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gazehund

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    2 Year-Old Male - Do You See Hip/spine Issue?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Hello friends!

     

    Kaila, I didn't notice anything in his races that would alarm me, other than the fact that when he fell behind and could not sight the lure, he just followed the pack. This is not highly unusual track behavior. In the second race, he broke alertly and rushed up in close quarters with the wave, which would tend to suggest that his hindquarters were not bothering him to any great degree at that point.,

     

    If I'm guessing correctly, and at some point the dog had a bout with metabolic acidosis, it's absolutely not a deal breaker. Some good feed, lots of liquids and massages, and proper exercise should be all he needs. And if he requires some chiropractic adjustment, that's not too hard to find nowadays.

     

    Oh my WORD!! I never thought in a million days this would ever happen!! Dennis, welcome back!!

    2 Year-Old Male - Do You See Hip/spine Issue?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I also found this. Thoughts?

     

    "A longer bodied dog ...

    It's about Dobermans obviously, but could it help explain why he walks wide?

     

    No.

     

    He doesn't move like a 2 year old -- he moves like a much older dog with some impairment. I'd listen to Rockingship on this one.

     

    I'd also direct people to Rockingship's note about the dog's weight.

     

    Agreed. I have a long back hound who was a super good racer. He does not move anything like that but

    he is pigeon toed. I also have a hound of the short, stout, square variety and he doesn't move like that either.

    Cracks (long back) is 6 and DD is 7.

    Theory About Neutered/spayed Dogs

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    My two intact males are perfectly fine in mixed company. Cracker, who is a current NGA sire and has been drawn in

    the past will show some interest in some females but he is hardly an out of control lunatic over them. Dodger shows

    no interest other than a desire to play / run with other dogs. Pooter who is female and is spayed has nothing to do

    with other dogs or other people, period. Dogs we meet in our travels don't seem to have any more or less interest

    in my boys than in neutered hounds as far as I can tell. People on the other hand are fascinated by my boys bits.

    Go figure. :f50:

    How Long Did It Take For Your Grey To Adjust To Home Life?

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    About a year for all three of my hounds. All three of them raced until they were 4.5 years old. All three came directly from their racing kennel. Stud farm in Cracker's case. All three came in the house and did well right from the get go. No accidents. No SA. No chewing etc. But for their full personality to emerge and for them to become truly comfortable here it was about a year for all three of them.

     

    Does it take longer for an older dog to warm up/get comfortable? Our girl turned 5 in July and raced until last September. I'm wondering if that has more to do with how reserved she is.

     

    In my opinion it does. Life in a racing kennel is routine, structure oriented. It always stays the same no matter what. It makes sense the longer the dog stays in that comfortable environment, the longer it takes him to adjust to a new one. All three of my hounds are calm and confident. They did fine coming into our home. No problems whatsoever. Just a bit of time to become fully comfortable. There were always other hounds here too. The new dogs "learned the ropes" from the hounds already here. To me it is a fascinating process to witness. Greyhounds are awesome dogs.

    How Long Did It Take For Your Grey To Adjust To Home Life?

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    About a year for all three of my hounds. All three of them raced until they were 4.5 years old. All three came directly from their racing kennel. Stud farm in Cracker's case. All three came in the house and did well right from the get go. No accidents. No SA. No chewing etc. But for their full personality to emerge and for them to become truly comfortable here it was about a year for all three of them.

    What To Expect When Adopting A Retired Racer

    in Training and Behavior discussion

    Posted

    Credit Kathleen Gilley

     

     

    Of all breeds of dogs, the ex-racing Greyhound has never had to be responsible for anything in his life. His whole existence has been a dog-centered one. This breed has never been asked to do anything for itself, make any decisions or answer any questions. It has been waited on, paw and tail. The only prohibition in a racing

    Greyhound's life is not to get into a fight----------------or eat certain stuff in the turn out pen.

     

    Let us review a little. From weaning until you go away for schooling, at probably a year and a half, you eat, grow and run around with your siblings. When you go away to begin your racing career, you get your own "apartment," in a large housing development. No one is allowed in your bed but you, and when you are in there, no one can touch you, without plenty of warning.

     

    Someone hears a vehicle drive up, or the kennel door being unlocked. The light switches are flipped on. The loud mouths in residence, and there always are some, begin to bark or howl. You are wide awake by the time the human opens your door to turn you out. A Greyhound has never been touched while he was asleep.

     

    You eat when you are fed, usually on a strict schedule. No one asks if you are hungry or what you want to eat. You are never told not to eat any food within your reach. No one ever touches your bowl while you are eating. You are not to be disturbed because it is important you clean your plate.

     

    You are not asked if you have to "go outside." You are placed in a turn out pen and it isn't long before you get the idea of what you are supposed to do while you are out there. Unless you really get out of hand, you may chase, rough house and put your feet on everyone and every thing else. The only humans you know are the "waiters" who feed you, and the "restroom attendants" who turn you out to go to the bathroom. Respect people? Surely you jest.

     

    No one comes into or goes out of your kennel without your knowledge. You are all seeing; all knowing. There are no surprises, day in and day out. The only thing it is ever hoped you will do is win, place or show, and that you don't have much control over. It is in your blood, it is in your heart, it is in your fate-- or it is not.

     

    And when it is not, then suddenly you are expected to be a civilized person in a fur coat. But people don't realize you may not even speak English. Some of you don't even know your names, because you didn't need to. You were not asked or told to do anything as an individual; you were always part of the "condo association?; the sorority or fraternity and everyone did everything together, as a group or pack. The only time you did anything as an individual is when you schooled or raced, and even then, You Were Not Alone.

     

    In my "mobile abode," the Greyhounds each have several unique names, but they also have a single common name: it is Everybody. We continue to do things as a group, pack or as we are affectionately known in-house, by Kathleen's Husbandit, "The Thundering Herd."

     

    Back to those who have not been permanently homed. Suddenly, he is expected to behave himself in places he's never been taught how to act. He is expected to take responsibility for saying when he needs to go outside, to come when he is called, not to get on some or all of the furniture, and to not eat food off counters and tables. He is dropped in a world that is not his, and totally without warning, at that.

     

    Almost everything he does is wrong. Suddenly he is a minority. Now he is just a pet. He is unemployed, in a place where people expect him to know the rules and the schedule, even when there aren't any. (How many times have you heard someone say, "He won't tell me when he has to go out." What kind of schedule is that?) Have you heard the joke about the dog who says, "My name is No-No Bad Dog. What's yours?" To me that is not even funny. All the protective barriers are gone. There is no more warning before something happens. There is no more strength in numbers. He wakes up with a monster human face two inches from his. (With some people's breath, this could scare Godzilla.) Why should he not, believe that this "someone," who has crept up on him, isn't going to eat him for lunch? (I really do have to ask you ladies to consider how you would react if someone you barely knew crawled up on you while you were asleep?) No, I will not ask for any male input.

     

    Now he is left alone, for the first time in his life, in a strange place, with no idea of what will happen or how long it will be before someone comes to him again. If he is not crated, he may go though walls, windows or over fences, desperately seeking something familiar, something with which to reconnect his life. If he does get free, he will find the familiarity, within himself: the adrenaline high, the wind in his ears, the blood pulsing and racing though his heart once again--until he crashes into a car.

     

    Often, the first contact with his new family is punishment, something he's never had before, something he doesn't understand now, especially in the middle of the rest of the chaos. And worst of all, what are the most common human reactions to misbehavior? We live in a violent society, where the answer to any irritation is a slap, punch, kick, whip, or rub your nose in it. Under these circumstances, sometimes I think any successful adoption is a miracle.

     

    He is, in effect, expected to have all the manners of at least a six-year old child. But, how many of you would leave an unfamiliar six-year old human alone and loose in your home for hours at a time and not expect to find who knows what when you got back? Consider that if you did, you could be brought up on charges of child abuse, neglect and endangerment. Yet, people do this to Greyhounds and this is often the reason for so many returns.

     

    How many dogs have been returned because they did not know how to tell the adoptor when they had to go out? How many for jumping on people, getting on furniture, counter surfing, separation anxiety, or defensive actions due to being startled or hurt (aka growling or biting)? So, let's understand: Sometimes it is the dog's "fault" he cannot fit in. He is not equipped with the social skills of a six-year old human. But with your love and help, you can make it happen.

     

    Of 7 greyhounds over 14 years with the breed only one was a spook - a "true" spook not just a shy or

    insecure dog. I knew that going in and she was fine. As for the other 6, all of them were / are perfectly normal

    dogs.

     

    Your questions:

     

    Boys marking = 2 intact males currently, no marking. No marking from my other two males either.

    Chew when left alone = none of the 7

    Crated if we aren't home = 11 hour work day. No crates. No problems. Dog door.

    Space guardians = nope.

    Spook = see above

    Do my dogs growl at me = no.

    Do they growl at each other? = sometimes. Unless the growling escalates, I let them figure it out.

    Normal greyhounds = 6 out of my 7 would be perfectly fine in your home.

    Hailey's Kidneys Are Failing---She's Only 8 :(

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Please ask your vet about calcitriol, or find a vet who has experience with it. It's been mostly used for dogs with CKD, but I have a cat with kidney disease who, so far, is staying symptom-free on it and I am amazed by it. I also changed to low phosphorus, low sodium canned food.

     

    Here's a start on reading about calcitriol: http://www.veterinar...58&S=0&EVetID=0

    http://www.zzcat.com/CRF/calcitriol/

     

    I am very sorry you're facing this with your hound, but will hold hope that there's help.

     

    And anyone with cats that have kidney disease -- not all vets are familiar with its use with cats, but they are out there. My vet says that since she's been prescribing it over the past four or five years, cats are not dying of kidney disease.

     

    My kidney girl was a candidate for calcitorl but IIRC not all dogs are? One of the values needs to be within

    normal range again if I am remembering this correctly. I managed Pearl for 3 years. She did very well. Good

    luck to you.

    How Far Is Too Far? How Much Is Too Much?

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Better to keep them fit and engaged as well as strong and healthy. My dogs are out and about daily as weather

    permits also. We routinely cover 2 - 5 miles all off leash. The longest has been about 6.5 miles. Only difference

    is my guys are adults. 6, 7 and 8 years old. Two males and one female. I don't buy the greyhounds are happy with

    a 10 minute leash walk theory peddled by some adoption groups. My dogs need to run and run they do.

    Enjoy your hikes with your pups. I live for my daily hikes too.

     

    Welcome to GT! I'd love to see a photo of Ivan and Pasha.

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