Greyhound, Whippet or Lurcher owner? Here's another pointy hounds cushion!

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Pointy hounds include-
Greyhounds (Grunds)
Whippets (Whippys)
Lurchers
Italian Greyhounds (Iggys)
Salukis
Afghans
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.

Doesn't time fly cinnamon?

Sorry to hear Peanut is under the weather. Neither of mine make a noise when they want to go out either, they just come and stare at me and I have to ask them if that's what they want.

I understand that Slipery Elm is very good for stomachs of pointy hounds - I'm going to get some for when mistlehound next eats something awful and appears to start suffering the consequences.

My go to remedy for rotten tums is bananas, bio yoghurt and Tree Barks Powder (aka Slippery Elm). Dorwest Herbs sell it. The yoghurt and TBP settles the gut. It's brilliant stuff.

I've heard that about slippery elm too. I have used natural yoghurt in the past, but my go to for stomach stuff is always canikur these days, as it helped Pip so spectacularly when he was really poorly and clears things up really quickly.

I eat a lot of natural yogurt myself, so mine get the end of each big tub on their dinner, every three days or so, but I do keep meaning to get some slippery elm from Dorwest to keep in. The whippet get a terrible tummy if he eats chicken skin or fat, or other cooked fatty meat, like lamb or beef, but is fine with both of these raw.

Have to take new dog to the vet this morning, she has a limp that isn't improving, though to be fair while I have had her on lead walks only for two days, she is a demon in the house, no idea how you are supposed to keep a lurcher on springs calm just praying it isn't her cruciate, my old Stafford tore his and it was a nightmare to get it right again.

This is what happens when you shut your dog in the garden by accident and go out for 2hrs :( mean mummy!!

I'm pretty sure ours would break out and go and find something more interesting to do (work in progress - she's started doing this relatively recently even though we've had her 18mo!). She does 'drowned rat' very convincingly though.

Aw, poor Lola.

Dh once locked our Wheaten girl out overnight. She came in and climbed in the bed under the kitchen table, but the other two were still out. He went and got ready for bed, then saw the other two were in, locked the door and went to bed - only she must have gone outside again for some reason. It was a really cold night and he found her curled up on the back doorstep at 6.00 am the next morning looking extremely p'd off. She didn't forgive him for weeks!

Oldgirl on the other hand would choose to spend the whole day in the garden, staying out there while I went on school runs etc - even if it was snowing.

We had a collie cross that we got when I was at Uni - mum and I picked her up from the rescue and she came home and curled up in a tiny ball in my lap (sitting on the floor) when she first came home. She used to pick up on the fact that I was coming home for the weekend or holidays - mum would open my bedroom door and hoover or something - and the dog would catch on and be anxiously waiting. There was one weekend when mum did this on the Friday, but I wasn't expected until the sat am - she wondered where the dog was at about 11pm and found her sitting outside on the lawn, in the rain, looking at the drive, waiting for me. Mum had to be more careful in future about preparations so she didn't get too excited!

I was very yesterday... Mistlehound was just pootling along in the park when someone just ahead of her threw a ball so that it would go past her - I think for their daughter to run to catch up with. Mistlehound thought they'd thrown it for her and gaily ran and picked it up and then proceeded to demonstrate a fantastic lack of recall - she was too busy having fun running around with the ball, throwing it up and pouncing on it then racing off again - not helped by the big slopes in the topography. I eventually managed to retrieve it and wipe the slobber off before returning it - it was a squishy one and luckily she hadn't punctured anything. I think I really need something in a pocket that is irresistible that only is rewarded with occasionally just for that sort of event - any suggestions on something that is either long-term OK in a pocket or could be stored somewhere and just taken out for walks? Its the keeping issue I'm concerned about and not wanting to end up with hands with something disgusting on them...

I keep one of those small trays of encore cat food in my pocket. Doesn't go off and makes a spectacular jackpot reward. Another option is primula cheese spread - feed it straight from the tube - they love it.

If it's a toy you're thinking of, something squeaky maybe and only ever let her have it for very short times as a mega reward? I keep Lurcherboy's pink tennis ball in my dog walking bag and it only ever comes out if I really need him to keep his focus on me (like yesterday when someone was working on their lurcher's recall on the other side of the park and he wanted to join in - that's when I really appreciate the magic pink ball's appeal! I keep it in a spare poo bag so my training bag doesn't get slobbery/stinky.

That's a genius idea with the cat food, I have similar pouches for my rats, going to add one to the dog bag now.

I have three squeakies in my dog bag, a kong one which they get to play with as a reward, rather than their normal ball which does not squeak, a pah one which is very soft and was only £2, but is exceedingly loud and used for getting their attention from far away, I don't give it to them though as it is too destructible.

I also carry one of these they are both fascinated by the unseen squeaker and are sure that it most be something amazing, so is great for keeping their attention on me.

I can't take the credit I'm afraid - I stole the idea off someone else!

I have a pack of those squeakers that I've split up amongst various pockets too! I do love to see their faces when they're trying to work out where the noise is coming from.

Oldgirl had a squeaky ball that she only ever got to prod with her nose and occasionally hold and squeak a couple of times (after we'd played with her enough and rarely enough to get her totally fixated with it). That worked like a charm, I only needed to give it the slightest touch and she was back like a rocket.

Fundamentally you need to charge something up as so incredibly awesome that they are totally obsessed with it, then only let them have it on very rare, special occasions and in response to the correct behaviour. That's the A grade reward, then you can have some lower down the food chain rewards (B, C etc) to have as alternatives/back-up.

I was so chuffed with my two at the weekend. We were in one of our favourite parks late on Saturday and thought we had the place to ourselves. Boy our boys were off lead and chasing each other around, when Lurcherboy disappeared around a bush, quickly followed by Pip and then I saw a Border Collie heading for them. Wasn't sure how Pip would handle it, so used my whistle and ... all three of them turned on their heels and recalled to me!

Pip wasn't too enamoured of the Collie, but was pretty good, said hello and was ok until the Collie kept approaching his face and then he did grumble a touch. Couldn't find an owner, so got dh to hold our two and went looking, taking the Collie with me and found him sitting on a bench halfway up the field. Sent the dog back up to him (it wouldn't go, but did after several tries of 'find your Dad' 'go on' etc) and he didn't even acknowledge me. We started walking off with our two on the lead and the Collie came back, complete with a stick and started harrassing us to throw it. Unfortunately dd did throw it before I could tell her not to and then we couldn't get rid of the dog, whose owner was by now miles away, still sitting on his backside taking zero notice.

Collie then spent the next part of the walk either trying to steal sausages out of my training pouch or throwing his stick at us and we had to completely ignore him to try and get him to go back to his owner, which he did, but only once we'd walked almost the length of the field. Not once did the owner call him or gesticulate or call out to us - I was . Fortunately Pip coped pretty well, but it really stressed him out to have a strange dog circling us constantly.

There is a woman who walks her Doberman every morning on our local park, her idea of a 'walk' is to let her dog in the gate, then sit on a bench on her phone for half an hour while her dog runs around pooing everywhere and trying to get all the other dogs to play. Tbf she is very friendly (the dog not the woman) but there are an awful lot of on lead dogs on the park and it causes such a commotion. Not to mention the fact that she could nip out of the bottom gate straight onto a busy road. I risk she would walk at a set time do I could avoid her.

This dog was lovely too and if we hadn't had Pip with us I wouldn't have minded too much, but we've come so far with Pip's socialisation I need him to understand that I will keep him safe and not let other dogs harass him and I really didn't want to jeopardise that. It was more the owner's attitude that I was shocked at. I could easily have taken the dog home with me and I don't think he'd have noticed.

That drives me BONKERS when people do that. Lately its people
with young puppies or adolescent dogs. They seem to want other people's dogs exercise their puppy for them. They are miles away and slowly pootling behind and if anything was to happen they'd be too far away to help/sort.

In terms of high prize treats I second the squeezy cheese. So easy to dispense and works wonders or Arden Grange do a squeezy tube of liver treat, obvs the downside is you might administer too much and end up with a dog with loose stools later on/next day. I would also like a squeaky something but typically as he is muzzled it reduces it's value as he can't actually play with it.

Took Blue racing yesterday. I say racing - He's solo chasing the automated hare. He loved it. He knows why he is there and is a bit of wild one with high level anticipation. Martingale collar is not enough to hold him.

Hi all -I'm new. I thought I would introduce my pointy Barry. He is an ex racer and I love him to bits. Is anyone going on the Great British Greyhound Walk on 22nd June with their greys or lurchers?

Ah, what a lovely smiley face!

Hello and welcome Nelly.

Barry is lovely!

I would go to the GBGW, but will be doing a triathlon instead

Oooh good luck with that CMot.

Racing next Saturday if anyone's interested.. fairly close to A1, south Yorkshire.

Oooh triathlon you say? Aces.

We doing our local GBGW.

We re going to attempt the GBGW but I'm struggling a bit now so I'll have to see how far we get. I've blinged his bandana and everything.

What are you struggling with Nelly? Anything we can help with?

Hi NellyNoodle1!

Sounds like a very annoying owner and that pip did really well moosemama.

It's always awful when they don't listen mistlethrush, but balls are fun!!

I have been letting mine off separately as together they're a nightmare for first 5-10 mins! Lola is a superstar on her own but peanut still needs a good few runs up and down before he starts listening so I only let him off when I can see all the way in front and behind me for long enough for him to speed off. Peanut is loving out runs at the moment though and he's very good at coming when we're running not sure what the difference is.

Lola is currently baking herself in the garden, I opened the door as they were both trying to squeeze into the only bit of sun in the living room, see pic!

We've had two dogs you could tell the time by due to where they were sitting / lying to catch the sun. One would even sit 'very tall' so that her head was in the sun when there was no other option to get into it.