HeyRunDog
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Posts posted by HeyRunDog
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He's definitely got a cheeky look in his eyes.
I brush Grace's teeth daily before we go for her pre breakfast walk. Find a dog toothpaste he likes the taste of as it will make it easier. Grace likes Beaphar which often comes with it's own toothbrush.
15 hours ago, steerpike said:He's on a mixture of Wainwrights Dog's Best Friend Chicken with Rice and Complete Nutrition from Pets at Home
Just check the protein percentage. It is recommended that retired greyhounds only need around 20% otherwise it can cause health problems later in life. The farting could be while his system gets used to the Dentastix and his excitement of being in a new home. I've found giving Grace one Lintbells yudigest tablet a day for a couple of days when she has a bout of paint stripping emissions help calm things down.
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8 hours ago, Sniffy said:
Get him a dog bed that is of higher quality than the furniture.
And it has worked! Orvis dog bed with a bolster around three of the four sides.
They do look comfy. Never mind getting one for Grace, I might get one for myself
I think secretly that a lot of owners, particularly of a certain age, like their dogs to sleep on the sofa because they don't have to stand up after bending down to make a fuss of them.
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I agree with MerseyGrey. It does seem a bit excessive especially as in another case the police say they can't do anything about it as cats aren't covered by the legislation.
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Starting to feel guilty...Grace has NEVER HAD FRIES...
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Here is a bit of information about thyroid levels in greyhounds and symptoms which you might find interesting. Just check your vet is greyhound savvy as greyhound thyroid levels are different to most other breeds of dog. https://greyhoundsaspets.org.nz/sites/default/files/2013/01/Hypothyroidism.pdf
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Grace is on a vet care plan and has a Simparica flea and tick tablet once a month which I just throw in with her food.
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19 hours ago, duckduckgoose said:
That's definitely where I'd like to get to! I do always leave a frozen Kong or similar food-stuffed toy, and he will show interest in it at first - but he abandons it for the pacing and whining after a minute or two then only comes back to it when I return. Maybe I just need to change up my fillings!
Or make the filling easier to extract
You've only had him for two months so he will still be finding his feet and he's using you as his security blanket while he processes his new life. In six months to a year he'll be a different dog as he gets used to things and settles down.
Dogs like routine so doing the same thing every time will eventually work. Greyhounds have the annoying habit of giving the impression that the training is not working then suddenly they get it and behave as if it was their idea all along.
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If Grace thinks I'm going out and leaving her behind she starts to whine and stand by the door but when I give her a Kong filled with kibble she'll happily lie on her bed and eat it before getting on the sofa and going to sleep. (I have a web cam so I can see what she's doing. Mostly it's
) Giving her the Kong is telling her I'm coming back and she has no need to worry.
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12 hours ago, Remolacha said:
And yes, cream first. You can’t have too much cream
My father said it was always jam first. It's easier to put lots of clotted cream on thick strawberry jam than the other way round
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Dogs take their signals on how to react to other dogs from the person on the other end of the lead. If you react when you see another dog by altering how you are walking and tightening the lead they'll think there's trouble ahead and go into defence mode. Keep walking as if you haven't seen the other dog, keep the lead slack and talk calmly to your hound about anything that comes into your head. Don't forget to praise and or a treat once you've passed each other.
Where I live most dog owners shout a cheery greeting to each other when we pass. This also helps to signal to the dogs that there is no threat there.
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You could ask your neighbours if she does the same with them and do they put her in the crate and give her a treat?
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As MerseyGrey said, an old duvet and cover to start with, which indecently is still Grace's favourite bed. The other one she likes (apart from the sofa
) is a raised bed from Amazon with a vet blanket on top.
You might also want to consider a throw for the sofa and a cheap cot duvet and cover for him because most greyhounds end up there.
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12 hours ago, greysmom said:
Yes, it could just be a matter of time. Or not. Everything you describe is *very* typical greyhound behavior, settled in or not.
It goes back to hundreds of years of being bred to do a specific task - hunt and bring down small prey animals - completely on their own without any supervision or help from humans. They *are* independent. They *are* aloof. I always describe greyhounds as cats in dog suits because they are really more like cats in how they interact with the world than a dog breed like Goldens or Papillions. Hunting, herding, and companion breeds were bred to interact with people. Greyhounds, not so much.
So...
What now?
You can keep going on as your are, living as roommates, and getting on with your lives. Your dog will be perfectly happy and healthy, and you'll have a basically low-maintenance companion animal. If that's acceptable to you, then problem solved. He may become more affectionate over time, or not. He probably won't play with toys, or even other dogs very much, because - greyhound.
He may learn to play with you in your own way.
If you want to increase your bonding activities, the easiest one is going for walks together.
If you want to do more training, or amateur activities like racing or barnhunt or nose work, those can be fun if you find something that catches him. Finding what motivates a greyhound can be tricky - really yummy treats (like roasted chicken/liver, cheese), or squeaky toys - are all things to try. And several 5 minute sessions a day works better than one or two longer ones. For formal training small groups or private training are really better for greyhounds in general, but your guy might like the stimulation of a larger group.
And, lastly, if you really feel like you made a mistake, and a greyhound just isn't the dog for you, return him to his adoption group. It's way better for a dog to be in a home that wants to love him, rather than tolerated someplace that doesn't. I guarantee you, he will be snatched up immediately!
I couldn't have put it better myself. My greyhound, Grace, sounds very much like yours. Just happy to lie on her bed or "her" sofa and watch the world go by. She doesn't play with her toys or come for a bit of fuss. She would even get off the sofa if I sat next to the head end. She can be left for up to 8 hours with no SA and happy to sleep downstairs and has no sleep aggression. Sometimes you only know she's in the room when an aroma fills the air.
After 3 years she will now let me sit at her head end and will even rest her head next to my leg while I rub her ears. If she thinks there is a chance of going for a trip in the car she's there with a wagging tail. I can take her to friends house's and she'll happily lie down quietly on a blanket but she'll watch me all the time. If something scares her she'll come to me.
Like you, after my previous dog which was a Labrador, I found that greyhounds are not dog like at all and not what I expected despite doing a lot of research into the breed and whether one would suit me. Unfortunately I have gone down with greyhounditis and if finances allow I would get another
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I agree with greysmom, up to 20% is the usual amount, 28% plus is for when they are still racing. The Greyhound Trust Coventry branch has a clear feeding guide http://www.greyhoundtrustcoventry.co.uk/page3/page14/index.html
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Nice website. I do the website for my local theatre group, although after tonight's AGM it might not be needed any more (another victim of COVID?) and I know how frustrating it is, but I do agree with macoduck, perhaps if you made the background darker so increasing the contrast between it and the lettering?
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Been there with Grace and as greysmom said slowly introduce her to the traffic noise. I would walk Grace towards the end of my quiet road until she just began to feel uncomfortable with the noise of the traffic on the main road. I would then just stand still ignoring Grace for a few minutes then turn back and either go home or continue our walk in a quieter area. I wouldn't give her any treats or praise until we had turned back so she wasn't being rewarded for being afraid. Every couple of days we would go a little closer and repeat the exercise.
After a couple of weeks she would totally ignored the traffic unless a particularly noisy motorbike went past. Now very little traffic noise frightens her. Just got to get her not to be frightened of the sound of children screaming especially if they are kicking a ball
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It sounds like she's attention seeking and isn't really hungry or wanting to go out. She runs to her bowl and gets a treat...result
You could try putting a slip lead on her when she jumps on your bed, taking her to her bed telling her "BED" and then ignoring her. Others might have different suggestions but it's going to take time and patience whatever you try.
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14 hours ago, greysmom said:
You should do exactly what you did - calmly stand and remove him from the situation (though I would leave him outside the room until I was done eating). Then let him back in and go about your business.
It's difficult to say why, but I would suspect he's pushing boundaries to try and find out exactly where your line is - much like a toddler or teenager. Firm and consistent rules and boundaries, calmly and consistently applied for him, will help him figure things out.
He's not really being "aggressive" but he is pushing. If this is happening around other behaviours you might look into doing some NILIF (Nothing In Life Is Free) positive reinforcement-only training for him. This helps establish the human's place in the leadership structure of the home so he doesn't feel the need to fill the position.
I agree you did the right thing.
On a lighter note, at least you now know what he considers a high value treat and you can use it for training purposes.
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I think the last option is the way to go. Separating them before either gets over stressed.
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Some greyhounds never do learn to play with toys or only for a few minutes when they are new... I'm looking at you Grace
and they are happy dozing most of the day so don't worry about his inactivity.
Greyhounds were bred to hunt independently from human input so unlike the herding and retrieving breeds of dogs they are not overly predisposed to training. Try just a few minutes every day before meal times and hopefully he will get it.
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To improve/change the flavour of softened dry or tinned food put a fresh whole chicken in a slow cooker with nothing added and when it's cooked freeze the juices in ice cube trays. Freeze the meat in pieces on a flat tray before putting in a tub. When needed add a little of the meat and a gravy icecube to her bowl with some boiling water to defrost.
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58 minutes ago, Remolacha said:
Sounds nom, I would eat that
Me too. Especially with a some raisins mixed in and a coating of chocolate.
Ooops! They were supposed to be for greyhounds, better leave out the raisins and chocolate then
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She is probably being very defensive because she's feeling particularly vulnerable after her surgery and both of them have been thrown into a strange new world totally different to what they are used to. Give them both time to get used to their new lives and for her to recover from the surgery then let them meet outside on neutral ground until they get used to each other.
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The Dogs Trust have free downloads of scary sounds and booklets for dogs to help with their phobias
https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/dog-behaviour-health/sound-therapy-for-pets
And it has worked! Orvis dog bed with a bolster around three of the four sides.
) Giving her the Kong is telling her I'm coming back and she has no need to worry.
He may learn to play with you in your own way.
Wants to go home on some walks?
in Training and Behavior discussion
Posted
They sometimes go through phases of not wanting to do something and after a couple of weeks they carry on as if there wasn't a problem. At one stage Grace wouldn't turn left out of the driveway. At the moment she doesn't want to jump in the car first thing to go to the park but will do a later in the day.
If he is getting a corn it won't show for sometime but it can still be painful. Use an old toothbrush slightly damp and brush his pads. The corn will show up as a small dark spot.