Best products from r/Greyhounds

We've had our grey with SLO for 8 years and we have found great success with four 1000mg fish oil capsules, two 180mg vitamin E capsules, and a dosage of Doxycycline every day. I will say it took a LONG time for us to see consistent progress and even now a nail will still break once in a while but they are few and far between, finally. It also took us awhile to find the right dosage of meds and the right food (he's on Nutro Max). It really sucks, but if you stay consistent with meds and supplements, I promise it will get better!

Can I offer you some tips on dealing with it in the meantime? We've had a lot of practice so I love to share that knowledge, though you may have already gotten some of this advice from your vet.

• Buy gauze in bulk!
  
• Athletic pre-wrap and athletic self-sticking wrap are fantastic for keeping the gauze in place. Be careful not to wrap too tight — you don't want to cut off circulation.
  
• If you're not comfortable wrapping her paws yourself, get comfortable. It will save you so many trips to the vet! Ask your vet if they will teach you how to wrap if you're not already familiar with wrapping techniques.
  
• Styptic powder is a godsend for when a nail breaks and the blood is gushing everywhere. Dab it on with cotton balls.
  
• Don't wrap until the bleeding has stopped, if you can. Otherwise the blood soaks the gauze and then dries and when you peel it off it will hurt and sometimes cause the wound to reopen. A hard lesson for us. If you have to wrap because your grey just won't sit still to let you apply pressure, we have found some success in letting ours lick his foot JUST UNTIL the bandage comes free. Obviously don't let them lick obsessively or that will reopen the wound as well, but it seems to help with getting dried, bloody bandages off.
  
• Breathable dog booties are really helpful for keeping them from licking the wound while enabling you to keep it unbandaged after it has stopped bleeding/semi-healed (we found ours at Pet Smart but they are similar to these). We also have a set of waterproof booties that we put on both bandaged and unbandaged injured paws when he goes outside to keep the area clean and dry.
  
• Keep all of this stuff together in a big ziplock baggie near where your grey hangs out the most so you can easily grab it quickly when a nail comes off and prevent them from trailing blood all over your house!
  
• That said, we've found a combo of Resolve Stain Remover and hydrogen peroxide to be the best for getting blood out of the carpet.
  
  I hope this is helpful and if I can answer any more questions, please feel free to ask! I'm sorry you're going through this and are still in the early, frustrating stages where you're finding what works and your pup is still in pain a lot. Bigby says, it gets better!

Hello to a fellow Coloradan!

Things you'll need:

-A crate, either wire or airline works. Get the largest size you can reasonably fit (42-48 inches if you can). Check craigslist for sure, as you might not need it forever, and people are always selling and reselling crates.

-Dental supplies. I use water additive for my pups (a few drops in daily drinking water), as well as tooth wipes, foam cleaner. I also give my dogs daily chew things (ears, dental treats, etc) to do ALL I can to avoid dental cleanings. My male hound is coming up on 10 years old, and never once has needed a dental!

-Boots of some kind, though my guy only tolerates pawz rubber boots. They are disposable and reuseable, but make walking in cold CO weather MUCH easier. Otherwise their paws tend to go numb quickly, usually a good 1/2 mile from your house!

-I unfortunately don't have recommendations on jackets, as I got my dog's coat secondhand from his rescue on the east coast, and also got another from a greyhounds in gettysburg back when I lived in MD. DO get something really warm though. I put a coat of some kind on my guy if it's less than 40 degrees out, and do the heavier one if it's less than 20. You can also layer up if need be. Jammies are also something to consider (mine can't deal in the house if it's less than 69 degrees inside and paces around a lot trying to stay warm): This kind is great and very inexpensive for indoor use! I think we got the large, and it's still a bit big. A smaller female might just need a medium.

-Chews. In my experience, greyhounds aren't big on nylabones and antlers...the most cost effective ones ;). They LOVE cow/lamb ears, bully sticks, natural bones, compressed rawhide, etc. The site I linked to above, Jefferspet.com, has a great, inexpensive selection of natural chews that seem to agree better with my hound than any of the artificial stuff (greenies, dentastix, busy bones, etc. that are high in fat and gluten products).

-Consider a dremel tool for their nails. I still trim manually from time to time. but the dremel takes the guess work and stress out of possibly nicking your dog's vein. I have the dog lay down for me on a bed and work on a few nails at a time at first, up to 3 seconds at a time (it gets hot!). Some dogs nails grow faster than others, but for beginnings, I find they take to this much easier. It IS very important to keep their nails nice and rounded, as they are so easily prone to scratching/injury on themselves.

-A first aid kid. Your dog will get scrapes and cuts on the regular, especially if you do anything outdoorsy in CO. Invest in some gentle antiseptic, gauze, vet wrap, neosporin, liquid bandage, etc. and always know right where your kit is. A lot of people see greyhounds and assume they were abused by the scars some have; it's difficult to explain to them that most of the scars they've incurred have actually been during their time with me! They can be very clumsy, and particularly when playing with other dogs, a paw scratch or playful nip can result in stitches -_-.

This isn't obviously a comprehensive list, but just some ideas of things others might not have mentioned. Good luck to you on your greyhound journey!

3's hardly old. A dog can learn at any age, though it may not be easy, depending on the dog.

We got our grey at 3.5 years old, and it's been a bit slow going, but time and getting settled in helped a lot, as did high value treats. I've learned that greys are generally willing to indulge you, but they're smart enough not to work for minimum wage.

Here's my list of favorite training resources, what I generally recommend and reference over in /r/dogs and /r/dogtraining:

• Victoria Stilwell
  
• Jane Killion
  
• Karen Pryor (Her clicker training with dogs book is great)
  
• Sophia Yin (Great book: How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves)
  
• Patricia McConnell
  
• Ian Dunbar. He's done a lot of work with puppies (but a lot of the principles and concepts transfer to adult dogs well) and has a blog and tons of articles as well as a TED Talk.
  
• Zak George
  
• Kikopup
  
• Kristin Crestejo
  
• A great article on canine body language/calming signals: Calming Signals: The Art of Survival by Turid Rugaas.
  
  For your grey (and mine), Jane Killion was especially helpful. Check out her book When Pigs Fly: Training Success with Impossible Dogs.
  
  I also have had lots of success with clicker training (Karen Pryor mainly, but lots of the resources above have info on it). My aloof cat-grey doesn't offer behaviors easily and is hard to lure, so being able to capture good behavior as it happened was a great help.

Keep at it, it's so incredibly frustrating when you're already stretched with the baby! We assumed the dog was freaked out by our kid so went full-calm down mode. We crated at night because the messing happened then (also during the day) but we also used the crate as his sanctuary so he was able to get away from the baby. Maybe if crating isn't working try a thunder vest or similar? These were the herbs we used: Hilton Canine Tranquility Dry Herbal Mix 125 g https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003MGIN08/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_DHSRzbFH57Z3W more expensive than some but this mix seemed to work best.

We also got the Adaptil pheromone collar (m/l size) plus the plug-in (again, Amazon!)

Definately get a belly band!!

Enzyme cleaner (buy bulk!!): Simple Solution Stain and Odour Remover for Dogs, 4 Litre https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004HYU79O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_XPSRzbZAYTFEJ

One other thing we did was had him walked by a professional dog walker twice a week with other dogs - the socialisation really seemed to help!!

Best of luck! Our hound and my son are now best of friends, it was really tough but worth it in the end!

Yeah, it's the opposite of most advice because it is simply not true, and I don't know any greyhound owners that would give that advice. As greyhounds get older and are off the track for longer, you need to be careful that they don't overdo it or they can get injured. Although my 8 year old boy still loves to run, he only wants to do zoomies maybe once a week (sometimes less), and I can't let him run too much at once otherwise he gets really stiff afterwards (just like humans do if we work out a lot after not being active). If your greyhound regularly enjoys running it's good to let them get out that energy, but saying that even older and lazy greys need to run hard everyday is just absurd. I've also only met one greyhound who would even play fetch. My boy would much rather chase the dog that's chasing the ball than to chase the ball itself.

It's a very important point you made about not letting greyhounds off-leash. They have very high prey drive, and even with great recall, some could get pretty far away chasing a squirrel and easily get hit by a car or not find their way back.

Re: original post, but agree it is likely separation anxiety or an adjustment period. The first week I had my guy he barked all the time (and then suddenly stopped and now only barks maybe twice a year). When you leave the house it can be helpful to put the radio on since I've been told it's usually on in the kennels at the track. For my guy I used to put on NPR or classical music when I left until he was better adjusted. Also getting plushy squeaker toys can help get out some energy. The favorite in our house is: ZippyPaws 12-Inch Hedgehog Squeaky Plush Dog Toy, X-Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008PEZ5R6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_clyACb5PKJB5W

I have only had my greyhound, Kuiper, for 3 weeks, so I can speak to what the first couple weeks with a shy dog is. He is also a retired racer (race name Bella Kingo) and was off the track for about 2 months before coming into our home. What is your girls racing name? What is her new name going to be?

Greyhounds in generally seem to be a very reserved breed at first, but they then open up and ours is becoming quite the goofball!

I don't know if you plan on kenneling her at all, but we chose to kennel Kuiper and are very happy we did. He likes to "get away from it all" sometimes and just goes to his kennel to take a nap. Also, he prefers to eat while standing in his kennel - while reaching to his food bowl outside.

As for things to keep in mind. The first day is often overwhelming for the dogs (at least it was for Kuiper.) Hourly trips outside until he got on schedule (he didn't go poop for the first 2 days!) and we ended up adding some metamucil to his food to solidify his stool. Greys can be sensitive, and you'll notice it most when they go to the bathroom. Also, we kennel Kuiper in our room at night and the second night his stomach was grumbling so loud it actually woke us up. That sometimes happens with the stress of new scenery and a new diet.

Also, patio doors! Our grey took one look at our deck and headed right into our patio door. He didn't hurt himself, but was kind of confused as first. So, if you have a patio door, just draw the blinds or put some masking tape on it and then introduce it to him.

I'll give you our experience with our cats. When we first got Kuiper, we put the cats in the basement for the first day to give him a chance to acclimate himself to us and our house. The second day we brought the cats up and every time a cat would come near, Kuiper would jump to his feet. At first, we thought it was a sign of aggression, we soon figured out that he was TERRIFIED of them and just wanted to leave the room when they came in. 3 weeks later, he still doesn't "like" them, but generally completely ignores them.

Another thing you could do to help the bond is grooming her. We bought a grooming glove which Kuiper really likes. I think it helps build the bond between him and I.

I had the chance to take off some work and spend the first couple days with him - I think that helped. All in all, we are still learning a LOT. He hasn't had any accidents in the house and only barks (or whines) when he needs to go outside to relieve himself. Honestly, it has been nothing short of fantastic!

Edit: I would also recommend a harness instead of a collar for when you go outdoors. I was reading an article just the other day that said there has been an increase in cases of dogs having esophageal problems because of collars. With shy dogs, sometimes they like to just freeze and stand there - and sometimes you need to move them for their own safety (i.e. Kuiper likes to freeze when people on bikes come towards him and we need to gently move him to the side of the trail.) The harness takes the strain off the neck. Just my two cents :)

Greyhounds love slumberballs! I got my 60 pound girl a extra large one since I knew she'd like a lot of room to stretch out on it, so you could either do that size or size up to a giant one to allow him to be more comfortable. Either size would work though.

Did you get toys yet? How about a raised feeder? In my experience with fostering and owning my girl, they don't seem to be too big on chew types of toys, but love squeaky toys. Mine loves this squeaky toy since the squeaker is super loud and strong, and this plush toy. A little while after we got her we also realized that while she wasn't into small balls like tennis balls or anything, she really loved big balls like soccer balls. I was sick of her destroying soccer balls quickly, so I got her one of these since it was recommeded to me by someone at the dog park, and that thing is seriously indestructible. As far as feeders go, if you haven't gotten one yet then I'd recommend this one. $20 and comes with two bowls. I've had it for a year now with no problems.

I think it's pretty common that the black dogs have a white blaze, or from what I've seen -- I always call them tuxedo hounds because that's what it looks like they're wearing :)

No, that's not a cooking measurement cup, it's one of these -- except since I have two dogs, I use a bigger size than what I've linked here.

It's a pretty forgiving process: you basically just need to spoon the chicken into your disposable portion cups like in the link above [make sure you can close the lid, so don't overfill] and repeat until you run out of chicken to portion out. Put the containers into the freezer, if you make more than enough for a few days. Since I use them every day I pull three or four out of the freezer a couple times a week, so they're thawed and ready when I need them.

Also, don't forget to feed your helpers!

Yeah, they are quite expensive. I live in the desert so it didn't seem worth it to me to get a pair of greyhound-specific jackets for my two at $60 apiece, so I bought some 'general dog' jackets for like $20 each in the XXXL size and they're actually pretty good except that the neck hole is obviously much wider than a li'l greyhound neck. If you don't mind them being a little less stylish than the average greyhound, you can try regular dog pajamas; I bet something like this would be fine: https://www.amazon.com/PUPTECK-Sweater-Winter-Knitwear-Clothes/dp/B07CG84S9M

We had one but our great dane mix hates the hammock style so we just reverted back to a super long quilt-like one that drapes all the way down to the floorboard and back up to attach to the drivers/passenger front headrests.

The one we have is kind of like this (not exactly) https://www.amazon.com/Tapiona-Dog-Seat-Cover-Waterproof/dp/B06W597YC7/ref=sr_1_49?hvadid=241915864033&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9026827&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t3&hvqmt=e&hvrand=11557006411077025330&hvtargid=kwd-12215589150&keywords=rear+seat+dog+cover&qid=1554235423&s=gateway&sr=8-49 and it has little foam rollers that stick in between the seat back and rear seat cushion so it maintains the tight edge at the rear.

If your dogs are OK with "floating" in a hammock then go for it! our dane just gets too excited when we get to a stop light (thinking we are at the destination) and instantly stands up and loses balance.

The hydrogen peroxide was a good call. I don't have much experience with my grey eating things so I'm not sure whether you should take him to the vet or not at this point. Seems like maybe just keep an eye on him.

But as for you second question - I bought this Buster Food Cube puzzle toy for our girl since she's home alone all day and she started to get into a few things and she LOVES it. Knocking this around the living room is probably the highlight of her day. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003A23HZK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also putting treats and biscuits in her Kong that are really hard to get out can keep her busy for a long time too.

I live on a different coast, so I can't talk about AZ, but we've all been through this. Everything will be fine.

Get yourself a copy of the greyhound bible, Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies. Stairs are a completely surmountable obstacle. Yeah, it might be rough for a week, but they'll get the hang of it. As long as you're willing to put in the walking time (most orgs recommend 2 walks, 30 minutes each), a condo is a totally fine situation. Everything will be fine.

That particular bed was Costco and it was only like $35, great deal. Crate and crate pad were from Amazon. Here's the crate...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QFWCLY/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Is she the only dog? She's never been alone before.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dogtraining/wiki/separationanxiety



Your placement rep should have some very good advice for you as well as other resource people in you adoption group.




This book by Patricia McConnell is often recommended for separation anxiety.

This one by Malena Demartini-Price is also often recommended.

Good gracious! Get one of these
Slow feeder
https://www.amazon.com/Outward-Hound-Feeder-Bloat-Small/dp/B00L3O4JI6/

We don't worry about it unless it's after strenuous exercise. If she's eating after running around, we wait until she's done panting, which can be up to 20 minutes. Sometimes we use a slow feeder to be safe. Normally she eats her food in about 30 seconds, but with the slow feeder it's more like 4 minutes. We use this one in the small size (fits up to 2 cups of food)

Amazon. And you definitely want to provide raised food bowls. If you adopted from us at VAGA we’d require.

The 1st is what i use with my 2 girlhounds. One for water and a 2nd for food. 15”

https://smile.amazon.com/Ethical-Pet-hygienic-stainless-conditions/dp/B001CPSEC8/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=raised+food+bowls+for+dogs+18”&qid=1563095715&s=gateway&sr=8-5

This one is 18”. But pricey, you’ll only buy it once tho

https://smile.amazon.com/Platinum-Pets-Double-Stainless-Caribbean/dp/B006GIO0FG/ref=mp_s_a_1_18?keywords=raised+food+bowls+for+dogs+18”&qid=1563095856&s=gateway&sr=8-18

Yep! Collapsible crate. It’s a bit worn out, Amazon tells me I bought it in September 2015, and it’s been all around the country w/ us, but it’s held up well and enough room for Red who stands 32” at his shoulder and was almost 90lbs when he retired. Here’s the exact one,

Noz2Noz 669 N2 Sof-Krate Indoor/Outdoor Pet Home, 106.7 centimeters, for Pets up to 90lbs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000P9ZFEM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.l7GDbHGCJJK1

_____

^(I'm a bot) ^| ^Feedback ^| ^Stats ^| ^Opt-out ^| ^(v5.1)

Yep! Collapsible crate. It’s a bit worn out, Amazon tells me I bought it in September 2015, and it’s been all around the country w/ us, but it’s held up well and enough room for Red who stands 32” at his shoulder and was almost 90lbs when he retired. Here’s the exact one,

Noz2Noz 669 N2 Sof-Krate Indoor/Outdoor Pet Home, 42 inches, for Pets up to 90lbs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000P9ZFEM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_.l7GDbHGCJJK1

Try checking out Lee Livingood's "Retired Racing Greyhounds for Dummies" if you haven't already. There is a lot of good information in there covering a wide range of breed-specific topics.

Its hard to say specifics without knowing the exact situation, but I fostered a hound with separation anxiety and I found the book I'll Be Home Soon very helpful.

I recommend this book!

It's not uncommon for newly retired greyhounds to have separation anxiety. They're never alone in the racing kennels. They've been torn from everything that's familiar and put somewhere unfamiliar and likely all by himself for periods of time. (Most of us have to work or go to school.) This is a very good (small) book that gives you steps to teach your grey how to tolerate being home alone: https://www.amazon.com/Ill-Home-Soon-Separation-Anxiety/dp/1891767054