deboosh

Love your paper ball throwing suggestion Joel. Thank you; at least it's something I can start with her on my own, right away. I didn't connect the obedience/trust dots, for those of who are pro training. Our girl is dominant and it makes sense that she will respect and trust me if I'm the one guiding and leading her. I've been too afraid of somehow "damaging" her psyche, and don't want to be harsh. I know you have obedience classes that cater to greyhounds only in the States; something I wish we had here, so I will need to do my homework and look for classes with an excellent reputation. I really do know it's the best thing I can do if she is to thrive and reach her potential.

Brilliant!

I'm not sure whether this is a training or a medical question, but it's about sleep startle. I'm increasingly becoming concerned, as there have been a couple of times where I've nearly been bitten. In both instances, I was relaxing on the couch with Bonnie beside me. She had fallen asleep and I just moved my position to get comfortable when she suddenly startled with a knee-jerk snap and some scary, growly barking. Then, early this morning and for the first time, Bonnie came in to sleep at the bottom of our bed. Lo and behold, when I moved my foot, the same thing happened, but she was wearing her muzzle. Her startle, startled me, and I thought I might have a heart attack! Is it possible to condition a dog to being touched when it's asleep? Is this a medical issue that a vet can help with? Or is there just no answer, and I have to avoid cozying up to the dog and nix anymore future bed hopping?

Bonnie has 2 muzzles and can get them both off, depending on her determination. One has a thin leather strap, which she can maneuver off her head much more easily than the bulkier all plastic model. We have a blind/deaf elderly cat who has the run of the house as well, so its the bulkier muzzle that Bonnie wears both at night and when I have to go out. However, having said that, Bonnie's shown no interest whatsoever in the cat, but then again, a 21 year old cat can barely walk never mind run. I don't know if there's an escape-proof muzzle out there. At one greyhound event, I once saw a home-made contraption where the strap of the muzzle was tethered to the dog's collar with a carabiner(!), (which is not something I would ever do) and the dog STILL managed to get it off. Hopefully someone else knows of a solution or has heard of something on the market that is more dependable and safe for both the dog and cat. I also wanted to mention that even though muzzled, your grey can also do damage or worse, if her prey drive piques and she wants to pounce. Your supervision is still the best safety measure until you're confident that both pets can peacefully co-exist. Best of luck!

I have a dominant little bitch too. We were at our first M&G on the weekend and everything was going great until I opened my big mouth and jinxed it. I made an innocent little comment on how relaxed and calm Bonnie was. Enter a big, lovely, laid back brindle boy. He has a cute little habit of resting his chin on the back of his sister's neck. Poor guy wasn't ready for the correction he got when he tried it on Bonnie. But to be fair, he made a beeline for her from behind when he started sniffing, which startled her. Luckily, I'm beginning to understand Bonnie's body language, and managed to pull her away when he got to the back of her neck. But it was embarrassing, as some of the other grey owners, who only heard her bark, reacted with "oooohs and awwws, as if her behaviour was inappropriate. That was a little disappointing to hear from "my own kind".

It's only a guess, but since you said she's a broodie, I think those veins are a result of her many pregnancies and nursing her puppies.

Thank you so much, K9soul! I really appreciate your taking the time to write about your own similar experience, and understanding how my interpretation of Bonnie's actions could hurt my feelings. After it happened, I actually broke down for a minute or two. I wrote about it to hopefully learn something valuable and hear others' opinions, including their critique, but it really touched my heart that you understood how it could hurt. Thank you again!

Thank you Everybody, You`ve made me feel so much better after hearing all your feedback; my waterworks have been off and on all day. Silly maybe, but that sweet goofy dog has my heart in a vise. I'd like to think of the incident simply as over-exuberant play with her tooth accidentally catching the skin. The wound's from one tooth only, and I know she didn't clamp down, so it's very plausible and not just wishful thinking. The funny thing is, when we're engaged in this play and I'm talking to her, she actually looks as though she's listening to me; her breathing slows and her "smile" widens. I could swear she's enjoying our "talks", but then again, I could be wrong. (Btw, I don't stare into her eyes during these times.) No matter the reason, from now on I will be wary of anthropomorphizing her behaviour and will hold back a little on the rough housing. Poor Bonnie, with her being our first dog ever, I feel like the parent who makes all their mistakes on the first born. Maybe that's why we got such a resilient and confident dog that can roll with the punches. We`re definitely going to the M&G though. It is extremely unlikely that a child`s (or adult`s for that matter) safety would be at risk because of her presence at a M & G. I don`t have my head in the sand. With all honesty, in our neighbourhood, Bonnie`s friendliness and sociability is becoming legendary. She has what it takes to be a great ambassador for the breed (in spite of my bias). Please wish us luck on our maiden M&G!

This is a post I'm not happy to be making. Yesterday, I was playing on our bed with Bonnie the way I always do, kissing and patting her face and belly like one would do with a human baby. We were lying side by side while I was kissing her muzzle, when she pushed me away with her paw and then suddenly growled and reached out to bite me. She only managed to graze my forehead, but #*&%! was I shocked. It wasn't as if I had overdone it with the play and she'd had enough; we had barely started. This may sound stupid, but I am feeling very hurt that it happened. Reconciling these hurt feelings will be a challenge, but after my little pity party, I'll get over this bit of immaturity and try to understand it from the animal's point of view. I have read posts on this forum about space aggression, but Bonnie's never demonstrated any signs of having it prior to yesterday. I've been able to lean over the various spots that she's claimed as a place to relax or sleep, (spare bed, couches, our bed), lie beside her, and have played with her on our bed many times. It just doesn't make sense that this was an instance of space aggression, but then again, what do I know? We've had Bonnie only 7 months. It took her 2 months to hop up on the couch and 5 months before trying out our bed, which was the last and I suppose prime piece of real estate for a dog to conquer. Could it be that she suppressed her space aggressive tendencies to a back burner until she could build trust in her new environment? Could space aggression just be surfacing now, or am I making this more complicated than it needs to be? As a response to this incident, she is no longer allowed on our bed. I don't know if this is the correct response, as I can't say whether what happened was actually space aggression or a result of something else. Bonnie's a very confident dog and very friendly with people. Is there anything I should be doing that will send her a clear message that she's not the top dog, or is banishment from the bed enough of a message? On an ironic note, Bonnie & I are doing our first Meet & Greet this Sunday. Hope I'm a good actor, lol.

First let me say to GT! I'm also a newbie owner who has gotten a lot of good advice here. I think it's great that you want to do everything you possibly can to make your grey feel comfortable. Giving yummy treats and lots of play will almost certainly win you points, but time and trust will take care of the anxieties your boy is understandably dealing with. I wouldn't be too concerned. Just be patient as your boy learns you're his new daddyman.

Thanks everyone; so relieved to hear that the "no raw & kibble together" rule is a myth. I would like to introduce other grains like barley and quinoa for a change of pace and I'd even like to give her eggs and cottage cheese, that sweetdogs mentioned. Now I can relax and not wonder if I'm being a bad greyhound mama.

Bonnie's been on a complete (nutritionally balanced) pre-made raw diet for a couple of weeks now. For the first couple of days, she seemed to be looking for more to eat, even though she was eating the max for her size/activity level (1 lb. twice a day). So at every meal, I've been adding in a cup of a filler mixture I make up, which is cooked brown rice, green tripe and baked sweet potato. This has done the trick, as now she seems content, but my concern is, could this raw and filler mix have an impact on her digestive system? I've read that when feeding raw, you shouldn't also feed a kibble. But because kibble is grain based, and my home-made filler is also grain based, I'm worried the effects would be the same. On the other hand, my home-made filler has not gone through any kind of processing, and all the ingredients are "pure". Do you think my adding in the brown rice mixture is okay? Her poops are always well-formed unless she's over-indulged at the grass buffet. Thanks!

Put us in your pocket today. Wishing your baby has an easy time of it, and please do let us know how it goes.

I've no advice about the food but our girl's tummy gets wonky at times too. Quite often I can hear her tummy gurgling from another room. She will frequently skip breakfast and do some serious grass chewing, more so during the first walk of the day, but she never throws it up. She's been checked and rechecked for worms and all is negative. I had her on Nutro's Sensitive Skin & Stomach kibble as well as a brown rice and tripe mixture I used to make up, but she started turning her nose to it. I changed her diet to raw only yesterday, so am hoping this will calm her tummy as well as please my little miss diva's tastes.

JustSnoozing, Rebel & Dippy from Toronto, Canada! Will look forward to seeing more pics of both those gorgeous profiles!

Our girl has no fear of people; should anyone smile or make eye contact with her, she's all over them. People are always surprised at how friendly and responsive she is, so we'll be exploiting that quality by doing our first M & G next month. On the other hand, Bonnie is fearful of brooms and rakes, and will back up and move away if she sees either of us using one. I'd like to think that these idiosyncrasies are a part of their make up, rather than a reaction to any past mistreatment.

Oh goodness, in no way does it sound like your Stan has any underlying aggressive issues. I would say these incidents are very normal, considering that in 2 out of the 3 of them, Stan was injured; and injured by people he doesn't know well. His behaviour makes perfect sense. For the remaining incident, where your mother tried to move him, and he wouldn't budge~~it sounds to me like he was uncomfortable in an unfamiliar home, with an unfamiliar human making him do something where no familiarity or trust has been built. Maybe your mother was a little too forceful, or her tone a little too harsh. I think you're right; Stan does sound like a dream, and these "incidents" are simply reactions to being hurt, by people he's unfamiliar with. Continue to enjoy your boy!

Thank you both, gryhnd_adoptee & KF_in_Georgia! I will pick some up tomorrow.

Please PM me, if you are comfortable in saying what that dosage is, but would rather not say so publicly.

Our Bonnie loves to catch flying insects and I try to discourage it, but she has also tried it with bumble bees, so thinking proactively, I called the vet's office to ask if I could give her Benadryl should she be stung in the mouth/throat. I was told not to do anything, and just call them, first. Well, there's no question I'd be taking her to the vet, but sometimes these things happen when the vet isn't open, like holidays and Sundays. I would think that minimizing the swelling asap is key in treating stings, and the drive over to both my regular & the emergency vet is 15-20 minutes~~plenty of time for it to become life threatening. Does anyone also have a bug zapping hound? Does your doggie first aid kit have something for stings?

I would think that your vet could help out with that; they must have some sort of teeny tiny "funnel" or tool that they use. Or how about the pharmacist. Or maybe even Michael's might have something in the cake decorating dept.?

Thank you Robin. Maybe it was user error, or a techie issue on their FB page, but I'm glad to know I was mistaken!

What a beautiful tribute. I'm too new to have heard Hot Rod stories, but his tribute left me in tears. He was clearly one very special and very loved boy. And I bet it was impossible to say "no" to those adorable, googly eyes!

Jessica & Sisu; what a sweet & gentle face!

Well Done, Spreit! Don't learn too quickly~~cooking could be next!