Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[sorroh]

I foster and adopt greyhounds, and this is my least favorite time of the year. We get no loads of dogs in the winter because of road conditions, although we do get more in spring. (March, I think?) But ohmygod I am so excited, we're getting dogs from Ireland and maybe Australia! With so many tracks shutting down everywhere in the U.S., we've basically run out of retiring racers and get a lot of farm pups. But I'm really happy that we're rescuing from overseas, I really want to learn their stories! (to be clear, we stay neutral as an organization on racing)

[Velveteen Hound.]

So usually I give gizmo 1 cookie bone treat when I get home from work. It makes him happy, and it gives him some mello time/time for me to get into bed with out crazy in my face.

Lately (past week or so) he has just been carry around the treat and whining. It’s not his teeth, that’s the first thing I checked, his teeth/gums look fine ... and when he decides he wants to finally eat it, he does so with out any problem.

..... but I timed it this morning, and he walked around whining for almost 40minutes ....
Any ideas?

[nervousdog]

I foster and adopt greyhounds, and this is my least favorite time of the year. We get no loads of dogs in the winter because of road conditions, although we do get more in spring. (March, I think?) But ohmygod I am so excited, we're getting dogs from Ireland and maybe Australia! With so many tracks shutting down everywhere in the U.S., we've basically run out of retiring racers and get a lot of farm pups. But I'm really happy that we're rescuing from overseas, I really want to learn their stories! (to be clear, we stay neutral as an organization on racing)

Omgggg I love greyhounds so so much !!
There is a rescue near me in New York ( forever homes greyhounds ) and when my boyfriend and I get out own place ( and possibly after our rabbit passes, which can be 8+ years from now ) we want to looking into rescuing a retired racer qwq
They are such beautiful dogs !
We currently own a terrier mutt who has our hearts < 3 but someday ... lol

Thank you so much for working in rescue ! Its a great deed you do !

[mierose]

I foster and adopt greyhounds, and this is my least favorite time of the year. We get no loads of dogs in the winter because of road conditions, although we do get more in spring. (March, I think?) But ohmygod I am so excited, we're getting dogs from Ireland and maybe Australia! With so many tracks shutting down everywhere in the U.S., we've basically run out of retiring racers and get a lot of farm pups. But I'm really happy that we're rescuing from overseas, I really want to learn their stories! (to be clear, we stay neutral as an organization on racing)

Hey, a fellow foster! Greyhounds are such beautiful dogs, and if I didn't have as many small animals as I do, I'm quite sure there would be a few in my home (rescued of course). What's your experience handling them? They seem like such great dogs, and I had the joy of meeting a few when adopting my dog this past summer. Great to see you around here <3

[sorroh]

Hey, a fellow foster! Greyhounds are such beautiful dogs, and if I didn't have as many small animals as I do, I'm quite sure there would be a few in my home (rescued of course). What's your experience handling them? They seem like such great dogs, and I had the joy of meeting a few when adopting my dog this past summer. Great to see you around here <3

They're amazing! I've never had a big problem handling them, except for when they first get off the tracks and to foster homes. They can be a little stubborn sometimes, but who isn't? As long as they know to come back, you tend to have no problems I live with 2 pet rats and 3 cats, and they have no interest in any. Actually, one of my greys is terrified of the rats lmao. We cat test all our dogs before they go out to foster homes. I know a lot of people with greyhounds in therapy or sport, and they love it! And if you're like us and don't have all the time and money in the world, they just love laying around and doing nothing. Ours have maybe one 5-minute crazy spurt where they play and run through the house, but after that they're down for the count. They are super food driven, so dinnertime gets a little crazy, too. But they're super smart and easy to train. I'm extremely biased but they're seriously some of the best dogs out there.

Omgggg I love greyhounds so so much !!
There is a rescue near me in New York ( forever homes greyhounds ) and when my boyfriend and I get out own place ( and possibly after our rabbit passes, which can be 8+ years from now ) we want to looking into rescuing a retired racer qwq
They are such beautiful dogs !
We currently own a terrier mutt who has our hearts < 3 but someday ... lol

Thank you so much for working in rescue ! Its a great deed you do !

I definitely recommend them! They make great apartment dogs, too

[Velveteen Hound.]

Got Gizmos embark results back on Christmas. Which is fun c:
His is primarily kelpie (35%) with the other largest chunk being Rottweiler (I knew it was either Rott or dobie, now it’s nice to know which)

The surprise however is that his next highest percentage is shar-pei. Which was not even a breed I had thought about but totally makes sense now. That’s probably where he gets his spotted tongue, and he has always been a dog with lots of ‘loose’ skin. Not fat folds, just skin.

He also has small amounts of G.Shepherd (which isn’t all that surprising) and golden retriever, which is a bit surprising

[.Middy.]

Merlin Christmas from the cutest foster boy around! Hoping some new cute photos will help him find his new home soon!

[strangetales]

Hello there!
I'm looking forward tomorrow for quite some time now because I'm picking my first dog up, a black & tan chihuahua puppy. Now I kinda need some advice as I've never had a dog before, anything I have to pay special attention to when she comes home? And it will probably be hard for her when she gets seperated from her mother and siblings, is there a way I can help her? Thank you for any tips!

[Spirit23Wolf]

Loki wants to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas <3

[raspbby]

Hello there!
I'm looking forward tomorrow for quite some time now because I'm picking my first dog up, a black & tan chihuahua puppy. Now I kinda need some advice as I've never had a dog before, anything I have to pay special attention to when she comes home? And it will probably be hard for her when she gets seperated from her mother and siblings, is there a way I can help her? Thank you for any tips!

hi, i have a chihuahua mix, but we got him when he was 3 so i don't know too much about puppy habits. but here's what I've learned from having a chihuahua.

they do not know their own size. my dog thinks he's huge, when in reality he's tiny. whenever he goes on walks, he barks at every dog he sees. he's 9 now, and he doesn't bark as much, but when he was younger it was a big problem, so try to discourage that when she's young because it can be very annoying when i want to have a nice walk.

as for other barking, once again you can try to discourage it, but honestly i don't know if theres much you can do. they tend to bark at any stranger, dog, or noise. we've tried, and failed, to stop my dog from barking, but it's the breed. but as i've said, we got him when he was already 3 so you may be able to discourage it.

get them socialized. with any dog, it's so important to socialize them from a young age, but especially so with such a wary breed.

be careful with her ears!!!!! my dog gets chronic ear infections all the time. we give him medicine, and it will go away for a little, but then come back. he's actually sitting right next to me, scratching his ear. it might just depend on the dog, but try to prevent it. there's not much we can do honestly, but a main thing is when bathing them, don't get water in their ears. and i would recommend taking a q-tip and cleaning inside their ears every once in a while, or at least if you see them itching it a lot. if she does start making a habit of itching her ear constantly, take her to the vet because theres a good chance she has an ear infection

one more thing specific to chihuahuas. many people don't know this, but lots of dogs do this thing called reverse sneezing, but specifically small breeds like Chihuahuas. my dog does this a lot, and for the longest time we would always get really worried, because it sounded like he was choking. but trust me, theres nothing to worry about. i don't know too much about why it happens, so you can research it if you would like, but heres a video of a chihuahua reverse sneezing.

as for the other things you asked, im sure other people can give more advice as to puppy specific advice, because i've never owned a puppy before. (although i am getting one as well very soon!!!!) but i have done lots of research and gotten my own puppy advice, so i have a few things i could share.

as soon as you get her, establish a routine. im sure you have your own daily routine already, and you'll have to change it up a bit. get into the habit of waking up, taking her out, feeding her around the same times. take her out a bunch. puppies have small bladders, and they arent potty trained yet so take her out a lot to prevent accidents, and teach her to go outside. whenever she goes potty in the correct spot, praise her heavily! whenever she does something you like, praise her heavily as well. don't yell, that just will make your dog scared of you. puppies are hard, so you may want to yell but don't. instead, try and redirect her to do something else, and praise her when she does what you want. the internet will be your best friend for training tips.

last thing, to make her comfortable at home, just give her lots of attention. make sure she's in a comfortable environment, and take notice if she seems scared. the first week is really important with a puppy, so you just need to make sure you build a good relationship and she's comfortable and happy. if you can, i would maybe ask the person your getting her from for a little blanket or towel with the mothers scent on it. the breeder im getting my new puppy from is doing that as well, and the familiar scent will help her adjust.

okay sorry, that was a looooot. she'll be your best friend, and will always want to be near you. i wish you the best of luck, and remember to post photos!!!