That looks extremely uncomfortable and unnatural: Greyhounds

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > That looks extremely uncomfortable and unnatural: Greyhounds

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Not greyhounds, but...

One is a Windhound (Fable), the other a long haired Whippet (Puzzle). They're both about the same size, but Puzzle was being uncooperative. Puzzle is a service dog.

# ¿ May 19, 2013 14:45

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# ¿ May 3, 2024 09:05

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Fraction posted:

I like greys but I love whippets. Ashton is awesome

Is it actually possible to fully housetrain an Iggie? I've always heard they have issues with potty training, but I don't know anyone with one irl to ask.

I have a trainer friend who has 3, and she hasn't seemed able to housebreak hers. She's a good trainer, and it mystifies me that she has this ongoing problem. Grosses me out.

# ¿ May 20, 2013 22:07

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

I found this article a little while ago and figured I'd post it here.

The Functional Saluki
http://saluqi.home.netcom.com/belkin.htm

It's an interesting commentary on what conformation in a breed (specifically Salukis in this case) really means for its working ability, and it posits that form does not follow function to the extent that dogladies would like you to believe. (Shocking, I know.)

# ¿ Jul 22, 2013 16:09

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Very sorry for your loss. That's heartbreaking.

# ¿ Jul 23, 2013 20:32

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

That sucks. It's been a bad time for Greyhounds lately. It's also been a bad time for Pit DA/redirection resulting in death lately. I know someone who had a Pit and a Malinois. They were contained separately while the owners were away. Somehow the containment broke down and the dogs fought. The owners came home to a dead Malinois and a Pit who had to be euthed at the vet due to severe damage. Just heartbreaking.

# ¿ Jul 26, 2013 13:24

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Skizzles posted:

I have no idea who did the most damage to Jojo. It could have easily been Gracie, because when she decides she hates a dog, she does NOT relent if given the chance to get at them. But it could have just as easily been Benny.

I'm wondering if they may consider giving him back to the rescue he came from. That's the first thing I would do. I agree dogs shouldn't be euthed for DA or prey drive, they just need an appropriate home. I appreciate their love and advocacy for pits, but I'm thinking they should cool it on owning them.

This is becoming a bully thread more than a sight hound thread, but...

I don't think I have a problem euthing a dog that killed another dog (especially one of your own) if the alternative is sending it back into the shelter system. The system is taxed enough. It's scary for the animal. Euthing would be a kindness in so many situations. In a perfect world, all dogs with DA would be owned by responsible people intimately familiar with DA, but the reality is that there are more DA dogs than DA-savvy people. If the decision is made with love, why not?

# ¿ Jul 26, 2013 18:21

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

It doesn't sound like he's any danger to anyone, but it does sound like he's got some self control issues that could escalate, or at the very least are kind of annoying. Consider reading Control Unleashed: The Puppy Program by Leslie McDevitt for some self control exercises. It's geared towards sport dogs but anyone can get some good stuff out of it. http://www.dogwise.com/ItemDetails.cfm?ID=DTB1242

# ¿ Sep 25, 2013 21:17

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Well, if they've not been at the track that long, that'd mean they're losers, right? Who wants a loser greyhound?

# ¿ Oct 3, 2013 23:24

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

These are really nice coats, but I find around this time of year they have trouble keeping up with demand. Worth checking out though. Blue Willow Dog Coats: http://www.bwdogcoats.com/order-form.html

# ¿ Nov 11, 2013 02:01

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

I want one of these.

# ¿ Jan 20, 2014 18:21

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

pastor of muppets posted:

We had an incident the other day where Rory started showing some toy aggression.

She was chewing on a small cat toy and my husband tried taking it from her because he was afraid of her swallowing it. She growled and nipped at him. We were both a little stunned and said "No!" loudly at the same time and she froze. Before this, she has growled at me for trying to take a compressed rawhide bone from her. I've been working on teaching her the "Leave it!" command and haven't let her have any high-value toys/treats in the meantime, but is there anything else I can be doing to curb this?

It's odd, because she doesn't show any food aggression at all. I can reach my hand in her bowl, take it away, do whatever with no reaction other than a confused stare. I've been partly feeding her by hand from the bowl for her last couple of meals just to reinforce the idea in her that hands in her food= good thing. It seems to only be with small objects that she decides she wants.

Classic resource guarding. I'd pick up "Mine" by Jean Donaldson for some step by step instructions on how to address resource guarding. Saying "no" is a good way to intensify the behaviour. Hand feeding is good, but don't mess around with your hands in her bowl. You can train RG out to imperceptible levels with a bit of hard work and periodic booster sessions for the rest of your dog's life.

Here's a post from the training megathread about RG to get you started: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3364451&pagenumber=12&perpage=40#post387791781

# ¿ Mar 4, 2014 13:37

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

actionjackson posted:

I did that based on what some people in my group recommended. All I can say is it doesn't happen anymore and I've never been bitten.

And this is why the internet is not always to be trusted. Sometimes it works. Sometimes, as RB said, the growling will naturally dissipate. Sometimes it will intensify the behaviour. Sometimes it creates a dog that will not growl before it bites.

There are safer ways to address the behaviour. Grabbing the muzzle only punishes the growl but does nothing to address the underlying emotion.

# ¿ Mar 4, 2014 18:45

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

actionjackson posted:

Is there a way to address it that always works? Every dog is different. If I had done it and it hadn't had a positive effect I would have tried something different.

In my experience, trading up as outlined in "Mine!" slowly and in a structured environment is hugely successful and safe.

# ¿ Mar 5, 2014 18:02

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

actionjackson posted:

Can you give me some information (links, whatever) on why what I did was problematic? I'm just asking if there is some actual data beyond your own personal experience.

Here's an article by Pat Miller. She's a well respected dog trainer. http://www.peaceablepaws.com/articles.php?subaction=showfull&id=1282173843

Here's an article by Ahisma Dog Training. Again, Grisha Stewart is well regarded in the dog training world. http://ahimsadogtraining.com/blog/resource-guarding/

# ¿ Mar 6, 2014 18:23

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Here's an acquaintance of mine doing hip rebounds with her young Greyhound. The dog also does agility, can weave walk in reverse and lots of other cool stuff. Greys are cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsHxCrRwHN8

# ¿ Mar 14, 2014 20:13

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

RazorBunny posted:

I need to get a new liner/pad for the cargo area of my SUV before the new pooch comes home. I had a nice egg crate foam one that we'd bought at Costco and cut down slightly to fit, but my sister's dog Browning fell in love with it while she was driving my car for a while and I feel bad taking it from him. They haven't had the foam beds the last few times I've been in to Costco, so I need to find one somewhere else that won't be outrageously expensive.

The foam is great for the cargo area because it's still pretty flat and not too squishy, so when I don't have the dog back there I can load groceries and such in the car.

Although, I suppose I could let her ride in the back seat...Husker had to ride in the very back because we got him before my son could drive, so we often had three people in the car and he just didn't fit in the back seat with a person.

Costco has memory foam bath mats that fit a large crate really nicely...

# ¿ Mar 21, 2014 12:05

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Don't know! I just had a friend tell me about them.

# ¿ Mar 21, 2014 12:15

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Yay! Know any details about her?

# ¿ Mar 25, 2014 18:49

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

RazorBunny posted:

This is her profile on TrackInfo. We're supposed to get a picture soon.

This is her daddy, Kiowa Sweet Trey:

Wow. You can watch loads of races on there.

She's the smudge in the black/red here, I think!

# ¿ Mar 25, 2014 20:03

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Do you have more shots of him? Maybe some of his whole body from the side?

My first thought was Ridgeback or APBT. Good looking boy!

# ¿ Apr 23, 2014 23:47

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Lhet posted:

Discovered over the last couple days that Remy is food possessive. If I try to pet him or get near his bowl while he's eating he'll growl and bark, which is a shocking mainly because it seems so unlike him. He doesn't seem to do this over treats/scraps, and will wait to dig in until I say "go eat", but once he starts eating he gets very defensive. I could probably accommodate this and everything would be fine, but I'd like to address it. Googling suggested to split the meal into several parts, and refill the bowl by the handful each time he finishes, so he associates me coming close with a refill; I suppose I'll start there. Anybody successfully deal with similar issues?

Other than that everything is great, I was out 24+ hours yesterday and it seems he did fine, so that's a good sign. I also let him offleash and run around the office when most people are gone, and he'll dash at first to catch up, but then pretty much just match pace with me.

e: Problem since I posted that: My roommate was messing with Remy, patting him on the head, running away then back, patting him on the head, etc. Reasonably standard playing with most dogs. Afetr a few loops though, Remy started barking and snapping at him. Obviously he was more or less provoked, but that sort of reaction isn't something I can ignore. I'm not really sure what to do about it...

For the resource guarding, pick up Mine!. http://www.dogwise.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=dtb740 Resource guarding is completely normal, but obviously not something we can tolerate. With training you can reduce resource guarding to imperceptible levels. You just have to be consistent and manage the situation outside of training sessions.

Regarding your edit, your roommate was being a dink. It doesn't sound like standard play because clearly the dog was not enjoying it. Dogs do not have to happily accept the poo poo that we feel like doing to them for laughs. It's stupid to push a dog to the edge where it feels like snapping is its only recourse. I would be very concerned that the dog will forgo intermediate warning signs in other aspects of its life if you keep it up. So, as for what to do, listen to his warning signals and back off. Give him a quiet place to retreat to. You can start introducing him to boisterous play gradually and stopping before he gets overwhelmed, if being boisterous is really important to you. But for now, it sounds like a dumb idea.

# ¿ Jun 9, 2014 12:27

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

Lhet posted:

I mentioned the issues to the greyhound group, and they suggested I should be able to firmly grab him, say "mine", and take the bowl, before returning it. I'm not sure that seems like a good idea. Ignoring everything else, it seems like it would backtrack on the whole 'my arrival=neutral/good things happening' association.

That's pretty dated advice. It might work sometimes but it can also make things worse. You can have a dog and work with him without using intimidation or the threat of violence. If you ordered Jean Donaldson's "Mine!" you'll see what I mean. You basically want to pair your approach/arrival with good things like extra special food. In this approach you're using classical conditioning and desensitization and, unfortunately, these tactics take a while to change behaviour. You just pushed it too far too fast. You should have worked a few more weeks with lower value items like kibble. The dental chew was just too valuable for you to use to test anything yet.

I imagine that your plan to test the behaviour involved approaching, taking the item then giving it back? That's kind of a jerk move on your part as far as the dog is concerned. We should be able to take anything from our dogs, yes, but I always like to trade them for something and leave the taking the item for actual emergencies.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2014 13:52

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

My friend's greyhound is really rad.

I'm super impressed with the dog and my friend. After getting a rescue greyhound, she got a pup from a breeder and raised her with sports and performance in mind. And, well, now she has a greyhound that will vault after a disc in front of hundreds of people. Rad! I love it when people break the mold with their dogs.

# ¿ Jul 31, 2015 14:30

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# ¿ May 3, 2024 09:05

a life less: Jul 12, 2009; We are healthy only to the extent that our ideas are humane.

tirinal posted:

I'm not really fishing for anything in particular, but does anyone with a silken windhound want to share some comments or impressions on the breed?

My living situation finally allows for a dog (and will continue to, foreseeably) and a sighthound seems like the best fit from the research I've been doing, but as windhounds are relatively new it's hard to get an idea of what to expect in terms of (non-aesthetic) differences compared to a greyhound.

They are a relatively new breed. Generally they're considered healthy, but I know of a few people who claim that there is some incidence of chronic bone density issues within the breed. One friend had to have her dog put to sleep due to repeated leg breaks (after having a leg removed after a bad break). She warned me off of the breed. Other people within the breed contest those allegations. It's a pretty small community since the breed is still rare. Drama drama.

They're pretty much the most attractive dogs in the world and I want one just on principle. I'm told they're a bit more biddable than greys or borzois, but are still decidedly sighthounds. They're not as biddable as whippets. I was looking at one as a potential sports prospect, so biddability is a big thing for me.

E: They have a Facebook group that you can join and get some people to weigh in on more specific questions, if you have them.

# ¿ Aug 12, 2015 14:09

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Pet Island > That looks extremely uncomfortable and unnatural: Greyhounds