KickReturn

Fantastic news and well done to you all. Jack will become a very special dog - I just know it. Please post some photos of your dogs and keep us updated on Jack's progress.

Excellent soft approach k9soul - I like that. Hester has never heard the word no. The only time I have ever used UH UH is when he looked to be about to pick something off the ground or if he was planning to cross the street at the wrong time.

C'mon, Rocket is new. Give him a break. First thing educate your children - many 9 and 11 year olds are not only capable of learning to be perfectly safe around your dog, they can also be excellent contributors to his well being. Rocket will probably learn that when no one ever tries to displace him from his bed that he will have no need to protect it. He will probably also learn in time that no one is going to harm him when his is down. In the mean time be very respectful of his space and allow him the privilege of telling you when he doesn't want to be bothered (growling). Dogs have limited means of communicating with us, why eliminate one of the few options? And it won't kill you to leave Rocket alone now and then. I am firmly in the camp of not overpowering a dog to extinguish some undesireable behaviour. It will be a negative experience that could interfere with developing long term deep trust. Do you want Rocket to behave because he is fearful of a reprisal or because he loves the outcome of the desireable behaviour? Positive reinforcement is the only way to go IMO. Our Hester could be terrifying when he asked to be left alone - growling and sometimes a very intimidating bark. He continued to growl for about a year although the behaviour got less and less as time passed. He was always rewarded with a hasty departure by us and a "good boy" when he growled (I don't recommend the "good boy" part although it worked well for us).The behaviour wasn't consistent. Sometime he would roach and ask for belly rubs and other times it was no touch! He hasn't growled at anyone for about 8 months now, but if he did I would be thrilled that he still felt independent enough to speak up for himself despite the love with which he is constantly showered. Please be very patient and remember your dog is still learning to be a pet. This issue is something that simply cannot be rushed. It is not unreasonable to allow the dog a year or even two to fully trust you. We are at almost year two and trust is still building. FYI the dominance theory methods mentioned in the second post, particularely Cesare Milan's early methods, are generally not considered acceptible in most normal dog situations. They tend to be completely dismissed by serious practitioners in the field of animal behaviour. They are particularely counterproductive when dealing with breeds as sensitive as Greyhounds. Please avoid.

Simple solution: if it ever happens again advise whoever is accusing your dog of "trying to bite their dog" that if your Grey wanted to bite the dog it would have been bit. Obviously the guy is a complete jerk and should be avoided. He clearly has a problem with how vocal his dog is. You could help your own cause by keeping Cass away from dogs that are uncomfortable being chased.

Great news. I just read this thread now from the beginning and all I could think was holy crap this is very serious! A little bit of diarhea fine. But throwing up bile in an otherwise healthy dog should set off major alarm bells. So glad all is good now. Watch him like a hawk - this guy might eat a whole shoe if given the chance. BTW fabulous looking fellow.

Two months is just the blink of an eye to a newly retired Greyhound. The resource guarding will probably fade with time. Aggressive/assertive with other dogs? If so you may also find that as Ami has more and more encounters where nothing bad happens she may lose that trait also. The trainer stuff sounds awful. Listen to the good folks here on GT - they won't steer you wrong. So anyone can call themselves a trainer? OK so I am a trainer - the best their ever was. My Grey was like yours when he arrived and like you he was my first dog. In fact my first pet of any kind. Now he responds perfectly to every sound I make, every word I say, and every wave of my hand - a dog simply cannot have better manners than my boy. And I did it all in just 18 months. So tell that trainer who is making you feel bad that the greatest trainer in the world says she is wasting her time and would be better off in the food service industry or perhaps doing something in custodial services. Sticking a fake arm in a dogs face while it is eating - what the @#%* is that? Seriously - it is in the dogs. Time, patience, and gentle, calm, positive reinforcement and everything will work out - this advice from the best trainer in the world. Good luck.

A bit more for those of you out with running Greys: please don't just stand there when a Grey takes a strafing run at you. I have adopted the habit of dropping into a crouch with my legs close together and my arms wrapped around them - basically the cannonball position (and brace for impact). Look at the video below - at the very beginning notice the lady. She is holding her legs together and flexes slightly as the dogs pass. This is good but the cannonball is better. Moments after this video was shot one of the black dogs slammed into me near top speed - her shoulder made contact with my knee. Because I braced for impact and was nicely crouched (wasn't using the cannonball then), I was completely fine. The dog however ended up with quite a bruise on its shoulder. A final tip: if there are other people in the vicinity advise them to stand still when the Greyhounds run.

Once a Grey starts to run extreme caution must be taken under all circumstances. Even without obstacles like leashes on other dogs, etc., the danger is real. Greys sometimes make mistakes, slip, or misjudge their moves and the moves of others. Each dog is different with some more clumsy, some greater risk takers, and others quite sensible and safe. Learn to know when your Grey is about to run, and how they run, and take appropriate measures.

So sorry you are going through this. You will get the best advice here. PLEASE be aware that some dogs should never, ever be crated. Some will destroy all their teeth trying to chew their way out of a metal crate. And when their teeth are gone they will wear their paws down to a raw bloody mess trying to dig their way out. A muzzle may save some teeth but not the feet. Be careful.

MUZZLE EVERYONE. Should have been done after the first attack, (before the first attack would have been even better). If it were me the muzzle would never come off the attacker, and I would find her another location where this couldn't happen - specifically, those two dogs should not be together. This is serious stuff. Make the best decision for all your dogs and try to keep your feelings emotions out of it. What's best for the dogs might be painful for you - comes with the territory. Sorry.

What's with just being "let out"? How about a nice walk. A good long one first thing in the morning, one before dinner, and one before bed and I guarantee that you will never have a problem again. BTW your dogs (in your signature) are spectacular.

The standard recall training techniques such as mentioned above are a good starting point. What I have noticed with a number of Greyhounds is that they understand recall but sometimes they only come when they are ready. If your Grey should get away from you and is not responding, it is not a reason to panic. Just walk over and clip on the leash. Some of you will need a huge fenced area to test this but another great technique that I use every day is to call and then walk off briskly in the other direction. If your dog trots after you, reward it thoroughly. If it doesn’t follow you don’t ever let it off leash! Another thing to watch is that when the dog is off leash and gaining distance in front of you, does it stop and look back to check your location. For those of you with good off-leash opportunities, be aware that over time even some Velcro dogs will build enough confidence to establish a fairly significant zone in which they will stray. Right now Hester will stray as far 50 feet either lagging behind or occasionally rushing ahead. When you get into this situation I recommend not using recall unless you really need it. It is just my theory but I worry that overuse of recall could result in a loss of importance to the dog and response may become less automatic. I know this is counter to some training prinicples but it seems to work for us. And of course never, ever have any sternness or anger in your voice. In the same vein I never use Hester’s name accept in an important recall situation. Now, when he does hear his name his head instantly snaps around and he is immediately by my side. These methods have worked well for us and so far in over a year we have not had a failed recall. I posted this video before – note the response to the gentle mention of his name at the 46 second mark.

It's not all the time but on occasion Hester can be a terrible "snarf". The worst part is that if there is a group of people he goes straight to the youngest, fittest (most attractive?) female. The first instinct is to laugh at my "ladies man" but it is just so embarrassing. I have made a point of being far away or looking elsewhere when he greets people so I don't have to deal with it. Yes I am an irresponsible owner but being part of a group of people all focused on my dogs nose and some young woman's crotch is too uncomfortable. Fortunately he only greets people who say "hi" or "hello" or smile at him so they are dog lovers to begin with. With children he stuffs his nose in their ear/neck area and they giggle which he loves. He also like to stick his head into strollers to sniff babies and toddlers. Funny thing, I don't mind at all if a strange dog wants to "check" me out. And if Hester wants to check me out I consider it an honour. He once stuffed his head right between my legs from behind as I was pulling up my trousers - he ended up inside my pants. It was the ultimate goosing. I fell forward onto my bed laughing with his head still stuck inside.

How long have you had Paige? Is she consistently snarking at certain types of dogs or is it the behaviour of those dogs that is setting her off? I ask because I went through quite a challenge with Hester until I was able to watch and record many greetings to learn what the problem was. Turns out Hester would give a calming signal (usual he would avert his gaze) and then check to see if the dog responded in kind. Lo and behold when a dog did not respond in kind he would puff himself up and warn the dog until it gave some indication it was not a threat. The big fellow actually had it right all along and I was a jerk for discouraging him from using his instincts to protect himself. Interestingly after nearly two years with me and many hundreds of greetings where nothing has ever happened, Hester seems to have learned that the signals or an absence of them from other dogs just doesn't seem to matter that much. As a result of his learning he is much more tolerant of less than perfect approaches. If you haven't had Paige that long or if she hasn't encountered many other dogs (I am talking hundreds), you may find that over time she will chill out as she learns that these other dogs that bother her so much never do anything bad.

You have a young dog. I second the comment about exercise. He may need a lot more than you are giving him to deal with his day alone. I know you are rushing off to work but a major walk before you leave might make a big difference. Take him for a 90 minute to two hour walk than record some video and see how he does. Also as time passes please be aware that he may be better without the crate.

I would never kiss a dogs belly. I would never press my face anywhere near a dogs abdomen. Expect a dog to protect it's vital organs from your teeth. I would also never do a lot of what you described with any dog that is lying down, particularely one that you have only known for 7 months. And you should not feel hurt. Is Bonnie not allowed to express herself whether it was play or a defensive response? My advice would be to make up with Bonnie by taking for a fabulous long walk.

Much better, thanks for asking. Swelling is 75% gone - like magic, and he has a bit more spunk. Our walk started with lots of enthusiasm but he still fades pretty quickly. I guess it will be a few more days till he is back to his old self. That photo above is a whole lot of swelling. Hester never got anywhere near that bad although his swelling was more generalized over more of the snout.

I spoke to the vet. He feels the swelling is in the range of typical. The swelling isn't blood - probably just serum. We didn't get Amicar but he didn't even have any bloody drool so I don't think he is much of a bleeder. His face looks a touch better in just the last couple of hours. The anitbiotic is profilactic care for potential infection. That doesn't seem to be an issue. He feels nice and cool and isn't fussy at all. Has a good appetite also.

Metacam for pain/swelling and antibiotics as well. He doesn't feel feverish so we are not in any serious trouble but I am watching the swelling. I think it is a bit weird how the whole snout swells a bit. I have a slightly Roman nosed boy, as least temporarily. The other thing that stands out is that he is very swollen in the corner of his mouth. Not his gums but rather his cheek flap area on one side. It seems like fluid has collected in that area.

Thanks Wonder. That is reasurring. He looks a little like a Bull Terrier right now. It's morning of day 3 and he doesn't look worse than yesterday but no better either. He has been eating but I have been feeding him scrambled eggs, fresh ground beef, and cottage cheese. And yesterday I caught some beautiful salmon so he had fresh grilled salmon for dinner. Not really a test of his appetite as few dogs would refuse that. He did refuse his morning walk which has me worried a bit as he was quite energetic on his evening walk yesterday. I left him alone in the house yesterday for a couple of hours and he collected some of my clothes and made a little "nest" on my bed and spent the time there. This is so unusual for him - he never goes on my bed. And last night he "asked" to sleep with me on the bed. It broke my heart to decline his request. He is just being so sweet and needy. Poor guy is just so bummed out.

He is acting a bit more normal but he a very reserved and sad fellow. He ate a little scrambled egg for breakfast and took his Metacam. His snout is more swollen than I expected. It is not a balloon but it the whole thing is a bit puffy even up to his eye level. Is this normal? He has no fever, no panting, no whimpering, no blood, and he is following me around the house again (which is his normal activity).

5 teeth pulled including one of his carnassials. Lots of stitches. He's not a happy boy. I brush his teeth every day but they were not touched until he joined me at age six - too long. Damn. And damage from crate chewing to his canines. But he gets to keep those for now. Apparently like so many Greys he was a model patient but boy is he stoned. He is having trouble coordinating lying down on his bed. He turns round and round and then gives up and stands there looking at me for help. He eventually gets down after several attempts. He is passed out now. We were sent home with pain medication and antibiotics which we start tomorrow. No interest in food or water. Tiny bit of bloody drool but not bad. We have a pile of scrambled eggs made up for him when he gets hungry. I also had x-rays taken for his sore shoulder and the rest of him. He has a calcified tendon in the shoulder - tendonitis. Obviously the remains of an old racing injury. So no cancer or arthritis - yay! The vet was very surprised that all his joints were in absolute pristine condition given his former line of work. His spine is also good with the exception of a narrowing of the gap between the 10th and 11th vertibrae. He does flinch a bit when you mess with that area. Likely another remnant of three long years at the track. Here is my stoned boy being shown his x-rays before we took him home:

Looks like he will have 4 or 5 teeth extracted. Poor fellow. What should I feed him tonight? His is on a raw diet. Maybe just ground beef?

Hester is at the vet right now having some x-rays and a dental. I anticipate a couple of extractions but nothing major. Will he be OK to be left alone tomorrow? Or will he require closer attention the day after a general anesthetic?

Thank you, that's nice to say. I feel very blessed. I still pinch myself every morning when I wake up and look out the window. For all the concerned, I had Hester at the vet this afternoon as a very short, light gallop had him limping badly this morning and he was not good on the beach yesterday. We decided on a dental and x-rays all at once in a couple of weeks. This was his first vet visit. He was a champ. The vet wanted to see him walk so out to the parking lot we went. He was hilarious, demonstrating his walk, his trot, and a bit of canter all sans leash of course. I just waved my hand and he did his thing. The big guy is a freak. Vet thinks arthritis is the most likely culprit. Not limping tonight so all is not lost.