HeyRunDog

Obviously a squirrel free area

Grace pees after her tea at about 4:30 pm and then doesn't pee again until her morning walk at 7 am when she also does her once a-day poops. She'll pee a couple of times during the day if the opportunity arises. Do you take her for a walk when you want her to pee before bed or just stand in the yard waiting? Grace seems to need to have a short walk before going.

When I first got Grace she had flaky skin and I used ExmaRid Deep Cleansing dog shampoo. It worked like magic ridding Grace of most of the flakes after one wash. The vet recommended Yuderm Moulting Dog for Grace's dandruff which works for her but I only give her half the recommended amount because of the squidgy poos if she has the full dose.

Time and patience and as Time4ANap says the dog you see today will be much, much different a year from now. Some sounds she'll get used to quickly and others will take time. Grace is frightened of the sound of a football being kicked and children shouting but after nearly 3 years she will walk quickly back inside as opposed to running back and pacing around the room but she has never taken any notice of the vacuum or the washing machine. You could try using a couple of Adaptil diffusers to help her nerves. They contain a dog calming pheromone which help Grace during the firework season and are available on Amazon

It's reckoned the one off 10kg one sold for £700,000. That's a lot of chocolate

He's acting like a teenager and testing the boundaries now he's settled in and got used to how his new home works. Keep on with the training and don't let him get away with anything you don't want him to not even once By my rough calculation you've still got another 94 weeks before his full personality comes out

I agree. Grace hasn't read the bit about zoomies or counter surfing or sleep startle or wanting cuddles and a fuss made of her or separation anxiety etc. etc. Here in the UK there are plenty of greyhounds up for adoption so we can pick and choose to a certain extent but you still don't know what your hound will be like in your home.

Going up is easier than teaching them to come down so unless you can carry your greyhound down the stairs don't leave it until you get there.

Not all greyhounds have sleep startle. My Grace doesn't and by the sound of it yours doesn't either. Basic training is possible with greyhounds but don't expect them to be as trainable as Labradors or collies for example. They are very good at chasing the thrown toy but then they will stand by it waiting for you to come and pick it up.

I like to come down at 6 in the morning and have a coffee or two and catch up on emails etc with the curtains open now it is daylight before taking Grace for a walk. Unfortunately for me you know who sees that it's light outside and that must mean it's walkies time, so here I am sat with my coffee in artificial light with the curtains shut.

That is a good idea. I got one to keep an eye on Grace after the second lockdown and as you say like yours most of the time she's asleep on the sofa. The advantage of having a webcam if you are alone training is that you can properly go out of sight and earshot of your greyhound and still keep an eye on them. You might find the pacing doesn't last long after you've gone and starts up again as soon as they sense you are coming back. When I get home Grace is looking through the window, pacing around and whining giving the impression she's been upset all day, yet looking at the webcam app 30 seconds before hand she's fast asleep on the sofa.

Coffee can also diminish the thyroxine uptake. Not that I'm suggesting that you should give your greyhound caffeine. But I think as long as you or your hound take it at the same time each day so when the thyroid levels are checked they can adjust the amount needed.

I was given Grace's racing ID card when I adopted her which had her racing weight on and I try and keep her at that weight. Grace's poos degrade during a walk too starting with firm and ending up squitty. You could try adding a spoonful of pumpkin puree to his food which is available in tins from supermarkets. Make sure it's 100% pumpkin and not a sweetened pie filling. Some of the dog treats and chews give Grace runny poos and gas. If you are changing his food do it gradually over a fortnight. I see you are just down the A52 from me, perhaps we might meet on one of the greyhound walks organised by the Greyhound Trust once this pandemic is over.

There are going to be plenty of people and dogs in your situation because of the Covid lockdowns and together with moving back to your parents it's a lot of life changes for Caleb to get used to. The book that gets most recommendations on here is "I'll Be Home Soon: How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety" by Patricia McConnell. It is available from Amazon and I would start doing alone training now. Good luck with Caleb and restarting work.

Grace has looser poos and gaseous emissions when she has Dentalife chews

Perhaps he had got used to being kept on a short leash and being strictly controlled on what he could and could not do because of the implant and removal surgery, now those restrictions have been removed he's pushing the boundaries to see what he can get away with. Treat Gary as if you've only just got him and are not sure on how he's going to behave. Be ready to stop him from counter surfing, pinching what's not his etc. The snapping when he was lying down might be sleep startle.

She's more interested in the next one than the one in her mouth

Yes. Thank you and I'm going to give it a go although I might not have enough treats or kibble

Discouraging yes but according to my vet not insurmountable. She has got dogs over the problem in the past and is confident she will do this time and as she's one of those no nonsense tell it how it is people I believe her. Apparently one of the experienced nurses stands astride Grace, luckily she's a small greyhound, rubbing her tummy and keeping her distracted her while the vet clips her nails but without lifting her foot off the ground.

What a dilemma you've got. In your situation if I let my head rule and with the risk to greyhounds from being sedated I'd cancel the appointment and let her live the life she enjoys and if it is as serious as one of the vets indicates and the worst does happen at least you've given her an enjoyable one.

Going down it at the moment with Grace. I was using a nail grinder to do her nails and her corns until she decided that she didn't like that any more and would squeal and pull her foot back if I went anywhere near it. She only gets taken for her walks on grass or she wears boots because of her corns so her nails were getting very long. She has a check up every 3 months and nail clipping is included in her vet care plan so I asked them to do it. She ended up being sedated because she objected that much she was getting very stressed out. This week it was time for her check up and as it's 9 months since she last had her nails clipped she was booked in for sedation too. Luckily the vet who saw her this time is experienced with greyhounds and did it without sedating her although it was a two person job and I did hear one squeal while waiting in the car. Grace doesn't know it but she is booked in for monthly nail clipping sessions with that vet to get her desensitised.

Just keep it clean and dry. If you haven't got any dog boots use and old sock secured with some tape around the sock, but be careful it's not too tight and rubs, to give a bit of protection.

They do get over statuing, usually just after you threaten to take the b****y minded thing back and some of us have been seen carrying a greyhound home . Vary your route otherwise when they do get over the statuing they will only go for a walk on that route. At one stage Grace would only turn right out of the driveway. You could try the bowling ball technique which is how the trainers get the hounds into the traps at race meetings. Have both you and your greyhound facing the way you want to go, in a no nonsense manner put your fingers threw the dog's collar and using a similar motion as if bowling, give a forward and slight upwards motion on the collar while taking step forward. I also used the command "lets go." I only had to do it three or four times with Grace.

Hi Beth and welcome to GreyTalk. It sounds like you've got the same problem as Regann.

It depends on how good you are at reading your dog. It could be a playful growl where he wants you to grab it then put it back so he can grab it again or it could be a warning growl. Grace will lie with a toy between her front paws wanting me to try and grab it before she does giving a growl as she beats me to it. I only do it three or four times so she doesn't get over excited and forgets it's only a game. If you are not sure trade up as greysmom says.