"Go the F*ck to Sleep"

Go the F*ck to Sleep -read by Samuel L Jackson

Nighttime

I am not going to lie.

THIS story went through my head last night from 12:40am - 2:00am. 

I wanted to read it to her.

Or have Samuel L Jackson read it to her.

For some reason, Gracie decided that 12:40am - 2:00am was going to be her playtime. 

And I don't mean playing downstairs quietly with a soft toy.

I mean playing LOUDLY upstairs in our bedroom.

She brought UP EVERY noisy, heavy chew toy from downstairs, threw them around and loudly chewed on them.

Then she did this thing where she throws her front legs on the floor loudly to make a tremendous THUMP! - I KNOW that this is her play, but why can't she do this in the afternoon when everyone else wants to play! 

Nighttime, Gracie? Really?

Now, don't get me wrong, I was happy.

Happy that she was letting loose.

Happy that she was having fun.

Happy that she was enjoying her toys, 

Happy that she was playing.

Happy that she barked to go outside because she had to go to the bathroom again.

Happy that she seemed happy.

But, my husband and worked a very very long shift the day before and needed his sleep.

I had not slept well the last few days worrying where each animal is at any given time or worrying that someone needs to go pee.

I was tired.

Craig was tired.

We really wanted to sleep.

The only difference I could tell about last night was that Craig slept with the TV on. Perhaps she saw the TV being on as "oh, everyone is still UP, let's PLAY!"

Once I turned it off at about 1:50am, she want to bed a few minutes later. Not sure if the two were connected or not, but I guess we shall see the next time the TV is on.

Craig likes to watch TV before bed, so turning it off just to let her fall asleep is out of the question. Hopefully the next time she realizes that TV on does not mean playtime.

Walks

Last night's walk went quite well for a night walk. I call it a night walk, but really it is at about 6pm, not even dark yet. Craig and I both took her this time. She seems to do a little better when the whole pack is out. She still hated hearing kids...especially the kids on skateboards. What is it with skateboards? Loud trucks/cars pass and she is unphased...but a skateboard sends her into a tizzy. Weird. 

This morning, I took out the harness to try.  She seemed afraid of it right off the bat, thinking it was the collar/leash. Seeing how she reacted, I decided to whip out her cheese (high value treat.) I gave her pieces of cheese while the harness was in my hand or on the floor next to her to try to give her a good association. I did not put the harness on until I saw that she calmed down with it simply near her.

When I put it on, she was very calm and let me adjust it. Right now, she is laying in the office with me wearing her harness. I think I am going to skip the walk this morning and just let her walk around the house with the harness for a bit. I REALLY want her to like this thing.

Cat

Béla has started to show some jealousy. 

I can feel it. 

Don't ask me how I know, but I just feel it.

Yesterday she swiped at Grace a few times. Grace wasn't any closer than she normally has gotten, so I thought Béla's behavior was a little strange. Béla has also been giving me the stink-eye when I give Gracie treats - so I have been trying VERY hard to give Béla a treat whenever Grace gets one. The only problem with this is that Béla needs to lose a few pounds (don't we all?) so I need to be careful, even with skimping on her food a little bit.

I think I might have to have Béla stay upstairs w/ the baby gate closed when I am feeding Grace downstairs. Normally, Béla just sits on the top of the couch, but yesterday she was on the counter watching Grace eat with a stink-eye. I carried Béla upstairs to show her that she has hew OWN food ready at all times.

This is such a learning process with Béla, too.

Random

I love this outdoor raised bed...so does Gracie!

Even though I'm a scaredy-dog....I love my life!

"I'm learning to walk again..."

 Foo Fighters - Walk

Walks
This continues to be our biggest challenge.

Yesterday, the morning walk went awesome (about 90% of the time the leash was loose!) but I tried an early evening walk again and it was the opposite (90% of the time pulling.) I ordered a harness which should be arriving today, so we shall see if that helps things at all. I tried to coax her with some cooked chicken - it worked when we were in the yard and helped her a bit, but once we were on the walk she had zero desire to take any treats.

She still seems stressed by people working in their garages, unfamiliar noises, the rustling wind we hear on the night walk, and especially....the sound of kids. We don't even have to SEE kids. If we pass a house and she hears kids making noise of any kind inside the house, babies, crying, or hell, maybe if she even SMELLS a kid, she goes into "get me the fuck outta here" mode. (She even hates hearing kids outside of our house when we are home - she will start pacing.) Hoping that with time, patience, exposure, and love that it will one day "click" with her that kids aren't so bad after all. Now, this isn't a HUGE deal, considering I don't plan on having any kids, but I do have friends with kids who I would one day like to have over...and we live in a neighborhood with lots of kids....and I'm sure one day some of my other friends will have kids....so, hopefully one day she figures out that kids can show LOVE just like mom does.

She seemed to like when Craig jogged with her last week, so that has inspired me to TRY to start running. I have always wanted to be able to run, so here's my chance. It's not that I see myself as overweight, just out of shape. I did day one of the Ease Into 5K app while on the treadmill where you start out super "easy" -  alternating between running and walking with the run parts being 60 seconds long. I seriously found myself cursing at the voice every time she said "Run." One day Gracie will enjoy going on walks, and one day I will be a runner.

I'm trying to still figure out the best time to walk her at night that has the least amount of activity.
I've also started taking the same exact route each time.

I was inspired after meeting another greyhound and her owner yesterday (to make a long story short - dog got loose, good samaritan was able to catch dog, I was called to help take her to adoption group since owner could not be located at first, I arrived on scene, owner was located, they were reunited, dog was VERY lucky not to get hit by a car on Pacific Coast Highway!) Anyway, the owner told me that his dog was also VERY shy at first and would not go on walks or near his friends. He said that after about 6 months of exposure and gentle "pushing" things just "clicked" and the dog became social and now loves walks.

Big Bad Scary Leaves
For some reason she regressed with the Big Bad Scary Leaves in the yard and she seemed scared yesterday afternoon. She kept looking up at them and pacing everytime the wind blowed. Hoping today goes more smoothly when she sees this new gift, thanks to my friends' giving us amazon gift cards!

Her foster said she loved laying on this in the yard

Cat
Béla and Grace continue to live peacefully with each other. I am still SO THANKFUL for this! Sometimes it looks like Béla wants to be a closer "friend" but doesn't know quite how. She will get super close, then scurry away. Grace won't even pick her head up when this happens, thankfully!
Béla is super jealous about Grace being able to go outside, though. Sometimes Béla will sit by the back door and try to sneak out when I go to bring Grace inside. This morning she even tried to block Grace from going out....

"Um....if *I* can't go out, then YOU can't either! Phffft."

  (Don't mind the NASCAR kitchen flooring....replacing it is on our "to-do list")

 I've also had to reduce the amount of kibble I feed Béla because she expects a treat when she heard Grace's treat bag. Lucky for me I was able to fake Béla out by buying her kibble in a different flavor and using that as a treat :)                                             


Random
Did I mention that greyhound farts STINK?
Oh, yeah....
I did.....

Man, they are bad!

"You've Got a Friend...."

James Taylor / Carole King  "You've Got a Friend"

Friends

We had a bunch of friends over yesterday. Seven of them to be exact. Needless to say, this was extremely overwhelming for Gracie. I warned everyone ahead of time that she most likely would hide upstairs in a safe corner of the bedroom (and that they shouldn't take it personally!) Of course everyone wanted to see Gracie, so I brought up one person at a time to just simply stand by the bedroom door with me so Gracie could see them and watch us interact as friends. I wanted Gracie to see my friends and I hugging each other and speaking lovingly towards each other to try to get her to see that these strange people walking in her home are safe and loving, just like mom. Some left a tasty treat for Grace near her before going back downstairs. I discovered that Gracie really likes cheddar cheese. Very hard for me to buy, since I am vegan, but I need to do what is best for her right now. (The veg cheese just wasn't cutting it for her!) She even took a piece of cheese from my friend Amber's hand!!!! Grace had met Amber last week while we were walking past her house one day. Perhaps Grace knew her as familiar and was able to accept a treat and eat it from her hand? I am hoping that is a good sign that in the future she will warm up to others as well. 

When everyone left, it took her about 30 minutes to come out of the bedroom. Once she did, we went outside where she proceeded to sniff every single chair out there and all around the table where people were sitting. Once again, hoping this is a good sign. With our friends I am just going to be super patient and let Grace decide when she feels ready to hang out downstairs with everyone. The day I post a picture of her with my friends hanging out will be a happy day! They are all so excited about her progress so far and have brought her lots of toys, treats, and gift cards already. I am very lucky to have such wonderful and loving friends!

Walks

We had a kickass walk in the morning! I was so proud of her! She was hesitant at first (ok, I had to force her a little to go out the gate) but once we got walking she was a rockstar! We walked 1.5 miles with her leash being loose about 90% of the time! The only time she pulled was when we passed a home where she could hear a baby crying loudly. Other than that I think she really enjoyed this walk!!!! Thanks to the mist in the air, there were not many other people outside. I loved it! Being from New Jersey originally, I don't get to experience much rain in Southern California. After a few years of living here I started to miss rain. Now I see why my students get so excited when it rains here!

Nighttime

Last night I did not get much sleep. I kept waking up and looking for Grace, looking for Béla (no muzzle on Grace tonight so I was on guard,) listening for Grace getting restless, wondering if she'd give me a warning bark if she had to pee, etc....

Well, she slept well and did give me a warning bark, but luckily not until 5:45am.

Good girl! I promise to always listen to your bark telling me, "I need to go out!"

I barely take naps, but looking at this.....

Zzzzzzzzzz........

 and this....

Zzzzzzz........

...makes me think I might need one today....

Random
For those of you with pets who shed...
I read about this trick to use a latex glove to clean pet hair.
I didn't believe it until I tried it. SO EASY to use!

Gracie doesn't leave hair anywhere, but Béla does leave some on the couch...

It's a scary world out there...but I'm getting braver each day!

"What Was I Thinkin' ???"

 Dierks Bentley - What Was I Thinkin' ?
(The dog in this video is Dierks' own dog, Jake)

Well, this is definitely a learning experience for me. 

Last night we didn't go for the night walk. She just wasn't into it and I am trying not to force the night walk if I don't have to. When it was time to go to bed, I noticed she was much more active than usual. Normally, she goes to bed. But not tonight. She was going up and down the stairs, playing with her toys, and basically acting like a little kid who didn't want to go to sleep. I chalked it up to her personality coming out and ignored it. (Certainly I don't want to start playing at 11pm each night....maybe if I ignore it, she will get the hint that 11pm is not the best time for playtime, especially once I go back to work.)

I heard her bark once.

The only other time she barked was when she had to go to the bathroom one morning.

BUT, stubborn me at midnight was thinking, "No, I'm not going to come play with you...time for bed."

Stupid me.

What was I thinkin' ???

The bark DID mean "I need to go to the bathroom."

How did I NOT realize that???!!!!

She didn't pee on her last trip outside before bed...only pooped.

Why didn't I think of that when I heard her bark?

I assumed she wanted to play, that's why.

Luckily, she chose a spot downstairs that was super easy to clean - the kitchen rug. None seeped through to the kitchen floor thanks to the rubber backing on the rug.
To the trash it went....
But that's ok...it was the brown rug from the old apartment...I wanted a blue one for the new place anyway! ;)

Lessons definitely learned

When she barks, take her out.

I need to try to get her to pee before bedtime.

I need to learn her signs and not assume anything.

Oh....and when she barks, take her out.

I wasn't mad at her at all.

I was mad at myself for not figuring that one out.

Thankfully, my husband wasn't upset when he got home this morning. He understood.

I am not sure he will be as understanding when I tell him that she took a few chomps out of the wall by her bed in our room. WTF?! The wall? Time go shopping for even more chew toys.

Wall update: my husband said, "No big deal...I can fix that...things will happen..." :)

Big Bad Scary Leaves

Such progress yesterday with this!!! I was outside reading a book. I left the back door open so that she could come out if she wanted to. At one point, she came out, looked up at the big scary leaves blowing, then scurried back in. A few minutes later she came back out....and STAYED!

"Hey, it's actually fun out here!"

I was such a super proud momma!

New People
Our 2 friends came over today bearing gifts for Gracie (how sweet!!!!!) She decided to go upstairs and hide in the corner of our bedroom curled up. That's ok. I totally expected her to do something like that. The only thing I did was have my friend come up and sit on the floor by the bedroom door with me. She didn't look at Grace...we just sat facing each other talking. I also gave her a hug to try to show Gracie she was safe. We sat there for awhile and that was it. I didn't have my friend try to pet her or anything. She just left a tasty bone near her as a peace offering. They might be over again tomorrow. I plan to do the same thing. No forcing. She will come around on her own with our friends in time I am sure...

Hats
She hasn't been a fan of hats. The adoption group said that sometimes greys don't like hats because the handlers at the track always wore them. Today I let her sniff mine then I put it on and placed a treat on the brim. She took it right away! I did that a few more times to try to associate hats with good. We shall see how this hat thing goes....so far so good!

Random Thoughts
When a greyhound farts and you hear it, you might giggle...until you smell it!

Comfort
Well, take a look at this......

Kisses!!!!

I guess you could say she is starting to really trust and love me. :)

"Come in from the noise for a time...everything will be alright..."

Dave Matthews Band - Last Stop Reprise

I ain't gonna lie. I was frustrated yesterday. I might have even cried for a second or two. I am just trying so hard to do what is best. I posted on the message boards for advice about what to do about Grace turning into a statue before we go for a walk. I got so many wonderful answers from so many people trying to help. I am so grateful for people taking the time to help. But, I will admit, I hit the point where I felt overwhelmed with information. Many different opinions, all very valid....but what do *I* choose to do? What is BEST for MY dog?

So, I took someone's advice and turned to the other person who knows Gracie best - her foster mom from the adoption group. I try not to call her too much because I can see how busy she is - running the rescue group, taking care of all the dogs at her own house, taking care of all the special needs and injured dogs, adopting out dogs, running events for the rescue group, and so much more! It amazes me that she has time to sleep! I called her today and she was as cheerful and helpful on the phone as always. Despite having 1,000,000 things going on at once she was still able to give me her attention and listen. I truly love her for that.

She helped me feel good about all of the progress Gracie has been showing and she validated me pulling her to get her to go for a walk. That was the one part that I had been getting conflicting advice about - many people say to NOT take her at all if she is scared, while others say she needs to "get out there." I was also struggling with the fact that I was PULLING my dog and basically forcing her to go on a walk. THAT was my struggle. THAT was what was stressing me out. Figuring out what was best for Gracie.

I am going to take her advice, since she knows my dog. She said to still make her go on that morning walk since it is more comfortable for her. Yes, it is ok to pull her if I need to. I can't "feel bad." If the evening walk is too stressful, I can skip that and slowly reintroduce it.

BREATHE.....ok, I feel much better now after talking to her.
I am going to try my best now to relax and remember that everything will be alright....

Walks
Last night Craig and I were both able to take her for a walk. She seemed to like the whole "pack" coming out for a walk, and Craig got to see what I meant about her ability to become a stone statue and her Clydesdale pulling. I am so glad he came with me tonight so that we could help Grace together. It isn't always easy for him to be as involved as I am because of his work schedule, so any time with her is so helpful.

Cat 
Last night was the first night I let Gracie sleep without a muzzle. I know many people will think I am crazy for doing it so soon, but I feel like I know my animals. I know where Béla sleeps and I've seen how she comes into our bedroom when Gracie is on her bed. She is not Little Miss Instigator when she is coming into a room that only has one exit. She shows her "street smarts" in those rooms (bedroom/office.) She is on guard when she walks in/out of these rooms, which is great since I worried about her getting too close to Grace while she is asleep. Grace hasn't shown any indications of sleep aggression so far and she continues to show ZERO interest in the cat.

When Béla enters the bedroom, she totally slinks past Grace's bed like she is in stealth mode using the farthest point possible (basically hugging the wall to get on or under our bed.) Definitely a change from her hallway or downstairs attitude where she knows she has several means of escape and can be more brave. Seeing that is what helped firm up my decision to try nightime without a muzzle.

Of course I didn't sleep well - I kept waking up and checking where everyone was. I think I seriously could have just slept - there were absolutely no issues and Béla even did her "stealth sneak in" when it was morning time to come up on my bed with me. I'm sure she wanted to remind me about breakfast!

Comfort
Gracie has come a LONG way from those first days as far as her comfort level with me. She now follows me around - if I am upstairs, she comes up...If I go downstairs, she goes down. She also comes to me for pets sometimes. I can even give her hugs and kisses. I can tell that she is really starting to trust me more and more each day.  :)

Big Scary Leaves
Still showing progress on the big scary leaves front. She looks up at them less and less when we are outside, although for some reason she is still a little spooked by airplane sounds above (much to Craig's dismay since he is in the airline industry!) Her foster said that she enjoyed laying on the cot-style raised outdoor beds at her place, so I ordered one for Gracie to enjoy here.  I LOVE and am addicted to Amazon Prime!!!!

Collars
I think I might start to get a collar addiction after looking at some of these and these and these!!!  Gracie will end up being more fashionable than I am!!!


Here's to a day of relaxing.....and not stressing!
I realized that I don't post enough pictures....I need to remember to take more today!

Have a good day and remember....no matter what is going on in your life....everything will be alright....

Not much to report today...just really trying to give Gracie her space a bit to allow her to earn our TRUST more and learn to TRUST things in her environment more. The hard part for me is how to balance "giving her space" with "tough love" and getting her exposed.

A post on a facebook page that I like was just what I needed today (except I changed the word "people" to "dogs"

Flowers naturally bloom when they are ready, and dogs are the same way. Let's not force or pressure anyone to open up just because WE think it's time... Patience grasshopper!

Walks
Oh my.
The stone statue is in full effect.

Once we get outside with her leash and martingale on, she has started to become a stone statue right by the gate to go out.
I have been able to get her out the gate by pulling on her leash and calmly saying, "Let's go" but I have to be honest with you....I feel TERRIBLE for pulling her. Once I get her outside the gate she does starts to walk with me, but with hesitation...and lots of me tugging and saying sweetly, "Let's go!"

Maybe I'm selfish?
I am a total walker.
I LOVE going on walks! I always have. This is why it is so discouraging for me right now that she does not enjoy going on walks.
I'd love to ideally walk her 3x a day - in the morning before work, when I get home from work, then a short walk at night before bed to try to tire her out a tiny bit.
Right now I have only been walking her twice a day - morning and evening because 3x seems like it would be too stressful.

Morning walks go much more smoothly than evening walks. My guess is that there is just too much activity at night - more people/kids out, more noises, etc and it freaks her out. Many times I just cut the night walk short because I see her getting stressed.

My questions.....
At what point do you "give in" to your dog just NOT wanting to do something?
Should I be pulling her to go...or NOT going at night at all because she is scared?
Part of me craves the tough love approach and thinks I need to get her exposed and 'out there' but another part of me wonders if I am making a mistake by "forcing" her...

I am considering a harness, since I worry about pulling her neck. Greyhounds' necks are not as strong and sturdy as other dogs.

I will admit.
I am just frustrated today.
The worst part is I can't let it show around Gracie. I definitely need some yoga this morning...

Cats
She continues to be a rockstar with Béla. I am so very thankful for this.
Sometimes Béla can be an instigator, though. Today she would not move in the hallway when Gracie wanted to pass. Once Gracie felt confident enough to pass, Béla swiped at Gracie's hind leg. Ugh. There are rules for both of you! No hitting your sister, Béla!

I am in charge here.

Smiles in the office

Firsts
Kind of forgot about these....

First "roach" (couldn't get pic to flip on blogger correctly)

First semi- "bed fail"

"Wild horses.....couldn't drag me away....."

 Wild Horses...

Walks
I seriously felt like I was being pulled by a Clydesdale tonight. The walk started off on the wrong foot before we even left the door. I grabbed my hat, threw it on, got my sneakers on, and went to get Grace for her walk. I was going to do exactly what I did this morning - take her ID collar and bring her towards the door, THEN put her leash on there with some treats. As I approached her, she bolted upstairs.

I stood there, stunned.

Is this the way it is going to be?  
All I want to do is take my dog for a walk before she goes to bed...
Is that so wrong?

And then I realized....

I was wearing a HAT.

Joyce had told me that sometimes greyhounds are skittish around people wearing hats because the handlers at the racetrack always wear hats (and shorts.) I completely forgot. I was just throwing it on because my hair was not looking its best. Arrrgh!

So, in realizing that as a possible issue, I waited about 5 min for her to come back down on her own, before trying again (minus hat.) She got up with me easily and came over to the door, letting me put on her martingale collar + leash, but not accepting treats. We started our walk and it did not go very well. The good news was that a cat surprised her from behind a trash can. *I* didn't even see it coming. Her reaction was to simply stop and look away. I guess that is an excellent sign for outdoor cats!

The bad news was that she pulled about 80% of the time. Not  just regular pulling, but pulling like a HORSE.

There was just too much going on during this walk - people taking out trashcans, kids outside, people in their garages making noise, people on the sidewalks, wind blowing, you name it.

So I cut our walk short and brought her home.

She was stressed, I could tell.

I walked in the door feeling disappointed.
But when I went upstairs and she followed me up only to lay on the floor near me, I couldn't help but smile.
Last week she would have never done that.

Last week she would not:
~go up the stairs...now she comes up to sleep and follows me up to lay in the office with me while I am on computer

~let me pet her...now she lets me pet her when we are outside in the yard sometimes or when she is laying down. Sometimes she even comes UP to me for pets now, especially in the office or yard.

~eat if I was in the same room...now she eats breakfast AND dinner in my presence. Plus, I can move around the kitchen while she is eating. (Tonight she finally ate dinner while I was in the kitchen! Woo!)

~eat if I was moving anywhere near her...now I can put dishes away or go back and forth from fridge to counter

~pass by me anywhere..now she will pass me in the hallway and even the stairs!! We are still working on her passing me to get in and out of the backyard, since she is hesitant to pass in the narrow kitchen still. She will even pass Béla closely as long as she is not hissing at her.

~let me pass her anywhere...now I can pass her while she is laying in the hallway upstairs, pass her while she is eating, and pass her on the stairs. She will also let Béla pass her, as long as so hissing is involved.

~go anywhere near the big scary leaves in the yard...now she lays under them

So much progress for one week with this little scared girl!

So instead of being disappointed, I am going to go to sleep with a smile...celebrating in my mind all of the progress Graice has shown this past week! So much to be happy for really!

~She continues to be AMAZING with the cat. I need to keep that in mind. She is still going strong with showing ZERO interest in chasing/eating/playing with the cat.

~She has NOT had an accident in the house. Nope. Not once!

~She has NOT chewed or destroyed ANYTHING.

~We can leave for hours and she does not show ANY signs of separation anxiety.

~She will go to the bathroom out in the back yard in the same spot, especially right before bed (I think she figured out that she gets a treat for going to the bathroom in the same spot in the yard.....and a cookie at last turnout!)

~She lets me brush her teeth every night.

For all of the challenges we face, Gracie truly is an amazingly good dog.

LOVE!

See the heart??  I sure do!  LOVE!

With Sarah Jessica Barker (my friend's little girl gave this to her yesterday.) She carried it upstairs this morning.

Being cute outside!

Letting me pet her using the Love Glove (grooming mit!) - Big step!

Oh,...

Did I mention....she's amazing around Béla?


Oh, yeah... I know I did!  :)


Rock on, Gracie!!!!!!!

"I want too much....TOO MUCH!"

I've realized that I am trying to do TOO MUCH with Gracie.
In an effort to try to get her exposed to as much s possible and help her become a "normal dog," I think am overwhelming her right now.
I knew I would make mistakes as a new dog mom. I am trying hard to be kind to my mistakes. 

I am going to start to back off with trying to get her used to kids and things that scare her by FORCING exposure and simply try to allow her to be an observer and learn to see that the things she is afraid of aren't so bad.

I am so very thankful to have such an amazing support group at greytalk.com.
I have learned so much from other people's posts in the past, from way before I got Gracie, and from my own posts there. The people on this forum are a wealth of greyhound knowledge. I would be lost and a nervous wreck (especially with Béla stuff) without their help!

Some of the most helpful comments I read this morning were:

"Given Grace's reaction, I would say that it was waaay too much too soon. She's just starting to get used to "her" house, "her" bed, "her" routine." 

 "You want to say, "Buck up- face your fears." But the absolute worst mistake you can make with a fearful dog is to push them into something they're not ready for."

"She needs MUCH more time to develop full trust of the safety of her own home and her adult people. Remember a racing Greyhound's limited life perspective. It's almost like a human moving to Mars." 

"Earning her trust towards you is the most important thing for you to focus on at this early stage. Better to let dogs approach a person whenever the dog feels ready vs. the other way around."

 The one thing that I really needed to hear was this:

"Don't feel bad though, it's a beginner's mistake. I did it too."

I am so thankful for all of the supportive and helpful comments people make on those forums. I want to hug each of those people and buy them a beer. Seriously.

Walks

This morning's walk went very smoothly! Thanks to someone's suggestion I did not put the martingale collar/ leash on Gracie until we were at the door. I usually put it on her while she is on her safe bed - that's the point where she becomes a stone statue who won't budge.

I got her to easily come to the door by holding her ID collar. That's how I usually get her to the door when she is just going out to the yard leash-free. I gave her treats and praise while putting the leash and martingale on in an effort to associate leash with good things. She gave a little resistance to going outside once the leash was on, but it was MUCH easier than trying to get her off that safe bed with a leash on.

She seemed to really enjoy the walk this morning. I'd say about 75% of the time the leash had slack to it. The only time she pulled was when she saw a man by a loud truck and when she realized we were close to home. We walked for about 30 minutes this time.
When we got to the man near the noisy truck, as soon as I saw her get tense I stopped, took a few steps back, and let her observe for a bit to see that he was ok. Then we were able to pass him! Progress! She only pulled a little bit after we passed, but quickly regained calmness. That is something she is really showing improvement with - not letting one stressful experience ruin the rest of the walk. I am so proud of her!

We also had a surprise visitor when a small, white, and fluffy dog appeared out of nowhere jumping around Gracie! The owner had the dog off leash and she decided to say hi. (I hope the owner realizes that another greyhound might have had that white dog for breakfast!) Gracie was totally calm and just kind of looked at the dog as if to say, "Really? Quit jumping around me...I'm trying to enjoy my walk!" She even passed another man on the sidewalk, this time without getting tense! Small victories! :)

Barking
I heard her bark for the first time. This morning at about 5:40am - she was ready to play and ready to go outside and she wanted to let me know it with one quick bark! To my husband's dismay I ignored her until I was ready to get up about 10 min later. We get up when mom is ready, kiddo....get used to that! And...your sister Béla gets fed first in her room before I go downstairs, so be patient!

Thankfully she hasn't barked at anything else for any other reason.
I'll be fine if that continues! :)

Here's to a day of allowing Gracie to come out of her shell....
at her own pace.

"Home..."

Home - Dierks Bentley

This song got me teary-eyed in the car today (as it usually does, but today for different reasons.)  

 

Today I got to thinking more about Grace's struggles she must have with question of:  "Where is HOME?"

Kansas--->Tijuana--->California---->First foster home--->Second Foster Home--->Us

"It's been a long hard ride...got a ways to go..."

 

I wonder when she will realize that this is HOME and that she can relax and know she is going to be cared for and kept safe.  

"Brave...gotta call it brave..."

I need to keep my patience, be strong, and do my best to help her become braver each day...

Walks

~This morning's walk went AWESOME, even though it was tough getting her up and out again. I can't keep picking her up, so I did the tug and "Let's Go!' until she followed.  I was so proud of her - minimal pulling, relaxed more, and greeted some challenges of meeting new people and dogs! She was very skittish around the new people, but she was quite comfortable around the 3 dogs she sniffed and met. She even met a fellow greyhound, but it was just the house-sitter walking him. Hopefully we see him again! I could tell she felt at ease with him. She even let me talk to a neighbor outside my house for a few minutes while leaning against me. Normally she starts to pull if I stop to talk to someone. Perhaps she is feeling more comfortable with me if she was leaning in?

~Tonight's walk went well, even though once again I had a tough time getting her to leave the house. I need to work on this part. No amount of treats helps when she gets as anxious as she does when it's time to go for a walk. I need to figure out how to make the leaving part more positive. She probably hates it because I've had to pick her up, now I am having to pull her a bit to get her up and out.

Once we are out and walking she seems to enjoy herself unless we see or hear a stressor (kids, skateboards, too many strange people, etc.) On this walk she saw one of the dogs (Woody the big fluffy brown dog) and his owner from this morning, so it was good for Grace to see "familiar" friends. The woman's son was with her, so it was also good for her to get some exposure to another child. He stayed back, so Grace just observed him. She got spooked when we passed a man and his son playing ball in the front yard. A positive I can take from this is that she only pulled for a little bit after, then calmed down. Normally if she's really worked up she will pull the whole way home after something like that. I am trying to look at the positives. She also saw a cat. She reacted the same way she does with Béla, even when the cat moved. That's a good sign, since greyhounds an react very differently to small animals outside vs small animals inside.

Today Craig asked if we will ever have a "normal dog."

Of course we will.

It will just take time.

And patience.

And understanding.

And LOVE.