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Good news everyone! Spartacus has worms again! These are the most tenacious motherfuckers I've ever heard of. I thought we'd cured him when the sample that we collected just as he was showing symptoms again (diarrhea, straining, anxiety) came up clean. But nope, they just hadn't completed a life cycle yet for eggs to show up in poop. I've lost track how many times we've treated him now. And we know it's the same worms because it's freezing now and he hasn't interacted with any other dogs. He has also developed a sore on the side of one of his toes and on his hind ankle.  Cookie status: still a perfect angel TastyShrimpPlatter posted:Nacho is definitely getting more comfortable with us. He's a sensitive doofus, and we wouldn't have it any other way  - unlike some dogs I could mention...
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Jan 10, 2017 02:12
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| # ? May 19, 2024 14:10 |
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 And now a greyhound tries to get a piece of banana out of her bowlhttps://twitter.com/1337_5CR4BBL3/status/819023492465225729
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Jan 11, 2017 04:31
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That is clearly a baby giraffe.
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Jan 11, 2017 15:14
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bamhand posted:That is clearly a baby giraffe. bamhand posted:That's a lot of birthdays to have in one month. Happy birthday Spartacus! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W214_m9Xcc
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Jan 14, 2017 23:31
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I'd really love to get a whippet, but it seems very difficult unless you're willing to adopt a newborn puppy. I'd really like to adopt a one to three year old. I guess whippet genes are pretty weak -- all the whippet mixes I've met at rescues and so on don't look anything like a whippet. Seems like straight up whippets don't find their way into rescues too often.
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Jan 15, 2017 22:35
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I originally wanted a whippet because I met some awesome whippets but I got a greyhound instead for the exact reason you said and I have no regrets!
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Jan 15, 2017 22:43
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slap me silly posted:I originally wanted a whippet because I met some awesome whippets but I got a greyhound instead for the exact reason you said and I have no regrets! Really? There are active retired racer greyhound adoption organizations in my area but I'm worried about getting a dog that doesn't know how to dog. I like playful dogs that get excited and jump on me and The greyhounds I've met are beautiful dogs and seem very affectionate but they are also very sleepy
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Jan 15, 2017 22:48
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Fair warning, I did have to teach my hound how to play! And yes he was very sleepy a lot.
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Jan 15, 2017 22:50
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nocuh posted:Really? There are active retired racer greyhound adoption organizations in my area but I'm worried about getting a dog that doesn't know how to dog. I like playful dogs that get excited and jump on me and Look for the younger retired racers, i.e. bad at racing. They're still got puppy in them, haven't spent a huge time living in track kennels, and will have lots more energy. Sparty is playful, is finally learning tricks, and we had to teach him not to jump or to punch people in the crotch. Still had to teach him to play some, but it was pretty quick and he will rough house with Cookie. It's fun when he gets amped up. So yeah, recommending a young racer. Just look at all the 
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Jan 15, 2017 23:36
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nocuh posted:Really? There are active retired racer greyhound adoption organizations in my area but I'm worried about getting a dog that doesn't know how to dog. I like playful dogs that get excited and jump on me and Get in touch with your local greyhound organizations and just tell them what you're looking for. The rescue around here gets a lot of dogs every year and they pretty much run the gamut of young and old and lazy and energetic.
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Jan 16, 2017 00:36
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DarkHorse posted:Look for the younger retired racers, i.e. bad at racing. They're still got puppy in them, haven't spent a huge time living in track kennels, and will have lots more energy. Sparty is playful, is finally learning tricks, and we had to teach him not to jump or to punch people in the crotch. Still had to teach him to play some, but it was pretty quick and he will rough house with Cookie. It's fun when he gets amped up. So yeah, recommending a young racer. Yeah, basically this. My 'hound Taz is three years old, and he loves running around and playing. Formerly also jumping up on people (namely me, as he knew me the best. Once or twice he actually put his paws on my shoulders and drew his head level with mine...not used to having a dog that can be as tall as me! ) and punching people in the groin, but he stopped doing that pretty quick, after realizing that it wasn't appreciated. (Although I suppose one thing to potentially keep in mind is that although he's three, he was also very active and was a successful racer, up until getting a minor injury in one paw. Not sure if his behavior is any different to other greyhounds of his age, though)I've also had a Whippet though, so honestly I think either is a great choice! I think the whippet will have more stamina/endurance then the greyhound though, so depending on how much you want them to run/jump around, that's a good thing or a bad thing!
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Jan 16, 2017 00:59
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Major Isoor posted:Yeah, basically this. My 'hound Taz is three years old, and he loves running around and playing. Formerly also jumping up on people (namely me, as he knew me the best. Once or twice he actually put his paws on my shoulders and drew his head level with mine...not used to having a dog that can be as tall as me! Dunno about stamina, Sparty ran four miles today with my spouse, so they can definitely be trained up to a lot. Or maybe mine is just broken.  ...I'm going with broken
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Jan 16, 2017 18:57
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I feel like my girls could walk 4 hours a day or remain motionless 23 1/2 hours without really caring either way. Whatever I happen to be doing is A-OK! They're 6 though; I would imagine younger dogs might have a higher energy floor
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Jan 18, 2017 18:51
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Abby is nine today! She got some freeze dried bones. Otherwise she continues to do mainly nothing.
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Jan 19, 2017 06:39
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DarkHorse posted:Dunno about stamina, Sparty ran four miles today with my spouse, so they can definitely be trained up to a lot. Or maybe mine is just broken. Xguard86 posted:I feel like my girls could walk 4 hours a day or remain motionless 23 1/2 hours without really caring either way. Whatever I happen to be doing is A-OK! Oh wow - I'd been told that it takes a while of regular jogging/running over increasing distances, for Greyhounds to develop that kind of stamina. Honestly, it actually makes me feel better that I lucked out on li'l Taz here; safe in the knowledge that he doesn't have enough stamina to be able to walk (let alone run!) 2km or so!  He may've been quick, but staying power definitely isn't his strong suit
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Jan 19, 2017 07:30
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DarkHorse posted:Dunno about stamina, Sparty ran four miles today with my spouse, so they can definitely be trained up to a lot. Or maybe mine is just broken. Either that or he's a yoga swami in disguise.
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Jan 21, 2017 15:15
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Hey, just wondering, are there steps I can take to curb Taz's over-protectiveness of bones? Since sometimes before I go out or to work I'll give him a bone, and although normally there aren't any issues with me coming near him, he has growled at me a couple of times since I brought him home in late August. So the story is, I'll give him a bone, lock up, then give him a quick pat/rub before I go, (I normally give him some attention before leaving - the bone part isn't frequent though. He doesn't get them particularly often) however the first time I did it he made a low growl at me (no teeth bared/mouth closed, though). Which was understandable I guess - he had taken the bone and retreated to his bed to sit down and chew it, so he could've perceived that I was approaching to take it off him; especially as I was still fairly unfamiliar to him at that point. (And in hindsight I did move my hand towards him on the side he had the bone, which probably didn't help!) Now, since then he hadn't had any issues; I would give him a bone, then give him a brief rub/pat before heading off (normally remembering to use the hand on his other side, so his neck/head are 'blocking' the bone, but if I used the hand on the same side as the bone, the most he'd do is just pause for a moment to see if I'd go for his bone or just rub him, before continuing). However this morning I gave him a large, meaty bone (it was a pretty good one though, if I say so myself; for him it would've been like winning the lottery) and I went to give him a quick pat before leaving, and he dropped it and gave me a quick, loud bark (teeth partially visible/bared, if that changes things) before going back to the bone. Very startling, as he hadn't done anything like that in months; and not nearly that loudly! So yeah, I'm not sure if that's usual/acceptable greyhound behaviour (probably not though - not the second time around, anyway) when they're in their own bed/personal space, or if it's unusual for a greyhound. Seems a bit odd, since he has absolutely zero problems with me rubbing him and being generally annoying when he's eating from the bowl by his bed, heh. (He also doesn't have a problem with me petting him when he's in his bed, of course) It was just quite shocking for me, really - I'm far more used to being able to even take stuff off my dog, after 13 years with my Whippet, before he died. (In hindsight he was probably a prime candidate for a 'least possessive/protective dog in the world' award!) The only other times I've heard him bark are when a nearby feral cat came by and makes hostile 'rumbling' noises and screeches at him (I never saw it again after Taz gave a single, authoritative bark though, heh), as well as one time when a medium-sized dog jumped out of its yard while we were on a walk, then kept playfully jumping up and grabbing at Taz's face+neck, despite Taz's attempts to just ignore it and walk around/past. (Although to be fair, he reacted better than I probably would've, given the amount of times that dog grabbed at him! I don't really hold that time against him, heh)EDIT: But yeah, it's just so surprising for me, really. Like, he's extremely compliant (I wouldn't say 'docile' though) all the time - especially since whenever I'm home, we're basically always together. I could accept it if he did it for someone he doesn't know quite as well; like if a friend or family member came over, but to me? Just seemed odd to me, as he always seems to seek my attention and is happy to get it - especially if he's relaxing in bed. Major Isoor fucked around with this message at 07:47 on Jan 27, 2017 |
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Jan 27, 2017 06:23
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I don't have great advice for that since I've been lucky and not had to deal with behavior issues much. I would suspect you need to train specifically that taking something away, or dropping it, results in positive reward. An even nicer treat or something? Even if 99% of the time he has no problem doing so. Resource protectiveness is relatively common so you should find lots of good advice. Just remember the growling and barking were warnings, you don't want to train out the warning, you want to train out the source, Personally though I would never leave my dog unsupervised with a bone (they're raw, right?) I can all too easily imagine her breaking off a yummy chunk and trying to swallow it but it's too big. The other problem she would have is wanting to eat the whole thing, causing some gum bleeding from so much gnawing. I will leave her with a peanut butter kong though.
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Jan 27, 2017 08:14
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skoolmunkee posted:I don't have great advice for that since I've been lucky and not had to deal with behavior issues much. I would suspect you need to train specifically that taking something away, or dropping it, results in positive reward. An even nicer treat or something? Even if 99% of the time he has no problem doing so. Resource protectiveness is relatively common so you should find lots of good advice. Just remember the growling and barking were warnings, you don't want to train out the warning, you want to train out the source, Yeah, it's weird - since he'll even happily allow me to do things like brushing/wiping gunk from around his eyes, without pulling away or showing any sign of discomfort, etc. (As opposed to my old family whippet, who really disliked anyone touching his snout, around his eyes, etc. but had no issues with even taking bones straight from his mouth) I definitely get what you mean about not telling him off for growling and the like, though. I know it's a warning communication mechanism for him, so no dramas on that aspect of the matter. And I'll keep in mind the tip with rewarding dropping things on command, etc. though, for sure - thanks. That's a fair point; although originally a lot of the time when I first started giving him bones I did keep an eye on him, and he doesn't seem prone to it - he'll just chew on it for a bit, then just leave it on/by his bed. (Like, when I got back today the bone I gave him earlier was still completely intact -albeit cleaned of meat- and he had just discarded it once he had finished it) I certainly don't give him small bones, etc. though, that are more likely to cut his gums, etc., due to the same concerns you mentioned. (And most of the time when he's got one, someone else is around anyway; he's not totally alone for long if at all, in those situations) Oh yeah, and I did try giving him a kong a few times though, but he never really worked it out, heh. Although now that you mention it, I might just fill it with kibble/biscuits or something that'll last, and just leave it out for him permanently, until(/in the hopes that) he figures it out!
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Jan 27, 2017 14:04
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I am starting to get the impression that ol' Adam is balding a bit more as of late -- he was always bald to start with in the stomach/back legs, but now he's looking a bit thin on the top of the head and the sides of the hips. Otherwise he is quite healthy. The internet says melatonin can help, but anyone here got some experience with that? Here we are in Kittery, ME 
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Jan 27, 2017 14:56
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skoolmunkee posted:I don't have great advice for that since I've been lucky and not had to deal with behavior issues much. I would suspect you need to train specifically that taking something away, or dropping it, results in positive reward. An even nicer treat or something? Even if 99% of the time he has no problem doing so. Resource protectiveness is relatively common so you should find lots of good advice. Just remember the growling and barking were warnings, you don't want to train out the warning, you want to train out the source, Seconding all of this. Ours had the same kinds of issues when we got her, and "trading up" for higher value treats combined with teaching her a reliable "leave it" command helped a lot. I even posted in this thread about it, so you can click on the question mark under my av and read more. That said, even though she got over her resource guarding towards us, she still has issues regarding certain things and our cats. We had to stop giving her certain "long-term" treats like compressed rawhide because she would chase the cats out of the room whenever she had one. Now, we do pretty much exactly what skoolmunkee does with a peanut butter kong, which she is far less possessive over.
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Jan 28, 2017 19:32
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In all honesty you should expect a little aggression from any dog with a bone. It goes back to their nature and has been ingrained in them since ancient times. Trading up when they have lesser value things (not bones) usually works and is a great way to train your dog. But when it comes to bones I just resign myself to the fact that it's extremely valuable to them and most aren't willing to give it up. I sometimes distract Jake and pull the bone when he's not looking, of course trading at the same time, but in general I don't mess with him until he walks away from it.
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Jan 30, 2017 19:38
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I finally ventured out of D&D and found this thread so I thought you all might like to meet Pearl! Pearl's about 7 years old, we think. We got Pearl when she was 3 or 4 years old. Surprisingly, Pearl was never a racer! No ear tattoo. Apparently there's a contingent of breeders around here that still breed greyhounds for hunting. Her previous owners just got tired of her I guess (I don't understand either), and surrendered her to a local adoption agency, which we scooped her up from.  So since she never raced, we've had a fascinating time learning what exactly about greyhounds is nature vs. nurture. It turns out that she loves playing tug of war with her brother Gotti:  And is just the biggest cuddler.  But she still goes absolutely berserk if she sees a squirrel - there's literally no way to stop her if she spots one in the backyard and takes off after it. Her current kill count is 5. She also gets the zoomies for no reason.  And yet, she does not give a single gently caress about the cats.  She also loves playing with other dogs. Her favorite thing to do is to get them to chase her. She likes showing off.  We do a VERY small dogsitting business on the side. Here's Pearl and Gotti with their cousin, Ruby, who looks uncannily like a perfect mixture of the two of them.  We take a LOT of photos of our dogs, so I'm happy to post more if you all want to see more of our weird little needlenose. Also happy to answer questions about a greyhound that never raced! Thanks for looking.
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Feb 3, 2017 07:20
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Aw, she looks like she's having great fun, in those photos! Does she get particularly cold, being out in the snow? (Or was she only out for a short time, when the yard was covered in snow like that?) I suspect my own greyhound, Taz, would be extremely wussy in that situation, as he shivers away during ~16-18 degree Celsius days/nights, unless he's all tucked in. (Keeping in mind we don't get snow here in South Australia, at all) Speaking of li'l Taz, here's a recent photo of him after we visited a friend's place and he decided to just plonk himself down in Harry's bed. Heh, not a great photo, but thought it's a good representation of how oblivious he can be sometimes! (Poor Harry has been turfed-out and forced to sleep on top of his little kennel/caravan, so he can keep an eye on the intruder!) 
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Feb 3, 2017 09:04
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cyphr555 posted:We take a LOT of photos of our dogs, so I'm happy to post more if you all want to see more of our weird little needlenose.
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Feb 3, 2017 15:49
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Yay Pearl! I would love more pictures please
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Feb 3, 2017 19:32
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My girls raced for 5 years and behave very similarly to pearl. Interesting that it seems like it's just greyhound's nature to be that way.
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Feb 3, 2017 21:08
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Weird body positions you say? Wren had her feet on Idunn's face before this.  Comfy. Neither Idunn nor Wren raced, but they're polar opposite weirdos. Wren is timid, rarely whines, afraid of her own shadow, refuses to for walks or rides at night, also won't go down stairs. Idunn is super hyper, a bully, barks and whines loudly, will go up and down stairs, acts tough but mostly a big baby. Sometimes I get frustrated because Idunn pushes the smaller Wren around to get treats/attention/inside first. But Wren has fought back to defend her toys/bones, and Idunn runs away with her tail between her legs, but she's dumb and never learns is the problem.
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Feb 4, 2017 01:41
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On the flip side, Sparty raced (poorly) and doesn't really give a poo poo about squirrels. Sure he'll chase if he sees one, but he's been on leash and just ignored them and rabbits, too. He is super pissed about the dog next door, though, and has dug up a landing strip to the fence because he launches himself from the porch and then immediately has to put on the brakes. He's also killed the poo poo out of a bush from peeing on it so much (but only from leg height down). He's super confident, hyper, doesn't care about stairs at all, and is dumb as a bag of hammers. We've finally got Spin and Shake down, he knows Wait and Drop It, and we're finally figuring out playing with toys. E: He also barks way more than I've heard greyhounds generally do, and he is obsessed with food. He also has been waking us up at 3 - as best we figure he gets lonely, because he doesn't want to go out but settles down immediately when one of us sleeps on the couch. We have big comfy dog beds in the bedroom (with pillows!) but apparently those are broken. DarkHorse fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Feb 4, 2017 |
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Feb 4, 2017 01:51
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Both Idunn and Wren get obsessed with squirrels, they've yet to catch one yet, Wren did corner a rat under a trash can not long after I got her. Wren will only run after other dogs, preferably smaller ones, Idunn will gladly outpace any other dog, or just take off running like a crazy dog all on her own.
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Feb 4, 2017 01:58
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Meant to post an image of the damage he's wrought. Not sure if you can see the bush damage, but it's there.  E: Because I can't help myself, here's more of my doofus. 
DarkHorse fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Feb 4, 2017 |
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Feb 4, 2017 02:03
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Hahaha I love Wren and Idunn and Sparty! Pearl does that thing too where there's a whole perfectly good dog bed, but to hell with that, snout is gonna rest on the floor. Such weird, simple dogs. re: Pearl in the snow. You're exactly right Major Isoor, when there's snow on the ground or it's below freezing we only let her out nekkid for shorty potty breaks. The thing is, WE know she gets cold. But Pearl doesn't. She's perfectly content to go ostriching around in the snow for smells for half an hour and then comes back in wondering why she's licking her paws because they've gone numb (we've only let that happen once or twice). When we go out for walks in the cold (which is about half the year, up here in Cleveland), both the dogs get coats and/or sweatshirts, and Pearl gets her handmade snood (thanks Etsy)!  She also enjoys hamming it up by a roaring fire. She knows she's descended from royalty.  Although she's not opposed to having some fun and dressing up on occasion.  So yep, that's Pearl. For my money, the world's sweetest, simplest, and strangest dog. As an aside, is there a thread in this forum for pibbles? Because I'd love to tell you all about her brother Gotti, who's the best friend I've ever had: 
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Feb 4, 2017 06:00
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Xguard86 posted:My girls raced for 5 years and behave very similarly to pearl. Interesting that it seems like it's just greyhound's nature to be that way. Right?! It's like they broke off from the mainline dog evolutionary tree a couple thousand years ago and just decided "nah, we're good, we're gonna do our own thing for a while. SQUIRREL!" Although that does bring up a good point that's probably already been brought up in this thread - I haven't had time to read it all though so I'll put it here again. When you take your greyhound to the vet, make sure the vet knows about the physiological differences between greyhounds and other breeds. Specifically, there are significantly different expected values for various measurements taken during a blood test. There are more vets than you'd expect that aren't aware of this!
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Feb 4, 2017 06:06
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omg what a beauty. I actually don't see many fawn greyhounds around here, they're all brindle. And such a handsome collar!
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Feb 4, 2017 06:13
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Here is another fawn greyhound, after successfully completing his project of "moving the dog bed that was in another room next to another, existing dog bed."
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Feb 4, 2017 06:53
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Ty had his belated 12th birthday party today.    He got half of a Culvers double cheeseburger, and will get the other half tomorrow, probably. I have some doggy frozen custard somewhere that I'll try to dig out for him tonight.
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Feb 4, 2017 19:43
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Happy birthday!
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Feb 6, 2017 02:48
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Pearl is the female version of Doggles!  Also if you guys don't have a dog pita (pictured above) they are pretty awesome. The large size fits one greyhound or two whippets. bamhand fucked around with this message at 23:42 on Feb 6, 2017 |
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Feb 6, 2017 23:39
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bamhand posted:
My sister had one of these for her Italian greyhounds, however they didn't seem to like it at all. But now that you mention it though, I might try getting one for Taz at some stage (likely when I move house and get a little more room for Taz's area inside), as I think he might like it more than they did, as he's pretty lazy!
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Feb 6, 2017 23:58
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| # ? May 19, 2024 14:10 |
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I had to shove him into it twice before he got the idea. It took another two weeks for him to figure out how to get in there without assistance. Now it's his favorite thing.
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Feb 7, 2017 00:09
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