Toys/chews/enrichment - feeling lost!

[SaddlePsych'D]

Ivy (grey)hound is still settling in, getting on for nearly 3 months with us, but we could do with some thoughts around toys/chews/enrichment/training, basically any mental exercise for her. There's so much information online, it's great but also overwhelming! Possibly less in need of ideas and more in need of guidance for structuring our approach/picking which ideas to run with.

As she's settled, Ivy is not so much the lazy greyhound she was when she arrived. Mostly she still is quite snoozy but also she is only 2 and a bit so we think needs a little more than an older hound might in terms of activity. Signs we're start to see are her picking at/pinching things she never usually be interested in (tea towels are the latest favourite, although today one of my boots, my laptop case, and the sheep's wool door stop all got involved!)

We walk twice per day (morning for up to around an hour, evening for about half an hour). All on lead but where possible with the lead longer (one end of double ended lead unclipped) so she can sniff about (she doesn't do much but seems to be increasing) and we do some very close range recall practice. We also practice 'wait' and 'watch me' and 'this way'.

She has a yak milk chew and an ostrich bone (not at the same time), both of which she was super excited about at first but now is barely interested in them. She would much rather chew up a soft toy but although she does spit out the fluff and bits she vommed up the leg off her toy fox the other day we're not keen to repeat that (it was the first we knew she'd even swallowed it despite not being left alone with it, I should have checked it over for injuries more thoroughly). She likes her Kong so I do give her a couple a day, with varying levels of success with the filling. She also enjoys her lick mat.

I'm a bit worried about her recently starting grumbling/growling at us if we go to remove something she's taken a liking to. Current strategy is to distract her by moving her to another room before extracting the object we need back. I'd like to get some higher value treats/semi long lasting chews for trading up too so she can carry those off to bed knowing she'll be left alone with them. We were doing some interactive play with the soft toy she has remaining (the now three legged fox that's got rope instead of stuffing inside, still wants to shred him!) and a rabbit chaser toy but again have postponed until we've got something better for trading up because she doesn't seem to want to play with the toys with us, she just wants to carry them off to destroy.

Sorry for such a long post. I so don't want to cause our sweet girl to start behaving 'badly' through us not getting things right for her but it's info overload for me and I'm starting to feel quite lost!

 

[skinnydipper]

Some easy things you can do for enrichment:

Use food dispensing toys for her meals (I'm assuming its kibble). Ones that require her to work to get the food out. Have a few and rotate them.

Save the boxes and paper when you get a parcel. When you give her a chew wrap it in paper and put it in the box and let her work to get it.
Some chews that she might like to find in the box are a pig's ear. piece of dried tripe, beef nose, strip of udder (only one treat at a time )

Put some treats in a toilet roll or kitchen roll, tuck in the ends. Let her sniff it, then hide it and let her find it. Initially let her watch where you hide it, she will soon get the hang of the game. You can extend this game to include the garden. Don't make it too hard to begin with, you want her to be keen to play.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

We just don't allow our Labs to have soft toys because they destroy them and swallow bits, so it's safer not to have them. They do like buffalo horns and antlers to chew and argue over. I never play tug withdogs,if I put my hand onthe toy, I expect the dog to give it to me, not to try to pull it away from me.
I also don't trade up chews etc, since the day I found myself with my hand inside a Rottweiler's mouth with nothing to swap it for. She was such a lovely dog that she didn't close her mouth on my fingers but she wouldn't open her mouth either. I had to tickle the roof of her mouth to get my fingers back! She had been crunching a piece of coal which I tried to take off her!

 

[laura_nash]

Does she ever get to really run? Our pure greyhound needed a proper run once a week or she would start getting a bit nuts.

ETA All our dogs are taught to drop on command and expected to do it. I don't get the logic of the trading thing.

In my experience greyhounds and crosses aren't that interested in "find the food", scent games etc, though they are all individuals of course. We couldn't do tug games with our greyhound as her teeth were really delicate, also no chews as she would try and swallow them without chewing properly and choke.

One thing ours loved was to find someone, ie she'd wait and watch them go hide behind a tree or something and then run over to them for a fuss. Ripping things up was also very popular, didn't need to be a soft toy though those were her favourite. Obviously we had to be clear when we were giving her something she was allowed to shred vs all the stuff she wasn't.

 

[skinnydipper]

Flirt pole in the garden.

 

[SOS]

My whippets are not really properly settled unless they get an off the lead run each day. Some days this isn’t possible and they put up with it but several days in a row and they get quite unsettled. Running is their favourite thing in the whole world. Can you let her off the lead on walks at all? If not could you hire a secure area once or twice a week?

Mine also love scent games and find them very mentally tiring.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Use food dispensing toys for her meals (I'm assuming its kibble).

Yes she has kibble so these are all definitely do-able, love the ideas. I've done a bit of hiding stuff among newspaper in an cardboard box but these sound much better as what I've been doing is quite easy for her (now she's not scared of putting her head in the box!)

I never play tug withdogs,if I put my hand onthe toy, I expect the dog to give it to me, not to try to pull it away from me.
I also don't trade up chews etc, since the day I found myself with my hand inside a Rottweiler's mouth with nothing to swap it for.

These are two great examples of where I've been getting confused about what to do/not do as can absolutely see your reasoning with these but also read various things saying 'this is the way to do it' - confusing for a new owner!

Does she ever get to really run? Our pure greyhound needed a proper run once a week or she would start getting a bit nuts.

Not proper really. Our garden is quite long and she used to have a little burst of zoomies in the mornings but not so much lately (possibly the cold!) I must admit it's been my anxiety about off lead that's held this back. I found a great indoor space for the first time as this felt completely safe but it's a long drive so I really need to sort myself out and get booked in to one of the local outside spaces.

Flirt pole in the garden.

I could repurpose the rabbit chaser toy by attaching it to a big stick, especially given tug is probably out. Only problem is getting it back off her when she catches it!

 

[skinnydipper]

I could repurpose the rabbit chaser toy by attaching it to a big stick, especially given tug is probably out. Only problem is getting it back off her when she catches it!

Then the toy must become the most uninteresting thing ever. Hold the lure firmly, don't let her tug. Just stand with it held against your legs. Its boring.

Then the fun starts again when she lets go.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

My whippets are not really properly settled unless they get an off the lead run each day. Some days this isn’t possible and they put up with it but several days in a row and they get quite unsettled. Running is their favourite thing in the whole world. Can you let her off the lead on walks at all? If not could you hire a secure area once or twice a week?

Mine also love scent games and find them very mentally tiring.

Not on her regular walks, the recall just isn't there. I think we've possibly been 'getting away' with not taking her for a proper regular run but obviously things change as they settle in so definitely will revisit to try and get her out at least once per week.

I'd love to see her sniffing about a bit more, today on her walk was the most sniffing I've seen her do which was great. I will look into scent games to encourage her to use that long snoot a bit more.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Tug/ball play and possession is a huge part of my interactions with my dogs...I don't want them to value the object more than they do playing with the object **with me**
The foundations of this **do** include swapping things and giving things back as soon as they are let go, IMO.
Also things like starting with an empty dish and adding food.
You want to be seen as the provider of good things that the dog is allowed and wants to play with, not the boring one that takes everything away all the time.
For a dog that is new in the house and not raised from a pup, I absolutely would swap an item for a bit of food or vice versa to teach her it's OK to give stuff up, because the fun continues/something else good happens. You don't know what experiences she's had in the past.

We do tend to fall into very boring habits and be seen as 'ball/food dispenser'.

The dog has to learn that letting go means the game starts again, it's not automatically the end of the fun. That's why she's carrying things away.

Craig Ogilvie is an excellent trainer for this kind of thing.

The Bionic, Orka, Rosewood and Starmark Everlasting ranges are strong but squidgy.
Kong has a whole range of tough chews apart from the actual original one.
These are the types of things I am happy to leave with the dog, which are lower value than the toys we play with.
But they learn that everything belongs to me (I have the receipts!!).

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Tug/ball play and possession is a huge part of my interactions with my dogs...I don't want them to value the object more than they do playing with the object **with me**
The foundations of this **do** include swapping things and giving things back as soon as they are let go, IMO.
Also things like starting with an empty dish and adding food.
You want to be seen as the provider of good things that the dog is allowed and wants to play with, not the boring one that takes everything away all the time.
For a dog that is new in the house and not raised from a pup, I absolutely would swap an item for a bit of food or vice versa to teach her it's OK to give stuff up, because the fun continues/something else good happens. You don't know what experiences she's had in the past.

We do tend to fall into very boring habits and be seen as 'ball/food dispenser'.

The dog has to learn that letting go means the game starts again, it's not automatically the end of the fun. That's why she's carrying things away.

Craig Ogilvie is an excellent trainer for this kind of thing.

The Bionic, Orka, Rosewood and Starmark Everlasting ranges are strong but squidgy.
Kong has a whole range of tough chews apart from the actual original one.
These are the types of things I am happy to leave with the dog, which are lower value than the toys we play with.
But they learn that everything belongs to me (I have the receipts!!).

I've looked up the Ogilvie dogs YouTube and definitely looks like the videos on there could be helpful. Will check out those toy recommendations too. I'd like to track down a Kong wobbler to put her kibble in as I think she'd enjoy snuffling that around.

Ivy is definitely not enjoying playing more than just having the object to herself to chew - I'm not sure she knows we're playing/it's fun, just more like we're arguing over her toy. We know she tends towards timid so I wonder if these kinds of games could be a bit worrying for her as well?

I'm hoping swapping objects for more chewable things for when it's time for the end of the games would help as she can carry that off if she likes and it doesn't matter, plus she's occupied with it. With treats even if they are high value enough for her to leave the object, she's straight back at it as soon as the treat is scoffed.

Also wondering where 'leave' fits in, for example when she's after things which really are not hers. Lots to think about and work out but sure we'll get there!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

We practise giving objects up and getting them back.So the dog might have a horn/antler and be asked to give it to a person, who praises dog, admires horn and gives the horn back to dog. So they don't think all we ever do is take things off them.

The reason I found myself stuck in a Rott's mouth was that she was a 'rescue', who had been trained before she came to live with us, to swap but if you need to get something off the dog and you haven't anything to swap, you have a problem.



ETA, The Rotts had Kong toys that lasted for about 4 years, the Labs destroyed them in days/weeks. They are not as indestructable as we thought,so now we supervise any playing with such things very carefully. They do like to play tug with each other but we have to supervise carefully to ensure tht they don't eat the tug-toys. I have never watched dogs play tug-ball before! Will Ivy chase a ball in the garden? We use balls when off-lead walking to keep the Labs focussed on us. That didn't workwith the Rotts, they were not interested in balls

 

[CorvusCorax]

I've looked up the Ogilvie dogs YouTube and definitely looks like the videos on there could be helpful. Will check out those toy recommendations too. I'd like to track down a Kong wobbler to put her kibble in as I think she'd enjoy snuffling that around.

Ivy is definitely not enjoying playing more than just having the object to herself to chew - I'm not sure she knows we're playing/it's fun, just more like we're arguing over her toy. We know she tends towards timid so I wonder if these kinds of games could be a bit worrying for her as well?

I'm hoping swapping objects for more chewable things for when it's time for the end of the games would help as she can carry that off if she likes and it doesn't matter, plus she's occupied with it. With treats even if they are high value enough for her to leave the object, she's straight back at it as soon as the treat is scoffed.

Also wondering where 'leave' fits in, for example when she's after things which really are not hers. Lots to think about and work out but sure we'll get there!

She probably doesn't know how to play and that's where people like Craig come in. To paraphrase Jane Donaldson, if someone put a crossword puzzle in front of you without explaining how to use it, you'd be a bit unsure if you were doing it right or wrong.

 

[pistolpete]

My lurcher has challenged me so much. Licky mats are good. Definitely swap food for toys etc. teach some indoor games. The absolute dog series is hugely helpful. I’ve just bought a king wobbler which she loves. Take toys away and rotate them. Yak bone will be attractive again in a weeks time. Reward calm too. Very important. Good luck. Kiko pup on you tube is a great resource.

 

[Starzaan]

When one of mine had arthrodesis surgery he was not allowed to walk unaided for six weeks. He had to be carried in a sling.

we discovered Brain Training For Dogs. There are parts I’m not keen on, but she does have some excellent indoor, mentally stimulating game ideas for them. He absolutely loved it and I’m certain it’s what got him through.

 

[planete]

I have been using a dog fenced field twice a week for my lurchers to run safely and when I had a rescued ex racing greyhound she was never off the lead in a public place as the training would only work at close range but was totally forgotten at a distance. Regular free running will do more to settle your greyhound than any amount of toys. Our dogs ' toys only come out when we decide it is play time and the rules are strict (the toys are ours, not the dogs'). They are also taught to 'settle' in their own bed and to give up their resting place on a sofa without argument if a human wants it. With toys and giving them up the tactics depend very much on the dog in front of you. We never play tug with the shy lurcher, the very idea horrifies her. We play a ferocious tug game with the boisterous one but he was taught the leave command (see Kiko pup) and he was taught to retrieve even though it took two years to have it reliably established. Sighthounds do not normally retrieve instinctively, nor do they follow a scent much. We have taught the dogs to look for a toy hidden around the house (after teaching the leave command); you start with letting the dog see you hide the toy and progress to putting it inside the washing machine while they stay in another room for instance. All our sighthounds have been taken to dog classes even the one who had to be muzzled in public to start with. It definitely helped teach them self control and manners.

Ps. Outdoor dog classes have restarted in my area, plus a few trainers have set up online training courses which also give you access to one to one help.

 

[laura_nash]

We practise giving objects up and getting them back.So the dog might have a horn/antler and be asked to give it to a person, who praises dog, admires horn and gives the horn back to dog. So they don't think all we ever do is take things off them.[..]
Will Ivy chase a ball in the garden? We use balls when off-lead walking to keep the Labs focussed on us. That didn't workwith the Rotts, they were not interested in balls

Yes, that was how we established leave/drop, we would often just have a look at it, give the dog a fuss and then give the item back.

All three of our greyhounds / lurchers would play with a ball but their retrieval was very iffy (they would get distracted or bored on the way back, you had to really work on keeping their interest enough to actually get the ball all the way back to you). They wouldn't be interested enough to use the ball to keep focus off lead.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Will Ivy chase a ball in the garden?

Possibly one with treats inside! We haven't tried a ball yet although have a kind of rope ball/giant knotted thing with four 'arms' of rope coming off it. She'll run at it when it's thrown but otherwise not that interested. Soft and squeaky things are more her preference but only because she wants to chew through them!

I really appreciate all the suggestions and will follow them up. I practiced picking up something she had, looking at it, giving it back, she grumbled a bit but less so when she realised I added something to it (empty peanut butter jar, I put some bits of apple in which she loves) and I was able to then leave her with it until her dinner time before it needed to be extracted from her crate.

Went for it last night and have her booked in to a secure field for a run on Saturday. All being well I think I will feel more confident to take her out there in the week too when OH not around.

I think we will try these suggestions but if still stuck will approach the rescue for advice and perhaps look at getting a trainer in to give us some in-person guidance. Feel like I'm letting Ivy down at the moment.

 

[skinnydipper]

Went for it last night and have her booked in to a secure field for a run on Saturday.

Feel like I'm letting Ivy down at the moment.

Do you know anyone else with a sighthound who could join her to play? My 2 loved to play chase.

You are not letting Ivy down. I think you are doing a stellar job.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Do you know anyone else with a sighthound who could join her to play? My 2 loved to play chase.

You are not letting Ivy down. I think you are doing a stellar job.

We've been to a couple of sighthound group walks and got chatting to a few people there although don't really know anyone well. Ivy hasn't really shown much interest in the other hounds when we've been out with them though. She had a mutual lean on another little hound which was quite sweet and walked side by side with another for a bit.

 

[skinnydipper]

We've been to a couple of sighthound group walks and got chatting to a few people there although don't really know anyone well. Ivy hasn't really shown much interest in the other hounds when we've been out with them though. She had a mutual lean on another little hound which was quite sweet and walked side by side with another for a bit.

I suggested another sighthound because they seem to recognise each other but just another dog who likes to play would make things fun for her.

A couple of the dogs mine plays with are saluki and a whippet. She's a mastiff so not built for speed and tbh fast dogs run rings round her but they all enjoy the game, after all its not the winning, its the taking part

ETA. Don't worry if she doesn't want to play with other dogs, not all dogs do and that's okay.

 

[paisley]

My frankly genius invention (?) from the need to feed a Very Hungry Labrador and fussy whippet at the same time.
Take a large handful of VHL kibble and fling widely on the lawn, so VHL has to trot about kibble hunting, exercising self and brain.
Repeat as necessary ?

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I suggested another sighthound because they seem to recognise each other but just another dog who likes to play would make things fun for her.

A couple of the dogs mine plays with are saluki and a whippet. She's a mastiff so not built for speed and tbh fast dogs run rings round her but they all enjoy the game, after all its not the winning, its the taking part

ETA. Don't worry if she doesn't want to play with other dogs, not all dogs do and that's okay.

I think she will play eventually, just haven't found the right companion/spent enough time with the other dogs yet. We met a lovely Bedlington whippet lurcher on our walks, she seemed to quite like him. And the old Lab at the yard. I think because they are not too bouncy and just toddle up to her nicely. Not very playful though ?

My frankly genius invention (?) from the need to give a Very Hungry Labrador and fussy whippet at the same time.
Take a large handful of VHL kibble and fling widely on the lawn, so VHL has to trot about kibble hunting, exercising self and brain.
Repeat as necessary ?

This one we can definitely do, she loves her kibble so much!

 

[some show]

Another greyhound owner here, Joe was 3 when I got him and definitely NOT a 'two 20 min walks a day' hound, I think I walked him three or four times a day back then. He's 9 now and still has at least two walks a day, usually each at least an hour. Ivy's a real youngster at 2 so I'm not surprised she's decided she's got her feet under the table and going to make you scratch your head a bit! It's probably the case that she never had toys/bones/things of her own when she was younger, so she's now feeling a bit possessive of them - Joe was/is the same. Anything high value like a knuckle bone has to have something even better to swap it out.

Joe used to run when he was younger but since he hit about 5 he much prefers mooching/sniffing/walking - he never does zoomies. I took him to an enclosed dog field twice before deciding £10 to watch him walk around wasn't worth it! His favourite toy to run after was Kong Squeakair balls (large) because they squeak, which pleased his prey drive.

He LOVES finding kibble - I hide them all over the ground floor of the house and he's really good at sniffing them out (with lots of triumphant snorting!). I started just putting a few down out in the open and then gradually made it harder - he'll spend a good ten/fifteen mins checking everywhere and re-checking. If Ivy likes food then this should be a great game for her.

Sorry to write so much - please don't think you're 'failing her' though, you're a brilliant greyhound owner! Sometimes facebook etc would have you believe all greyhounds should be tearing about doing zoomies, roaching, rooing, etc, but they're all different. Joe took four years to roach for the first time. Never 'roos'! If you find Ivy's not fussed about other dogs or running or whatever, don't worry about it - she'll still be a really happy girl!

 

[pistolpete]

Another greyhound owner here, Joe was 3 when I got him and definitely NOT a 'two 20 min walks a day' hound, I think I walked him three or four times a day back then. He's 9 now and still has at least two walks a day, usually each at least an hour. Ivy's a real youngster at 2 so I'm not surprised she's decided she's got her feet under the table and going to make you scratch your head a bit! It's probably the case that she never had toys/bones/things of her own when she was younger, so she's now feeling a bit possessive of them - Joe was/is the same. Anything high value like a knuckle bone has to have something even better to swap it out.

Joe used to run when he was younger but since he hit about 5 he much prefers mooching/sniffing/walking - he never does zoomies. I took him to an enclosed dog field twice before deciding £10 to watch him walk around wasn't worth it! His favourite toy to run after was Kong Squeakair balls (large) because they squeak, which pleased his prey drive.

He LOVES finding kibble - I hide them all over the ground floor of the house and he's really good at sniffing them out (with lots of triumphant snorting!). I started just putting a few down out in the open and then gradually made it harder - he'll spend a good ten/fifteen mins checking everywhere and re-checking. If Ivy likes food then this should be a great game for her.

Sorry to write so much - please don't think you're 'failing her' though, you're a brilliant greyhound owner! Sometimes facebook etc would have you believe all greyhounds should be tearing about doing zoomies, roaching, rooing, etc, but they're all different. Joe took four years to roach for the first time. Never 'roos'! If you find Ivy's not fussed about other dogs or running or whatever, don't worry about it - she'll still be a really happy girl!

This is so lovely to read. They are all individuals. You have to tailor your training accordingly. Lucky boy to have you.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Another greyhound owner here, Joe was 3 when I got him and definitely NOT a 'two 20 min walks a day' hound, I think I walked him three or four times a day back then. He's 9 now and still has at least two walks a day, usually each at least an hour. Ivy's a real youngster at 2 so I'm not surprised she's decided she's got her feet under the table and going to make you scratch your head a bit! It's probably the case that she never had toys/bones/things of her own when she was younger, so she's now feeling a bit possessive of them - Joe was/is the same. Anything high value like a knuckle bone has to have something even better to swap it out.

Joe used to run when he was younger but since he hit about 5 he much prefers mooching/sniffing/walking - he never does zoomies. I took him to an enclosed dog field twice before deciding £10 to watch him walk around wasn't worth it! His favourite toy to run after was Kong Squeakair balls (large) because they squeak, which pleased his prey drive.

He LOVES finding kibble - I hide them all over the ground floor of the house and he's really good at sniffing them out (with lots of triumphant snorting!). I started just putting a few down out in the open and then gradually made it harder - he'll spend a good ten/fifteen mins checking everywhere and re-checking. If Ivy likes food then this should be a great game for her.

Sorry to write so much - please don't think you're 'failing her' though, you're a brilliant greyhound owner! Sometimes facebook etc would have you believe all greyhounds should be tearing about doing zoomies, roaching, rooing, etc, but they're all different. Joe took four years to roach for the first time. Never 'roos'! If you find Ivy's not fussed about other dogs or running or whatever, don't worry about it - she'll still be a really happy girl!

I think we were lulled into a false sense of security! ? Not really, we knew things would shift as she settled in and we'd need to adapt/up our game plus had her age in mind.

She's not the same little hound we could barely walk around the block now. The other day she bounded towards the door when I picked up her harness! She's been to the pub, cafes, pet shop, and even on the train (just a couple of mins journey). So we're doing pretty well on exposure/socialising her to new experiences out and about.

I definitely think she's got a kibble foraging lunch date tomorrow ?

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Pic of her lady noodleship. She's been hanging out more in her crate and less on the sofa in the evenings recently so I'm loving this snuggle ?

 

[FinnishLapphund]

I try to provide my bitches with a wide variety of gnaw bones, anything from twisted chew sticks, hard pressed rolled up gnaw bones which I can't remember the correct name of, smoked bull penises, buffalo horns, reindeer horns, Vegetarian gnaw bones... I have a gnaw bone, and dog toy basket, where I put their toys, and uneaten gnaw bones.
I always buy gnaw bones in as multiple numbers I can afford, and things like the twisted chew sticks I usually buy in 100 packs. When I give them new gnaw bones, I sometimes just hand them a gnaw bone each, other times I throw out a bunch of e.g. twisted sticks on the floor. Sometimes I hide the gnaw bones under pillows/in another room etc, so they first have to find them before they can gnaw on them.

I'm thinking along the same line as Ellieb, that maybe Ivy's tendencies to resource guarding comes from that she hasn't had much resources before coming to you. So now when she does find something, she wants to make sure she gets to keep it.
If you think that's true, whatever you do, don't fall in the trap of pitying her because of her potential past.

On the few occasions when I can recall any of the bitches I've owned through the years have growled over a gnaw bone, I've usually reacted with throwing out a bunch of more gnaw bones. I've kept pouring out more gnaw bones, 20, 30, or however many more it took until the dog realised there wasn't much point in guarding the bone they had, because lose that one, big deal, there's a pile of them, they can just take another one.
If they had growled over a toy, I'd probably try doing the same, throw out loads of gnaw bones, because I just don't have a large enough quantity of dog toys around to get the effect I want.

I think I teaches my bitches the same as CorvuxCorax, that me/my hands is what provides them with food. Sometimes in the beginning I only pour up half or less of a food portion in their bowl/on the floor, or as CC mentioned, starts with the bowl empty. Then I sit nearby, and give them a little more food, and a little more, and a little more...
Even now when my oldest is 16,5, and the other two 13,5, it still randomly happens that I decide to add something extra to their food bowls when they're already eating. As I like to say about it, why would my bitches growl around their food bowls when I've taught them that human/hands + food bowl = more food for them.

Like some others also do, I sometimes spread out their food portion on a floor, so that they need to work a little more than simply eating out of a bowl I put in front of them. And after they think they've rechecked so that they've found all their own food, they like to check so nobody else missed any of their food.

Though I don't always do it, I think that the majority of the times when my bitches have had something they shouldn't, I give them something else in exchange for it. I know one should be careful with humanising dogs, but if whenever I had found a book I really wanted to read, someone would randomly sometimes just come up to me, say Δεν είναι καλό για σένα, and take the book from me, I'd probably become quite grumpy about it.
For those who, like me, doesn't understand Greek, according to Google translate Δεν είναι καλό για σένα should mean Not good for you. But I can't guarantee it, because as said, I don't understand Greek. Just like my bitches probably doesn't understand when I tell them something is Not good for you (but in Swedish, since that's where I live), and take something from them.

This reply turned into an essay, but I have to also say that your lady noodleship is very pretty.
? ?

 

[rabatsa]

Greyhounds do differ in their run requirements. When I got my current one, a week after his 3rd birthday, I still had the previous bitch aged 10. When walking them loose in a field the young boy would trot round the edge once then stand at the gate waiting to go back home, the old girl would run and run in circles really enjoying herself. Now that he is 10 we have given up trying to give him off lead runs as he just will not do it. A quick zoomie in the garden once a day after his morning dump is his idea of exercise.

The 3yr old GSD will run and run at every opportunity.

 

[some show]

On the few occasions when I can recall any of the bitches I've owned through the years have growled over a gnaw bone, I've usually reacted with throwing out a bunch of more gnaw bones. I've kept pouring out more gnaw bones, 20, 30, or however many more it took until the dog realised there wasn't much point in guarding the bone they had, because lose that one, big deal, there's a pile of them, they can just take another one.

I love that idea! Can just imagine the dog standing there looking at 20 bones like "....whoa..."!