Greyhound Dogs--Training Update #244

[clh2]

My DH is going to kill you for giving me that link! I'm in Orlando, so obviously during the summer Skeet won't need a coat. but in the cooler months of the winter he's going to need one for those early morning and evening walks when it's only 40-50 out. I loved the hoodie style!

Thanks again!

Anne

There is nothing better than a guy who is well-dressed! Personally, I'd be broke if we had a grey. We live in Wisconsin, and last winter, our temps reached 30 below zero, not to mention the wind chill down to about -60.

Congrats. We want pics. Lots of pics. Hope your week goes quickly!

Just another thing to think about. Don't know if you have a vet picked out yet. You may want to start asking your friends for recommendations. In our neighborhood, people use about 3 different clinics, all for very specific reasons. (3 SAHM's love a vet that is about 1 hour away, and has horrid hours if you are a working person; one uses a vet clinic that has 3 vets, so there is always someone available for last minute things that come up, we use someone who is open until 5:30, as well as 2 Saturday mornings per month and is only 6 minutes from our house).

We took our dog in a couple of days after we got him from the humane society, and he gives a complimentary check-up for rescue and humane society dogs

Also - it is good to know where the closest emergency vet (i.e. 24/7) in your area is.

 

[ducklite]

Just another thing to think about. Don't know if you have a vet picked out yet. You may want to start asking your friends for recommendations. In our neighborhood, people use about 3 different clinics, all for very specific reasons. (3 SAHM's love a vet that is about 1 hour away, and has horrid hours if you are a working person; one uses a vet clinic that has 3 vets, so there is always someone available for last minute things that come up, we use someone who is open until 5:30, as well as 2 Saturday mornings per month and is only 6 minutes from our house).

We took our dog in a couple of days after we got him from the humane society, and he gives a complimentary check-up for rescue and humane society dogs

Also - it is good to know where the closest emergency vet (i.e. 24/7) in your area is.

I'll be using the vet that I use for my ferrets for the routine stuff. Vax, heartworm meds, etc. I've got to talk to him about more advanced care. One thing I like about him is that he's the first to admit that with the ferrets he's knowledgeable enough for routine care, but not so for most surgical proceedures, and I'll use a vet in Gainesville (about 90 minutes away) who I know and trust for those if/when the time comes with the ferrets.

I'm sure he'll be the same way with the greyhound, if he doesn't know enough about them as a specialty he'll refer me to someone who does for surgeries, etc. The rescue gave me a list of five or six very greyhound knowledgeable vets in the area.

One of the first things I did when we moved here was to find the closest night/weekend/holiday emergency vet place. It's not too far from the dog park we'll be going to.

Anne

 

[manleykr]

Congrats. Greyhounds are wonderful pets and quickly steal your heart. They are so low maintenance. Bathing them once or twice a year. No big dog smell. We had a Japanese Chin before we got our first Greyhound. We went from a 12 lb dog to a 55 lb dog. Greyhounds are so calm and laid back. We use Nutro Max for our gang.

 

[bekkiz]

A couple more suggestions:

A front clip harness is great, and won't put pressure on his neck. The work a lot like a horse bridle, in the sense the the pressure come on the sides of the dog (the shoulders, as opposed to the mouth of the hourse). I'm always nervous about a regular or even slip collar, falling off a dog with a skinny neck. Or that the slip collar will pull to tight (if he sees a squirrel or something)

Something like this: http://www.softouchconcepts.com/products/sense_ible_harness.html

For food, the main rec I can give is to look at the first 4-5 ingredients. You do not want wheat, corn or any sort of by-product (like "chicken by-product") in the first 4 or 5. We use Wellness, and have used Solid Gold in the past. But again, anything without those 3 things is probably a pretty good food.

I'm SO happy for you and I bet the Skeet will really add a lot to your household!

 

[disneynutt1225]

I'm late to the party, but congratulations, Anne! Sounds like you found a perfect fit, and I'm sure you're going to give Skeet a wonderful home.

Allow me to introduce you to Dr.'s Foster and Smith. My favorite website/catalog for spoiling my beagle! They're great - I buy everything from them - collars, leashes, dog beds, etc. Their products are stellar and they ship quickly!

 

[Magickndm]

Wow, he's a tiny male. Dasher is 80 pounds and certainly not huge by grey standards. As far as "filling" him out, you don't want him gaining too much weight, you should always be able to see his last 2 ribs. My guy eats 4 cups of food a day. We feed him Nutro for sensitive systems. Greys are prone to iffy tummies and skin problems.

Also, I noticed that none of the hounds sat, they either stood or were laying down, and I asked about it. You're right, they have to learn to sit, and the lady said it's quite comical watching them learn. It's just not a natual position for them!

Thanks again everybody!

Anne

I've never taught Dasher to sit for this reason. It's just not natural. He lays down when asked.
And you do want a grey savvy vet, their numbers in some tests are different than other breeds and you have to be very careful with anesthesia.

 

[ducklite]

Wow, he's a tiny male. Dasher is 80 pounds and certainly not huge by grey standards. As far as "filling" him out, you don't want him gaining too much weight, you should always be able to see his last 2 ribs. My guy eats 4 cups of food a day. We feed him Nutro for sensitive systems. Greys are prone to iffy tummies and skin problems.

Yes, he is very small for a male, more like a female in size.

It seems that the Nutro is pretty popular with greyhound owners. I've been doing a ton of reading today, and I'm going to guess that a good half of the greyhound owners who have talked about food on various Internet boards are using the Nutro. The other one I was considering is Innova EVO. I've used other Innova products for the ferrets in the past, and were very happy with them. Innova is more expensive, but it seems that they eat a little less of it as well because it's meat, meat, and meat, no fillers. They told me that I have to make sure he eats a high protein, low fat diet because he will easily gain too much weight, and that can easily lead to hock problems.

I've never taught Dasher to sit for this reason. It's just not natural. He lays down when asked.

Did you take him to an obedience class? When the others are taught to sit, what did you do? I don't want Skeet to have to do anything that would be uncomfortable to him, and all I really care about for commands are "sit/lie down," "stay," "come," "leave it," and "paw/other one." The "paw" command is not for the purpose of doing tricks, but rather to train him to lift his paws to be wiped off as we come into the house after walks. A friend of mine did that with her Dob and her Great Dane, and it works well to help keep the house clean.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Allow me to introduce you to Dr.'s Foster and Smith. My favorite website/catalog for spoiling my beagle! They're great - I buy everything from them - collars, leashes, dog beds, etc. Their products are stellar and they ship quickly!

They just purchased the company I've been buying ferret supplies from for the past 13 years or so, and they've sent me a bunch of catalogues. I fell asleep circling stuff that Skeet "needs" last night.

Anne

 

[Magickndm]

Did you take him to an obedience class?
Anne

No, I got lucky, he knew that when we got him. We did teach him stay, and he comes when called unless he's outside and sunning himself.

 

[ducklite]

Well, I feel a lot poorer right now. I just ordered a crate, crate pad, stainless steel non-slip bowls, a teeth cleaning kit, and a Kong for Skeet from Dr. Foster and Smith. I can't decide which bed to get, and am still thinking about the food.

Does anyone mix two foods together? I mix three different dry kibbles for the ferrets, it gives them a little variety--mental note, keep Skeet out of the very expensive ferret kibble!! I'm wondering if it might not be a bad idea to mix the Innova EVO and the Nutro together. One nice thing about that is that if for some reason I can't get one of them, it's not a total shock to the digestive system to drop to just one instead of the blend for a few days.

Anne

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

Woo Hoo Congrats Anne. He is very handsome.
'

Good for you!

We have been using Science Diet dry food and it makes very hard and consistent bowel movements. We call it pick up poop

 

[Magickndm]

Well, I feel a lot poorer right now. I just ordered a crate, crate pad, stainless steel non-slip bowls,

You might want to buy something they fit in to raise the bowls up. Your guy is on the small side so he may be ok with bowls on the floor, but mine looks a lot like a giraffe trying to eat something off the floor.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Well, I feel a lot poorer right now. I just ordered a crate, crate pad, stainless steel non-slip bowls, a teeth cleaning kit, and a Kong for Skeet from Dr. Foster and Smith. I can't decide which bed to get, and am still thinking about the food.

Does anyone mix two foods together? I mix three different dry kibbles for the ferrets, it gives them a little variety--mental note, keep Skeet out of the very expensive ferret kibble!! I'm wondering if it might not be a bad idea to mix the Innova EVO and the Nutro together. One nice thing about that is that if for some reason I can't get one of them, it's not a total shock to the digestive system to drop to just one instead of the blend for a few days.

Anne

I would just feed one. That way if there is anything that irritates the stomach, it'll be easier to isolate it.

I feed Chloe Evo RM, and it's the only thing that hasn't given her an ear infection (I used to feed regular Evo before RM came out). I used to BARF her, and this is the next best thing. It's great food.

I just make sure to always have another bag on hand, when I'm getting down to the last four scoops of food. I keep it in a 5 gallon bucket, and when I can see the bottom of the bucket, I go grab some more. You can always freeze it too.

 

[ducklite]

You might want to buy something they fit in to raise the bowls up. Your guy is on the small side so he may be ok with bowls on the floor, but mine looks a lot like a giraffe trying to eat something off the floor.

Sorry for laughing, but that's a funny analogy!

I was thinking about getting a bowl stand thingy, but wanted to see how he'd do without it first. I could easily have spent $1000 today on "stuff," but decided to get the very basics for now and over the next few weeks add things as I see they are needed. I saw him drink from the bowl on the floor yesterday at PetCo, and he seemed OK with it, but it still might be better for him to have them raised.

Anne

 

[lesroi]

I saw him drink from the bowl on the floor yesterday at PetCo, and he seemed OK with it, but it still might be better for him to have them raised.
Anne

I would do "as is" right now on the bowls as well. Our Dobe is very deep-chested, like a Grey, and our vet advises against raised bowls due to the higher incidence of bloat. I know it's a remote possibility but see how he does with the floor feeding and make your decision from there. I agree that comfort should be first!

I am just so excited about this dog for you!

Tracy

 

[ducklite]

I would just feed one. That way if there is anything that irritates the stomach, it'll be easier to isolate it.

I feed Chloe Evo RM, and it's the only thing that hasn't given her an ear infection (I used to feed regular Evo before RM came out). I used to BARF her, and this is the next best thing. It's great food.

I just make sure to always have another bag on hand, when I'm getting down to the last four scoops of food. I keep it in a 5 gallon bucket, and when I can see the bottom of the bucket, I go grab some more. You can always freeze it too.

Is the RM a dry kibble? Have you found a difference?

Why does she get ear infections from food? Is it an allergy thing? How did you know. Educate me here please!

I'm going to be a nuerotic dog mom, aren't I?

Anne

 

[RrCoAsTeR]

I love greys, I want one at some point, but I'm just stepping in to say I think you will make a great owner, and Skeet is very lucky to be getting you.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Is the RM a dry kibble? Have you found a difference?

The RM is dry, as is the regular Evo (I think you can get regular in the can, but I don't believe RM is available wet, yet.). RM stands for "red meat". I believe it has venison, beef and buffalo in it.

Why does she get ear infections from food? Is it an allergy thing? How did you know. Educate me here please!

Good question! I wish I had the answer, myself! She's had them chronically in one ear her whole life. I moved away to Destin for a little over a year, and the whole time I lived in Florida, her ears were infection-free, so I assumed that it had something to do with an outdoor allergy. After all, Houston is the allergy capital of the world.

Anyway, the vendor I buy her food from told me about a customer who was special ordering the RM due to allergies, and that he was having such good results with it, that she was going to start carrying it. I tried a bag and noticed a difference intantly. No more gas, and better yet, no more infections!

It costs more than regular EVO, but she's been on it for about four months now, and she's doing better than ever!

So - I don't know if her allergies are related to the outdoors, of if she's allergic to chicken.

I'm going to be a nuerotic dog mom, aren't I?

Anne

No more so than I am!

BTW, we're probably going to be taking in a Golden foster soon. If it works out, we'll probably adopt too. You're doing a wonderful thing. Congrats on Skeet! My husband had a Grey as a teenager and he loved her!

 

[ducklite]

I love greys, I want one at some point, but I'm just stepping in to say I think you will make a great owner, and Skeet is very lucky to be getting you.

Aw thanks!

Anne

 

[justapixel]

I have a greyhound. He's awesome - best dog I've ever had. He doesn't require any different care than my other dog - a lab. But, his personality is quite different, he's very amusing. From now on greyhounds are the only breed I'm ever getting.