Why have I been Missing?

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StillandSilent

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Some of you may have noticed I have been away for a week. (Or maybe not, maybe I'm more important in my own mind than in actuality ;) ) The reason I've been gone, is that I've been spending my time with my very first foster!
Fred is a 5 yr old Whippet mix who has been rescued after spending his entire life on a chain. He is quite a charmer, who gets along well with cats, is not a barker, and enjoys coming to daycare with mommy. Yesterday was the first day I was comfortable leaving him alone, as I live in an apartment, and didn't want him to get upset and disturb the neighbors.
I would love to post pics, unfortunatly, I dropped the camera and broke it taking pictures of him the first night :rolleyes:
I know there is at least one Whippet owner on chaz, so if there are any tips you guys could pass along, it would be appreciated. He is the first sighthound I have dealt with.
The other issue is he has some on-leash DA. He has scars on his legs, and I think he may have been attacked while chained. We go to Petsmart every day to socialize and meet other dogs (not face to face, just pass by them so he learns they are not a threat). We are working on "Watch me" and "Leave it" when we encounter a strange dog, and he is already making visible progress.
Fred is quite the little diamond in the rough, and I am hoping to have him placed by the new year. Wish us luc, and any tips for either his breed or his DA are much appreciated.
 
Congrats on the new foster!

I don't have a lot of first-hand experience with whippets..... Except that there are a lot of BYB in the area. Seriously, you could put a "whippet" and an "italian grayhound" side by side and I bet they look identical. No wonder I get them confused a lot.

Your DA work sounds good. Are you clicker training this guy? You can use that in desensetizing him - click/treat whenever he looks at another dog. You have to click right when he looks, if looking usually causes him to react, but if you can get the timing right it's a really great way to teach him that other dogs cause good things to happen.
 
Wow Good for you! ANd sorry bout your camera.
 
Hey congrats on your new foster! Sighthounds are very fun and sweet dogs. (We have 2 long haired whippets) Any idea what the other part is?

A Few tips on the whippety type beasties. They tend to be verryyyy sensitive. They are great at avoiding people if they think you are mad/upset/etc Makes it hard to catch them if they get loose and think they are in trouble. Train a fantastic recall.. it can be done! Depending on how whippety your Fred is, they feel the cold easy and tend to carry little body fat. They really like comfort and if you want to keep one off the furniture (not sure if you care.. ours are allowed) then they need some soft areas for themselves.

Feel free to ask anything about them.. They are such fun dogs!
 
Sorry it took so long to get back to you guys, the library had been closed and I need it for my internet!
Fred was doing great on his DA, until the stupid off-leash neighbor dog tried to attack him two nights ago. Now we're right back at the beginning. He was even naughty at daycare, and he has been very good about not being DA off leash before. :mad: Back to the drawing board there.
Fred is incredibly sensitive, all I have to do is make a stink eye at him and he usually gets back in line. I thought this was because of past neglect, but apparently it's just his breed. I've never had to do more than speak in a firm, not even harsh voice, even when he is acting up.
He is very fast, a lesson learned when he slipped his collar outside and took off in the neighborhood. Now he has a pretty red harness.
I think the other part is some sort of small hound, probably a beagle.
 
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