GreytNut

We were standing right next to each other. Both dogs were on 6-foot leashes, which were slack once initial introductions were done. I think we let our guard down too quickly.

It will take a long time for her to get over it. When Argus was attacked by a loose dog it took him several months to return to "normal." He had nightmares for weeks and would scream and cry in his sleep. He snapped at me several times when I made sudden moves. It seemed to be similar to PTSD in a human. Take it slow with your girl, and be gentle. I agree with your decision to stay away from the dog park.

I took Riley out to meet some of the neighbors today since there was a block party. He enjoyed himself, coming up to people for petting and watching with fascination as the kids had a water balloon fight. He met a lurcher who lives down the street (both were leashed) and they seemed to get along fine, wagging their tails and enjoying hanging out. Then the lurcher, who is unaltered, abruptly jumped on Riley and starting trying to hump him. Riley roared and whipped around as fast as a striking snake, biting off the tip of the lurcher's ear. It was over before anyone even had time to react. I was horrified. The lurcher's owner took it in stride, saying, "Well, he asked for it. He's a pervert. This isn't the first time he's gotten that kind of reaction. He should know better." I am thinking the humans should know better. The bleeding stopped and the lurcher is fine, though he is now sans ear tip. What cues should I have been looking for? They seemed to be getting along fine right up until the lurcher jumped onto Riley. They both appeared relaxed, with no growling or obvious aggression leading up to the event. Obviously the owner should've known better and kept his dog away if he knew what might happen, but I wonder what signs I missed. The lurcher did spend a lot of time sniffing Riley, which in retrospect may have been a clue, but then again most dogs like to sniff each other. I don't want Riley to get a reputation as a vicious dog in the neighborhood, and I feel bad for the lurcher. But I also think Riley saw it as simple self-defense. Also--it isn't likely to be an issue, but it's worth asking--who is liable for any vet bills that might arise? Both dogs were leashed. My dog did the damage, but the other dog did the provoking. Do we split the bill?

I throw a rubber-backed machine washable runner over the steps. Works great. You just roll it back up and take it with you when you go back inside so that ice and snow don't accumulate on it.

I agree that the easiest way to keep him from bugging you in the bathroom is to shut the door. He'll likely whine outside the door, but it beats the alternative. With regard to kicking you and demanding food, that is disrespectful and it needs to stop. You don't have to be harsh. As Batmom suggested, you can teach him some commands. Not only will it give him something else to do besides accosting you for dinner, it will make him "earn" his dinner and reinforce the idea that you are the leader and deserving of his respect. Riley and Tiny are/have been my pushy alpha dogs. Both of them used to mug me for food. Tiny was so bad he'd stand up and snatch food from my plate. I stopped that behavior by teaching them to lie down and wait for their meals. After a while I didn't even have to tell them. They'd see me scooping up dog food and go lie down. Riley is so good that I can even leave the room. He will still wait until I tell him it's "OK!" He also has to sit for treats. It has made life much easier.

The group could ask for the dog back if they found out an adopter was letting the dog offleash, but I doubt they would win in court if it came to that. I think having adopters sign a contract just keeps the honest people honest.

My guys get liquid salmon oil once daily on their kibble. The dose is 4 pumps from the spray bottle. Their coats look fantastic. I have also given salmon oil capsules from Sam's Club. Riley would take them as if they were treats, but Raven turned up her nose. They both like the liquid stuff.

Always, always on a leash. My dogs have good recall until they see a squirrel, cat, bunny, etc... then I cease to exist and they hear nothing I say. Raven got loose a couple of times in her younger days. She popped out of her martingale collar once and out of her harness the second time. There is no more sickening feeling than chasing your loose dog as she weaves through traffic down a busy street or disappears into a national forest. Now she wears a slip collar for walks since it's the only thing she can't wriggle out of. I also signed contracts with leash clauses for each hound. Even if I hadn't they'd still be leashed. IMO it's not worth the risk of losing them.

He will probably mellow out with time. Riley went ballistic every time he saw something through the window for the first few weeks I had him. Now he's still interested and likes to "watch the news" as I call it, but he doesn't get upset over every little thing he sees anymore.

Oh wow. I'm sorry. Turbo was a fixture on GT. I'm sorry I never had a chance to meet him. He seemed sweet and silly and downright loveable.

Ooooo, I think I know him! Did he come from Friends of Retired Greyhounds in Fort Collins? There was a black dog by that name who was up for adoption at the time we got Riley but the adoption folks didn't think he was a match. I'm glad he found you!

My first greyhound Argus ignored the cats from day one. Second greyhound Raven was cat-safe after some training. She wanted to play with them, but she played too rough and could have hurt them. She had to learn to be gentle. She allows the cats to share her dog bed. Third greyhound Tiny was like Argus... the cats didn't exist. Fourth greyhound Riley is a challenge. He is cat-workable. He shows more interest than I am comfortable with, and I don't trust him unsupervised with them. When I can supervise I let the cats out and he is required to lie on his bed. He is not allowed to stare at them, follow them, etc. He is rewarded for ignoring them. He will eventually be cat-safe, but it will take more work. Right now I'm just glad that we've progressed beyond the leash and muzzle. None of my dogs have been cat-safe outdoors. Even Argus or Tiny would have killed an outdoor cat. Riley literally drools when he sees a cat outside, he wants it so bad.

It could indeed be stress from the changes in your house. You'll want to get the possible UTI treated or ruled out ASAP because 1) They're painful and 2) you don't want the peeing to become a habit. Once they get into the habit of peeing outside the box--which doesn't take long--you'll continue to have problems even after the medical issue is resolved.

Popping in to see how everyone is doing. I had to stay away for a while. It sounds like things are going really well! Found this photo of Tiny. This is one of the last I took of him.

Success! I got out of work at a reasonable hour and the weather was nice enough today to work on "heel" training outside (working inside didn't go so well... tiny house!) So off we went. Riley is one smart cookie. By the end of a 20-minute walk I had him heeling. He's not perfect yet, but he's got the idea. We used the stop-start method and he got it right away. Bonus: Raven went with us, and my old girl learned how to heel too. She's always been fairly polite on a leash so I never bothered teaching her to heel. But by the end of the walk, she was heeling right along with Riley. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Ditto on the muzzles with poop cups. Black walnuts are toxic to many species of animals, IIRC. You probably don't want them eating the nuts from those... to say nothing of the less savory specimens. Riley went out unmuzzled in the yard today and of course he found a rotting frog. Mmmm, tasty.

That is an awesome price!

I recently started using it on my new guy Riley. He has great teeth and I want to help keep them that way. I do brush his teeth (I shoot for daily brushing, but sometimes forget) and he gets a chewie daily. I am not sure how much is the Plaqueoff and how much is brushing/chewies, but I don't see any tartar on his teeth. The stuff is very expensive, but the scoops you use are teeny-tiny and it lasts for a while. The real test would be if I were to use it on my old girl with godawful teeth, but she is on meds for hypothyroidism and I can't give it to her. Other GTers swear by this stuff. I will continue to use it and observe.

Raven and Riley haven't yet met horses. Argus once met a mule and was absolutely terrified. He cowered and cringed behind me. When it reached down to sniff him I thought he was going to faint.

Cream cheese is fine. I use it for hiding pills!

The conversation (parts 1 and 2) have long since been pruned. It was a bit of silliness born from frustration. Tiny and I were butting heads in the beginning, and I wondered if I'd made a mistake. I imagined what would pass between us if he could talk and ran with it. It somehow made everything better to turn the situation into a comedy. In the "conversation," Tiny was much wiser than me. That was probably actually true.

Does anyone else have a hound with a compulsive need to liberate his/her toys? Riley discovered toys early on, and it's been interesting watching him develop a "relationship" of sorts with them. At first he ripped their faces off. Now he's gentler with them, and likes to carry them around. Occasionally I corral the toys in their basket, usually when I trip over one. This is like a declaration of war, and it spurs Riley to immediately remove the toys from the basket and set them free... all around the room. His most recent toy behavior is carrying them out into the dog run. I'm finding them in the mud, getting rained on and possibly peed on. When I bring the toys back inside, he stares at me as if he can't figure out why I would do such a thing. Soon I find them in the dog run again. What do you suppose is going on in his mind?

Maybe I was just very naive, but I used to think that teaching a dog to heel was the only way to stop them from pulling. That was before I learned about the concept of loose leash walking. Personally, I feel that dogs enjoy their walks more and get a lot more mental stimulation out of it when they are allowed to sniff and explore. It seemed like the OP's main complaint was her new boy pulling on leash, so just trying to offer an alternative. The original question was just about the heel command, but I like the idea of teaching loose leash walking too. ETA: Right now we're just working in the house. It's like his brain flies out of his head when we go outside. Too much stimulation!