Dog Owner Chat V. 5

[SitcomLaughTrack]

I'm not 100% but I think retired greyhounds can be somewhat nervous. This is doubly true if this specific greyhound has been given reason to be afraid of people.

Many of your questions are things you should ask the rescue you're adopting from. They'll be able to tell you more about this dog's challenges and personality.

Are you set on a specific breed? Based on what you've said, it sounds like your best bet would be to describe your situation and what you're looking for to a rescue and see if they can match you with a dog that would be a good fit.

[Huggles]

Here is my boy! Skinny picture was a month after I had him, other two are within the last month.

I have taken some more steps towards getting a dog related job and apprenticing a trainer!
I had a brief interview over the phone, and have another meeting with them in person here soon!
I am taking a sport class there as well and if I get the job I can pay for some more confidence building classes.
Recently, I mean the past year maybe two, I have been thinking a lot more about pursuing dog training as a career. I have been walking and loosely training dogs this summer, trying to get in contact with a neighbor about working with her dog cause she is always stuck outside locked on the deck and she had previously been interested in my help.

So I am excited, feeling pretty hopeful and trying my best to make things work out!
Im also stupidly really wanting a second dog.. a malinois. That wont happen for at least another year, 2 or maybe more but I am thinking things out a LOT lol.

[Sunnydog]

I have owned a retired racer, She was indeed nervous, also you have to consider these dogs are not used to being in a house, they usually have no clue about steps, slick floors,being petted or even house broken.They are bred to race and earn money, not pets, it takes time and patience to retrain them as pets. I would not recommend one as a 1st dog if you are gone 6-8hrs a day. And to be honest I would not really recommend a dog at all until your lifestyle is a bit more settled and you have more downtime.

[fairytale.]

hi there!

I’m super excited to be able to share this, but my family and I are looking into adopting a retired greyhound; our first ever dog!

Any advice is helpful as I really want to be able to confirm that a greyhound would be the right dog for my family and I! Thank you so much <3

Retired greyhounds are so rewarding! My family worked in greyhound adoption for many years and I currently have a senior greyhound.
Separation anxiety is an issue with greyhounds for sure, so I would start off right away making sure the dog is comfortable in their crate and being alone. Being proactive with this rather than dealing with it "when" it becomes an issue will save you a lot of work. The reality is that most dogs have families who go to work or school during the day, so don't feel bad about leaving them alone.
I wouldn't say the breed is largely nervous. Nervousness is definitely in the breed, but I've known more outgoing, confident greyhound than anxious ones. A reputable adoption group will make sure to match you with a dog whose temperament suits you.
Greyhounds aren't the most affectionate dogs, but they do love attention! They're sort of catlike... they'll tolerate being pet most of the time, but they get really excited when they get attention when they're actively seeking it. Some are cuddlier than others! My biggest warning would be that the breed is prone to sleep spooking, so try to avoid petting them when they're sleeping. It can alarm them a bit since they're used to sleeping in kennels and not being bothered or touched when they sleep.
They're a really great beginner dog. Most have quite a bit of leash and handling experience. There is a learning curve for them to get used to a home environment, so be prepared for counter surfing and digging through trash haha. But they're quick learners and are easy to del with.

[Ichiban Kasuga]

Anybody else here feed raw? We started our boy Ayrton on it this weekend and he's doing absolutely amazingly on it! Seems to have cut down his ridiculous post-dinner(if he ate dinner that was) zoomies and I finally have a pup who's asking me to give him more food, eating until he's full instead of just eating half of whatever's there and still being hungry!

We're lucky enough to have an old fridge-freezer we use for storing veg and drinks. The freezer still works fine so we can store his pre-mix tubs in there without worrying that it'll take away space for our own food



Also, have a picture of the little lad! He was having his morning nap and decided to do so on the sofa while I wasn't looking!

[bear]

does anyone here have some good advice for puppy feet biting? I’ve had my doxie pup now for 6 or so weeks, training is going well, everything is going good except the past week she has really started up heavy on the feet biting (she’d do it occasionally before this week but not that much). My feet & ankles are literally covered in cuts from her (she draws blood most the time). I’m currently working on the method of ‘ignoring’ aka leaving the room/play session when she starts biting feet, hoping she’ll start to recognise that biting feet = end of play = bad behaviour.

I’ve tried other things like telling her ‘no’ etc but she’s extremely good at just ignoring me. Or she’ll just bark/growl at me/bite harder (ouch).
Or I’ve tried the method of standing still so she’ll ‘get bored’ of my feet but it just makes it easier for her to bite really hard (like REALLY hard).

I know some people might recommend playing with her more but my day usually looks like this
Get up/morning things (pup breakfast, get ready for day etc)
Play with her (around 1-2hours until she takes a nap)/do 15 minutes of training in there
I’ll play with her again when she wakes up if I’m not busy/or someone else living here will play with her
In the afternoon I’ll take her for a walk around the block
She’ll usually chill the rest of the day sleeping or playing with toys herself

I’ve tried playing with her this morning (it’s 9:52am for me currently) but so far the play session has just been me going to play, feet biting, me going into another room, going back out, back in etc repeated like 5 times :’)

Here’s a photo of her if anyone wants to see! (she’s 14 weeks old tomorrow)

[Ichiban Kasuga]

does anyone here have some good advice for puppy feet biting? I’ve had my doxie pup now for 6 or so weeks, training is going well, everything is going good except the past week she has really started up heavy on the feet biting (she’d do it occasionally before this week but not that much). My feet & ankles are literally covered in cuts from her (she draws blood most the time). I’m currently working on the method of ‘ignoring’ aka leaving the room/play session when she starts biting feet, hoping she’ll start to recognise that biting feet = end of play = bad behaviour.

I’ve tried other things like telling her ‘no’ etc but she’s extremely good at just ignoring me. Or she’ll just bark/growl at me/bite harder (ouch).
Or I’ve tried the method of standing still so she’ll ‘get bored’ of my feet but it just makes it easier for her to bite really hard (like REALLY hard).

I know some people might recommend playing with her more but my day usually looks like this
Get up/morning things (pup breakfast, get ready for day etc)
Play with her (around 1-2hours until she takes a nap)/do 15 minutes of training in there
I’ll play with her again when she wakes up if I’m not busy/or someone else living here will play with her
In the afternoon I’ll take her for a walk around the block
She’ll usually chill the rest of the day sleeping or playing with toys herself

I’ve tried playing with her this morning (it’s 9:52am for me currently) but so far the play session has just been me going to play, feet biting, me going into another room, going back out, back in etc repeated like 5 times :’)

Here’s a photo of her if anyone wants to see! (she’s 14 weeks old tomorrow)

We ended up doing the method of walking away whenever Ayrton bit too hard. I think it worked alright because he started to learn, and then his teeth finally came out and he got adult teeth in. He's 24 weeks now and much less bitey, but he still chomps on your hand very gently, but it doesn't hurt at all.

[eleutheromania]

does anyone here have some good advice for puppy feet biting? I’ve had my doxie pup now for 6 or so weeks, training is going well, everything is going good except the past week she has really started up heavy on the feet biting (she’d do it occasionally before this week but not that much). My feet & ankles are literally covered in cuts from her (she draws blood most the time). I’m currently working on the method of ‘ignoring’ aka leaving the room/play session when she starts biting feet, hoping she’ll start to recognise that biting feet = end of play = bad behaviour.

I’ve tried other things like telling her ‘no’ etc but she’s extremely good at just ignoring me. Or she’ll just bark/growl at me/bite harder (ouch).
Or I’ve tried the method of standing still so she’ll ‘get bored’ of my feet but it just makes it easier for her to bite really hard (like REALLY hard).

I know some people might recommend playing with her more but my day usually looks like this
Get up/morning things (pup breakfast, get ready for day etc)
Play with her (around 1-2hours until she takes a nap)/do 15 minutes of training in there
I’ll play with her again when she wakes up if I’m not busy/or someone else living here will play with her
In the afternoon I’ll take her for a walk around the block
She’ll usually chill the rest of the day sleeping or playing with toys herself

I’ve tried playing with her this morning (it’s 9:52am for me currently) but so far the play session has just been me going to play, feet biting, me going into another room, going back out, back in etc repeated like 5 times :’)

Here’s a photo of her if anyone wants to see! (she’s 14 weeks old tomorrow)

redirect her with a toy or any other item of high value. Loki went through a nipping phase at that point and redirection was the only think that worked, consistency gets through to this stubborn breed. also please make sure her nails get cut down. it affects the way they walk and dachshunds are already prone to ivdd unfortunately. also, if she continues the behavior, put her in a spot and teach her to stay there until she has calmed down a bit. basic obedience can help a lot at her age.

[bear]

@joylne.cujoh, thanks for the advice! It seems to be working for me at the moment so I’ll keep going at it for now to see if it works!
@eleutheromania, I have tried this! I’ve recently bought a new toy I’ve reserved for this purpose and training so I have attempted this but I feel like it’s not the best option for her since I’ve been trying it & she’s still going for the feet. Thanks for the advice though! If all fails with my current solution I’ll try that again. I’m also currently working on the stay command so I’ll try that out too! Don’t worry I’m working on all the stuff you mentioned, I’ve been working on getting her used to the nail clippers so that’s on my to do list very soon!!

[Huggles]

Edit//: never mind!