having a bad day!

RoastBeefDinner

She got out of her pen during the night which is 5 feet high. Ripped almost everything apart in the garage. Put her back in this morning and an hour later to find her out again. Really cant have her wandering around the garage day or night.
It's too much to be buying runs etc. Have spent more on this dog than myself in the past 2 months. I say to myself gotta get my priorities in order.
So after a few hours of re-organizing the garage, and a bit of a breather, feed her as usual, take her for a walk only to find her wanting to crap all over the pavement. She knows only too well thats not on. I wouldn't mind but I brought her to her usual spot before the walk and she didnt bother doing her business.
Its not going well today and feel like giving up:mad:

andreac

5ft is nowhere near high enough for a dog im afraid, not unless its a chihuahua.:D
Your dog is still learning, its only a pup isnt it?

Personally i dont think its fair to lock a young pup outside in a garage like that. She probably ripped everything up as she was stressed and looking for attention/company.
Would you not crate her inside in the house? Would solve a lot of your problems. With the toilet thing, at that age they are still learning where to go and will just go if they feel the need to,whereever that may be so shes not doing it out of spite.
The one thing you need with puppies is patience and a lot of it.

I have an 8 month old female and shes only really starting to settle into routine properly now and i think shes nearly fully toilet trained now, thank god. Thought i was never going to get there with her so you need to give it time, be patient and consistant.

lrushe

andreac wrote: »

I have an 8 month old female and shes only really starting to settle into routine properly.

You're lucky, mines almost 20 months old and only in the last few months or so have I felt confident not keeping her in sight 24/7:D

OP you've got to think of a young dog much like you would a toddler, they are going to get into everything given the chance and even when you think you've all bases covered they'll find something else. Some of my favourite plants in my backgarden got alot of unscheduled pruning care of my youngest dog but after having dogs for so long I know that is just part and parcel of having a young dog in your life.
Have you tried crate training your dog?
If you are going to leave your dog alone make sure she is tired ( well exerciesd) and has something to occupy her mind like a raw bone or filled kong etc.
I know it's hard to believe but they do grow out of it you just have to be consistent with your training but above all else patient.
Don't be so quick to wish away the puppy years either though they are some of the funniest times too, must be why I never learn my lesson

RoastBeefDinner

Yep shes a 4 month old collie/gsd cross and is as good as gold, normally.

The thing is I did nothing different last night than any other night before putting her to bed. An hour playing hide and seek and she was exhausted. She likes the garage as it's her space and she has her toys and what not. It's where she is fed also.
During the day and evenings she spends them inside with us in the house. There is no way I could have her in the house crated up at night time. She's teething and thats another reason I cant have her wandering around.

I had 2 gsd's some years ago but they were guard dogs and fully grown.
Today I just feel like maybe my personality does not suit "looking after" a young dog. Your right they are inquisitive but they really do test my patience!

**Vai**

RoastBeefDinner wrote: »

There is no way I could have her in the house crated up at night time.

Today I just feel like maybe my personality does not suit "looking after" a young dog.

Why are u against crates? My GSD loves hers, doesnt even want to come out some mornings. She was a chewer too, my kitchen table and skirting board are proof of that. Trust me, the crate makes life easier.

I know what u mean but we all have off days. For god sake, relax!

RoastBeefDinner

Nothing against a dog crate per se, but she was more or less in one in the garage. I had a corner fenced off for her, with her house,water and enough room to stretch her legs. She was only being kept in the garage at night times and up until now no probs.
So what happens if I go out during the day, I keep her in a crate inside the house? Thats why I had the garage space made for her. I would consider a dog run but they are way too dear.
Anyway for me this evening your right I need to chill out otherwise I will completely loose the plot.

LucyBliss

The good thing about the crate is that they can't knock it down or chew their way out. I have used it on mine and it saved my sanity as I remember years back, every other pup we had took the house apart in one room or another when left on their own, even for the shortest time.

But sometimes even the best pup in the world can work our last nerve. One of mine used to make me cry, he was that headstrong. I was convinced that I'd never get him to do anything and now he's come on a lot and I haven't cried over him in nearly a year. :-)

I would suggest chilling on the couch if you can and remembering the nice times you've spent together. She's only four months. She'll get there in the long run. It takes persistence and it is a one step forward, two steps back kind of thing with them sometimes. Plus a collie/GSD cross? Yeah, that's one smart cutie you've got on your hands. That one will get up to mischief all right but you'll have one fantastic and loyal companion in the end. Which I'm sure you know.

Any chance of a picture of the would-be interior designer?

ppink

your post made me laugh when I thought back to the nightmare that was our GSD pup. we had every ounce of skirting board removed that could be and the rest she actually ate holes through to the wall while it was still nailed to the wall! we have our silver wedding coin with teeth marks permanently in it and the lovely pouch it came in eaten. OH's wallet was robbed from his car the cards removed and shredded, the money eaten and the wallet flung through the mud.:D
I again would say the crate in the house is the best option. The one thing I never understood about our girl is her absolute need to be with her family. a gsd's life revolves around their family more so than any other dog we have had thats for sure.
remember when you are cooling down that you have a potentially very smart animal just wanting to be with you:)

on the toilet business it is a blip, go back to telling her how great she is for going on her nominated spot.
Best of luck;)

RoastBeefDinner

thanks everyone. really enjoyed you sharing your experience's:)Feeling better now!


looking through these photos and they did remind me of the more happier times.
So here is Eva;

ppink

Ahhh RBD she is so cute. you will never be annoyed at that little face for long;)

RoastBeefDinner

She looks up at me sometimes like a 5 year old kid would and melt's the heart alright.
Just went out for a brief walk, after her spending much of the evening in solitary confinement and she very much appreciated it! Even her ears stood up fully for the first time.
Sometimes I think less is more;)

messrs

i have a 9 month old border collie and i know you mite think im crazy but when he was teething i went to chemist and bought him a teething ring and kept it in the freezer, so once he started to look for things to chew id get the ring from the freezer and he loved it and all my furniture, shoes, ect were all intact at the end of his teething stage! once he was chewing on something hard he was happy and so was i

**Vai**

I might be biased but GSD are the most gorgeous pups.

RoastBeefDinner wrote: »

So what happens if I go out during the day, I keep her in a crate inside the house?

Yeah, I do it all the time. Long as its only for a couple of hours, I wouldnt do leave her in there all day or anything.

EGAR

You think you have a bad day? If I was ever tempted to choke a dog it was today

belongtojazz

Oh My Egar, is that even drivable still????

Wow and people complain when dogs chew up their shoes, I have never heard of a dog eating a car before

EGAR

No it isn't and the dog also wrecked a Savic crate, the partition of the van AND could have easily gotten out as both windows were half open. Instead he chose to eat the dashboard, electrics etc, And all in less than 30 minutes..

And I am inching closer to a nervous breakdown....

belongtojazz

I bet you are... if it was me, never mind inching towards, i'd be smack bang in the middle of a severe break down :eek:

@op, at least you hadn't stored your car in the garage I feel your pain though. There are days (like today, see my pic in the chill out thread, i was welcomed by that when I got in after an hour and a half drive home from work)

On the other hand the joy my guys bring me is incredible. They make me howl with laughter, they cheer me up when I feel down, they are always thrilled to see me.

Having a dog is such hard work sometimes but they more than pay back everything we put into them.

Crates are a Godsend. My big guy absolutely adores his cage (we refer to it as his house) he won't allow any of the other dogs in there as he considers it HIS area. I was very reluctant to get a cage for him as he had been locked up for the first 6.5 years of his life but we made it a positive place for him and it is now somewhere we can put him where he is happy, safe and secure

RoastBeefDinner

EGAR wrote: »

No it isn't and the dog also wrecked a Savic crate, the partition of the van AND could have easily gotten out as both windows were half open. Instead he chose to eat the dashboard, electrics etc, And all in less than 30 minutes..

And I am inching closer to a nervous breakdown....

Now you know why I felt very nervous yesterday. There is a car in my garage and iv'e spent the last 5 years restoring it! Trust me if the dog had of gone near it there would have been no mister nice guy.
Trying my best to make sure the dog fits into our home as best we can.
The crate sounds like a plan but we have a little shoe cupboard which is just as good as a crate for now.

Egar that is shocking what the dog did. Take a breather. It can be repaired if that is any consolation.;)

belongtojazz

belongtojazz wrote: »

@op, at least you hadn't stored your car in the garage

Ok I'm quietly slinking into a corner. It hadn't dawned on me that a garage might actually be used to store a car

sorry x

belongtojazz

RoastBeefDinner wrote: »

t we have a little shoe cupboard which is just as good as a crate for now.

Can the dog see out of the shoe cupboard? a cupboard is very different to a crate.
When you are training them that a crate is great and the place to be, the dog can still see you, But a cupboard brings to mind (well mine anyway) a dark place where there is no light and no external stimulus.

I am probably very very biased against closing doors on your dog based on my springers history (he is still very unhappy with darkness and very worried about closed doors). I'm sure you have no intention of doing that to your guy but please reassure me.

"Just went out for a brief walk, after her spending much of the evening in solitary confinement and she very much appreciated it! Even her ears stood up fully for the first time.
Sometimes I think less is more"

This comment of yours concerned me. Was your dog locked away because you were annoyed at her? Between my guys they have probably caused hundreds if not thousands of euros worth of damage but that is the price I am willing to pay to have them as part of my life. Dogs who are alone and have a bit of energy to burn off will destroy.

Apologies for rambling on but this topic has hit a raw nerve with me for some reason

sionnaic

Oh my God your pup is the absolute image of mine!!
...separated at birth!
That is so freaky! Ours is a rescue so we don't know his background.
And yeah if she's anything like our fella (he's about 15 months now) get used to having one very intelligent, super curious, very energetic dog. Our guy is also very sensitive and emotional, he forms very close bonds and hates being separated from us. His ears are like his emotional barometer.
He can be a bit obsessive and can drive you round the bend when he wants to!
And he LOVES to chew. Gates, chairs, tables, kennels, vetbed, blankets, skirting boards, pillows...
Nylabones are worth their weight in gold! And go for giant extreme kongs. Don't even bother with the regular red ones! Also pigs ears...gross but great
He also loves to jump and run - you're gonna need a 7 foot fence.

RoastBeefDinner

@belongtojazz
To answer your concern, our living area is open plan and the cupboard is built into the wall located in the living room and she has full sight of everything thats going on. I need to hide in the bathroom to be away from her:D It's not a crate but it's snug enough for her to have her space away from us, and no its not closed off. She is an obedient dog and knows the stay command.

I'm not sure why you think it's a problem leaving a dog solitary?
I draw the line and distinguish the difference between what is considered a "lapdog" and what is widely considered a "working" or "guard" dog.
Whatever people may think about dogs needing company or belong to a pack this is sometimes not feasible in certain circumstances. And believe me if I hadn't of spent a few hours away from her the other day she would be in the pound today.
Any more questions?:)

@sionnaic
Would love to see some pics;)

ppink

RBD actually the Nylabones Sionnaic recommended there for chews are v v good. They come in flavours, the neutral was of no interest to ours but they come in chicken flavour etc and last forever so you will not be replacing them every week! I had forgotton how we diverted attention for the skirting boards!
messers idea of the teething ring in the freezer is an idea also. our dogs love ice and picked the blocks out of our water troughs in the icy spell and spent ages with huge blocks of ice on the lawn so the cool of the ice teething ring might help her. I suppose it makes sense that they teeth too and need something to chew on to relieve the discomfort.

EGAR- I'm speechless :eek:. I do have a funny vision in my head of a little chihuahua doing this:P

belongtojazz

RoastBeefDinner wrote: »

@belongtojazz
To answer your concern, our living area is open plan and the cupboard is built into the wall located in the living room and she has full sight of everything thats going on. I need to hide in the bathroom to be away from her:D It's not a crate but it's snug enough for her to have her space away from us, and no its not closed off. She is an obedient dog and knows the stay command.

I'm not sure why you think it's a problem leaving a dog solitary?
I draw the line and distinguish the difference between what is considered a "lapdog" and what is widely considered a "working" or "guard" dog.
Whatever people may think about dogs needing company or belong to a pack this is sometimes not feasible in certain circumstances. And believe me if I hadn't of spent a few hours away from her the other day she would be in the pound today.
Any more questions?:)

This is a subject I am probably very sensitive about as the previous owners of my Springer considered him a "difficult" dog so they locked him up in a garage for 6 years When I got him he was phobic about closed doors and had all sorts of other issues. After 18 months I am making progress with him but it is a long road.

I am sorry if I came across as preaching it was not my intention, I just wanted to clarify what you meant. Personally I don't feel comfortable isolationg any of my dogs, it just doesn't work for me.

You're pup is stunning by the way

RoastBeefDinner

belongtojazz wrote: »

This is a subject I am probably very sensitive about as the previous owners of my Springer considered him a "difficult" dog so they locked him up in a garage for 6 years When I got him he was phobic about closed doors and had all sorts of other issues. After 18 months I am making progress with him but it is a long road.

I am sorry if I came across as preaching it was not my intention, I just wanted to clarify what you meant. Personally I don't feel comfortable isolationg any of my dogs, it just doesn't work for me.

You're pup is stunning by the way

Ahh dont worry. Your right to question for peace of mind sake;) even helps me to understand my position.
Eva is fine..she gets a run in the park for an hour with her buddies in the morning and the afternoon we hit the beech for some good bonding playtime also. Most evenings she is beside me on the sofa keeping me warm:) The OH is extremely jealous and that is the most worrying part right now:(

If it ever came to a point where I felt she was not being looked after correctly for whatever reason, I would do my best to ensure she finds a good home.

sionnaic

RoastBeefDinner wrote: »

@sionnaic
Would love to see some pics;)

here you go! I'm telling you...it's uncanny!

I think anyway

I must see if I can find some more of him before his ears stood up

barbiegirl

I adore my dogs i really do, but today for some reason i had no patience and they were so hyper. I came back from lunch out to bring them to the park and it was a fight to get hatnesses on, then they pulled all the way, kept jumping up on me and snapping their treats :-( Either i'm hormonal or could the Advantix they both had today have made them er.
Right now they're both asleep being cute.
Egar what can i say your poor car.

The Sweeper

You know, even though this is an Animals & Pets website and we all love our animals, I think we may need a support group for owners of new puppies and young dogs.

Lots of folks get a dog as an adult because they had one as a child, and their childhood dog - well it may have lasted say 12 years, so they have basically 10.5 years of childhood memories of an adult dog.

An adult dog! Fantastic! I'm grown up now, time to get my own dog...

And then you get the pup.

And suddenly you have this peeing, pooing monster who appears to dislike you, won't do as it's asked, eats EVERYTHING in sight, chews up your stuff, and some days can literally make you so frustrated you could cry.

What the hell? What is this animal? What is this horrible creature and why isn't it like the dog I used to have when I was a kid???

I can remember being financially traumatised when I got Gus first - other than his full vetwork bills, and the food, there was the seemingly endless financial haemhorraging on beds (ate them), toys (ate them), collars (grew out of them) and leads (ate them or they broke). Then the $500-600 dog fencing we put up because he was destroying the garden (pocket wept at the time, but has proven to be best investment EVER). Then the babygate for indoors (another brilliant investment, but again they're not cheap.)

Then the random stream of stuff he's destroyed. Every potplant in the yard. The barbecue cover and the replacement barbecue cover. (Then the dog fences went in.) The plastic compost bin (he got out of the dog run one day). Then the minimum effort, maximum mess day (he chewed the spigot off the worm farm.)

Kongs. More Kongs. More, larger Kongs. Ropes. More ropes. A staffy ball. (That went back to source after he played with it once and ignored it.)

Some of my adult friends who say they want dogs but haven't had one for years look at Gus when they come over and think (a) oh what a mad puppy, MY puppy won't be like that and (b) herself is doing it all wrong, that's not how you raise a puppy, I watch Caesar Milan.

I laugh because those same friends want similar sized dogs to mine - labs, retrievers, border collies and whatnot.

Gus is actually a fantastic adolescent dog compared to what he could be. He's unruly when we have guests, damn sure because he's so excited, but he doesn't jump up, he's not a barker at all, he doesn't resource guard in any way, he sleeps quietly through the night on a bed that he no longer eats (I found a great dog bed around the same time that he grew out of destroying his bed I think) and he's a sucker for a cuddle.

Still, he was bloody hard work up front and I've since sworn that I'd never get a puppy again. If I want a second dog I'll adopt an adult.

As for my non-dog-owning mates who stare at me like I'm crazy when I tell them dogs are really hard work - all I can say to them is: good luck. Gimme a shout when you've had your new pup about a month, let me know how it's going...

LucyBliss

sionnaic, that picture of the two of them side by side in the dog bed is adorable! Your dogs are beautiful.

The Sweeper, you've made some excellent points there about the difference between owning a dog as a kid and as a grown up.

Some of my adult friends who say they want dogs but haven't had one for years look at Gus when they come over and think (a) oh what a mad puppy, MY puppy won't be like that and (b) herself is doing it all wrong, that's not how you raise a puppy, I watch Caesar Milan.

I find that people can be as judgemental about how you raise your dogs as they are about how you're raising your children! Mine get very excited and bark loudly when people come in and there is some sniffing around of the person and general mayhem for a moment. But they have calmed down a bit but only because we were persistent every time someone walked in the door. (Actually one Friday, the priest came to give my grandmother communion and he asked if I wanted him to bless the pups, as they were then. I asked him if maybe he could do an exorcism instead because they were leaping about like loo-lahs! He has a dog himself so he just laughed and said he hoped the blessing would do the trick instead.) But having a pup can be like living with something that is possessed!

I also had people tell me that my three dogs, 2 pups and their mother, would end up killing one another when they hit a year old. That I'd never manage them and that I'd end up giving them away. That was a bit of blow to my confidence (which wasn't super great due to other personal reasons) but I was determined that they wouldn't be fighting and I worked hard to make sure that they respected my boundaries and their own and that they could all hang out together, and frankly thanks to that I regained a lot of confidence in my own wrangling skills again. I can leave those dogs uncrated in one room while I go out for a bit and there is no damage. Apart from a few cuddly toys that got sacrificed for the greater good and one old couch that was on borrowed time anyway, they have never destroyed any furniture or furnishings. Yes, they will try to lick my face off, they want hugs and kisses, they bark when people knock and when people pass the garden gate if we're outside and they don't know them, they jump about excitedly to see people come in but they are the best companions a girl could want.
Like, The Sweeper said, that took time and work but I look at them now and think it was all worth it. Because they don't know what's right or wrong as pups until I tell them so.

But as a pup owner, you definitely need to keep a supply of the booze/chocolate of your choice to see you through the more exasperating days and if you lose your sense of humour, you're done for!

sionnaic

The Sweeper wrote: »

You know, even though this is an Animals & Pets website and we all love our animals, I think we may need a support group for owners of new puppies and young dogs.
....
....
....
As for my non-dog-owning mates who stare at me like I'm crazy when I tell them dogs are really hard work - all I can say to them is: good luck. Gimme a shout when you've had your new pup about a month, let me know how it's going...

Fantastic post Sweeper!!! made me laugh (ruefully!!) out loud

so very very very true...

sionnaic

LucyBliss wrote: »

sionnaic, that picture of the two of them side by side in the dog bed is adorable! Your dogs are beautiful.

Cheers Lucy! We invented a new adjective especially for our Basset..."cute demonic"

Says it all really

We reckon we should have called them Pinky and The Brain - the black one being the over-enthusiastic, affectionate, slightly gormless "Pinky" while our Basset is the very put upon, evil genius of the two

LucyBliss wrote: »

But as a pup owner, you definitely need to keep a supply of the booze/chocolate of your choice to see you through the more exasperating days and if you lose your sense of humour, you're done for!

Also very very true!!

RoastBeefDinner

Hi Everyone.
I dont know if this is a good ending to a bad day or vice verse but I just wanted to keep you posted on events with the pup (especially belongstojazz as he/she was quite concerned.

She has gone back to her mammy and daddy and NOT because of the way she behaved but because our current home is just not suited to keeping her. We only had her 2 months so leaving her was not heart wrenching. The farmer (not a puppy farmer) was happy to take her back and he has a better chance of finding her a proper home than we do.

Even though she got out every morning/afternoon/evening for walks, in the end I decided that the garage was not really appropriate for a dog to be locked up in. As she is a large breed working dog keeping her indoors was not an option either for us as our place is rented.

So iv'e taken on-board all the sound advice and who knows perhaps in the future it will stand me well. I also referred all the other dog walkers I met on my way to this forum should they ever need any advice with their dogs.:)

Wish you all well,
RoastBeefDinner.