Miranda

If a chiropractor is unable to help I suggest that you get the dog's elbows and shoulders checked by a competent vet. Hopefully the problem is muscular

Nothing will make a dog's coat grow faster. Feeding good food, ensuring your dog has plenty of fats in his diet and taking care of every hair will help to keep the coat in optimum condition, but quantity, length and rate of growth are dictated by your dog's genetics. Finding a substance or supplement that increases the rate of growth would be the equivalent of finding the Holy Grail, if you find one please let me know

I'm no dog trainer but this sounds like territorial aggression. According to our shire nearly all dog attacks occur outside peoples' houses where the resident dog is loose and has a go at a strange dog passing by. I wouldn't have any of my dogs loose at the front of the house when another dog was walking past, they're normally fine in off leash situations, but another dog coming into their territory might be a different matter.

Is there any reason why the puppy can't stay outside? If you've puppy proofed your yard and there aren't any other hazards I'm sure he'd be much happier outside exploring, things to see, things to smell, things to do, sunshine, fresh air, birds, digging etc. Your puppy's been confined all night while you sleep and then you're locking him up for another 5 1/2 hours, he's lonely and bored, no wonder he's kicking up a fuss.

I wouldn't leave a puppy this young alone with a large dog without supervision. I'm not saying that your dog is going to attack him or anything, but the difference in size is a worry, rough play could get out of hand and the older dog could unintentionally injure the puppy. You can't leave him crated for eight hours a day so I'd be investing in a dog run and keeping them separate until the pup is bigger and you can be sure that they are going to get along.

See, i have read that in a couple of places. But a couple of breeders have told me to definitely go for a male, as they are much more even-tempered. As a general rule a male and a female usually get along, that isn't always true of two males or two females. I am not saying that two dogs of the same sex can't get on I'm just saying that in my experience one of each sex is the best combination. If you have a male who's likely to have problems accepting another dog into the household then you may find it easier to introduce a female rather than another male. A desexed bitch is more likely to be even tempered than an entire bitch because they don't experience any fluctuation in hormone levels, but once again that's a generalisation, all dogs are different. However I have no personal experience with Italian Greyhounds, my advice wasn't breed specific and if iggie breeders recommend getting another male then I would follow their advice.

The limp could also be caused by a problem in her elbow or shoulder. Does she turn her feet outwards at all?

I can see that the feet look flat, but I wouldn't have thought that they'd cause the dog to limp. Some dogs just don't have well shaped feet. IMO the toenails are extremely long and may certainly be contributing to the problem. Does she get much exercise? Sometimes dogs can go down on their feet if they don't get enough exercise to flex the muscles in their toes or are kept on very flat smooth surfaces, running them on rough ground can sometimes help. Whatever you do I don't think the feet will ever be a nice shape, but as for causing her to limp, well I think that's debatable.

Are you sure that it's her feet that are causing the limp? They just look like flat feet to me, you see bad feet occasionally in all breeds. I'm very surprised that the vet didn't comment on the length of her nails and offer to cut them for you.

I would also recommend that you get a female rather than another male.

I was thinking maybe it was due to biting the tree bark this morning in our backyard.. He's now 5 months old so its okay? Yes he's ok Biting the tree bark probably did have something to do with it, but the teeth have to come out and puppies chew everything in sight at this age. He'll have all his adult teeth in a few months.

If this is a puppy it's normal, they start losing their baby teeth at about 4 months.

I agree with settrlvr you need to remove the puppy from the situation BEFORE it gets too much for her. As you said your dog is learning that a growl stops the dogs from hassling her and what they learn at this age can stay with them for life. Attempting to socialise a small puppy with large boisterous dogs isn't a very good idea IMO, if she's bullied at this age and forced to deal with it herself it will have consequences when she's an adult. Socialising a puppy with other dogs is important, but you need to choose the dogs very carefully indeed and avoid any negative interactions.

You need to have facilities to separate them when you're not there, a dog run would be ideal. I wouldn't leave them together unsupervised until you're 100% certain that they are getting on.

I actually only use my crates overnight and if I'm swapping dogs around for some reason. The only time you really need to put your puppy in the crate is overnight and when you're unable to supervise him, if there's someone there to watch him he can stay out most of the time. Make sure you feed him in the crate so he associates it with good things and always give him a treat when you put him in it even if it's only for a few minutes. He should also be spending plenty of time outside playing and exploring. A lot of puppies don't eat a lot when they first go to their new homes, part of it is the stress of adapting to a new environment, but the main reason is that there's no longer any competition from littermates. Make sure that you don't leave food down for him, if he doesn't eat his meal in 10/15 minutes take it away and don't offer him anything else until next time. You could add a little raw chicken mince to his dry for variety or make one meal a raw chicken wing. If he starts leaving his lunch cut him down to two feeds a day. You will get there, it's early days yet

Agree. You may also find that the puppy is happier in a wire crate, I find that the soft crates can be too hot for everyday use and although they're good for taking to shows etc. because they're much lighter, easier to erect/ dismantle etc. the wire crates are far more suitable for use at home.

No, it will be ok if you worm her again.

My dogs eat bones very quickly, sometimes they swallow a piece that is just too big to be broken down by the acid in the stomach so the piece will be rejected and vomited up. Dogs vomit very easily, as they're scavengers and eat just about anything vomiting is a safety mechanism that enables them to eject any harmful matter before it has time to take effect and make the dog ill. To the OP, I wouldn't be concerned.

I think a lot of people lie chook wire on the ground in front of the fence, secure it with tent pegs or something similar and then extend it up the fence in a sort of L shape, that will stop dogs digging. Or you could use sleepers or even rocks, a lot depends on the size of the dog.

Sorry I don't understand, what part of the yard are you attempting to puppy proof, the bushy part? I wouldn't use chicken wire for anything, it's ok for chooks, but not strong enough for dogs.

If the dog has severe allergies and can only tolerate Cal Nat then I would stick with it even though it's only available through PP, it's not worth risking your dog's health and well being. I think Pro Pac contains only chicken and rice, but as I said I wouldn't be changing foods if you've found one that suits her so well.

Supercoat isn't a good food IMO, it's full of fillers and could be contributing to your dogs' eczema, Chum isn't any better. If these dogs are related (sorry, but I have a lot of trouble understanding your posts) there's a possibility that they have an inherited predisposition to skin problems in which case diet is very important.

In my experience hyperactive/anxious/highly strung dogs pant much more than dogs that are easy going and confident. I would say that given the dog's temperament the excess panting is normal in this particular dog. Heat could also be a factor especially if your dog is black or dark in colour.

Some dogs are prone to this, usually the smaller breeds but not always, ask your vet to show you how to empty them, it's quite easy once you know how and you do get used to the smell I would never recommend surgery to remove anal glands unless it's absolutely necessary, it's a messy op and recovery time can be quite long. If the anal glands are emptied regularly they won't get infected and form an abscess and surgery will never be necessary.

I only give my dogs C3, I once experimented and tried a C5 and both the dogs in question contracted canine cough three months later and one of them was quite sick, in my opinion C5 vacs are a waste of money unless you need to put your dog into boarding kennels. I don't vaccinate yearly either, I give puppy vaccs, a booster at 16 months and that's it. I use Heartgard monthly in the summer, worm three times a year and treat for fleas when necessary which hasn't been for years. I don't believe in giving dogs chemicals that they don't need. However you must do your own research and make up your own mind what you think is best for your dogs.