Acadianarose

No, Alicia, of course not. I also have anxiety that I have to take medication for and I understand that people do attach a stigma to those types of issues. No worries

It just seems that adopting another dog to help with SA could really backfire. She has an uncle who also has a greyhound who is coming to visit soon. She is going see how he reacts being alone with the other greyhound. He stayed here with Payton, but he was uncomfortable away from his own home. I also suggested that she try fostering and see if that helps. All in all, she is not opposed to the medication, but wants to ultimately help him get over his SA and she is willing to adopt another dog is that is the answer.

She does this. Here is a topic she started a few weeks ago. http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/303613-help-please-separation-anxiety-in-charlie/?hl=charlie

He cries the every few minutes the whole time he is alone. She is gone about 4 hours and then has a break and comes home for a couple of hours and then leaves again for a couple of hours. He is in his crate and she has tried to leave out but it is much worse. Two dogs is a huge deal for them – two dogs to walk, two dogs to feed, another pet deposit, two vet bills. And she is in grad school. They plan on getting another greyhound when they have a house – not now. But she wants to do what will help her dog the most. Alicia – she is not opposed to medicine. She has a psychology degree and working on her masters so she is always trying to fix the underlying problem.

My daughter has had her greyhound for 5 months and his SA is not getting any better. They literally cannot walk out of a room without him getting up and following. She has done alone training with for the past few weeks but it has not really helped yet (I know it can take a while). Her vet recommended antidepressants but she doesn’t really want to go that route if she can help it. The adoption group is suggesting that she adopt another greyhound. Before she considers that, has anyone adopted another dog simply because of SA? Does another dog make that much difference?

Congratulations on your new addition. We don't have stairs so I didn't have to worry about those. But my daughter adopted a greyhound and they live in a second floor apartment. I believe she put a treat on each step and it didn't take him any time before he was going up and down the steps. Can you try leaving him out of his crate at night? Payton has been out since day two or three and he has been fine. Space aggression really caught me off guard. We have a treat bowl on the mantle above his bed and we give him treats when we walk by. It didn't take him long to expect a treat. We leave him alone when he his lying down. Also, the space aggression carries over to the car, so I muzzle him when he rides with DD, although he hasn't growled at her in over three months. He has gotten much, much better in the few months he has been here. You can search this forum for space aggression and gets tons of advice.

I love Hester! Payton is only comfortable with brief moments of affection. Your picture reminds me of how when I kiss him on the head, he will sniff my face and he just start giving me a quick lick. A couple of days ago, he sniffed my face and as he was doing it I thought "I hope he doesn't bite my face off". Just then, he reverse sneezed and scared the crap out of me!

My lab will have a couple of bad days and I start to think that it may be the end. And then all of a sudden, he seems to feel great. She is so cute. I'm glad she is feeling better today.

This is a really tough one. I also believe “better a day early than a day late”. Keeping our dogs with us is for our benefit – not theirs. In the last year, my lab has really starting going downhill. He has a lot of trouble getting up and walking is obviously painful for him. His legs have started giving out and he falls over. He will have a couple of bad days and then the next day he seems much better. DH has said several times that it will be time to let him go soon. I don’t think he is ready to go just yet. I truly believe I will be will able to make the decision when it is time. I really recommend reading George’s blog entry as suggested by Susan. It really is one of the most moving things I have ever read. Hugs to you and Missy. Edited to Add: Don't make this decision based on your vet's schedule.

Payton goes out three times before I leave in the morning. I know you have had your dog for a long time, but changes can make them need to go out more. I would NEVER force interaction between the dog and the baby. I believe the dog ignoring the baby is a good thing, especially at this point. I an a huge believer in extra treats and extra attention. There is no way around the fact that a new baby is a huge change for the dog. And I know you have your hands full with the new baby, but the dog is going to need some extra attention too. Congratulations on the new baby.

We have Payton's crate in our living room. He hasn't slept in his crate at night since day 2 or 3. He is more than welcome to sleep in our bedroom (the other dog does) but he sleeps on his bed in the living room. I only crated him the first 3 or 4 weeks while we were gone. He will still go in his crate occasionally on his own and he gets nervous when we have a lot of company, so I crate him at those times. Most of the time it is empty. Maybe you could borrow an extra crate rather than buying two. Otherwise the baby gate or closing the bedroom door at night would be worth a try.

Payton is quickly learning to tolerate much more petting due to the treats. We keep a bowl of treats on the mantle above his bed and give him one or two when we walk by. Now I will give him a couple of pets while he is lying down and give him a couple of treats. He is getting much more comfortable, but he is still not ready for much more than a few pets. He much prefers the side his neck to be rubbed, and not his back, especially between his shoulder blades (or whatever that area is called on a dog). At times, he will flinch if I touch his upper legs. However he loves his butt just above the base of his tail be scratched (weirdo). Lol. I still muzzle him in the car with Lexi. He will lay on her lap so remind her not to rub his back, just his neck. He can only tolerate a few moments of petting before he walks away. If he is lying down, I only pet him a moment or two. Rudy and you both are on the right track. He is getting so much better. With Payton, sometimes it seems like two steps forward, one step back, but it is still progress.

I never withheld affection from my dogs and I don't know that doing so would make it any easier for them to be alone.

She is so cute! I'm glad she is settling in.

Congratulations on your new addition. Payton has to have 3 pees and a poop before I leave in the morning. I leave at 8 am and get back home at around 4:30 pm. He is fine until we get home. At first, he would need to go out during the night. I would always bring him out and fairly quickly, he settled down and learned to sleep all night.

My dogs were attacked in our front yard by an unleashed dog a couple of months ago while we were walking them and DD ended up with a broken hand. It was a second offense but the owner just received a leash violation. We have had so many dog bite cases at work, and I can only recall 2 where the dog was put down. Obviously, we live in different areas, but I can't see anything really serious coming of this. Of course, be prepared for the worst.

Often when there is an "attack", the dog was off leash and AC cites the owner with a leash violation, which is why I asked. Since JJ wasn't even off leash, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

I really don't think a bite on the nose of another dog will warrant animal control taking your dog. Was your dog leashed?

Well that is certainly much better than the last video! So glad he is feeling so much better!

There is not a dog I trust 100%, but I spend so much time with my dogs that I learn when they are unhappy. It is almost an expression on their faces. We are still learning Payton's signs, so we try never to get to the point of pushing him too far. I guess that is what surprises me so much when I hear of a bite like in this situation- they had the dog for over 2 years. When do you reach the point when you can trust (reasonably) that your dog is not going to bite you?

Thanks for your explanation. So do you think it was a case of space aggression? Do you think being on the sofa made it worse? Btw-by wrong, I meant what caused the bite, not really meaning wrong. Lol!

Payton issue is definitely relating to lying down, too. He just can't handle being touched when he is lying down. Luckily, he only lies on his bed. He doesn't even try to get in the furniture. He will also look away and yawn when he is stressed.

I am very sorry this happened. I know it must be very upsetting for you and your family. I am always shocked to read a post like this, where an owner is seriously bitten by their dog for seemingly no reason. My dog, Payton, has space aggression. If he is lying down prone, he does not feel comfortable being touched. So we don't touch him. But while he is not overly affectionate, he does not mind brief kisses on the head and will routinely walk up to me and press the top of his head into my chest or stomach for a few moments. I can never tell from reading the original post exactly what the owner did wrong. Or than touching the dog while he was lying down? I mean, lots of greyhound owners hug or kiss their dog. And the OP said the dog was receptive to her attention. I don't know that your average owner is going to notice a change in breathing by the dog as an indication that the dog is uncomfortable. ETA- Payton and Rudy have the same type of subtle signs of stress. We try to leave him alone before he gets to the point of being stressed.

Sending positive thoughts...

I gave Payton the turkey neck from the Christmas turkey. He wasn't sure what it was at first but it didn't take him long to figure it out. It wasn't frozen so he ate it pretty quick. He loved it. I am going to start giving them to him frozen so they last a bit longer. Thanks for the advice!