A new Cushion for Pointies!

[SpaghettiTwirlerAndProud]

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).

Share advice, stories and shopping tips!

I didn?t really want you,
I wasn?t really sure,
And I?ll admit I had my doubts,
When you first came through that door.

Not small, or cute, or fluffy,
With big, soft puppy eyes,
But tall, and thin, and bony,
With bald, pink, bulging thighs.

You weren?t the kind I had in mind,
Not in any way,
?Perhaps it would be better if I took you back today,
Before we know each other,
It really won?t be kind,
To keep you here for one more day,
And then to change my mind.?

But against my better judgement, I decided you could stay,
And quickly I discovered you were kind in every way,
Your gentleness and patience, they really stole the show,
?Why these dogs are wonderful, I must let others know!?

For you?re my gentle giant,
Who just needed the chance,
To show us all what you could be,
To wipe away that history,
And dispel our preconceptions, which put us all to shame,
And so we come to know and love,
What lies beneath that frame.

And now I?ve come to understand,
What I missed right at the start,
That greyhounds need that great deep chest,
To house their great big hearts!
:)

Betsey, I love the idea of the Hackney pirate and Billy sitting together in the car, being all stern and silent together.

Hope the party goes well, and you've got a large bottle of gin (or rum would continue the pirate theme) laid in for afterwards...

That's brilliant about the Postgrad!! Faberooniee....!!!

Cunny, yes, there's definitely an aquatic theme emerging!

Yaharrrrr. Sara would definitely be at home here tomorrow pm.

Hi everyone -

Well, my gorgeous grund girl arrived a fortnight ago and she's the sweetest, sleepiest, most loving greyhound I've ever met (tho I have a feeling they're all like that to a degree!).
She still needs lots of socialising and her manner when she meets other dogs is puzzling me: she stands very tall and almost rigid, with her tail up high and wagging (more like whipping if you get close enough), often with her hackles up, too. We've had some growls from her - at other dogs, not us - at first (which we've been told to correct with a stern voice). So.... how long should I give her to be relaxed around other dogs? It's still very early days and I carry a muzzle just in case. We keep her on a short-but-slack lead where poss (not tight and tense which could make things worse), and talk to her in a calm tone when she meets another dog. I get the feeling that they puzzle her and she's intensely interested in them, but on the defensive at the same time. She's come from an Irish breeding/racing background, and I get the feeling her life experience (for a 4-yr-old) is pretty limited. What do you all think? Any advice??

Thanks! NCOT

Wonderful that you have your dog, NCOT. I don't have any advise though. Have you looked into training classes to give your dog opportunity to mix with other non-pointy dogs in a safe, controlled environment?

I saw today a lady walking with a greyhound, a whippet, a saluki and a wiry haired lurcher. What a lovely looking crowd they all were! (and not a single one pulling along on the lead. How often do you see that with labradors walking on leads in groups?)

Love the Iggy neck scarf! I saw once a whippet in rescue who apparently liked to drape himself around your neck. DP wanted to adopt him purely for that reason - obviously we didn't.

So pleased for you NCOT - they are lovely, aren't they and she sounds as though she's settling right in and very happy with you.

We adopted our Billy back in November and he's accomplished a lot in that time - I try to remember that a lot of the things we take for granted (eg. massive gazebo up in back garden tonight) will be things he's never, ever seen before in his life. So every day we get through something new I feel really proud of him and of our bond.

Other dogs are still a big issue for him - he's OK if they ignore him or are other greyhounds but any friendliness or tomfoolery around him and his hackles are up in 'I'm in hunting' mode. We always take the muzzle with us on walks and I feel much more confident letting him towards other dogs in a meety greety sort of way if he's wearing it. Although, understandably, when most dog owners see him coming with the muzzle on they steer clear. We have a dog walker who takes him out occasionally and she told me she thinks it's a sad life for a dog, not to have any dog friends - I just think some animals and people are particular about who they're friends with!

I think we'll get there in time, as his memory of positive meetings with other dogs builds up and he starts to understand 'dog' a bit better. I hope that helps; I am a total novice and Scuttle will be along in a minute with some much better grund advice!

Congratulations NCOT! No advice here either, Sprocket had a home for 2 years before he came to me so I missed out on all the 'from racer to pet' stuff. What does she look like??

Welcome, NCOT

Firstly, do use a muzzle, especially if you have any doubts about how she is with small furries or cats, both of which can be encountered unexpectedly while you are on your walks, even when on lead.

Last year, the RSPCA prosecuted a greyhound owner who was walking his hound on a lead, but encountered a cat at close range (it was in the hedge). Unfortunately, the hound killed the cat, and the RSPCA prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act on the basis that this was preventable. I think this case highlights the beauty of wearing a muzzle.

Secondly, get thee to dog training classes as soon as possible (making sure of course they are ones that advocate positive training - DO NOT go anywhere near a trainer that talks about dominance, being alpha, pack leader etc. ). Firstly, they ar great fun, but more importantly they offer a wonderful way for you to strengthen the bond with your beautiful new girl and allow her to mix with other dogs in a nicely controlled environment. She'll gain lots of confidence and benefit enormously. As others have said, she is still very unused to other dogs apart from greyhounds, so all this is new to her.

I would also check with the rescue to see if there are any regular greyhound walks in your area - most rescues do them and we have several within reach of us. She will love the chance to socialise with other pointies and you will also find it very enjoyable and useful to chat to other owners. Bear in mind that unlike any other pet dog, she has NEVER lived apart from her own kind - she has always been with other hounds, so she will be finding it pretty tough at the moment. This is why greys so often do so well in multi hound households.

Also ask the rescue if they have any greyhound playdates or have access to safe offlead areas where you can practice recall and let them do zoomies without worrying about the local Yorkshire Terrrier convention suddenly appearing around the corner. We regularly hire a greyhound field that is run by a local greyhound charity - it's brilliant.

Lastly, you could think about clicker training. Lots and lots of info on the web - but basically you click and treat every time she meets/sees a new dog, so she is learning to associate new dogs with a positive experience.

Good luck, hope we can see lots of lovely pointy pics

Congratulations NCOT, I hope you will all have many happy, cuddle filled years ahead of you all. My advice would be to do what Scuttle says I don't think there can be many people in this world more experienced in Greyhound rescue.

Scuttle I can hardly watch the tour today, if Wiggo falls off they'll carry him all the way to the Champs Elysees now won't they? Did you hear about poor Cav? Stupid spectator got their flag wrapped around his wheel and he crashed. Spectators can be stupid arses.

Lost, I can't bear it either. I got a huge lump in my throat when Wiggo was interviewed yesterday after the stage, and he was talking about when the realisation hit him and he was thinking of all the people who had helped him get to that moment. It was incredibly moving. (I still think those sideburns are bloody silly though).

Our new girl continues to entertain. Yesterday, while watching the Tour highlights (after having watched the stage live as well) she decided to clamber up and explore one of the bookcases in the living room, where Boola's rosettes are lined up. Ahhh, I thought, she's having a look at Boola's lovely collection and soon we'll be able to put up a few of hers too. Cue misty eyed moment.

Moment then rudely interrupted by her catching hold of a china bowl on the top shelf which contains what I call my cross stitching sundries, things like some needles, a few skeins of metallics, thread conditioner, ribbon, beading needles and a quantity of loose seed beads. The bowl was nosed off the shelf, fell, broke and the entire living room floor has now been carpeted with a crunchy assortment of seed beads. I spent ages last night carefully trying to sweep up millions of the tiny fuckers. What made it even more entertaining was that both Andy and Sara thought this was a strange new game and I kept getting greyhounds standing in front of me, or on me, determined to assist/supervise, get a tickle.

At the moment she is lying on a duvet next to me in the office, having a refreshing snooze.

I shouldn't really at the image of Andy and Sara helping you tidy up should I? Why is it if you go down to ground level they think you are providing them with a handy place to stand? LOVED Wiggo's smile as he crossed the finish line yesterday. I've had to abandon twitter as the amount of negativity is astonishing, Froome's girlfriend is on there stirring up all sorts of crap

If she has that much to say, then perhaps she should offer her services to the team as Director of Race Strategy. But, oh wait, she's not qualified. Can't be easy for Froome, having that kicking off.

Yes, must admit I found it very endearing too. Andy was sort of stood on me, looking hopeful. I just ended up giving him a hug.

scuttlebutter - will definitely keep her muzzle on even if I do get alarmed looks from other dog-owners. Mind, most are really understanding when I explain she needs safely socialising and can she please smell their mutt's arse...

cunny - she's a black beauty, the spitting image of her dad, Westmead Hawk, down to the white socks and tuxedo chest.

Cheers, Lost and Betsey - thanks for the advice, it's reassuring to know her hackles up is a grund thing rather than the sign of a potential psycho-hound.

More advice needed! How long can I write off her, erm, loose motions and put them down to settling in, rather than dire rear? She's happy, shiney, has a wet nose and waggy tail and doesn't seem ill... Help?!

Lurcher girl had diahorrea (sp?) for about 3 weeks or so when we first got her, but it got progressively better over that time iyswim. I think it was the result of a lifetime of bad diet (being half starved when she first got to the rescue). Now, her coat is shiney, her eyes don't look blood shot anymore, her nose is properly black and wet and her coat even feels different (sleeker somehoe, less coarse). I must admit though, she still has a bad breath problem!

Oh no Scuttle :o :o I'm sensing some kind of double trouble coming from Andy and Sara, they're going to be like the greyhound version of The Chuckle Brothers. Have you managaed to get them all up now? How's the business coming along? LGT have set up a facebook LGT chat group, and I was thinking (if it's ok with you) that I'd point people in the group to you if they wanted some fancy coats for their dogs :)

NCOT her dad is gorgeous, Sprocket is like that, black with a tux and 4 white trainer socks, beautiful aren't they?

Scuttle - can you post your article about placing too much trust in your sighthound in this thread, too? It's sound advice that I need to commit to memory...

NCOT - here it is. Worth thinking about

Is new hound's tummy settling now? What are you feeding, and do you know when was last worming?

Our lovely new foster has now come into season so we are going to be very limited in our excursions for the next three weeks. Fortunately Andy and Boola seem quite relaxed about it. Lots of people say that a move seems to bring it on - seems to have been proved right again. She'll now be spayed in three months time.

Cunny - we've had a bit of a mix up with the ecommerce bit so are not quite ready yet - I'll give you a shout when we are up and running. But thank you!!

I spoke too soon. Andy has turned into a hormonally addled hound, and he wasn't very bright to start with.

He is following her around continually, with his nose practically glued to her bottom, and looks hilarious - his expression is a mixture of simple and yearning. We are going to have to keep a close eye on proceedings since I don't want him to hurt her accidentally, even though he can't get her pregnant.

Thanks Scuttle - her tum's getting much better now that I've cut all the treats meant to fatten her up (pigs ears, dentastix, pedigree markies bix, etc) and put her on a strictly kibble-only diet. Am also spreading her food (Burns fish and rice) over three meals rather than two. Thought I'd keep it up for a week before reintroducing one treat at a time to figure what she can and can't take. The squits are subsiding already, which is a relief, but she still needs to put on weight (she's 27.3kg). Not sure when she was last wormed, possibly last January.

Probably worth gettting her wormed then. Have a chat to your vet about what they recommend and frequency of treatment. A parasite load could well affect the way she handles/processes food, and can be harmful if not treated.

Righto, will get on to that today!

Poor Andy :o do you think he actually knows why he's so interested in her all of a sudden? Are you raw feeding her like the other 2 or is she on something else Scuttle?

NCOT 27.3?! Sprocket was 37 at the beginning of february when I first got him but he's put a bit of weight on since then. But he is a big boy, Scuttle Andy is a big one too isn't he?

Booty was about 28 kg, bless her. Haven't weighed our new girl yet, will be interesting. I estimate she is about 26 ish but she is still quite underweight for what I'd like to see. Boola is around 32 and Andy is a mahoosive 37/38, with only about 3g of that being brain...

Yes, she's raw feeding and loves it. Clean bowl every time and beautiful poos.

I don't think Andy has any clue what's going on. He's managed to calm down sufficiently to go and have his afternoon nap. I think this is going to be a very long three weeks

Thought I'd say hi in here :-)

I have 2 "Gap" dogs, both blue greyhounds, although my old boy is technically a lurcher. His behaviour gives him away though! I've had him for nearly 5 years (he celebrates his gotcha day in Weds), my cheeky girl has been with us for just over year, after DP and I failed miserably at fostering!

Hi all! Welcome Berris !

NCOT Billy's a big chap too but there are some small dogs at the kennels we adopted him from - around the 30k mark I think?

Come and hold my hand all. We're dropping him off at kennels until 14th August. We want him away from the Olympics altogether - MASSIVE firework display 10mins from our house at the stadium, followed by others each night apparently... his worst nightmare. That and a combo of our holiday (booked pre Billy) mean he's in for 3 whole weeks. The zil lanes start on Wednesday, making all travel that way really hard.

I'm gutted. I know it's better for him to stay and settle there than go in for Friday out and in again for holiday but I'm so sad he's going. Have already had a little cry today. Can't think how things could be any different and I feel as though we're abandoning him.