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ramonaghan

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Posts posted by ramonaghan

    Bully Sticks.

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted

    I am still doing crate research but I have found several really good priced crates on Ebay as well. And my wife has already been looking like crazy on etsy for the cutest collar.

     

    Oh, yes, forgot about Ebay! Sounds like you're on top of things. And your wife will fit right in here. ;) Piper is a beauty in her pics; I love her cow pattern. Hope you'll post again in the Intro thread when everything's official.

    Bully Sticks.

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted · Edited by ramonaghan

     

    Ramonaghan,

     

    I also live in Nashville and our family is in the process of adopting our first greyhound. What local store do you get these at? Also, if you could share any other Nashville advice or tips for greys that would be great :)

     

    Hi there!

     

    Are you working with All About Hounds? There was a Ty who wrote in to their Yahoo group about Power Paws recently and I responded--was that you by any chance? They are awesome to work with.

     

    Anyway, I get this stuff at Nashville Pet Products...they have all the best disgusting treats that dogs love! Sweep enjoys the frozen marrow bones they sell there as well. I just give them to her frozen and they keep her busy for an hour at least. NPP also has a good selection of toys and other general supplies. They have 3 or 4 locations; we go to the one near 100 Oaks. Other local suppliers of not-stuff-you'll-find-at-Petsmart are Dizzy's Dog Wash, CatShoppe/DogStore, and Wags and Whiskers. As mentioned above, Trader Joe's has cheap bully sticks ($4.99 and you can break them in half).

     

    Other Nashville-specific tips...hmmm...do you have a vet already? The vet I mentioned above (who recommends the trachea and lamb ears) is Dr. Carol Macherey at Grassmere; she's fantastic and very greyhound-savvy. Her hours are somewhat limited since I think she's transitioning to retirement, but the other three vets there are experienced with greys as well. I particularly love Dr. Clark; he's co-owner with Dr. Macherey and a total cat whisperer. The office is nothing fancy, but that's how they keep their fees low, and their care and knowledge are second to none.

     

    Do you have a fenced yard? If not, there's a fenced baseball field at Shelby Park we take Sweep to on weekends when the weather's nice (so...not much lately, haha) so she can run. We don't do the dog park there, or any dog parks in town for that matter. Just not worth the risks to me, but that's totally a personal decision.

     

    Not-so-Nashville-specific stuff: I recommend Amazon for a good price on a crate if you're planning to do that (the group can let you know how or if your dog crates); I got the 42" Midwest iCrate for my 60 lb girl. (Remember: no martingale collars in the crate.) Honestly, Amazon's my go-to for a lot of dog stuff, since I have a Prime membership and their prices are so competitive. Costco has good prices on dog beds; the covers are washable and the beds have held up perfectly to Sweep's digging/bed fluffing for the nine months we've had her. Etsy is an addictive resource for collars.

     

    Let me know if you have any other questions! (And feel free to PM me if something Nashville-specific comes up.) GreyTalk has been a wealth of info for me, so it's great you've found it already.

    How Can I Train Rocket To Sit?

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted · Edited by ramonaghan

    There are a few different methods, but I think it's easiest to catch him doing it naturally—like in that brief moment before he lies down—and give the "sit" command (or click, if you're going that route). Treat and praise. It's a slower process, but you don't have to physically manipulate him in any way (which was important to me too when I did this with Sweep). Does he already know some other commands? I think of "sit" as a more advanced one, just because it's not a position you often see them in naturally, but others may disagree. Sweep took a while longer with it than other commands, and she still does a funny sit/shake hybrid, where she always holds up one paw while sitting. It's pretty cute. :)

     

    You can also work on it on a hill and hold a treat slightly above his nose, as described here. The key with both methods is to stand really close, blocking his ability to lie down, as soon as his butt hits the ground.

     

    Good luck!

    Growling At Other House Dogs

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    I agree with moving the bed to somewhere where she can observe the action but not be in the traffic path.

     

    I would not reprimand her for growling. I know it can be alarming (Sweep does it to my cats on occasion, and it's always nerve racking), but it's how they communicate. If Prada learns that growling is bad, she might just skip it altogether next time and escalate to a snap or bite. As dogs, your Cavs know exactly what it means, and as long as they respond accordingly, there's nothing for you to correct. Moving the bed should help keep everyone in check though.

    Toys And Playtime Recommendations

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    As far as toys go... Harry had lots of stuffies that he played w/once & never again. We donated those to a shelter. The 2 we kept he tries to kill daily . A giant Hedgehog from Petco ( I even have a spare in the closet) and a large pheasant from Target. What I believe makes these different from the others is that they don't "squeak" . The sound they make is similar to the Squawkers they use at the track (ie: the sound of distressed prey). He pounces on Hedgie after walks & goes generally crazy w/it.

    I have 2 actual Squawkers (at home & in car) and have to be careful not to set them off or he'll go nuts. They're for emergency use only.

     

    :nod Same here...Sweep strongly prefers her hedgehog, rabbit, and mallard stuffies, which all squawk instead of squeak. Easier on the humans' nerves too. :)

    Iams And Eukanuba Voluntary Recall

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted

    We have done well on the "green Bag" I checked my current 30# bag from Walmart 27.99 The code IS listed and the exp date matches recall. My UPC code is different ,however. I called the hot line and left inquiry.

     

    I only see the 15 lb green bag listed; the only 30 lb bag listed for Iams is ProActive Health Large Breed Mature Adult (purple bag, looks like).

    Iams And Eukanuba Voluntary Recall

    in Food and dietary discussion

    Posted · Edited by ramonaghan

    Just posted by our local GPA on Facebook: http://www.iams.com/en_us/data_root/_pdf/8-14-13%20Iams%20Product%20Information%20Dog.pdf (If the PDF link doesn't work, go to iams.com; info's on the lower right.)

     

    Unfortunately, it looks like the Iams green bag could be affected.

     

    ETA: Doesn't sound like anyone needs to hit the panic button, as no illnesses have been reported yet, but just wanted to pass along the info!

    Meet Italy!

    in Introductions & Biography

    Posted

    Yes, we have gone back and forth regarding her name. Family vote was to keep Italy! She is such a sweet girl. :beatheart

     

    Italy is a really cute name. We played the name game with Sweep too and ended up keeping the name she came with. It just suited her best!

     

    I did do a little shopping and ordered a stunning collar for her!!!

     

    And so it begins... :hehe

    Meet Italy!

    in Introductions & Biography

    Posted

    What a love! :beatheart So did you decide to keep her name as Italy (it was going to be Prada, right)? She is SO pretty and it looks like she's already made a lifelong friend. Glad all went well with the other pups. I agree with the above suggestion that it might be helpful to mix in some stuff she's used to and gradually decrease that. Her appetite might also be a little off just because of the new environment.

    Toys And Playtime Recommendations

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    Hide and seek, the muffin tin game, hiding kibble for him around the house, training exercises (start slow and simple since he hasn't been with you long), long walks. Try searching Amazon for "interactive dog toys." It's early days yet, so he might become more interested in stuffies as he gets more settled and comfortable. Sweep's former foster called her "Swiper" because she hoarded her toys, but it took several weeks here before she cared about toys at all, much less collected them.

     

    And it's pretty normal for greys to sleep 18–20 hours a day, so no need to worry or assume that he's bored if that's what he does!

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