[Help - Did I Traumatize My Dog?]

Wanted to give everyone an update. Our guy is now on 30mg of Prozac and it's been about a month and we've already seen huge, huge improvements in him. We are continuing behavior mod, etc. but this medication was a big help for him as he clearly has some deep anxieties around being handled.

[Help - Did I Traumatize My Dog?]

Been there - done that. I was sure I "broke" my first grey 57 times. It's a terrible feeling when you're trying so hard to do everything JUST RIGHT. My first grey, Sobe, was also very challenging - SA, sleep aggression, space aggression, food aggression, food-obsessive to the extreme, etc, etc. We were in WAY over our heads. But, we muddled through. We made mistakes. Lots of them. I researched constantly, took good advice from GT, and made choices. Some right, some .... oops.

 

The one thing that I finally figured out was to cut through all the BS. Keep life as simple as possible. Sobe HATED coats - so no coat. PJs? Oh, that would never work. They actually weren't "a thing" at that time, so we never considered it. But it would've definitely been a NO. Teeth-brushing? No thanks, I like my fingers. Nail clipping - I'll pay the vet to be the "bad guy". Crate? Well, he broke off a Canine tooth escaping. So, no crate for him.

 

A lot of things that are "normal" or "expected" just don't work for dogs that are "challenging". Keep it simple. Cut out anything that's not necessary. As time goes on, you can start working on the real issues, one by one. PJ's - not an issue. Just don't do that. Lesson learned.

 

Other thing I learned - dogs are NOT aware that you "messed up". They don't blame you for the "PJ incident of 2018". Move on. Forget it. Don't act weird. Just act confident, and happy. They want a confident, happy leader.

 

Sorry - you didn't ask for advice, but I gave it anyway because it's a really rough road when you're a first-time adopter with a dog that's above your paygrade. We lived it, and it was so hard. But, then it wasn't. Sobe was never a "perfect" dog, but after a while, we figured each other out, and life worked. We knew his limitations, and adapted. And he got MUCH better over time.

 

You did ask for encouragement. I can give you that. You're reaching out, you've done your research, you know that this a a "challenging" dog. Those are all amazing things. You are obviously trying very hard to do the best you can. I commend you. Sobe was my "heart dog", PITA that he was. He loved me desperately. And I've never loved another dog like I loved him. If you can survive it, the problem child is the one that may steal your heart. Other up-side, every other grey through our house (1 other of our own and 14 fosters) seemed like a piece of cake after Sobe!!

 

Hang in there. Keep it simple. Focus on what's important, and write off everything else.

Wow - I can really relate to this. Thank you. And thank you for the advice. I know that it will just take more time and patience, but it's hard being in the thick of it. I know part of it is being a first time adopter, but I also know that we really do have a dog with more challenges than most.

[Help - Did I Traumatize My Dog?]

Hi - We've had our boy for about 7 months and are first time grey owners. Our guy is 3 years old and obviously has some anxiety issues: SA, resource guards, does not like to be touched by strangers... He is starting with a behaviorist very soon and we have been in contact with our adoption group. We won't give up!

 

But, just last night I got him PJs because it's been quite cold where we are. No problems getting them on and then went to take them off and full meltdown ensued. Yelping, growling, snapping at me. Had to use our muzzle and finally had to cut them off. After the incident he was very timid with me and my boyfriend and was obviously upset by the incident and I feel like we've taken a big step back in his trust in us. I feel very bad, I'm trying not to take it personally, but it's been quite a struggle over the past few months.

 

I guess I'm not so much asking for advice, but maybe words of encouragement (?) I've read so much about greyhound behavior now and know that these things are not totally uncommon, but we are feeling very unlucky and a bit in over our heads with the dog we have. It's hard to read stories and look at pictures of other hounds who seem to be relaxed and with much fewer issues than our guy. Thanks in advance!!

[Loose Stool In The Heat?]

My recently adopted 3 year old boy is currently being treated for hooks, so his stools have been irregular but getting a lot better, but seems to get worse with high temps. We live where the weather is usually very cool and mild throughout the year, but this is the second heat wave we've had while having him and he's had loose stools both times.

 

Is this common? Tips?

[Out Of Crate Training?]

I would just prefer not to be dependent on the crate for the long term for a few reasons, one being is that we currently live in a small one bedroom apartment and space is precious.

 

And I will try the leaving the crate open, but it's really about me not being there / leaving him. As soon as I go he runs to the door and starts barking...

[Out Of Crate Training?]

Hi there -

 

I am a first time grey owner and have had my 3 year old boy for about 3 months. There has definitely been an adjustment period, but he is generally doing really well with me and my partner.

 

He is currently crate trained and stays in his crate when we are not with him, but we would like to be able to start leaving him in the house not in the crate. I need some advice on beginning this process as I have just started and the barking is really bad. He even barks when one of us leaves the apartment (and the other is home with him) when he is not in his crate. He even barks if I go in another room and shut the door...

 

To be clear, he is mostly fine in his crate when we are not home. We have a dog camera that sends us alerts when he barks and it's pretty rare that he barks in his crate now. Thanks in advance for your help!