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brianamac

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Posts posted by brianamac

    Space Aggression Incident

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    greyt_dog_lover, I pet the dog and touched her collar, not my son. I was bitten, not him. And I don't think I'm blowing this out of proportion. I will be off of work again tomorrow because I don't want to face a classroom of kindergarteners with a big black eye, and a bandage on my lip and nose. My face hurts. And I can't really smile . I look like someone punched me in the face. And I'm trying not to take it personally, but I can't help it. Even though it was clearly my fault, I'm still really bummed.

     

    And I have to admit, that like Brandiandwe above, I do feel fear now. And who likes to fear their pet? Seriously, it's not a good feeling.

     

    I really appreciate all the support, advice, and tips from everyone. I spoke with a wonderful trainer today and do feel a little better. We'll continue to work with Cleo and will take it day by day. No plans to rehome, as of yet.

     

    I don't think you're blowing this out of proportion in any way.

    It sucks to be scared of your own dog. We have a grey that sometimes makes bite attempts with no warning, something normal like wiping his feet, that we do every day. Once in a while, with no calming signals or body language, it strikes him wrong. Nevermind something like cleaning a wound or going to the vet--those get a bite attempt (or connect) every time.

    I think it's really strong of you that you want to continue working with Cleo, but really, don't worry about re-homing... If you and your family are up for the challenge of training him, you've gotten great advice and are working with a trainer will help you figure it out. If it is ever too much, there is no shame in re-homing a dog that might do better somewhere else.

    Just wanted to say that I understand your fear and worries. And I'm sorry you're going through this.

    One thing that has helped us greatly is getting a fabric muzzle. The basket muzzle is wonderful for all purpose and in the backyard type of stuff, but what do you do when the dog has a paw injury, skin tear, or anything that requires handling? When you don't trust your dog, it gets hard. Obviously you don't want to use it all the time, but when you are dealing with a dog that can bite due to fear/space, it might be helpful to get a fabric muzzle that literally holds the dogs mouth closed, like the vets have. You can get them on ebay, and it will really help quell your fear if Cleo gets an injury or needs to be handled while you sort everything out.

    A Scheduling Question

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    I am in the other camp. Adopt when your routine is normal, not when you are on break.

     

    This is my reasoning:

    When you first get your greyhound you are going to spoil him, love on him, pay heed to his every whine or need. This will go on for a few days or even weeks, then you will suddenly go back to work/school whatever. Your greyhound has become accustomed to a certain level of attention and comfort and suddenly he has nothing.

     

    Will you do alone training, of course, but effective alone training? You will be so excited to have your new friend that the alone training will be taken care of "next week". While your intentions will be the best, most people don't have the discipline to really do the appropriate alone training. So, instead of slowly pulling off the Band-Aid so to speak, rip it off at once and be done with it. The stories you here on this site about anxiety are the worst case, not the norm. I really do not think you are doing the hound justice by having the hound adjust from a schedule at a track, then adjust to a schedule where you are home, THEN adjust again to a schedule where you are not home. Too much, just put the hound into your normal routine as fast as possible, they will adjust fine, they are not as fragile as some may lead you to believe.

     

    I agree with greyt_dog_lover completely.

    If your dog is coming straight from the track/adoption kennel into your home, it will be used to having a set routine where people aren't always around and it is crated for periods of time, so it may in fact be LESS of an adjustment than having a brand new human around constantly.

    If the Greyhound is coming from a foster home rather than right off the track, chances are the dog is used to the foster family being at work/away for periods of time anyways, so maintaining a similar schedule to the foster home it comes from may ease the transition as well.

    IMO, it is easier to keep the dog's routine similar while altering the environment (home vs. kennel), rather than change both the habituated routine AND environment at once. Greyhounds are great routine wizards, just keep in mind the schedule it was accustomed to wherever it was before you bring it home and slowly adjust that to your needs.

    Separation Anxiety From Crate?

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    I understand completely, we've had Boo for almost a year and half and we crate him every time we leave the house. He has no signs of SA in his crate whatsoever (we recorded him), but twice we tried leaving him uncrated when we left for about 5-10 mins each time and both times came back to pee on the floor... and he NEVER has accidents. Guess he just feels most secure in his crate, so we've adopted the attitude of: if it ain't broke, why fix it.

    If you want to have the crate in the reading room instead, maybe try one of these things:

    Slowly move the crate towards the reading room bit by bit each day. If he gets stressed again at any point during this process, take a step backwards to the last spot the crate was, and slowly progress until the crate is in the reading room. Depending on the layout of your house, this may mean the crate is in some funny spots--like a hallway--for a few days :colgate

    Or, you could try leaving it where it is for now and covering it with a blanket/sheet or crate cover. Let him settle into his newly covered crate. Then try moving it to the reading room with the cover on, and see if that works. It's possible the living room surrounding visuals are part of the 'comfort zone' feeling of his crate, which is why he didn't enjoy being in the reading room. If he learns to enjoy a crate cover whilst in his comfort zone, it should make it possible to move the crate to another room without stressing him too much.

    Good luck!

    No Judgments... Question About Off-Leash Hiking

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted · Edited by brianamac

     

    It looks photoshopped to me.

     

    I can't imagine any university anywhere allowing a herd (flock?) of rabbits hanging around the lawn. They seem to be extremely large too, which makes me think they aren't actually there.

     

    Offtopic, but- the UVic bunnies have been around as long as I can remember. It was always a favorite family activity to go see the hundreds of bunnies hanging around campus.

    The university allowed it for many years.

    Gah! Hookworms And A Vet Who Won't Listen

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Thanks a lot for all the help guys, I agree... the lifecycle and right dosage is important and our vet doesn't seem too into hearing us out. I agree 3 rounds at 2 weeks apart SHOULD ideally get the existing ones, larvae and all. Tbhounds is helping us source some meds and we will probably look into a new vet.

    Any additional info is welcome, and thanks to everyone for the good advice!

    Gah! Hookworms And A Vet Who Won't Listen

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Well, if anyone that lives in the US is willing to have me order the meds to their address and then ship them to me at my cost, I'm open. Unfortunately, none of the sites will ship to Canadian addresses, only the States.

    Very unfortunate as I feel I could order the right dosage of the right meds and medicate properly, and THEN take a stool sample in once that is done.

    Gah! Hookworms And A Vet Who Won't Listen

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I knew a while back there was a thread on hooks on AG.

     

    This is what one of the farmers had to say about hooks.

     

    IMHO you guys left out one of the most important de-wormers....PANACUR! Especially if you are in Florida where hook worms are prevalent! Hookworms are the most dangerous and can actually kill puppys! Strongid T. aka Pyrantel Pamoate is not enough. PROPER dosage of Panacur is 1cc per 5# of body weight 3 days in a row. Anything less and you might as well flush your money down the toilet.

     

    Well shoot, we did a 3 day round of Panacur but just one.... would one be enough? I am under the impression a second round two weeks later will kill any larvae that were living in the stomach and therefore weren't caught by the first round.

    Thanks Dick.

    Gah! Hookworms And A Vet Who Won't Listen

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I won't give the whole backstory because this will be long already, but in short, Boo has a very persistent case of hookworms.

    When our vet first diagnosed him, he said, "We don't see very many cases of hookworms in Alberta", so I am assuming he doesn't have to treat them often. Boo has now gone through multiple rounds of de-worming treatments, and a stool sample after each one. We are sitting around $1200 over the last 4 months in vet bills just for the worms.

    We have completely bleached every inch of the backyard, and we pick up every stool immediately as it hits the ground. We then bleach the area where we picked up as we go, too. He doesn't go to dog parks or play in other dog's yards.

    The first time he was treated, he did a couple rounds of de-worming spaced 2 weeks. The issue is that my vet (and techs) now insist on giving him one round of de-wormer, then testing. I've researched hookworms to the nth degree and received some great advice from adoption groups and know that a stubborn case should be treated several rounds 2 weeks apart... not one round at a time. The vet techs keep telling me that since he is alternating heartguard and interceptor every two weeks, that should take care of the worms. But it doesn't.

    Additionally, I have to pay $60+ for every stool sample I bring in... and I know when the hooks have come back without a stool sample. He does a treatment, stool becomes normal, he eats, has energy, etc. Then within a couple of weeks, he stops eating, stool becomes soft serve, etc. I don't really need a stool sample every time. It's pretty obvious when the hooks are back and the sample always does come back positive. However, they insist on testing the stool two weeks after every treatment.

     

     

    I've tried suggesting nicely that I would prefer to take a more aggressive treatment course, and suggesting which meds I would like... they always just say "No, no, I'm sure it will work this time...", even though it never does.

    My question is this: At what point do I either 'demand' (nicely, of course) my adoption group's suggested meds and course of treatment, and otherwise take my dog elsewhere? Or do I just keep throwing $100 down the hole every two weeks while they continue to fumble with something they admit having little experience in?

    Orrrr do I just order the meds online (Drontul plus alternated with Panacur) and do it myself?

     

    Panting, Panting, Panting!

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    Since she isn't a fan of water, you might try wetting a lightweight bath towel (cheap Walmart beach towel style) with really cold water, then squeezing it out until it's just damp. Lay that on top of her when she lays down after a walk or when she seems hot.

    We do this for ours and while we have to re-wet it every 10 mins or so to keep the towel cold enough, he usually cools down enough in half an hour or so that we can just remove it. And it doesn't have the 'shock' factor of a direct water spritz or a pool.

    Raw Chicken?

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted

    This might seem like a ridiculous question, and google searches yield the same answer: of course dogs can eat raw chicken. But I wanted to get some greytalk opinions.

     

    Boo is going through a loooong de-worming process for hookworms right now and his stool is pretty loose. In the past, we always switch him to a diet of plain rice and cooked chicken for a few days and that seems to help.

    I'm not very meat savvy as neither DH nor myself really eat meat, but we just bought some chicken thighs for the dog yesterday and I started wondering... do I have to cook them, or is it just as good to give them to him raw?

    What's In Your First Aid Kit?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    This isn't meant to scare you, because I have certainly met greyhounds who let humans touch their cuts with no problem...

    But we ordered an extra muzzle to keep in the car in case our boy gets a cut or injury while out and about. He screams bloody murder and snaps at anyone getting near even a tiny cut to clean it. We've learned to deal with it but a muzzle is necessary... so an extra one is something you may want to consider adding. Besides, it's awfully handy if you go to a hound play date and someone forgot their muzzle.

    Newly Adopted Greyhound Petrified Of Other Breeds

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    You've gotten some really great advice here.

    This behaviour could be just related to the initial settling in, or perhaps it is a fear that will persist a little longer.

    Just one thing I want to add from personal experience: If it is indeed a fear beyond the normal settling in process, go SLOW! When we tried to rush our guy, we would get good walking results for a couple of days, then he would revert back to not wanting to leave the front porch. Once we realized that we need to go s l o w l y, we've gotten more 'lasting' results... 9 months of patience every day, twice a day means Boo can now walk a full 4 block square, even past houses with dogs barking in the window. But sometimes we would go weeks where we wouldn't try to actually walk him... just let him sniff around the grass to get familiar with the smells of other dogs and being outside, and then slowly making his 'sniff session' areas bigger.

    Good luck and keep us posted on the progress!

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