Waggy tail prevention

[Flosseroo]

I'm in the process of hopefully adopting a 7-year-old male greyhound who's coming straight out of kennels. He seems to be a lovely, gentle boy, but he does have a very waggy tail. I found out about waggy tail issues earlier today, and am now trying to find out about ways to prevent him from hurting his tail on walls, doorframes, radiators, etc. Are there any behavioural tricks that work, or is it just something you need to keep an eye out for? What about if you leave them for an hour or two - is there a danger of coming back to a room sprayed with blood and a poorly hound in pain? 

[greytpups]

We’ve adopted 6 greyhounds over the years and only 1 had a tail injury, but she hit it on a brick wall. Personally, I wouldn’t be too concerned about happy tail. Our greyhounds hit walls and door frames, but never hard enough for an injury.

[macoduck]

This is a great tutorial from Greyhound Crossroads regarding happy tail. http://www.greyhoundcrossroads.com/index.php?page=wrapping-happy-tail

Keep the items mentioned in your doggy first aid kit. I would not put them on as a preventive measure before an injury occurs.

[Flosseroo]

Thank you, greytpups, that's really reassuring to hear. We already have a 9-year-old girl, but she doesn't have a particularly waggy tail, so we've not had to worry about happy tail with her. I must say, I got a bit worried about the possibility when the woman from the adoption charity mentioned it yesterday. On the flip side, I'm really pleased to see that he looks so happy in a home environment and around people in general. Our girl's always been timid around new people, and generally has her tail between her legs - so this is very different! ☺️

Thanks for the link, macoduck, I'll make a note of this link and will add these to the (long) list of items I'll need to buy if the adoption goes ahead.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Flosseroo

[EllenEveBaz]

Only 1 injury here, too, in 20+ years and seven hounds.  Jeter has a classic helicopter tail, and it's extra-long.  And he's an exuberant guy.  "Wagging" seems too mild a word -- that energy could probably be harnessed to create an auxiliary electricity source.  

I put new hounds in a wire crate when I leave the house.  On Jeter's first day in the crate, I came home to a joyously happy dog and blood spraying all over the room.  The crate was put away and never used again.  It took almost a month of bandaging before the tail was healed.  Jeter creates his own symphony of sounds whirling that tail against various surfaces, but he's never (crossed fingers) had another tail injury.  

Hope the adoption comes to pass and that you'll enjoy having your own mobile percussion section.  

Edited April 6, 2021 by EllenEveBaz