KickReturn

Isn't this pattern fairly common? My Hester does the same thing. We walk him for hours every day and it seems he will empty himself, with each successive bowel movement softer than the one before. The first is always perfect and the last is pudding. 3 times on a long walk is typical. On the rare day when his walks are fewer or shorter I will only see the well formed version. My understanding is that the longer he holds his feces the more water that is extracted in the rectum. Is this a problem or just a grey thing - a sprinter/hunter preparing for the chase.

Hello All, Hester has what appears to be a sore or some condition on the upper side of his webbing between the first and second toe of a front paw. See photo. It appears wet because I have covered it in antibiotic ointment. Note the pit near the top of the webbing and the black areas which are what I believe to be scabs. There was more of the scab material that I removed. The scab material was a bit different than any scab I have handled before. More rubbery and tenacious. I wonder if some foreign material had been imbedded in the skin and the healing process has begun. Tips for care are welcome. And a glamour shot just because.

100% reliable so far. Recall training after every walk (4 per day), always with a reward. Also recall testing with reward prior to unclipping the leash on walks. Please note that my boy is only off leash were there is no chance of encountering cars.

Sorry can't help you on the belly band but don't worry about the statuing just yet. It is just day 3. It could take as long as a couple of months until Miami learns to love his walks. Miami may be emotionally shattered from the recent changes he has gone through. I never realized how depressed my dog was when I got him until I saw the change that occured over the following six months. Please no tears - just lots of patience and confident leadership is what Miami needs. (My appologies because I think you inquired about this issue in another thread.)

Well, I have witnessed a relative,s dog that hears its name constantly from every member of their family. It seems to me that that name now means nothing to this dog - it is simply constant background noise. I know that in an emergency my first instinct will be to yell Hester's name. I figure that if I only use his name in conjunction with recall and treats, ear scratches, and lots of praise, I will always be able to get his attention. It seems to work. When he hears his name he knows something very good is about to happen if he comes to me. Just my theory anyway. Besides, at home he most often called sweetie, beautiful boy, or little boy.

When he runs on the beach he strikes the sand with such violence that he gets abrasions on all the little bumpy spots on his lower hind legs. He is a rather spectacular runner (when he actually chooses to run). Sort of lauches high into the air off his back legs.

Thanks everyone for the tips and warnings but do not fear, Hester has never failed in his recall, and I never use his name unless I want him to come to me. What has not been trained is heel. It is just what he prefers. I am aware of the risks and know the article the Disease of Trust off by heart. A lot of the security comes from the safety of the areas. He is never off leash if there is any chance of encounters with cars. I am not naive, if he saw a rabbit I assume he would chase. I see the real risk as a physical injury resulting from a chase into some nasty bushes, etc. I guess the only real question is whether he should be protected from this risk at the expense of a richer life experience. In my situation this is the real debate and I welcome your input. (Although it has not escaped me that there seem to be plenty of injuries occuring in peoples own yards.)

I just wanted to show my boy Hester's off leash behaviour. After he has had his run at the beach he will not leave my side. Start, stop, left, right, he will stay in lock step never more than about 12 inches off my left hip. Absolutely no training involved, this is just the way he is. My guess is that he is simply terrified of being left alone so he moves with the "pack". His behaviour is much the same in other situations such as trails, parks,etc. but he will stop to sniff and mark occasionally.

Greyhounds do understand pack mentality. What would a dominant dog to protect its food from another? If Hester tries to enter the kitchen I simply face him down and walk toward him. He always backs up and eventually returns to his bed. We also make him wait a second or two once his food is in front of him. Whether or not these actions are connected to his behaviour around our food I can't be certain. But I can tell you he has never dared approach any of us while we are eating nor has he touched food that was not his even when it was left on the table or the kitchen counter. FWIW we have never used the word no.

Fika is just giving you some love. She wants to hold you but she doesn't have any hands so she use her mouth. My boy is desparate to do the same but anytime he makes contact with his teeth he pulls away as he is afraid to transgress my superior pack status. It is amazing how gentle he is with his teeth. He is like this when he wakes up in the morning. As long as Fika is properly respectful when necessary I think it's great.

No, he is good with stay, wait and come. He is completely submissive to me. He is just trying to avoid having his nails done. The rest of the advice here is really great. I am glad no one advocated "laying down the law" with him. I much prefer gentle bribery and distraction.

For the 6 months that I have had Hester he has simply laid on his side and allowed me to dremel his nails without so much as a flinch. Now he has decided that he is at liberty to stand up and walk away. I have tried to hold his foot firmly but he simply gives me a kick with his free leg (shocking strength) and relocates a few feet away. I have had a helper hold/hug him around the chest and neck while he is down which has allowed me to do some dremeling but he still puts up a struggle. I stop before he becomes too agitated but this prevents me from finishing the job. Is there a better technique? Standing up? Do I need to be firm and physically and psychologically overpower/dominate him? I prefer to avoid this approach but will do it if necessary. Up to this point in our relationship he has never challenged my will. I treat him extremely gently and he always complies - he has never heard the word no. He shows great respect for the social order in our home and while an extremely dominant dog, is very submissive to his people. What I fear is confronting him and losing (physically and psychologically). His size (90 lbs) make this more of a risk. Tips please. Thanks. (FYI he is perfectly healthy, no limping, etc. and equal response on all feet and I only attempt nail grooming after a long walk.)

My guy blows through Turkey necks in as little as 30 seconds for a small one. Bigger ones take longer. For most dogs half of a large neck is plenty. My guy is huge so he'll take whaterver I throw his way. I feed them partially defrosted - so they are slghtly bendable. The size of some of the pieces he swallows whole is frightening but never a problem. Go for it and let nature take its course.

Krissyfissy, I love the look of your dogs and I know reading your other posts you are at a very exciting time. As for your yard, no matter how low prey your guys are, those bunnies are food. It would be a very rare Greyhound indeed that would ignore a rabbit. Also be super careful when they go off leash in the yard. Maybe one at a time at first and muzzles when they are out together. I know many owners here have their Greys play outside without muzzles but I wouldn't attempt that until you know them very well and they know each other very well. A good way to start would be to crate one and then take the other out to the yard and throw a stuffy for him to chase. Mayhem should follow.

First - Ladd is spectacular looking. As for the ocean, when you go make sure the wind is offshore. When Hester first saw the ocean the wind was onshore and the surf terrified him. He turned around and headed for the car. But after a few visits in calm conditions he will go blasting into the water.

A little tough love: Your dog is looking for confident, competent, trustworthy leadership from you. Crying for a couple of hours isn't that. Yes the incident is upsetting, but get passed it and get back to work being a good pack leader. If a part of you is upset because your dog's love for you suddenly seems conditional, well don't be. Like others have said it's not a personal thing, it's a dog thing. And if most Greyhounds have never bit their owners, well great. And for those that have had an incident, we learn from it and deal with it. Not a big deal (unless it is recurring).

Just be glad you have a Greyhound. My brother has a messed up Collie with a very furry tail. That dog will pee with gusto if you but look at it. But then she promptly and obediently sits in her puddle thoroughly saturating her bushy tail. Then she jumps up and furiously wags her tail flinging her urine about the house - I mean walls, ceiling, people - everywhere. My brother calls it getting piss whipped.

Great tip thanks, but will have to save it for days when he is not in the ocean.

Nice to have a hound that plays ball. Mine has no idea about such things. Now show him another fast moving dog and he will fly. The coat is from The Elegant Dog. I never dealt with them directly but it is a small operation in British Columbia.

Hi All, When my boy Hester runs on the beach he gets pretty bad abrasions on the boney protuberances on both the medial and lateral sides of his lower hind legs. The cornering angles and penetration of his feet into the sand is enough to do it. I have been using vet wrap (see photo) which helps but it gets moved around a bit so he still gets scraped up in certain spots. I am afraid to tension the vet wrap any tighter and I am not sure if doing so would offer better protection anyway. Anyone have any tips?

Victoria BC - Greyhound country. Never too hot and never too cold for the hounds. There are many beaches like this. This one in particular has very limited escape options for the dogs. The whole area is quite perfect with endless forest trails and no traffic. The rate of dog ownership here must be very high. It seems everyone has a dog. The whole recall thing is interesting. Some Greyhounds seem very independant and I imagine difficult to train for recall. My boy is so needy and was so bonded to me from day three (when he wound his front leg around mine while standing beside me) that he has had perfect recall since that time. However the fact remains that if he goes after something he really wants, he will not be coming back until he is done - so maybe not perfect recall.

My boy had bad SA in the crate. Left him out with the muzzle but blockaded in one section of the house. He was better but not perfect so we gave him the run of the house (which is very large) with the muzzle on. He was better again but there was still room for improvement. So I gave him the run of the house without the muzzle and he was perfect and has been ever since. I guess every dog is different. When I leave I make sure he knows I am leaving, we have a little goodbye ritual, and he is fine.

Although I posted an introduction a few months ago, I felt it was time to share some of my boy Hester’s life with the good people here from whom I have learned much. While much of my experience will be familiar to or perhaps surpassed by many of you Greyhound veterans, I am amazed everyday by this remarkable creature and I consider it a privilege to just be in his presence. His impact is particularly striking to me as this is my first pet of any kind. First a bit of info before the photos. Hester is large, but he is also very narrow. The width of his shoulders and chest are as narrow as any other greyhound I have seen, including females as light as 60 pounds and yet he weighs around 90 pounds. That should give you an idea of his lankiness. He is close to 30 inches tall at the shoulder, but what really stands out is his ridiculous length. I haven’t put a tape measure on him but his walk is much more of a slink like a Panther as opposed to the jaunty trot of a Greyhound. He runs like no other Greyhound I have seen. There is none of the lightning fast cadence but rather a bounding action with incredible elevation. When he passes by it is more like the thunder of galloping horse. I get shivers from the vibration that comes up through my feet. He was good at the track and had a long career. His personality is best described as extremely dignified with occasional playfulness. He will accept affection and will reciprocate but only in the most respectful ways. After 6 months he is becoming more forward and confident in his interactions with us. While not quite a cuddler yet, we are teaching him that it is OK to snuggle a bit. His lips quiver when he looks at any member of the family and he chatters regularely. What is most notable is his bond with me. He simply will not leave my side. He prefers to have me hold his paw when he naps so that he doesn’t have to keep checking that I am there, and yet he is confident enough to allow me to leave him home alone for several hours without a fuss. When I am out with him he is so focused on me as “pack leader” that he could legitimately be an off-leash dog (although I would never even consider it). I have done no training other than “Hester come!” and rarely speak to him. He seems to know what I want and responds to my body language. On the leash he has been like a champion show dog since his first walk in which occasional pulling needed light correction. His manners in the house are perfect. He has never entered the kitchen since being given a gentle correction on his first day with us (I simply walked straight at him with my head and chest held very high). He has never put anything in his mouth other than food from his own bowl and that includes when he was left alone for three hours with a bag of food garbage - and it was rib night! With other dogs he shows the way, cautious and gentle with older or smaller dogs and yet very firm with any misbehaviour. When off leash he is absolutely dominant of all others but never shows aggression. He simply stands erect, ears up, and puffs up his chest. Other dogs simply lower their heads and approach cautiously with eyes averted. He will stand motionless and permit them to carefully investigate his nether regions and then he will just walk away, often without giving them a sniff. Female Greyhounds will lick his muzzle. For these fine ladies he will do some sniffing of his own. The photos: Looking regal This is my girlfriend, she is crazy pretty, super sweet and the most joyful Greyhound you will ever meet. I am a bit more serious. No one runs like me I can fly! Launch Look into my eyes Gotcha Faster This beach is mine When I cut loose at the beach people ignore there own dogs to watch me. Deep in thought I need my rest

Although I posted an introduction a few months ago, I felt it was time to share some of my boy Hester’s life with the good people here from whom I have learned much. While much of my experience will be familiar to or perhaps surpassed by many of you Greyhound veterans, I am amazed everyday by this remarkable creature and I consider it a privilege to just be in his presence. His impact is particularly striking to me as this is my first pet of any kind. First a bit of info before the photos. Hester is huge, but he is also very narrow. The width of his shoulders and chest are as narrow as any other greyhound I have seen, including females as light as 55 or 60 pounds and yet he weighs around 90 pounds. That should give you an idea of his lankiness. He is around 30 inches tall at the shoulder, but what really stands out is his ridiculous length. I haven’t put a tape measure on him but his walk is much more of a slink like a Panther as opposed to the jaunty trot of a Greyhound. He runs like no other Greyhound I have seen. There is none of the lightning fast cadence but rather a bounding action with incredible elevation. When he passes by it is more like the thunder of galloping horse. I get shivers from the vibration that comes up through my feet. His personality is best described as extremely dignified with occasional playfulness. He will accept affection and will reciprocate but only in the most respectful ways. After 6 months he is becoming more forward and confident in his interactions with us. While not quite a cuddler yet, we are teaching him that it is OK to snuggle a bit. His lips quiver when he looks at any member of the family and he chatters regularely. What is most notable is his bond with me. He simply will not leave my side. He prefers to have me hold his paw when he naps so that he doesn’t have to keep checking that I am there, and yet he is confident enough to allow me to leave him home alone for several hours without a fuss. When I am out with him he is so focused on me as “pack leader” that he could legitimately be an off-leash dog (although I would never even consider it). I have done no training other than “Hester come!” and rarely speak to him. He seems to know what I want and responds to my body language. On the leash he has been like a champion show dog since his first walk in which occasional pulling needed light correction. His manners in the house are perfect. He has never entered the kitchen since being given a gentle correction on his first day with us (I simply walked straight at him with my head and chest held very high). He has never put anything in his mouth other than food from his own bowl and that includes when he was left alone for three hours with a bag of food garbage - and it was rib night! With other dogs he shows the way, cautious and gentle with older or smaller dogs and yet very firm with any misbehaviour. When off leash he is absolutely dominant of all others but never shows aggression. He simply stands erect, ears up, and puffs up his chest. Other dogs simply lower their heads and approach cautiously with eyes averted. He will stand motionless and permit them to carefully investigate his nether regions and then he will just walk away, often without giving them a sniff. Female Greyhounds will lick his muzzle. For these fine ladies he will do some sniffing of his own. The photos: Looking regal This is my girlfriend, she is crazy pretty, super sweet and the most joyful Greyhound you will ever meet. I am a bit more serious. No one runs like me I can fly! Launch Look into my eyes Gotcha Faster This beach is mine When I cut loose at the beach people ignore there own dogs to watch me. Deep in thought I need my rest

You should not feel the slightest shame, guilt, or remorse. I have a different approach than many here. While I have profound admiration for the commitment of so many Grey owners, I am unwilling to make the sacrifices that so many do. I could not and would not have a dog with issues. These are animals with serious capacity to cause damage. In fact I will only accept what I consider a (for me) perfect dog, not because I can't handle it but because the dog has joined my pack an must fit in. If I were you I would not beat yourself up over the issue. Return him and start again - save your love and care for a dog that will bring you happiness, not trepidation. FWIW my boy is a bounce who was miss-treated for a year after leaving the track. He is an angel in all respects - They are out there and they need you - keep looking.