sobesmom

What happens if you don't do the last "out"? Maybe he just doesn't need to go. Now, I don't like that he growls at you. That's not cool. Is that the only time he shows that behavior? He lives in Minnesota so I'm going to dismiss the "cold" issue. It's Minnesota. It's cold. He's adapted to that. Not the issue.

I think you've answered your own question. Do scheduled feedings, separate bowls, separate rooms. Put the appropriate food for each down, then pick it up after 30 minutes. Don't give it back until the next feeding time. (2 or 3 per day is standard). Make a schedule. They'll settle into an appropriate eating pattern. I have NOTHING against free-feeding, but it's not for all dogs. Your lackluster eater will probably perk up to eating when it's on a schedule, and your food-hound will adapt. As far as weight-food. Add fatty ground beef. For filler for the chow-hound, green beans and rice. Or - more calorie dense, and calorie-less food. What do you feed? You might want 2 different brands. I had a foster that was the WORST food-hound ever. So - I finally gave up and put him on a cheaper food, and fed him more. More poop, but he got to eat more volume. Just a suggestion.

I'd suggest keeping some space, too. Contact can go bad. Friendly wagging while passing is great, but getting withing teeth distance is not a good idea. My first grey was very "I'll send you away with my piercing gaze" and never got approached. Except by the occasional idiot dog with idiot owner that didn't "Get" the start - and I'd move us away. My second grey wanted to meet and greet and kiss everything that moved. I also didn't let her have physical contact. You just never know what another dog will do. Or yours- if it becomes uncomfortable.

Sounds normal to me, except for they crying. What's that? Whining? Do they only do it after playing? Other than that I wouldn't worry about it. They'll play as much as they want, and they actually play more than a lot of greys.

It's possible that she has an old injury (even a sprain or pulled muscle), that's completely healed but just "aches" in the cold. Do you notice the limp only on snow, or when it's cold with no snow too? Just a thought. Lots of dogs do go without booties. Lots of dogs wear them. Some love them, some hate them. Try different things and see what works for you. Every household, outside situation, and dog is different. One Snow-related thing I will give you a tip about, cuz I learned it on my own and had never heard about it before. Bewared of deep Crunchy-top snow. You know what I mean, you get a foot of snow, all nice and squishy, fun to walk and play in. Then it warms then freezes and there's a hard layer on top of the snow. Greyhound legs go right through it - (small surface area feet). But - the crunchy layer can actually cut their legs. Nothing traumatic, but scratches. It's weird to see the first time. No hair to protect those skinny legs. Just a heads- up of something you may encounter. Try to stay on the sidewalk when there's crunchy-top snow! (Pennsylvania here - not snow like you get in MN, but enough).

That's very kind of you. If someone can get use out of them, that's really great. If you don't get any takers try your local shelter, or ask your vet if he knows someone that could use them.

I always found that any commercially-available OTC stuff was fine. I wouldn't buy something online from a sketchy country, but I wouldn't for any dog. For general fist aide, Greys are pretty much like any other dog, IMHO. It's when you start putting meds INTO them that they're a little different. The outside is basically like any other dog, though.

It's a "new dog" quirk. She'll probably go through several of them. My advice - continue what you're doing, speak to her in a happy, confident voice. "Well hi Hanna, whatcha doing? Everything's fine here. I'm just making dinner CLANG CLANG CLANG - See - it's just me making that noise." Let her see that you are there when the noise happens. If she connects the noise to you - and you are ok - she'll believe the noise is OK. It's a disassociation confusion. She doesn't know the noise - so she has no point of reference to know if it's OK - or threatening. Give her a point of reference. This is a noise we make. DON'T get all drama about her distress. Just do the "oh hi, everything's normal and I'm going to keep making this noise while you see me doing it" thing. It'll go away quickly. I once had a foster that FREAKED OUT at the sound of frying bacon. I know, super weird. So - I fried bacon every day for a week! The dog learned that the sound was not a scary sound, and that bacon is DELICIOUS, and we all gained 5 lb! LOL!

I totally agree with baby steps to more freedom. I'm a non-crater. We used crates as a transition tool for our 2 greys and our 14 fosters, but all of them transitioned to nearly full house freedom. We had a few fosters who spent nap time by choice in their open-door crates, and some never went back at all. It's not for ALL dogs, though. Some do need to be crated for their own safety. In my PERSONAL experience - many of them don't if you are willing to babyproof your house. (Dogproof). Step 1 - leave the crate door open and gate him in the room he's usually in. BABYPROOF THE ROOM. Make sure to take out anything he might chew, claw, destroy, etc. Even out of curiosity. He'll probably "explore" which might include chewing, mouthing, etc. Don't leave your Prada shoes and your iPad in that room ! LOL! If that works - expand out slowly. It's also ok to keep some doors closed and make them "dog free" zones. My DD's bedroom was a no-no. Closed door. Some people do "just downstairs" some do 1 room - some part of the house. Do what works for you. But do it in steps. Good luck! Honestly, after a bit of transition, my dogs had nearly free reign when we were gone, and most hung out in one comfortable spot most of the time.

Why? Tell me WHY your dog needs a new packmate? It sounds like your dog has a pack and is doing well. In my opinion - your dog is FINE. Don't muddy the waters. You have enough changes coming soon - enjoy them with the family you have. Now is NOT the time to rock the boat. Are you worried that your dog will be neglected for attention when you have the baby? It's a valid concern. But - an "extra dog" right now is not the answer- that would just be drama you don't need right now. It'll be FINE.... Relax mamma. You have more than enough love for the baby and the dog. Make a point to pay attention to the dog - and the dog WILL adapt. It's OK. You're nesting. Trying to get "everything right". I get that. But please don't get another dog right now. Chill. It's OK. You're going to be FINE.

I've done it 2 ways when I had fosters (that can often use a little extra pumpkin fiber to help firm things up). Pumpkin guts from carving is basically free fibber - so why not take advantage of it! I've taken the scrapings, laid them out on a cookie sheet and frozen them. When they're solid, break them up and put them in a ziplock. Freeze. Then add a chunk to meals. I've also pureed the pumpkin goop in the blender, poured into icecube trays, then dumped into a ziplock and keep in the freezer. Both ways are great for adding to food.

TONE??? Seriously? A potential new adopter is asking an intelligent, thoughtful question and you need to go there? In that way? Why? They never said vet costs were their #1 concern, they just asked for information. Condescension is neither appropriate nor called for. The back-handed insult to people with greys with digestive issues is also noted. You can share your insights without insulting people if you try.

Both of my greys were very healthy until they developed the conditions that ended their lives. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but what I mean is that they never had any medical problems at all for many years. One got cancer and the other kidney disease. They all die from something eventually.

I'll make this brief. You knew the right answer to your question before you posted it. Trust your instincts. Yeas - you goofed. Your dog isn't ready for furniture privileges - so now you're dealing with guarding issues. I've made the same mistake- and had several of my foster go to homes that made that mistake - despite all the advice we give. Whatever - move on - fix it. Get the dog off the furniture. Start over with NEW RULES. Get the dog OFF.

I'm so sorry for your loss. In my experience a change in the household, be it from loss or something else, is usually adapted to pretty well by greys if their routine and support (pack) structure stays intact. A week of abnormal behavior might be expected - but get it back on track ASAP. Don't let this turn into an issue. Pick up, power on, and support your dog to move on. Greys are highly able to handle change. Support that.

OH my gosh! I'm so so sorry. That's just awful. Please know there was nothing more you could've done. You showed us how very much you loved her by trying so hard to figure out the issues - and the vet didn't even figure it out. Again - I'm so sorry. To loose one so suddenly. My heartfelt thoughts are with you.

I just wanted to say good for you for keeping up with this. It just doesn't feel right to me. I guess now that I understand she's not "truly" incontinent, it could be behavioral. It just seems odd though. Especially since this is an established grey and the rest of the household is normal. (ie no dramatic life changes, dogfights, etc). No new dogs in the house recently right? No dog visitors that peed all over? No traumatic events happened outside? I'm reaching for straws.

There's something wrong - medically. A 9 year old doesn't go from OK to incontinent overnight. And don't let your vet talk you into "older females just do this - take these pills". I made that mistake an it was BAD. Something is wrong. It might be as minor as an infection. Find out. If your vet blows it off - find another vet. Overnight incontinence doesn't happen for "no reason" or "aging". ETA - if she's relieving herself in her sleep, unaware, you can rule out behavior issues. Your're right - don't bother to think in that direction. My guess - and it's ONLY a guess - would lean toward kidney failure. Renal disease. But - I had a dog with that so I think of that all the time. I'm not at all trying to be alarmist. Your instincts are right, though. Something is medically wrong.

I'd consider getting blood tests, if you haven't already. 11 is too young to be old IMHO. A bit of slowing, yes, but not what you describe without a diagnosis.

You could put pieces of throw -rugs on the steps. or - go back to stair-training 101. If he runs up your indoors steps that an indication that he's not totally cool with them. Put him on a harness. Go up one step. Treat. One more step. treat. Repeat. Your dog thinks steps suck, so make them not suck.

I lost a grey to kidney failure. We chose not to do sub-Q. We learned of our dog's kidney issues through a blood test for a dental - and it was advanced when we found out. So -I found out at the point you are now. IMHO - you need to prepare. If he's becoming lethargic, and loosing his appetite, the time is coming. You can make him comfortable for a while. Feed him low-phosphate food. You'll need to get creative because he won't want to eat. Distilled water. See my posts about Diana. I did a TON of research, and extended her comfortable life for a few months. We had up days and down days. But you need to understand - it's only weeks or months. No matter what you do - you are at the end. Comfort measures are absolutely a wonderful thing. But - when they stop working - and they WILL - know it's time to let him go. There is NO cure. There is NO win. There's only extension of lifespan. Make sure it's a good life. Every day of it. And when it's not - have the respect for your dog to let him go. No matter what you do - and what you do does help - Your dog is going to wither away in front of you. Loose energy, loose weight, loose muscle tone. You are going to watch him waste away like a starving child. The only question is - how long is that OK? I waited until my dog fell down. And I felt guilty that I'd waited too long. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh. But it's aweful to live through. Just let your dog go before he suffers. You just can't win this one. I tried. We can't.

I have nothing to offer in regard to dealing with a super-spook. But - I had a spook as a foster. My DH detested that dog for a while- because we couldn't pet her, couldn't call her, and when she was in the fenced yard to pee, couldn't get her to come back in the house. But - through months of patience, she got to be ok. Never the most outgoing dog, still super skittish, but ok. She was adopted by a woman that works at a half-way house for mentally challenged adults, and goes to work with her mom every day - and is a rock star at work. She could never be left home alone. She could never do "group greyhound walks". But she's FABULOUS with her clients. They bond. They share their anxieties. That dog helps people. By being who SHE is. Insecure. Scared. She's NOT a certified therapy dog - there's no WAY she could ever pass the test. But she helps people. In a "safe place". My point is - spooks will probably never become outgoing dogs. But they have value for who they are, and need a lot of help to get to be OK. Never "normal" (I hate to say that), but ok. Good luck to you. It's a journey I couldn't take. I respect you for trying.

Good input from everyone above. Another thing you might try - wait it out. Sometimes just ignoring the behavior will make it go away. "Well - nothing to do in the middle of the night - so I'll just go back to sleep, and I won't bother to get up and wander tomorrow night,". I had a notorious wandering foster once. I tried everything. Was she hungry? Hot? Cold? Upset? Enough exercise? Etc, etc? Tried to fix it all. There was nothing to fix. She was just nosy and restless, and needed to fix her sleep schedule. So I went to bed with noise-cancelling headphones so I couldn't hear her walking around for a few nights ( I was TIRED at that point!). She just gave up and quit wandering during the night. Complete lack of response to her behavior made her give up and sleep better. Not saying that's your dog's situation - but if you can't figure out any "reason" - you might try it.

I agree. A change in the routine made a change in behavior. Greys are very adaptable. He'll get used to it. Don't make a big deal of it.

Once she is totally cool with sleeping in HER bed, yes. But that might take a while. Until she's sleeping in her bed consistently, I wouldn't try it. It might confuse her. I had a grey that slept with me when my DH wasn't in the bed. He worked overnights. On the nights he was home, Sobe slept on a dogbed. He easily learned when it was and wasn't ok to be in the bed. When DH had an early day shift and got up at 3 am, Sobe got into bed with me. He held no grudge against DH, just understood 1 human in bed = ok. 2 humans in bed = no. Now on the odd days DH was off work and got out of bed to go to the bathroom in the early morning hours, Sobe would hop into bed (as normal) and be VERY confused when DH would come back to bed. Then we just had a very crowded bed for a few hours. Not the dog's fault - DH messed up the routine.