RedHead

Wow, another thing I have never heard of (and apparently not all that uncommon!). I have seen dogs that don't like flys but never ones who are extremely fearful. Is there any chance they can be enticed with food (REALLY yummy food like real chicken or steak) when there is a fly around? Honestly, that would drive me nuts, I think I would have to do something!! I know how HORRIBLE biting flies are...we have deer and horse flies here for a few months in the summer and they are enough to drive anything insane. I am guessing that these dogs were bitten by flies at their kennels so they associate them with pain (those bites DO hurt!).

Easy solution....keep the leash short (but loose and relaxed) and just walk. It is much easier to be proactive this way then to wait until they sniff and then try to pull them away. I do a lot of jogging with my dogs, and they basically go into a working mode when we run which means run and ignore. Dogs are perfectly happy to do this as long as they know the expecations, in fact I think they are happier with a mix of structured walking and free sniffing. My pups still get plenty of sniffing, peeing, kicking opportunities as we have tons of parks and trails, I release them with an "okay!" so they know they can go ahead and do their thing. As soon as we hit the sidewalk again they go back to their jog.

Sorry, didn't know that you already tried some of those options. If you don't mind paying the extra cost this food is a complete diet, and yes...easier to make! I have never tried it, but have just heard about it being in the homemade dogfood world They do have different formulas, an all veggie/no grain one, and a grain/veggie mix. It can't hurt to try!

Teague loves to walk, he can do hours a day, but he drags behind if it is warm or if we are doing a "boring" walk around town. If it is even a little bit warm or humid he starts dragging, and we can only go for short periods. If I take him hiking, or on a new trail he perks right up though. You may want to take a drive somewhere new and see if that perks her up to see if she is just bored or if she truly does not enjoy walking. Some greys are probably quite satisfied with a 15-20 min. walk (not mine!! lol). You can try to gradually build up her endurance and do varied routes for interest if she seems okay with it.

I've seen it in the stores...it is basically a bag of dehydrated grains and veggies. I think a lot of these "health" homemade food things are a bit of a gimmick, not because they are necessarily a bad food, just due to the fact that many are ridiculously expensive for what is in them, when you could go to the grocery store and buy the same things for a fraction of the price. Dr. Harvey's contains no meat, you have to buy your own on top of the price of the food. On the plus side, it is a complete food if you follow the mix recipe, so is easier if that is what you are looking for. It is much cheaper to make up your own mix but that involves more work and research so that is the trade-off (Dr. Harvey's reminds me of a Dr. Pitcairn recipe). If your dog has digestive problems (assuming so because of the ID food) they often do very well on home prepared food. But...I would start a lot simpler (1-3 ingredients) as the Dr. Harvey's has a LOT of ingredients, and gradually work up.

I would just maybe add a bit more food until she gains the weight back (or add in some extra canned if you like). I wouldn't do a senior food...they are usually made to have LESS fat and calories in them as senior dogs tend to gain weight. I am sure she will gain the weight back, I wouldn't bother with the vet considering you know the reason for the weight loss.

It doesn't sound like the petting did it, it was the leaning over to give him a kiss. Most dogs get used to our "strange" body language as puppies so learn to accept it. Because most greys grow up as kennel dogs they don't alwaysunderstand some of the body language people might show in a home. What is affection to us (leaning over and kissing/hugging) is threatening to a dog who doesn't know otherwise. Look for signs he is uncomfortable, they almost always show this right before a strike (like holding his head back/turning it slightly, looking out of the corner of his eye, etc). I personally think, with training, the majority of dogs can get over space aggression. You can work on desensitizing, but if you don't pay attention to warning signs or push things it can make things worse. I actually started giving Teague massages on his bed, until I could easily handle all of the parts of his body and lean over him with him totally relaxed (he loooooves it).

I couldn't imagine feeding a large sized dog on any (store bought) prepared raw. I have a couple of local dog people who sell their own ground mixes which are around $1.50-$2.00 per pound (for good stuff, not much bone, more red meat). I am not a huge fan of Nature's Variety just because I find it has an odd brownish (not red) colour and smell for raw. Not saying it is a bad food, just that more "homemade" ground mixes sometimes are better quality for a cheaper price if you can find them. Where are you located? Have you looked into any co-ops in your area or smaller companies? Some of my U.S. friends swear by Eureka ground mixes. I know it is very reasonably priced but I just don't know where you can get it or where it is distributed. http://www.eurekapetfood.com/

I don't have kids, Teague will grab any toy, but I have heard of people using scents (e.g. lavender oil, mint or milder essentail oils) to mark what toys belong to a dog. This obviously takes some training and isn't fool proof, but I do know of some people who have done this successfully, just not with greys. Teague had a bit of bed growlies, taking his bone growls, and a few times he had sleep startle. This sort of thing personally doesn't fly with me so we worked hard on the bone and bed issues (actually, not that hard, it was pretty easy with him). The sleep startle just sort of faded on its own...I think he just got settled in and used to the fact there was more going on around him. Now he is fantastic, I trust him in any situation. He is perfectly happy and comfortable to let anyone on his bed or to drop food items. Of course I don't have kids though, so I still wouldn't allow them the same things I do which I am sure you know.

Works great to kill bugs around the house/in the garden and I know they use it in cattle feed sometimes here to help keep worms away. I wouldn't trust it to work full on for a worm infestation, but I think as a preventative or in combination with other treatments it could be beneficial, especially for a persistant problem. Also, I think it has trace minerals as well which could be good if your dog is eating dirt. I'm sure it will do no harm to try it if you use the correct dosage.

Welcome from a little ways down the road If you're ever in the area let me know I am sure I am the only grey owner in town here!!

I really think it depends on your experience with dogs. To me your dog does have quite a few issues that I would be concerned about (growling, reactive to dogs, reactive to people, sleep aggression, guarding, etc.) BUT these issues also can be quite common with new greys. The key is how to effectively deal with them so they don't escalate but rather become less. I think almost all greyhound "aggression" stems from fear, especially the nail thing. Also, people approaching can be a big trigger. He is probably giving off signals of "I am uncomfortable with this" long before he reacts by pulling or growling. A behaviourist CAN help you to see these warning signs and redirect them, but you can also learn a lot from reading and researching and just trying on your own. Greys do often come around after they feel more comfortable so I would probably try to work on things myself a bit just because of the huge costs of a behaviourist.

Teague took about 3 weeks to do my stairs. I tried the methods you did at first but it just freaked him out so I just left him. I cooked up this really smelly doggy meatloaf and would crumble chunks up the stairs. One day when I was upstairs I heard clunking and realized it was him scrambling up the stairs. He has been fine ever since. My parents have a few stairs that go down to the landing to the backyard. Teague would NOT go on those, it took him a year to do it! How I finally did it was to put his leash on and lead him DOWN the stairs from the kitchen, which was much easier for him then going up. Once he got on a role he decided coming up wasn't so scary either. If you don't have success in the next few weeks you could try carrying him up and try to lead him down. I know it sounds weird but it worked like a charm for me!

Just to get an annual checkup (which isn't very thorough...maybe a minute or two) and vaccines costs me around $150. I don't need heartworm here, but where I used to live I got it and the bloodtest for it was around $100, not including the actual meds. So...probably around $250-300 depending.

I feed breakfast and dinner...and also handouts throughout the day and a treat just before bed I couldn't imagine the whining if he didn't get his two meals. Having said that, it really has to do with routine, and feeding once a day is fine if your dog is used to it and it works for you. Dog's systems are designed, as carnivores, to eat large meals all at once with no eating in between (contrast this to herbivores who have to graze and nibble throughout the day). There is no problem feeding just once if you want to, dogs eating habits aren't like ours (although they like to think they are! )

I try to use both approaches...if something more "natural" will work I will try it first. If not, I go to conventional. I think a balance between the two works best for me, and I have found some things to work, some not. I had huge success using devil's claw/joint formula for my old dog. I also love colloidal silver, that stuff has worked so many times on infections for me. My old dog's chronic pancreatis/IBD was also "cured" after just a few days of feeding a natural diet/enzyme mixture. I am also a skeptic though, any product claiming to cure any and every illness (as many natural products do) I am leary of. I have had friends who have taken their dogs the natural route after traditional medicine had no answers...some had great success, so it is always worth a shot.

I agree...you can probably get by with wetting the kibble a bit or adding extras with moisture to soften it. If you WANT to make homemade food though, I personally like Lew Olson's natural nutrition book. It is an easy read, and has easy recipes plans. It has 3 recipe sections (raw, cooked, and kibble add-ins, plus recipes for various health problems) which can be nice if you aren't sure what to do. Monica Segal also has great diets, but her recipes can get pretty involved.

I looked into doing beginner classes and then decided to train at home with the clicker because I can do it more at my own pace. I think a group class would be very difficult, especially focussing on "sit" which is what they always do. I know people will say different but sit can be MUCH trickier to teach some greyhounds, most dogs will easily sit with a food lure whereas some greys won't, especially after just one training session. Remember: Just because a dog will "sit" or knows commands does not necessarily make them a well trained and polite dog. My grey is very polite and well mannered in public but he doesn't sit or lie down on command, whereas I see other people with dogs growling and lunging who force them into a "sit" and think they are well trained when in fact they are very tense and ready to explode. If you think your grey needs some manners/socialization, I would try to focus more on that aspect of the class rather than all of the specific command drills (or look into if they have more play/socialization classes as opposed to training ones).

The only thing that motivates Teague is "fresh" meat. I have tried hotdogs and cheese, and that gets a "sometimes when I am hungry" response. When I am really lazy I buy one of those already cooked rotisserie chickens in the grocery store. I pick a bit of meat off for me and debone the rest in ziplocks for training. I have even use partially seared steak too. Definitely messy on the hands, but for me it is the ONLY thing that can make a training session last for over 2 minutes! lol

Cool! I don`t need this for my dogs but would love it for myself! One question: I have heard homemade yogurt has much higher levels of the beneficial probiotics, but was just wondering how you get those in. Sorry I am clueless!

I am just looking into this as well...there is no way I can afford thousands if something happens. I checked out most of the major Canadian companies, and from my research I am going with Trupanion. The reason is that it was the only one I could find that has no ceiling amount to coverage (the other companies had things like $5000 on accidents, $5000 on illness each year). Trupanion covers whatever you need, and the monthly payments were similar to other companies. I am going with the $60 dollar a month plan, which would be $400 deductible.

Any dog who is not housetrained will pee in the house...my guess is your neighbour's dogs just haven't been properly trained. My female dogs have all marked MORE than my male greyhound on walks, none have gone in the house. Some people will have different experiences, but I have found from all the animals I have owned (cats, rabbits, dogs, rodents, etc.) the males have always been a little more laid back and "go with the flow" type of characters. So...on the whole I prefer males, but that doesn't mean I would necessarily get a male. I think it is a matter of picking out an individual dog (boy or girl) who you bond with, sometimes that is not always who or what you expect!

I agree with trying a bland diet (e.g. boiled white rice with some chicken or some meat) for a few days to see if it settles things down. It looks like you have only tried the IAMS and vet food. You may just need to try out a variety of other foods (ie. different proteins, grain free, etc) to see if any work. I would also try a substitute for cottage cheese for a few days. Something like canned tuna, egg, shredded meat, or anything non-dairy. Dogs don't technically have the enzyme we do to digest dairy so it can sometimes be a big problem. Good luck! BTW I am assuming he has been tested for worms??

I can relate as the cost of vet care can quickly add up. I have always been worried that if something happened, like a broken leg, surgery, severe illness, etc. I would NOT be able to cover the thousands of dollars up front. I am single, recently bought my first place, so I don't have an abundance of cash on hand. The money I spend on food alone for the pups puts me in the poor house!lol I am in the process of getting Pet Insurance for this very reason. I will have to pay about $60/month but it will ensure that anything in the future is covered. Pet insurance is a lot cheaper (it seems) in the U.S. maybe if you could afford to put out $30-40 a month it may be worth looking into. It is unfortunate when pets have to leave otherwise good homes, due to medical bills.

Well, I probably would just wash them off and feed them, but you may want to boil. I would just check to make sure that won't do anything like making them more brittle, etc. I finally broke down and paid $20 for an antler. No one touched it for a year. I even tried putting it in the rat cage, they wouldn't even touch it!