you're still #1 in my book. I don't buy that a dog has the reasoning powers to think that my greeting means I think my being gone is a big deal. And ya know what? I've taken to saying, "Good-bye. I'll be back soon," when I leave. That is a super big no-no in the dog world. Annie knows long before I leave that I'm going out, without me having said any trigger words, and starts her "Am I going with you?" activity. When I say "good-bye," she mournfully watches me out the window and then runs upstairs to sleep in her bed in my bedroom.

Other than a jumping dog, I've never understood the reasoning behind ignoring a dog when returning home. She's happy to see you. You're happy to see her. I want to acknowledge my happy girl, her waggin' tail and grin on her face by letting her know I'm just as glad to see her. I fuss over her. I pet her. I give her kisses. I ask her how her alone time was Within 30 seconds, though, we're out the door for a pee if I've been gone a while. Annie has never been a jumper -- ever. Annie is a very laid back dog who expresses her happiness at my return in a calm manner. She doesn't wiggle or go nuts turning circles. She's actually so calm that I encourage her by my voice and actions to get more excited. I see that you say she's not jumping unless you ignore her. My advice is don't ignore her. Love her up and take her out for a pee if it's been a while. I have no advice or reason why she would pee in the house every couple of months. Sorry.

Has he always been constipated? Does it come and go? Constipation in dogs, as in humans, can be caused or exacerbated by what kind of food is eaten. Did you do any research to see if what he eats might cause this problem? Also, does he drink enough water... well, what is "enough." I don't know.. lol.. I just know that if it's lacking in a diet, that lack can contribute to constipation. I think mineral oil can interfere with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, so you need to be careful how often it's used.

Good morning. You'll get lots and lots of responses and with luck, most of us will make sure that you understand that we feed what we do because it works for our dogs, our households and our budgets. Background: Annie had diarrhea issues when I first adopted her. After reading lots of posts on here, I thought that was typical. (What new people need to remember is that a lot of this forum is to help each other out so more posts are written about issues and problems than other types.) I now doubt that soft serve or diarrhea that lasts for a few weeks is typical post adoption. The foster homes in my group change food fairly regularly and they claim with no problem. After some experimentation, Annie Bella is now on Taste of the Wild-High Prairie formula and does well with help from beet pulp. She gets 1.5 cups for breakfast and another 1.5 cups for supper. In her b'fast I might put in a heaping tablespoon of beet pulp because it firms up her stools. I put water in the food to help slow her down, but I don't let the kibble soak before giving her the dish. She tends to scoff things down and then hack as if she's choking so the water slows her down but it doesn't make the kibble soft. She gets a few treats during the day, but, with the exception of Large Dog Milk Bones (half a one after morning walk and the other half after afternoon walk), I buy treats for small dogs, with less than 20 calories each, so the "few" treats don't pile calories into her system. Maybe once a week she gets a bully stick. She also gets a tarter-helping chew once or twice a week. She almost never gets people food. It's just not my thing to give her people food. The up side to this is she never begs for food. Her vet says she's doing great and her weight is maintained at 65-66 pounds, 5 pounds over her racing weight. The quality of kibble is up for debate among every dog owner, not just Greyhounds. I tend not to buy into the hype about grains, etc. I do buy into what keeps Annie healthy, makes her poo good and is something I can afford.

Yah, I've understood girls are kenneled on top but not all girls will jump into the back of SUVs and not all boys won't. The president of my group is also a no-nonsense type woman (see Booker_Eye post above). I refer to it as taking no prisoners. She's got a heart of gold and brings up so many Greys for adoption, but she also takes no crap, so to speak, from the dogs. If she wants a dog to jump into the back of a SUV, the dog will jump! I've learned a lot from her.

This. I've seen this happen with new dogs, usually males, off the track and at their first M&G of our group. We walk them to the open/ready vehicle very quickly and without slowing down as the opening is approached, say "Hup" or "Kennel up" while lifting the leash in the air and forward. They usually get it.

Yah, strange water makes me very wary. I've pulled Annie away from more than one water source because it looked unsavory.

Ha! I can't wait to see answers. I have a girl and she pees only one way: squatting down.