New Kid On The Block

[Dave_P]

Good morning GT Folks! Last week I picked a 4-5 year old male GH from the local breeder/racer. Milo is a bit underweight, friendly, but very shy.

 

I have 2 other dogs, so I introduced everyone, with no snapping or aggression from anyone! Did a short walk around the property, and then took him off the lease - no problems at all - he hung with his new pack. All my dogs have free run of the large fenced property.

 

I imagine he has never been in a house before. First couple of nights he slept in the yard, then he got the hang of the steps, and slept on the back porch by himself.

 

Eventually he got over the fear of the house and came inside. Very inquisitive, but nervous. He slept next to the common bedroom for a couple of nights, and recently has been sleeping with all of us together - so that is nice!

 

My biggest problem now is how to get him out of the house for a walk! Tried peanut butter. A big bowl of food works in the morning. Other than that, I tried pushing, pulling, turning his head, etc - no go. So what I do now is put a large belt around his chest, lift up his front legs with that, and drag his butt out the door.

 

He does not like it much, but I think he is OK with it for now. Glad he doesn't weigh much more than 75 lbs! I need to get a few more pounds on him, but that can wait a it til he is more comfortable.

 

Thanks for listening!

Dave

 

[XTRAWLD]

Welcome.

 

I have you tried walking your other dogs with him to see if that encourages him to get out the door?

[dmdsmoxie]

You can tell his age by his right ear tattoo. If he was born in May 2012 the right ear tattoo will be 52 and a letter. The first number if the month he was born and the last number is the last number of the year he was born.

[greysmom]

Put a collar and a leash on him and walk out the door. If you must walk him without, remove them after you've started. I wouldn't recommend it with a dog who hasn't been bonded with you for a while, or trained in any sort of recall. Unless your property is securely fenced the entire way around you may lose him.

[BatterseaBrindl]

This may help you understand your new boy better

 

http://www.northerngreyhoundadoptions.org/ThoughtsOfAGrey.php

Edited May 3, 2017 by BatterseaBrindl

[Scoutsmom]

Lovely, handsome boy!

 

 

I'm not quite clear on your message. Is he pooping in the house, or is he following the other dogs out and pooping in the yard? If the second, Great! If the first, you need to work on housetraining.

Is it that you want to take him on a walk on the leash? Put a collar and leash on him, and enthusiastically go toward's the door. If you can take one of your other dogs at the same time, it will help him see what is wanted. You can also bribe him with treats and give him gentle nudges. You also might want to just walk around inside the house at first, then go thru the door to the porch, then back in--small steps.

[Dave_P]

Thanks folks!

 

"have you tried walking your other dogs" We always try to go out as a pack, sometimes Milo follows, sometimes not.

 

"You can tell his age by his right ear tattoo" I guess I need better glasses, too faint for me to read.

 

"Put a collar and a leash on him and walk out the door." No success with this yet.

 

"I'm not quite clear on your message." Except for one accident, he behaves in the house. What I want him to do is follow the rest of us out the door, no collar, and take a stroll around the property. I do this about 5 times a day.

 

"This may help you understand your new boy better" I will read this now.

 

Dave

[dmdsmoxie]

"You can tell his age by his right ear tattoo" I guess I need better glasses, too faint for me to read.

 

Try putting a flashlight behind his ear. You can also put some baby oil on the tattoo.

Edited May 4, 2017 by dmdsmoxie

[Dave_P]

More progress every day - Milo walked out the door with the pack about 2-3 times so far today - unaided!

 

And all my dogs did the right thing when we ran across a black racer snake in the yard - they looked and then stayed away.

[Brandiandwe]

Maybe he just takes retirement seriously? Is there a reason you want him to talk 5 times a day? I know that all of mine would think that that many walks is simply interrupting valuable napping time.

[GeorgeofNE]

So none of your dogs have tags or collars?

 

Sorry, but that's a bit nuts. At a bare minimum, they should wear ID.

[Dave_P]

"So none of your dogs have tags or collars?" Nope. I live at the end of a dead-end private road, and they have a well-fenced 15 acres to romp in; about half virgin woods and half wooded yard.

[IndyMama77]

Dave, just checking in to say that I am jealous of your fenced 15 acres! That sounds like a dream! Best of luck with the new addition, he'll get the hang of it all soon enough.

[Dave_P]

Thanks Mama - it is very nice and peaceful - sometimes too much!

 

Had a great dog race this morning - Milo was running flat out (for the first time, I think) doing loops around the yard. Dixie (little pound pup) ran her heart out, cutting corners were she could. They did this for at least a quarter mile - great to see! And what does everyone else do to let their dog really run? Big dog parks maybe? Or an unsued ball field?

And Milo is much more comfortable going in and out the house now - no issues there anymore.

[Brandiandwe]

How big is your pound pup? I would give some thought as to the relative weights of each dog and the physics of one dog who might be heavier and much faster running into a smaller, slower dog. Something will tend to squish.....

 

I run mine at a friends gallop paddock. But there tends to be more snugging and peering than running!

[EllenEveBaz]

Welcome to your handsome Milo (and your other pups) from my Milo. We think my Milo is a lurcher -- probably a greyhound/coonhound mix. Your Milo sounds like he's a little less unsocialized than most, but doing fine adjusting to being a pet. Hope he enjoys putting on his additional pounds. If you haven't already, you might want to have him checked for worms. It's fairly common for greys to have picked them up when living in a group kennel. Ball fields, as you thought, can be good places to run greys with a little safety netting to cover the exits, but most fields have signs warning of immediate decapitation if you let dogs run there, probably due to people not picking up dog poop. I have a 90 x 180 fenced yard -- nowhere near your acreage, but they get in some good sprints chasing squirrels and rabbits. There's someone else in Florida who takes her dogs (large group including other breeds plus greys) unleashed out in wild areas and posts beautiful pictures here. I can't recall the name, but someone will.

[Dave_P]

A trip to the vet soon is in order. Previous owner says he is good with all shots (has to be certified to race??) but I will take care of him.

 

Dixie is my little brindle pound pup, about half the weight of Milo - besides being the alpha dog, she is the smallest, youngest, and kinda tough. And Beauregard has been my close companion for the last decade (Golden Retriever / Chow).

 

Here is short video of them. (hope this shows up correctly)

 

Edited May 7, 2017 by Dave_P

[EllenEveBaz]

Many people would think Dixie is a good-sized dog, but not of course compared with your other two

 

Florida dogs on trails -- Here's a link to a thread with walking photos by WhiteWave, the Florida member noted above http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/318573-the-pack/

[greysmom]

Dogs have been vaccinated - rabies and kennel cough, maybe some others depending on your state - but if he's running loose on acerage you should definitely do a leptospirosis vaccine. Also, I think most states require a current rabies vaccine for licensing. I know our group usually just redoes all the vaccines once they get to us to make sure everyone is fully covered.