Sighthounds4me

I hate to be blunt, but I get the impression that you have not done much research, Amber. I really hate to be like that, but I think you need to read up, and consider whether Greyhounds are really right for you. Simply falling in love with an individual, or wanting to rescue racers from their "plight" are not good reasons. Yes, Greyhounds are dogs first, but they do have some unique needs that not all dogs have. Please read the two "bibles" of Greyhound adoption: Adopting the Racing Greyhound by Cynthia Branigan and Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies by Lee Livingood (not calling you a dummy, by the way). They will give you a LOT of information about what these dogs are like, how they are to live with, precautions to take, etc. Not fencing a sighthound is a bad idea. It's asking for trouble, if you ask me. Yes, there are those who do it, but it requires a TON of training, and a rock-solid, unshakable recall, and that is VERY difficult to train, considering that sighthounds are so apt to chase anything moving. That includes leaves blowing in the wind, not just animals. So please, do yourself a favor, and make sure this is what you want. I am NOT trying to discourage you from adopting one of these wonderful dogs. But I want to make sure you do it for the right reasons, and with the dog's best interests in mind.

Oh, and I should mention, too... Asking your vet is not usually a good idea. Vets are usually likely to suggest what they sell, and that does not always mean good. Many vets, for example feed Hill's brand, AKA Science Diet. I have seen worse, but Hill's is not among the best. And, as already mentioned, simply buying the most expensive food you can find does not always mean you will have quality. Many higher priced foods are highly priced simply because they spend a LOT of money advertising, which means they have to make that back somehow! Think about how often you see Eukanuba, Pedigree, Iams, Science Diet and others advertised. This does not mean they are high quality. It only means they are household names, and spend a lot of money staying that way. Edited to add: About vets: Most are not nutritionists, and have little education in canine (or feline, for that matter) nutrition. This means they are not necessarily your best guides in finding the rights food for your dog(s). In addition, and on a different note, it may take trial-and-error to find the right food for your dog(s). What looks great on paper may not be something your dog tolerates well. And if the dog doesn't like it, or can't eat it, no matter how good the quality, it's worthless for your dog.

Okay, I am seeing a lot of people stating that they would not feed these foods, but I do not see anyone providing reasons why not. Here are my reasons: Ol' Roy and Kibbles and Bits (and other foods like them) are cheap because they use many, many fillers, and poor quality ingredients. Fillers include anything your dog can't digest. Poor quality ingredients include non-human grade meats, unidentified meats (they can vary significantly from batch to batch, so you never know for sure what you are feeding your dog), flavor enhancers (sugars and corn syrup), and artificial ingredients. For example, Kibbles and Bits contains artificial colors. Why? Dogs don't see color well, if at all, so they don't care. Why does it need to be there, then? Artificial preservatives like ethoxiquin and BHT have been linked anectotally to cancers in dogs. And they are not necessary. This website: The Dog Food Project provides more information than I have, but expounds upon what I have begun to describe. It also tells you what you SHOULD look for. And to feed a high quality food does not need to be expensive. I pay about $25 for a 40# bag of food. This may seem expensive, compared to Ol' Roy, but I feed less of the good stuff than I would of Ol' Roy, because there are fewer fillers, so my dogs are getting more nutrition out of less food. And about a Greyhound eating a cup a day: I highly doubt you can get away with that little. Larger dogs eat more food. Even my slightly overweight 9 year old Borzoi girl (about the size of the average Greyhound male) eats about 2 cups a day, which is not as much as I would give an active, young to middle age Greyhound of appropriate weight. My old Greyhound girl gets about 4 cups a day, because even at her age (almost 11), she is still quite active, and at an appropriate weight.

I do beef knuckle bones (usually the "ball" of the ball-and-socket hip joint). We get ours from the local butcher, and they last a while. They chew for a couple hours, then I put them in the freezer, and bring them back out later. We do these at the suggestion of the hairy dogs' breeder, to clean teeth. Smaller bones don't work as well for teeth, because they don't have to work them back to the molars, so they don't scrape gunk off. There are risks, certainly. Not only is there the risk of broken teeth, but you could see a piece get stuck in the mouth, and you could see pancreatitis, due to the fat content. But these risks are minor, and supervision will ensure that something can be done immediately to treat problems. Our dogs' breeder says that in 30+ years of feeding bones like this, they have had not incidents of pancreatitis, and they have only had a couple of minor broken teeth. The breeder is a vet, also, so I do trust his judgment.

OOOHHHH Yes!!! Mine have loved the freeze-dried animal parts for a while! The duck hearts and kangaroo lungs are favorites!

I have been following this, but not posting. SO HAPPY to hear that the toy is being attacked! Go, Deeni! You have my love and my prayers!

All dogs have tear ducts. Without them, the eyes would be far too dry, and there would be many health problems. Most sighthounds have drippy noses. Collies get this too. I don't believe anyone has figured out the reason, but it's probably something about the length of the muzzle. It's nothing, really. Mine get a little drippier when they are excited about something, but that's about it. Dogs don't cry like humans do. That is anthropomorphizing them, and quite untrue. As far as I know, primates (including humans) are the only animals that tear and sob because they are sad, angry, or whatever. Dogs can and do get depressed, but they do not shed tears as a result.

Oh no... I am SO SORRY!

If this is something new, and not normal for him, get to a vet, and have him checked out. It could be a metobolic problem. If not, I agree with Pam - dog proof yourself, and remove temptation. Separate him from food - crate him if you are preparing food, eating, etc. Do not eat food when he is around, and clear it off the counters when it does not need to be there. That's the only thing that works for some dogs. I also agree that it may be a mental thing. If so, do more obedience with him, teach him tricks, and find puzzle games for him to mentally tire him out.

Yes I take her to North Heights. I see Drs. McDermott and Byom. (We saw Dr Byom this morning.) They really go the extra mile for my greyhounds. They certainly do! I LOVE that place, and recommend it to all adopters!

SO GLAD to hear she is doing better! And I am glad to hear the vet would like to help on her training. Do you go to North Heights?

I was going to say this--it's flower "essence" in brandy, in point of fact! I found it totally useless on George. You'd have more luck giving him a couple of Benadryl an hour before the trip. When it comes to the liquid, I do agree with this. However, I can attest to what the lozenges have done for me personally. However, as I stated above, they are not something I am willing to give to a dog.

I agree. I have used RR for myself on many occasions, especially as I am about to step into the show ring or a job interview. It really helps relax me, but if I were more than a little nervous, it probably would not help much! I have noticed that RR seems to work okay on nervous dogs, too, but again, not if it's more than a little stage fright. I keep a bottle of the spray in my tack box for shows, and a tin of the lozenges in my purse. BEAR IN MIND, however, the lozenges contain xylitol, so DO NOT give them to dogs! It's probably not enough to do harm in a Greyhound sized dog, but I prefer not to experiment! But Dramamine tends to help when it comes to travel.

Just seeing this now! Hopes and prayers for a quick and full recovery!!

Do you think you could let him have a quick out before you leave for work in addition to the 8:15 out your kids do? Some dogs don't totally empty on just one trip out. Just a thought. Good point! I missed that! Many markers (I hesitate to say males, because many girls mark too!) reserve a lot so they can mark a lot. So if he is not completely emptying when he is outside, he may find a very pressing need to urinate later in the day. And, if the kids let him out before school, are they making CERTAIN that he urinates several times (IOW watching him - I am unclear whether he is leash-walked, thus I think of my situation: put them outside in a fenced yard)? If not, he may not be emptying, thus the above problem...

I've tried Dramamine and meclazine. Dramamine seems to work better, in my experience, but it may take experimentation - your dog may be different.

If I can find 'em in a heavily coated dog, a short coat, even dark in color should be no problem!

Copious amounts of Odoban. We managed to get the smell of cat urine out of a mattress and box spring this way. The key is to apply it heavily, then let it dry for at least a couple weeks, then reevaluate. It does take time.

Many people will disagree with this, but here is my take. If the urine is on a vertical surface, the dog marked. He put it there on purpose, he knows that, and he knows it's his. I see no problem escorting him to the scene of the crime, and having a conversation with him. No need to yell, just use the voice of God. Whatever you do, though, DO NOT call him to you! you want him to always be happy to come to you. Instead, take him by the collar, or whatever other method, and escort him to the problem area. Many people think that once the deed is done, this is counter-productive. I do agree, if it's not a marking problem. If it was simply a dog that had to go, I agree that to punish does nothing but create fear. But if the dog has been marking, he put it there on purpose, and he knows it!

What about using a pail or a coop cup? We have some of each attached to crates in our house. The pails travel well in crates, too. Pails Coop Cups

I tend to take some ideas from the different schools of thought - i.e. "dominance" theory, positive training, etc. - because I don't feel that any particular method works perfectly for every dog. My opinion of the matter is that you should be only as firm as you need to be to get the point across. For me there are some rules that are iron-clad (i.e. leash, bed, and food manners) and some that aren't (i.e. play-biting), but in all cases, Tumnus knows to stop when I ask him to. It all depends on what is important to you. You can allow play-biting, but I think it's important to let Beth know how hard she can bite and for her to respect you when you want her to stop. I agree with the other posters that Beth's behavior sounds like play (obviously I can't see it ), but I also think that you should be very clear to her when and at what intensity she is allowed to play. It's not necessarily that she doesn't see you as the pack leader - Tumnus still jumps when he gets excited, but he is still respectful of me when I ask him to tone it down - it's just that you've been inconsistent in allowing her to play bite in some instances and not in others. Personally, I don't think she understands what the rules are when it comes to how hard she can play. As for what the trainer told you about letting the dog go out of the door first or getting on the bed...I think people are too keen on throwing this out without explaining why they're doing it. It's useless advice if you don't understand the reasoning behind it, and it's the trainer's job to make sure you do. For me, I don't let my dog go out the door quickly because if he runs, he isn't paying any attention to me. I ask him to wait only so I can make sure he's paying attention to me, which is important because we live in a high traffic area. It doesn't sound like you really have a problem - only a happy puppy. I'd ask the trainer to explain his/her reasoning behind the "no dogs on furniture, etc." stuff. It's easy to say "don't do it" but very difficult to explain the "why". Good luck! I AGREE 100%!!!! Another thing this post brings up is consistency. Maybe when training a new behavior, consistency among all members of the household is very important. But generally, dogs know what is expected from each family member, and can adjust their behavior accordingly. For example, in my home, DH and I each do things a little differently. But each dog knows who expects what, and what they can get away with. Only if it becomes a problem, do we need to adjust things, and be a little more consistent.

I have not read all the replies, on purpose, so they don't color my thoughts. I disagree with the trainer, even thought I believe in the alpha theory. The reason is, some dogs just don't need the alpha dog to "lead" them at all times. It sounds as though Beth is one - she knows her place in the pack, is comfortable with it, and does not challenge. And I don't consider the play-biting to be a challenge to the human dominance, as some people (like this trainer) may. Instead, she is PLAYING. Dogs do that from time to time! My thoughts on how to extinguish it: stop the game. She jumps and bites, yelp very high-pitched like a puppy would, and freeze. You may turn your back to Beth, but whatever you do, stop the game. Before long, she'll learn that if she jumps and bites, it gets her the opposite of what she wants. If she wants the game to continue, she'll learn to do so based on your rules. After she calms down, continue the game, but if she jumps and bites again, repeat the above. The best part is, this is not a negative training program. It's actually positive, because you are encouraging the dog to work things out on his/her own, and rewarding the behavior you want. Good luck!

:nod I agree with this, too. And, I feel that the leader of this group should contact the IG owner, to try to smooth things over. Mostly to let the IG owner know that not all dogs automatically get along with other dogs (this misunderstanding that so many people seem to have is a HUGE pet peeve of mine!), and to let her know that racing Greyhounds are trained and conditioned to chase small moving objects, so in the future, she should be aware of that. Yes, there were misunderstandings on both sides, but this should have been prevented.

I agree with the others - it's nothing major, and you're nutz! Here's hoping!

Another thought... if the urine comes back clean, how long has he been in your house? If it's been somewhere around six months to a year, he's likely feeling more comfortable, and that is being manifested in his marking. When it comes to marking, I disagree that a dog needs to be caught in the act. If the urine is on a vertical surface, you can be sure the dog put it there on purpose. And he knows it. There is nothing wrong with taking him to the scene of the crime and letting him know you are displeased. No yelling is needed, just the Voice Of God. ONLY do it if you KNOW it's marking. In any other case, it's confusing, and potentially harmful, in the case of a dog who has a UTI. But, as has already been said, clear medical reasons first. It is very possible that is the reason.