Raising a Rescued Greyhound

Off-Lead Greyhounds

Mon, 12 May 2008 01:46:08 -0400

Next topic... Coming soon!

My stance on off-leading greyhounds and how I did it.

The Defiant Greyhound

Mon, 5 May 2008 04:45:11 -0400

What I learned after reading “The Loved Dog” (Tamar Geller)...
What is most basic to dogs... and the dog-pack.

When my greyhound appears to be defiant, is he just being naughty?
Or did I mess up?

Upcoming topic... Stay tuned!

The Anxious Newbie Greyhound

Sat, 3 May 2008 20:48:57 -0400

In this entry, I want to share my take on what makes a greyhound anxious or nervous when you first adopt one. I don’t believe greyhounds are supposed to be nervous nor anxious on a regular basis. But for good and sometimes sad reasons, they can certainly begin their new family life with some anxieties. Personally, I am the type of person who wants to understand how another sees the world. Not only did I endeavor to understand Zeke, he is also my first dog! So I felt nearly overwhelmed with new things to know. It is my hope that anyone in a similar situation will find solace from this bit.

First off, I think it is important to keep in mind that a ex-racing greyhound has lived its life in relative seclusion. It knows about other greyhounds and people. That’s basically it! They don’t interact with other dog breeds nor other animals in general. And they live a full 3 months with their siblings before they move on to greyhound racing school... if they’re fast enough. And if they prove themselves to be faster still, they will move on to life at the track. So all Greyhounds at Wonderland Park during morning turn-out. Zeke, we believe, is in center!they know is how to stay fit, bunk in crates with lots of other hounds in the same boat, be handled by vets & trainers and run professional races. It doesn’t understand rain nor snow conditions but they do understand track conditions due to rain. They don’t know what a house is but they do know about kennels and crates “homes.” They’ve never spent time alone! And the majority of their life has been in a single routine: that of a racing greyhound.

To help my new greyhound acclimate to his new environment and blossom, I thought it very important to keep these perspectives. From the first moments Zeke set foot in my house, he had to face a combination of nervous yet parental and excited energy from me. I was introducing him to my established family with 2 felines. I was a feline parent and bound by duty to protect them. I was nervous as to whether or not I would succeed as a dog parent... in my past, never connected with dogs so deeply as I do with greyhounds today. And filled with joy and excitement having adopted this wonderful being, Zeke the Woof-Woof (a.k.a. Zekey-Boy). I tend to be a calm person in the light of trouble, so being calm yet assertive or at least thoughtful and purposeful was a natural aspect to demonstrate to Zeke. But calm as I may be, I am also quite emotional in frustration, so that too, I brought to Zeke. So as I would soon learn, what I brought to the table is what was learned!

Having read several books on greyhounds, especially ex-racers, I had formed many opinions. I went through several adoption agencies to find my perfect hound. I had numerous conversations with these seasoned greyhound rescuers. I joined a greyhound walking club and gained further perspective on the varieties of greyhound personalities and their retirement lives. With those tidbits of knowledge and experience, I began to journal Zeke’s every move from the time he awoke to how he slept! I needed to understand him! I didn’t understand him so well when we met.

The things I felt I did right and wrong I will write about here. The points I want to comment on are: Immersion, Separation Anxiety & Nervousness and Trust.

IMMERSION: Take yourself and immerse you in a foreign land where nothing familiar but for other humans is palpable. You don’t speak the language. The customs are different. You bed is the only familiar situation. You know about humans but the one(s) your stuck with is a stranger. The other dogs are missing. The ground is weird. The smells are strange. There are creatures you’ve never seen before walking about looking at you funny. Some of them might even scare you a bit. You’re not sure what to make of the new place and beings. You’re not sure they know what you Greyhounds at Wonderland Park going back inside their crates after turn-out and getting their crates cleaned & bedding refreshed.need or want. Though the new place is warm, food & water is plentiful, the crate is loaded with soft and fancy things, the point is: everything is unfamiliar and new!

This means the house, the hardwood floors, carpets and rugs, ceramic tile, you name it! All weird surfaces. Stairs have never been done neither. For that matter, Zeke doesn’t really have a sense of his hind quarters. He was afraid of anything that required his hind quarters to be precise. He’d never really seen cats close up. Other dogs were even weirder... dogs but not greyhounds? They were yappy or jumpy or way too into smelling “his thingy” and a few down right aggressive! Socialization was a top priority! He needed to see the world. Sidewalks, streets, children, cats, dogs, etc. And not be afraid. Sometimes he’d just stand quietly nervous. Other times he’d back up and beg me (silent beg) to walk the other way. But all in all, my calmness in meeting new “creatures” lead him in example the notion that he need not be afraid or nervous. I didn’t coax him when he was nervous. I just continued to greet the other dogs and their people normally. He’d look at me for guidance. I’d look back and communicate to him, “This is just the way things are done.”

SEPARATION ANXIETY & NERVOUSNESS: The nature of the dog is to live in packs with a clear leader at the helm. When I adopted Zeke, I was given lots of advice regarding his adjustment to home-life. All agencies emphasize to Zeke’s new life: New crate, Furry blankets, padding and squeaky toys.prospective adopters that greyhounds are prone to anxiety issues. This is true. They have the heart of a fairy tale ending... “and they live happily ever after.” A broken heart can lead to very extreme anxiety disorder in this breed. In my quest to find the perfect hound, there were several greys that were labeled “separation anxiety sufferer.” Of course, I took ever precaution to prevent this kind of emotional strain.

I was told to not spend more than a weekend bonding with my new greyhound before catapulting him into MY routine. The faster they learn they will have to be home alone, the better.... or so they say.

My instincts said otherwise. I knew just about NOTHING about dogs. I knew what they were. I knew they barked. They need walks. And they require people-participation to pee and poo. (I’ve always been a cat person.) But knowing as little as I did, my instincts told me that abandoning my greyhound in an unfamiliar universe isn’t going to make him feel better nor closer to me. My instincts told me that he might adjust to my terms of life but that I will not have addressed HIS needs. And it is common knowledge that greyhounds are very loyal... even if you’re the meanest owner on the planet! So clinging to me because I interact the most with him wasn’t the grand prize I sought. I wanted him to understand things. I wanted him to be happy. And to be fond of me because he really felt I was worthy. So I raced to adopt him while I had a week’s holiday to spend with him. To be honest, I felt some resistance from one adoption group on that matter. But that might have just been me! Regardless, I decided to heed the advice of experienced greyhound owners and put my 2¢-worth forward as well.

My plan was to train Zeke to stay home (almost) alone a couple hours at a time. Gradually working him up to 8-10 hours home (almost) alone. At the time, I lived Zeke’s new life: Super cushy, comfy giant doggie bed, fleece blankets, treats & toys galore!alone with my 2 cats. So I had no other help. The cats were of little comfort to him. For the most part, this plan seemed to be working out. Over the course of a few weeks, he was steadily improving and earning privileges like staying outside the crate but in a restricted area of the house, etc. Learning to let the cats be and not making them feel uncomfortable. But just as everything began to improve, the housebreaking part of life seemed to get out of control! Didn’t help that I really couldn’t understand him... when he needed to go et al. Seeking the advice of friends with well behaved dogs, I began to take Zeke out at routine intervals. I’d even been waking extra early to follow his more familiar routine from the track and kennel stays. Tried kong treats and other goodies... But slowly, he began to destroy his toys, blankets, pillows, beds, mess his crate even! I couldn’t figure it out. At that point, about a month later, I figured that if Zeke was human and could speak, he’d be telling Oprah how his mom ruined his life! Greyhound-Mom had a melt-down! Bawled my eyes out in despair.

I began to research online... anything! Anything at all that could PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me how to recognize when he needs to go potty! What is he saying to me? All that whining about everything! EVERYTHING. Not really into barking, just a ‘woof’ here and there. I even found a site that should some drawings of dog facial expressions. Really, I could tell was that he was sometimes anxious, sometimes nervous and sometimes happy. That part... I knew! BUT WHAT WAS MAKING HIM ANXIOUS & NERVOUS? It wasn’t until I read the book, “The Loved Dog” (Tamar Geller), an eventful day with a dear friend of mine and a few episodes of the Dog Whisperer that I started to get it.

First piece of critical information came from my dear friend and experienced dog owner. I was visiting with my technically housebroke greyhound. I was lamenting of how I feel I must be stupid because everyone keeps telling me I will be able to tell when he needs to “go.” I can never tell. I’m sure Zeke thought I was pretty stupid for not knowing such basics too. Well, lo and behold, he poops inside my friend’s apartment! How embarrassing!!!! I was clueless. I didn’t see it coming. It didn’t sound or look any different from his usual whining, panting, pacing about expressions. None of which I understood. So my friend enlightens me! He says that a dog’s emotions are tied into his bladder and bowel. They poop or pee just because they’re nervous or anxious or scared. And he said he was leaning toward Zeke having that accident but saw what I saw... not much difference from other behaviors earlier. Finally! Validation! I wasn’t stupid... I was ignorant. Yippy!

Second piece of critical information came from the book. Regarding this particular topic, the information I gained from the book was that dogs need to live life in a pack with a pack-leader. (I will touch on other key points I learned in another blog entry.) This piece struck me deeply. As a cat-mother, I always strove to understand the culture, customs and language of cats. I understand cats. I didn’t understand dogs. And there were few programs I’d seen regarding wild dogs because but for wolves and dingos, there aren’t any more wild dogs. Even the dingo lives a dual life (some wild packs some pets.) Even my knowledge of schooling fish was more developed! I knew that keeping 3 fish of a schooling species would produce nervous, anxious fish that were confused. You have to have at least 5 fish to make a school. Otherwise they don’t know how to maintain a schooling formation and find themselves swimming about aimlessly and terrified of death. So I put these piece together! Zeke was nervous and anxious because his pack-leader ditched him for several hours a day, several days a week. He was left inside a house with 2 mis-trusting pack members he didn’t truly understand. His environment was a mystery to him. And he wasn’t feeling normal. He wasn’t living the life of a dog. He wasn’t living the life of a racer. He was in no-dog’s-land.

The third and final piece of critical information came from the book and reiterated by Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer). I say it in that order because that’s how I discovered it. First, the book: Pack-leaders are always benevolent and sane. Wild wolves will “impeach” an insane malevolent pack-leader. They simply cannot risk starvation and death to the entire pack. Pack-leaders don’t pounce on their pack members. And pack members respectfully and dutifully obey the wishes and commands of the leader. In the words of Cesar Millan, pack-leaders are “calm assertive” and members are “calm submissive.”

After learning all that I had, I found I was doing things about as backward as I could muster. Not seeing the world through Zeke’s eyes was making him a nervous-wreck and giving him anxiety. Really, the happy well-adjusted greyhound is still my shadow! But he’s not nervous and not anxious anymore. My solution? Stop ditching him! Let him see the his new world with me as his guide. Earn his trust and faith in me.

Because I could, I started to take Zeke with me to work. Even if I could not bring him inside, I would frequently attend to him as he waited in the car. OF COURSE, weather had the final say as to whether or not Zeke could come with me! Safety first. He would not thank me for hypothermia or heatstroke! SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY please! I started to alternate the schedule after he followed me through a complete work week. I arranged for a friend he was fond of to come over and take him for a walk when possible. It was like Vegas! You never know which day will be the day you stay home and your friend visits and invites you to walk to boot!

This technique was a miracle! Zeke chilled out completely! No more destruction of his own things... thankfully he never destroyed my things! Sharp and rapid decline of “accidents.” After all, what kind of leader am I if he can’t follow me and learn my ways? He’s now a regular at work. His behavior is good enough and always improving... he has earned his privilege to go to work with me. His job is to be very quiet and wait patiently. I pay him in dog treats! He gets a bigger payload for waiting quietly for a long time and token treats for 5-20 minutes of waiting. No treats if he’s interrupting my work. Inside of 3 weeks, he was markedly improved. I could leave him home with the cats for a few hours at a time and get minimal lamenting out of him. Today, he can be home for many hours and will greet me as if I’ve been gone years! But never sweating that I would leave him.

Today, he’s survived with much joy an overnight daycare with play-group times scheduled and a full day in the company of friends and their dogs. He did cry for half an hour with our friends, but took to their pack there after. The daycare reported that he was a party animal during play-group times. And otherwise a perfectly behaved guest. His next challenge will be 18 days at daycare while we’re in Europe!

TRUST: A greyhound’s life is nomadic... At least the racer’s life is! He’s with mama-greyhound until about 3 months old. He’s at racing school for another 6+ months. He’s at a racing park kennel for a couple years. Then maybe another racing park kennel. Then the adoption kennel. Greyhounds are not surprised they will move after a stay. But to be kind, the kennels of the past try to keep a detachment so they don’t traumatize the greyhounds with abandonment issues! (Keep in perspective: healthy detachment is not the same as abusive.) For Zeke, he was at one track for almost 2 years. The last track nearly a full year. The adoption kennel, just a month or so. I believe that it was the combination of becoming a sane or sensible pack-leader who introduced the world to him, personally and time that produced the trust. Roughly 2 months and a few weeks later, Zeke really relaxed. He began to accept the belief that it is very possible that my home is his forever home.

We started taking “Greyhound Class.” A dog-training program especially for greyhounds. Greyhounds come to families without the same exposure ordinary puppies receive living with a family. All dogs need to learn to climb stairs. But puppies don’t feel the same terror and fear as greyhounds. It’s not abnormal so much as it is natural. I toddler learning to ice skate will be less fearful than an adult learning to ice skate. Falling down is a way of life for the puppy. Falling down can mean broken toes or greyhound-pile-ups for the ex-racer. So greyhound classes provide the focus greyhound owners need. Zeke’s trust in me was apparent in class. He was the most relaxed guy in class. He was so relaxed I was actually concerned he would be the slowest learner!

It’s been just over the year mark now. I believe that Zeke will need to have stayed with me more than 2 years before he starts to believe I will never leave him and not come back. He trusts me now. But he has yet to experience that 18-day vacation I will be taking. I will certainly make an entry on that topic! As for now, he is a most happy, confident, social, hungry for knowledge and skills not anxious and not nervous dog. He is predominantly a well-behaved dog. And he is genuinely good-natured, as I believe all greyhounds are born as such.

Introducing My Cats to My Hound

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:50:23 -0400

As with any ANIMAL, no one can say with absolute certainty that nothing can go wrong. Please always consult professional animal trainers when in doubt. My story is my personal experience under my personal circumstances. Please be wise. Never knowingly endanger your beloved smaller creature.

Before adopting my greyhound, I took the time and energy to raise & educate my cats. Tamba, my first 4-legged friend in all of my life, most beloved “daughter” and one I hold the highest regard taught me about cats. Cats and greyhounds have a common ancestry... the Ancient Egyptians. Both animals revered on par with the gods. And for good reason!

Tamba, my first baby. One of my very best friends now and in the days of college was somewhat of a dog whisperer. Someone natural to animals. I held great respect for his knowledge despite his attitude toward cats. He shared with me how he raised his dog (whom I regard as fantastic.) I didn’t know better and did similar with Tamba.

Tamba began to acquire an ever-growing vocabulary of English. I began to acquire some vocabulary in “Mao-mao.” She is better with English than I with “Mao-mao.” Together, we formed our own language that took about 2 years to develop to be what it is today. NOW, we don’t have philosophical conversations! But we communicate effectively. And what I learned is that cats want to communicate with their humans! And thus, the start of a beautiful relationship with Tamba and all kittens and rescue cats to come.

Being that both my cats trusted their lives to me. Being that both my cats totally understood what was asked of them. My introduction of Zeke to the cats was radically different than the normal recommendation. I don’t believe this should be attempted similarly if you don’t have as reliable a rapport with your own felines. Click here for more info on my cats.

My cats interpreted that the crate and muzzle meant that Zeke was ferociously dangerous. Therefore, I chose to keep Zeke in his crate without the muzzle and provide my cats with an escape route for emergencies. Also helps that I can ROAR like a lioness! There is no doubt when I roar a “NO!” that I will defend with deadly force.

While inside the crate, Zeke spent a several weeks observing me dote on my cats. There was no question in Zeke’s mind that these cats were important members of my family. I instantly established a pack-order for Zeke to observe. I come home and Tamba is the first to be greeted. Followed by Figaro. At the time, I lived without my wonderful partner, Patrick (aka Dr. P). I also waited for Zeke to cue me of his understanding of the cats. When he began to respond to Tamba’s death stares by lowering his head more and more... When he overt his eyes in respect for her rank, I knew the time had come for GUIDED visitations.

Zeke was exception in his soul! He read Tamba. He reacted similarly to a cat at the dog park. A little kitten on a leash! She raised her paw at Zeke. Zeke looked away and to the side. He was submissive to the kitten and worked to gain trust. He noted a duck mistrusting him in the river and turned his body almost all the way around to allow the duck to get the food I was throwing into the river. He ignored the pet store cat despite my pointing it out. He ignored the white bunny the pet store attendant held. Before all these interactions, he was generally skeptical of all other dog breeds as well. But not aggressive.

Zeke scared Figaro once. I was washing the dishes. I ROARED the loudest most fierce “NOOOOOO!” known to man! I surprised myself. I felt, for an instant I might regret my path. But with no uncertainty, Figaro followed the escape plan perfectly. Zeke nearly splayed flat onto the hardwood floors as he tried to escape my roar... from the kitchen. I could see them from where I stood. Turned out, Figaro was not being chased at all. Zeke was taking an interest with wispy tail-ed excitement to say hello. Figaro freaked. I freaked, sort of. Zeke thought it was wrong to have walked so close to the stairs. He did not realize I was roaring about Figaro because he wasn’t after Figaro. Figaro never over-reacted again. After Zeke’s indignant display of whining cries and avoidance of that area of the house for days, it was clear that Zeke was all goodness and no harm. Even when Zeke tried to engage Figaro in chase outside, a quick “STOP” or “NO” was all that was needed for both to understand.

In my view, the softer cloth muzzles are more appropriate for the introduction of a greyhound to felines. Less threatening image and no plastic bonking! No biting neither!!!!

I would do everything the same BUT WITH THE SOFT MUZZLE if I had a cat that was not so well educated and not yet earned its trust. Most important, you MUST ESTABLISH YOURSELF AS PACK LEADER before an unleashed experience is provided. This will not work if you are not the leader in the eyes of your greyhound. Remember, you are only a leader if they are willing to follow. You are merely a slave master if you bribe their obedience under treat or threat. And your are a talented servant under the leadership of your greyhound otherwise!

Greyhound Adoption Process

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:29:26 -0400

Adopting Zeke was quite a an ordeal. But well worth it. And with good reason. It is heartbreaking to learn of greyhounds that get returned with the additional burden of suffering broken hearts or anxiety issues. So please take your time to find the right greyhound for you and your family!

It was like adopting a child. I needed references. They interviewed my references. They interviewed me. They made a home visit. They offer a social network to help out. All good stuff!

I went to the “Meet & Greets” where adoptable greyhounds and greyhound ambassadors congregate to attract attention and potential new homes. It’s a wonderful way to introduce greyhounds to the world outside of racing. And I attended these to ask questions and meet hounds. I also read about greyhounds from recommended readings from a greyhound owner whose greyhound first caught my heart and attention. I applied to many adoption agencies. I went to several adoption kennels.

Believe it or not, I was DECLINED a greyhound from one Boston-based group because they felt I was certainly an animal lover but lacked the discipline in their opinion to properly care for a greyhound. I think this is an important note to consider. Their opinion of me derived from my beliefs and methods in raising my cats. My beliefs and thoughts on animals being capable of more than what they were telling me. I read every book recommended to me. And I can say I DO disagree with some of the limitations or descriptions of the capability of the greyhound. But these are very well established and respected books. So I really feel that you should consider that my opinion is based purely on my experiences and understandings. Of course, with the publishing of this website, I can say with confidence that I believe that being different doesn’t make me incapable or a risk to greyhounds. Mine seem to be perfectly happy and well mannered all around.

Eventually, I found Zeke in New Hampshire after contacting GPS of NH when I contacted the owner of this kennel about a not-too-bouncy, kid, cat and small animal friendly medium sized dog. She emailed back that she had 3 dogs that fit my description of my life and my type of dog. The only thing was that Zeke was about twice the size I was hoping for. I was thinking of a girl. Maybe blonde. This first hound I met was a medium blonde girl greyhound! But Zeke had all eyes and ears on me from the moment I walked into the mud-room. And it was hard to choose any other dog to walk first. Needless to say, it was a no-brainer to pick Zeke. Then known as “Deppy” because he’s handsome like Johnny Depp and his racing name was New Deputyintown. It took 10 minutes for me to sign on the dotted line and commit my life to his. He was perfect. Not too bouncy. (Doesn’t jump or maul me.) Followed my direction for our walk. Didn’t assume he was the leader. Paid attention to me pointing things out. Sniffed my car with interest. Walked on the lead with me like a pro. He was the first dog I ever walked. I am lucky.

I highly recommend GPS in NH. http://www.gpstopdog.org/ Michele Houghton really knows her dogs. And really knows about dogs and animal behavior/training. She has lots of dogs. And she selected 3 for me to visit. I feel so well matched, I am confident that if you provide the information about yourself as well as what you want from a dog, she will match you if possible with a great dog of hers. Otherwise, lots of other adoption kennels have fantastic hounds needing a great home.

http://www.agcouncil.com/adoption.cfm?page=2
The American Greyhound Council