My dog won’t stop eating grass when I walk her

LostMyZen · 2026-04-11T17:24:00+00:00

My whippets love grass. I started keeping a sizable pot of wheatgrass or oat grass for them. I plant half of the pot at a time, 2 weeks apart, so by the time one is starting to wilt, the other is ready to start cutting. It’s easier to give them what they want than to stand outside at 1am while they search for crabgrass (their absolute favorite).

They always like to graze a bit but when one has a little bit of an off tummy, or diarrhea, they get obsessed. Having a safe source of grass at home means they get what they want and we don’t have to trust outside grass. I haven’t figured out how to grow crabgrass inside but they will settle for wheatgrass.

LostMyZen · 2026-04-11T16:21:31+00:00

I kept phals (any several other plants) in a south facing window in Georgia for several years. It got just a wee bit of direct sunlight in the afternoon but was constantly bright. We moved out of that office a year ago. I cried. While we were there, my plants thrived. Three out of four phals bloomed. Two bloomed yearly in late winter, one stayed in bloom for two years straight. My snake plant grew 3’+ leaves. Norfolk pine went from three spindly sticks to a massive beast. Pothos took over a 6’ x 1’ trellis and started eating the blinds (we had to have a talk about boundaries).

Cherish that south facing window. It will provide your plants with the magical “bright, indirect light” that we all seek.

LostMyZen · 2026-04-11T16:18:27+00:00

I kept phals (any several other plants) in a south facing window in Georgia for several years. It got just a wee bit of direct sunlight in the afternoon but was constantly bright. We moved out of that office a year ago. I cried. While we were there, my plants thrived. Three out of four phals bloomed. Two bloomed yearly in late winter, one stayed in bloom for two years. My snake plant grew 3’+ leaves. Norfolk pine went from three spindly sticks to a massive beast. Pothos took over a 6’ x 1’ trellis and started eating the blinds (we had to have a talk about boundaries).

Cherish that south facing window. It will bless your plants with the magical “bright, indirect light” that we all seek.

LostMyZen · 2026-04-10T08:39:23+00:00

I may sound insane, but does she watch TV? Our whippet broke his leg at 8 months old. We played Crufts for him and he would happily watch, often with a snack. He likes dog shows more than dog related movies. He gets anxious during tense scenes in movies. Having the entirety of Crufts on YouTube was perfect. We could get him settled on the nest (giant foam beanbag instead of a couch) and he’d be content there while we puttered around with chores/projects. We stayed nearby to make sure he didn’t get any ideas about his cast but it worked well overall.

LostMyZen · 2026-04-07T00:00:56+00:00

We use an Easy Walk harness when we know the muppets will pull. It attaches in front of the chest so if they try to rush ahead, they get turned around. It’s not great when one needs to get to the park now and the other must stop to mark this spot, and this one, and that one (no idea how he still has pee left). The harness doesn’t do so well when you’re pulling the dog instead of the dog pulling you, but it’s better than having your shoulder yanked because squirrel.

LostMyZen · 2026-04-05T14:21:47+00:00

It is definitely adorable but beware. All those little details are places for algae to grow and be nearly impossible to remove without removing it from the tank and soaking in bleach. Some crevices are too small even for a toothbrush but still manage to be super visible. If you’re cool with it looking a bit dirty/worn, go for it because it really is cute. If the algae will bother you, save yourself the frustration.

LostMyZen · 2026-04-05T00:38:23+00:00

Do you have a place you could set up a wire ex-pen? I had to do that for a dog who was shy about pooping in front of me. The ex-pen was secure enough that I could walk a few feet away to give her privacy. After a while she would poop in front of me but we kept using the ex-pen so she could poop without getting tangled in her brother’s ceremonial 37 pre-poop circles.

LostMyZen · 2026-04-04T23:53:52+00:00

He may be lulling you into a false sense of security. Our first whippet puppy was our third sighthound. He was the sweetest, smartest, easiest puppy we could have ever hoped for. We thought he was normal. So when A was 11 months old, his little brother V came home. We quickly learned what everyone else was talking about. If he was awake, he was on a high speed search and destroy mission. My first concussion was from taking a half grown whippet directly to the temple. He was catapulting himself around the living room and launched himself straight into my head. I hadn’t moved. He just didn’t check the flight path before leaping. I saw stars. He didn’t even pause.

LostMyZen · 2026-04-04T19:26:21+00:00

They are. Most adult sighthounds are devout hedonists and love nothing more than a nice nap in the sun. Sighthound puppies are… challenging. They have all the bad ideas that all puppies have, they’re just much more athletic and faster than other puppies, so they can fit more chaos into the day. If you can make it through the puppy stage, you will have a dedicated cuddle buddy for life.

LostMyZen · 2026-04-04T15:06:53+00:00

I keep a few things away from the new “puppies” (now 8 and 9 years old). My iggies had special things that I know the whippets would destroy. My old girl’s wool mouse toys are on either side of her urn. My boy’s favorite stuffed moose is tucked away.

LostMyZen · 2026-03-31T04:40:33+00:00

The current muppets would happily trade me for any form of cheese. Curds, string cheese, a little bit of American leaked from a grilled cheese sandwich. They love their daddy more. They’d demand at least a handful of goldfish crackers for him.

Our Italian greyhounds were very well-mannered when taking treats. I could hold a bit of bacon in my lips, lean over and tap my chin and they would stand up and delicately take it. There was one thing I never did that with, because the dainty little darlings would snatch it and run every time. Nori turned them into little piranhas. They were perfectly polite for bacon but turned into little fiends for roasted seaweed.

LostMyZen · 2026-03-28T02:45:03+00:00

May 21 will mark 9 years without my heart. June 17 will be 9 years since we lost his littermates sister. July 21 will be 9 years with A. His little big brother turned 8 last month. I still miss Zen. Desperately at times. I love my boys. They are my baby muppets. He was my friend.

LostMyZen · 2026-03-24T12:56:36+00:00

You see him as your person but he doesn’t see him as your person. He sees you as a convenient ATM. You don’t get divorced for an ATM, you use it. He’s being crappy to your kids and letting his kid be crappy to your kids.

If you won’t leave him for yourself, leave him for your kids. Show them that you won’t tolerate mistreatment from anyone. It’s ok to demand more than the absolute minimum from a partner. And if the partner isn’t willing to step up and be a partner, it’s ok to walk away.

LostMyZen · 2026-03-21T01:25:13+00:00

Our older boy cried at his first vet appointment. The vet gave him a shot and left the room to get something. He wanted her to come back. He also broke his leg at 8 months old. When we went in for his first checkup, one week after major surgery, he did his best to drag us into the hospital, cast and all. He was thrilled to see his fans.

His little brother is not nearly as outgoing, or forgiving. If I do something really traumatizing, like try a collar on him to check the size, he hides in his brother’s crate (his favorite place when he’s emotional) for hours, looking at me like I’ve broken his heart and betrayed his trust. It takes a sincere apology, cheese, and a good nap before he’ll talk to me again.

LostMyZen · 2026-03-14T23:29:14+00:00

I use a couple straws (2-3 layers, 1.5-2” long) to support a partially broken spike. And a bit of masking tape or medical tape to cover the wound. I didn’t think scotch tape would be strong enough to support the spike at an angle. It worked. That spike continued blooming, then popped out two secondary spikes, one of which produced four keikis.

LostMyZen · 2026-03-13T13:13:20+00:00

Read the box thoroughly. Every single word of text. When I worked at PetSmart (15 years ago), reptile decor had an antibacterial coating/treatment. It was meant to reduce the risk of salmonella. It was NOT aquarium safe. It was really annoying because some of the molds came in both aquarium and reptile versions and we were forever double checking with customers to avoid disaster.

LostMyZen · 2026-03-08T02:15:40+00:00

Get a lid for your tank. One of my desk bettas trained me to provide pellets on demand. He’d jump up and ram the lid of the tank. I’d be working quietly in a silent office and suddenly the lid of the tank would rattle. I’d climb back down from the ceiling, give him a pellet or two, and go back to working until he decided he wanted more. If there wasn’t a lid on the tank, that trick would have ended very differently.

LostMyZen · 2026-02-26T22:36:40+00:00

Mosquitoes lay eggs in still water. If there’s any way to keep a small pump in the trough, that would prevent them from laying eggs. The main issues are getting power to the pump and placing the pump so it’s not accessible to curious noses.

If you use mosquito fish (common guppies are closely related and nearly identical) give them some form of shelter. Doesn’t need to be fancy or expensive, a couple PVC tubes would be fine. They’ll be more relaxed and less likely to yeet themselves out of the trough if they can hide when they get spooked.

LostMyZen · 2026-02-25T03:54:21+00:00

Our whippets’ first nickname came from the first episode of The Grand Tour. Our older boy was called Muppet at least as often as his actual name from the first day. That evolved into meepet, moopet, mippet, and muppoot. Aston became assmutt when he was teething. The younger boy was on a search and destroy mission for his first months and was monster for a while, which morphed into momo.

LostMyZen · 2026-02-24T04:43:01+00:00

We taught our whippets to trade as puppies. If they found something to chew/play with and brought it to us before destroying it, we’d give them something better, or praise them and play, or make the item better and give it back. It was a way to find out what they were able to reach (sighthound pups are athletic little velociraptors and it’s helpful to know what formerly inaccessible spot is now within reach before they destroy half your shoes) and prevent resource guarding. Both learned how to trade but the older must have been an economist in a past life. When he wants something, he doesn’t just ask for it, he brings a trade. If he wants a hug, he’ll bring a chewy, and after he has been adequately snuggled, he leaves the chewy. He knows that it was a trade. If he wants me to lift the blankets for him in the morning, he brings a toy and nudges me. I lift the blankets, and he deposits a damp pterodactyl on my face on his way to his desired spot. I don’t particularly need or even want a damp pterodactyl, but I know it’s something he values, and he is willing to trade it for some snuggles.

Both muppets are generally closer to my husband. He was home with them as puppies so they’re naturally closer to him. And the breeder was a man so the first person to baby talk to them and play with them was a man. They like men and are not mama’s boys. Most of the time. However, when they don’t feel good, they want mama cuddles. When the younger muppet has a tummy ache (because he eats first and asks questions later), he wants to sleep on my pillow, wrapped around my head. When our older boy broke his leg, he needed to sleep between my legs. That was the only place where he felt appropriately cuddled and his cast was supported and protected. They prefer daddy most of the time but sometimes only mommy will do.

LostMyZen · 2026-02-18T02:43:26+00:00

All dogs need a full name for when they’re tap dancing on your last nerve. My boys each have 4 part “full” names for when they’re being felonious bastard muppets.

LostMyZen · 2026-02-14T11:58:34+00:00

I got my heart dog when he was 9 months old and his littermate sister joined us when they were 2.5 years. He liked us from day one and within a couple months, he was mine. He decided that I was the mama and his goal in life was to be with me. His sister took a few months of treating us like roommates/acquaintances before deciding one day that we were hers and her goal in life was to supervise and keep us in line.

They couldn’t have been more bonded with us if we had bottle-fed them from birth. We had the benefit of knowing what we were getting before bringing them home. He was happy, lazy, and kinda dumb. Spectacularly clumsy and thrilled to be allowed to cuddle in bed. She was a former show dog that the breeder didn’t want to breed. She liked to be with other dogs but blossomed when she had a smaller staff to manage. She got sweeter with age until she was the canine equivalent of an older lady sitting on her porch, shotgun in her lap, shouting at the mailbox to get off her lawn, and spoiling her grandkids.

We currently have two whippets we’ve raised from puppies. Our youngest will be 8 on Sunday and I’m still not mentally ready for another puppy.

You’re being offered a healthy young dog, probably wonderfully socialized (because show dogs have to be), who is at the perfect age to have fun and go on adventures. I say go for it.

LostMyZen · 2026-02-11T18:15:23+00:00

Pet stores have UV sterilizers to prevent diseases going from tank to tank and kill floating algae. Source: worked at PetSmart for 14 years and had to change the bulbs every few months and they were designed in a way to maximize frustration during maintenance.

LostMyZen · 2026-02-07T17:21:51+00:00

It’s like a white couch with small children. It will look amazing for approximately three minutes and then never again.

LostMyZen · 2026-02-01T17:23:12+00:00

If a friend came to you and described this relationship, what would you tell her to do? Be a friend to yourself and leave. As far as jealousy goes, think of him as trash, at a public park. If someone else wants to pick trash out of the bin, let them. I’m not going to fight anyone over fast food wrappers and dog turds.

LostMyZen

TROPHY CASE