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

975 replies

SpaghettiTwirlerAndProud · 24/11/2011 18:46

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! :)

OP posts:
MissBetsyTrotwood · 26/03/2012 22:25

Our lawn has been massacred by Billy. It's just a pathetic mud patch with a few plucky strands in the middle from his 'border patrol'. We tried the lawn patch up stuff but I think the main problem is how long their claws are. Bills are still like talons and we've cut them and ground them down as far as we can!

Just have to share this. The kids had a friend over today and were playing wrestling in the garden. Billy wandered over and was just following them around, ears cocked, head on one side like 'can I join in please...?' I eventually called him over for a cuddle as he looked so left out-their mate is dog savvy so they all ignored him!

MissBetsyTrotwood · 26/03/2012 22:26

We get lots of bowing and teeth chattering when the lead comes out!

Scuttlebutter · 26/03/2012 23:06

Teeth chattering -yy!! Lots of that here when happy/v relaxed/excited. Def a pointy characteristic.

Ours (boys and girl) do the kick back after weeing but only when we are out on walks. They don't do it in the garden. But they do dig holes Confused Grin

Awwwww at poor Billy no-mates - that's really sad.. Grin Sounds like he had a nice compensatory cuddle though.

BehindLockNumberNine · 27/03/2012 07:55

Haha, yes!! We get the teeth chattering too - mostly when out on a group walk (which now happens every Friday with two lovely ladies, one of whom adopted Sam's 'brother' from CCGT and also has a whippet and a little crossbreed and one who adopted a saluki lurcher and a greyhound from CCGT) Sam does not chatter at feeding time or when the lead comes out, but when we are in the company with other dogs he is almost comical (especially around girly dogs who don't give him the time of day Wink)

Sam does the grass kicking but only when out on a walk, not in the garden. Our garden still resembles a mud patch though, too many zoomie laps round the trampoline are to blame for that!

GrittersWifeAndProud · 27/03/2012 10:41

Strange, Sprocket only does the grass kicking at home! Always towards next doors fence! I'm really hoping none of the clumps go over into their garden, the fence on our side is covered in splats :o

MissBetsyTrotwood · 27/03/2012 20:00

Aww. I love my dog. Got a write up of all my Ds2's developmental 'issues' prior to a big appt on Thursday and I've not stopped crying for long since about 5pm when it arrived. Billy has followed me around the house since and he's currently curled up round my feet. Ok, he is doing awful farts as he had chicken for dinner but I do love him.

OldMotherDismass · 28/03/2012 19:21

There is a grund in rescue near us who is 8 years old and only just finished his racing career, but has just discovered he has cancer. It is a slow growing type of cancer, but they are looking for a permanent foster home for him for the last 2 years of his life, so that he doesn't finish his days in rescue. So sad.

MissBetsyTrotwood · 28/03/2012 20:05

Oh, can you do a link? I could have that round my mailing list in a trice.

OldMotherDismass · 28/03/2012 20:51

I'll pm you with it in a mo.

MissBetsyTrotwood · 28/03/2012 20:52

Super.

NotMostPeople · 28/03/2012 21:14

Mine teeth don't chatter but she does give you a big cheesy grin when he's happy to see you. Could look a bit scary if you didn't know he's a big softy.

NotMostPeople · 28/03/2012 21:15

Damn autocorrect he's a he.

GrittersWifeAndProud · 29/03/2012 13:17

Awww betsy that's lovely of him, dogs really are amazing aren't they?

Scuttle what commands do your dogs do?

I've been trying to teach Sprocket to wait in his bed while I'm getting me and DD ready to go walkies as our front room isn't quite big enough for a crawling baby, an excitable greyhound whipping everything in sight and me trying to keep control :o I'd just like him to wait until I'm ready for him to get under my feet :o we're not getting very far. He waits for about 10 seconds each time I put him back on his bed.

Scuttlebutter · 29/03/2012 13:45

We have three with varying degrees of training, but reasonable basics. One is a star - he has done his Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards, and is beautifully behaved. His only fault when out on a walk is a tendancy to slight delay when called. He'll come back but will often be diverted along the way by an interesting smell. Smile

Madam will do recall but I wouldn't trust her at all if something small and fluffy got in her way so we are incredibly careful when and where we let her off the lead. She walks beautifully on the lead, gets in and out of the car very nicely and is very affectionate with people. She has been known to attempt a sit for a sausage - DH will often do this with her. She will also go in her bed when asked, though usually she's there anyway! Her arthritis and limited sight now mean that I wouldn't do a class with her though.

Andy walks nicely on the lead and will go in his bed on command. He also is good at getting in and out of the car. I wouldn't ask him to sit - not comfortable. He is good at catching sausages. Grin Also a highly accomplished counter-surfer.

When it's walk time they recognise us putting on shoes and getting the leads out of the utility room. At this point they are all very excited and stand in a row, wagging their tails like mad and occasionally making little squeaking noises. They have learned not to jump up as that gets ignored. Leads are brought out and depending on time of year I get the coats - each greyhound will then shuffle around trying to be the first in the queue for their coat -it's quite sweet. They usually stand nicely while coats and leads are being put on though still with ferocious tail wagging and a certain amount of excited shuffling about from foot to foot. When we put on our shoes, it is quite likely that an eager greyhound will come over and lean on us in an affectionate attempt to encourage departure. Leads are gathered and then we have a moment of standing quietly in the hall. ONly if they are standing nicely and not pulling, do we open the front door. Dogs are then walked quietly out to the car on their leads. Each is then nicely inserted into car and usually settle straight down. We can then faff about with getting coats, keys, purse, spare shopping bags etc etc and then finally set off.

I'd say the walk routine is good but not perfect - with three large grunds in a small space it will always be a bit anarchic but we're very happy in general terms with how they are. Of all of them, Andy I think could enjoy more training - he is very food orientated and I suspect he could probably learn a few tricks. He goes running with DH and loves that.

NotMostPeople · 29/03/2012 14:03

I ordered the harness recommended by Doctorcake further up the thread and had an amazing walk with our Lurcher today. Not only did he hardly pull, but he was generally a bit calmer! I'm very impressed and much happier that his neck isn't in danger.

doctorcake · 29/03/2012 15:27

Notmostpeople - That's great about the harness - I'm wondering if they feel the harness on their front legs and they just feel they can't do that big leap forward with the front legs. I always take it off though when ours is in the field racing around, although I have read on other lurcher forums that its not a problem keeping it on. :)

GrittersWifeAndProud · 30/03/2012 17:39

Scuttle I'd love to live at your house, it sounds hilarious with your dogs all performing together like that :o

I must say, I am very impressed with Sprockets recall. He always comes when I shout him, even when we took him to MILs and he was running around her massive (half acre) garden with LittleCocker. He came to me immediately when I called him. I wouldn't trust him out on a walk though I don't think, he's verrrrrry interested in cats and there are lots where we walk. He completely ignores the rabbit though, and also birds. There was a mahooosive pheasant on the path infront of us yesterday, and he was just looking straight through it!

OldMotherDismass · 30/03/2012 17:47

We have a home check this weekend with whippet rescue Grin - hopefully they will have a suitable pointy no. 2 for us. We've seen one we like with them, but he is a boy. Are two boys always less likely to get along than a boy and a girl? (Whippetty is neutered and I guess the new one would be too given that he is a rescue).

GrittersWifeAndProud · 30/03/2012 20:14

Good luck mother! Tbh 2 boys together would be fine, my MIL has 2 entire spaniels, and of course scuttle has 2 neutered boys and a girl together. Go for it if your whippy and another whippy boy get on :)

OldMotherDismass · 30/03/2012 21:07

Thanks. We've just bought a nice, sensible estate car so plenty of travelling room for 2 now.

MissBetsyTrotwood · 30/03/2012 21:24

Ah, the joys of estate car ownership. You could get a football pitch in the back of ours, I tell ya! thank the lord for the parking sensors tho

Billy insists on standing up in the back of ours. Cue lots of laughs from other drivers.

SpaghettiTwirlerAndProud · 31/03/2012 17:25

:o football pitch

we've only taken Sprocket out in the car once, last friday. He laid down after turning about 50 circles :o

OP posts:
SpaghettiTwirlerAndProud · 31/03/2012 17:30

Oh forgot to add, Betsy having a greyhound standing up in your boot is nothing. My dads had 2 boxers shagging in the back of his car. Wouldn't have been so bad only he's got a jeep so taller than most cars so a lot of people saw :o He said the woman in the car behind him had tears of laughter running down her face.

OP posts:
MissBetsyTrotwood · 31/03/2012 18:55

Pmsl @ shagging boxers! What does the highway code have to say about that I wonder? Grin

BehindLockNumberNine · 01/04/2012 10:49

Oooh, oldmother how exciting!! Which whippet rescue are you getting your new additon from?

Gritter I was howling with laughter at the mental image of two shagging boxers in the boot of the car - oh my life how funny!!

Scuttle your grunds sound like a co-ordinated display team, I would love to be able to see them all lining up and getting ready to go...Smile