scullysmum

I'm just wondering if any of this rings any bells with anyone and if I need to be concerned. This is the second time this has happened with Johnny, the first time a couple of months ago. Back then we had done a very long (3 hour) walk in the morning, it was fairly warm and quite humid. I had taken some water for Johnny to drink which he had some of about two thirds of the way through. He then had his usual treat of a small bowl of water with a little drop of milk (a favourite treat). When I took him out again a couple of hours later he literally peed for five minutes non stop! No I'm not exaggerating , but having done that he was fine. So today, not too hot, about 65/70 degrees, he has had two one hour walks, he got a bit warm on his second walk as he had been chasing his ball, and got his milky/water treat on return.....he didn't actually drink it all and I didn't give him that much. At 4.30 we set off for his last long walk of the day and he starts peeing for England, each pee he stops for is taking a couple of minutes, I think I counted forty pees in all! I even caught some of it in my hand (in the absence of a alternative container ) to see if it looked "normal" which I'm glad to say it did. The only thing I would say is that the stream seemed rather weak, but he was fully aware he was peeing and aware of when it stopped. I have never come across anything like this, he doesn't seem to have a UTI, no discomfort, he hasn't had any pee (or poop) accidents indoors in the five months we have had him, he doesn't lick his "bits" any more than most boys do do I need to worry ?

Potatoes always worked a treat for firm poops here, both with Sadi and Johnny....I put it down to them being Irish

I am so sorry. She lived a full and wonderful life and I am sure leaves beautiful memories.

It does seem to be quite normal, it has happened with all of my Greys. It does seem to be related to exercise and recently when my friends Grey had colitis the vet (same one as me) told him not to let the dog run about too much as this stimulates the colon/bowel.....I had never heard this before but it would seem to be true.

I SO wish I had got round to videoing my angel Sadi doing her bedtime routine with DH.....anyone who didn't know her would have thought that she was threatening to rip his face off but she was just playing, and never bit him. SoI do know what you mean, I also used to know a Sprollie called Sam who would do the fiercest growl of contentment when you rubbed his tum I think you do have to be aware of the body language that accompanies a growl, after all many dogs I know growl when they are playing quite happily. I think people make a mistake when they think a growl always signifies aggression....it is probably fairer to say that it signifies heightened emotion just as a bark can have many different meanings, they are just vocalisations.

Having spent much of the five months that Johnny has been with us trying to stop his OTT reaction to the many cats that lurk in our street, even to the point where his "Nemesis" (a cat that is so pig headed that it actually has the gall to try to pick a fight with him : ) doesn't get a rise out of him.....I was distracted by a huge pile of fox poop deposited on our steps and whilst moving it with my boot so that DH didn't step in it and deposit it in the car.....my neighbours chuffin' ginger cat was lurking out of sight at the bottom of the steps and his lordship clocks it and takes a swipe.....nearly pulling me head first down the steps. Now we are back to him barking and lunging at every cat we see, stationary or otherwise :

I have a similar thing happen when I walk my friends dogs. The Lurcher barks like crazy when I am unlocking the door to go in, she is being wound up by the Greyhound who is bouncing around in anticipation of seeing me...I have tried all sorts of things to shut her up, but due to trauma early in her life she finds it hard to learn anything new, the only thing that works is keeping a ball on a shelf out of her reach just inside the door and giving it to her to shut her up as I come in, she finds it hard to bark with a ball in her gob I'm not worried about her noise upsetting the neighbours as both sets of neighbours have yappy little dogs hat are always making a noise, it's just that she has no volume control and in the confines of a narrow entrance hall it makes my ears bleed! I also think that if Luna is only barking at that time and it's not at an anti-social hour then your neighbours need to be more tolerant.....I have to put up with my neighbours children crying and screaming at all hours and I tolerate it.

I wasn't suggesting that a collar of any kind should be use as an " aversive" , merely as a way of getting his attention so that he can be rewarded...it's hard to reward a dog who isn't paying any attention to you!

He won't notice the difference better to cut right down then if he starts to lose too quickly go back up as necessary.

If she genuinely appears to be very sensitive to noise you might want to ask your vet if medication would help. I have my Greyhound on Zylkene which has helped him with his noise sensitivity. Also, forget about tha "alpha dominance" type of training approach, she needs to be rewarded and encouraged not dominated. I'm sorry I don't have time to write more now as I have to go to work, I am sure others will chime in....I will try to get back later with some suggestions.

Okay,I see what you are getting at, Johnny is hyper alert in new or less familiar environments, not completely switched off all the time, but not tuned in enough to even contemplate letting him off leash. All I can say is that I think that a combination of approaches like Batmom's "watch me" and the collar and anything else that might help him tune in.....I am really in the same position as you except that I haven't had Johnny as long and he does seem to take a while to catch on...it's not that he's not intelligent, he's just very focused and it's mostly not on me Keep us posted....and I will do the same

The reason I suggested a citronella collar rather than a vibration one is that you said that your problem is mainly related to him picking up scent....I don't know for sure but I do wonder if a citronella spray would not only act as a mild "shock" type of distraction,but might disrupt the actual scent? : Btw. I was astounded that Johnny was actually interested in a squeaky ball, Sadi never showed any interest in toys of any kind and he seemed to be the same, until last week he came across a little terrier with one and was very interested....in the ball not the dog I was also amazed that he managed to learn to chase and return the ball in about five minutes.....but as I said I don't think it will be the answer, but it might be another way I can try to improve our bond. I would just say never give up, I don't intend to with Johnny but in the mean time he will be kept safe where necessary

You took the words right out of my mouth The only thing I would add is that much of the "scraps" that dogs used to get fed were actually better quality that some of the stuff that humans eat these days

The only problem with that is that it would lose its value as an emergency call if you had to use it all the time. I am guessing that Tracker is just the same as my boy Johnny, he also has a very good nose (for a sight hound) and he too gets easily distracted by the smell of foxes in particular. I too am trying to come up with solutions. As you say, it doesn't seem to matter how yummy the treat is, once they are locked onto a scent there is no breaking their concentration and it is very frustrating. Johnny isn't running away, but he sure isn't in any hurry to come back. I have found that to some extent he is better when we walk with other dogs, I suppose there is more of a pack mentality then rather than when it's just me and him, but it's not guaranteed.....I have just come back from a walk with his friends Niles and Chrissie and he still went "off on one" even though Niles got it into his head that he was going to have a crazy running session, I was sure that would get Johnny's attention but it didn't. I have just found that Johnny loves a squeaky ball, so yesterday I took him to one of the places where he is most difficult and played fetch with him and considering he only learned to do this two days ago it was enough to distract him ....but I'm not holding my breath with this method either ....but it might be worth a try if Tracker is at all interested in toys or balls. I have only had Johnny 5 months so I am hoping that as our relationship develops he will get better, but I am sure it is going to require much hard work and thought on my part. One final thought is that a woman I know who has a German Wirehaired Pointer with a similar propensity to "zone out" uses, and swears by a citronella collar that is operated by remote control, so when he gets lost in sniffing it literally interrupts and she is able to get his attention back. I am possibly considering this as a last resort as I don't think I have had Johnny long enough yet to have to resort to gadgets. I know that if the worst comes to the worst then he will only be able to be off leash in places where I know he's safe, but that time hasn't come yet.

Hello and welcome to Greytalk from a not so sunny UK With regards to your questions, firstly as said find out the criteria for the testing in your area, you can't be expected to pass any test without knowing that . Secondly, it sounds as if Loki deals very normally with other dogs, Brandiandwe's advice is good, but I would add that if he does seem to be getting uncomfortable and growly round another dog just move on, the best reward he can get is not having to deal with those kind of situations. When he does just stay calm reward him profusely. I have been training my current Grey Johnny who I've had nearly five months to look at me for a treat whenever he sees another dog approaching, this both acts as a pre-reward if you like but mainly it is meant to prepare him for when he is off leash so that I can get him back with me before he gets to interact with another dog.....he has started just to come for a treat when he sees people whether they have a dog with them or not, (not daft is he ) but that's not such a bad thing because some people don't exactly keep their dogs under close control round here. I would also be interested if anyone has any insight into why he growled at the very submissive Lab, Johnny is exactly the same, I have to admit I can't get my head round that one so any input would be welcome. Lastly I have to say that there is something a bit strange about making Greyhounds wear muzzles and require them to undergo testing when it seems that other breeds which IMO are just as capable of causing problems are allowed to run free (and from what you say) not exactly under control :

Moonwalking...that's exactly what it is Now every time Johnny reverses out of the kitchen I will be hearing Michael Jackson tunes

I would second this...all of my dogs have needed a short brisk walk to stimulate the desire to poop, maybe your girl is the same ? As far as using the bitter apple spray, it really depends on whether or not she actually finds It repellent....my boy seems to love the taste I would suggest you use the muzzle for when you are not there and a short sharp verbal reprimand if you catch her doing it....the other trouble with using the spray is she just might move onto chewing something else and you will need to spray the whole house Chewing is a sign of boredom or anxiety so you need to address the cause too.

" Dogs that are motivated by the chase, grab, bite, and kill part of the sequence can be very dangerous to live with, especially around small animals and children." This line alone proves what amazing dogs our Greyhounds are, their ability to adapt to life as pet dogs often at a quite advanced age never ceases to amaze me. Interesting article btw.

Okay, so if nothing scary is happening then I suppose your mission (should you choose to accept it ) would be to show him that walks are a fun thing rather than just functional. Do you have any dog owning friends/neighbours who you could walk with so that their dogs can give him some idea what it's all about?

so there is hope for Johnny then

I am so sorry

It sounds to me like the honeymoon is over! Dogs in a new environment often go through a phase that can last a few weeks or even a few months where they seem to be completely biddable and almost too well behaved, Ethologists call this "frozen watchfulness"..... It basically means that they keep a low profile and find out the lie of the land. Then, when they start to come out of their shells you see a difference in their behaviour. He might just be "testing" you to see if you are really in charge, or there may be something that is making him fearful when he is going on his walks, you really need to pay attention to his body language to see what it is telling you. I would suggest taking some tasty treats with you and when he starts to want to turn for home see if you can play some games like luring him in circles and rewarding him with treats it can sometimes just break the mindset that they get into. I know that others will chime in with plenty of good advice

Where I come from it's known as "cupboard love" But you are right Greys are not generally as needy as some other breeds, it also means that when they do show genuine affection (without bribery) it means so much more

I am so sorry that Cooper had to leave you so soon.

Congratulations, he certainly seems to have settled in really well