This Isn't Good But...

ppink

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

We bought a new house in March and my partner is lamenting that it's not going to stay clean... I know I know. She insists on wiping the pups feet when she comes in from outside. She's complaining all the time about the poop and pee.

I have to say I see absolutely nothing wrong with cleaning a dogs paws when coming indoors. all my dogs queue up at the door and I clean them all, I dont mind mud but I wont have dog poop walked all over my home if they have stepped in it outside.

Whispered

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you're both on board with it. A dog in a house where one doesn't want/like it will not settle well. Every little thing the dog does is a cause for concern or annoyance, everything becomes an issue. Your OH will have to want to make an effort with the dog, there is no point in trying to force her to change her mind.

The Sweeper

ppink wrote: »

I have to say I see absolutely nothing wrong with cleaning a dogs paws when coming indoors. all my dogs queue up at the door and I clean them all, I dont mind mud but I wont have dog poop walked all over my home if they have stepped in it outside.

I just have this image of his missus chasing this 16 week old puppy around the house with a damp cloth to wipe four feet every time it comes in. Even as I say it, I had my own dog taught to wipe his feet on the mat when he came in. I bought a long rubber-backed mat, put it inside the door, and he knew to come in, sit on the mat and basically do circles on it until his paws were wiped and he'd get a treat. It wasn't a fuss though, it was just 'wipe your feet' and he'd circle on the mat.

Having a deck or patio makes all that a hell of a lot easier because the mud gets walked off over the concrete or timber before the dog gets to the house.

Discodog

OP I don't think I can recall another story that started so well & went downhill so quickly. You have a beautiful adorable puppy that behaves like a puppy. The poor thing is just trying to find it's feet & get a bit of confidence after a bad start in life.

Sorry but you & your partner have to come second because you made a commitment to this dog & to the rescue who invested time & money. The most basic of research would tell you how puppies behave. Some posters here recall tales of difficult times but we all love pups. We have all had to clear up poo or had possessions shredded but it never really matters & it never puts us off.

If your partner is a dog lover then I suspect that this may have more to do with your relationship than with the dog. The impression that you gave in earlier threads was of a couple that wanted a dog & fully understood all the implications. Now if that is the reality then you will both give the dog equal amounts of time & attention. If you have got it wrong then you need to think of what is the best outcome for the dog.

People do change. I know a woman who, in the past would never show affection or allow a dog in her house. She is now in love with a Newfoundland ! But if the dog is going to cause friction then it must not become an innocent victim. If you are out all day your partner has to want to spend time with the dog. She has to want to do it & not out of some perceived obligation. If she objects to "your" dog she may retaliate by ignoring it & that is totally unacceptable.

Usually with this type of thread the dog is perceived to have done something wrong. All yours has done is to be an adorable pup. If, whilst you are at work, the pup pees, poos or chews etc it is up to your partner to interact with the dog & train it. It has to be a two way effort with equal input.

Good luck. Personally I couldn't share my life with anyone who wasn't as into dogs as I am .............that must be why I am single

Kintarō Hattori

DBB wrote: »

OP, have you any friends with a nice, steady adult dog who your pup could walk with? It could really help her feel more confident by following another dog's example.

I do have and I hope to meet them this weekend.

Today was the first day all three of us went for a walk and it went off really well. I let my other half take the lead and she really seemed to enjoy it.

anniehoo wrote: »

Ah my heart just jumped reading this. Kintaaaaaaro???!!!! You know you're being to way too impulsive on this dont you?!! Its only been a week for flip sake. The poor little mite has barely had a chance to get to know you let alone get her head around where/when shes meant to poo & pee.

I know, I really do- that's why I felt so bad this morning.

anniehoo wrote: »

Im not being funny but your OH is being ridiculous. So shes house proud, yet doesnt spend any time in the living room (where the dogs allowed), but mainly upstairs (where the dogs not allowed?)

I'm a little confused myself.

anniehoo wrote: »

It sounds like you're tying yourself in knots here trying to please both of them and its not working. As said to you before you dont need to spend every waking minute with the dog. You need to establish a routine (thats not going to happen in a week), you need to involve your OH more and tell her to chill out re: the dirt. God help her if she had a hyper long haired dog i tell ya.

Im not going to sugar coat this. You need to give it AT LEAST a month, dont be so uptight on how much time you're spending with her (it sounds like you yourself needs to ease off and relax a bit and let her settle herself), tell your OH that a week is ridiculously soon (really ridiculous) to be giving her back and that you are trying for at least another few weeks.You know this is the classic " a dogs for life, not just for christmas" scenario dont ya, which im sure you wouldve scorned anyone else who gave up on a puppy so soon.

Give it time! If you come back to us in a few weeks time and you still feel the same then we'll understand, but right now you just need to get on with it quite frankly!

I sat the other half down this evening and asked her what she had expected from owning a day but didn't really get much of an answer. I've told her that we need to trial things for at least a month, that we need to be more disciplined with Holly and that it should be rewarding for both the pup and us.

portgirl123 wrote: »

this case shows why that before anyone commits to taking a pup/dog, where ever its rescue/buy one, all the family need to agree. as this shows if one aint happy then nobody is happy esp the dog. i think as others have said on this post that you may sit down with your other half with no distruptions and talk it all through. its a pity it wasnt done before dog was brought home. while i agree a week is no way long enough to sort any problems out and to let poor doggie settle i think if your other half aint happy and wont try and give it time i doubt its going to work and while i hate saying it maybe it would be better for dog to be brought back to the rescue.

We didn't agree to this on a whim. She has been talking about it for years and I've agreed that I would love to have a dog. We only bought a place this year so felt the time was right.
I sat her down and discussed things with her- I get the feeling she's on board. I've said we should make a real go of it. We need to balance the dogs needs and our own. Holly is really affectionate and I get the feeling quite smart so I'll start training her this weekend.

Kintarō Hattori

DBB wrote: »

This is the bit that concerns me most. OP, you told me above that Holly spends 6 hours alone per day... Is this entirely accurate? Does it include the time Holly spends alone even though your wife is in the house?
Presumably, the rescue you got her from were delighted that Holly had got a home where there's someone home all day, indeed, perhaps this is why they let you adopt her, full stop.
But if Holly is spending long hours alone downstairs, whilst your OH is upstairs, it amounts to nobody being in the house at all. I don't believe the rescue would have agreed to this arrangement, because no rescue would adopt a pup out to a home unless there was someone with the pup for a lot of the time.

Six hours is indeed accurate. My OH only works part time. When she's at home she isn't upstairs all the time and does of course socialize with Holly, including taking her out to the garden to play and going for a walk.

DBB wrote: »

So, OP, whilst I'm all for you giving Holly a real, proper chance, it is on condition that your wife steps up to the mark and takes responsibility for this little life that she agreed to commit to. I'll be blunt, if someone pulled this on one of my rescue dogs, I'd be very annoyed about it, because when someone says they're at home most of the time, the implication is that the pup is not going to be abandoned to amuse herself all day.
You've a lot to talk about with your wife, but really, if she is only going to be half hearted about this, and Holly is going to be left alone for long hours for the foreseeable, then for her sake, bring her back to the rescue.

I came home today and did have a serious chat with her. Don't get me wrong she does love Holly but for whatever reason it suddenly dawned on her that things would get a little messy. I think I'm partly to blame too as I was lavishing too much attention on Holly due to relative inexperience. I haven't got the balance right but I'm working at it.
My OH is very affectionate with Holly, she likes playing with her, taking her for a walk, cuddling her, talking to her etc.......... but I'm not sure if she fully understood all the implications of owning a puppy and that is offsetting all the positive things.

Kintarō Hattori

Discodog wrote: »

OP I don't think I can recall another story that started so well & went downhill so quickly. You have a beautiful adorable puppy that behaves like a puppy. The poor thing is just trying to find it's feet & get a bit of confidence after a bad start in life.

Sorry but you & your partner have to come second because you made a commitment to this dog & to the rescue who invested time & money. The most basic of research would tell you how puppies behave. Some posters here recall tales of difficult times but we all love pups. We have all had to clear up poo or had possessions shredded but it never really matters & it never puts us off.

If your partner is a dog lover then I suspect that this may have more to do with your relationship than with the dog. The impression that you gave in earlier threads was of a couple that wanted a dog & fully understood all the implications. Now if that is the reality then you will both give the dog equal amounts of time & attention. If you have got it wrong then you need to think of what is the best outcome for the dog.

People do change. I know a woman who, in the past would never show affection or allow a dog in her house. She is now in love with a Newfoundland ! But if the dog is going to cause friction then it must not become an innocent victim. If you are out all day your partner has to want to spend time with the dog. She has to want to do it & not out of some perceived obligation. If she objects to "your" dog she may retaliate by ignoring it & that is totally unacceptable.

I think I need to clear up a few things. First off, I'm a big animal lover and I adore Holly. I have lots of love to give. I actually was in tears leaving the train station this morning at the thought of giving her up.
My OH is affectionate with Holly as well, playing with her, cuddling her- all the usual things. I think it's just that she's suddenly realized her house- something she always wanted isn't now going to be as pristine as it was.

Time. We weren't managing this well. She's the first dog I've ever had and I was just spending too much time with her as I didn't understand how I should behave. I think the OH felt that Holly wasn't giving us much time for ourselves.

DBB

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I came home today and did have a serious chat with her. Don't get me wrong she does love Holly...
....My OH is very affectionate with Holly, she likes playing with her, taking her for a walk, cuddling her, talking to her etc.......... but I'm not sure if she fully understood all the implications of owning a puppy and that is offsetting all the positive things.

In fairness, if you read back over your first post, you'll see that you gave the strong impression that your OH is none of the above!

Cerocco

OP i'm really sorry to be harsh but i'm looking back on your posts here. Before you got the pup did you not thoroughly discuss with your other half the time and effort and 'dirt' a new pup would bring to the house?!! From what you say your OH is more concerned with the dirt and mess that the pup brings rather than the love and affection! If you give the pup back to the shelter now it will be more difficult to rehome.

People please really think it through before you take on any new pet. God knows there are enough in the pound looking for new homes without people changing their minds about new pets, especially this time of year!!!!!

Again OP apologies but it just seems you didn't think your decision to get a new pup through! I really hope you decide to keep the pup and that it all works out

Vel

Myself and my partner adopted our first dog as a couple 6 years ago - a lurcher from the DSPCA like you guys, although not a pup. Despite planning it for months and both having dogs growing up, my initial feeling as we drove away with him in the car was 'argh, what have we done'. It dawned on me that it wouldn't be so easy now to just decide to head out together for a bite to eat straight after work; stay with friends in town after a night out rather than do the trek home to the burbs on the nightlink; head off on an impromtu weekend away or even have the lie-ins that I loved so much without some adjustment and planning.

About a week in, after coming home yet again to find the counters cleared of our worldly possessions and wee on the floor, I rang my partner and told him that he would have to ring the rescue and talk to them about returning the dog. I didn't really want and I think I would have been devastated if he'd agreed but I think I was looking for someone to put me in my place, get a bit annoyed at me and remind me of the responsibility I had agreed to take on! Six + years on and we still have our lovely lurcher, as well as 3 other dogs and I'm heavily involved in promoting sighthounds as pets.

I am happy that your partner has agreed to give Holly a chance, although I don't like the idea that she might have to 'prove' herself in some way over the next month in order that she isn't returned. I do hope your partner begins to have realistic expectations of a pup.

I think you guys would really enjoy coming along to one of our sighthound strolls where you can meet fellow owners and see examples of the leggy beauties your little one might grow into!!

We are also holding a Meet n Greet next week and you would be more than welcome to pop along with your partner and of course, the star of the show Miss Holly herself and meet some of the happily homed dogs and have a chat with us. I'm pretty certain I'd be able to put you in touch with some fellow greyhound/lurcher owners in your area who would be happy to walk with you.

planetX

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I sat the other half down this evening and asked her what she had expected from owning a day but didn't really get much of an answer. I've told her that we need to trial things for at least a month, that we need to be more disciplined with Holly and that it should be rewarding for both the pup and us.
.

I think that's really unfair - in another month your dog will be much more trouble, less puppy cute, and harder to rehome with every week that passes. Things are not going to be easier in a month, I'm sorry and maybe someone will correct me - but I'm at 8 months and it's much harder going. You are going to need to give more time, not less. Your dog is going to chew for Ireland whenever she gets bored, she will eat things you didn't even know you owned, and you haven't even started the exercise in earnest. You will probably be in the door from work and straight out again with a hyper dog for a long walk. Read up on adolescent dogs, get your girlfriend to read it, and decide as soon as you can. Don't dump a half-grown dog back on the rescue.

Kintarō Hattori

DBB wrote: »

In fairness, if you read back over your first post, you'll see that you gave the strong impression that your OH is none of the above!

I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to be misleading. I guess I was and still am surprised at what has happened.

Cerocco wrote: »

OP i'm really sorry to be harsh but i'm looking back on your posts here. Before you got the pup did you not thoroughly discuss with your other half the time and effort and 'dirt' a new pup would bring to the house?!! From what you say your OH is more concerned with the dirt and mess that the pup brings rather than the love and affection! If you give the pup back to the shelter now it will be more difficult to rehome.

Again OP apologies but it just seems you didn't think your decision to get a new pup through! I really hope you decide to keep the pup and that it all works out

I didn't think there was anything to discuss. She's had several dogs from being a child right up until the time she left home- so I felt she knew what was involved. In regards to myself, I didn't and don't have a problem with the pup- as that's what they do. I know once we get past these things it'll be brilliant.

Kintarō Hattori

Vel wrote: »

I am happy that your partner has agreed to give Holly a chance, although I don't like the idea that she might have to 'prove' herself in some way over the next month in order that she isn't returned. I do hope your partner begins to have realistic expectations of a pup.

I don't think it's a question of Holly having to prove herself, I think it's more of my OH coming to terms with what's involved with having a puppy. After talking to her yesterday she does seem a little more enthusiastic. Instead of 'Oh the carpets'....... it was a case of 'hmnn well, we are going to tile that at some point in the near future'.

Vel wrote: »

I think you guys would really enjoy coming along to one of our sighthound strolls where you can meet fellow owners and see examples of the leggy beauties your little one might grow into!!

We are also holding a Meet n Greet next week and you would be more than welcome to pop along with your partner and of course, the star of the show Miss Holly herself and meet some of the happily homed dogs and have a chat with us. I'm pretty certain I'd be able to put you in touch with some fellow greyhound/lurcher owners in your area who would be happy to walk with you.

This is a brilliant idea, something I'll mention and hope that we can both attend.

planetX wrote: »

I think that's really unfair - in another month your dog will be much more trouble, less puppy cute, and harder to rehome with every week that passes. Things are not going to be easier in a month, I'm sorry and maybe someone will correct me - but I'm at 8 months and it's much harder going. You are going to need to give more time, not less. Your dog is going to chew for Ireland whenever she gets bored, she will eat things you didn't even know you owned, and you haven't even started the exercise in earnest. You will probably be in the door from work and straight out again with a hyper dog for a long walk. Read up on adolescent dogs, get your girlfriend to read it, and decide as soon as you can. Don't dump a half-grown dog back on the rescue.

Well I don't know what to do now, I'm genuinely confused. I don't want either of us to throw in the towel so soon. I'm hoping that I can get my OH to see the positives outweigh the negative side of things.
Chewing was never listed as a problem, and we have everything up high or neatly put away, plus she has several toys already to play with and chew on. Furniture wise I'm not overly worried...... most of it was bought from IKEA and is relatively inexpensive.

Bullseye1

Her family may have had dogs all her life but did she involve herself in looking after them? Is she prepared to put in the effort of training and walking the dog? It's actually a great way of you spending time together as a couple.

Discodog

I too would warn you against assuming that your pup will suddenly become mature - mine is 18 months old & at the peak of lovable lunacy.

Right now your pup doesn't need training. She needs to settle & feel secure. Once she has built up some confidence then training becomes so much easier.

This thread could almost belong in Personal Issues. None of us know you or your partner. All we can do is read your words & try to read between the lines. There could be another side to this story. Your partner might be a perfect dog owner & you might be the one who is going over the top & fussing too much:

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Today was the first day all three of us went for a walk and it went off really well. I let my other half take the lead and she really seemed to enjoy it.

Is your partner reading this thread ? When she had dogs were they kept indoors ?

Inexile

OP I do sympathise I have collie for about 3 years and I still have days when I think I should rehome her. She is trying and loveable in the equal quantities :rolleyes:

Would your OH consider signing up for training classes with the pup. If she was the one doing the training and seeing the pup learn things that she taught it perhaps she would feel more connected to the pup and enjoy the whole pup experience more
.

Kintarō Hattori

Discodog wrote: »

This thread could almost belong in Personal Issues. None of us know you or your partner. All we can do is read your words & try to read between the lines. There could be another side to this story. Your partner might be a perfect dog owner & you might be the one who is going over the top & fussing too much:



Is your partner reading this thread ? When she had dogs were they kept indoors ?

I was in the beginning but quickly learnt through here that it was the wrong thing to do. I don't think she's reading the thread. I didn't think about it but when you mentioned it, her dogs were always kept outside.

Inexile wrote: »

Would your OH consider signing up for training classes with the pup. If she was the one doing the training and seeing the pup learn things that she taught it perhaps she would feel more connected to the pup and enjoy the whole pup experience more
.

That is a great idea and someone mentioned it earlier in the thread. I spoke her last night and a colleague had said the same thing her and it was an idea that she liked, so it's something I would look into.

marijame

It's been three months since we lost our best friend to cancer. For 10 years she chewed everything we owned, dug holes to new Zealand in the garden, destroyed every door, terrorised the postman, had no recall, couldn't walk past another dog without starting a war, couldn't walk on a lead properly (behaviourists told us she was the exception to dog training success) we couldn't wear black clothes as her hair was White and it was pointless, we never got her to wait until we went out a door first, escaping and causing havoc in the neighbourhood was her main hobby.
But now she's gone, my floors are clean, my clothes and sofas are hair free and I've stopped shouting for the front door to be closed because it doesn't matter anymore. But not a day goes by when I don't cry for her, when I don't long for a dirty floor or some dog hairs to pick off my clothes, I am absolutely heartbroken and miss her dreadfully, yes she might have been a nightmare but not a gentler, more kindhearted dog could have lived, she looked after my 3 boys and loved and protected them until the day she died. Whenever I was feeling really low, she would just know and would gently place her silky soft head on my lap and let me know that it was ok. There is no-one on earth who can give you the love and loyalty you get from a dog.
OP you are so lucky to have a dog in your life. If you commit to this you will have years of love ahead of you but it's only been a week!! That's what having a dog is like, it's hard but so so worthwhile, I wouldn't change a second of what we went through and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
I'm sorry OP but you just have to suck it up and get on with it, if you are serious about it, that's what a commitment is, maybe you should remember that someday (if you keep her) you'll be missing all the things that drive you mad now, of course you need to give her a chance, we had 10 years of madness and joy, poor Holly's only had a week....

Kintarō Hattori

marijame wrote: »

OP you are so lucky to have a dog in your life. If you commit to this you will have years of love ahead of you but it's only been a week!! That's what having a dog is like, it's hard but so so worthwhile, I wouldn't change a second of what we went through and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
I'm sorry OP but you just have to suck it up and get on with it, if you are serious about it, that's what a commitment is, maybe you should remember that someday (if you keep her) you'll be missing all the things that drive you mad now, of course you need to give her a chance, we had 10 years of madness and joy, poor Holly's only had a week....

You're really breaking my heart. I'm fully committed to Holly, I'm head over heels about her. I pet her, play with her, talk to her, everything she could possibly need. I really want to make her a part of our lives but my OH is the one having a problem. I'm trying really hard to bring her around.

I hadn't anticipated any problems. From the start we decided we would have an indoor dog, that it would have a basket, sleep on the couch when we're there and so on. I just didn't foresee any problems, particularly one which is so nonsensical.

Tranceypoo

OP, this is really breaking my heart reading this. It sounds like your partner liked the idea of having a dog, snoozing on the sofa and lying obediantly in it's basket and for some reason she thought you can just go to the shelter, bring a dog home and expect the dog to be fully housetrained, calm, trained and to know the 'house rules' right off the bat, she doesn't seem to want to put any effort in?

Re the houseproud thing, I consider myself extremely housepround, even down to the covers on the sofa having to be straightened up, cushions in the right places etc (ok maybe a tad ocd), I have 2 black dogs and a ginger cat, we have tiled and wood floors downstairs, the dogs don't come upstairs (only because one of them has a 'dodgy' leg and can't climb stairs and it wouldn't be fair to let the other one up!), one of the dogs is like a muck magnet, even on a dry day she'd need to be wiped down cos there'd be something stuck to her after a walk. I hoover the floor every day, takes 15/20 mins, I have covers on the sofas that I wash once a week along with the cover on the dog bed and I am a paw wiper and proud, I always have a towel inside the back door, they know to wait until they've been towelled down before going into the kitchen. I really don't find it a big drama to do this, it takes no time.

Now, they're both snoozing angelically on the sofa at the moment but I've had problems with both of them, the older one when I first got him from the gspca, had terribly separation anxiety, he chewed walls, doors frames, tried to pull up a carpet, ate books, tissues, magazines, used to run away from the dog minders (my aunty up the lane!), it took at least 6 months for him to properly settle, the younger one we had howling and pooping issues, took her a mere 3 months to settle in, she's still a pain in the arse if I meet another dog on a walk and the older one follows her lead, very embarassing, I'm currently working on that problem! What I'm trying to say is, we've all had/have 'issues' with our dogs, that's what makes them our dogs, their special little quirks and idiosyncracies, no dog is perfect just as no person is perfect.

I don't know if you are planning kids (I realise that's a personal question) but I believe they make even more mess and noise and general mayhem than dogs!! You can't live in a showhouse forever!!

I think another poster mentioned that they'd be getting rid of the partner and keeping the dog, I realise that's a very flippant remark but to be honest, if my husband hadn't been a dog lover when I first met him (and my dog at the time used to stand on the bed and bark at him if he got up during the night) then I woudn't have entertained the idea of being with him!

I really hope your partner comes round and starts making the effort and putting the work in because the reward is tenfold, trust me there really ain't no love like puppy love (yes, we refer to our dogs as 'the pups' despite them being 6.5 and 3 years old) and it's almost worth leaving the house for a while just to enjoy the welcome I get when I get home!!!

Good luck with your situation I really really hope it works out for Holly and that your partner pulls her finger out and steps up!

LucyBliss

I think it can be a shock to the system when the reality of the dog hits you with regard to all its needs. And to be honest, I don't blame your OH for freaking over messy floors because when you're used to something a certain way and you have your house the way you want it, the last thing you want is a little creature coming in and destroying the place.

But that's fine when it's just the two of you and you have more control over the environment. I know that people get annoyed when you compare having a pup to having a baby but I firmly believe the principle is the same. Your house is never the same again. Okay, the baby doesn't go peeing on the floor (normally) but you have to reconcile yourself to the face that you just have to go with the flow and be flexible.

It's also my belief that if a dog/pup pees or poops in the house, that is completely on the owner and not the dogs fault. Period. My three are house trained, have been since about six months or so. We've had three accidents since then (they're now three and a half) and that was my fault for not seeing the signals that I was being given.

When we got our rescue dog, she was pregnant and we kept two pups. I was also caring for my then 100 year old grandmother. It was quite manic at times. One of the pups turned out to be quite headstrong and bonkers. He made me cry on a regular basis. But for all that, he was my grandmother's nap companion. She'd reach out to him in her sleep. She'd say "oh, is that my boy?" when he'd come into her room in the morning. We could distract her a bit when she was having a bad day by telling her that he'd been sitting outside her room in the morning, waiting for her to get up. For all the nonsense he was putting me through on walks, he was enriching her life in a way we couldn't. While she loved the other two dogs, she had a special gra for this one.

My point is, and I do have one, is that sometimes we have to look past the puddles and the way they drive us crazy and all the other growing pains that comes with taking on a dog and just see what they're offering us so that we can respond in kind.
I do think sometimes as humans, we tend to overthink things and make things fit into the way we see things. Dogs don't do that. Dogs kinda just are. I mean, how many times have you been ready to run out the door and even though, they were out earlier, the dog suddenly decides "need pee now!" and you have to let them out where they sniff everything in sight and you're checking your watch and almost shrieking "why wouldn't you pee dammit?!" and then the dog starts to wander over to you and you start shooing them back to the bush with your arms and they think "whoo! game!" and you either go crazy or just sigh and text people you might be late. (Just me then? Oh okay).

Plus, don't forget, you teach your dog what is acceptable for your house. My mother trained mine to step on the mat when they come in from the garden and they do it everytime. And you know, it can be no harm to dry their paws with towels when they come in because it gets them used to being handled (great for when they go to the vets) and also means you're alert to any changes should, God forbid, they get a cut or something.

There are solutions to everything with dog owning. It's just that sometimes the human isn't prepared to do it which makes us the problem, not the dog.

I hope this gets sorted out to everyone's satisfaction, OP. Holly is gorgeous. I have no doubt that she will be a fantastic addition to your family, given half the chance.

Discodog

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I was in the beginning but quickly learnt through here that it was the wrong thing to do. I don't think she's reading the thread. I didn't think about it but when you mentioned it, her dogs were always kept outside.

Ok so two potential problems. Firstly you are discussing this behind your partner's back - never a good idea especially in an open forum :eek:

Secondly & I categorically do not want to restart the "in out" debate but there is a world of difference between keeping a dog indoors & outdoors especially as she seems to be mainly complaining about mess.

Did you honestly discuss this before getting the dog & could any others, like her family, be telling her that the dog should not be in the house ?

One practical step is to get two pieces of min 1 inch thick sponge foam sheet to use as "doormats". Simply pop the sheet on the floor by the door when you take the dog out so that it's ready when you come back. By stepping on the sponge the dog compresses it & then it removes any wetness from the dogs paw. Have two pieces so that you can wash one.

In any event her little paws are tiny. You should try drying my Saluki's great hairy paws

Discodog

LucyBliss wrote: »

I mean, how many times have you been ready to run out the door and even though, they were out earlier, the dog suddenly decides "need pee now!" and you have to let them out where they sniff everything in sight and you're checking your watch and almost shrieking "why wouldn't you pee dammit?!" and then the dog starts to wander over to you and you start shooing them back to the bush with your arms and they think "whoo! game!" and you either go crazy or just sigh and text people you might be late. (Just me then? Oh okay).

I played that game for about three days when I got my youngster & then he suddenly got it. Teaching a dog to pee on command is an essential - especially on wet nights. I can put my three out of the door & they will all pee & return in under a minute

Also puppies, like children, have to learn how to chill. "On your bed" is the first command that I always teach.

boomerang

It's a mucky time of year to be getting a dog. My guys are tracking mud into the house right now like you wouldn't believe. I just leave newspaper inside the front door and bin it when it gets wet and dirty.

It's also a time of year that it's not all that pleasant to walk a dog. The weather's crap and the evenings are dark.

Remind your OH that in a few months there'll be less muck coming in on Holly's paws, and longer evenings to enjoy a lovely ramble with her.

Discodog

OK Hintaro here is a little bit of fun & a test for your partner.

Order one of these & gift wrap it in some romantic wrapping paper then sign the gift tag with a pawprint. Leave it hidden in the house & go to work. Now phone her & say that you have got her an early valentine's present & tell her where to find the parcel.

Either it will work & reduce the pawprints or she will now like the dog & take out her anger on you instead.

http://www.pawplunger.com/

BTW Has anyone tried one of these ?

Shazanne

Think that might be a "step" to far in this particular case!:eek:

LucyBliss

Discodog wrote: »

I played that game for about three days when I got my youngster & then he suddenly got it. Teaching a dog to pee on command is an essential - especially on wet nights. I can put my three out of the door & they will all pee & return in under a minute

Also puppies, like children, have to learn how to chill. "On your bed" is the first command that I always teach.

Heh, it's amazing how on wet nights they're done in record time! Peeing on command they're usually quite good at, but they always know just when there are fifty things to be done and I'm running late. I'm quite proud of that actually - my dogs are clearly gifted!

And yes, the 'bedtime' command in our house works wonders. It even works down the garden when I'm putting them into the run on warm days. They each find a dog bed, or share one sometimes, and lie down. But that all had to be done when they were pups, teaching them to go into the crate on command and doing the 'settle down' rubdown so they'd get the idea that it was time to chill.

Acoshla

OP you mentioned that you're spending too much time with the puppy, and lavishing attention on her, what's too much time? I just can't see how there could be a limit on time spent with a cute 4 month old puppy! Our dog is with is 90% of the time we're in the house, I work from home and my boyfriend is home at 6 every evening, her and the cats are in a different room while I work but from 6pm to 9am they're with us, or not far away But if we ever put them into a room for "quiet time" or because we're going somewhere and it's wet out there's no fuss, they don't mind at all. When the puppy was small she'd whimper but she learned that it gets her nowhere.

Smeefa

Any update OP?

Just saw on the dspca website a dog called Hollie who looks very similar...... I'm really hoping its a coincidence

DBB

Smeefa wrote: »

Any update OP?

Just saw on the dspca website a dog called Hollie who looks very similar...... I'm really hoping its a coincidence

Oh dear. I think you're right smeefa, thus dog is identical when you compare the pics.
I've been wondering how things were going for op and was concerned at the deafening silence.
Hope lil Hollie finds a new owner who commits fully to her :-( . She's a sweetie.