HeyRunDog

Happy 10th Birthday Buddy. Grace thought she was looking into a mirror at her older self when she saw the photos.

Not all greyhounds suffer with sleep startle but greyhounds and sofas do go together like bread and jam so time and patience is needed to break the habit. You could try leaving his collar and lead on so when he's gets on the sofa you can pull him down and in an authoritative voice say OFF. When he's off give him a reward with either a treat or praise. Grace was frightened of traffic so we would go to a busy road and just stand there a few yards back on a quieter side street. I wouldn't interact with Grace at all then after a few seconds we would go back down the quieter road. Each time we would stand there a bit longer and a foot closer. Now she doesn't take any notice of the traffic at all but it did take a few of weeks. Greyhounds are like wine, they improve with time and can take a year or more to become fully settled and develop into what they can be. Don't let that worry you because each little change is it's own reward and makes the effort worth it.

Grace will wear a coat but prefers not to even if it's frosty. Have patience with the statuing/freezing they do get over it. I have been known to be have seen carrying a greyhound down the road because she refused to move. Frustrating at the time but funny now During the firework season we go for a longer walk in the morning and just a quick comfort walk in the afternoon before it gets dark. I have found an Adaptil plug in diffuser helps to take the edge off Grace's nervousness during this time together with Adaptil express tablets a couple of hours before they start. You might find this also helps with the separation anxiety.

She's a lovely looking hound. But I would say that as she looks very similar to my Grace. It appears there is a noise or a smell in the corridors that's upsetting her and until she realises that no harm is going to happen to her I think it's just a case of time and patience while she works that out. She'll also be taking her cue from you so act confidently and don't comfort/reward her nervousness either by your actions or verbally. Grace went through a phase of not wanting to go out in the evening but was OK once she was on the pavement so I used to have to carry her out of the house but she doesn't have that problem now.. She will get over it. It just might take longer than you'd like, but as is often said on here, time, patience and a sense of humour is needed. We've all been there one way or another.

As always it's the fear of the unknown which cause the greatest anxiety so stay calm, stick to his routines and don't worry about things that might happen as he'll pick up on your worries.

He might surprise you and prove you concerns unfounded. Grace doesn't like children because they are noisy and boisterous and she'll pull in the opposite direction if she hears them especially if they are playing football. She won't even go outside for a pee if she can hear the neighbours children playing outside. But if she meets them one at a time and they are quiet and don't run at her she'll just stand there and ignore them whilst they stroke her. You will be adding to his family group and you might find he becomes the child's best friend and protector.

Amazon have a large selection and unless you go for the well known branded ones like Wahl or Dremel they are cheap and much the same. None of them are "fast" as that would produce too much heat so it's a case of little and often with treats. And if you take the cover off they can also be used for grinding down corns. I would recommend going for a cordless one because you can guarantee your hound won't let you grind her nails near a plug socket. I often use it on Grace's nails in the back of the car because it means I don't have to bend down

As already has been said it's probably a combination of the dental issues and food. I add Plaque X which contains seaweed, parsley, turmeric and activated charcoal to Grace's food to help with plaque and breath odour and Vets Best breath freshener to her water bowl but only 1/2 the recommended amount as she won't drink it otherwise. Plaque X https://www.amazon.co.uk/Natural-Remover-Freshener-Toothbrush-Supports/dp/B07DF63CL7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12N2CIUNQIGYC&dchild=1&keywords=plaque+x&qid=1604472123&sprefix=plaque%2Caps%2C339&sr=8-1 Vets Best https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vets-Best-Dental-Breath-Freshener/dp/B06XGTRSRW/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3UZ2LMC1WBT16&dchild=1&keywords=dog+breath+freshener+in+water&qid=1604472218&sprefix=dog+bre%2Caps%2C316&sr=8-5

I don't want to be a killjoy but be careful you don't breach the European data protection rules. You might have to limit the participants to those not living in Europe.

You need a routine that's without fuss. I fill Grace's Kong with kibble and a plug of peanut butter whilst I'm getting her breakfast ready. When it's time for me to leave for work I get calmly ready (shoes, coat, keys etc.) without paying any attention to Grace, give her the ready preprepared Kong and say "See you later" and go. You can try leaving the radio on tuned into a classical or talk station so there's hopefully no sudden loud noises and plug in an Adaptil pheromone diffuser.

A week later and Grace has finally adjusted her clock so is now running on GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Unfortunately it's me who is still waking up on BST and I get the look from Grace asking why I'm disturbing her at such an early hour

Take your time and find the right dog as they all have different quirks temperaments. In your situation consider a slightly older dog with less "bounce". Most reputable adoption agencies will check every few days to start with after adoption to see if everything is going OK. Don't be afraid to return him/her if for any reason you feel uncomfortable with that particular dog. Your children come first.

A book that is recommended by other GT members is Feisty Fido by P Mcconnell available from Amazon which might be worth a read

You haven't failed him. You have tried your best but unfortunately it looks like he just wasn't the right dog for you and no-one is going to think any less of you because you gave him a chance. It takes a lot of strength to realise that before it's to late and either you, your husband or Ally is injured. Have a cup of tea and call the charity but don't let this experience put you off adopting a greyhound, there are plenty of them that don't have a high pry drive or are reactive to other dogs, I know because I've got one. You could ask if you could foster with the option to adopt if the right one turns up.

Greyhounds only give a very subtle signal that they need to go out which is easy to miss. Have her attached to you with her lead so as soon as she crouches down you can firmly say "NO" rush her outside and give her a treat when she does go outside. You can also use a solution of biological clothes washing liquid to clean the area.

I also believe that a harness gives you less control. With a harness the dog can pull with all their body weight as the load is spread across the chest. Use a martingale or fishtail collar for control and if your hound is an escape artist use a harness as a backup. You can get double ended leads so both can be used at the same time. You're right and I bet you are tightening the lead at the same time. Is it possible to walk him at a quieter time of the day when there aren't as many dogs around? Grace is frightened of noisy children so we tend to walk early in the morning and mid afternoon before they come out of school. Have you watched the Channel 5 series "Dogs Behaving (very) Badly? It's available here https://www.channel5.com/show/dogs-behaving-very-badly/ It'll give you some good tips and hopefully some reassurance.

The way Covid is going in the UK at the moment your problem might not materialise. Nipping is how greyhounds play which is why in pre Covid days my adoption group insisted that the hounds are muzzled when attending one of their monthly open days when they made their paddock available. If possible I would start now with getting the dogs getting to know each other.

Grace thinks BST stands for Bladder and Sustenance Time

Are you using a collar or a harness? If you are using a harness it is easier for her to put her full body weight into going the direction she wants whereas with a collar you have more control. Some people use both with a double ended lead. The harness to stop them escaping and the collar for control.

I would be concerned that even if you managed to get her to ignore the kitten it would only be while you are watching her. Remember she has been trained to chase anything small and furry that runs which is why she ignored the rabbit. It wasn't moving fast enough.

From what I understand from your post is that Jameson is now peeing and pooping when you leave him alone despite taking him out before you go and that this is a recent problem. A lot of dogs and greyhounds are suffering from separation anxiety because their owners, who have been around all day working from home because of Covid, are now being recalled to their place of work. You will need to start the home alone training again but hopefully he will pick it up quicker this time.

Here in the UK the clocks go back an hour tonight as BST (British Summer Time) ends. Guess who isn't going to get an extra hour in bed tomorrow morning because Grace has flunked her time telling exams?

He's still getting used to his new life and the freezing and peeing problems will get better. It's just time, patience and a good sense of humour with a bit more patience. As has often been said the dog you have now will be nothing like the dog you will have in 6 months or even two years time. Try walking him around the dog park on the leash and if he does go to the bathroom say "potty time" or some other command, give him praise and a treat. Hopefully in time he will feel more comfortable going on the leash and will try to go on command. Just be careful of taking him to dog parks if there are other dogs around. Greyhounds skin tears easily if they get involved in play or a fight and their prey drive can suddenly kick in.

Greyhounds give very subtle indications that they need to pee etc. if at all so it is very easy to miss. My Grace knows she is able to go to the toilet twice a day and is able to hold it between those times. Male greyhounds will need to go more often as they can't hold it as long as females. Are you just putting him out to pee or are you taking him for a walk as well? You might need to get up a bit earlier and take him for a short walk to get things moving before you go to work. I know this is against your upbringing with working dogs but greyhounds are more like lapdogs, OK very large lapdogs, but they are inside dogs and shouldn't be left outside as they have very thin coats with no fat layer underneath for insulation from the heat or cold. They also can get spooked easily by sudden noises and can damage themselves trying to escape. Also how would you feel if he has one of your neighbours cats?

I wonder if she's pulled a muscle in her back or trapped a nerve. I think a vet needs to check her over.