Category: chewing

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Collars: To Martingale or not to Martingale

Besides poop-bags, the other most commonly used product for the greyhound is a collar.  When you adopt your greyhound most likely they will be equipped with a muzzle and a martingale collar. 

When I got my first greyhound I read a lot about the martingale collar.  Everyone seemed to recommend this as greyhounds have skinny necks and can “back out of their collars.”  What I was not clear on was that martingale collars should only be used for training or walking.

Unfortunately I found this out the hard way.  One day Jethro and Darla were playing.  They both had on martingale collars.  Something happened and Jethro got Darla’s collar wrapped around his mouth.  He was struggling to free himself and choking Darla in the process.  Both Greyhounds were squealing and I was freaking out.  I knew I had to act quickly.  The saving grace was that Darla’s collar was too big and by a miracle I was able to pull Jethro close enough to Darla to give the collar some slack and pull it over her head.  Darla and Jethro were OK; however, this could have ended in disaster if I had not been right there.  I vowed only to use a Martingale collars while training.

Greyhounds can be flight risks and per their adoption agreement they need collars on all the time.  I was frustrated with what I was going to do. 

I first ordered leather fishtail collars.  These collars are beautiful and I love to see Greyhounds sporting these collars, as they look so regal.  Overall they are very effective but there was one drawback.  My hounds are quite rambunctious and they have been known to take a notion to jump in the pool with a collar on.  Their leather collars were quite worn at about a year.  Sashi has been banned from leather.  He chewed through one collar and did some damage to another.  There had to be a better product.

One day I was watching a Greyhound race and noticed that the Greyhounds were being walked to the starting box with plastic buckle collars. I found Gun Dog Supply online and ordered a TufFlex collar for Sashi.  These collars also included a brass nameplate that is riveted to the collar.  They gave off a plastic smell when I first opened the package, but it dissipated overnight.

I love love love these TufFlex collars.  Now all three Greyhounds wear these collars.  They are easy to clean, pick up no odor from the dogs, and fit incredibly well.  My Greyhounds cannot back out of these collars as long as they are adjusted in the correct position.  I have been using these collars for about one year and can’t say anything negative about them. 

However, for most Greyhounds the safest walking collar is a martingale.  If you are concerned that you will forget to take it on and off, I highly recommend buying a martingale with a buckle.  I have used these collars in the past and they are effective but get dirty quickly–or maybe Sashi just gets dirty quickly!

 

I hope that one of these collar options suits you and your Greyhound!

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My Favorite Things

Today I am going to take a break from my regular blog post. 

Once a month I am going to dedicate a post to a Greyhound-friendly product that I love.  I love to shop and have tried various products for my Greyhounds.  I hope that my experience will help when you are deciding on what toys, collars, beds, and other hound needs to purchase.    

If you have looked at the photos on this blog you know my Greyhounds love a good ball. 

Balls are fair game in our house. You leave some brand new tennis balls lying around and you are sure to come back to some slobbery fuzz-less balls.  Balls are king in our house for humans and hounds alike!

You may be thinking balls are a dime a dozen and there can’t be one ball better than all the rest.  Well, I disagree!

When I look for a ball I want something that can easily be held in a Greyhound’s mouth, not too heavy and has some give; Jethro likes to squeeze and pump the balls in his mouth.  The ball also needs to hold up against heavy use, chewing, be able to float, and can easily be cleaned. 

Hands down the best ball meeting the criteria above is the Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Orbee ball.  This ball is shaped like a globe and the continents are elevated and textured which is fun for chewing.  I thought those elevated continents were going to be goners but we have had this ball for about two years and the continents are still intact.  This ball does have some give, comes in various sizes, and is not heavy.  Orbee-Tuff toys are non-toxic and recyclable.  They are made out of thermo plastic elastomer (TPE) and have Olefinic oil and Peppermint oil to soften the toy.  The Peppermint oil also makes the toy and your Greyhound’s breath smell fresh. 

This ball was a game changer.  I use it most often for fetch, but if I need the boys to be extra good I will give one each of them and they will play and occupy themselves for extended periods of time.   Darla is always extra good!

Hope you try out the Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Orbee ball and let me know what you think!

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Greyhound Teeth and Gums

 A few weeks ago I wrote an article on greyhound digestion.  We learned that greyhounds rely on the crushing power of their molars to break down food, as they lack the enzymes needed to begin carbohydrate break down in their mouths. 

Due to this, dogs’ teeth are important to their overall health.  Greyhounds are known for their bad teeth.  Today, I want to discuss the greyhound’s teeth and gums, how gingivitis occurs, and then how to get your greyhounds mouth into tip-top-shape!

If you have even been around a greyhound puppy, you know why they are called “land-sharks.”  They have super fine sharp teeth that will cut through skin and bring you to your knees.  Thankfully at about six months these 28 extremely sharp weapons fall out and replaced by 42 permanent adult teeth.  Dogs have four types of teeth: canines, incisors, premolars, and molars.  The canines are responsible for ripping or tearing flesh and the molars are responsible for crushing.  These adult teeth lack in sharpness but are efficient at bringing down quarry and enable the greyhound to tear through bone and muscle. 

Just as the adult teeth need to be strong to function, they also depend on strong gums for support.  Gums are tissues in the mouth that are covered with oral mucosa.  Gums help keep the teeth aligned and supported.  If the gums are not healthy the teeth cannot be healthy either. 

So why do greyhounds have such “bad” teeth?  There are several hypotheses but no clear answer at this time.  The national greyhound adoption program (NGAP) blames this on a raw diet fed at the kennels; however, I disagree.  A raw diet with meaty bones should promote good dental care.  Some feel that there is a lack of concern about teeth in the greyhound industry and point out that there is only a half page on tooth care in the greyhound bible AKA Care of the Racing Greyhound: A Guide for Trainers, Breeders, and Veterinarians.   I am not sure that this is that accurate either, as tooth brushing is not difficult and could be covered quickly.  The cause of bad teeth could be debated all day and a clear answer may not surface.  Let move on to how tooth decay and gingivitis occur and how to prevent this.

Dogs have bacteria in their mouths, and certain bacteria are part of their normal flora (friendly bacteria).  They also get bacteria in their mouths from eating, licking, chewing, and doing dog things.  These bacteria stick to the teeth.  If these bacteria are not removed from the teeth they cause irritation to the gums.  This is called gingivitis.  Most likely your hounds have gingivitis if their gums bleed with brushing.  This is commonly seen early in an oral care program.  Regular teeth brushing and chewing can reverse this.  If these bacteria are not removed they will continue to build up on the teeth.  This build-up of bacteria (tarter) will weaken the enamel of the teeth causing decay.  This build-up of tarter can also affect the bone under the gum supporting the tooth if not removed.  Once the bones supporting the teeth are affected the dog has periodontitis.  This is not reversible and can cause tooth loss if not stopped.  

The importance of the teeth and gums are paramount.  Teeth not only support our nutritional needs, but if they are diseased, they create an entryway for bacterial to enter into the blood stream and potentially cause life-threatening infections.  

How do we prevent this from happening to our best friends?  Number one most important thing is brush their teeth.  I admit that I am not the best at daily brushing, but after writing about the horrors of periodontitis I can promise you there will be daily brushing in our house!  The second thing is to feed raw bones.  Raw bones are irritants to built-up tarter on the teeth.  The grinding of the bone helps to remove the tarter on the molars as you can see in the photo above.  Please, do not feed cooked bones, as they can be extremely harmful to dogs.  The cooking of bone denatures the proteins and causes splintering of the bone when chewing.  Finally, encourage chewing!  I love planet dog toys.  The Orbee-Tuff line holds up to my aggressive chewers and the toys have a nice peppermint scent to help with bad breath.  

I hope that this article is helpful to you and your hound.  Below is a video of how we brush teeth.  Promoting clean teeth and gums is one of the best things you can do for your greyhound!