HeyRunDog

I wonder if you are trying to hard and for some reason it's making him uneasy. Can you try taking him out of a different door or go later in the evening? Grace used to do the same thing but not nearly to the same extent. I took her out of the front door for a couple of times before reverting to going out of the usual back door. I now throw her a treat on to the floor but out of reach so she has to get up then I put her lead on and she'll then go for her second walk quite happily.

Grace has peed her bed but only a couple of times and that was when she was alone and I think she was frightened by outside noises.

Good idea. Just hope I don't squirt the ball and puncture the child.

I'm a single person and have left Grace from 7:30 to 4:30 on a couple of occasions with no problem. In my opinion girls can last longer between toilet breaks than boys and Grace often only goes twice a day. You might want to also look out for an independant hound who doesn't suffer from SA (separation anxiety) Grace is quite an independent girl who isn't the most affectionate of hounds, she won't come for a bit of fuss and will ignore me most of the time but does keep an eye on what I'm doing. If I've only left her for a couple of hours all she does when I get home is to open an eye to see if I've got a treat for her but she bounces with joy when I return from work.

I believe to stop hounds backing out out of martingale collars you pull the lead downwards when they start to try and escape. To get Grace used to traffic I would go a few yards from the end of my road where it meets a busy road and just stand there quietly totally ignoring her for a few minutes and increasing the time day by day and when she wasn't bothered by the traffic I would then move nearer and repeat. After a couple of weeks she wasn't bothered by the scary noisy busses etc. Just wish I could get her used too noisy kids with footballs

Diet starts tomorrow

I'm in the UK and yes Grace sleeps downstairs in the main room and yes she did whine and the occasional bark for the first few nights but she's quite happy to be alone at night now and I have no problems when leaving her to go to work. To get her used to sleeping downstairs I used to leave the radio on, tuned into a talk radio station so no sudden noises, and a low wattage side light on. The third or fourth night of intermittent whining I crept down and waited outside the door for her to start again because she used to stop if she heard me moving around the house. I then flung the door open and using the voice of God said QUIET. Never had a problem since. It might sound cruel to burst in and shout at her but both of us got a good night's sleep afterwards and she learnt that her whining got her attention alright but not the sort she wanted.

She looks like my Grace when I first got her. Her race weight was 24.25 kg (53.5 lbs). She has put on a couple of pounds and now weighs 25.5 kg (56.2 lbs) but I'm being careful she doesn't put on any more. You will probably find she will put on weight now she's not training.

I agree. Whatever treatment you use it is a balance between poisoning the little invaders but not enough to harm the dog. Ask yourself how many dogs have used these treatments with no problems and how few have had adverse neurological reactions. I use Simparica which I get from my vets and Grace has had no ill effects from it.

Another suggestion is to break the treats in two so he still gets the same number but only half the calories. I feed Grace the food from the Greyhound Trust which if you order 2+ bags you get a discount and free delivery. This also has the advantage of minimal gas emissions. https://greyhoundtruststore.com/collections/pet-greyhound-feed/products/pet-greyhound-food

30% protein is for racing greyhounds. Retired greyhounds protein content should not exceed about 20%. Feeding in excess of recommended protein levels long term can cause kidney dysfunction later in life." https://regapgreyhounds.org/caring-for-your-greyhound/

You might find just cutting down on his treats and a little less food will have the desired effect. A few little changes will probably work better than a lot of big ones. You could try to only give him a treat when he has a good reaction to another dog not to distract him for example.

There is no rule that greys have to be crated. Being shut in the crate might be some of the problem. I shut Grace in her crate for the first night only and after that I left the door open so she could go in and out as she wanted. She is quiet happy to have the run of the main room when she's left alone and at night (she sleeps downstairs).

He's still only a puppy and I agree with Bizeebee about going "full hard-ass mode". Only reward him either with attention ot treats when he behaves and don't be afraid of telling him QUIET in a loud firm voice but not shouting or screaming and then give a reward when he stops barking.

I think the crumple fairies must have visited last night. Grace sleeps downstairs, usually on the sofa despite having a comfy foam bed, and when I left her last night to go to bed she was roached on the sofa on top of a large throw which covers the whole sofa. When I came down this morning Grace was exactly in the same position, in exactly the same place, roaching on the sofa and somehow the throw was crumpled into a heap underneath her. Must have been the fairies, that or or greyhound magic.

Unfortunately I let Grace's nails get to long and she now is having her nails trimmed every two weeks to get the quick to recede. I use a dog groomer near me as it's easier for me to hold her steady whilst the groomer does the clipping and she only charges £5.

Yes brush daily with a very soft toothbrush. Use one made from silicon rubber made for dogs or use a child's soft brush. I also use an enzyme toothpaste (Logic oral hygiene gel) it's a bit more expensive but seems to work well.

Grace is in the bald butt club. I add Lintbells Yumega Dog which is rich in Omega 6 and Omega 3 to her food which helps keep her coat in good condition and helps to reduce the hair loss but she still has a bare behind. The best option is to just to accept it as another quirk and love it. If you do have bloods done make sure your vet is greyhound savvy as their thyroid reading is lower than other breeds of dog and a lot of greyhounds are on medication for it when they don't need to be.

I use Logic Oral Hygiene Gel to brush Grac's teeth with, which as well as having a "mild abrasive action it also contains enzymes to help break down the plaque," or so the blurb on the box says . It does seem to work though and the vet at her last 3 monthly wellness exam said her teeth were nice and clean.

There's nothing wrong with the head, it's the body that's on back to front....

Relax and don't worry about him getting enough exercise. Greyhounds are the laziest dogs in the world and if he's playing and enjoying rides in the car he's getting enough mental stimulation. Statuing seems to be one of the many quirks that greyhounds have but it doesn't last forever and they do get over it. It's being thrown into a strange new world with a strange human. Grace was the same, walked OK for the first few days and then when she started to realise this world is more scary and strange than she first realised and she thought statuing until she worked it out was the answer. You could find another dog and owner to walk with or try the same way the trainers put the dogs into the traps for races. You stand by the side of Otto facing the same way and put a couple of fingers through his collar. Start walking and using a similar action as if ten pin bowling you pull him with you and say "Let's Go" and release the collar. This worked with Grace and I had to only do it 4 or 5 times to stop her statuing.

Been there too. Gave up on trying to force Grace out in the evening so we now go for a walk and potty late afternoon and she manages until the morning walk about 6:30 with no problems.

Grace also has white toes on her left back foot. It must be a very dominant gene.

Another vote for "What?!" Usually it's when I'm halfway through my first coffee of the morning and a head appears above the arm of the sofa emitting a pleading whine which translates as "I've held it in all night but I need to pee NOW!"

That's put Grace into a dilemma. She had always thought you can not top a chicken sausage but now you've thrown Peanut Butter Softies into the arena. She's having to have a lie down to savour the thought......mmmmmm