I agree with Seramas about the training. Training is extremely important, but should not be the sole element in containing a dog. I admit I have no retreiver experience and am not familiar with the characteristics. Having said that here's my .02: My Pyrs will stop short at my command also, but if the threat is great enough they will deliberately disobey if they think I'm in danger, then saunter back when all is clear, we're talking a fox or a coydog or similar. It is part of the breed, independent thinkers. My childhood Doberman & our deceased sheltie obeyed no matter what-I could stop them in mid-air almost. It depends on the breed, and the level of training they've received, and how much they respect you. Normal circumstances training works, it's the abnormal circumstances you have to worry about. My sisters sheltie was very well trained to the invisible fence, until she saw a rabbit outide her boundries & went right through the invisible barrier, and was hit & killed by a car. It might have worked better if there was a visible barrier in addition to the invisible fence, but we'll never know. In your situation I'd recomend electric fencing. If you have no electricity buy a solar operated controller. Run the wire at the bottom (18"aove ground) & top (2-3"above fence), then around the outside bottom(18"). The inside wires will keep your dog in, and the outside wire will keep other dogs out. Train the dog to the boundries. Use your existing fence if at all possible. Train her in such a manner she enjoys your company, and when she is out with you she will stay with you. Brendasue

The ground is not sunken in yet. The mound seems to be just as big as it was the day Fancy was buried. And it is VERY RED clay with lots of limestone in it. I wish I would have thought to have my neighbor put some powdered lime in there. I was looknig at the Paulpwnia because it grows SO fast. I am reconsidering based on your input. The area is open to any high winds that come through..I have a fuji apple tree that I grew from a seed. It is 2 feet tall, in a pot I might put that there. Or I have a Tulip popular that is 3 feet tall that I grew from a sprout I found on my property. I have lots of tree babies just growing in the wild on my property. I am also considering a Shag Bark Hickory, Silver Maple, or Sassafrass. If you know which one grows the fastest and can take SUN, WIND and RED CLAY I would appreciate input. I love the way a Shag Bark Hickory's canopy grows, maybe I'll do that. I also have access to Mimosa tree babies, oaks, holiday, persimon. That area needs a shade tree. I am thinking about waiting.

Hi Linda, Sorry for your problem. Dizziness is awful. Do you think you need a second opinion? Did you fall and hit your head before the dizziness started? Is there an ear-dizziness expert in your area? the doc I went to specialized in dizziness. Sometimes, it can be a problem with the otoliths in your inner ear. They are little pieces of gravel that help keep our balance. If they have gotten shaken out of place, you can remain dizzy. They are able to manipulate your head to get them back into place. I had sooooo much dizziness during perimenopause. It did seem to be related to my sinuses. I've heard alot of women going through perimenopause complain about their sinuses. I had a dizziness work up a couple years ago too. It started up after I had a colonoscopy. Long story short, it seemed to be caused by my GI tract losing all the good bacteria during the clean-out. After a couple months on a probiotic, the dizziness went away. I have since realized that when I abuse my GI tract, I get dizzy. Go figure. Anyhow......if I were you, I would get a second opinion. I can't make any promises, but I would be encouraged if I were you, that this might all correct itself, as you finish with perimenopause and stop having big fluctuations in your hormones. Good luck Linda!

Ok, first off, thank you all for the advice and your thoughts on the matter. I think I may need to explain myself a little bit better than I did in my original post. My brain was still in hyper drive as all of this had just happened when I first posted, which is why my original post was a little scattered at best. Firstly, this is MY mother, sister and brother in law that I am having issues with, not ex-in-laws, they surprisingly have no problems with the way in which I raise either of my children. Secondly, my fiancee DOES NOT discipline my children on his own. What he does is help me to enforce any discipline that I have given the boys. He really makes sure that if I tell the boys they are grounded that I stick to it, and sometimes he is the one who talks me into shortening the grounding or calling it off all together depending on the circumstances. Thirdly, in the past I have been financially dependant upon my family. They have paid utility bills, bought groceries, and basically supported myself and my children at various times through the years. I think the reason that I mentioned that my fiancee is the bread winner of our household now, was just to possibly make the point that financially I am not dependant upon them any longer. My fiancee and I share the financial responsibilities of our household, he just makes a little more money than I do. I am not "afraid of loosing my bread winner" as one comment pointed out, and I am in no way "swapping my children for the light bill". My boys are very accepting of my fiancee and respect him. He cares for them and makes sacrifices to make sure that WE can provide them with what is needed. He is not there only for the bills he can pay or rules he can help enforce. Believe me...I've been with someone before who could have cared less if the boys had a stitch of clothing on their backs as long as he had what he wanted. My fiancee is the absolute oppisite of that. He would give his last breath for the boys if that is what it took. He is committed to me and my children. And the last point I would like to clarify is these are not new punishments or new rules because of my fiancee. I have tried and tried in the past to put these rules into action with my children to no avail. Mostly because I knew if I were to try and put my foot down with my family it would cause a major uproar. But the difference between then and now is now I have the support in the home that I need to make sure things get done and not just someone who throws their hands up with a "it's your kids and your family you deal with it and leave me out of it" which is what my ex was like. My mother is of the opinion that it is absurd to ask a 12 year old to do the dinner dishes, clean his room and take out the trash or to ask an 8 year old to clean his room, vaccuum the living room carpet and dust the 3 tables in the living room. I was not raised having chores or consequences for not doing as I was told, I was however spanked for talking back or not minding. So as an adult when I moved out on my own, I had no clue how to properly care for a home. When I was younger mother may have told me to clean my room, but I rarely did because I knew if I didn't do it eventually she would and I could go about my business of playing. I do not want my children to grow up not knowing how to do simple household tasks. Yes they suck, no one likes to do dishes or vaccuum or dust but they are all things that have to be done for the home to look nice and run smoothly. The boys know both the rules and consequences well before hand. But they've in the past been able to whine and sulk their way out of punishments. I do try to follow through with things and not just threaten. Consistancy has always been a problem for me, mainly because even if I did ground the children and still let them go to their grandmothers or on a trip with Auntie and Uncle once out of my sight my family let them do as they please. And yes, my family is has threatened legal action. The words came out of my sisters mouth as "if things don't go back to like they were (they would get the boys whenever with little to no notice by telling me they were doing something with them instead of asking me if they could) We'll make sure that you don't have the boys anymore and we'll do it through the courts" My sister has money and believes that will get her whatever or whomever she wants. She loves to throw my past mistakes in my face, she refuses to see that I have changed drastically over the years because I will forever be the "baby" to everyone in my family. She has even told me that I have to respect her because SHE is an adult. Guess at 34 I'm still not an adult yet. lol