Feefee147
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Posts posted by Feefee147
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2 hours ago, Jerilyn said:
The rule around here is, if the dog is standing up she needs something.
Ha! I hear you! 😂
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8 minutes ago, MerseyGrey said:
Routine! When things were normal Buddy would go at the same times everyday. We’re trying to stick to that even though hubby is at home all day and to be honest, even if he spends hours in the garden, Buddy tends not to go to the loo other than at his normal toilet times.
We discovered the ‘subtle’ ask to go outside early on, which was a glance over to us when he stood by the back door. He trained us very quickly to know what that meant when we ignored him, as he wandered off and we heard the sound of splashing fluid and arrived to a big puddle in the dining room. Buddy’s humans are not the quickest on the uptake, but once we’ve learned a lesson, it stays learned!Haha sounds as though Buddy is training you well!
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2 hours ago, ramonaghan said:
Yep, a schedule works well. Sweep's "ask" is to simply walk up to us and stare, which is also code for "you gonna eat that?" and "pet me, please," so it's pretty subtle. She does know the word "potty" though, so if we ask if she wants to go potty and she play-bows, that's a yes. Perhaps you can teach him that word by naming it when you let him out and then at least you'll be able to confirm that's what he needs if he seems restless at all. You might be able to teach him a bell the same way, by ringing it only when he goes out and does his business, but other people will probably have better advice on that.
Ahhh so staring is a normal greyhound thing? I've never know a dog to be so quiet and just look intently at whatever he wants, or stare at me if he has decided it is dinner time. Good to know that's a breed characteristic!
I'm getting used to it but any other dog would bark, whine loudly, paw.....
We ask him if he wants to go to the toilet and he either follows us to the garden and goes, or lays down and sighs. So I think he grasps the word. I think all the comments have hit the nail on the head - we need to buck up our routine ideas a bit.
Thank you :-)
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2 hours ago, Remolacha said:
If possible, get him on a schedule, so you go let him out a certain times rather than waiting for him to ask. One of my greys was like this, his “ask” was to go to the back door and whine very, very quietly. Like, you had to be standing right next to him to hear
Getting him on a schedule, worked around feeding times is best, helped, but I admit I eventually just got a dog door to make things easier on me.
Sounds like Samson
I think we've got a fairly set schedule now, but he does seem to need the odd adhoc toilet trip. So maybe we do need to be a bit better with our timings.
I love the idea of a dog door. He's a big lad though so I'm not sure that's an option, sadly.
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So we're three months tomorrow since our lovely big boy came to live with us.
He's doing brilliantly and (slowly) mastering some commands. He's been superb with toilet training but.... (there's always a 'but'!) he doesn't actually ask to go.
He knows where to go, trots to the door, goes in the garden and waits cheerily for a treat for his endeavours. All great. However, he doesn't actually ask. He just quietly waits by the door.
Obviously if my partner or I spot him heading downstairs to the garden door its fine, but if we don't notice he does wait and then eventually leave a puddle by the door (rare but has happened). We're pretty vigilant but occasionally if we're working in separate rooms we assume the other has got it covered. I blame us rather than the dog, of course.
He's not vocal at all - barked only a handful of times since we got him. He does whine when the doorbell goes so maybe I could use that somehow. I've also seen people saying they have put a bell by the door.... not sure I've got any hope of getting him to ring a bell :-)
Any good suggestions?
Thank you
Fee
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On 5/2/2020 at 6:01 AM, throwaway said:
Thanks for the replies, everyone. You've all confirmed what I sort of already knew—I'm going to bring him back to be rehomed. It's just too dangerous for me, my neighbors, and him. It's really sad because you'd never know that he has this side if you saw him around people, or other dogs about his size, but when he sees a little fluffy guy he just goes into a different gear. Hopefully now that they have this information they can find him a more appropriate home
That sounds horribly stressful. I can't believe you weren't given a muzzle when he arrived!
Our chap (we've had him just under three months) is always muzzled outdoors - as he is an ex racer we were told to do this when we fostered and then adopted him. He is 90% VERY shy but if a small fluff ball comes along he shows interest and swings toward them. We've got a nice light comfy muzzle and can easily pass treats to him through it.
You can't control other dogs coming up to him, but you can control what he does about it.
If you do want to keep him (although it sounds like you've got the ball rolling on rehoming) a muzzle REALLY helps, believe me. You can walk him without constantly having to scan and worry, and give him time to learn some new behaviours. It's slow progress with these lovely creatures but worth it.
I've been working on 'leave it' and it is starting to sink in. Now, even if he fixates on a squirrel (probably the MOST exciting thing in the world to him! He'd go through fire to get one) he will begrudgingly turn and come with me. He did once boop a little Daschund with his muzzle so I do make sure I've got a tight hold on the lead when a little one comes near, but I find with a muzzled dog people are a little wary and keep their small dogs away anyway (which isn't always helpful with socialising!)
It all takes time and if you're hoping to find a reason to keep him - a muzzle makes walking so much easier and pleasant, genuinely much less stressful.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do!
Fix
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On 4/21/2020 at 6:32 AM, HeyRunDog said:
Hi and welcome.
Apart from the first couple of days I haven't muzzled Grace at all.
You could use a pieces of kibble as healthy treats or as my Grace expects treats to come in twos I break gravy bone biscuits in half. She also had a Kong filled with kibble and plugged with peanut butter when I used to go to work (and hopefully will again post coronavirus furlough) but I deducted that amount from her evening meal.
You'll find greys can take up to 18 months to 2 years to fully come out of their shells so enjoy the ride.
I've bought a kong and some peanut butter - great suggestion :-)
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17 hours ago, MerseyGrey said:
Hello and welcome! We’ve had Buddy (also a big boy at around 33kg post racing weight) for just under two years and we were startled at how quickly he felt like we’d always had him. He’s a bit heavier now (37kg at his last weigh in, after losing a few kilos) but we have spoiled him a lot.
I have been hopeless with training him. I can get him to lie down to have his teeth cleaned but anything else I’ve failed at. It’s not that he doesn’t know the commands, it’s more that he doesn’t like them. Stay usually means I’m doing something interesting and he wants to know what’s going on. He is the nosiest dog I’ve ever come across. I tried to teach him ‘down’ earlier with a piece of gammon. He looked at where I was pointing, looked back at me, bed, then back at me as if to say ’are you for real?’. We got there after a few minutes. Healthy snacks - it turns out that Buddy really likes red peppers, raw carrots and broccoli stalks. He also loves bite size shredded wheat. Popcorn without oil or any other additives might also work and is low fat.
We muzzled him for almost the first year on walks as we were told to by the adoption centre. I wish we hadn’t as he has started to respond so much better to other dogs without it. He was quite reactive to other dogs at first and certainly he can be snappy as he gets overwhelmed when other dogs get in his face. If they approach him slowly he responds pretty well. It might be a good idea to keep Sampson muzzled for a little while if you think he has a high prey drive - an interest in smaller dogs may - may - suggest he has. The muzzle probably isn’t bothering him as much as it is bothering you and it will give you a bit of time to work out if he has any triggers.
I haven’t worked out how to play with Buddy yet. He seems very content to play on his own and have me watch him. He’s not a retriever and he doesn’t like to share. He’s caught me a few times with his sharp teeth when I’ve not been quick enough to pull my hands away but it’s not aggression, he’s just very focused on what he wants. Which is anything he hasn’t got! Or anything I have got. As for toys, I can highly recommend a toy that should come with every adopted greyhound - standard issue honking hog. Buddy loves his and is currently on his fourth. I have to stitch them up periodically and trade them in for a new one when it gets beyond repair but this is without doubt Buddy’s favourite
enjoy your new boy and I look forward to hearing lots of stories in the future!
Thank you! Great healthy treat suggestions so I'll give them a go. Popcorn is a very random one, I've definitely not seen that suggested anywhere.
"I tried to teach him ‘down’ earlier with a piece of gammon. He looked at where I was pointing, looked back at me, bed, then back at me as if to say ’are you for real?’. We got there after a few minutes" - that sounds EXACTLY like Samson! He clearly knows what "down" means and will do a bit of indignant pacing, looking at me shuffles before doing so (as long as the treat is 'good' enough). It does make me chuckle ;-)
Wow 37kg is a very big chap! I'm finding the downside of big lads, especially the inquisitive ones, is the ability to reach a lot higher and further than I anticipated. Samson does now seem to be aware that reaching things in the kitchen is a no no, but it took a few cheese wrapper wrestling sessions before I realised quite how high he can get.
I will keep going with the muzzle - thank you. My only concern with that is because he was attacked a few months ago he is still wary of other dogs. And with the muzzle other owners tend to completely avoid us assuming he's aggressive. Not so good when trying to socialise a shy dog. But I'd rather take it slowly and keep everyone safe when I'm not sure of his reactions, especially around little 'uns.
The squeaky hedgehog has been ordered and I'll see if Samson takes to it - thank you so much for the suggestion!!
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4 minutes ago, BatterseaBrindl said:
Not all Greys come from the track into a home introverted and nervous but your boy had a sad introduction to home life.
Ten weeks is nothing in the scheme of things and you will see many positive changes in his behaviour and personality over the next 10 weeks. Relax and enjoy these introductory days
We do not muzzle when out walking, but I am very rural and rarely meet anyone.
We do muzzle them if they're left alone in the house...just as a safety measure. Our old guy would not hesitate to snarl and snap if the youngster accidentally stepped on him!
Not all Greys like toys. Our 3 year old Galgo is the only one (out of 5) to ever play with stuffies. Our Irish boy shows mild interest in the lure pole (a horse long whip with a stuffie attached) ...and we only use this outside!
As well, 'training' can be hit or miss. Mine all learned 'WAIT' quickly but that is one I insist they learn and obey, as well as 'Down'. This is important for human mealtimes with 3 large hounds in the house
I'm sure others will chime in with more words of wisdom!
I'm glad it's not just me struggling with training :-)
It's wonderful having a dog, rather than the usual fosters that I had to tearily wave off.....even if he is the size of a miniature horse! It's very heartwarming seeing him begin to relax and trust.
Ten weeks in and I couldn't imagine my life without him.
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On 4/8/2020 at 1:56 PM, DLindza said:
We just adopted our greyhound about a week ago and he was walking okay but then started to freeze randomly in certain areas. We realized from his ears being flat, head low, and tail tucked that he was very anxious and fearful. To give him more confidence in his new environment, we started letting him chose where we went on our walks. We luckily live in a large neighborhood where we have many directions to choose. And it really helped him start feeling more confident and the ears and tail have slowly started coming up. Keeping in mind safety and reason of course - there are times when we say no chose another way. And also maintaining leash manners - still no pulling on the leash. Other than that he gets to pick left or right, trail or neighborhood. We haven't had many freezes since, and when he does we listen and let him take the time he needs.
Superb advice! I have been doing the same. He's too big to drag along and pulling him around would just make him more fearful and not solve the problem. I've found letting him choose the route has really made a difference and we can now walk cheerily without any freezing up. And if I do need to dictate the route he listens and obliges.
Thank you!!
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On 4/4/2020 at 6:04 PM, greysmom said:
Musher's Secret is a balm you can put on their pads prior to playing that helps protect them from damage. There are loads of similar products out there. If he needs more help than that, try the Paws boots. They are like thick rubber, balloon shaped booties for dogs that will protect them better. Probably the "purple" size, but measure him per their instructions. You can try regular hiking or protective boots, but, in my experience, they don't really stay on very well during playing. They're OK for walks - especially if you're walking on concrete or pavement.
Try and keep him to grass or sandy areas if you can until his pads toughen up.
Ah thank you. I'm trying to stick to soft patches as suggested so hopefully that will help. :-)
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On 4/5/2020 at 1:30 PM, cleptogrey said:
it took around 3 weeks for my first girl's pads to become calloused.she had exactly that problem. I did very very short walks in the beginning and looked for grass. i would not use mushers. let them become calloused. mushers will keep them soft , you don't want soft.
Thank you! His feet seem to be getting getting a bit tougher, but he still comes home with sore, pink pads. Baby steps....
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Hi everyone,
I'm probably saying what all new greyhound owners say - so apologies for that!
I've had my lovely big lad Samson for 10 weeks now. He is an ex-racer who was rehomed but unfortunately attacked by the new owner's greyhound, and so came to me for fostering a few days later with a large stitched up gash on his face. Poor chap. Not the best start to his non-racing life.
I foster for a local charity (jack Russells, staffs, terriers) and he was foster no.7. A forever home with prospective new owners fell through after several meets (He's 36kgs and pretty big - they decided they wanted a smaller dog) and my little heart just couldn't deal with waving another dog off, particularly this gorgeous big meek chap, so I decided to adopt him myself.
I know greyhounds are VERY different to other dogs but until he came along I didn't know quite how much. He was very introverted, nervous and statued a lot initially. He's come a long way with walking outdoors and can now walk past another dog without panicking, trying to go in the opposite direction and dandruffing everywhere (where does it all magically come from!), but still has quite mixed reactions - he either looks away and ignores other dogs completely with no friendly signals, OR if it is a small fluffy dog moves towards it very quickly! I am lead walking with muzzle several times a day. He's also gradually discovered a delightful love for squeaky balls so we head to an enclosed dog play area a few times a week so he can chase around after a ball. His feet still get quite sore though when he's charging around, poor thing.
I was curious as to muzzling and if owners continue to use them all the time? Or should I be doing more to socialise him (difficult during coronavirus times!) and aiming to be able to walk him safely without a muzzle in time.
Indoors he is becoming a real sweetie. He's still pensive with excessive or overzealous stroking and playing, but does tail waggle and run around like a lunatic if I have been out. That said, he gets very excited and then looks surprised at his own reactions :-)
He has learned "down" - took a lot longer just to train this basic command than for any other dog. He can also manage "wait". "Come" is sporadic. That's as much as I have managed and all are carried out only if a treat is forthcoming. He's such a lovely gentle chap that "no" is rarely necessary. But I would like to do more training with him just to bond and engage.
He sleeps a lot, of course, and seems to spend his days snoozing close by (he will settle in another room but prefers to come and lie down in whichever room I am in) and waiting for food. I've never known a dog so food obsessed, but on the plus side he isn't fussy - he will eat ABSOLUTELY anything. I'm feeding twice a day and giving treats for training, but aside from that I'm hoping the regular food routines will mean he becomes slightly less food obsessed (but I'm doubtful!).
As I am training and engaging with him I am worried about his weight. I know that ex-racers tend to fill out a bit. He's not overweight at all and I'm keeping an eye on it, but does anyone have any good training treat suggestions that are healthy instead of the usual shop bought treats?
And lastly are there any good tips for games, playtime and keeping him stimulated? He's gradually started enjoying to play so I'm trying different toys and games to see which get him interested. Obviously, being a snoozy grey, he's not keen on prolonged periods of play. But it would be nice to find different things to try so that when he does want to interact we have plenty of fun things to do.
Any hints and tips gratefully appreciated!
Fee
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I’m sure this is a well trodden topic (so to speak) so I’m sorry if I’m going over old ground!
I have an adopted ex racer (charity volunteer foster that I ended up keeping as I just couldn’t bear to let him go!).
He’s been with me 8 weeks and is doing well, starting to play and come out of his shell. He absolutely loves bounding around after a ball. However, whenever he runs around he ends up with bloody feet.
My garden is mainly wooden decking and (horrified) I though he was getting splinters, even though I couldn’t find any. So I switched to a nearby safe and enclosed dog park (grass, path, nothing unusual) and he’s still charging around coming back with sore pads and scrapes.
Help! Any tried and tested solutions out there?
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On 12/6/2019 at 2:39 PM, smt said:
Our foster girl (who we signed foster-with-intent-to-adopt paperwork) is not very playful, which we find a little strange given that she is only two years old. Ultimately this is not a big deal, but we are curios . . . has anyone brought a young dog home who had zero interest in toys? And if so, did they develop an interest, or remain indifferent to them? We have had her 3 weeks and got her straight from a track kennel, so she is pretty new to "pet" life. She is pretty darn easy in all of the ways that matter. Just wondering if we will ever see a playful side to her. We even bought her the ever popular hedgehog. She sniffed it then walked away. She has ready access to a wide variety of toys, and we try to engage her with them, but don't want to force or overwhelm her.
Ours was the same - 5 yo Ex racer timid chap who had no idea how to interact or play. Any fuss or touching and he would statue.
We’ve now had him 8 weeks and he charges around after a squeaky ball, throws his toys around and wags his tail madly if we’ve been out (even for 10 minutes).
Its very slow progress, compared to other breeds, but a lot of patience and super gentle interaction (and lots of positive treats) has brought him out of his shell.
Slow and gentle ..... she’ll start to learn to live a little 😁
Getting him on a schedule, worked around feeding times is best, helped, but I admit I eventually just got a dog door to make things easier on me.
Spooked Greyhound - help!
in Training and Behavior discussion
Posted
Ahhh the excitement of a new dog! CONGRATULATIONS!
My boyfriend and I are a couple of months ahead of you - had our first grey for three months now. Believe me when I say you probably have a fair few more of those moments to come yet. It's amazing how sensitive these bags of lovely bones are.
My grey still statues here and there, leaps out of his skin sometimes and is still nervous on walks. The one thing I have learnt is not to agonise over it..... so really don't stress! People weren't kidding when they said greys take a LONG time to adjust.
The leaping excitement when he sees us if we've been out, throwing a squeaky ball at us whilst his ears bounce around and tentatively putting his head on my lap all (hopefully) affirm he's slowly settling, trusting and happy. But it's taken a while.
It sounds as though you're doing a brilliant job with Rhea so you're probably starting to see little changes too. Slow and steady, and don't feel bad if she panics over something completely arbitrary - which she will.
Have fun!