That %#@& Puppy
Okay, okay. Something has to supersede the MJ post. Here we have the destruction caused by a single cute puppy with a death wish (and enough chew toys on the kitchen floor to trip 6 adults at once but apparently not enough to prevent this):
Kitchen chairs
Kitchen Aid Mixer ($300+)
Cuisinart Food Processor ($200+)
Jack LaLane Juicer (Three Easy Payments of ??)
Toaster $27 (untouched)This dog is getting more expensive by the day. He's currently at the vet's office getting "snipped" and I'm willing to pay the extra $19 per day to keep him there for an extended stay. Hopefully he'll come home a changed man.
Labels: The Animals
posted by Gwynne @ 9:14 AM
5 Comments:
It will take a little bit for the testosterone to subside. And don't forget, though you may have little cattle, you have a. working. dog. He needs a job.
Think like a dog. Look around for good chewy stuff and hide it. (Just like you will babyproof for Spartacus, you must puppy proof.)
Pig ears are our saving grace... (we order them by the 100 from Foster and Smith) and if the pup's not at your feet, he's in his kennel. We keep a leash on Zanna 24/7 when she's in the house unless she's in our kennel. It makes her lay down at our feet and keeps her out of mischief. And (don't kill me) she's just now a year old. But we can't trust her yet.
Also, if you wear him out mentally (having him do his commands over and over, then run him outside (give him a job!)) it will help him tire out. Zack was 6 months old when Steve said, "Jane! This dog needs a job!" We took him to training right then. Puppy classes help, as well. Petsmart has some cheap ones and they're well worth it for everybody concerned. Teaching him to fetch is a good wear out tactic. Also, as you probably know, male dogs are just a little more stubborn than females.
Not saying we've not had our mishaps, we have. But we're getting a little smarter about it.
Dang...that was a dissertation. Search my blog for Zanna the terminator for all the stuff she destroyed in a 24 hr period. She about killed me...and she lived through it.
A miracle, indeed.
You're absolutely right about him needing a job! My husband takes him to work almost everyday and runs him hard on our property (he's a great retriever and well behaved outside) before bringing him in, but on days when I'm supposed to be in charge, I fail to provide the workout or attention that he needs. I hate to kennel him all day because he goes stir-crazy. I leave him fenced in the kitchen to avoid face-to-face contact with the crawling baby. I thought I had everything moved out of his reach, but never dreamed the small appliances would prove to be a) so accessible, or b) so interesting. He has chew toys and pigs' ears but apparently that's not enough. I think it's attenion seeking behavior. We've had a lot of Aussies in the past and none of them have ever been this problematic. It doesn't help that I voted against a puppy at this time and haven't exactly welcomed him with open arms.
If he's getting a workout on his days with your husband, your only answer is a crate (unless you've got the time to work out with him, which I'm thinking you don't). It's just temporary because it more sounds like he's relieving teething pain than occupying his time. Though I would keep him in rawhides at all times because he is prone to chewing (Costco sells 'em by the huge bad). Abbey's like that (chair rungs and the cord to my sewing machine...). Pig ears might not provide enough resistance if he's got real bad teething pain.
Some Aussies just like something at all times that's theirs. Topper and Abbey are like that, always finding random stuff to drag into their crate. Last night Abbey adopted a milk carton. Topper likes to take wrapped paper towel rolls into his crate so we treat it as a kind of alternative storage facility for paper products.
Don't you wish you'd picked a sane breed? (Except for Zsa Zsa because Zsa Zsa is perfect in every way -- like Mary Poppins)
I think Smokey and Zsa Zsa come from the same stock. Smokey was the most perfect animal I've ever owned, and he was like that from the day we brought him home as a puppy. No obedience classes, no "training" (except that which he gave us), just perfect. Blue has very big shoes to fill in that regard and we try not to impose Smokey's standard on him, but it's hard. Blue shines in his own lovable ways, but I'll take the advice about leaving him in his crate with lots of rawhide/pigs ears for now. I hadn't thought about the teething pain so much...that makes sense. I thought he was just playing mind games with me, trying to drive me insane. ;-)
Reminds me of when I first got Annie. She ate a pair of tights - the only evidence that I ever owned the tights was the tiniest scrap that was left on my bedroom floor. She ate a few pairs of sunglasses (the cheap kind, fortunately). She didn't just chew, she full on ate things.
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