turbotaina

Also, Here4thdogs, Ouch! I know dobies have more health issues than greys, but ouch! Even with my premium increase, I’m under $200 a month for the two of mine (I think it’s like $180) and they’re 11 and 8. I’m not in CA, but I’m in the metro DC area, which is just as expensive. Ugh.

I am getting my massive rate increase this year. My premium is going up by about $50 a month. When I asked, they gave me the same “catching up with local rates” spiel and the fact that H is turning 11 this year. I’ll keep it, because the alternative isn’t better. We didn’t even meet the deductibles last year for either of them (which is good, from a health stance ). But after having gone through a $16k crisis, I won’t be without health coverage for my dogs again.

Oh, and I've heard it said that to stop barking, teach him to bark on command and then never give the command. I don't know if that works, but I've seen it recommended by several well respected dog trainers

Seeing this a month late because I'm rarely on the board these days, but not only do you need to ignore the barking, you need to REWARD the quiet. Remember that even yelling at him is giving him attention (which is what he wants) so don't do it. Do not respond. He will escalate before he gets better (this is called an extinction burst). Reward the behaviors you want and he's more likely to repeat them. To understand the science-y part of positive reinforcement training, I highly recommend "Don't Shoot the Dog" (Karen Pryor) and "Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson. I'd also enroll in a positive reinforcement training class so you can get a good understanding of timing, etc. In your other thread regarding his energy levels, you intimated that teaching him commands was akin to torture. You don't need to be the bad guy to teach him good behaviors. And if he's food motivated (and it sounds like he is, what with the butter theft :lol) he should be easy to train. Another bonus: training tires them out. Remember the more exercise he has, the fitter he is, the more exercise he needs. Training tires out their little lemon brains, so it's a good way to contain all that energy. Training should be fun and engaging for both of you. One of my two is super freaking smart (learned how to ride a skateboard in his tricks class!) and would love it if we were in a training class every day. The other one is not bright and training moderately stresses him out. But he's easy to live with so I don't push the issue

All this. My dog is on fluoxetine and clonazepam for noise phobia (terrified of booming noises such as thunder and fireworks and gun shots). His personality flattened a lot - he was no longer playful or snuggly. When we reduced his clonazepam over the winter, his personality came back (though he's still not as snuggly as he once was; at least he'll play now). So yes, the drugs may be playing a part, but my guess is that it's likely the general anxiety. There are several pharmaceutical options for separation anxiety (including the two drugs my dog takes for noise phobia) and I don't know what your dog is on, but you should discuss with the vet. And yes, you absolutely need to do alone training in conjunction with the meds - the meds basically take the edge off to make the dog receptive to learning. If you search here for separation anxiety, see if you can find threads by a woman named Glynnis or Glenda, I think? She had a greyhound named Lady irrc and she had to do SA training in BABY steps. And she was ultimately successful. Best of luck to you!

Oh, Robin, I'm so, so sorry

My guys never did well on the Costco food, however they do great on Fromms 4 Star Nutritionals line - you can switch out the proteins with no transition so they can get lots of variety. You need to do alone training. A good place to start is Dr. Patricia McConnell's booklet "I'll be Home Soon". Good luck! Lovely pup Also, I appreciate how your kitty in the cone of shame is lording the dog bed

I'm so sorry

You also may want to start with something a little easier so she understands that she gets the treat in exchange for doing something. This is why "touch" is a good first step to teach. With Heyokha, my other greyhound, at the second week of training, a light turned on and he suddenly understood "the game" and started offering behaviors like crazy.

Sounds like my dog, Crow. He is not bright. At all. After 6 weeks in a training class, the only thing he learned is "touch" and he's even hesitant at that one. Some dogs, it just take a loooong time to click. Start small and reward any tiny movement of the paw, even something so subtle as shifting her weight. Also - up the treat game - make it something super yummy: people food like chicken, hot dogs or cheese. Good luck!

Oh, Ducky, I'm so, so sorry

Sounds normal. Maybe throw in some rewards based training to keep him mentally stimulated, but otherwise, sounds like he has adapted well to his retirement

Aw, congrats

I don't know the Canadian lab values, but has your vet considered diabetes insipidus? I've known several greyhounds with it.

Training tires them out mentally, too