Horsefeathers! Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 :x :x :x Soooooooo we've lived in the same place with the same furniture now for eight years. With all the dogs we've had and fostered, our house is still in surprisingly good shape. No carpet damage (of course, no telling what the UNDERSIDE is going to look like when we rip it out), no holes in the walls, no scratched up baseboards, and the furniture, until today, has remained intact. No holes, no tears, not even much sign of wear. I've been proud of how well we've managed to maintain this place and still have it be dog friendly. Some of you remember that Peaches (the three legged foster Dobe that is apparently planning on a permanent occupancy here) stayed with a close friend of mine for a while until my ankle (which had been broken) could heal a bit better. Kind of a co-foster. If you remember that, then you'll remember that Peaches picked up some really bad habits at my friend's house. One of which was becoming a three legged wrecking crew. Well, she's done great here since she's been back. No more episodes of the dog aggression she had begun displaying there and she has never destroyed anything in my house. She is one of the few dogs I don't leave kenneled during the day and she has never bothered anything. Well, recently, she ripped some holes in my papasan chair. It was nothing that I couldn't repair and I did... twice. It's like she just bit holes in it, like biting an apple. Anyway, the papasan chairs are pretty much glorified dog beds, so no big deal. Today, she tore up my tv watching lazy chair :o . Our favorite chair that has been here all this time and where all the critters like to pile into our (whoever's sitting there) laps and squish down into. She didn't totally demolish it, but I can see where this is heading. I got old rusty out of storage today. It's our super de duper big crate. I hope this dog is ok being crated because, after today, she doesn't have a choice. She's gonna have some boot camp coming to her. What's funny is that my husband and I have recently been discussing new furniture. Ours is still in great shape, but I'm thinking ahead to the next thing. My friend who, ironically enough, is the one who kept Peaches for me was looking at $2000 leather sofas yesterday in town. She also has Fifty (if any of you remember him... another former foster of mine and for sure a one dog wrecking crew) and I cannot imagine it. My husband and I were saying that we will probably get a couple of cheap futons and embellish them with nice coverings and some pillows. Peaches has reaffirmed my decision to buy CHEAP furniture in the future. I was feeling pretty lucky that our nice stuff lasted so long, but now I don't think I want the stress of having to worry about nice furniture when I know I'm always going to have dogs... and probably knuckleheads at that. :x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 aww sorry that peaches is acting up but it sounds like a good plan you have there with kenneling her and getting some boot camp back in to her.!! keep us updated on how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nadooshkinz Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 setting boundaries is definitely a good idea, she has to learn it the hard way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackieMaya Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I bet she won't want to have a sleepover at your friends any more! Hopefully the "boot camp" will work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Debbie Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 H.F I'm sure you'll have Peaches back in line in no time at all !! :wink: I can't believe your friend though is going out and buying leather furniture with a destructo dog in house........ :o Personally I think Leather is cold/slippery in the winter and sticky in the summer.......leather to me is right up there with satin sheets..... :P Even my SUV has upolstered seats........ :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Matty Posted January 26, 2005 Share Posted January 26, 2005 I was watching a show called "Good Dog" on TV and they were getting a Dalmatian to stop chewing this childs teddy bears and stuff. What the guy did was to dab a little bit of peppermint oil on all the items the dog was "allowed" to chew on. So, how it went was the little girl had hundreds of teddy bears (collects them) she selected a few for the Dal to chew. On the ones she selected they dabbed peppermint oil and when the dog took them in it's mouth she rewarded him and told him he was a good boy. Then she took an item he was not supposed to chew and when he put his mouth on it she said "no" and offered him the one that smelled like peppermint. The dog soon learned that any thing that smelled like peppermint was alright to go in mouth and chew on. Any thing without peppermint was not allowed in its mouth and it avoided them. As for the leather furniture, nightmare time :lol: I have friends who have to put things on the leather furniture before they leave the house. Their dogs are not chewers, but, they like the creature comforts of lieing on the furniture when parents arent home. The leather couch has nail marks and scratches from the dogs having gotten on a couple times. She will have to send the furniture back and get new couch and chair :roll: its kinda funny as she asked the store that she bought it from what the warranty is like and they said even if you pee on it you can bring it back in and well replace it :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cairn6 Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I have two footstools that Shadow demolished when my mother was watching him one day. She is a terrible sitter she falls asleep in the chair. I have learned my lesson don't trust mom not to go to sleep. That peppermint idea sounds good for Shadow. You know what is funny though I was just talking with someone the other day that Toto still loves toys but never touches my nieces stuffed animals. Shadow gets a hold of them but Toto has always seemed to know the difference. He'll hide them in different places and always remembers where each one is. During movies (I swear he only takes it out during movies)it's his squeaky yellow ball because Lord forbid we should watch a movie without squeaking. :lol: And no one knows where he hides it because he puts it in a different place everytime. Not even the other dogs have brought it out. I swear that dog is scary sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Kat Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 doh Peaches, silly pupper. Time out and boundaries being set will hopefully do the trick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtnek Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I think TV upsets dogs, like phones upset small kids (and some dogs) because it takes your attention away from them. My son, when small, could NOT stop interrupting a phone call, and Laurel cant stand it when I watch TV unless she can be up on the bed with her head in my lap. Peaches will be fine in her new regimen....she got spoiled at your friends, and is now "pushing her limits" to see where it will get her. Not uncommon in a spoiled dog. She just needs her rules redefined. since your friend let her get away with so much, she is now testing you to see how much you will give in on...."boot camp" is a good choice of discipline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__crazy_canine__ Posted January 30, 2005 Share Posted January 30, 2005 I agree that shes just testing her limits, but Im sure youll get it under control. Good luck with Peaches! Shes so lucky to be with you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefeathers! Posted January 31, 2005 Author Share Posted January 31, 2005 :madgo: :bad-words: I don't know what this gal's problem is lately! For months, she stayed in my house loose all day long and never bothered a thing. Now it's like she's leaking brain cells! The other morning, when I was getting ready for work :morning: , I heard something going rrrrrrrrrrrrrripppppppppp, zzzziiiiippppppppppp, sssssssssscrunch... I checked and Peaches was on MY bed (where she's not allowed due to boundary training) shredding MY bedding :eek3: !! My favorite squishy king sized foof blanket was flying off the bed in pieces as if it were being fed through a shredder. AARRRRRRGHHHHHHHH! :bigcry: I don't know what her deal is lately! Matty, that's really clever about the peppermint thing, but I honestly don't think Peaches is confused as to what's acceptable to chew on and what's not. I mean, I truly think she knows that she's not supposed to be chewing up the furniture, but I can't understand why, after all these months here, she's going nutso. She's doing SO well in other aspects (no more of the dog aggression she had begun displaying), but now this ripping things up business... I just don't get it. There are puh-lenty of toys and chewies here and she usually makes good use of them. She's still in lockdown when we're not home. She no longer gets free run of the house when no one is there to monitor her. She's getting a very tough lesson in boundaries and behavior. It's such a shame because she has always been so trustworthy left alone in the house for several hours at a time until now. Could it be that my friend "ruined" Peaches? Maybe it's just that Peaches has been here long enough now for her "true" self to be showing? She's still lovable and affectionate and is not acting differently otherwise... it's just this destructo phase she's going through that has me puzzled (and admittedly frustrated). It's nothing we can't deal with and she's certainly not the worst thing we've ever encountered. I'm just puzzled at the seemingly sudden "rebellion." :niewiem: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_Matty Posted January 31, 2005 Share Posted January 31, 2005 HF your a saint to be taking on this challenge of retraining peaches. :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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