TESTED DOG TIPS

This information is given on the understanding that I am not responsible for any subsequent action you may take acting upon it, as your circumstances are beyond my control. This list was compiled by Catherine Shannon from the Greyhound List that I subscribe to.

(The following is a list of tips compiled mainly from suggestions in October 2001 from members of the greyhound-list. These are just suggestions which may or may not work out for your particular hound/situation.)

***If your dog is loose and you haven't a collar and lead ready to hand - Grab the dog gently but firmly by the loose skin at the back of the neck.

***To remove the smell of urine in the garden - sprinkle garden or agricultural LIME on the area leave overnight and spray with water until it disappears. Harmless to dogs and cats.

***If you have a dog that is fearful of something (say, loud noises), don't cuddle and coo to your pup or say, "there, there, good dog" when it's scared. Instead, yawn widely and noisily (a calming signal to dogs) and then jolly your pup -- "Oh my, what a big, silly noise that was!" -- in a very cheerful, laughing voice. If you coo to your dog and say "good dog," you just end up teaching it that it's good to be fearful of loud noises.

*** Have some type of pet calm product safe for greys handy for those who suffer from separation anxiety or thunderphobia (Rescue Remedy, Nutri-calm, Clomicalm, valerian, melationin)

***SA desensitization: prove to any dog in a new home that you will always come back, before you go off for a work day or a few hours of errands. Make the place they are going to stay when you are out a fabulous, joyous place.
Spend time there with them, with treats and toys. After a while of this, do all the things you do before leaving the house, without leaving, over and over. Start infinitesimally small departures -- just out and back in to the house. Build up to longer times.

***For all of you who have dogs that HATE going to the vet, I have a suggestion to help make your vet-visits a pleasant experience. For any dog who is vet-fearful, or for especially shy dogs, I recommend visiting your vet's office routinely for no reason. Just take your dog in, place them on the scale, sit in the lobby a while, talk to the receptionist, give them a treat, and leave. This type of positive reinforcement works wonders.

***If there is one thing I've learned, it's to give an anxious hound a chance un-crated. You may be pleasantly surprised to see all anxious behavior alleviated.

*** Always let them know who is alpha of the house (YOU are!)

***During the past year I have noticed the high class show horses and race horses wearing ear muffs stuffed with cotton to prevent the horses from being frightened by the noise of the crowds. I started at my mom's stuffing her dogs ears with large cotton balls. First couple of stuffs they shook out. Then they were fine and left them alone. Went home and stuffed only my labs ears. We spent the most peaceful 4th of July evening in years.

*** Never let your guard down if you have multiple pets living in the same home together (cats, rabbits, other dogs). This goes for even the most harmonious homes, too.

*** Whatever you're doing, stay calm. Dogs worry if you worry. Calm other people if they're worrying around your sick dog. Give panicked people a task to do.

*** Have a can of pepper spray with you if you plan on taking walks with your grey. You never know what animal can come out of the blue to attack you and your grey. Some people carry a pooper-scooper for dual purposes.

*** Muzzle if you have more than one dog outside at a time! If you're in a fight situation, never, ever stick your hands in. Get a stick, a bat (big, orange, whiffle ball bat - cut the fat end off ) a water hose, anything.
Do not attempt to break up the fight with your hands.

***How to keep a dog from helicoptering out of it's collar and lead: drop down on your knees and pull immediately down on the lead close to the collar.

***When bringing a new hound to your house, always take the dog to a fenced, grassy area first to go pee or poop before bringing them into the house. It helps cut down on the marking of furniture inside.

***Patience. Yelling gets you nowhere with a greyhound. Their feelings are easily hurt and they try so hard to understand you. Gentle demonstration works wonders.

***Reward the behavior you want. Saying "No" might stop an undesirable behavior, but it doesn't tell the dog what you want him to do. When teaching "cat-cohabitation" ... tell the dog what a good Bojack they are for not raising their head off the floor when Scrunchie walks by. When housebreaking, tell them what a good Lizzard they are all the while they are peeing outside. When they are chewing on your antique dining table's leg, hand them a knuckle bone and tell them what a good doggie they are when they begin chewing on it. Always reward the dog when you have to give pills, change bandages, etc. The dog will learn that it does get a treat for a little discomfort and will let you do it much easier next time.

***Take an empty plastic milk/juice/cider jug. Throw some pennies in (approx. 10) and cap the jug. When you shake the jug hard (just for a moment) it serves as a completely harmless but effective deterrent for behaviors you need to stop immediately (dog is preparing to sniff hot burner, is jumping on someone and about to knock them over, has kitty in its mouth ...). Obviously, it is helpful to have several of these around the house so that they are within reach.

***Make sure your greyhound is wearing identification at all times in case of accidental escape and call your adoption group immediately if it does happen. When traveling with your dog and staying somewhere with them, put the address and phone number of the place you are staying on an ID tag on their collars. I use the small paper circle tags with the metal rim that you can buy in a stationary store. It has a small hole that can be put on the ring that holds the other ID tags. That way, if somehow the dog gets loose, local people would know where to contact you. Or, laminate (contact paper works fine) a 3X5 card with all the info, (including who to call in the event of a serious car crash) and attach it with sturdy string to the
harnesses. We never travel without harnesses in place. They make great handles...like a suitcase...if you need quick control of your dog.

***When traveling with your hound use distilled water for his/her drinking and mixing the food. Distilled water is the same all over the country. Spring or drinking or filtered water varies from place to place. This will help prevent "Big D".

*** Check and secure ALL gates of a fenced in area each time you allow your greyhounds out. You never know when someone might have accidentally left a gate open. A squawker nearby may help retrieve a loose hound. Hound won't run home when you call his name? Try calling out, Let's go for a ride!"
opening car doors...he might get excited and come home if he sees/hears his car/leash.

*** Take a course in animal CPR.

*** Take clear standing photos of all your dogs, showing all their characteristics, especially fosters as they arrive. Should the dog become lost, you then have the appropriate photos for posters etc.

*** Carry a card with your address, details of your dogs, and contact details for someone who can look after them on it. Keep the card with your ID and medical information in your wallet. If you're in an accident when the dogs are home alone, a hospital emergency room should come across the card
when checking your details and know that there are dogs in need. Make sure your 'designated caregivers' have keys to gain access to your property.

*** If your dog is microchipped, have the chip checked once a year when you have your vaccination check-up.

***Buy an expandable wooden hat rack, the kind you can hang about 10 hats on (cheap at Wal-Mart) to hang behind the door; use to hang your hounds leashes, collars, coats, etc on. You can even put a small baggy on one and put in items like plastic bags for poop scooping.

***To keep greys from slipping on linoleum floors, put a bit of Take Hold (or similar product used by clerks to keep their fingers tacky for paperwork) on the paw pads.

***For greys who have to wear the dreaded "E-collar", I came up with a little harness idea to keep the collar from slipping right off Sophie's skinny little needle head. I took a soft velour belt from one of my robes, slipped it through two of the loops on the top part of the E collar, then brought the belt lengths down behind the front legs on each side, looped them under her belly and tied them together on the top of the shoulders, forming a little harness. That way there was no chance of her slipping out of the collar.

*** Make a stuffie lure. Take several feet of twine and tie it to a stuffie. Begin by running and trailing the lure behind you. Then stop and twirl it around you in the air. I let Eddie catch it and "kill" it. Actually, it's good to have two lures. While he's chewing on one, I tease him with the other one. Otherwise, I'm always trying to get the one he's killing back. (Make sure to remove the twine from the toy so the hound doesn't eat twine)

***Carpet cleaners: Nature's Miracle (good at removing odors); white vinegar; combination of white vinegar with hydrogen peroxide (may bleach carpets)

***Good hound beds: Papasan cushions (those cushions for the round bamboo furniture), children's sleeping bags (can be zipped around a bed or cushion), twin sized comforters. Egg crate foam mattress pads -- very cheap at Target, the K and Wal-mart, Marshall's etc. A twin size cut in half makes and excellent bed filling -- either two travel beds or one luxurious regular bed -- fits inside most dog bed covers. (Cut the corners off for round ones...) Or stitch or velcro two blankets or quilts together for a
cover. And at $10, I don't whine when it finally needs to be replaced. Most importantly, padding your car seat or the back of the station wagon or SUV, with one of these virtually eliminates sliding dogs. Even brand new dogs right off the truck/track have a much easier time of it riding to their new families. The padding gives enough traction so that the dog (and blankets) can more easily stay in one place, even around tight corners. I cut a full-size pad into the shape of the back of the station wagon, cover it with
an old fitted sheet and throw a blanket on top (for Willow, who MUST make a nest) and everyone is happy!

***Good furniture throws: Flannel sheets (cannot be easily moved around by digging hounds!), white canvas drop cloths sold with paint supplies

***Next tip is never throw away old children's clothes. They can be used to cover bandages or stitches to keep dogs from getting to them. They are also greyt to keep wounds from messing up bedding, so much easier to wash the clothes than the bedding every day.

***Greyhounds can wear medium or large sized adult T-shirts for warmth when a dog coat is too heavy. Be sure not to leave a tight T-shirt on for long periods of time when hound is at rest, I've had them get bunched around the front leg and could cut off circulation if hound is asleep. They are greyt for short periods outside, or if temperatures are just in the 40-50 degree range.

***The best medically related suggestion I've heard in a while made reference to injured tails on Greyhounds. Since it is very difficult to keep a bandage on a tail, it was suggested to wrap the wound, then cover it with one of those hollow, plastic hair curlers...you remember the ones...the pink ones...then tape it to the hair. This will help protect that delicate tail and it's wound. I use the old fashioned sponge hair curlers to wrap injured grey tails. I buy them by the bag at the dollar store. I just remove the plastic thing that holds your hair around them, cut them open down the side, wrap around the tail and they resume their shape. Then I wrap the whole thing in Nexcare cling wrap and use a minimal amount of tape to tape the hair at the top edge of the vet wrap so the waggy tails won't sling it off. Works like a charm and provides an excellent, breathable cushion.

***For greys who are prone to neck injury or have back or neck problems, we've found the single most effective way to keep them from re-injuring themselves is to keep them off your bed, which is fairly high up.

***When having to do something uncomfortable to your dogs (clean ears, put in eye drops, doctor foot), smear some peanut butter on the roof of their mouth. It's pleasurable and really distracts them.

*** To keep the dog's mouth open for brushing the lingual (inside) surfaces, slip a finger between the upper and lower molars on the side opposite the one you are brushing. Ouch! Hurts when they bite down, eh? Well, when you slip your finger in, catch the fur behind the mouth so that your finger is padded top and bottom with the dog's skin and fur. That way, they won't bite down, or if they do, it won't hurt much at all - and they'll soon learn not to bite down. If you are just starting out just give the outside of the
front teeth a quick (2-3 seconds) brush. Then do a little more each day. After brushing, give them a nice food treat. Brushing your dog's teeth (especially for Greyhounds) can actually save its life. If the gums get
infected, the GH's excellent circulation system will carry the bacteria and infection throughout the dog's body. It will eventually damage the dog's heart.

***For teeth cleaning, buy large beef femur or knuckle (the joint) and give RAW to hound. Lay out old blankets on the floor for this as the bones can be messy the first day. Bones can be frozen and re-used several times. Only give bone to hound for 15 minutes the first time, as his gums may
bleed; will toughen with time.

***I don't know if I believe in homeopathy or not. However Fragaria 3C (6X in 'old' measurements) seems to help keep teeth clean and soften plaque for many dogs, even for my skeptical hounds. I now expect a deluge of posts wanting to know about Fragaria 3C, so I'll forestall that with what I know.
I'm skeptical but it does seem to work for many dogs. Fragaria is a wild strawberry, and can be obtained in homeopathic pill form. Give one a day until teeth/gums improve, then reduce gradually to once a week or less - you can stop when teeth are in good shape and restart when they need it. It won't clean a lousy mouth, but will soften the crap and make it easier for you to clean the teeth. Then it will help to keep them clean. I get mine from a UK company called Dorwest, which have stockists all over the world:
http://www.dorwest.co.uk/stockists_info.htm

***Traditional medicine is not always the only answer to your pets illnesses or ailments. We took the time to do some research & go with homeopathy & holistic courses of treatments when the traditional vets gave us an unbelievable diagnosis for our Josie.

*** Trimming the fur around the pads of the feet helps stop them picking up sticky stuff from the pavement and allows air to get between the toes, reducing the chance of irritation.

*** Bleeding earflaps tend to keep bleeding if the dog can shake them. A tube cut from a pair of panty hose/nylons/tights slid over the head will prevent this.

*** The most important part of ear cleaning is the 'squelching'. Once you put the ear cleaner in, massage just under the ear until you hear that squelching noise - it means the cleaner is all the way in.

*** Bitches can be shy about giving urine samples, especially if you're hovering over them. Prepare yourself with a clean pie dish or other flat receptacle. Let them loose in a small confined area first thing in the morning when they'll really need to go, and stand aside pretending not to watch. Once they squat and start peeing, you'll be able to dart in behind and get a mid-stream sample in the pie dish.

*** Daily grooming of scurfy scabby dogs will improve their skin, even though it may appear to cause more scurf and oil at first (it's really just lifting more of the scurf out rather than creating more). The skin will
improve more quickly without all the dead skin and hair in the coat.

*** A coffee mug is the perfect size for a foot soak.

*** Warm salt water is soothing, antiseptic, mild and non-toxic. It can be used for all sorts of wound bathing. Or, for little scrapes that can sometimes get infected, a paste made of sugar and a little water acts to help healing and stave off infection. Also recommended: Bag Balm.

*** Some cockroaching dogs prefer to have their anal glands emptied in the cockroach position. Arm yourself with tissues/cotton wool and sit at the butt end of the roaching dog. Prop the butt up a bit with a cushion. Wait until the dog is well relaxed in that position. Hold the tissue in your left hand (unless you're a lefty) over the appropriate orifice, and press the gland gently with your right index finger to express it.

*** Properly hydrated dogs have elastic skin. On a sick dog, pull up a handful of skin on the back of the neck and let go - if it doesn't quickly return to normal, the dog may be dehydrated.

*** The dog's gums tell you a lot. They should be nice and pink. Pale gums can be signs of shock, blood loss, anemia etc. Yellow gums point to liver problems. Red irritated gums can be a sign of gingivitis, and brick red gums might indicate poisoning or heat-stroke, etc. Press the gums with a tip of a finger. When you remove the finger, there should be a pale spot that quickly refills with blood over 1-2 seconds - this is the capillary refill time (CRT). If the blood doesn't flow quickly back into the spot, it can be a sign of shock, bleeding, poor circulation or similar.

*** Eyes, like gums, are worth keeping an eye on. The whites (sclera) should be white, with small blood vessels showing. Older dogs may develop dark spots as a sign of age. Red, yellow or blue sclera can be symptoms of illness or irritation. Like the gums, the mucous membranes under the eyelids (conjunctiva) should be healthy pink - place your thumb under the lower eyelid and gently pull down to check. Watch your dog's eyes. The eyes will tell you everything, once you understand the language. You can tell if he's
sick, tired, sad, mad, etc.

*** A dog's ears can be used to get an idea of its temperature, even though it's not a true guide. A dog with cold ears is probably chilly. A shocked/internally bleeding dog will also have cold ears. A dog with hot ears may have a temperature. Use common sense with this - if he's been running madly around they'll quite normally be hot, and if he's been snoozing in a chilly room they'll be cold - what you're looking for are ears that are inappropriately warm or cold. It's not a reliable test, but can be useful to get a 'snapshot' of the dog's temperature when it doesn't seem well.

*** Modern plastic-cased digital thermometers are great for taking dogs' temperatures since they're less likely to break than the glass ones.

*** If you give your dogs glucosamine sulfate rather than HCL, increase the dose. The body can access about 750mg of glucosamine per 1000mg of sulfate.

*** Dogs with pimples under their chins often improve if not fed/watered from plastic bowls.

*** Baby socks to keep pups from licking injured feet. The ones with treads on them (Old Navy has these) give the dog traction on slippery floors.

*** Put an old towel or a bath mat in the bottom of the bath before bathing the dog. He'll feel more secure if his toes have something to grip.

*** Know what is normal for your dog. If you know what its normal temperature, gum colour, resting respiration and so on are supposed to be, you'll be able to more easily spot when they're not right.

*** Check your dog nose-to-tail once a week. While most of us spend enough time cuddling and petting our dogs to spot abnormalities as they arise, giving them a systematic regular check-up helps prevent things being overlooked.

*** Pilling a dog doesn't have to be a drama. Take the pill in your right hand (if you're right-handed) between first finger and thumb, gently tilt the dog's head back so its nose is up, with your left hand holding the muzzle use the middle finger of the right hand to open the mouth, pop the pill on the tongue as far back as you can see (don't shove down its throat), let the dog close its mouth while still keeping its nose up and gently stroke it's throat. Don't let the dog open its mouth right up, but do let it open a bit. Holding the mouth firmly closed or forcing the head too far back just makes it hard for the dog to swallow - he will need to open his mouth slightly, move his tongue and have a relaxed throat and neck to be able to swallow properly.

***If your hound eats glass Christmas ornaments: soak cotton balls (real cotton balls) in heavy cream, and feed one after another to hound (approximately 7-10). The glass should stick to the cotton, and will all go through hounds' digestive tract in about 24 hours. Of course, take your dog to the vet immediately -- the cotton balls and cream is to help until you see your vet.

***Add powdered garlic to food to repel fleas.

***Liverwurst (Oscar Meyer Braunswager (sp) in a tube is great for giving pills. A small amount can be wrapped/molded around the pill(s) and the dogs go nuts for it and take the pills in one big gulp. :)

*** Easy Cheese, the stuff that comes in a can, for giving pills. My pups will take even the largest antibiotics as long as it has some cheese on it. Or, put the pills in nickel sized slices of hot dogs, hiding pills in a Vienna sausage or wrap the pills in peanut butter.

*** Because of its strong scent, cat food will often tempt a dog that won't eat. Equally, bathe to clear a crusty blocked-up nose, since a dog may not eat what it can't smell.

*** Try Spam if you've got a dog that won't eat or that desperately needs to put some weight on fast. The stuff is packed with calories. A large can contains around a thousand calories.

*** Warm water added to food makes it more palatable. It's especially useful to warm tinned food kept in the fridge.

*** If your dog bolts his/her food too fast, put a rounded rock about the size of a baseball (cleaned) or a kong toy or coffee cup in the bowl. Make sure its large enough that the dog won't eat it, but small enough that they can eat around it. Working to eat the food around the rock will keep them from gulping the food.

*** If your dog gulps water too quickly, put a small amount of water in the bowl with the rest ice cubes. The dog will have its normal water supply, but just not all at once as he/she will have to wait until it all melts, and can drink the meltings along the way.

***The best tip I can come up with would be PUMPKIN! Pumpkin, the miracle veggie! Constipated? It will loosen them up. Diarrhea? It will firm them up. It knows what to do! Be sure to either purchase a whole pie pumpkin and cook it (you can them either cube it or puree it), or just buy the canned 100% pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling because of the spices). Keep a few cans in your pantry - it's great to have on hand. Canned pumpkin works very, very well for the "Big D." Make sure its just plain pure pumpkin, not the spiced kind. We use Libby's Purepak Pumpkin. A few tablespoons mixed in
with some kibble or rice at each meal should bind things up in a hurry. I always keep a can on my pantry shelf "just in case!"

***A few tablespoons of high-quality yogurt with active cultures (usually available in health food stores) will restore healthy bacteria to large intestines after a bout of diarrhea, or help with gas. Probiotics can be
given in capsule form, instead of in "yogurt" form! You can buy them in the health food store, acidophilus", in brown glass jars, refrigerated.

***Ground flax seeds are excellent as a source of Omega 6 fatty acids (Omega Fatty Acids for shiny coats, smooth skin, low shedding) and as fiber for the gut; add 3 Tablespoons to hounds food per day. Buy seeds in bulk at the feed store and grind in coffee mill to save money. Another good source of Omega
6 is fish body oil.

Pumpkin Yogurt Pops by Janet Arnold
2 Quarts Plain Yogurt (low fat, fat free, or whatever)
2 Large cans cooked pumpkin (not pie filling)
4 cans un-drained water packed tuna OR 2 lbs sautéed chicken livers mashed
in a food processor including all liquid
1/4 cup minced garlic (in the jar) Hint: wash jar before opening, wash jar,
lid and especially the threads after using. Otherwise you will want to burn
down your fridge from the smell.
1/2 cup Glucosamine powder
4-5 cups of Missing Link Canine

I buy a box of two ounce plastic cups 1200 cups for under fifteen dollars at Sam's Club. Mix well and fill the cups (approx 95). Place on trays and freeze using waxed paper between layers of trays. This amount barely fits in the 6qt Kitchen Aid mixer. I mixed the last batch by hand because I doubled the recipe. When frozen, place in freezer bags for storage. We have not used any Flea products in at least three years.

Liver Diamonds by Donna Strawbridge

3 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups quick oats
2 tablespoons brewers yeast (optional)
.5 cup canola oil
mix all these together
Add...
1# chicken liver pureed
.75 cup molasses
and enough eggs to make into cake batter consistency (usually 6)

Pour into greased cake pan and bake @275 for 30 min. Cut into shapes and reduce heat to 200 and let bake for 2 1/2 hours until dry. Turn oven off and leave in the oven overnight to complete the drying process. This will prevent mold. Freeze them, if necessary.

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