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HeyRunDog

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  1. Grace has a bald patch on her tail about 3 inches long but only on the side away from her body. The vet, who is experienced with greyhounds as she used to work as a vet at the greyhound tracks, said it is probably where she has been rubbing against something as the hairs are broken and have not dropped out, but she is not crated and sleeps either on her bed or the sofa. (I'll let you guess where she spends most of her time)

    My question is, although it's purely a cosmetic condition like her bald butt, and it doesn't bother her or me, can anything be rubbed in to her tail to stop the hairs being broken?

  2. Are you sure she is underweight? Greyhounds do seem to be very thin especially compared to other dogs.

    Greyhound Friends For Life say "The rule of thumb is that you should be able to see the outline of the last 3 ribs, the tips of the hip bones, and a bit of the spine.  Usually the ideal pet weight is about 3‑5 pounds heavier than the racing weight.  When the greyhound is viewed sideways, there should be a nice curve (“tuck up”) between the end of the ribs and the thighs.  Allowing your greyhound to become heavier puts undue strain on the heart and on tendons, ligaments, and joints, which can lead to more problems with arthritis."

    If you do need to increase her weight I suggest increasing the food at meal times. If you give her bits and pieces at other times she will expect it and it then becomes difficult if you need to reduce her weight in the future. Also check the protein level of her food, it should be around 20% now she's retired.

  3. I wonder if she's protecting you? When she's on her lead she's "on duty" and is protecting her pack leader but off lead it's play time. I used to have a Labrador and she would be one of the most friendly dogs going, both towards other dogs and humans, she was always off her lead when walking and would walk to heel. But if I stopped for a sit down on a bench she became very protective and would bark and growl if anything came within 6 feet of us.

  4. First RELAX!

    When you get home take it to where he/she will usually pee and poop and wait for it to do so. Then walk it round your apartment so it knows where the water and food bowls are, where it's bed is etc. Then just let it do what ever it wants, don't force it to do anything. Let it get used to the new surroundings. It's just been dumped in a foreign country, not knowing the language with a strange person.  Grace just lay down in a corner for the first few hours and ignored me for the first couple of days, apart from feeding time :D

    Don't expect your new companion to have separation anxiety. The majority don't have major issues with it. They just need to get used to the idea that you will be coming back and then will spend the day sleeping.

    Don't let it do anything you don't want it to no matter how cute it seems at the time. If you don't want it in your bedroom don't let it in. If you don't want it begging when you're eating or preparing food don't feed it from your plate or counter, instead put the food in it's bowl after you've finished.

    You didn't say if you're getting a male or female. Might I suggest, as you're leaving it alone for some time, a female as they seem to be able to hold it for longer without a bathroom break.

    And once again RELAX

  5. Greyhounds are contrary dogs who need time to adjust from life on the track and in kennels to a loving domestic home. sometimes what they will do one day they won't do the next. You will find their personality can take a year to 18 months to develop so enjoy the ride. :D

    If you search for greyhound freezing you will find several solutions, its just a matter of finding one that works. The one that worked for my Grace, as even high value treats didn't work, was to put two fingers through her collar and using the same action as if I was going to bowl her move her and myself forward with the command "Let's Go" It's the same action as they use to put the hounds in the traps before a race.

  6. Interesting article.

    Grace has a vet bedding mat which is usually ontop of her bed, it's easier to throw in the wash, which I take with us when visiting friends. I place it somewhere out of the way but where she can still see what's going on. After a quick house inspection I give her a treat on it and she immeadiatly settles down on her mat and relaxes.  I think it also helps that it smells of home and the many lost crumbs from treats eaten long ago. :D

     

     

  7. As phall says "give him time." In his eyes it's another big change, the same as coming off the track and starting life as a pet. Try and keep his routine the same as before and he'll come around. It took my Grace a few months to be able to walk wherever I wanted but even now occasionally she won't turn left out of the dive or cross a road that she did the day before. That's greyhounds for you

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