sobesmom

I'll be the one that throws out the "not for every dog" thing. Soup bones. They're pieces of cow's legs that you can buy in the grocery store. Some dogs shouldn't have them because they chew so hard they splinter them. They're also filled with marrow that can be too rich for some dogs' digestion. I personally gave them to several dogs with great results. They weren't agresive chewers, though. They just gnawed and licked at them. I always gave raw chicken bones to the dogs. I'd buy bone-in chicken breast, de-bone it for dinner, and the dogs got the carcass. No issues at all because they're such small, soft bones. I've also given dogs deer bones when my hunting friends gave them to me, and the dogs loved them.

Take him outside to pee. No fuss, no interaction. Just go out and pee. He's VERY new. He might need to go, as he's getting on a new schedule. It'll level out after a couple days, or weeks. You're lucky a brand-new dog lets you sleep that long.

Or she's bored. Or hot.

DO your research. Inform yourself. Don't just rely on what the vet tells you. If you catch an issue early, there are step that can be taken.

The GT community is much smaller than it was years ago when I found it as a new adopter. I learned SO MUCH from GT. They helped me time and again when I was baffled. People who'd been there - done that - offered solid advice and got me through things that were a "crisis" to me, but "just normal" to them. I'm glad we still do that. And, as you learn and grow, I hope you'll offer advice based on YOUR experience.

It WAS a happy reunion. I was VERY happy that my foster was obviously doing well. And of course, it was personally gratifying that I was remembered. Greys are amazingly adaptable. I've seen many change fosters and owners and just roll with it. I often joked that my Diana would go off and live with anyone that was nice to her in a heartbeat. It was true. Now, my Sobe was a different story. He was a PITA grey, with a LOT of issues. He was a one-woman dog, and I was the fool woman that fell in love with him, and he with me. But most, can adapt very quickly. That's why adoption works. I personally don't think that you should block out their past. But - I also don't think that it's going to color their future. They remember things, yes, but they don't remember them in the same way a human would. Greys live in the moment. Yeah! You had a good foster mom. We matter, we know it, but we very seldom get to see it. We work SO HARD and almost never get to see the end result when they're living happily with a loving family. I'm sure Mulligan's foster mom got that fabulous sense of pride when he loves on her. It's SO rare that we (as foster moms) get to get that feedback. We get them ready - we send them out - we sometimes get updates, not always. But to actually MEET a foster again - is rare. And truly wonderful.

As long as you always supply an available source of fresh water, a healthy dog will drink as much as it needs. It's wonderful that you're giving your dogs cooling options for comfort. Regarding hydration - nature will ensure they hydrate properly as long as water is available. On the hot days of summer when I left for work, I'd leave 2 water dishes instead of 1, and put a few ice cubes in each to keep it cooler a bit longer. The dogs would still only drink slightly more than normal. They were just fine. If you come home to an empty bowl - leave more water out. If they never have an empty water bowl - that's the right amount. Dogs will hydrate appropriately.

Not sure - but I got nearly toppled over by a grey at a function my rescue group held a few years ago. A very confused woman was at the end of the leash- she got dragged- apologizing profusely. I squatted down and got grey kisses galore. I recognize the dog immediately. It was a foster of mine from 2 years prior. When he saw me he dragged his poor mom to get to me. When I explained she understood. We'd never met in person. We had someone else transport. We had a lovely conversation, and the grey bounced back and forth between the two of us as we stood talking, tail wagging off his butt! Attention to her, attention to me, back and forth. It was really cool. Yes. They remember people.

Is it working?

Regardless of the situation - pissing on the Cherios is not ok. Simple solution - put down the food - pick all bowls up as soon as each one gets done eating. No more checking each other's bowl's, certainly no more marking on them. Nip that behavior. There are times to figure out the reason why, and there are times to just stop the behavior. Stop this.

Greys are quirky - and curious. No harm. Don't worry. Same with the grass.

Our DD's bedroom was always a NO-GO for the greys. She always kept her door closed, or put a baby-gate in her door. After a bit, they didn't even try, without the door or gate. It was NO-GO. It's totally fine to make NO-GO rooms for dogs. In addition - I made my kitchen No-Go when I was cooking. The dogs could be there any other time, and were fed in there - but when it was cooking time - stay out! They totally understood that. They're smart. They can understand situations, and definately understand no-go rooms.

Relax -- wait - deal. This is normal.

Personally, I'd discontinue the meds. It's time. I think you're looking at very logically. It's OK to accept that things change, and at a certain point, some things aren't needed. Other things will be needed as he's aging. Your time, money, and energies will need to re-focus onto other things to make his twilight time great. Focus on that. It takes a priority shift.

Oh I forgot about the bunny nest incident here. That was bad. Diana found a rabbit nest in the yard and ... well.... it was BAD. I was SO mad at that mamma rabbit for not nesting OUTSIDE the fence.

They do that. It's their nature. The kill-list is high in my household. Birds, rabbits, mice, moles, a RAT (we had nasty neighbors for a while and actually had RATS around here -EEEEK!) the neighbor's chickens that got on my yard..... it's what they do. Keep your dog up on shots and a good worm-med, and it's fine. Not fun to deal with at all, but fine. Killing an animal does not make your dog a killer. It does not now have "blood lust". RELAX. Same dog.

They're all different about furniture. I wouldn't worry at all. Sit on a pillow on the floor leaning against the couch if you want to snuggle. Honestly, dogs not being on furniture is actually a good thing for many reasons.

My Diana had 2 dig spots in our fenced lawn. I tried to stop her, tried to redirect her, but then I just gave up. It gave her joy, and honestly, what do I care about 2 holes in my lawn? She was the only grey we had that was a digger. She's gone now, and her holes are filling in, but I still think of her and smile when I see the dents. Lord how she LOVED to dig! LOL! If it's not a problem, let it go.....

IMHO - visibility is not the issue. A dog learns where its fence it. I've had welded wire fencing for years. And - rabbits are stupid. They continued to nest in my yard that smelled of dog constantly. Or just come visit and basically ask to be chased and/or caught and killed. My Sobe was very good at dispatching rabbits. I'd chase them off constantly, but every few years, a rabbit would nest in my yard. WHY? ACRES of woods near-by. Can I then fault my grey when she plucks those baby rabbits out of the nest in HER yard? It wasn't pretty. But I can't fault the dog. I fault the stupid rabbit momma that could've nested 50 yards away. Sorry - I appreciate your ideas, but having lived it, it just doesn't work that way. Not in a rural environment.

I may have a different opinion on this that other posters. Take it or leave it. I live in a rural area, and I have a 3/4 acre fenced in yard. My yard is adjacent to pastures and woods. So, animals do wander in. I've always walked new dogs around the perimeter on-leash, then off-leash to make sure they saw the fence, which is just a 3 ft high welded wire mesh of 2x4 squares just like you're describing, and they "got" their area. After that, they were always off-leash in the yard. 14 of those dogs were short-term fosters. Yes, there was some chasing of rabbits, mice, moles, etc. And the occasional neighbor's chicken. Yes, there were a couple crashes or brushes into the fence. Not that many considering we've had 16 greys here. I remember maybe 3 or 4 times over 16 greys and 8 years when they bashed the fence. Honestly - a dog that hit the fence never did it again. Yes, I understand the "chase prey" focus - but they're not stupid. They have a memory, and spacial recognition. Anyone that says that a grey that has hit a fence won't remember that fence IMHO is mistaken. If I were you, I'd continue to take your dogs there, make a lap around the yard each time to flush out whatever animals you can , and remind your dogs of the fence - and then just let them run and have fun. There is NO reason to not let your dogs enjoy that yard. We can't bubble-wrap them. Nor should we.

Yes, you absolutely can. I don't remember the name of the brand I used, but I got it at Walmart in the human vitamin section. I will say that fish oil did wonders for my Sobe's skin and coat. What's your objective for using it? If it's skin and coat - I'd also recommend eggs. Just a tip from experience - some dogs will just gobble up a fish oil cap thrown in their food, and some will leave it behind. Or pick it up and drop it somewhere in the house (my Diana-brat). For those that won't just eat the cap in their food-bowl, I'd poke it with a pin and squirt the contents onto the food. Some will eat it when handed to them, but I had the best luck putting it in or on the food.

I don't actually believe that dogs grieve like people do, but I do think some dogs with SA only do better when they have another dog. My Sobe was one of them. We worked on his SA for months, then we got a foster, and it went away. We kept a parade of fosters for him. He never really bonded with any dog, even the one we adopted, but he was fine as long as there was another dog in the house for him to ignore. I loved having fosters, but honestly it was partly selfish to keep my dog OK. Some dogs just can't be only dogs IMHO. Others will disagree. They might be right, but I just couldn't figure out how to "fix" Sobe, other than give him a companion. I'm not suggesting your dog is the same as mine, or trying to give you advice. Just sharing my experience with one specific dog. Best of luck to you, and I'm so sorry for your loss. It's so hard.

The first thing I'd consider is environmental allergy. My Sobe licked and chewed his feet and nails every fall when there were leaves on the ground. No other allergy symptoms. Give Benadryl for a few days and see if that helps. If it does - great. If it doesn't, you've ruled one thing out. Benadryl won't hurt her at all. Next - are her nails too long? Some dogs hate it when their nails are long and will try to chew them off. Another easy fix. If those 2 easy fixes don't work - get to the vet. There may be a medical issue. And then, there's OCD type behavior. I'd rule out everything else first. I'd agree with others to distract, not correct when it happens. The dog isn't being "bad", there's just some reason you don't yet understand.

Is a dog-door an option? I assume you have a fenced yard.

Congrats! I had a foster that thought 5 am was the PERFECT time to wake up, and wake me up by barking in my ear. Whoever said greyhounds don't bark never met this guy. I assumed at first that he needed something so I took him for an "out". Nothing. I gave up and just stoically ignored the 5 am bark. One bark - in my ear - then he learned to just go away. I think if he'd been with me long enough, he'd have given it up, but he got adopted fairly quickly, and luckily his adopter was an early-riser so it was a non-issue.