Rhea, and other dog folks

March 7, 2004

I need my dog to stay far away from Dylan. I want Dylan to feel confident that

this dog won't trip him, or get in his way when he is walking through a room.

Dylan is now on the main floor of the house. This makes interaction with Caddy,

the greyhound much more of a problem. Caddy is a 90 lb muscle bound, sensitive

dog. Greyhounds by nature are leaners. When they want attention, they come up to

you and lean on you. They are generally couch potatoes, but when they play, they

play hard, and you better get out of the way. There is no stopping a grey in a

playful mood, although, it only lasts for a few minutes.Greys also do something

called statueing. They stand still like a stubborn mule. Greys aren't like other

dogs due to their racing days. But he does want to please me. It's just a little

harder to train a grey. They didn't live with a family, they lived in barns, in

cages, until they are rescued from the track. We have three dogs, but Dylan

shows dislike for Caddy, although I know it's a fear of falling. He yells at

Caddy to make him go away or get out of his way. Well, I don't like that. Caddy

is a sweet loving dog with a sensitive soul. Caddy is afraid of the wheel chair.

Well... He's afraid of everything. A leaf can blow by him and he runs from it.

He's a gentle giant. My Lab mix, Brook, is Dylan's companion. She lays by his

side all the time. A very low key dog. She had a hip replacement and I lovingly

call her my pot-belly-pig. Lets say she gained a bit of weight after her

surgery. The third dog is just old and stays in her own little world unless your

getting out food. I understand Dylan's fear, and I also see Caddy's sadness in

his eyes when Dylan is around. He knows he's not loved by him. Caddy comes to me

for comfort when Dylan is around.

So how do I bring this family together? I want both my boys to feel secure and

loved. My skin kid and my fur kid. Cindylouwho <G> ( love that name)

March 8, 2004

Cindylouwho <G> ( love that name)

First of all, Cindy, I need to ask if lou is really your middle name?

As far as your gray, is there just one small task, like feeding him

that Dylan could do? Is there any way to help the dog not to be

afraid of the wheelchair? Could he sit in it for a minute by himself

just to see it won't harm him? I feel for you, as that would bother

me as well! I think the first thing would be to make sure the dog

isn't afraid of the chair, and then to make sure Dylan isn't afraid

of him - or rather of falling. I'm not sure how you could accomplish

that - are there any trainers that live near you? Could they give

some advice?

Love Lana

March 8, 2004