Are you a Greyhound, Whippet or Lurcher owner? Come and have a seat on another new Pointy Hounds cushion!

[TheCunnyFunt]

Pointy hounds include-
Greyhounds (Grunds)
Whippets (Whippys)
Lurchers
Italian Greyhounds (Iggys)
Salukis
Afghans
And any others I have forgotten. If you are a new pointy hound owner, an old and experienced owner or looking into getting one of these fabulous creatures, come and have a seat (that's not taken up with a hound :o).

Share stories, advice and shopping tips!
AK Creations
Dog O Nine Tails
Doggy Bags Bakery
Kitsch Collars
Meggie Moo
Milgi Coats
Silver Peacock

Come The Day
Come the day I take that final bend,
Can I count on you to be my friend?
To see I?m treated just and fair,
It means so much to know you care.

For, what the future holds in store,
Now that I can race no more,
Should be addressed for every hound,
Who parts the punter from his pound.

Tell them I don?t ask for much,
A kindly word, a gentle touch,
Somewhere warm to lay my head,
A meal each day to keep me fed,
Not just life- but quality,
This is how it ought to be.

Do not see me swept away,
I long to live another day,
With peace of mind, tranquillity,
And those who care surrounding me,
So tell them all- you have that choice,
I beg of you to be my voice.

By Denise Dubarbier.

[MagratGarlik]

[cinnamongreyhound]

Thanks for the new thread :)

Billy is going absolutely mental over his ball, we've been limiting his time with it as he gets so worn out!

Nelly is back at the vets so I can pick her up this evening and then will decide whether to keep her here or to take her to the country park and find a quiet spot to sprinkle her ashes.

Still no sign of cat, although they seem to be able to get out of the at flap if I lock it to in only so she may have been in and then escaped! All food gone and there was only one left this morning, two were in when we went to bed!

[mistlethrush]

We've got mistlehound one of those heavy duty dog balls with the built in handles.. but she prefers the cheap inflatable balls that were bought for DS years ago from Wilkinsons... they dance about much better and move when you pounce on them.

[cinnamongreyhound]

He's popped 4 of the boys balls so we bought him this one, its very noisy on the patio but he can chuck around amazingly well!

[Scuttlebutter]

[moosemama]

I was watching the old thread on thread's I'm on - until I remembered I had actually checked in this morning and noticed Cunny had started a new one.



Cinnamon, I have oldgirl's ashes in the corner of the living room at the moment. We will be taking her to Ireland with us this summer and scattering her ashes on her favourite beach. We've taken our last three dogs and my Dad's terrier there and as it was my Dad's local beach and where he always walked with both his own dog and all the dogs he dog-sat for, I like to imagine them all running free with him, having a ball up and down the sand dunes, chasing endless frisbees. I'm sure, if Dad is anywhere he's there - and feel the same about all the dogs that have loved that beach over the years. I like to hike all the way up to the farthest point each year (where none of the tourists go) and sit on the white sands with just the seals for company while I chat to them all and remind them that I still think of them all every day.

Scuttle - I love it when you see the lightbulb go on on when they first start clicker training.

Lurcherboy has today discovered the very beneficial connection between gluten-free hotdog and three peeps on the whistle. He's never had hotdog before and coincidentally I have never seen such fast recalls - he had trouble putting on the brakes in time to stop himself knocking me over!

I have today purchased no fewer than 4 kongs and a treat dispensing ufo thingy. Was going to get a buster cube, but decided to try something cheaper first.

Made the mistake of freezing his kong today - he was wholeheartedly unimpressed and gave up trying after about 3 seconds. I waited for it to defrost and gave him a lesson in throwing it around to release the food, as he always takes it to his bed and hugs it instead. He was very grateful for any bits that fell out when I bounced it, but as soon as I stopped he took it back to his bed. Daft dog! Hoping the kibble dispensing toy might help him get the idea.

[moosemama]

Well, he started howling 3 minutes after I left to take dd to nursery today and kept it up for the next ten minutes. Roughly a howl a minute, punctuated by the odd abrupt bark.

I've now been home 45 minutes, had to take 2 phonecalls successively and not a murmur from him the whole time, despite the door being closed.

He's happy to stay in the kitchen with the door shut, happy to lie in his bed in the kitchen with me in the other room. He's not following me around the house or desperate to be 'with me'. Not your typical SA case at all, as he just isn't showing all the usual signs of over-attachment.

I don't know what else to try.

Neighbour was in when he did it as well, just to make it even worse.

[MagratGarlik]

Jessie is fast asleep next to me and her tail is wagging in her sleep

[moosemama]

Where has everyone gone? All off having fantastic pointy-hound filled weekends?

We have been out all day at Dovedale in the Peak District having a birthday picnic with all my friends. Beautiful sunshine, lots of food and a thoroughly good day all round. Lurcherboy managed to fall off the steppingstones into the water but had a good time saying hello to lots of dogs of every size shape and gender and was an angel with a very fully on puppy who literally leaped on his head as a form of greeting.

The weird thing was that he then either barked or growled (very quietly) on two separate occasions, when we were all sitting down resting, as two of the same dogs he'd previously said really nice hello's to walked towards us.

He did a similar thing on Friday afternoon when I was walking him, trying to outrun a thunder storm. Just fixed on a labrador that was on the other side of the field and started staring and prancing, then when we got about 200 yards away did a loud bark at it - even though the other dog hadn't even noticed him and was actually facing away from us at the time. I had put it down to the thunderstorm, as he seemed off and to be honest a proper arse all day on Friday, but now I'm not so sure.

Today he was lying quietly by the car while we all scoffed ice-creams after coming back from the walk, when a dalmation he'd met shortly before was being walked towards us. Dalmation looked calm and relaxed, but lurcherboy started a low growl - for which I told to be quiet and he shut up and went back to sleep. The dalmation then walked within half a foot of him and he didn't even bother to look up. He didn't bother to get up when he growled, just lay there - looked in the direction of the other dog and growled.

He also barked just once at a labrador he'd met quite happily not long before, when we stopped for a rest halfway up the hill - so again when he was lying with us all and again he didn't even bother to get up from lying on his side.

Can't help thinking it must be something to do with him feeling the need to be on sentry duty. I'm assuming he always left that to oldgirl in the past (although little did he know she couldn't have been less interested in what was going on outside our group and had almost zero interest in other dogs).

I told him to be quiet on both occasions and he seemed happy to accept that and return to off-duty mode - so perhaps he just needs to be reminded that he doesn't have that responsibility a few times until he gets the message.

[cinnamongreyhound]

I was going to say its probably because he's protecting you moosemama! My friend has a bedlington terrier who was attacked by a dog while my friend was pregnant and since then she's very aggressive with other dogs and barks at anyone at the door but only when they're home! I can tell if they are out because she quiet when you ring the bell! But the guy at the kennel they put her in days she never barks at other dogs when there so seems she only barks when her people are around :(

Billy is much better with food now and he's relaxing at home more now, so not jumping up every time I do. He seems better with cats, who are getting braver! He seems ok while they are there but once they go out of sight he goes mad. We turned the light off last night to see if it made a difference to his early wakings (usually between 4 and 5am) and he didn't make a sound until I got up to go the loo at 6.30. Hoping its not a coincidence! Still not seen Molly but hoping I will get some info from flyers I've printed. Went for a long run today so left Billy home and walked him first but he ran with me yesterday which was good, even if early. Took him to my mums and he ran around like a total loon for first 20 mins!

[moosemama]

I'm pretty sure that's it Cinnamon, but he seems happy for me to take over and immediately goes back into relaxed mode as soon as I check him for it, so hopefully it's just another area he needs lots of reinforcement to adjust to after losing oldgirl as his guide.

[moosemama]

Lost half my post somehow?

Sounds like Billy is starting to relax and enjoy his new home and family.

Sorry to hear Molly still hasn't turned up. Hope the flyers help bring her home soon.

[Onetwo34]

Hello, I am collecting my whippet puppy in... three weeks now. Eek!

I spotted the thread so thought I would say hello and also, I thought you might have some good ideas for whippet names here. Lots of dog names don't sound right, they're too... plump (?) sounding somehow. I have Basil and Percy on the table at the moment...
And - what size crate should I get? Any recommendations of a particular brand?

[mistlethrush]

I think that Basil and Percy are both ideal. Alfred is along similar lines. Can't help with crates as I've never used one (but they do sound ideal, particularly for puppies)

[MagratGarlik]

Basil sounds ace for a whippet. It makes me think of John Cleese, who is thin and leggy. I could imagine Ron the whippet as well for similar reasons (i.e. Ron Weasley - long thin etc).

What colour is he?

[MagratGarlik]

We have crates for ours. We got them from eBay. We have medium sized for our whippy and large for our whippet x greyhound. However, whippy insists on sleeping in the big crate, leaving Jessie to scrunch up into the smaller crate.

I don't know what size you'd need for a puppy though. Both ours were adults when they came to us.

[Onetwo34]

He is a light grey and white with darker grey on his ears and around his eyes.
:)

[moosemama]

He sounds gorgeous. We expect pictures as soon as he's settled in y'know!

I love the name Percy - perfect for a whippet. I knew a whippet called Stanley many years ago - it really suited him.

Can't really help on the crate either, as Lurcherboy is a fairly big lad and doesn't use a crate anymore.

[moosemama]

Urgh! Can't let lurcherboy out in the garden, as the neighbours have a bee swarm that's buzzing around over our fence. They are amateur bee-keepers.

Apparently they came round while I was at the school collecting dd this afternoon (so over three hours ago) and told my mum they were going to get suited up and remove it. Not sure if it's something they've done or just coincidental that there's a bee swarm in an amateur bee keeper's back garden.

Daren't let lurcherboy out there in case he gets stung - there are bees everywhere. Can't open any of our windows either.

[cinnamongreyhound]

You sound like you have lovely neighbours moosemama.

My friend has a lurched called Basil Onetwo34, he's totally mental but lovely!

[moosemama]

Oddly, I always thought we did cinnamon. Just goes to show how wrong you can be.

Peeked out of dd's bedroom window and they have a blooming great beehive on their patio that's absolutely swarming with bees. It's about 4 ft at most from my kitchen window.

Managed to whisk lurcherboy out and up the other end of the garden quickly after his evening meal - it's lucky we have a very long garden or the poor dog would have been desperate by dusk when the bees are more likely settle down.

[mistlethrush]

We had a swarm in my parents garden one year - rang the local beekeeper and he stuck it in a box in about 3 mins and drove off with it in the car...

Have you got any photos yet 1234? He sounds very cute. (I have to keep on saying to DS, "No, mistlehound is not cute, she's TOO BIG to be cute. She is gorgeous and lovely and beautiful but she is not cute".

She tripped over a badly wielded flexilead last week and, from her reactions, she still hurts on her back leg - but she's not stiff or limping so I think its going to be OK, probably just badly bruised in the muscle (and she's got LOTS of that on her back legs now - there's a ridge on the outside edge of her thighs!).

[moosemama]

We had one in our roof a couple of years back mistle and did the same. Guy round the corner drove round and dealt with it in minutes. It's still there this morning though. Thought it had gone at first because I didn't see any bees around the fence, but I'm just back from walking lurcherboy and the bees now appear to have woken up.

Anyhoo, dd and I have had a really nice walk in the local park this morning and lurcherboy had a lovely play with a young rescue pup. Both had their own balls, but of course they wanted each others, so just had to chase each other around in endless circles. Hoping we'll see them again, because it was lovely to see him so happy racing around with another dog. Most people round here seem to put their dogs on lead as soon as they see us, not sure if it's us or if they do it with every dog they see and it's such a shame as it means he still has no-one to play with.

I noticed similar at Dovedale at the weekend, I was amazed at the number of people holding back clearly friendly dogs and not letting them say hello, when they were giving off lovely friendly signals with every ounce of their bodies. I feel so sorry for them.

He's spark out now, so hopefully will be quiet for nursery drop off. Little does he know I have a huge walk planned for this afternoon as well. Want to walk to the massive park I used to take dd to when she was a baby. It's a long walk, including a fair bit of roadwork, but also lots of alleyways that have squirrels scampering over your heads. I don't know why I've never walked him there before, I'm absolutely sure he'd love it.

Sorry mistlehound is suffering with a poorly leg. Have you tried giving her some arnica? Can't live without the stuff in our house. Dorwest herbs sell it and could advise you on dosage.

[LostInWales]

Hello pointy people Sorry I'm not around much things are so chaotic and I had my maths exam but TBH the least said about that the better.

Well some good news (although I'm getting my excuses in first, we tried to get a rescue, tried and tried and tried and eventually when we found one we had to phone them the week before she should have come because life went all crap on us. Frankly I'm not going through any of that again with my boys whose lives are really messed up anyway, rescue dog next dog, I promise) So, we were given a number for a lady who shows whippets and was planning a litter if, IF, she could find nice homes for the puppies she doesn't want to keep and apparently we are a suitable home as dutiful whippet slaves already. If all goes well our new puppy will be born in a couple of weeks time, the mum and dad are just gorgeous dogs and we are tentatively allowing ourselves to get excited.

First though I need to cure a bit of aggression that has crept into whippety boy, he has always been the softest of dogs, a total beta male and my baby but recently he has started lunging and snarling at other dogs when he is on the lead. He has always been such a well behaved dog it has thrown me completely. Any advice on how to stop this would be gratefully received. He has been left a lot more than he is used to and moved around a lot at weekends through necessity recently and I am so worried I have damaged him. He's getting lots of love and cuddles and things are organised now so we are only all away visiting the hospital one or two sundays a month.

Well, that was a total all about me post. I will catch up and things are back to being a bit more organised now so hopefully I will slot back into my life on the cushion (well just to the side of and sadly downwind of the cushion anyway )

[mistlethrush]

Downwind of a pointy cushion is, surely, a bad place to sit? (Although mistlehound's digestion now seems to be sorted so we're not being gassed out so regularly).

Re aggression - I'm not the best on this, but I would think that 'distract' with particularly interesting delicacies so that rather than think about the other dog he's focusing on you?