Kiger Posted February 12, 2003 Posted February 12, 2003 Kato's been out in the house this week. He was good for 2 days. Today he chewed on the china cabinet - granted the one piece of furniture I despise, but still. He has never shown any inclination to chew on wood before and knows the chewies are his. Now I'm ticked off at him, and he's back downstairs in the x-pen. :-? Quote
Carolk9s Posted February 12, 2003 Posted February 12, 2003 oops, way my day is going I thought subject line meant our employers. 8) Mine-meaning the dogs now-still get the wild hair up their butts now and then and destroy a newspaper left on the table or an ENTIRE BOX of kleenex that has sat in the same spot for weeks. Quote
alicat613 Posted February 12, 2003 Posted February 12, 2003 How long is he being left? Parker has been left alone since he was a baby, and he is only 5 months old. He can be left alone for up to 4 hours. Well maybe more, but more than that IMO is too long for a puppy. And that's only maybe once every other week. Sorry, but I think people expect too much from dogs a lot of time. Imagine how boring it would be to sit alone for 8 or more hours. Quote
Kiger Posted February 12, 2003 Author Posted February 12, 2003 Carolk9s napisał(a):oops, way my day is going I thought subject line meant our employers. 8) That's a given. :P Quote
Kiger Posted February 12, 2003 Author Posted February 12, 2003 alicat613 napisał(a):How long is he being left? This was an experiment. He is usually confined to a large x-pen in the basement while we are at work. I come home everyday at lunch to let him out. This was day 3 and he's never chewed anything up before except his chewies - 3 of which are laying on the living room carpet. I thought that being out in the house would be far less boring then the x-pen, but now I can't trust him so he's back in there until he gets a little older. Or maybe I'll just go get some Bitter Apple. I don't like that china cabinet anyway. :evilbat: Quote
alicat613 Posted February 12, 2003 Posted February 12, 2003 How old is he and what things are you doing so he won't get bored? Kongs? Hidden treats? Other treat toys? Like we have a "Holy Roller" and we'll put large biscuits in it, that are hard to get out. We put that in the hardwood area, and he will only eat them on carpet. So as soon as he gets one out, he runs to a carpet room and eats, then comes back. We also have a hollowed out bone thing he likes that when I leave I put peanut butter and biscuits in. I also put on Animal Planet (or you could put a video of dogs on if your dog likes to watch TV). He also has kitties that entertain him a lot. Ice cubes, plain or made up snack creations, in the water bowl (plain only) or in a dish or even in the tub if he has bathroom access can be fun. Do you ever call and talk to him on the answering machine? My belief is that dogs are good when they have a belief that you are always watching and never know when you come back. It helps that for us, we don't have a set routine that Parker could figure out. When we leave he has no idea if we'll be gone 20 seconds taking out the trash, or 4 hours. But if it's 4 hours I might call if I have a chance and say hello on the machine and ask him if he's being a good boy...yeah I'm a weird dog mommy LOL. He also has a lot of really big toys. Check around at thrift shops, you can get massive toys for really cheap, and just take any eyes or buttons off. My dog actually wrestles with his stuffies that are bigger than him. Quote
Kiger Posted February 13, 2003 Author Posted February 13, 2003 alicat613 napisał(a):How old is he and what things are you doing so he won't get bored? He's 6 months and oddly enough, it sounds like we do just about all the same things - except the answering machine thing because mine doesn't let you hear the message while it's being left. Quote
alicat613 Posted February 13, 2003 Posted February 13, 2003 Could you limit his area more, but still give him a little more freedom? Sounds like you're doing a good job, some dogs just take more time. My Standard Poodle, boy, she would eat the walls, literally, when we left up until she was a year or more. Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted February 13, 2003 Posted February 13, 2003 Since pups arent supposed to remember most commands and behaviors until at least 5 months old you should expect your 6 month old to slip from time to time. Dont forget 6 months is like 3.5 years old to us. I know kids that age test their parents like CRAZY!! Quote
Kiger Posted February 13, 2003 Author Posted February 13, 2003 I sprayed Bitter Apple on the piece he chewed on, and when he sniffed it I told him no and he left it alone. Usually that is enough, but we shall see. I left him out again today, but it's only for 2 hours and he has a new bully stick to chew on - it's more exciting than the old one he got 2 days ago. :roll: Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted February 13, 2003 Posted February 13, 2003 Yea, I just brought in a 3 month old bitch to make as my new housedog and she is completely CRAZY. Grabs everything she can get her mouth on and shakes the crap out of it. She is starting to understand her toys are the only thing to put her mouth on but she is still so young she forgets. If I catch her with something she shouldnt have she drops it, drops her but to the floor and runs in circles! lol I am probably one of the only ones who dislikes the puppy stages. I cant wait for them to hit that 1.5-2 years. Quote
Kiger Posted February 13, 2003 Author Posted February 13, 2003 I didn't like the puppy stage either, and I'm glad he's past the worst part. Trying to watch him every second, following him all over the house, all the pee breaks - no fun! Next time I'm getting an adult. Quote
Marble Posted February 13, 2003 Posted February 13, 2003 NEVER!!! just kidding, but actually i was not able to trust lady on her own till she was like six. not to be discouraging but she used to be extremely hyper and got bored really fast. she's eight or nine now and we can trust her completely :) Quote
courtnek Posted February 13, 2003 Posted February 13, 2003 I also hate the puppy stages.....that's why God made them cute - they look at you with those puppy eyes and you forgive them - lol bitter apple works for some dogs, but not others. I'm glad yours doesnt like it. My stupid Alex laps it up like it's applesauce..... :o Quote
Marble Posted February 14, 2003 Posted February 14, 2003 bitter apple works for dresden for about three seconds, she sees the bottle and runs and hides while i spray it but after a minute or two she's already smelling whatever it was she was messing with. i've heard it works for some dogs.... Quote
mouseatthebusstop Posted February 15, 2003 Posted February 15, 2003 paddy and gladis like the taste of apple it would not work on them :o Quote
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