Feisty49
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We got our first greyhound 4 months ago and he is the perfect dog. No space/sleep aggression, loves to go places with us, could care less there is a cat in the house and has been that way since he walked through the door, does not counter surf, rarely even goes into the kitchen, he has never messed in the house, is not a chewer, and only shows signs of SA if he cannot walk on the really cold days to school in the mornings when I take my son. That got to be part of his routine as soon as he came home so he gets quite upset if its too cold to come in the morning.
I've had numerous dogs throughout my life, but Finn is the easiest most laid back dog I've ever had, and I am now a proud greyhound snob and will probably never own another breed. LOL
Just like in every other breed there are going to be some with issues. The only thing you can do is meet your dog and go from there.
Good luck.
This, except for having numerous dogs and walking to school. I adopted Annie in July 2011. She's an only dog and I live alone. She honestly does almost nothing "wrong." Actually, what she does do that is "wrong" -- which is planting herself on walks -- is easily corrected so I don't have an issue with it. She doesn't cruise countertops, go in garbage or chew. She doesn't cry or wreck things when I leave her alone. She never has an accident in the house.She either ignores the cat or is intimated by it. She is a welcome house guest because she lays on the blankets I bring and sleeps. She almost never barks. She has extremely low prey drive. It took a couple of months to get the right food combo so that her poos were healthy, so to speak, but once I found that, she's had no issues. It took a few tries to get her to climb stairs but it would have been sooner had I not given up so easily.
She goes in the car with me when I take trips to visit relatives. She's not 100% happy or it could be my interpretation of the sad look she has when not sleeping. She's not snarky with other dogs or people.
Two things she doesn't do, which you want, is get on furniture and train easily. I would have discouraged the furniture anyway, especially the bed because I like to spread out, but she has never shown an interest in getting on anything. She simply doesn't climb or even put her front paws on any furniture. The training is another matter. Annie will do some things but there are other things that have just not sunk in. I don't care too much because she's a wonderful dog.
My suggestion is to work very closely with your adoption group and get details from her foster home of what your potential hound is like. The people who foster for my group know all about the hounds before they are adopted: whether they are cat safe, get on furniture, have space issues, like garbage, prefer stuffed stuffies or unstuffed stuffies, etc., and we don't adopt a dog who doesn't fit the lifestyle and needs of a potential adopter.
I imagine there'll be a lot of positive posts on this topic so you'll see that many of us have dogs with no, or easy-to-fix, issues.
I hope we make your decision easier.
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In this day and age, everything eaten, by us or our dogs, could be questioned. What about the peanut butter recall? Or the meat every few months that is recalled? I would worry more about my granddaughter eating bad food than I would my Annie.
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Every dog is different While some may take a long time to be comfortable being approached in any way, some don't take any time. Annie is so laid back I could remove food from her mouth the first day I adopted her. Seriously. She has no issues with anything I do whether it be cleaning her ears, brushing her teeth, or dremmeling her nails, and this was from the first week after adoption. She isn't thrilled with any of it, as evidenced by her nose almost touching the floor with sadness when I approach with the toothbrush, but she cooperates.
Having said this, I know that when I approach Annie, she prefers I do it from the side and have my first touch be at her neck to her mid-back. She has never growled at me. She has never expressed discomfort with me touching her face/head first, but she does sorta duck and it's obvious she's wishing my hand wasn't there. No big deal. I always touch her first on the neck, and then move to her ears, chin, cheeks, with a very gentle touch. I've had people ask if she was abused ("retired racer, so she must have been been abused") because she'll duck her head when approached head on. I explain the concept of approaching her (and most dogs) from the side because it is (probably) less threatening.
You mention your boy was watching you. If he was awake, he might have appeared to be watching you but off in a daydream of sorts. Sounds silly, but I know that my girl can be wide awake but staring off in the distance, much like a human does, and can be startled I if I don't let her know with words that I'm approaching her.
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I have tried walks and he will sometimes pee on them, but he statues SO bad that it often takes me 20 minutes just to go a block (and I admit that I get a little embarrassed when I'm stuck standing in front of my neighbors house for 10 minutes, which doesn't make me want to keep doing it...) I will continue trying with the walks...
My girl pees & poos, unless she doesn't have to go, so I have no suggestions. You mention, though, a problem with him planting himself (statuing). Here's a link to suggestions about how to circumvent that problem, a problem I had BIG TIME when I first adopted Annie. I dreaded walking her but once I learned how to get her going, it became fun.
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My Annie Bella wasn't the best leash walker for the first couple of weeks. It took me that long to realize I had to take control... that she needed direction from me. She had no idea of what I desired when she was on a leash unless I demanded it.
If Bonnie is wandering all over the sidewalk, shorten up the length of the leash by putting more in your hand. She can't wander if there are only a few inches of leash rather than 4 or 5 feet. Every dog wants to wander, but it's often not acceptable or safe. When you approach or are approached by another dog, stop .. literally stop and do not let Bonnie get near the other dog. She'll want to. She'll probably pull to do so, but she's the dog and you're the mom. Keep her close and keep her under control.
Clicker training has worked with Annie on a few things. As GeorgeofNE said above, sometimes there is too much to do to have Annie do what I want, click and then treat. Honestly, if a clicker in a hand works, I found that a double click with my tongue, which sounds similar, also worked.
Some things take a lot of time. I mean a lot. Maybe weeks or months. I'm still working on Annie going down anywhere I say to go down. She'll go down if her bed is available but that's all.
Bonding is real important. Annie will do things for me now (18 months post adoption) that she would not do a year ago. Trust, bonding and love sometimes build slowly but when it comes, it's Greyt!
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This will be with you for a while. I've seen something like this but nearly as bad as what you saw and it was days before it stopped haunting me and even then it wasn't far from my thoughts. It's scary to think that your "kids" could have been involved if things went a little bit differently.
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Don't worry about the whole dominance thing. As others have mentioned, she's just asking for more love. Someone who's obsessed with dominance theory might say that she's being manipulative and that we should only give affection on our terms, not theirs. But IMO, dogs have the right to communicate their desires with us, and it doesn't mean they're trying to take over. Just enjoy your girl and don't let myths interfere with your bond and relationship with her.
Yep, I agree. The whole thing about nothing in life is free can't apply to everything, IMO. And why did any of us get a dog if not to nuture them and hopefully get some positive response in return. My Annie doesn't paw. She noses. There's nothing that makes my heart warmer than to feel that cold nose pushing up my elbow, with great strength, and then see her lips quiver with pleasure when I respond to her request for attention. Be glald your girl thinks you're the best giver of love in the world. It's so precious.
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That is an awesome picture! Roaching and a bit of bed fail.
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How long have you had Stan? When I adopted my girl, I was a bit nervous about most everything concerning her from what/how much she ate to when/how much she poo'd to is she drinking enough water. I calmed down in about 2 months when it sank in that while she's a Greyhound and as such does have some special needs and care (thinking of blood work, etc.), she is a dog, and when I calmed down, she did to.
What I'm saying is: Don't worry. According to the vet, Stan is healthy so if he doesn't eat breakfast for a few days, go with the flow. He'll eat when he's hungry - which will be before supper but oh well, he'll have to wait. I would give him his normal number of treats during the day but no more. You don't want to make up for him not eating breakfast.
A question? Do you give him a treat or something to "tide him through the night?" If so, don't.
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There isn't much difference in how cold it feels between 12 or 15 degrees and 7, unless it's windy, so I don't think a 5-degree difference needs to be a concern.
Our temps this week haven't been out of the teens, and I've been walking Annie every day this week *except* for Monday (I think it was Monday) when the wind was 15-20 MPH with gusts up to 50 MPH. It was just too damn cold for me. We took short jaunts on part of the 12 acres I have, but coudln't go onto the trails in the woods because it's dangerous with wind that strong (old trees fall often back in the woods).
I have a very heavy coat for Annie with a matching snood and then I put a hat on to keep her ears safe. She likes walks, unless it's pouring rain, but in this very cold weather, she turns to go home about 3/4 of the way through our normal 30-minutes.
It's 1 below zero in my backyard. It's a little breezy. The sun is out, though, so in a few minutes, we'll start a walk. It'll be up to Annie how long we walk.
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I've had Healthy Paws since last April and am satisfied. [i switched from Trupanian because of the per incidence deductible. (I thought they have since changed that??)] I have no complaints or issues with HP. An annual premium bill would be nice but... ::shrug:: I have the $250 deductible and 90% reimbursement, both of which can be changed in the future (i.e., $500 deductible and 80% reimbursemenet) to lower premiums. Thankfully Annie hasn't been ill enough to meet the deductible, so I haven't had to submit for much, but the couple of times I have submitted, I've gotten a response back from the company within 48 hours, even over weekends.
I also appreciate how nice they are to speak with on the phone. The reps have always been friendly, helpful and have never given me the impression I was taking too long with my questions (this was mostly in the beginning when I was thinking of signing up).
Like any company, they don't cover pre-existing conditions, but I wanted the luxury of insurance to cover the major health problems that can arise, none of which Annie has had.
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Tom is beautiful!! There's nothing like a Greyhound happy to greet at the door upon return to make us feel good. Someone else mentioned it but the first thing I thought was that he's one tall boy, which only adds to his handsomeness.
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GeorgeofNE and PrairieProf ... the few, the proud, the yardless, the single, the "yeah there's a reason we only have one hound"....
(OK I do have a tiny yard without direct access but I rarely use it, as Beth mostly sniffs around looking for rabbit poop and doesn't get down to business. It's nice in a blizzard or for training games on occasion.)
Yepper. One dog here. No fenced backyard (I do have a HUGE backyard but won't fence while it's on the market). I'm a widow and there is nobody else to walk Annie B, so out we go. Right now I'm visiting my sister, who lives in northern New York State, and the wind chill was zero this morning. We all bundled up, Annie with coat and hat that covers her neck, top and bottom, as well as ears, and out we went at 8:30 this morning for a walk. We walked the same at mid-afternoon. In between, she was out for a quick chance to P&P in the side yard. The only condition Annie won't walk in -- absolutely refusing -- is heavy rain. She'll do her P&P on the grass next to the driveway, but immediately pulls to go back in the house. It's tough having to walk a dog in bad weather, but ya kinda get used to it as well as making you feel good because your dog enjoys it so much.
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It took me months to find a kibble combo that firmed up Annie's poo. Before that, her poo varied from OK to soft serve to downright mushy. (You'll find we're pretty blunt in our descriptions. No beating around the bush when it comes to getting the point across.)
I too switched to Iams in the Green Bag (Proactive Health Adult Dog Minichunks Dry Dog Food). She wasn't crazy about the flavor (at least that's how I interpreted it) so I added Nutro Natural Choice Adult Venison Meal & Whole Brown Rice Dry Dog Food. Her poos got better and after I added beet pulp, it got downright perfect 95% of the time (giving her something like a bully stick can screw up things a bit).
Annie now gets: 3 cups of food a day, split between breakfast and supper. It consists of half Iams in Green Bag and half Nutro Venison. I also add a couple of squirts of fish oil and a tablespoon or two of beet pulp OR an envelope of FortiFlora (a probiotic).
Except for some really lousy foods (Gravy Train comes to mind though my dog when I was a child thrived on it), I personally wouldn't worry too much about what's the best. As others have said already and others will say, whatever works for your dog is what's best for your dog. Some Greys thrive on super expensive, high-end kibble. Others, mine included, don't, as evidenced by real mushy poos if not diarrhea.
And one other suggestion: Once you find a food your girl tolerates and you like, stick with it. For a while, even after Annie's poos were getting a high rating, I would occasionally introduce a "better" food because don't we want what's best for our houndies? I got over that. What works is what works so I no longer food around.
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You'll get many replies. Some similar. Some different. It'll end up that you'll find what works best for you, your dog and your household.
I had been told by Annie's foster mom that she liked her crate, so much so that she had to be fed in it; that she wouldn't even eat but in her crate. So in anticipation of a dog who thought of a crate as her safe place, I had a crate ready, blanketed and soft and a few toys. Annie hated the thing from the beginning, and she didn't want to be in it let alone be fed in it. The first couple of days I'd put her in it, with the door closed, when I ran errands around town. When I got home, she could not wait to get out, and though I left the door open when I was at home, she never went near it.
After talking with her foster mom what Annie's life had been like with her, we decided that Annie liked her crate so much at the foster home because she didn't like hanging with other dogs. Once she came to me -- and became an only dog -- she blossomed out of the need for the crate. (Annie loves other dogs, just not in her house. She gets pouty and ignores them.)
I lucked out and have a truly easy going dog. She has never done anything that would make me want to crate her, and she was like this from the beginning. So, since she hated the crate and proved to me within a few days after adoption that she had no SA, didn't go into the garbage, didn't chew on things, etc., I folded the crate and put it away 6 days after I adopted her.
Good luck!
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I have no advice, I'm sorry, but he is indeed one big, super cool looking dude! He's very handsome and his fun personality is written all over his face. Congrats!
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A senior. I love senior hounds. I have pet health insurance through Healthy Paws. I switched to it from Trupanion last spring because it seemed to meet most of what I wanted in coverage. They don't cover well visits nor the "exam" part of a visit due to accident or illness, but they do cover tests, meds, treatments, etc. So far, I haven't had enough vet bills to meet the total $250 deductible. This is good 'cause it means Annie B. hasn't been sick.
Everybody's got different ideas about how to feed and what to feed. From the suggestions here as well as your growing experience with your girl, you'll find what works best for you. It may take a few months, though.
My recommendations, just because it works best for my household and my dog, is to feed her twice a day on a regular schedule, and if she doesn't eat all her food within 30 minutes, take it up. There are some mornings when she eats only half her breakfast. I give her the usual treats during the day. By supper, she eats her food down to the bare bowl.
I also recommend not giving a lot of extras with her regular meals, once she's put on some weight. This has the potential of creating a picky eater. My girl never knows if she'll get anything extra with her supper (which is the meal I give an extra). I might go 3 days with her usual kibble assortment (I have a "recipe" of stuff that has her poos perfect) and then on the 4th evening, toss in a couple of tablespoons of shredded cheese or a piece of ham cut up or even a couple of Wheat Thins (which she loves!!) or a scrambled egg. There is no rhythm to getting extras so she's never not eaten because she thinks something is missing.
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This topic crops up every once in a while. My girl did this from the beginning (adopted in July 2011). I don't have a fenced yard so had to walk her. She would plant herself and not move. I dreaded the walks. It could bring me to tears. Then I got advice from a dog trainer: Get her feet moving. This is what I wrote back in March last year:
If you decide he is done with his walk, that is he has P&Pd but is just not wanting to go home but you want to go home, here are some suggestions to get him moving that I wrote somewhere else on the forum (the link appears below).
When I first got Annie Bella (July last year), she planted herself more than walking, I swear. She still plants occasionally, but I have many ways to get her moving.
The first thing I recommend, which sometimes stops the planting, is to not slow down just 'cause your boy does, if indeed you ever do that. Walk along with the expectation he'll come along and don't slow or stop, even if he falls back a few feet. Without realizing it, we often pace ourselves to our dog's pace, and it should be the other way around.
Try walking him in a circle. Hold him close to your thigh, walk around pressing on his shoulder with that thigh and as you come out, keep on walking. I don't use this any more because my Annie Bella is beyond that but it always worked for me, if not the first circle on the second.
Give him a gentle push on a shoulder with your knee or a hand. I don't know about other Greyhounds, but Annie Bella does not like that at all. Talk about giving me stinky eye. The push should be firm enough to make her feet move and that movement starts them walking again.
Using two hands, give a gentle, but firm, push on his side. If the push on the shoulder doesn't work with Annie Bella, I do the side push, firm enough so that all four feet have to move, and again, that movement gets her going.
What also works for me, and I tried it out of frustration one time when I was really really really irritated with her, is to stand in front of her, bend down (I bend down so close that often her nose is touching mine), look her straight in the eyes and say with great firmness and aggravation, "Move!" or "Annie come." That always gets her going, because if I've reached that point, she knows I am pissed!
(NOTE: This should be done only with a dog you know well.)
Often, especially when we're in the driveway heading to the door, she'll plant, or go slowwwwwwly, and I use my shame-on-you voice, and say something like, "Shame on you Annie Bella. Shame on you," my voice just dripping with disappointment and I tug. It took a few months of bonding before that worked.
You can always use treats. I never walk Annie Bella without treats in my pocket. They're good for training, if the opportunity comes up, and they're good to get her going. Gotta toss them, though, so your dog has to move. Once he's moving, you start out at a good pace with expectation in every step that he will follow.
The final way to get Annie moving - which I've had to use only twice because she refused to walk through a doorway -- is to hold her collar by the loop on the Martingale, which has her touching my thigh, and walk, tugging on the loop at the same time.
Good luck. I used to feel so foolish on a public street practically begging Annie Bella to move but those days are long gone, thankfully.
http://forum.greytal..._1#entry5145374Of course, my hints are for walking on a pubic street, but the thing is to get his feet moving again and at the same time, start walking.
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Thanks for the input. Without doing tests, both the vet and I are leaning toward a seasonal allergy because this is the second time it's happened in the winter. My house turns 221 years old this year so goodness knows what stuff is in the air. Heck, it could even be caused by the lack of moisture in the air.
Besides the drop medicine, the vet gave me ear cleaning stuff with instructions to clean her ears twice a week. It's a big bottle and will last a few weeks. Before it runs out I'll ask if this is something I should continue to do.
I've never given Annie Bananie Whisker Face a bath. She doesn't get dirty. I wipe her paws down after a walk in the winter to get rid of gunk but the only bath she's had was at a PetSmart over a year ago after she played in mud.
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My girl has an ear infection. Last winter in February, her first winter off the track in her Forever Home with me, she got an ear infection. It wasn't bad and went away quickly (I don't remember the med she was on).
I noticed this past Wednesday that she was showing the same symptoms so off to the vet we went the next day. The infection is bad enough in her left ear that the vet was surprised Annie wasn't dizzy and having problems walking. She's now on ear cleaning fluid (twice a week) and Mometamax once a day for 14 days. Thankfully, after just 2 doses, her symptoms have eased up a bit. The symptoms include twitching/flicking of her left ear (the worst one), her trying to scratch it (soooo funny to see that long leg up there) and general shaking of her head often.
Anybody else's hounds get ear infections? Just curious. I'm not concerned nor worried, which is my nature in general, but I am wondering if other doggies get them, and if so, are they regular occurrences?
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I don't have this problem 'cause my girl doesn't go on furniture nor do I have a child in the house, except my granddaughter occasionally. You don't say what precipitated the snapping, if anything. Nonetheless, if I were in your shoes, I would not allow my dog on the bed with my children. If Sherry is guarding her space -- perfectly normal -- then she will do it anywhere and there's no way to anticipate it.
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Peanut butter inside a kong works for awhile...i'm not sure what puzzle toys are?
Here are some examples: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=interactive+dog+puzzle&tag=googhydr-20&index=pets&hvadid=21896386915&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=947302621529676148&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_3j2yp6p8i4_b
I know of a lot of dogs, Greys or not, who enjoy these. My girl, not so much. If it takes work, she's not interested.
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I apologized for my lack of empathy/sympathy. I had no advice because I don't think there's a problem. As far as the hot pepper.... it wasn't clear to me that you were half kidding. Again, sorry for not reading between the lines.
I'm sure there will be many others who do have advice because they've had the same issue.
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I have no advice because rather than discourage your boy from particular areas of the room, I'd make sure the room was safe for him. It makes me very sad to think he'd get his mouth/nose burned from hot pepper. I think it's cruel and would never do it to an animal (unless attacking my girl) or a person.
Nose art: ::shrug:: It is what it is and it's gonna happen with any dog. Close your computer (if it's a laptop) when you're not around and wash the blankets.
Sorry for the lack of empathy but I'm just not seeing a real problem.
Skinny? Or Not?
in Health and Medical discussion
Posted
To me your girl looks too thin, as if she got off the track last week. She's healthy, though, so having her put on a few pounds can be fun!