KickReturn

I have one now that desperately wants to roach but is too uncoordinated to figure it out. I have even tried to help him a bit, but it's getting ridiculous.

General advice: I assume this is your first greyhound? - please be very gentle and soft with this dog. No raised voices, loud noises, fast movements, and give lots of space,etc. No crates unless she prefers a crate. Let her do her thing and don't get in her face. Do not approach her when she is lying down. She will eventually warm up to you. And she will eventually pee and other things. Great that she walked with you and interest in the toys is a good sign. Give about 6 months for her to evolve into something that resembles a pet. Might take less time but can take more. Worth it in the end.

I had an absolutely off the charts high prey/chase grey for 8 weeks before having to re-home him to an area with less wildlife. With a harness or with a collar this dog would lunge and leap repeatedly toward the rabbits and deer which are almost in constant view in my neighbourhood. It was like having a thrashing marlin on the end of fishing line. The only way to stop it was to lift his feet off the ground. I found two products that when used in conjunction out-performed all other options. The Sure-fit Harness from Petsafe and the Gentle Leader from Beaphar. The Sure-fit harness was the only one that the dog could not get out of and the Gentle Leader gave me control of the head so I could turn the head off the prey and continue walking. I would hold both leads in one hand when walking normally but go two handed when the action heated up. A word of caution about harnesses, the reason the Surefit was the only acceptable option was that the double loop design meant that the dog simply could not escape. This is the Surefit: Now here is the more typical harness design with includes many no pull harnesses: My grey could tuck his elbows, drop his head, and easily back out of this type of harness even when tightly fitted. I narrowly avoided disaster when he leapt towards a deer that was a mere 20 feet away, he spun and I felt the leash go slack as the harness slid over his head. I was just able to scoop him up before he was completely free. If the dog is trainable these products would provide good safety and control to support the training process.

Unfortunately I think you have had a wake up call regarding what Willow is capable of. Some greyhounds would never put another dog, not matter how small, no matter what the situation, in their mouth. Willow has no such inhibition, and it is a very small step to a fatal shake. IMO in Willow's mind the small dogs are play things. Maybe she won't ever kill them, maybe she can be corrected so that she doesn't touch them, but there is some real risk that things can go badly. To complicate matters, Willow is still young and rambunctious and more likely to "make a mistake". Proceed with caution.

I had one of these and he amazed me constantly. I miss him terribly. He could even "fix" terrified dogs he met on his walks. I eventually learned all I needed to do was to stay out of his damn way and let him do his thing. And no one gets chomped when one of these is around.

Some good advice above. One additional thought, and I know it is a remote possibility, do you know anyone with a super alpha greyhound that can walk with you and pal up with Norman? The sort that can turn around the most aggressive or rambunctious dogs with a raised eyebrow, a stare, a tilt of the head, show of teeth if necessary, etc? I have seen this type transform the most timid dogs. I guess the timid dog comes to believe everything is "taken care of" and can get on with it's regular routine. In time the confidence returns. Or perhaps you can play that role, but I understand that may not be possible for some people for various reasons.

it sounds to me like you have the makings of a wonderful dog. She just needs some time to adjust. Be patient and very sensitive and everything will ultimately work out. I watched my fist greyhound improve a little bit each day for the first 18 months that I had him.

There is a lot of good things in your post. The roaching and the engagement with you. It's possible she had a fright that didn't register at the time or that you didn't notice. A good idea to control yourself to be genuinely relaxed, happy, and confident at all times. Carry the very highest value treats with you - roast chicken, grilled beef, etc. and make it rain happiness and treats. Can you get her in a vehicle? If so, take her to a quiet forested area or park with trails and walk her there. When a dog is walked somewhere away from home they may believe they are walking toward home and be much more eager. Pretty soon most of them learn that they love going for walks anywhere, any time. Also, when Foxy starts to tighten up start jogging. This can switch her frame of mind. And finally, borrow another confident greyhound or have somebody join you with their grey on walks.

Assuming medical issues are sorted out, perhaps an approach you could try would be to feed him earlier and less food the evening before. That may increase his hunger when you need to get him going in the morning. I also think the situation could be helped with some work on bonding. I have found long walks in beautiful places had the biggest impact. With a strong bond most dogs will simply follow you when you leave your room. It's early days yet so hopefully things will start to improve. I had a 90 pounder. He was special.

So much fighting? I am surprised. I guess I have been lucky. I have had all sorts of doggie visitors and never the slightest issue. I spent a night locked in a room with 7 fresh off the track and not so much as a grumble. Short of a fight over food (and that should always be supervised) I can't imagine a mentally stable dog suddenly deciding to kill another. And even then good stable dogs will settle disputes over food or other resources without ever touching each other. Top dog? So if two dogs can't decide who is tops than it's a fight to the death? IMO dogs that want to fight have problems. And to me it always seems insecurity driven. Like some people they lack the tools to fit in through social means and resort to physical demonstrations to establish their place. To the OP, sorry about the incident with the bulldog (I love 'em). But the fact is the bulldog bit the greyhound. The greyhound could have easily reciprocated but did not. The bulldog has an issue. I would never trust it.

Is the field big? If so just start walking and let her follow. Eventually she'll get the idea that she can be with you and enjoy freedom at the same time. It will also show you how committed she is to staying near you or returning to you. If she is safe with other dogs? It would be nice to see how she does with other dogs and people to visit while you are walking. Does she return to you when you call while she is engaged with others? Does she get wound up and ignore you? I have learned that the most important safety feature in off leash situations is a dog that prefers to be with you over all other attractions. For most dogs recall will fail at some point. But for a dog that is afraid of getting separated from it person, one need only call it's name and then turn and walk away. That dog is sure to follow.

Haha, if you need a barker, a greyhound should be your second last choice after a dingo. Some bark a bit but don't count on it. To answer your question about what the bark is like, well, they vary. I had my first grey for almost a year before he barked. I assumed it would be a pitiful little squeak, but it was like a thunderclap. The loudest, scariest bark I have ever heard. I should note he was very large. But in the six years he was with me he only barked three or four times.

Find someone with a confident small dog who will walk with you. Does your dog settle into a normal routine of taking turns sniffing, marking, etc. with the small dog? Or does she spend the entire time staring or lunging at the small dog? You get the answer your looking for pretty quick.

For all the folks that have found that males are more attention seeking, snuggly etc. I will just add my one data point. By far the most snuggly, attention seeking, funny, loving greyhound I have ever met is a female. I have only ever had males and will continue to do so, but I care for a female on a regular basis (just had her for the whole month of May), and she simply cannot be topped in the lovable department. At some point every night she departs her bed and crawls into bed with me. No other dogs are allowed this privilege and she wouldn't be either but she cannot be stopped. I have awoken from a nap to find her settling on top of me. When she greets me after any absence she wraps her legs around mine and won't let me move. She play bows to me, barks, vocalizes, chatters, nibbles, bats at me with her paws, and hip checks me. Forget gender and look for character. (FYI the reason I have only males, and in particular large males, is that I have the space for them and strength to deal with any situation. I leave the smaller greyhounds for those that need them.) This is not my dog!

We did a general de-worming (Dopac). But maybe Panacur is the way to go. This is not exercise related. His exercise pattern is very consistent - two big walks per day and no problem most of the time. He has had the diarrhea at times of rest also - once in the middle of the night. Tylan? an antibiotic? This problem is so infrequent I am reluctant to give any medication, but if it can change things around it might be worth a try.

My 7 year old sweet boy Honor has the oddest diarrhea. About once every two weeks (sometimes just a week will pass, sometime three) he will have a well formed but larger then normal bowel movement with a a bit of mucus coating, followed within an hour by diarrhea the consistency of paint - so quite runny. Bowel movements that follow, usually the next day are completely normal. I have now done two fecals and they both came up clean. The vet has him on Purina Pro Plan EN Gastroenteric. Despite the high corn content Honor is doing extremely well. This particular food seems to be low residue and outside of these isolated diarrhea events, his bowel movements are small, firm and well formed. Also for the last two months he has had nothing but this kibble to eliminate food allergies as possibility. However I should also note that this pattern has been present no matter what he eats since his arrival in November. I am perplexed and so is the vet. Any ideas?

You've got a smiler - your lucky. My current is just a grinner. That last bit about the previous family planning on having him euthanized raises an alarm. My advice - be super respectful of this dog and follow all best safety practices. Never lean over him when he is down. I would limit physical contact to when he is on his feet. As for any growling - adjust your thinking to the idea that growling is a very good thing. Never scold or correct growling. How great it is to have a relationship with an animal that is willing to "speak" his mind, to let you know what he is feeling. My first growled at me for almost a year and at various family members for almost two years. I used to reward it with a quick "good boy" and then back away. And on the off chance that he should ever snap at you or anyone else, please understand that he is not trying to bite you. Again it's just an appropriate warning. A greyhound that actually wants to bite something rarely misses.

My first took almost a year. He was deeply depressed from leaving the track, it was my first dog, and I didn't know what to do. He was willing to walk so that's what we did, many hours per day, mile after mile. Very un-greyhound like behaviour. At about the one year mark - boom - he became my soul-mate (with all due respect to my human soul-mate). You will find some activity over which you will bond and build trust, perhaps it's walking, hiking, going on adventures together, visits to other people, other places, etc. Remember these dogs grow up in the company of other dogs. Humans have to earn their trust and respect, and for some it can take a while. I found shared adventures to be the best for bonding.

My first grey could only eat a raw diet. A range of meat and bone and a vitamin supplement. My current grey was on Origin and started having occasional diarrhea so the vet suggest Purina Pro Pan EN Gastroenteric. The protein is from chicken meal and the rest is corn. But the dog is doing great. Very consistent digestion, small well formed bowel movements, no gas, all other health measures seem perfect as far as I can tell. The lesson: dogs are individuals and some can thrive on kibble with ingredients that seem logically inappropriate.

He knows your there, but genetics compel an investigation of everything knew which includes every person and dog encountered. Encourage it, let Tony fulfill his desires. He will find it satisfying and interesting. It will make him content. I suggest an experiment. Go to a dog park or some enclosure where you can safely let him off leash. And just start walking around the perimeter. I bet Tony will follow you. He will run around and greet other dogs and people but he will ultimately follow you. If he doesn't just continue with leash walking and then try again in a few months. Sooner or later most greyhounds just want to be with their people.

I am impressed with all the commands you good trainers have taught your dogs. Just to offer an alternate perspective, I don't train at all - nothing. I used to do some recall but I now leave that to the dog as well. If he doesn't want to be close to me when we are outside than the leash stays on. Perhaps it's just good luck that I have dogs that don't get into trouble, and seem to always behave in such a way that I never need to correct anything. I feel bad asking my grey to do anything that he is not inclined to do on his own. I now follow the EILF philosphy (Everything In Life is Free). I am sure I would function differently if I had a more rambunctious dog.

3greytjoys - excellent summary of the proper approach and attitude that IMO should be used for all greyhounds until that dog proves that a more casual approach is OK with them. When I hear about these types of careless mishaps, I place some blame with the agencies that likely understate the serious part of adopting a greyhound.

Just read this and my honest reaction was you stepped on, bumped into, cartwheeled beside, bumped with a chair, leaned over, walked into this dog how many times??? My current grey is a cream puff who seems incapable of any trace of assertive behaviour and I would never let any of those things happen to or near him and would be very upset if any family members were so careless. There is enough dangerous things that can happen that we can't control. At the very least we owe it to these dogs to be highly conscientious about what we can control. And even if all these mishaps were not avoidable and perhaps that is the case, this is clearly a dog that requires specialized care and protection. I vote to return. There is no reason you should have to take any risk. There are many greyhounds looking for homes who will be angels with you. For those who find my assessment harsh I do apologize. But readers of this website know of my extraordinary bond and relationship with the late great Hester and he started his life with me showing exactly the same behaviour. He was a bounce that was returned for being aloof and aggressive. He full on attacked me when I crossed the line at the 3 month mark. I was too embarrassed to ever discuss it here or anywhere else. But it taught me about that particular dog's requirement for complete respect. At some point I'll tell the full story. Still gives me shivers.

So thoughtful of you to ask - thank you. Honor is doing very well. He is back to lots of walking and only very rarely does his step look "off". He scampers around quite a bit on our walks, running up to any inviting looking dogs or people. I don't think he is in any pain. I have not taken him to the chiro although I will soon. We have great one in our city. She also does horses!

So after several weeks at 4 cups a day (nearly double the recommended) Honor is down to his racing weight. He looks great, tons of energy. So much for the recommended amount - it's not even close to what he needs. However with more food comes more output and the later poos are a bit softer. Still mostly well formed. We'll stick with this for the time being. Love the convenience compared to raw.