Pointy hounds thread! For new, old and prospective owners!

[SpaghettiTwirlerAndProud]

Share stories, advice and ask for help if you need it! There are a few resident hound experts (myself not included) in the doghouse, so, feel free to share! :)

Look at the feeders!!

Right, calm down Spag. Or I'll put you in the crate-table.

£219 for the "wine barrel feeder". Whippetty will just have to put up with his £10 from petsathome.

sorry that should have read "Whippetty will just have to put up with his £10 from petsathome bowl"

Well, we've got the ever stylish Ikea flower pot here But the Orvis site is lovely - I like going over there occasionally and playing fantasy shops...

Billy's raised feeding area is two very haute design red plastic stools from Habitat I'll have you know. From about 15 years ago when we had money to spend on that sort of tat and completely unrealistic ideas about houses!

Thanks for the advice everyone :)

No, we haven't found our grund yet, but I am dead set on going with Erin Hounds Sighthounds Rescue :)

DP has agreed, but we're not ready just yet - need to sort a few things house and job wise first! But I couldn't resist coming on here anyway, just like I have been looking at the cuties on the Erin Hounds website every day

They have some really cute waterproof coats on there as well, which I am looking forward to buying!!!

Sprocket appears to have ishoos, with black labs and their relatives. Everytime he sees a black lab (or like yesterday, a labradoodle) he starts growling at it and barking! Am I going to have to muzzle him all the time now?

Ooh hello.
Pointy dog (lurcher) owner. photo of his lordship on profile when he was a pup.
He's nearly 2 and a complete teenage hooligan at the moment ..

Loving the links to expensive and luxurious doggy goods

QuincyM he is outstandingly gorgeous, my lurcher was an ugly thing when he was a young pup although he was emaciated which didn't help. Now he's an older puppy/teen he's really very beautiful.

Quincy he's gorgeous! Love that 'slash' down his face! Welcome to the thread :)

Sprocket can sit :o he's done it a few times now!

Quincy he's gorgeous, they grow up so fast don't they

On another matter, how did I ever manage to watch telly in the evening without my mobile hot water bottle?

Bargain? I think so!

Flipping heck Gritters - that is definately a bargain!! Sam already has 2 beds, plus a posh wicker basket in the loft that he did not like, and his own duvet in the boot of the car. Dh would flip if I wanted to buy another bed...

Nice though!!

Hi all - well, search for the second pointy is now underway in earnest. I'd like another rescue whippy or a smaller lurcher, but dp would like a grey (I don't think we have space for a grey).

I've seen a beautiful whippy cross on the greyhound gap website. Does anyone know how good or otherwise they are? I've just noticed the one I like is very close by to us? Also, it says he is suitable for dog savy children aged 4+, ds2 is almost 4 (he turns 4 in May), but is very small for his age - do you think that will go against us?

This organisation was fantastic when we were looking for our whippet.

www.lurcherlink.org/llink/forum/index.php

Cannot praise them enough for their "matching" skills. It took 6 months but our whippet is the perfect choice for my son - she's really played a theraputic role re his SEN.

He was rising 4 and my neighbours had 2 & 1 year olds at the time so child friendly was imperative. We also have a cat.

Fellow pointy owners I need some advice. My Lurcher is 8 months old and Im having problems with him when he's around smaller dogs. I wouldn't say he's aggressive as such, I think he thinks he's being playful but it goes too far. He will try to nip their ears and then tug at the neck and rag them. If we see a smaller dog I put him on the lead obviously. Last week we saw a Terrier that he has played with nicely before I wouldn't say he was small really but obviously smaller than my lanky dog. I've met the owner before so when mine was trying to get to her dog ears she said not to worry they were just playing and that her dog would stand up for himself if he didn't like it. So I kept an eye on them but soon my dog got too rough and her dog seemed to give in to mine so I got mine on the lead as did the other owner who clearly agreed it was too much.

What do I do? Am I going to be stuck with a dog who loves to run but can't be let off the lead? He is such a lovely boy a bit nippy at home but we are working on it. Help please.

Sorry I can't help with advice, I am rather new to this game myself I seem to have the nicest mannered dog around children/animals apart from when he is with his half brother when they fight and fight and fight, yesterday we had to crate them separately so that we could have lunch and they both just sat there panting and looking exhausted!

Had a phone call yesterday from someone I know who was looking for a home for a 5 month red brindle lurcher pup, there was no way I could have it as I can't do two puppies justice but I said I would ask around but I think a rescue would be much better don't you? The puppy was apparently sold by a farmer but subsequently given back and the farmer was going to shoot it . I was glad she had it but by that age there would surely be all sorts of questions about socialisation etc before it could just be dumped in another persons home possibly with children. I feel very wary about it but then I have been taught some pretty high standards by those in the doghouse .

My whippety pup is growing and growing at the moment, I think he might be half greyhound . His paws are much bigger than other whippets we know and at 15 weeks he's nearly as big as a friends 2 year old girl. He is so beautiful though, the love of my life and the star and darling of puppy class even if I say so myself

NMP, bear in mind your dog is now entering "teenage" phase when you will be tearing your hair out. If you aren't already doing classes then I would start, and would also have a chat with trainer/behaviourist. Also see if you can arrange playdates with some bigger dogs for your teenage hooligan! Any other friends with pointies?

Met this woman the other day on our walk, she stunk of dog poo

She gave Sprocket a fuss and then said to me "I hope you don't think I'm being rude but I think his collar his a bit tight" Which is isn't, it's exactly right. I said "Oh is it?" And started to untangle myself from dog lead, poo bag and buggy to inspect, but before I managed this she adjusted it, from hole 3, where it was perfect. To hole 7 where it slid right down to his tag collar It would've slipped straight off over his head if he'd tried to back out of it! Being the wuss that I am I mumbled thanks and hurried off down a turning off the path we were on, as soon as she'd gone from view I adjusted back to where it should be.

I now realise that being a dog owner is like being a parent. Everyone's an expert on stuff they know naff all about

Hi Gritters, Andy says salutations to his little half brother and wants to know how he's settling. We are all very and impressed at Sprocket doing a sit - that's usually impossible for a grund, especially on a firm surface. This augers well for Sprocket becoming a Yoda stylee master of Greyhound Yoga..... is he roaching yet?

NMP, I am afraid I can't help either, I have only been a pointy owner since the end of August (and for the last week in Oct and the first two weeks in Nov Sam was hospitalized so they don't count)
I can only assume he is being a bit bullish and over excitable, he is at that age where he does not quite know where the boundaries are...
Do you have a dog training school nearby? Our one organises 'pack walks' at the weekends where we all go out in a large group in the woods and the trainers are on hand to help us with recall, dog's fighting and other unwanted behaviours. That would be my recommendation, the trainers sees your lurcher in action and can explain the behaviour and help you put a stop to it.
Good luck!!

Sammy has caused me a few more grey hairs in the past week. I was in Holland for the first half of the half term week and Sam was home with dh. According to dh Sam spent the entire time whining and howling and looking for me. Cute but I don't want a velcro dog!! The stress of it has also caused his previously perfect poo to revert back to yellow mush. (for those of you who followed Sam's health saga back in November will know that this is not what we want...)

And then on Saturday we went out to take dd to her riding lesson. Sam discovered how to open the front door and took himself off for a wander along the canal behind our house. For some reason he decided to go for a swim (he hates water so that is very odd) and got himself entangled in the reeds a good half hours walk away from our house) Luckily he was wearing his tag collar, a kind lady freed him from the reeds and after not managing to get hold of me on my mobile (had left it at home) she brought Sam home and left him with next door. We came home and were met by the neighbour and a shivering Sam.

Arrrrrgh, we should never have got a dog and stuck with dd's hamster instead. I really really cannot handle the stress of this dog, and the healt worries and the cost and sob...

Anyway, onwards and upwards. His pointy lordship himself is blisfully unaware of the turmoil he is causing and is snugly asleep on the sofa...

Sprocket is settling well, although we are still having nightime ishoos. He is petrified of the stairs, doesn't like being carried up and down but barks when left downstairs alone at night :( he says hi to Andy and Co, and also wants to boast that he has the best seats in the house all to himself infront of the woodburner and the open fire.

Yup he sits, although he doesn't want us to know, everytime we look at him and he's doing it he quickly stands up pretending he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary :o he's done it on our wooden floor too, can't get much firmer than wood!

Nope no roaching, although he was rolling around on his back earlier making "nnnarrghh" noises, while giving it a good itch. He is currently posing as a hearth rug attatched to a duvet infront of our wood burner :o

Oh, the politics of dog ownership are waaaay worse than those of child rearing. Never before have I felt so judged or congratulated! Our Billy sits in the car but never, ever in the house. And as for a lie down if we're out and the kids stop at the playground or anything... forgeddaboudit. Mind you, I don't blame him, the ground is cold at the moment! We'll have to work on it in the summer for our picnics.

Yes his foster family live very close by we walk with them a couple of times a week two of their dogs are also Lurchers so he's used to other dogs. He plays nicely with bigger or older dogs or those who just give of a don't mess with me vibe. Our dog training school isn't that great so I'm looking into changing, there's a chap that comes highly recommended so I'm going to get in touch with him. In the meantime I happened to talk to the RSPCA lady who rescued him today and she said they muzzle all their greyhounds/Lurchers because the pray desire is strong in some. He was only 10 weeks when he was rescued so I don't think he would have been trained to hunt but I believe he comes from a long line of hunters. I think his prey instinct is just inescapable for the moment, so I've ordered a muzzle from the Greyhound trust and will see how we get on.

Am very aware of him being a teen but like my human teen he's still a baby really.