HeyRunDog

Grace is not one of those greyhounds who follows you around or tries to grab a cuddle when you are on the sofa and often gets off if I tried to join her. She doesn't have SA (unless I forget to give her her Kong when I go out), she sleeps downstairs and so is quite independent. Fireworks though turn her into a quivering pacing mess. In anticipation of the celebrations last night (New Year's Eve) I gave her a couple of calming tablets and had plugged the diffuser in earlier in the day. Last night the fireworks started and Grace, instead of her pacing and shaking, got up on the sofa with me and put her paw out to touch my leg and apart from the very loud ones she stayed there. Best New Years Eve present ever.

It is something I have looked into but in the UK the greyhound has to weigh over 25kg and unfortunately Grace weighs just under. If any owners from the UK are interested have a look here. https://www.petbloodbankuk.org/pet-owners/dog-blood-donation/can-your-dog-donate-blood/

You could cut the side out of a suitably sized plant container with a Dremel

Congratulations on your new pup Have a look at the advice given here about having the correct size of crate. http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/advice/general_advice/protect_your_greyhound_in_your_vehicle.shtml#crates

You're probably over analysing it. He's still settling in and starting to see what he can get away with. If every time he wanders around looking hungry or tossing his toys around he gets a treat or food "result." Double check he's getting the right amount of food including treats and he should be getting about 20% protein. Any higher can make them overactive and unless they are getting a lot of exercise, for example when for when they were racing, they don't need it and can cause health problems later on.

Congratulations on both of you finding each other and good luck with the green collar test.

It's probably nerves and his new surroundings that are causing him to be reluctant to go. A bit like some people when they go on holiday, they can't go for the first few days until they settle in. Grace only poos on her morning walk and her last pee at night is around 5 pm. She doesn't need to go outside until the morning walk at around 7 am. Get into a routine so he knows when he's able to go.

If you brush the pad with a damp toothbrush it can help to make the corn visible.

If they were going to fight I think they would have done it by now. I think she's laying down the ground rules and reminding him that she's the boss.

Well put.

I think that shows a special kind of love and trust.

Grace watches me. She's not one for cuddles or following me around but she lies on her bed/sofa and watches me with a contented look on her face. If she wasn't such a gentle soul it could be interpreted as scary

The problem could be that the new piece of grass on your balcony doesn't smell of pee. It might sound weird and you'll probably get some odd looks from the other dog owners, but you could try pulling up some of the grass she's peed on in the courtyard and sprinkling it on the grass on your balcony. And she will get over the freezing

Grace gets fed twice a day, 8am and 4:30pm and her food is split evenly between the two meals. She gets a dental chew at lunch time, or if I'm at work when I get home. Giving treats is more likely to put on weight than meal times as it's easy to forget how many you've given them. If you're really worried about his weight keep an eye on his body shape and adjust the amount of food accordingly but don't miss out a meal time.

That brings back happy memories of my Labrador and the cat. They would sleep together against the radiator and dog would give the cat a lick if the cat sneezed. When the cat was older the dog would help her chase other cats from the garden and on bonfire night the pair of them would both want to go outside to sit in the garden and watch the fireworks.

After a few nights of howling from Grace when I first had her I tried the technique my father used to use. I went to bed as normal then crept silently back downstairs and waited by the door of the room Grace was in. As soon as she started to howl I burst in through the door and said "QUIET" in a loud firm voice, shut the door and waited again. I only had to do it twice and she is now quiet all through the night.

I've no experience with an X-pen but a crate might be another option, for your grey not the baby Whatever you decide to do I would do it now so he doesn't associate loosing his privileges with the new arrival.

If you get round to looking for insurance have a look at Bought By Many. They paid out a £2000 claim for Grace's foot operation with no questions three weeks after I had taken the policy out with them. If we're comparing prices, Grace was £150 from the Greyhound Trust. Best £150 I've ever spent And back to the original subject. Grace poos three time on her morning walk starting off large and firm descending to small and squidgy for the last one. Sometimes she'll do a medium poo on her walk later in the day.

As with everything to do with greyhounds time, patience and a sense of humour are the basic requirements then suddenly the switch goes on in their brain and they look at you as if to say "what's all this fuss about, no problems here" Could the peeing just be her way of marking her territory? Having said that Grace often goes for a pee after her evening meal so perhaps you need to give her the opportunity to go out as soon as she's finished eating.

There is definitely a dog out there who is right for you but unfortunately this one isn't it. He might have been a big softy with them but they are used to handling greyhounds and it sounds like this one needs a firm hand. Have a word with the adoption agency sooner rather than later and think about fostering as Ellen's doing.

And her routine has probably been altered so she's not sure when the pee breaks are. To remove the pee you can use diluted biological washing powder. This will remove the odour enzymes so she won't keep going in the same place.

It's very easy to hurt a dog by moving their front legs accidentally the wrong way and he probably now associates that person and the PJ's with pain. I agree with greysmom. Just get him to sit quietly in the same room with some treats and let the greyhound come to him. Grace doesn't wear pyjamas and sleeps downstairs quiet happily on the sofa with an old duvet she can nest into even if the room drops to the mid to low 50s.

Is there anything that makes a noise at that time? Heating switching on? Neighbours vehicle starting up? Have you tried putting him to bed a few minutes later each evening to see if that will reset his internal clock?

Yes. Grace went through a phase of not wanting to go for her evening walk and would lie shaking on her bed. Treats, no matter how smelly, would entice her to move. In the end I took the decision that this can't go on and something had to change. I put her fishtail collar and lead on and and firmly dragged her up and walked quickly outside then gave her a treat. I only had to do it two or three times and now she's happy to go for a walk any time.

It looks like for some reason she's developed an irrational fear of the journey from bed to the outside and I wonder if your coaxing and cajoling are giving her time to think the worst. Also by giving/tempting her with treats are having the opposite effect and she sees them as a reward for staying where she is. It might be worth trying putting a slip lead on her, firmly pulling her up with the command "let's go" and walking her quickly outside before rewarding her. It might sound harsh but I think it's got to the stage where drastic action is needed.