Dog_Horse_Girl

Your future pup will let you know when she needs to go to the toilet...most pups and dogs whine, some scratch (at the door to signal they want to go out) and some bark. A very few do nothing but you can train your dog to use the signal you would like her to use for "toilet please". I know of many greyhounds (pets) that have been trained to ring a bell at the door. My own dogs usually go to the door or become VERY playful/excitable and this is their cue to me that it's time to go outside. Crates make toilet training much easier for you and your pup/dog. Good on you for investigating training ideas before your pup comes home, that will certainly help once she is with you!

It really depends on the dog, but in my experience, Supercoat results in stinky gas at both ends. All of mine are on raw, whole foods and rarely fart - burping is another matter though! When they do fart it's usually quite tolerable. I notice they get stinky if they eat too much offal in one meal so I've been sure to limit the serving sizes to avoid this. I also tried them on the BARF patties but this resulted in an upset tummy (Lilly, AKA Miss-Sensitive-Guts) and stinky farts all round. So I haven't repeated the experience and have 9 patties in the freezer still. ;) I guess finding the right nutrition for your dog can be trial and error (it was for Lilly and once I switched her to raw, they all switched) hopefully you can find the right food or combination before too long.

Glad to hear things seem on the improve with the new vet Noisy. OH and I have moved interstate many times b/c of his job and therefore, we've had many different vets. We've had all types from the excellent to the very poor that don't warrant a repeat visit under any circumstances. I find that most vets respect clients who make an effort to find out about their pet's "normal" range of behaviours and physical signs (such as bowel motions - type and frequency, disposition, likes and dislikes re handling), and what seems to be "not normal", and also when the change/s happened, why you noticed the change and what brought you to the vet's clinic. When Lilly was off-colour a few weeks ago, all the above was important. She wasn't "sick" in any real sense, but she wasn't herself either. I went through every subtle change, related it all to the vet in a very detailed and clear manner, and listened to his theories and possible diagnostic tools and likely outcomes. I asked intelligent/well-informed questions when needed, and my vet (who I was seeing for the first time b/c we had not needed a vet here before this occasion) was superb. Needless to say, despite the fact that I don't have a concrete diagnosis, I'm very happy with the vet's response and course of action. Lilly has recovered to her usual goofy self except for the odd moment of discomfort, and I'm fairly certain his opinion was spot-on. I'm very happy to continue seeing him and to recommend him to anyone looking for a good vet. ;) BTW - if you're not happy during an exam of your pet, feel free to ask questions or push for an explanation. I have found that most vets are more than happy to describe what they're looking at/for, and most are very happy to give as much info as is needed for you to understand what's happening. If they're not, then you need to find a new vet! We've done this once or twice over the years...while it's painful to start the search anew, it's worth it once you find that fabulous vet.

Hi and welcome! Firstly, the mix of breeds in your pup suggests that you will be conned into thinking he is starving...that's just a breed trait of the beagle and they're very food-motivated, as is the cocker. You can use this to your advantage in obedience training b/c your pup will work very hard for food treats! Just be sure to monitor his weight b/c both breeds can be prone to gaining weight if the diet/exercise mix is out of whack. Secondly, the pet shop is incorrect. Young pups need three feeds per day, morning, lunchtime, and evening and often a snack before bed too. Pups are growing fast and need smaller but more frequent meals than grown dogs. Reduce to twice-daily meals when the pup is about five months of age. I'm not sure why you would cook for your pup b/c dogs don't need cooked foods, in fact, their digestive systems cope much better with raw foods than cooked or processed. I feed my dogs on raw, whole foods, based on the principle that this is what they have evolved to eat and that we should mimic their "natural diet" as closely as is reasonable and possible. This means that my dogs eat mostly raw meaty bones, with raw offal, raw pulverised vegetation (veg and fruits), and some extras including tinned sardines, raw eggs, and yoghurt with probiotics from time to time. Before switching diets on your pup, I'd encourage you to do some research. I spent months researching raw foods diets before changing over and my dogs haven't looked back. But a good dry food is quite acceptable for most ppl and their dogs, as long as it's not something from the supermarket or lower end of the scale nutritionally. If you can afford it, opt for a truly super premium kibble such as Eagle Pack Holistic...well worth the money in terms of superior nutrition and quality ingredients. I hope this helps.

I didn't say there was anything wrong with using a spray bottle as a deterrent Peibe. I put forth a possible reason for the pup's behavoiur b/c I know many ppl use the spray bottle method to assist in training their dogs and especially pups.

He may have been punished or deterred from unwanted behaviour by using a spray bottle to squirt water (or vinegar) at him...this would explain his fear of spray bottles. Many ppl think this type of thing is acceptable to use to stop unwanted behaviours but another unwanted outcome is fear-based behaviours which I think is what you're seeing. What has your breeder said about the problem?

Each of my dogs *love* their lamb flaps, even my tiny dog Molly. I just ensure she gets an appropriate-sized piece... Lamb flaps are great but if your dog needs to lose weight, probably best to trim the fat first. Every dog figures out to crunch the bones up...it's instinct but in some dogs, that has been temporarily forgotten b/c they've been fed processed all their lives. My dogs get lamb flaps once a week or sometimes twice a week. They are raw fed and get a wide variety of meaty bones every week. I only wish I could get whole rabbit at a reasonable price (and have just heard of a source, so maybe I'll try that soon). :D

Female greyhounds would be considered "medium" size...Lilly weighs just on 25kg, and she's only mid-thigh-high on me (I'm 5 feet 2 inches) which is not a big dog at all. The chewing problem you mention was either boredom (not provided with appropriate things to do while left at home) or separation anxiety (not provided with appropriate training in how to be happy while left at home, not provided with "company" such as TV or music, and not given activities to keep him/her busy) and both of these things are completely fixable. It sounds as if you are looking for something that doesn't exist: a small dog that requires little human company, minimal training to fit into your household, and happy to be left with nothing to do while you're away. :D A cat would certainly be a more appropriate choice of species given the above.

Why don't you "like greyhounds at all"??? What's NOT to like? They're gentle, placid, docile, loving, easy to care for, require minimal exercise and grooming, and simply love us like no other dog I've known. Their only real "flaw" is that they like to take over the soft furniture... Seriously, please explain why this breed isn't on your short-list. I'm interested to know what it is you don't seem to like about them. I will *always* have greyhounds now...ALWAYS.

Thanks Bitty, she's feeling much better (thank you Rimadyl!) but the danger is that she won't "rest" enough and will keep aggravating it...assuming it's a neck disc that's giving her grief. I hope those poor ppl get some justice for their dog. I can't get their teenager's face out of my head...he was so upset. Hamish was quite shaken by it too. Some days really just suck, don't they? :D ETA - I'd forgotten about the kiss...with all the trauma and everything else. It was so cute, eh?

Mooper, if you mean Lilly rolled around, growled in her sleep, woke up whining (she was cold!), and kicked me in the ribs a few times, then yep! She slept like a baby! She has a habit of starting off in her own bed but migrating to my bed through the night (as if I won't notice, or something?) and then taking over the bed altogether. Little brat! :D She can't be too cold though, b/c she is now wearing her coat 24/7...and the heater is on low all night, "for the dogs". I just don't know how I'm supposed to keep her "quiet" for the next six weeks...six days is challenging enough!

Many ppl with dogs work full time hours and their dogs manage...personally, my dogs are left for about 10 hours through the week b/c I work full time and at least four nights per week I go to the gym after work. But they didn't arrive at my home and get thrown into that situation: it took "alone training", establishing a routine (for the dog to learn our patterns), and being realistic in our expectations, to create the situation where the dogs accept our work hours and absences and take it in their stride. Plus realising that issues such as Separation Anxiety and diet can play a huge role in how well a dog copes alone. With three dogs, we could simply leave them together...but as they are all different sizes and temperaments, this would be foolhardy at best. So we separate them and they each have their own space inside the house. We have two DAP diffusers, Molly has a crate in our room with the door left open and I suspect she spends 80% of her time in her crate, Ruby has our family room/kitchen, and Lilly has the lounge/dining room. They each have a kong toy, rope toys, nylabones, and we rotate other toys such as treat balls, busy buddies, and everlasting treat balls. They also have "company" - classical music, radio, and TV. They were taught from the beginning that it was OK to be left alone for short periods, and this alone time was gradually increased until they each coped with four hours alone. Once a dog can be happy alone for that time period, any additional time isn't too difficult for them to manage. From time to time, each dog is left a food trail to hunt. This doesn't happen often and there is no distinct pattern to this particular activity so they never know when to expect it. :D Doing such things keeps them busy and interested in their environment. Exercise and mental stimulation work hand-in-hand to help the home alone dog cope with their alone time. Dogs are designed to do jobs and without these jobs, they will find their own work, which may include behaviours such as excessive vocalising, destroying your home or garden, or toileting in unacceptable places. With appropriate training and management of dog and environment, we can do much to reduce the likelihood of such outcomes. But there are no guarantees. For you, what I'd suggest is adopting your dog when you can take some time from work to begin the training (alone training and routine making) the dog will need. If you can't do this, then perhaps you could employ a dog walker (or family member or friend) to visit your new dog daily (midday is good), so that the dog is getting let out to the toilet and going for some exercise and activity. Or if you live close to your workplace, you could spend your lunchbreak at home with your dog. All of these are workable ideas...but you also need to be realistic in terms of what the dog can reasonably cope with. I hope this helps. BTW - Welcome to DOL.

Yes, crate training pays off so many times over...especially if you get them into the crate training from the day you bring them home. I crate trained Molly literally in one day...she *loves* her crate and chooses to put herself to bed some nights well before everyone else is ready! Molly was about 2 yrs old when I adopted her, so you can teach an old(er) dog new tricks. :D You need to be consistent and patient in most cases, and reward the behaviour you want in the dog, and ignore the behaviour you don't want. Crating your dog means that you know s/he won't destroy your place b/c s/he is confined. Crating your dog also means that toilet training is very easy as most pups (except some pet shop pups) don't want to use their bed as their toilet. I don't envy you having to try to train two pups simultaneously. That is a whole lot of hard work to take on at once! Best of luck!

Yep, I see Hamish! ;) Anne, I too was/am worried about osteo - it's one of my biggest fears with GHs. I do feel it's just a disc problem or perhaps a touch of arthritis. Thinking back since we took Lilly in, she has only spent one winter in the ACT before, and that year we had her on a senior supplement even though she was quite young (3 yrs). It helped with her stiffness (very much a sign of arthritis!), so I'm really hoping that we are dealing with something relatively benign. I'll also get her back onto the supplement shortly to see what happens. If things are not improving, I'll jump at the X-rays. I just don't want to put her through that if it's not necessary and so far, I trust the vet's advice and opinion. Lilly's neck flexion is not good and she's obviously resisting movement through the neck area on exam and in general. Lilly had her first dose of Rimadyl this evening and seems to be a little more comfortable (and I hope she gets a good night's sleep tonight! )...and I'll keep updating as things happen. I appreciate everyone's thoughts and well-wishes very much - thanks!

Oh, goodness, she's a BABY. I would advise to bring her inside and crate her if needed, but this girl needs your reassurance and your presence above everything else ATM. I also believe from experience, that the easiest and least confusing way to house train a dog is to keep them indoors at all times, taking them outside primarily to toilet. You need to name the behaviour and ask for the behaviour. My three all toilet on command. It's a very valuable lesson to help your dog learn. Your dog is a baby and as such, is behaving as you would expect: being clingy and confused about your role in her life is normal. It's up to you to reassure her that you are protecting her, that you are helping her to learn how to live in your family, and that, no matter what, she CAN rely on you to meet her needs. I doubt this is a genuine case of SA - I have two with moderate to severe SA and believe me, this is unlikely to be it...if she was digging up your yard, howling all the time you are absent, getting through the fence to find you, or harming herself b/c she was trying to dig out through concrete, then you would likely be facing SA. But what you describe is normal puppy behaviour IMO. So, to sum up: bring her inside at least for now. Crate or otherwise confine her when you can't be there to supervise. Have her sleep in her crate in your room at night. Provide safe toys and activities for when she's alone. Begin alone training if you haven't already started (but I'm supposing you have and it's just not working yet). Hang in there. It will get better. Oh, and if you haven't already got some reading material, I'd strongly suggest you get a few good, recent, puppy raising books and refer to them as you need to. :D HTH. Please keep us updated.

Oh, what a day! Firstly, we have some 'news' of sorts regarding Lilly's condition: it's an inflammatory response most likely in her neck (vet thinks she's just got a bit of a disc problem that will hopefully resolve itself). She's on Rimadyl for 10 days and strict rest. No zoomies! Not that she's in the mood for zoomies ATM but once that med kicks in, I'll have to watch her closely. The most horrible situation happened while we were waiting at the vet. A family brought in their beloved dog that had been attacked in its own yard, by another dog that jumped over the fence into their yard. The poor family was distraught...the dog was a mess...the outcome was tragic. The poor dog had been ripped apart on a major blood vessel and basically bled to death in front of the vet and family. Needless to say, I was also upset, as was my lovely vet...he's such a nice bloke and I could see just how distressed the situation had made him. This poor family's teenaged son looked completely devastated, poor love. I just wanted to hug them all. :D Back to Lilly - if all goes well, she should settle down in no time - there can be a recovery period of between 6 and 12 wks, so it's going to be interesting trying to stop her from zoomies for that long! If she doesn't improve - or gets worse - we go to X-rays for a closer look. Will keep everyone updated and thanks for the well-wishes so far!

Thanks KW, I'll be updating as I know more...right now, I just want her to be OK. I had to take time off work on Friday...can't do that again so soon, so I'll have to get an after work hours appointment. I think the vet's hours accommodate that. Hope the MPW was a good day! I'm so sorry that Lilly and I missed it but she wasn't feeling up to such a big day.

OK, my mind is made up - I'll get her back to the vet tomorrow. I've just had the greyhound scream of death AGAIN...and all b/c Lilly changed position on the chair she was lying on. I helped her off the chair and onto the floor but she promptly went and jumped up on the lounge instead. She looks genuinely puzzled as to what is going on. As I am. I know she's in pain...I just need to find the cause...then treat it. I am hurting b/c she is hurting. And I can't do anything about it right now.

Feralpup I use a juicer to process the veg and fruit, not a processor or blender. A good juicer can easily handle raw veg including pumpkin. Mine was a wedding gift (and we celebrated our 10th anniversary in Jan)...and still going very strong. IMO a little cooked veg from time to time won't hurt if you don't have raw. But raw is preferable. Bear in mind though, that a raw, whole foods diet relies mostly on raw meaty bones, then offal, with a little vegetation and the occasional meal that includes sardines, raw egg and perhaps some yoghurt (for the probiotics more than anything else). The bulk of the diet though, is RMBs. If your pup is overweight, this is a sign that you're overfeeding or underexercising (or usually both). I would firstly examine how much exercise the pup is getting, then examine how many calories the pup is eating compared to the recommendations for a pup of that age and breed. Be sure to include snacks and treats as well as meals. When I make a slop batch (or three, as is usually the case!), all the vegetation is mixed together. I use a wide variety of plant matter to make the batches - that's one of the big keys to success with any dietary regimen...variety is more likely to result in success no matter what the goal may be. The ingredients I include, not limited to these, but generally and in no particular order: green beans, tomatoes (not much and not often), pumpkin, sweet potato, capsicum (not much and not often), zucchini, bok choy, silverbeet, beetroot (one of their favourite ingredients!), apple, pear, stone fruit, melons, kiwi fruit, and strawberries (only if they're very lucky b/c I like them too much!). I use a lot higher ratio of veg to fruit. I also include some crushed garlic in some batches, and some LSA (linseed, almond and sunflower crushed) in some batches. Most methods of raw feeding recommend no more than 50% plant matter in the dog that needs weight loss. This is not intended to be a permanent change...just to help the dog lose weight. Some proponents also say to reduce or remove offal, others don't. If you wish to consider using a raw foods diet for your dog, I'd urge you to do some thorough research before you do so. It's not "rocket science" but you do need to have a good understanding of nutritional requirements and how to manage a balanced raw foods diet. If you're feeding a lower quality processed food, try switching to a higher quality. You'll generally see a better result and the better brands don't actually cost more in real terms, it just seems that way b/c the purchase price is higher. You certainly feed much less of a good food than a poorer one. Your dog certainly gets more nutrition from a good food, and is able to use more of the food b/c there is a lower filler to food ratio. If you are adding lots of meaty bones, your dog won't be losing weight at all...perhaps this is the real cause of the problem? You are feeding both processed foods and a number of bones per week? Try to examine the caloric load your pup is really eating, as I said, b/c this will make a huge difference in the long run. HTH.

No, of course not Rappie! Although I realise there are good vets and not so good vets...this one is a good one! I think increasingly vets are understanding that owners are often able to comprehend the management and diagnosis of their animals' ailments, and I appreciate a professional treating me as a "partner" rather than just a patient's handler. I'm hoping it's the cold weather that's predominately responsible for Lilly's symptoms, but she will be going back through the week...I'm cautious for good reason. I know of a number of retired racers diagnosed with osteosarcoma, among other things, and her symptoms, while vague, could be an indicator of something more serious than a stiff neck. OTOH, it could simply be a stiff neck! She *is* a very wussy dog with pain. So the slightest twinge results in the "greyhound scream" which obviously scares the heck out of me (and my neighbours must wonder what sort of torture I'm putting her through). Thanks again Rappie, I'll keep updating the thread as things change (or not, as the case may be). BTW - I have the utmost respect for most vets, it's a difficult job a lot of the time, eh?

Brand new wire crates are not expensive. For a medium-sized dog, the most you ought to pay is around $180-$200. I have four crates, two airline and two wire folding types. Total outlay for the lot? About $380 or $400. Shop around and you ought to find them new at a reasonable price unless you're in a remote area (and we bought the two wire ones in Darwin, so "shipping" charges also applied ). I would not use a portacot for a dog unless you don't care if it's destroyed. Urine will corrode the timber base if it has one...puppy teeth will quickly chew through the mesh sides.

I haven't yet taken Lilly back to the vet b/c the symptoms have abated again. She did have a complete physical exam on Friday, in fact the vet did a very thorough job. He not only looked at the skeletal components particularly the spinal flexion, but the gastro-intestinal tract in case it may have been a toxic response, listened to her heartbeat and respiration (all within normal), bladder palpation to see if perhaps she was unable to pass urine (bladder was empty enough to indicate no problems there and she had passed urine that morning without incident), and just to be sure, he gave her tummy a good "going over" as well. He checked her legs, joints, ligaments, knees, wrist flexion, toes, etc, and again all was within normal. Her neck flexion was less than 100% but that was his only (slight) concern on examination - and a tiny possibility of mild dehydration which is why I got some electrolyte powder. I reckon I'll get her back to him through the week though - he is a very good vet and many DOLers (and I think ARF?) use him. I don't want to see her in pain, but ATM with her rug on, she's seemingly symptom-free again. I also just took her out for a short walk and her gait and stance is normal. Perhaps the cold is affecting her demeanour and perhaps when she's rugged she doesn't feel so uncomfortable? And she's getting plenty of TLC! How can I not spoil such a creature... Rappie, thanks very much for your opinion. I appreciate it very much.

Double post - oops.

I've been using dog crates for a while now and I don't think the dogs think it's cruel at all. In fact, Molly's bed is inside her crate (right next to my bed) and she can't wait to get in there every night! She also chooses to spend most of her day crated even though the crate door is open and she has acces to the bathroom and hallway as well as my bedroom. How do I know this? Her toys are *always* in her bed in the crate when I get home, no matter where they began the day (usually on the floor outside the crate). Crates are useful tools in so many situations. I use one for Molly's safety and comfort (she's much smaller than the other two dogs and is liable to get squashed in the night), and it made toilet training her that much easier (she was adopted aged two yrs but had never been properly toilet trained, but she is now). I've recently loaned a large wire crate to my sister for her three dogs (they're all toy-sized and all sleep together) and they also love being crated at night. Previously they slept in the laundry and now they're in the living room, so I'm sure they much prefer the crate option! If you want to train your pup, now is the time to start, and crate training is so simple as long as you remember to make it positive and fun. Do not use a crate for a "time out" type of punishment, b/c then your dog will associate "bad things" with "crate time". You don't want that.

Lilly is only six and a half yrs old, but I suspect she has arthritis. Friday morning she was not her usual self and I took her to see the vet (having lived here just over six months, it was our first visit to this particular clinic). Blood tests revealed nothing majorly wrong (slightly depressed immune system, which could indicate a minor viral load). But she was/is clearly in pain. She was given a tolfedine injection (anti-inflammatory), which brightened her up again by the evening. Yesterday morning she was her usual lazy self but she has declined again overnight and this morning. She woke up in pain at around 3am...and has had a few incidents of yelping as she gets up or lies down. I've now rugged her and will ring the vet at 3pm when they open... I think the pain is originating in her neck and low back. She went to shake herself earlier, but rather than the usually vigorous body-shake, she moved her head slowly from side to side, then stopped. She also had her tail tucked when I took her outside and her legs were trembling. (It wasn't particularly cold overnight either.) Obviously, I'm going to relate all this to the vet and I'll be guided by his opinion and advice. But does this sound familiar to anyone with a GH in its middle years? I've had elderly dogs before exhibiting the same symptoms that were diagnosed with arthritis. Anti-inflammatories were prescribed over the colder months and this helped. But the onset age was between 9 and 11 yrs.