MerseyGrey

Happy Easter! Wiki looks very cute and highly unimpressed.

Ooh Peggy, I love that frosty face.

I’ve got no advice to give but I’m glad she’s doing better

This is everyone! Although I do find that some people can’t get a word in while I’m gushing over my dog, and some peoples’ eyes do glaze over after the first hour. I had a dose of this myself recently. A man I met occasionally while walking Buddy lost his 14 year old dog late last year. I didn’t see him for a while and then just after Christmas I saw he had a cowhound and we made a beeline for each other and proceeded to talk at me for about an hour on how wonderful his dog (Dixie) is. I couldn’t get away from him. And even better, the next time I saw him, he’d adopted another (Queenie) so I got it all over again but I also got lots of cuddles from his dogs so I was very happy

If the link is to your old bowls then they should be fine to use. I’ve also read mixed studies about the pros and cons of raised feeders for deep chested dogs and they are pretty much 50-50 on what you should use re: preventing or causing bloat. The main thing about them is that a raised bowl is probably a bit more comfortable for them but if Smithy is happy with this bowl, stick with it. It won’t kill him! Is his bowl placed in front of something reflective (like the dull reflection from the side of a fridge)? This could be putting him off if he’s drinking from it outside but not in its usual place.

Bus costumes that say ‘Greyhound’

Sorry for your loss

Oh, he looks lovely! Is he a big cuddle bug? Welcome Adam, it sounds like you’ve got your mum well trained already

Sweep

Also no littermates but he is gorgeous. That face would get lots of kisses in my house

Tea towel chicken!

I find that with ours, it’s a bit like he has OCD and once he gets into a habit it becomes very difficult to break. And it’s amazing how quickly it becomes a habit. With stopping and staring, I find that shortening the lead and gentle persuasion with my thigh in the direction I want him to go in accompanied by excited, happy, ‘this way!’ or ‘come on!’ is often (but not always) successful, and sometimes I resort to physically lifting him and pointing him in the direction I want to go in. He is very stubborn when he wants to go in a particular direction but I’ve only seen him truly freeze/statue once. His body language was completely different and not even a treat could lure him on - the only thing that would budge him was moving away from the thing that made him freeze. You could also try walking her close to your thigh, as if to circle back on yourself, but just do a full circle and continue walking in the direction you want to go in. That might work. Good luck!

Off topic here, but @Feefee147 were you up early or late!? When are you due and are you going to post some pictures in the ‘introduction’ thread? Apologies for the interruption. Please resume the harness discussion

Not sure I can be much help with this one, but it’s another case where opinions will differ. We use a cheap harness we bought from the dog’s trust when we got him. It’s made from tough webbing, which I covered with jersey material as it was a bit rough on his tender skin. I use a six foot rope-like lead with reflective threads that I got from Amazon. These work well for us as I was always worried about pulling on his neck if he wanted to go one way I wanted to go the other. With the harness, I can virtually pick him up and extract him from any sticky situations and I’m not worried about hurting him. I think others feel that putting a dog in a harness means he can pull harder against you - which is probably true - but if you’re strong enough to resist his pull then you should be alright. My preference is for the harness with a single lead but that’s just me. Does the ruffwear harness have a handle? Some harnesses do, which could help you with stair training.

Oh no! So sad to read this. I love Petunia and Kate stories. Sending my very best wishes to you all

I agree with LaFlaca about grain inclusive foods. Others on this forum have highlighted a probable link between grain-free foods and a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy. There is no reason that I can see to avoid grain, unless your dog has an allergy to it. Did your trainer say why ‘definitely not Wagg’? Is there a bit of snobbery because it’s a cheaper food? There are so many different options and probably as many different opinions from people here. Mine is pretty much exclusively on kibble (with added rehydrated carrots and yogurt or kefir garnish) and snacks. We’ve had him on different brands, but he is currently on Chappie dry food, which was recommended by the vet as it is very bland and he’s prone to upset tummies now and then (mostly because he supplements his meals with poo - any kind, he’s not that fussy). Before that he was on food from the greyhound trust, recommended by HeyRunDog, which can be bought online. The only ‘right’ diet is one that works for you and your dog. And it’s best not to change it too frequently

It is very much dependent on you and what fits into your own routine well. If Smithy is currently used to eating at 7.30am then again at 1 (this also seems strange to me and our routine), you might want to give him progressively smaller meals at lunch time while introducing a small meal early evening which gets correspondingly bigger rather than cutting out his lunchtime meal and switching straight to dinner. Beware that his poop schedule might change accordingly. Our current routine, which has adapted over the almost three years we have had Buddy is: up at 5:30/6, walk straight away, breakfast after. A little kibble at lunch time, walk early evening (unless it’s too hot - a rarity in the north of England ) and followed by tea at 5ish. A snack at seven is followed by teeth cleaning. Copious amounts of napping in between. Once you establish a routine Smithy will probably pick it up really quickly.

Buddy is exactly the same with dogs that get in his face. He tolerates it for a while but then he lets them know that he’s had enough. He snaps loudly and very quickly and invariably looks much worse than it really is. I have got past the point where I worry about other people’s dogs who are off the lead (unless they are bigger than Buddy ). I let them know that Buddy may snap at their dog if they are over friendly and leave it at that. He usually proves me wrong and is as good as gold but when he isn’t I shrug my shoulders and give the owners a look as if to say ‘I did tell you’. I wouldn’t like it if a strange human ran up to me to greet me enthusiastically so why should my dog? The other suggestion you could try - not sure if you have already - is trying to get Sully to ‘watch you’ as a distraction when the other dog approaches and treat him then. I learnt this from a Patricia McConnell book on kindle - I think it was called ‘the feisty fido’. It might give you a bit of thinking time and allow Sully to realise that the approaching dog is neither threat nor plaything.

Hello and welcome! My only advice is: relax and enjoy the next few weeks getting to know your pup. it’s going to be a big change for him and he might find it all a bit overwhelming at first but give him time, be patient and he will blossom. Hopefully you’ve got many happy years ahead of you both, each with a loyal companion. Oh, and post a picture when you can!

Yep, totally normal. I think you see more of the third eyelid when they are tired. And I wipe crusty gunk from the corners of his eyes almost every day. As long as it’s not yellow which might indicate an infection it’s fine.

🎉🍾🍻

Hello and welcome! I can’t really give you much advice since mine was 7 when we adopted him and well over the puppy stage (thank dog!) but it sounds like you’re clued up and doing well. I have found that Buddy does well with routine and consistency (as 1moregrey says). You should be able to copy photos from a photo sharing site - I joined Instagram just to post photos here and that works. You should also be able to post from Facebook or Flickr if you use either of these.

Sorry for your loss. This must be hard losing two so close together

You will get lots of different opinions about diet as everyone does everything a bit differently. My advice is find a diet that works for your dog and for you. You don’t have to add meat to her diet, but you can if you want to. Mine is fed exclusively on kibble (with treats thrown in) and he’s fine on this. He looks healthy, he has a shiny coat and is quite spritely for a 10 year old. If yours is hungry, or you think she’s underweight, add a little more kibble. An 18 month old greyhound is probably quite active so she might just need a little more than the recommended amount, just keep an eye on her weight.