* Rocky’s Progress

* Dog Behaviour with Pennie Clayton, of Horse and Hound School, a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and horse [...]]]> Greyhounds4me Ezine Mid May issue

Sign up HERE and get the Greyhounds4me ezine direct to your inbox. Published twice a month, the greyhounds4me ezine includes:-

* Rocky’s Progress

* Dog Behaviour with Pennie Clayton, of Horse and Hound School, a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and horse trainer

* Articles, features, interviews, recipes, classified ads and special offers all relating to greyhounds and greyhound owners

If you have a question for Pennie or would like to contribute to the ezine in any way please send an email to:- valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk *******************************************************************************

Canine Behaviour with Pennie Clayton of Horse and Hound School

CROSS STITCH

A few weeks ago my lovely greyhound Floosie was bitten very badly by one of my Lurchers. The wound was horrible and needed stitching and it was a Sunday (of course).

The vet I have recently changed to is part time, and part of a much bigger practice nearer to London. Although I live near London I hate driving anywhere near it, and even if I could have got there without getting lost it was the day of the London Marathon and many roads had been shut and the answerphone message actually gave out the message that the practice was open for emergencies but that the marathon would make it harder to reach.

I decided not to call the emergency number due to this and decided to try a more local practice that a few friends had recommended.

When the vet picked up she was in what I have to call “a  mood”. I started to explain what had happened and why I couldn’t get to the vet I normally used and she interrupted me.

I can’t explain how patronising her tone was and she said that by law all vet practices had to have an emergency service and continued to bark (ha!) down the phone. I am afraid I interrupted her just as rudely and continued to explain the problem. She did actually stop talking at me and actually backed down. She then proceeded to tell me that if I bought Floos in then she would not stitch her on a Sunday, in fact she said NO vet would stitch a dog’s wound on a Sunday. (This is the first I have heard of this – does anyone have any experience of this? The horses get stitched any day as far as I know).

Having said she would not be prepared to stitch the wound until Monday she then proceeded to tell me the charges. They were as follows:

£100.00 for her to step out of her door

£50.00 for the consultation

Plus costs of drugs (in this case antibiotics)

It would not have taken a rocket scientist to know all she could have done if she wasn’t going to stitch the wound would be to hand some antibiotics over. £200.00 for antibiotics???

I then asked her what I could do if I didn’t want to give her the majority of the money I had earned that week. She did then offer some good advice, which was to use copious amounts of salt water on the wound to prevent infection until I could see a vet on Monday. I had, in fact, already started doing that, and I also have a homeopathic remedy for animal bites which I had already started to use, which I knew had to be given once an hour at that stage. (I use homeopathic remedies quite a lot so had the right one in the cupboard).

This story has annoyed quite a lot of the people I have told. Most people have been dismayed not only at her patronising attitude but were horrified at the amount I was quoted for an appointment. I had the same reaction too. I have come across this attitude many times from small animal vets. I have been dismissed by them when I have offered my take on how my dogs react to certain situations, and have been patronised for making decisions other than those they have advocated but never asked why I had decided to take that action instead.

I am appalled at how I have been treated at times (hence the new vet practice I have been going to, which I must say is like a breath of fresh air).

Has anybody had similar experiences and if anybody has  have you any thoughts on how owners of much loved dogs can get vets to take us seriously and actually listen to our opinions?

I would really like to know of your experiences so please do email me or Val with any stories, they can be good or bad!

Thanks for listening to my rant  “normal service” resumed next issue!

Pennie Clayton runs “Horse and Hound School” and is a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and trains horses. She owns greyhounds and lurchers and is very familiar with day to day problems with rescue dogs and rehabilitating rescue dogs. She is available for behaviour advice, training and problem solving for all types of dogs.
Contact – Email: info@horseandhoundschool.co.uk or on 07910 720961

Find Pennie on facebook HERE

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Online Shop

Here are the latest items added to Greyhounds4me Online Shop

Pack of 5 sheets of Greyhound themed gift wrap by Leicestershire designer Zoe Potter

Bargain price, only 12 left in stock!

Coming Soon!

Downloadable knitting patterns for clothes for your Rainbow Hounds and Sock Dogs, soon to be added to the Downloadable Products page

There will also be a contest with a prize for the best dressed knitted hound and a video made from all of the photo entries.  If anyone musical would like to make a soundtrack for the video, something fashion related, then get in touch, full credits will be given in the titles.

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Readers Write

Register for Siblings?

Recently, I received an email from Jo Collins who has been pondering over how adopters of Greyhounds can reunite their hounds with litter mates when they retire and offer them a loving home as well. Jo is now seeking ideas and assistance for ways of locating siblings of retired racers in advance of their own retirement so that an offer of a home can be made should the greyhound’s owner / trainer not be able to keep them when they finish racing.

Jo with her retired racers

Gracie and Molly

“I think  the most valuable relationships we can have in life are those we share with our siblings. They remind us of where we came from, how far we’ve come, and when we are really lucky, the best friend we could have. I don’t think it’s that big of a stretch to think that relationship could mean the same thing for our dogs.There are two reasons I’ve come to this conclusion…

The first is our dear George. George was a Beagle/Otter hound cross that my husband Mark had when I met him. Sadly we lost George last year at the ripe old age of 17. He had an amazing personality and a rich full life that he was lucky enough to share with his brother Binkle who passed a year before. They didn’t always get along but it was obvious having the other in their life added a richness that most dogs don’t experience.

The second is that racing greyhounds spend their puppyhood with their siblings. Unlike most dogs who leave their siblings somewhere around 2 months of age. Our greyhounds spend a full 18 months with their litter mates, 24/7 all eating playing and sleeping together until they’re taken off to be trained for racing. When I heard about this I felt bad that these puppies had a life full of close contact and companionship that they then lost, and I wondered what kind of impact this had on our two greyhounds, Gracie and Molly.

These things kept playing at the back of my mind, and I thought somebody should come up with a way to re-unite litter mates. After all the majority of racing hounds become available for adoption eventually. There should be a way for someone with an adopted greyhound to track down litter mates and offer them a home. Then it occurred to me, maybe that somebody is me!
Once they’re in the adoption system though tracking them down could be much harder. While they’re still racing finding them could be much easier. You can use greyhound-data.com to find the siblings, find where they’re racing and then go from there. Certainly the owners wouldn’t be pressured to participate but offering to adopt a dog once it retires wouldn’t be offensive would it?

After the warm comfy home we provide them with wouldn’t the next best thing we could give them be their birth family? This is all in the early stages, basically I have an idea and a desire to put it into action. Any advice, ideas or resources that could help it get off the ground are greatly appreciated. ”

Contact Jo by email: mrsjocollins@gmail.com
or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodeannetaylorshinncollins

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Rocky’s Progress

As you know, Rocky came to the greyhounds4me household just after Christmas following Reggie’s passing.  I soon discovered that Rocky has some issues with other breeds of dog. He seems to be really scared by them and Rocky and I have been working together to see if we can get him over this gradually.  Luckily, he loves treats and will eat when he is outside so I am able to reward him when he quietens down after a squealing fit triggered by seeing another dog. I have been keeping a diary and here are the latest entries……………

Saturday 5th May – I took Rocky out around 9.30 am so it wasn’t too busy in the park. We had a bit of a panic when a chap with 2 terriers followed us along the main road on the way to the park and Rocky kept looking round to get worried by them. I kept him close to me so it wasn’t easy for him to turn his head around and when we got to the park the chap carried on past the park entrance so Rocky relaxed a bit. We then encountered a park keeper with a noisy leaf blower which was a bit scary, but less so than the terriers!

The park only had a couple of lads playing on the skateboard park, no dogs around so we walked round a couple of times. On the way back out a man was coming towards us with a Manchester terrier, a lovely coloured dog, a dun colour. The man is an elderly chap and always says hello to me, usually I have Vera with me when I see him, so he came towards us. We stood still and the man and dog slowed down and then stood just a few feet away from us.

Rocky was so well behaved it was amazing. I had him close to me with the leads wrapped around my hand just in case he decided to go crazy but we stood for a few minutes and I was saying how he is usually afraid of other dogs and gets a bit vocal. Then the man said ‘cheerio’ and started to move away past us but took his dog’s lead off and let him run off in front of him. That did it for Rocky! he started jumping about and screaming like a banshee, with me trying to get his attention back to me and off the running dog. The man had that look of total astonishment which I am seeing a lot now.

Rocky soon calmed down though and we left the park and walked home. So on the whole I think I went well.

May 9th – Had a lovely calm walk with Rocky today. The park was very quiet and we only saw an old chap with an old Collie across the park. Rocky spotted him and did a bit of whining but we carried on walking and the chap and Collie went out the park gates and across the recreation ground and we carried on around the park and all was quiet, it was great!

May 13th – Another quiet, relaxed walk today and only saw a Staffie across the park which Rocky watched intently but no screaming. He is getting more relaxed after having days when there are no other dogs around and he can just enjoy the walk and the sniffs along the way. I would dearly love to be able to arrange a ‘set up’ where we encounter another dog in a controlled environment and let Rocky get accustomed over time and reduce the distance between them. Something for the future I think.

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Home made dog treat recipe

Cheesy Hamburger Happiness

Ingredients:

• 1 cup lean ground beef (about 1/3 lb.)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp. dried parsley
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F, 180 °C, gas mark 4
2. Cook and drain ground beef. Set aside.
3. Whisk together the flour and dried parsley.
4. Stir in the cheddar cheese and the cooked beef.
5. In a small bowl beat the egg.
6. Pour in the water and tomato paste.
7. Whisk until combined.
8. Make a well in the beef and flour mixture.
9. Pour in the tomato paste mixture.
10. Stir until combined.
11. Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
12. Using a retractable ice cream scooper, scoop out flatten patties and place on the prepared baking sheet.
13. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds.
14. Bake for 20 minutes.
15. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Storing – In general when making homemade dog treats with meat, they will keep fresh in your refrigerator for approximately for 2 to 3 weeks. Enjoy them later if you freeze them, up to 6 months later.

Yield – Using a 2 inch retractable ice cream scoop, you will yield approximately 13 patties.

Taken from http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com

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Craft Showcase on Greyhounds4me

Each issue of the ezine will feature one of our Crafters from the

Craft Showcase

This week is the turn of

Micha’s Hand Painted Collars

Micha sells at dog shows to raise funds for rehoming Charities so get in touch to find out what is currently available Email: micha@greyhounds4me.co.uk

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What’s new on

Silver Ceramic Greyhound Statue

Click here for more details

The Reign of the Greyhound

by Cynthia A Braningan

Click here for more details

Greyhound Art Poster

by Heather Galler

Click here for more details

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Classified Ads

Meat4pets

Discounted, High Nutrition Raw Meats For Your Pet

Coalville, Leicestershire. Free delivery within 1 mile of Coalville town centre

http://www.meat4pets.co.uk/

***********************************************************************

Classified Ads are FREE for 6 insertions. Maximum of 60 words. Plus one web address,email address and phone number.
Insertions will begin with the next available issue and will appear on the greyhounds4me website the life of the ad.

To place a Classified Ad or to send in letters, poems, recipes please email
valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk

* Rocky’s Progress

* Dog Behaviour with Pennie Clayton, of Horse and Hound School, a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and horse trainer

* Articles, [...]]]> Greyhounds4me Ezine End April issue

Sign up HERE and get the Greyhounds4me ezine direct to your inbox. Published twice a month, the greyhounds4me ezine includes:-

* Rocky’s Progress

* Dog Behaviour with Pennie Clayton, of Horse and Hound School, a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and horse trainer

* Articles, features, interviews, recipes, classified ads and special offers all relating to greyhounds and greyhound owners

If you have a question for Pennie or would like to contribute to the ezine in any way please send an email to:- valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk *******************************************************************************

Canine Behaviour with Pennie Clayton of Horse and Hound School

The strong silent type

Just before Easter a post came up on facebook from a friend of mine saying she and her family had agreed to look after a greyhound during Easter as a local greyhound rescue was trying to find some homes for them during the long weekend.

I responded to her post by saying how wonderful. She then said she would call me as she was a little worried about how their own Greyhound (Sharni) and their Westie (Scruff) would be with a new dog.  She was concerned as Sharni is a bully. When they first got her she was not good with other dogs even though she had been in a home previous to when they picked her. (I say they picked her, but it actually she picked them! You know the scenario “only going to look” and that same day she went home with them!)

From the very beginning she was very bossy with Scruff who is an adorable dog. Sharni decided from the time she put her little elegant feet in the door that she WAS IN CHARGE! Poor Scruff didn’t stand a chance, he was made to stay on the stairs (out of her way) while she luxuriated on her new bed by the radiator. The only time she seemed to tolerate his presence was when something happened like firework night. I often give Sharni some Bowen before this comes around as she gets so worried. Her Diva behaviour often resumed as soon as the bangs went away though.

So they were a bit concerned and had asked for a dog rather than a bitch because they thought that Sharni would terrify a girl and that there might be a different kind of fireworks party.

Having decided to do this good turn Clare actually had some Bowen for herself and was telling me all about her new venture of short term fostering. She and her family were still concerned about how Sharni in particular might behave and had stressed that they wanted the most laid back dog that the rescue had. Clare also said that there was NO way he was going to stay, it was only for the weekend and then he would definitely be going back.

Enter Seamus! During the first few days I had a few calls from her with questions about settling him in for the weekend and whether I thought they should be kept separate whenever they were out for short times during the weekend. These times were short as they had planned to make sure all went well and their priority was to keep all the dogs happy during the weekend. We decided that the dogs should be put in separate rooms while they were out for the short times especially as Seamus wasn’t going to be a long term lodger.

I had the funniest time reading her posts among them being how Seamus liked collecting their clothes and odd dog toys while they were out but all seemed to be going well.

Then I had a phone call saying they were thinking about a slightly longer term fostering project for Seamus….and still (she said) there was no way they were going to keep him. Yes you can guess it everybody…they are now the proud owners of a lovely large black greyhound called Seamus.

The one thing that swung it was the fact that Sharni is a changed dog. No more swiping and swearing at poor old Scruff. Seamus has taken charge and has instilled a calm over the house that has not been present since Sharni arrived 4 years ago. I went to see them about 10 days ago to do a little bit of training with Seamus and the biggest difference was that Sharni didn’t bounce and leap all over me as she often does when I go to visit, it is absolutely astounding; calmness reigns, all due to Seamus!

The most amazing thing is that Seamus only came over from Ireland 6 weeks ago and had never been in a house before he went to stay for that weekend. He had raced in Ireland and had only finished racing in October 2011 and had only ever been in kennels. God bless Seamus long may he reign!

Pennie Clayton runs “Horse and Hound School” and is a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and trains horses. She owns greyhounds and lurchers and is very familiar with day to day problems with rescue dogs and rehabilitating rescue dogs. She is available for behaviour advice, training and problem solving for all types of dogs.
Contact – Email: info@horseandhoundschool.co.uk or on 07910 720961

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Seeing as the winter weather has returned here in the UK,

FREE knitting pattern download of the Greyhound Footie Snood.

Make it in your team colours! You will find it on the pattern download page HERE

And if you cannot knit, that is no excuse! We have a new page containing videos on How To Knit. Simple, easy to follow instructions on video so you can start making some fantastic garments for your hounds! Go to the page HERE

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Online Shop

Here are the latest items added to Greyhounds4me Online Shop

Fleece Snuggle coat in Peppa Pig pattern with red lining

Size 28 inch, measure from collar to base of tail

Hand knitted Greyhound coat in blue, green, purple and lilac stripes

30 inch, measure from collar to base of tail

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In the press

A model in our midst

Isabella, a Lurcher owned by one of our readers and featured craftsperson, Elspeth Rose, features on the cover of the current Dogs today magazine.

She is a beautiful, lively girl who was adopted by Elspeth after having several unsuccessful homes and, with much love, grooming and training, she is turning out to be a superstar!

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Pooch and Mutt owner, Guy Blaskey’s article about setting up a website for your pet business is published in the trade press, Pet Product Marketing.

If you are about to set up a pet related business online, some great information here for you

For Pooch and Mutt supplements visit their website

www.poochandmutt.com

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Rocky’s Progress

As you know, Rocky came to the greyhounds4me household just after Christmas following Reggie’s passing.  I soon discovered that Rocky has some issues with other breeds of dog. He seems to be really scared by them and Rocky and I have been working together to see if we can get him over this gradually.  Luckily, he loves treats and will eat when he is outside so I am able to reward him when he quietens down after a squealing fit triggered by seeing another dog. I have been keeping a diary and here are the latest entries……………

Apr 22nd – Yesterday, while I was out at the radio station, my friend Sue was dog sitting and decided to take Rocky out for a walk. She said she didn’t tell me ‘til afterwards as she thought I would have a heart attack!

He had his muzzle on and the collar and the harness and Sue walked round the park with him. She got her friend, Sam, to walk Vera at the same time and take her around the park the opposite way so Rocky would see a dog he knew. All went well, they didn’t encounter any dogs close up so there was no screaming. She didn’t give Rocky any treats on the walk and kept his muzzle on the whole time. They saw one dog in the distance, which caused some minor whimpering and Rocky was fine seeing Vera.

So today, Sue took Rocky and I took Vera and we set off for the football field nearby. Started off with Rocky muzzled but after a while took that off. An Old English Sheepdog passed on the opposite side of the road and Sue held Rocky on a short lead with his head close to her leg and he was great. He was pulling to get a good look at the other dog but Sue held on tight. No screaming!

We managed to walk round the football field before encountering an Akita that wanted to play. Rocky was getting a bit stressed and Sue took him down a pathway away from the Akita. Vera and I followed. Still no screaming though. The weather turned cold and rainy so we turned back and had to pass quite close by a man with 2 Lurchers and a Retriever and although Rocky was jumping about a bit he still didn’t scream and we all made it back home in one piece. Amazing!

Which, to me, suggests that it is not all Rocky’s problem, it must be me too. I’m wondering if it’s because I am slim now and the dogs can pull me off balance whereas when I weighed a ton I had more control and that creates more confidence? I have told Sue that she has got the job full time

Apr 24th - I took Rocky out on his own today and we saw a Pitbull type dog in the distance. He started pulling me along to try and catch up with it!  I stopped him and we stood still for a while ‘til it got way ahead of us and then we went into the park. I said to him ‘what did you think you would do if you caught up with it? kill it? I don’t think so’

He had a good bark at a black Lab instead, the poor woman on the other end of its lead looked terrified as she scuttled past us. I didn’t turn around though, we kept walking around the park away from the Lab and Rocky calmed down. Then we saw Sue’s friend Sam coming towards us pulling a trolley and Rocky was well interested, had his batman ears on and everything!

Apr 28th -As the weather has been really bad lately and there was a gap in the torrential rain, I risked taking Vera and Rocky out together. We had a lovely walk around the park. It started to rain and it was cold and windy but there were no other dogs around and no stray cats lurking under cars so the whole time we were out there was no crying or screaming. Bliss!  It reminded me what lovely relaxed walks we used to have with good old Reggie.  We will get Rocky to that stage one day, bless him.

The late Reginald Barker on a walk with Vera. One day Rocky will be this chilled

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Home made dog treat recipe

Tuna Training Treats

2 x 6oz cans tuna in spring water, do not drain
2 eggs
1 to 1 ½ cup flour (rice flour is best, but any kind will do)
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
Parmesan cheese

Mash tuna and water in a bowl with a fork to get clumps out, then liquefy in blender or food processor. Add extra drops of water if needed to liquefy completely. Pour into bowl and add flour and garlic powder; consistency should be like cake mix. Spread into greased or sprayed pan; I find that a round pizza pan or square cake pan is perfect. Sprinkle with LOTS of parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F, 180 degrees C or gas mark 4 for 15 minutes; edges will pull away and texture will be like putty. Use a pizza cutter and slice into teeny squares. These freeze beautifully, and the dogs love them!

Taken from www.dogaware.com

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Craft Showcase on Greyhounds4me

Each issue of the ezine will feature one of our Crafters from the

Craft Showcase

This week is the turn of

Zoe Potter

Zoe was commissioned to design the new Greyhounds4me wrapping paper and the first one of the collection is now unveiled and on sale.

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What’s new on

Auction for purple and gold brocade Martingale collar

Click here for more details

The new craze for the Honky Octopus is taking the Greyhound world by storm! these are available in 3 colours and 3 different sizes: baby, mommy or daddy octopus and on a buy it now option

Click here to get yours now!

4 Paws and Claws dog bed in extra large sizes and various colour combinations. This one available as a buy it now option

Click here for more details

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Classified Ads

Knitted greyhound coats for sale – knitted to the greyhounds4me coat pattern and size approx 34 inches from collar to base of tail. 2 coats available from Claire £25.00 each. Contact by email: c.gillen@dsl.pipex.com

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Meat4pets

Discounted, High Nutrition Raw Meats For Your Pet

Coalville, Leicestershire. Free delivery within 1 mile of Coalville town centre

http://www.meat4pets.co.uk/

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The ultimate grooming experience. Covering Leicestershire area
Download your Free Greyhound Grooming guide HERE
http://peti-cure.co.uk/

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Dog Walking and Doggy Daycare. Experienced lady offers dog walking in Wigston, Oadby, Glen Parva, Blaby, Countesthorpe, South Wigston and Aylestone. Areas slightly further out for dog sitting. Doggy Daycare in Wigston, dogs need to be good with other and smaller dogs. Affordable rates. All dogs must be covered by Pet Insurance for third party liability. Please phone for aquote 07725 911981

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How to choose your dog

Get choosing your dog off to a flying start with the best free guides on the internet today from Beverley Nash

http://howtochooseyourdog.com

***********************************************************************

Classified Ads are FREE for 6 insertions. Maximum of 60 words. Plus one web address,email address and phone number.
Insertions will begin with the next available issue and will appear on the greyhounds4me website the life of the ad.

To place a Classified Ad or to send in letters, poems, recipes please email
valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk

* Rocky’s Progress

* Dog Behaviour with Pennie Clayton, of Horse and Hound School, a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and horse trainer

* Articles, [...]]]> Greyhounds4me Ezine Mid April issue

Sign up HERE and get the Greyhounds4me ezine direct to your inbox. Published twice a month, the greyhounds4me ezine includes:-

* Rocky’s Progress

* Dog Behaviour with Pennie Clayton, of Horse and Hound School, a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and horse trainer

* Articles, features, interviews, recipes, classified ads and special offers all relating to greyhounds and greyhound owners

If you have a question for Pennie or would like to contribute to the ezine in any way please send an email to:- valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk *******************************************************************************

Canine Behaviour with Pennie Clayton of Horse and Hound School

NEW GIRL

After much consideration I recently decided to take on another greyhound. I was too down after Bella left me to consider another one seriously and had thought I might take on an older one again. But then I had to be more realistic and my thoughts turned to the fact that we needed a younger dog about the house as the boy lurchers are now almost 9 and Floos my lovely greyhound was 12 in February and although she is still very fit and healthy I thought she needed a protégé to help her.

Floos often helps me with dogs that are difficult, she doesn’t care whether they bark or snap at her and is always gracious and reassuring- dogs we work with are never near enough that she could be in any danger, but she has such a fantastic affect on worried and scared dogs, so much so that it often changes their lives, and that can be said for the troubled owners too. I  have been concerned that Floos now needed to have a life of leisure and decided that now would be a good time for Floos to be in semi retirement with just a few selected light duties, therefore  it seemed like  a good opportunity to consider re homing another greyhound.

I decided that it should be a girl as one of my lurchers is not always very nice to boys and I thought another girl would neutralise the house a little!

I do a bit of work visiting a local greyhound kennels, which is where Bella came from, and it made sense to pick a new girl from there. They know me well and I knew I could take my time deciding and procrastinate without any problems. I think you will all agree that it is important to find the “right one”. Finding “the one” is considerably like falling in love, except that if you pick wisely this love will last a lifetime and you will have a true soul mate.

I was very fond of one of the longer term residents in the kennels called Peggy but Peggy has an auto immune problem which although has now been resolved was just enough to concern me. I wondered if the stress of bringing her into a home with other dogs might set her off again. She is also the waggiest happiest greyhound I have ever met so I know she will find a super home very soon.

About 3 weeks ago my visit to the kennels corresponded with the arrival of 2 new girls –and both had quite sad stories. An older girl greyhound had been sent back because the family thought their elderly mother couldn’t cope with her. I felt so sorry for both the lady and her dog. Her owner had been suffering from arthritis but so too does the greyhound so I am sure that neither needed this upset in their lives but as we know people have very odd ideas when it comes to what they think will be best for their elderly parents – what a terrible judgement call for them both.

There was also another girl who had come back to kennels as the “owner had to go back to work”. (Umm do we not all have to work?). Anyway whatever excuses they needed to salve their consciences has become the very best thing to happen to us all year.

To cut quite a long story short Shirley has a new home! I am afraid I had to rename her, as I am not that keen on human type names for my dogs, and I love playing around with names and thinking up names which reflect their personalities, so the New Girl has become Merci.

She met all my dogs separately and on different days while still at kennels, and she walked really well with them the bonus being that she didn’t seem to worry too much when she met Loopy lurcher and very wisely told him off when he was rude (which he is frequently). Loopy is very aptly named too, but I often worry that he turned out like he did because of his name.

Merci arrived 10 days ago last Wednesday and she has just clicked into the house like she has always been here. She is 6 and seems so sprightly around the house , she bounces around when the food is being prepared and yips when I come in, and generally lays about with Floos who seems to be her pin up – fantastic by me because  if she copies Floos my job is done.

Since she has been here she has been charming to all other dogs she has met and this morning walked with 2 bouncy Pugs who are part of my once a week social walks. She didn’t have a problem with them kissing her and telling her how pleased they were to meet her and neither has she batted an eyelid at any of our slightly crazy ways.

She has learnt that she can sit on the sofa and isn’t just confined to the dog beds and is slowly beginning to put on weight. When she first came into kennels she was amazingly thin and her last owners said she had some kind of IBS problem but this seems to be resolved – if it ever existed?

I was intending this to be a 10 day diary of her first days, but she has truly fitted in, and what’s more she is a greyhound that can sit! Most greyhound owners will be impressed by this even though I have to say I will not be asking her to sit myself but it is a bit of a novelty! She has been learning the find the treat games that we do every day and getting used to being in the car with other dogs and on her own. In fact I am not teaching her anything she is just absorbing our lives and running with it-literally!

She is perfect. I am in love.

Pennie Clayton runs “Horse and Hound School” and is a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and trains horses. She owns greyhounds and lurchers and is very familiar with day to day problems with rescue dogs and rehabilitating rescue dogs. She is available for behaviour advice, training and problem solving for all types of dogs.
Contact – Email: info@horseandhoundschool.co.uk or on 07910 720961

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Seeing as the winter weather has returned here in the UK,

FREE knitting pattern download of the Greyhound Footie Snood.

Make it in your team colours! You will find it on the pattern download page HERE

And if you cannot knit, that is no excuse! We have a new page containing videos on How To Knit. Simple, easy to follow instructions on video so you can start making some fantastic garments for your hounds! Go to the page HERE

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Online Shop

Here are the latest items added to Greyhounds4me Online Shop

Stripe Pretty Kitty Stole

Hand knitted Pretty Kitty stole in orange and yellow stripes. For all you marmalade cat lovers!

Greyhound Coat Green, Brown, Mustard

Hand knitted Greyhound coat with high neck and button belt. Shades of brown, shades of green and mustard stripes. 28 inch measure from collar to base of tail.

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Feature

Welcome to “The Greyhound
Inmate Experience” Prison Program

I recently received an email from Gaye Ann Weaver following her purchase of one of my Greyhound coat knitting patterns and I was thrilled to hear of how the pattern was to be used!

Gaye runs the prison program in Michigan which helps inmates and Greyhounds alike.  Gaye writes, “The prison program is an incredible program and I would like to invite you to visit our website, learn more about us and spend a few minutes on the “inspirational” page and how it impacts not only the greys but the inmate handlers as well.”

Every ten weeks twenty greyhounds are put into the care and supervision of forty specially selected and trained incarcerated dog handlers. As the greyhounds transition from racer to pet, people’s lives are also transformed.

The inmate dog handlers themselves are revitalized and engaged in a daily purpose. They experience the miracle of unconditional love. They learn to trust, to be patient and become compassionate. They begin to understand “teamwork” and effective communication skills and they are willing to accept responsibility and be accountable. Beyond that, they write reports, compose poems, knit sweaters, sew coats and make dog beds.

Find out more HERE

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A question for you to answer, if you would

If there were a holiday destination for Greyhound owners in South Wales, UK, would any of the following ideas appeal to you and make you want to visit?

Dog friendly campsite   **    Greyhound items in onsite shop ** Raw meat available

Secure paddock for exercise **  Kennelling during the daytime **  Dog grooming

Dog training courses  **  Greyhound meet up **  Nearby beaches

Please post your comments below about your ideal Greyhound friendly holiday, scroll down to where it asks you to ‘Leave a Reply’

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Rocky’s Progress

As you know, Rocky came to the greyhounds4me household just after Christmas following Reggie’s passing.  I soon discovered that Rocky has some issues with other breeds of dog. He seems to be really scared by them and Rock and I have been working together to see if we can get him over this gradually.  Luckily, he loves treats and will eat when he is outside so I am able to reward him when he quietens down after a squealing fit triggered by seeing another dog. I have been keeping a diary and here are the latest entries……………

March 30th - On our walk today we managed to pass a cat that was on the other side of the road with minimal whinging. Then, near the park we were being followed at quite a distance by a small on lead dog and Rocky kept looking round and looking at me for a treat but no screaming.

As we got very close to the park there was another dog coming towards us, on the other side of the road, and that pushed him over the edge, screaming, wailing, leaping about towards and away from the other dog. The bloke walking it was in total shock at Rocky’s antics I just smiled and dragged Rocky into the park, where he immediately calmed down and had a treat.

I would never want to put people off adopting or fostering greyhounds but I do think you have to be aware that some will have issues from being in kennels all their lives and some have never been well socialised as puppies especially some of the Irish ones, so they will require work and patience.

April 13th -Today we saw crazy Daisy the spaniel off lead in the park and Rocky went bananas, howling and screaming. Her owner shouted over to me ‘ that dog will do your head in’ and then suggested a one way trip to the vet.

I do have some very mean neighbours!

Anyway, we left the park and then encountered a chap with a Pitbull type dog so more screaming ensued. We darted into the next entrance into the park to escape him. Then there was a lady walking a long haired Dachsund and in the distance I could see Norman the Pointer off lead, a bit more screaming at the Dachsund. We went back out of the park and along the street towards our road but there was a black lab on the opposite side of the road so mega screaming at that! I had to stand still with my body pressing Rocky against a recycling bin to get him to stand still and look at me for a treat. When he calmed down a bit we turned the other way down the street and went down a side road to skirt round the park. At the corner as we turned towards home there was a cat standing in the middle of the footpath. We stood and stared at each other for a while and Rocky was a bit bemused as the cat didn’t move so no screaming. We crossed over the road and used some parked cars to shield us from the cat as it scampered into a garden and out of sight. Phew! all the rest of the way home Rocky was getting spooked by bin bags and rustling bushes as he was really jumpy by this time

It is such a shame because he gets excited to go out and then all hell breaks loose when he sees other dogs and cats.

A friend said maybe we should confront his fear and make him walk past another dog. No way! if a dog comes close he lunges at it and then tries to run away then lunges again. I get rope burns on my hands trying to hold onto the 2 leads that I have on his collar and harness to make sure he doesn’t get loose. He is so strong when he gets stressed and could pull me over if I’m not careful. What we really need is somewhere where we can do a set up with another dog in the distance and keep Rocky moving so that he gets used to the other dog being there but doing him no harm. Then gradually reduce the distance between them. It is impossible to do this in a public park as dogs pop up all over the place unannounced.

On the plus side with Rocky, he is a very loving boy and adores contact with people. The photo above was taken last night as I was trying to finish knitting a dog coat and he had wriggled round on the sofa so much to be near me that he had his head draped over my arm.

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Home Made Dog Treat Recipe

Doggie Birthday Cake

3 cups of organic whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 cup of organic vegetable oil

5 large organic free-range eggs

1 cup of mashed organic meat…your choice

2 cups of finely shredded organic carrots

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, 180 degrees C, gas mark 4

Mix flour and baking powder in a large bowl

Combine oil, beaten eggs in a separate mixing bowl until smooth

Add the meat and carrots and mix well

Add flour and continue to stir until smooth

Spread the mixture into 2 greased 9 inch round cake pans and bake for 1 hour

Allow cooling on wire racks

Icing For All Natural Dog Treats Cake

Icing

4 medium potatoes that are organic, scrubbed and peeled. No green parts as they are toxic to dogs

1 cup of water to cook potatoes or more if needed

4 tablespoons of parsley

1/3 cup of plain organic yogurt

Directions

Mash cooked potatoes and parsley in a food processor

Stir in organic yogurt and add additional water if icing is too thick to spread

Now you can assemble your doggie birthday cake and celebrate you companion’s birthday with a new twist!

Taken from www.natural-pet-essentials.com

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Craft Showcase on Greyhounds4me

Each issue of the ezine will feature one of our Crafters from the

Craft Showcase

This week is the turn of

Wild Things For Greys

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Classified Ads

Knitted greyhound coats for sale – knitted to the greyhounds4me coat pattern and size approx 34 inches from collar to base of tail. 2 coats available from Claire £25.00 each. Contact by email: c.gillen@dsl.pipex.com

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Meat4pets

Discounted, High Nutrition Raw Meats For Your Pet

Coalville, Leicestershire. Free delivery within 1 mile of Coalville town centre

http://www.meat4pets.co.uk/

**********************************************************************

The ultimate grooming experience. Covering Leicestershire area
Download your Free Greyhound Grooming guide HERE
http://peti-cure.co.uk/

***************************************************************************

Dog Walking and Doggy Daycare. Experienced lady offers dog walking in Wigston, Oadby, Glen Parva, Blaby, Countesthorpe, South Wigston and Aylestone. Areas slightly further out for dog sitting. Doggy Daycare in Wigston, dogs need to be good with other and smaller dogs. Affordable rates. All dogs must be covered by Pet Insurance for third party liability. Please phone for aquote 07725 911981

**********************************************************************

How to choose your dog

Get choosing your dog off to a flying start with the best free guides on the internet today from Beverley Nash

http://howtochooseyourdog.com

***********************************************************************

Classified Ads are FREE for 6 insertions. Maximum of 60 words. Plus one web address,email address and phone number.
Insertions will begin with the next available issue and will appear on the greyhounds4me website the life of the ad.

To place a Classified Ad or to send in letters, poems, recipes please email
valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk

* Rocky’s Progress

* Dog Behaviour with Pennie Clayton, of Horse and Hound School, a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and horse trainer

* Articles, [...]]]> Greyhounds4me Ezine End March issue

Sign up HERE and get the Greyhounds4me ezine direct to your inbox. Published twice a month, the greyhounds4me ezine includes:-

* Rocky’s Progress

* Dog Behaviour with Pennie Clayton, of Horse and Hound School, a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and horse trainer

* Articles, features, interviews, recipes, classified ads and special offers all relating to greyhounds and greyhound owners

If you have a question for Pennie or would like to contribute to the ezine in any way please send an email to:- valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk *******************************************************************************

Canine Behaviour with Pennie Clayton of Horse and Hound School

Aggression in dogs

Social aggression (dog-dog/dog-people), food aggression, toy and play aggression, sleep aggression.

Oh our poor dogs! They get lots of labels fixed to them and aggression in dogs is often featured in the media so it is a highly charged topic.

All the above “aggressions” get talked and pondered about whenever our dogs relent to using their voices and do something weird or unexpected. Over the last 2 months we have looked at calming signals, so it seemed logical to look a little at this subject.

Aggression can be very real and very dangerous, and it can also be an instinctive and defensive behaviour sparked by the flight or fight reflex. There are very few cases that are truly life threatening to either a dog or another person when you think how many dogs there are in the country and how many dogs we are in close proximity to on a regular basis.

For instance we all know that our greyhounds have the potential to kill (usually small fluffy animals and dogs) but we are also aware, especially when they have raced, that there are times when we have an almost loaded gun on the end of a lead.

This is not “aggression”, we are seeing a predatory behaviour which is honed and instilled into our dogs by genetics and training. The result may be similar if we are very careless – a dead animal that was targeted by a greyhound need never occur if we are aware of when our dogs should be kept on leads and/or muzzled; at least until their behaviour changes and their instincts become almost “dulled” and our greyhounds are truly socialised to other breeds. Each greyhound is different but a careful owner will work to rehabilitate and reform these trigger instincts.

Aggression like many other problems can be bought on by stress. Stress produces hormones that accelerate particular responses including aggressive/defensive behaviours. Often stress is a result of lack of proper rest and sleep. It is very important that you observe your dog so you become familiar with his normal behaviour patterns so you can track any changes.

Stress can also be the result of aches and pain, changes to lifestyle (either your dog’s or yours) lack of food, or too much food, firework night, Christmas, holidays, offensive fragrances and smells; yes your dog can become ill and stressed if subjected to powerful scents from household plug in perfumes and car air fresheners. I know the smell of lilies is unbearable to me, and it gives me a headache – so how much worse would a synthetic or powerful perfumed smell seem to your dog’s very sensitive nose?

Why I am making these points id because I would like you to look at the reasons behind so called aggression in our dogs. It has become a very popular label for dogs.

Dog-dog aggression
Scenario – your dog lunges and barks and tries to bite another dog. Have you ignored his discomfort when you see other dogs and forced him to meet dogs he would otherwise choose to ignore? Or has he, in the past, been attacked by another dog?

Either scenario will start to produce defensive behaviours that look very aggressive, but they are meant to be! Your dog is doing his best to keep the other dog away. Remember that our dogs are ultimately very social creatures and do not choose to shun the company of either us or other dogs so there will always be a good reason for any very vocal or loud barking.

Dog-person aggression
Scenario – dog tries to bite or actually does succeed in biting someone. Dogs do not instinctively like every person they meet (and neither do we). Forcing a dog to say hello to someone he is backing off of and who they instinctively distrust should not be practiced; and this practice is not going to result in an outgoing social dog that is happy to smile politely and approach every person he meets. This practice may actually make him aggressive and defensive. In fact I find that many dogs distrust me, it may be that I smell funny (often a weird mix of dog and horse smells!) and I often venture into their houses as a stranger, and a stranger that often their owners are a little unsure of too. (I have to say I never dress like Victoria Stilwell though, god forbid, that would be scary!!). In fact this is a good point as many dogs are frightened of people in hats, uniforms or people who have walking sticks; the list could be endless, your dog is not colour prejudiced he is startled!

If a dog backs off from someone they should be allowed to make that choice, they are far more likely to relax if they are able to make their own choices. It is relatively easy to formulate a plan for this dog and to explore possibilities to help him feel more secure and confident around (strange) people.

Toy and food aggression
Taking something away from a dog, particularly something that he sees as a valuable resource will often provoke a strong reaction from many dogs. I would be pretty cross too if someone took a book away from me if I was reading, or took my dinner away when I was eating. Taking resources away from dogs, especially rescue dogs, will very often prompt a strong reaction. These dogs may have had to fight for resources in the past. Even dogs that have been brought up in the same home from puppies can have a very strong opinion about things being taken away. If your dog is reactive in these types of situations leave him alone.

If you are worried about your dog’s behaviour around children, do not give him a high resource item when they are around, and teach children to respect the dogs around them. Always give your dog a quiet place to retire to if there are children around too. Do your best to help your dog, and do not try to prove that you are boss in your house – he already knows this and does not need continual reminders, he is not vying to take over the world – why would he???

If you insist on bombarding him with demands and taking things away he can become more reactive, defensive and then aggression may well kick in. Alternatively he can become “shut down”. Shutting down is a name given to a dog who becomes almost blank and non-reactive in what he perceives are stressful situations, and it is not a good place for a dog to be. This would make a good topic in itself for the future.

Sleep aggression
Ok, so why would you march up to your dog and plonk yourself down next to him when he is sparko? How would you react? I would certainly jump and may well be a bit cross if I was woken up abruptly, why should our dogs be any different?  Respect your dog’s space when he is fast asleep and do not try to wake him up by patting him. If you really need to wake him wave a piece of sausage under his nose…the reason for this is that his sense of smell is the one thing that does not close down when your dog is asleep. (You don’t need me to tell you this; it is something you already know!!!)

This is not an extensive article but I hope it has given you some food for thought; I am definitely not saying that aggression does not exist in dogs, but when it is found it may well be caused by many factors including stress, lack of choice and security.  The way that stress works is to promote and elevate the flight or fight instinct and this is a “dog of another colour”. Stress issues and triggers should be detected and resolved before anything else is done. Most dogs that snap are not aggressive and have many reasons why they react as they do.

Pennie Clayton runs “Horse and Hound School” and is a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and trains horses. She owns greyhounds and lurchers and is very familiar with day to day problems with rescue dogs and rehabilitating rescue dogs. She is available for behaviour advice, training and problem solving for all types of dogs.
Contact – Email: info@horseandhoundschool.co.uk or on 07910 720961

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FREE knitting pattern download of the Greyhound Footie Snood.

Make it in your team colours! You will find it on the pattern download page HERE

And if you cannot knit, that is no excuse! We have a new page containing videos on How To Knit. Simple, easy to follow instructions on video so you can start making some fantastic garments for your hounds! Go to the page HERE

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Online Shop

Here are the latest items added to Greyhounds4me Online Shop

Black and red stripe Sock Dog

affectionately known as Dennis

Rainbow Hound in pale grey
Click Here to shop online

Would an Easy Pay option be of interest to those planning future purchases of coats and dog beds but concerned about budgetting? Answer the question here

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Charity Fundraising

Some of the Charities who feature on our Charities Page

Going Home Greyhounds, Inc

Jags Danica (Dani) is a happy little girl who does everything with great enthusiasm. She loves toys, look out if she starts gathering them, they will soon be flying through the air one after another. When she is done playing, she will try to climb into your lap and smother you with little greyhound kisses, or she will lay on her back with her long legs stretched out.

Dani broke her right rear leg in September, but had to have a second surgery because it was not healing properly.  Her cast came off February 10^th and she is now fully released for adoption.

The Charity is preparing for 2 upcoming annual fundraisers so check out their website on the Charities Page for ways to help support them.

Triangle Greyhound Society

Greyhounds in Gettysburg (“GIG”) is the annual fund raiser for Triangle Greyhound Society.  It is the means by which we raise the funds that we use to support greyhound adoption.  We offer financial grants to North Carolina adoption kennels and fund our foster program.  It is the most important event on our calendar.  A small group of dedicated TGS folks work throughout the year to plan and implement this three day event.  GIG draws attendees and their hounds from all across the country and Canada.  In 2011, we had attendees from the great state of Alaska.  The beautiful and historic town of Gettysburg Pennsylvania has opened its doors and decks to us.  The hotels and merchants are hound friendly and they really look forward to hosting us each year.

Lincolnshire Greyhound Trust

Kennel 5 is currently occupied by ROONEY.

Rooney is an Aug 07 Black Male with white flecks who came to us on 25 Sep 11.

He is a clean boy who loves fuss.

Rooney is a very bouncy and playful lad, but with training could live with cats.

A brief video of Rooney can be found in our links section

Watch the video of Rooney looking for a home

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Rocky’s Progress

As you know, Rocky came to the greyhounds4me household just after Christmas following Reggie’s passing.  I soon discovered that Rocky has some issues with other breeds of dog. He seems to be really scared by them and Rock and I have been working together to see if we can get him over this gradually.  Luckily, he loves treats and will eat when he is outside so I am able to reward him when he quietens down after a squealing fit triggered by seeing another dog. I have been keeping a diary and here are the latest entries……………

March 1st – We reinforced the 120 yards thing today. An off lead collie at the other side of the park, walking in the same direction as us and Rocky stopped, looked, turned away, peed up a bush, whimpered a bit so we turned back the other way and he shook himself off and peed up some more bushes and had treats. He kept looking over at the collie who was getting further away so it was all very calm.

So now I need to team up with someone with a stunt dog to do that on purpose and start getting closer over time

March 11th – The past few days have gone really well and we have been going out at quiet times and not seeing many dogs so I was starting to think Rocky was improving. Today though, we went out at 9.30 which I thought would be quiet for a Sunday morning and before I went out delivering leaflets.

Oh dear, we saw so many dogs that poor Rocky went into a complete panic howling, twirling, screaming the lot poor lad, I feel so bad for him cos he gets so excited to go for a walk and then its a trauma for him

Roll on smallholding in Wales with lots of space to have nice walks in peace and quiet

March 21st – Nice quiet walk this morning until we got to the alleyway on the way back to the house and spotted a cat. To avoid the cat we turned back along the recreation ground alongside the fences of the neighbouring houses. At the end house are 2 border terriers and they are a bit manic and vocal. They were in their garden and barked at us. Rocky took exception to the verbal abuse and lunged at the fence. I think it was the male dog that was having a go back and he and Rocky tried some mouth wrestling under the fence before I was able to drag Rocky away, getting rope burns on my hand for my trouble.

Then we had a bit of yodelling and screaming as we walked away and much stress panting on the walk back home. As we walked up our road I could see Crazy Daisy the Spaniel on the footpath and shouted to her owner, Alan, to hide her behind his car so we could go past on the other side of the road He did and we got past ok. He laughed and asked ‘was that yours screaming just now?’
Oh dear, Rocky is getting known for his screaming!

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Home Made Dog Treat Recipe

Cinnamon Bun Bites

2 cups (500 mL) whole wheat flour
1 tsp. (5 mL) baking powder
1/4 tsp. (2 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) water or milk
1/4 cup (60 mL) canola oil
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) honey
1 tsp. (5 mL) cinnamon
1/4 cup (60 mL) finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Cream cheese drizzle (optional):
1/4 cup (60 mL) light cream cheese
1-2 Tbsp. (15-30 mL) milk or water

Preheat oven to 350°F, 180C, gas mark 4

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl stir together water, oil and egg. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until you have a soft dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll or pat the dough into a rectangle that measures roughly 8×14-inch. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon and nuts, if using. Starting from a long edge, roll up jelly-role style and pinch the edge to seal. Using a sharp serrated knife or (even better) dental floss, slice half an inch thick and place slices cut side down on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until springy to the touch. Wait until they have cooled completely before you spread them with cream cheese.

Makes about 2 dozen biscuits. Store extra in a tightly covered container of freeze. If they are frosted, store the container in the fridge.

Taken from http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen

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Craft Showcase on Greyhounds4me

Each issue of the ezine will feature one of our Crafters from the

Craft Showcase

This week is the turn of

Slouching Hound

My name is Kerry Bell and my love for sighthounds has grown with me throughout my life, with this love I’ve combined  my skills in art and textiles  and  make high quality  Martingale dog collars and beautiful pet portraits.

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Classified Ads

Knitted greyhound coats for sale – knitted to the greyhounds4me coat pattern and size approx 34 inches from collar to base of tail. 2 coats available from Claire £25.00 each. Contact by email: c.gillen@dsl.pipex.com

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Meat4pets

Discounted, High Nutrition Raw Meats For Your Pet

Coalville, Leicestershire. Free delivery within 1 mile of Coalville town centre

http://www.meat4pets.co.uk/

**********************************************************************

The ultimate grooming experience. Covering Leicestershire area
Download your Free Greyhound Grooming guide HERE
http://peti-cure.co.uk/

***************************************************************************

Dog Walking and Doggy Daycare. Experienced lady offers dog walking in Wigston, Oadby, Glen Parva, Blaby, Countesthorpe, South Wigston and Aylestone. Areas slightly further out for dog sitting. Doggy Daycare in Wigston, dogs need to be good with other and smaller dogs. Affordable rates. All dogs must be covered by Pet Insurance for third party liability. Please phone for a quote 07725 911981

***********************************************************************

Classified Ads are FREE for 6 insertions. Maximum of 60 words. Plus one web address,email address and phone number.
Insertions will begin with the next available issue and will appear on the greyhounds4me website the life of the ad.

To place a Classified Ad or to send in letters, poems, recipes please email
valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk

Free postage when you purchase 2 or more items in the Online Shop

Sign up HERE and get the Greyhounds4me ezine direct to your inbox. Published twice [...]]]> Greyhounds4me Ezine Mid March issue

********  Special offer  for March ***********

Free postage when you purchase 2 or more items in the Online Shop

Sign up HERE and get the Greyhounds4me ezine direct to your inbox. Published twice a month, the greyhounds4me ezine includes:-

* Rocky’s Progress
* Dog Behaviour with Pennie Clayton, of Horse and Hound School, a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and horse trainer.
* Articles, features, interviews, recipes, classified ads and special offers all relating to greyhounds and  greyhound owners

If you have a question for Pennie or would like to contribute to the ezine in any way please send an email to:- valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk

*******************************************************************************

FREE knitting pattern download of the Greyhound Footie Snood.

Make it in your team colours! You will find it on the pattern download page HERE

And if you cannot knit, that is no excuse! We have a new page containing videos on How To Knit. Simple, easy to follow instructions on video so you can start making some fantastic garments for your hounds! Go to the page HERE

******************************************************************************

Canine Behaviour with Pennie Clayton of Horse and Hound School

Well, I have had yet another trying week. I am also conscious that the articles are turning into a blog, but I can assure you there is always a point to my rants!

Over the last 2 years I have been using a local hall for my dog classes. Tonight I am supposed to be helping people to train their dogs but here is the story about why I am writing instead.

Two weeks ago there was a complaint about the mess left by the dogs and a criticism that I had not cleared up the hall, by the playgroup that uses the hall in the mornings. Apparently there was hair everywhere and the mothers were horrified. I was very upset that I hadn’t cleared all the hair away, least of all as my classes are very low key and I pride myself on the fact that there is very little (if ever) dog hair to sweep up in the first place. This is because I aim for the dogs to be calm and to avoid any stress. If dogs are stressed they shed hair and before I knew better I used to go to training classes that were full of dogs and every evening after the classes finished I used to help sweep up heaps of dog hair along with the people that ran the classes. This should never happen in classes, so I was quite upset that not only had I not cleaned properly but that there was dog hair to be found- horror of horrors.

I was very keen not to be thought of as being irresponsible so I sent an email to the man who the complaint went to, apologising. In fact that night a Malamute had attended, and he doesn’t generally join the class as he is nervous about other dogs, so he just comes and wanders about and has a few loo rolls to play with until he has stopped hyper ventilating. So it was possible he had shed some long hairs.

I also explained I wasn’t really together as I had only recently been in an accident and I had been still very stressed and was still mildly in shock.

With this in mind last week I thought I had better make sure that I didn’t mess up. So the only dog who attended that evening was a 15 week old shitzu cross puppy, very small and very cute by the way! We did some very quiet work and we let her explore and played a few games involving knocking cups over to find treats and she likes the Nina Ottosson toys so she had a little play with them too. Nothing outrageous and before I left I cleaned up and double checked everywhere (as I normally do) and was satisfied that there was no way anybody could complain.

When I next checked my emails- you have guessed –there was a very sniffy email saying yet again, I had left the hall in a mess and not only was there hair but loads of dog treats. I was really livid, and I wrote back far too quickly and pointed out the facts and told them that there was no way one small dog could possibly have left so much mess behind and yes, I had swept up and double and triple checked there was absolutely no hair and no treats squashed into the floor. So what really is going on here?

When I talked to some of my colleagues they have all had similar problems. With increasing criticisms about people and their dogs and the lack of training, and the belief that a lot of dogs are out of control and dangerous, where is the motivation for responsible trainers to run classes?

Without a sense of give and take and an increasing sense of the “me, me, me” culture, and less of a sense of live and let live where are we expected to teach our dogs to integrate with the public? Dogs are dogs, and yes they do shed a bit of hair from time to time and yes, we do reward them to teach them for behaviours that we would like them to reproduce. Why the hell can’t people be more tolerant and accepting of the world around them? I call this “nimby” and intolerant and I would like to ask of people that are becoming increasingly anti dog what exactly are we teaching young children? As far as I am concerned we are passing on nothing of value but to discriminate against things that they know nothing of. Surely we should be educating not complaining, and allowing children to see the world as a whole picture (warts and all) so they can become adults that make up their own minds and to become responsible and considerate individuals. If this is not taught they become closed minded and intolerant, this is unacceptable.

I am increasingly concerned about anti dog policies that surround us, and it scares me. I for one do not want to live in a world that legislates and prosecutes against animals and the people that are doing their very best to educate.

Pennie Clayton runs “Horse and Hound School” and is a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and trains horses. She owns greyhounds and lurchers and is very familiar with day to day problems with rescue dogs and rehabilitating rescue dogs. She is available for behaviour advice, training and problem solving for all types of dogs.
Contact – Email: info@horseandhoundschool.co.uk or on 07910 720961

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Letters

This letter comes from Linda Valentine Bryant who recently lost her hound, Pepper, to Osteosarcoma.

Free postage when you purchase 2 or more items in the Online Shop

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Sign up HERE and get the Greyhounds4me ezine direct to your inbox. Published twice a month, the greyhounds4me ezine includes:-

* Rocky’s Progress
* Dog Behaviour with Pennie Clayton, of Horse and Hound School, a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and horse trainer.
* Articles, features, interviews, recipes, classified ads and special offers all relating to greyhounds and  greyhound owners

If you have a question for Pennie or would like to contribute to the ezine in any way please send an email to:- valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk

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FREE knitting pattern download of the Greyhound Footie Snood.

Make it in your team colours! You will find it on the pattern download page HERE

And if you cannot knit, that is no excuse! We have a new page containing videos on How To Knit. Simple, easy to follow instructions on video so you can start making some fantastic garments for your hounds! Go to the page HERE

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Canine Behaviour with Pennie Clayton of Horse and Hound School

THE VERY WORST OF LIFE

On Thursday this week I had an accident in my car, it was not a nice thing to experience and not only was I traumatised but the accident was not my fault. Any bad experience which is sudden and bad produces the production of steroids and notably cortisol in your body. I have kept a diary as it is not only people that experience soaring cortisol levels when something horrible happens – so do dogs. My “diary” (I am hoping) will help you to appreciate what dogs go through when they have a sudden nasty incident. While that scenario may seem almost like a non event to you, it may well not have been handled so well by the dog and in fact it might have been his worst possible scenario. My accident may have seemed to some people minor in comparison with what could have happened, but that doesn’t help when you are right in the middle of your own personal nightmare.

When you have a bad experience like an accident your body reacts by producing cortisol. For at least 20 minutes after any incident cortisol levels continue to rise until you are well and truly flooded with it. Cortisol levels having reached a peak do not return to normal for 5-7 days and then only if nothing else happens to you. If you have another even minor problem your cortisol levels get topped up to the very limit once again. It is a bit like a bucket that is left outside in the rain, it may disperse with hotter, dryer weather but if it rains again the bucket just gets filled back up.

If my diary is what I experienced by circumstances out of my control what might a dog feel with his own personal nightmare? I can make decisions to be nice to myself, and try and seek some form of therapy and I am free to do pretty much as I like to try and help myself through this time-but dogs are left with an inability to try to seek help, and we have to be the ones to recognise and help.

This is a kind of diary of the first 2 days and what I felt:

Accident causes cortisol levels to reach maximum levels

Firstly I felt very stressed and tried hard to deal with the shock of the accident and tried to understand what had occurred. I tried to function as “normal” but this was pretty nearly impossible. Another incident occurred when I was interviewed by the police only an hour later, which I wasn’t expecting and it I have to admit absolutely freaked me out. I was tongue tied and couldn’t seem to judge distances or give precise details.

During the evening and night my stomach was churning- I couldn’t eat and was very tired but couldn’t sleep. When I did shut my eyes the accident is replayed over and over.

Temperature changes- hot to cold back to hot.

No concentration

I had the feeling that I had a cold coming before the accident but the cold took a hold and it was the worst cold I have had for years.

Illness is common after these kinds of situations as cortisol inhibits your immune system which is why stress is linked to cancers.

Over those 2 days I tried to help myself out a bit, and what I really wanted to do was work but due to a yard of horses going down with an infectious disease I was unable to work for most of Saturday- this was 2 days in. This was to be my main wage of the week so this caused me more stress. (Can you detect a drip, drip, drip affect where the cortisol is being topped up?)

This cycle continued pretty much for the first 3 days.

The next 2 days I was booked onto a course. Luckily it was a Bowen course, so while I was in that environment I was lucky enough to receive some Bowen but once home I was back to thinking about the accident and although my stomach was more settled I was still making bad choices about what to eat, not a good idea at this point.

I became very depressed too, things like checking emails and normal routines were not done I just couldn’t be bothered with my normal routines even though they are important for work. I had very bad sinuses and headaches several times a day. Headaches go hand in hand with stress and are often the result of dehydration too. Sleep was erratic and I was waking at 3.45 am and using the time to worry and replay the accident.

My frame of mind was very inward looking and finding it so hard not to have normal cheerful outlook. This really got me down too and still finding the ability to rest difficult.

I could go on, but it is a little irrelevant as you have all been through similar things at points in your lives, and my diary really only serves as a reminder as to why dogs react the way they do at certain points in their lives.

Why would cortisol levels rise in a dog? Firework nights, rehoming (just how horrible must that actually be?) holidays, especially if left in a kennel. (You may have selected an excellent kennels but your dog still has no choice here). Illness, it is a fact that many skin conditions which often arise from high steroid levels (cortisol among them) are treated with more steroids thereby pushing the levels spiralling up again.

I could go on, again you are free to make your own list but my main message is to recognise and help your dog through times of stress and to allow him to sleep, be picky and maybe he will have uncharacteristic reactions to everyday things but this will not be a permanent thing unless you are over demanding. Please cut him some slack and well, Bowen helped me struggle through a few days so why not seek some gentle alternative therapy during these kinds of times?

The important thing to remember is not to add stress to his life by demanding behaviours which he is unable to give you.

Pennie Clayton runs “Horse and Hound School” and is a dog behaviour consultant, Bowen therapist and trains horses. She owns greyhounds and lurchers and is very familiar with day to day problems with rescue dogs and rehabilitating rescue dogs. She is available for behaviour advice, training and problem solving for all types of dogs.
Contact – Email: info@horseandhoundschool.co.uk or on 07910 720961

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Hints and Tips

A great tip here from Wendy Coyle for Greyhounds with cracked pads………………

My mum got me some of this (don’t know what she was trying to say – do I look wrinkly??!!) but Cheeky has had terrible cracked and sore pads this winter.  I have been putting on Sudocreme and Vaseline which works OK but makes a mess and didn’t clear them up totally.  Used this morning and night for a few days after cleaning her feet with a baby wipe and the difference is amazing – so much better after a short time and even better now after a week or two.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1348125/Baby-Bottom-Butter-creme-la-creme-face-creams.html

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Rocky’s Progress

As you know, Rocky came to the greyhounds4me household just after Christmas following Reggie’s passing.  I soon discovered that Rocky has some issues with other breeds of dog. He seems to be really scared by them and Rock and I have been working together to see if we can get him over this gradually.  Luckily, he loves treats and will eat when he is outside so I am able to reward him when he quietens down after a squealing fit triggered by seeing another dog. I have been keeping a diary and here are the latest entries……………

Feb 12th - Not many dogs about this morning on our walk but we did see one enter the park as we were walking round. It was a good distance from us and Rocky spotted it. He didn’t make any noise he just looked at it then looked at me and my pocket he got a whole load of treats! the other dog was going in the opposite direction to us and soon went out of sight so it was great, no screaming and whirling.

Feb 12 – Pennie has recommended some opaque film for the front windows so that he can’t see other dogs passing the house and upset his training

The first piece in place

All windows completed

It is much better now that the hounds can’t see everyone walking past the house, especially as Rocky was getting very stressed by people walking dogs past the house and of course, he would be thinking that his barking and howling was making them go away and reinforcing the behaviour.

Feb 16 - Rocky did really well today. We went out earlier than usual and saw a dog in the alleyway. It was a big black and tan retriever type dog. Very handsome. Rocky stood and looked and whimpered a bit and I quickly redirected him before he could kick off and gave him a treat. He was concerned when we passed the place where he saw a cat yesterday but no kitties today so all was well.

We walked a couple of times round the park with no other dogs in sight but a few people were walking through the park and Rocky was giving them hard stares in case they had dogs hidden about their persons He is not relaxed when out walking but I am sure he will get used to it in time. It would be interesting to see how he got on if he were walking with a man rather than a woman. I wonder if he would feel safe?

Feb 23 – We managed to avoid other dogs this morning when we saw some in the park and were able to divert into the alleyway at the side of the park so minor whimpering from Rocky. Lots of treats!  Then we got near home and saw a huge 500 foot cat with huge great spiky tentacles coming from its head, breathing fire and spitting acid oh, and it was purple and green with orange spots! so we had to cross the road and get home shielded by a white van. Never seen so many curtains twitching after the racket he made!

Rocky snuggles up to Mikey on the sofa – love those alien eyes!

Linda C wrote………..

Reading your reports on Rocky really helps me with Jojo. He has been like Rocky for years. He did improve for a couple of weeks after he had his tumour out, but now he is worse than before. The dog walkers in the woods now give me a wide berth – he is like a rabid dog, snarling, growling, biting me if I get in the way, lunging etc. Then when the dogs have passed, he gets close to my side, looks at me as if to say, ‘Did I do a good job?’

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Recommended Reading

Behaviour Adjustment Training by Grisha Stewart

Buy the book on Amazon

Behavior Adjustment Training: BAT for Fear, Frustration, and Aggression in Dogs

An in depth look at the causes of fear, frustration and aggression in dogs and how we can understand them and help them change their behaviour and become less stressed.

A La Bark Baking by Kris Owen

Buy the book on Amazon

Read the reviews HERE

A great book of doggie treat recipes that dogs love and the profits from the sale of the book all go to help greyhound and lurcher rehoming charities

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Home Made Dog Treat Recipe

Carrot Cheese Puffs Dog Treat Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cheddar cheese—shredded

1 jar baby food carrots (organic or natural—avoid added salt or sugar)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

Directions:
Mix baby food, flour, and garlic powder (if using). Stir until well blended. It’ll be moist.

Chill for one hour.

Roll dough on a lightly floured, flat surface to 1/4” thickness and use cookie cutters of your choice or just cut with a knife.

Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven –  350 degrees F, 180 C, gas mark 4, for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Depending on how big you cut them, it’ll make around 2 dozen.

Will last at room temp. for a few days, maybe a week. Refrigerate for longer lasting treats.

Taken from www.all-natural-dog-treat.com

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Craft Showcase on Greyhounds4me

Each issue of the ezine will feature one of our Crafters from the

Craft Showcase

This week is the turn of

Sighthound Goodies

Hi there! I’m Anne, 20 years old, living in the Netherlands. I love photography, graphic design and Greyhounds. I’m always looking for creative things to do. That’s why I came up with the idea to combine these things and I started making my own soap, air fresheners, keychains and other stuff with a theme: sighthounds Read more

Would you like to be featured in our Craft Showcase? It is free to join. Just email a short write up about you and your crafts, 3 photos of your work and a link to your website to valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk

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Classified Ads

The ultimate grooming experience. Covering Leicestershire area
Download your Free Greyhound Grooming guide HERE
www.peti-cure.co.uk

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Dog Walking and Doggy Daycare. Experienced lady offers dog walking in Wigston, Oadby, Glen Parva, Blaby, Countesthorpe, South Wigston and Aylestone. Areas slightly further out for dog sitting. Doggy Daycare in Wigston, dogs need to be good with other and smaller dogs. Affordable rates. All dogs must be covered by Pet Insurance for third party liability. Please phone for a quote 07725 911981

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Classified Ads are FREE for 6 insertions. Maximum of 60 words. Plus one web address,email address and phone number.
Insertions will begin with the next available issue and will appear on the greyhounds4me website the life of the ad.

To place a Classified Ad or to send in letters, poems, recipes please email
valcharman@greyhounds4me.co.uk

This is really great book of healthy dog treat recipes written by dog lover and fundraiser, Kris Owen. The recipes are easy to follow and are great for half term activities [...]]]> A La Bark Baking by Kris Owen

Recipe book for dog treats

This is really great book of healthy dog treat recipes written by dog lover and fundraiser, Kris Owen. The recipes are easy to follow and are great for half term activities when you want to make something with the kids.

All the profits from the sale of the books go to help greyhound and lurcher rehoming charities and Kris also offers bulk purchases to charities so that they can raise more funds selling the books at their events.

The dogs go mad for the treats and they can be used to great effect as a reward when training your dogs.  There is a sample recipe at the end of this review, Chester’s Cheesy Chomps

• Healthy dog treat recipes
• Easy to follow instructions
• Great for kids baking activities
• Profits go to rehoming charities
• Dogs love the treats
• Great training aid

Is it worth the money?

Very well written book of dog treat recipes with healthy ingredients that will tickle the dogs’ taste buds and get their attention when you need to, for example, useful as a training aid as rewards.  There is a guide at the back of the book explaining the ingredients used and also a list of foods that you should avoid feeding to dogs.  I love that the profits raise funds for rehoming greyhounds and lurchers.  If you are looking for a doggy treat recipe book then you can’t go wrong at £7.99 rrp.

Good points –

• Easy to follow recipes
• Dogs love the treats
• Low price
• Raises funds for hounds

Bad points –

• Dogs can’t get enough!
• Paperback version might get tatty with overuse

Marks out of 10

10

Where Can I Buy One?

• Buy A La Bark Baking on Amazon
• Occasionally available on ebay
• From the A La Bark Baking website

Sample recipe

Chester’s Cheesy Chomps

Light, golden biscuits.

The dough is so easy to work with you can make double batches and freeze some of the biscuits for later.

• ½ cup (60g) wholemeal flour
• 1 cup (100g) oats
• 1 ¼ cup (100g) grated cheese (preferably cheddar)
• ½ cup (50g) grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ – ¾ cup (100-150ml) water.

Pre heat oven to 180C, 350F, gas mark 5
Cover a baking tray with baking paper.
Mix all of the ingredients except oil and water together in a large mixing bowl.
Add the oil and stir with a large spoon.
Add sufficient water to make the dough stick into one ball.
Place onto floured surface and roll out gently with floured rolling pin.
Aim to have your dough about ¼ – ½ inch thick.
Cut with a cookie cutter and place onto the baking tray.
Cook in centre of oven 25 -30 minutes or until they start to turn slightly golden.
Makes about 24 middle sized biscuits.

Store in airtight container and they may keep weeks, but they will probably be gobbled up long before then.

(If you have a good sized food processor – chop your cheese then add all other dry
ingredients. Pulse the processor and add the oil and water slowly. Stop as soon as the dough sticks into one ball. Roll out and cook as normal. Biscuits made in the processor have a smoother consistency as the oats will have been chopped but they still taste great.)

It is made of strong, waterproof pvc fabric which gives a wipe clean surface,
[...]]]> Danish Design Pet Lounger

Memory Foam Dog BedThis large memory foam dog bed is an ideal size for a Greyhound.   It allows room for them to stretch out when asleep and that means they get more restful sleep.

It is made of strong, waterproof pvc fabric which gives a wipe clean surface,
has deep sides which act as a headrest as well as shielding against draughts and keeps its shape very well.

The large size is 80 x 100cm (31.5 x 39 inches) and although may seem rather large, it can be stored on its end when not in use, thereby saving floor space

• Large size suitable for a Greyhound
• Made of strong durable pvc fabric
• Wipe clean surface
• Sides shield against draughts
• Memory foam keeps it shape well
• Easy storage when not in use

Is it worth the money?

A lot of dog beds are not available in sizes suitable for Greyhounds, who like to stretch out on their backs when asleep, but this bed is plenty big enough, sometimes big enough for two! (see below).  I like the wipe clean surface as my hounds love to chew on a pigs ear in bed and it can get very greasy and messy but just a wipe round with a damp cloth is all you need to freshen up.  Thr price is good for a durable bed as I expect it to last a good long time and the hounds find it very comfortable so it gets plenty of use.

Good points –

• Well made, durable fabric
• Wipe clean surface
• Dogs find it comfortable
• Large size suitable for Greyhound (or 2)

Bad points –

• Has seams at the corners so may not be completely waterproof
• Takes up rather a lot of floor space

Marks out of 10

10

Where Can I Buy One?

• Buy Danish Design Pet Lounger on Amazon
• Occasionally available on ebay

Provides privacy for bathrooms, showers, storage areas and windows that are overlooked without blocking out the natural light. It is self adhesive so no glue products needed and can be fitted easily with just a few essential tools such as a blade and [...]]]>  

White frosted privacy glass window film

Provides privacy for bathrooms, showers, storage areas and windows that are overlooked without blocking out the natural light. It is self adhesive so no glue products needed and can be fitted easily with just a few essential tools such as a blade and a straight edge. Available in a choice of widths and lengths

• Attractive frosted appearance
• Gives privacy
• Lets in sunlight
• Self adhesive
• Scratch resistant
• Easy to fit

Tools needed: washing up liquid, hand sprayer, squeegee, sharp knife, kitchen paper

Is it worth the money?

I was advised to use some frosted glass window film on my downstairs front windows to stop the dogs barking at everyone who walked past the house. We are very close to the footpath and it can be very annoying at busy times.  This product was extremely good for the price, delivery was very fast and I was impressed that although I ordered multiple rolls it came in one long length so I didn’t have a lot of wastage and have some left for another project.

Although the instructions seemed complicated at first, as I worked through them step by step I was able to cut the film, stick it to the windows and cut to size very easily.  The finished job is perfect and under £15.00!

Good points –

• Economical
• Easy to fit
• Better than net curtains
• Fast delivery

Bad points –

• Instructions seemed complicated at first
• Tools needed include a squeegee but I used a car windscreen scraper

Marks out of 10

9

Where Can I Buy One?

• Buy White Frosted Privacy Glass Window Film on Amazon
• Visit your local DIY store