Alright.. Time to Toss in the towel?

[Guest Anonymous]

Alright.. So time to spill my guts on the table.. My Fiance and myself recently moved into a house.. We moved from an apt.. Well since we had the house built we have a ton of expenses coming out way.. And our initial plan was to have the back yard fenced in so the dogs could play etc etc.. Well turns out there isn't even Grass in the back yard yet.. Right now.. Well they are in the garage.. In Cages.. :-(.. We have other things in the garage too, and if we let them out of there cages.. They find things to get into.. There puppies why wouldn't they? I know they get bored in there..

Well anyways to make a long story short.. We brought them inside the other day.. Isabelle the larger of the two.. is so hyper.. (My guess is because she is in her cage a lot).. She runs up the stairs, and all you hear is the claws digging into the carpet as she tries to stop.. (We don't need to replace carpet in a month as it is brand new).. Molly is very calm, but I think she has a hard time retaining her bladder because whenever you try to pet her she sits on the ground and begins to pee.. My guess is she is very timid and affraid or its from excitement.

I guess the thing is we are very close to taking them to a no kill shelter because nither of us have the money to take them to training, and we can't give them the attention they need.. :-(.. And, rather than keeping them in the garage and being cruel to them which I think we are being would it be in our best interest to do the Shelter or are there Alternatives?

Nither of us know how to train and nither of us have that much money.. We both love the dogs very much but this is unfair to them :-(.. They just want to play and have fun.. You know be puppies.. Actually one of them is one year old the other is like 6 months old I think.. Molly and Isabelle..

Whats your guys take on this?

:oops:

[Daisysmom]

Do you have a relative or friend who can foster them for you until your yard is ready? You don't always have to pay to have your dogs trained. A few minutes a few times a day will enforce certain behaviors. Maybe you could work with them more than you think.... :roll: It sounds like maybe the house is just a bigger priority now and the dogs are on the back burner. If you really want to keep them, I would try to find some one to care for them for you for about a month or so. You could vist and get the house in order, plant grass seed and etc. Before you know it, (with all the rain we have been getting) you will have a lawn in no time :wink: Good luck!!

[Guest Anonymous]

No relatives want the dogs for now.. They were against the dogs from the Get go.. Although we don't have children right now and thats basically who our children are :-? .. I don't know.. I know it only takes a few mins a day it just seems like one of them is so hyper.. We have a big field around us.. and we let the hyper one of the leash.. She was running like crazy.. I mean are back legs were almost in front of the front legs.. It was so funny.. Its just they are so hyper.. I absolutely cannot stand the thought of an "outside Dog" .. Don't ask me why Im just against that.. You think of people being cruel when they just tie there dog up out back it just seems mean to do :-(.. But if we let Isabelle inside.. She chases the cat aroumd , and she is also runs up and down the stairs like crazy and putting hell ont he carpet.. Molly on the other hand just hops up in your lap and wants to be loved.. LOL..

[alicat613]

It doesn't sound like you have the time to spend with them now, nor did you before. They may not be the right breed or age for you, this may not be the right timing, whatever, but it does not sound like you can adequately care for them both financially and time-wise.

Please contact someone to help you. There are great no-kill shelters and even rescue placement groups that help you find them a new home while they stay with you.

A garage is NOT an appropriate place for dogs. Training is an absolute must. You have not been able to train them for the house, so when your fence is finished, they will just live outside? What's to prevent them from digging out, barking all day, etc? I know it is hard, but I think you have probably learned a lot about dogs, and hopefully next time you will be better prepared. I lived 6 horrible dogless years because I did not have the time or money to really give to a dog. It was hard, but the right thing to do.

[Peng1zrule]

Let them have a run everyday. Put a leash on them when they are supervised inside--then you can teach them to not chase the cat. I would suggest for a while, at least, you let them out one at a time. Leashed, and alone, you can easily train them NOT to chase the cat...step on the leash (while they chase) at the exact moment you say, loudly, "No! leave it!" and praise them as if it were there on idea for stopping the chase. Training them is not hard. Use treats they'll work for and wait until a few hours before mealtime--then they'll be very willing to work.

Standing, let a pup (don't have them BOTH being trained at the same time--they'll lose interest in you and play with each other) sniff the treat (I use chicken dogs) and then bring it above the pups head slowly, while saying "sit" if you have to, let the pup nibble as you guide the treat up and back. They will ease into a sitting position. Praise calmly, firmly, and lavishly, with lots of petting. Give the treat, of course. Or take hold of the collar, say "sit" and push the dog into a sit, then give the treat and praise. once the dog learns to sit, it will probably try to stay seated, in an attempt to keep getting treats. Hold a treat out, let the dog sniff it, then pull it back while saying, "stand" the dog will stand to follow. praise and give the treat. Once the dog knows sit and stand well, you can forget about stand, or keep it, if you feel it will be useful later on. Once the dog has sat, let it sniff the treat. Lead it's nose as low to the ground as possible (for most dogs, the nose can touch the ground from a sitting position) then pull the treat slowly back--the dog will lay down as he stretches out to reach the treat. Say "down" as he begins to untuck his elbows for the downward move. give him the treat only when his chest touches the ground.
To teach "stay" you put him in a sit, show him a treat, and move it away. He will start to stand. Tell him, "no, stay" with emphasis on stay. praise when he decides to stay sitting. when he learns to stay in a sit, have him stay in a down--I have found a 'down stay' much harder to teach...go slowly...a two second downstay, then a five second, ten second...so on, until he downstays for a whole minute. I have even trained mine to stay down while I leave the room for a whole two minutes. When the dog begins to act up, go back to what he already knows--the very basic sit and stand routine. have him sit, stand, sit stand a few times, praise him and treat him well, then quit your training--always end with this very easy practice--don't ever let the session end with him being frustrated.
Let the dogs wrestle each other for a while every day, until they wear themselves out, then take them out to go potty immediately afterwards, and they'll catch on to "potty training" quickly! Being so young, they will want to wrestle and tug almost constantly, which is fine, since they spend alot of energy doing it. If you wear them out right before bed, let them have a drink, then send them out to potty, I find they sleep for a good four to six hours without waking you up.

Good luck!