Puppy-proofing the house.

Published on May 3, 2006 By dharmagrl In Pets & Nature

Having a puppy is much like having a toddler in the house.

She gets into stuff. Even though she's confined to the same room as I am and isn't ever left alone to roam freely, she still manages to get into things. Like when was getting dressed this morning.

I had crated her when i was in the shower. There's no way I can supervise her when I'm all wet and soapy, so for her own good she went in her crate. When I got out, she was howling that distinctive, heart rending howl that puppies make when - the one that always makes their humans melt. So, I got her out and had her in the bedroom with me whilst I was getting dressed and drying my hair.

Mistake. It usually takes me a couple of minutes to get dressed. Today, it took nearly 20. She got into everything. She tried to chew Dave's combat boots, so I had to rescue them from her. Then she moved on to his Tevas. When those got removed from her and as I was drying my hair, she moved around to the other side of the bed and she mouthed my Doc Martens. Luckily I got those away from her before she was able to leave teeth marks on them.

Then she moved onto my knitting suppies. I keep my yarn in plastic totes under the bed, and she somehow managed to get a ball of yarn out and was having great fun with that as I was brushing my teeth. It wasn't a particularly expensive ball, and I can salvage most of it so it's not the end of the world.

I can't be mad at her, though. I tell her "NO" and try to be stern with her, but then she looks at me with that cute boxer puppy face and I just can't maintain a straight face. I break out in a smile and she's got me right where she wants me.

Luckily she's too young to know how to use that to her advantage. Yet, anyway.

Comments

dharmagrl

on May 03, 2006

LoL...step #1, go through the house and get EVERYTHING off the floor other than things she's allowed to have. That means shoes, storage boxes, stuff under the bed, stereo speakers, stuff stood in corners (like mops and brooms and toilet brushes and plungers) kids toys, laundry baskets, all of that needs to be put behind closed doors or put up out of her reach.

Done. Did it right after I'd written this article and she was taking a nap. I even tied up the electrical cords behind the couch...I don't think she can get to them, but I don't want to take a chance and have her shock herself into eternity because she's found one and is chewing on it.

I'll be back for more advice as she gets older....

Voyager9

on May 03, 2006

We bought "Bitter Apple" when Quint was a puppy. Turns out he LIKED the taste of it
My biggest problem was that he learned to climb over the babygates at 3 months..

Voyager9

on May 03, 2006

Lets try that again:

Link

dharmagrl

on May 03, 2006

There's a product called "Bitter Apple"

I saw that when I was at PetSmart on Saturday. I have to go back to get housebreaking pads (much, much better than newspaper) so I'll get some then.

That ,and "Nature's Miracle" (which removes urine odors like magic) got us through Frankies puppyhood with limited damage to our carpet and belongings!

I have this stuff that's got enzymes in it that breakdown the pee and remove the smell. I think it's the same thing, but I'm too lazy to get up and check...anyway, this stuff is great. It actually removes the smell rather than covering it up, which is key when you're housebreaking a puppy.

Voyager9

That's a gorgeous dog!

Voyager9

on May 03, 2006

He's not gorgeous. That's just a ploy he uses to take up all the room on the bed. He _used_ to be crate trained, now he starts off at the foot of the bed and by 5am he's got his own pillow.

One other thing I would recommed with the high-energy dogs is the "dog daycare". I know it sounds pretentious, but a good dog is a tired dog. We take Quint there twice a week. He plays with 30 other dogs for 8 hours, comes home and sleeps straight until morning. It's a beautiful thing!

dharmagrl

on May 03, 2006

I know it sounds pretentious, but a good dog is a tired dog.

Oh absolutely. I think that may be part of the reason Gracie's doing so well - she and Henry play hard together in the yard, and now that it's nice out we can be out there for a couple of hours at a time. Matter of fact, Henry has shown some improved behaviours since Gracie came to live with us as well. Right now, it would seem that it's a win/win situation.

Bingo!

I've thought about purchasing a treadmill for Frankie because he's uber-high-energy, and now that we've added a Rotty to the mix, I'm certain he'd benefit from it as well. (i have rheumatoid arthritis and difficulty walking more than a block at a time.)

That's an awesome idea, but as you said, treadmills are damn expensive. I have this mental image of your Frankie and new rottie leashed to the treadmill and trotting along wearing backpacks, and you sitting on the couch behind them having a cup of coffee and a smoke!

Do you have the room for a treadmill if you could find one?

dharmagrl

on May 03, 2006

I've found a treadmill for $50 on craigslist.org:

http://richmond.craigslist.org/spo/157115429.html

You could always put a wanted ad on there....or would it be okay if I did it for you?

dynamaso

on May 03, 2006

Sounds just about like every puppy I've ever know. You must be having a ball with her, though. Pups are so much fun.

dharmagrl

on May 04, 2006

Sounds just about like every puppy I've ever know. You must be having a ball with her, though. Pups are so much fun

Oh yeah. She's figuring out who we are now. When I let her out of her crate, she wags her little stump so hard that she falls over. When Dave comes home, she gets all excited and does the 'boxer bounce'. When the kids come home she about licks them to death. She's just a lot of fun...and I am just loving having her around. She's great.

KarmaGirl

on May 04, 2006

she and Henry play hard together in the yard,

Isn't it funny how hard those little weiner dogs can play? My 10 year old plays like a puppy with Holly. Of course, once they got mad at each other and she gave him a bloody nose, but they are usually great playing together.

With my dogs as pups, I cover the floors with their toys. When they chew on something they shouldn't, I scold them, replace it with one of their toys, then praise them for chewing on the proper toy. They seem to learn really fast that way, and I make sure that there are always toys for them around to play with.

dharmagrl

on May 04, 2006

That's what I've been doing. I've moved the majority of stuff up now, but the kids leave things around and it's tempting for her...so, when she does get a hold of something that she's not supposed to have, we tell her "no, that's not yours", take it away, and then give her something that's hers to play with, telling her she's a good girl when she plays with it.

Sure, but it needs to be a motorized treadmill,(with adjustable speeds) dharma

And yeah, I'd make room for it somehow, even if I had to toss the couch, haha

I'll see what I can do this afternoon, and I'll let you know!

Voyager9

on May 04, 2006

A dog on a treadmill is a really funny mental picture. The problem is it requires the dog to run in a straight line... counts my dog out.

Better option may be a bicycle: Link

Voyager9

on May 04, 2006

you set it at more like a fast trot speed, and hook their leash to the front of it

Oh, I know. I just can't picture Quint getting along well with a treadmill. he's got too short an attention span. After a few minutes he'd see something shiney and things would wrapped around an axle.

Oh, if you're interested, check out Link

Voyager9

on May 04, 2006

Sorry, doublepost.

dharmagrl

on May 04, 2006

you set it at more like a fast trot speed, and hook their leash to the front of it. I've seen them used on The Dog Whisperer, and once they learn what they are supposed to do, most dogs seem to really enjoy it!

I saw that too....and it's a great idea for keeping dogs in shape and happy.

Thanks, I really appreciate that!

Done: http://richmond.craigslist.org/wan/157513056.html

I'll keep refreshing it over the next few weeks (if there's no response, that is. You might get lucky and find someone!).

Oh, I know. I just can't picture Quint getting along well with a treadmill. he's got too short an attention span. After a few minutes he'd see something shiney and things would wrapped around an axle

That would be our Henry. He's a wonderful weiner dawg, but has no focus at all.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!