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MerseyGrey

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Posts posted by MerseyGrey

    Intermittent soft poop

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    On 8/24/2019 at 10:56 PM, NeelaGrey said:


    Thank you for the recommendation! My question is: why give this product instead of carrots (fresh or cooked)? Would carrots in their natural state not work?

    I will try carrots for her, of course, and let you know! : ) but I thought I'd ask...

    I have no idea about the answer to your question other than...it’s witchcraft!*  But we started Buddy on these Olewo carrots about a week ago and can confirm it works. After just over a year of running home from walks to wash hands vigorously whilst trying not to scratch our noses, Buddy now has fully formed, pickupable poops. Even the ones in the long grass! It’s a miracle! I wish I’d tried them sooner but we couldn’t get hold of them easily. I’m stocking up before Brexit happens and we all turn feral.

    *it’s probably not really witchcraft, more likely something to do with science - I’m going for high fibre content or the fact that they are dehydrated. Even though you rehydrate them, maybe they require more liquid to digest and consequently that fluid is used rather than passing through and creating the hated super soft poop. That’s where my money is.

    Our new girl growling/showing teeth at other humans

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    Hi Amystella,

    I'm still finding my way as a first time greyhound owner - we’ve had our boy for just over a year. I can’t help much with the growling /barking issue,  but I did pick up on the info about approaching cyclists and joggers - I remember reading early on in our mutual ownership that telling your dog ‘it’s ok’ or ‘good dog’ when they’re in stressful situations kind of reinforces the behaviour - you are petting and talking to them to calm them down, while they see it as ‘oh, she does this when I’m being good, so it must be alright’. It’s so hard and against all your instincts as a caring doggy mummy as all you want is to provide them comfort, but the advice I read was to ignore that behaviour- stick your nose in the air and keep walking and your dog will get over it. There are plenty of people with tons more experience here than me so they can confirm or refute that advice, and hopefully help you with the other behaviour. Good luck!

    Can You Help

    in Everything else Greyhound

    Posted

    Found another dam! Not my dog - Buddy is from Pilot and Rose. 

    http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?d=Sucker+punch+&sex=&color=&birthyear=&birthland=AU

    I was looking at this dog, originally from Australia that has been rescued in China, who has Pilot as a sire and a dam called Fleece. However her birth date is given as 1860 something while Pilot is 1820. So I’m not sure how accurate this is - someone mentioned artificial insemination in an earlier post. While it’s highly likely that this could have been used, it’s surely less likely that it would have been possible to preserve the sperm over that duration of time.

    Brushing teeth

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I try daily but we occasionally forget before he’s fallen asleep so then I leave it. I use a soft bristle brush with a larger and smaller head (the smaller head is meant to be for the back teeth but I’ve never used it). Toothpaste: beaphar, which is easy to get on amazon and which Buddy really likes the taste of - I give him a bit extra between the sides of his mouth as a treat. I also use the beaphar tooth gel in the mornings, which you spread on his teeth at the junction with his gums, and which he licks around his teeth. Buddy’s teeth were pretty bad when we got them but they seem to be improving. And finally...dental sticks with eucalyptus which he loves but which are gone in about five seconds!

    Nail trimming

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Our groomer mostly does it too, but when I have done it, I’ve caught the quick a couple of times too. I think that the nail feels a bit more ‘spongy’ where the quick is but you will only know this when you put a bit of pressure on it.  Dudu is a good indicator too, as he is generally very good at having his nails clipped, but he pulls away if it’s uncomfortable. I think that most greyhounds who have been racing dogs are probably used to having their nails clipped as their trainers will want to keep them trimmed.

    You can gat styptic pencils to stem any blood flow but flour works just as well at stopping it.

    How Sweet Is It

    in Everything else Greyhound

    Posted

    My favourite is doing ‘big spoon, little spoon’ with Buddy. I get to breathe in his lovely doggy smell and stroke his ears too. He’s not a sofa dog - he’s never even tried to get on the furniture (except once, when I put his bed on the sofa to hoover the floor. So he tried to climb on his bed on the sofa. I wish I had a camera for that)

    Long time no see!

    in Everything else Greyhound

    Posted

    Hi Hawthorn!

    i have a friend in Hitchin and might have to pay a visit if I’m down that way with Buddy. I can’t resist the temptation to stroke other people’s dogs. I am a crazy greyhound lady.

    i went to Oregon years and years ago and visited a place on the coats called Astoria. It’s been in lots of films but it was special for me as Goonies was filmed there and I love that film! We also visited a beautiful lighthouse...Yaquina Head or Yaquina Bay. I’m not sure which one but it was spooky! That’s my only contribution I’m afraid. I think you might be too late in the year for whale watching but maybe someone more local can put you straight. 

    Have a fab holiday!

    Life jacket recommendations

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    Hi Lulah62,

    I can’t recommend a life jacket, although have you asked the company that you are boating with? It’s a long shot but they might supply one. I’m assuming you’re in the UK? We recently took Buddy on a day barge trip on the Llangollen canal and we learnt two things: our dog is a landlubber. He hated every second of it (although this was not helped by our navigators frequently steering into the banks. It’s easy for me to criticise as I opted out of the steering in order to quaff prosecco). We ended up walking him half way back to the wharf over this landmark https://www.pontcysyllte-aqueduct.co.uk/ thank heavens for all that prosecco.  Second lesson: our canals are a breeding ground for nasties! I swear that he didn’t go near the water or even get splashed but he picked up a skin infection - within three days he had a dozen blister-like things which quickly turned scabby. I never found out exactly what the infection was but I was £120 lighter leaving the vet with a week’s worth of antibiotics and some medicated shampoo. That’s more than his adoption fee!

    Hopefully Ghillie has better sea-legs than Buddy, and a stronger constitution (to put things in perspective, Buddy won’t climb on his raised bed because it’s not stable enough), so don’t let my comments put you off, just beware that your trip might end up a bit more expensive than you planned.

    Sorry that I can’t actually help you with the question you asked!

    How does your grey get along with non-grey doggy siblings?

    in Everything else Greyhound

    Posted

    I think you’ll find it depends on the individual dog. Greys that are raised in racing kennels are generally thought to get on better with other greys as this is what they are used to but it doesn’t mean that they won’t get along with other breeds. Some dog personalities are stronger and they rule the roost while others are much more laid back, a bit like some people! You’d be encouraged to take your current canine buddy along for a meet and greet, which I’m sure you’re already planning to do. It might take a few meetings to work out if they are going to get along and suss out the dynamics of the relationship but there is no reason why you should be able to find your perfect match in a greyhound. Good luck!

    In my (limited) experience, I have found that my grey gets along better with other greys and will even engage in a little mutual bum sniffing with them. He ‘tolerates’ most other dogs but there are some that he will just not accept, and it doesn’t seem to be breed dependent, and more to do with their personalities (Buddy is a bit of a grumpy old man.

    What I will say is: beware! If this is your first greyhound, you might find yourself hooked and may never want another breed. They’re addictive!

    Marty - What I Know Now Vs 8 Months Ago...

    in Everything else Greyhound

    Posted

    Hi BlissfulSandy,

    welcome to the wonderful and unpredictable world of owning a greyhound! No two days are ever the same - except for the snoozing, dozing, napping and sleeping.

    If you google dog food transition you’ll find plenty of info on how to transition your food. Most people will recommend that you take at least a week to completely change foods, but if your dog has a sensitive tummy you might want to take it a bit more slowly. When we switched food, we took a bit longer and just mixed the new food into the old in the bag, gradually topping up the old bag with the new food. When that bad was empty we switched to the new food lock stock. Give it a try for a while if you’re not sure if it suits your dog - you don’t want to change the food too regularly otherwise your pooch’s digestive tract will never settle. Ours is on Royal Canin which he seems to enjoy, although we are mixing it with a wet food gravy with added bran which he absolutely loves. Our vet also recommended Hills but he is less keen on this, so RC it is!

    good luck with your new grey!

    statueing and laying down on walks

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    50 minutes ago, clk5 said:

    Otto's statuing happens pretty randomly, although I'm starting to notice a pattern where if we have to change direction away from somewhere he wanted/was focused on, he'll statue. 

     

    Do you mind if I ask why you use a harness? I'm thinking of switching Otto to one - he seems to hate his martingale...he tries to dodge it every time I put it on him and he scratches at it any chance he gets until we're back inside and I take it off. 

    Statue: this sounds like Buddy and the cafe. He definitely wants to see what’s going on in there, but it’s easier for me to avoid that than for you to avoid your statue situations. So sorry, I’ve got no other advice.

    Harness: we use it for two reasons. The reason we bought it was because I hate it when he changes direction suddenly if we’re running together,  or he pulls away from me quickly and it pulls on his neck. The second reason was something I read quite recently. Buddy is a bit defensive around other dogs, and one book that was recommended on here was called ‘Fiesty Fido’. It suggests that a lead-reactive dog will associate seeing another dog with being choked by their collar (when he sees another dog, he often wants to approach them, but then he’s strangled, which is a negative feeling, so then he reacts badly and it’s a vicious circle). So I’ve upgraded his harness which rubbed his delicate skin under his arms and he’s much better from a dog-reactive point of view. And I feel like less of a monster for pulling on his neck. I think you said in your original post that Otto is dog friendly so you won’t need it for training him.  But since using it I have found it quite useful for extracting him from certain situations - namely pulling him away from foods I don’t want him to eat (horse poo, dog poo, cat poo, discarded chocolate bars, slow moving hedgehogs...). You might find it using for lifting Otto off the ground when he decides he’s not walking 😊

    statueing and laying down on walks

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    Buddy consistently statues in one place of one walk we go on so I try to avoid that area. I think it’s because he’s distracted by the goings-on in a cafe that we walk past. Is Otto consistent in his statuing location or does he do it in random places? The rear end nudge works for us unless he’s being really stubborn, as well as walking back to him and doing a 360 degree turn, keeping his lead short and him at my thigh. The rear end nudge doesn’t feel very nice at first but we noticed that an experienced greyhound man from an adoption centre used it to ‘encourage’ Buddy into our car when we first got him. I think it’s an established method of greyhound persuasion and I much prefer it to pulling him along from the front, even though we use a harness.

    it does sound like Otto is adjusting very well, and that you’re doing well with him. But three weeks is not very long and in six months, you will have a different dog, and probably six months on from that he will be different again so don’t worry too much. Your hard work will pay off!

    Not much enthusiasm for food. Going senile?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I’m a bit late to this but...do you think it could be anything to do with the heat? Buddy’s been a bit off his food for just over a month and we’ve tried a few different things but his appetite seems to be back with a vengeance now the Beautiful British Summer appears to have come to an end. Except now we’re in the habit of adding a smidge of gravy made from a wet food to his kibble.

    firming up poos - if you are successful with this please let me know your secret! The wet food might be working, but we’ve also tried adding wheat bran, and a clay additive (which you are advised to only use for three days) with mixed results.

    Greyhound ancestry

    in Everything else Greyhound

    Posted

    I’m not very good with this technology and will add a photo in a follow up post. Grace is a beauty - Buds would be jealous of her badonka butt

    Buddy and Doc also share Phantom Flash in their ancestry - I could quite happily get lost in these trees although it’s obviously not the amazing coincidence I thought when I first started stalking - sorry, investigating. Although it would definitely make an episode of ‘Who do you think you are’ that I would watch. Thanks for your input everyone!

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