Wednesday, October 22, 2008

What the....?!

So last night Josh and I left the house for about 2 1/2 hours. The dogs have been really good inside for the last week or so (Ace has some speration anxiety issues and chews on things anytime we leave him)...so we decided to leave them inside last night and just puppy proof (which means getting everything off the coffee table and end tables, covering the dvd shelf so they don't eat the movies ect.). So we got home and go inside and find that the dogs have torn our couch apart! Ok...not the whole couch....but they tore the front pannel of one os the arms! There was stuffing everywhere and the wood is showing and everything! We were soooo pissed. I'm almost to the point that the dogs have to go. I love them...but one of them isn't even ours, and I just can't keep living this way. I have a soft spot for animals (especially my own pets), and I don't think I can feel good about just giving them to a random family....but my HELL! They have eaten countless pairs of shoes, ruined our coffee table, torn up our back yard, torn up shirts and underwear, ruined many Dvd's, and Ace likes to chew the plugs off of any lamps he can get to. So what do I do? I love my dogs...but they tear our house apart...and we'er outnumbered 3-2! But I don't know if I could handle getting rid of them (my heart might be too soft for that). Any dog training advise?
The quilty culprits: Ace and Wolfie looking guilty.
The less than adiquite "babysitter": Alex asking "what the hell was I supposed to do? Stop them?"

3 comments:

Holly said...

Get a REALLY big/warm insulated doghouse and put them outside! That way you can keep them and still live in peace. When Izzy was first little she was outside. We hooked up a heater in her house so she stayed warm. If you started now they would be okay through the winter.

Chelsi said...

I know how frustrating and destructive dogs can be. My big dobi can be a nightmare if left to her own devices, and up til last May we had two big dobi's tearing up our house and yard (we lost our other dog in May in an accident and are still so sad). The thing that I think helps the most is to make sure the dogs get a lot of exercise. A tired dog is a docile dog...especially if you have more than one. I am a big fan of biking with my dog, cause she gets tired way fast. I would bike with both of my dobermans, so I think you could do it with three yorkies...maybe. Or, if you have a treadmill you can actually hook them up and teach them to run on the treadill, that tires them out fast too. We use this technique as well when we don't have time to bike or run or walk. The other thing that has really helped my dog be entertained are those Kong toys that you can load with treats. The dogs have to chew and push the toys around to get the treats to fall out and it takes them awhile, this way they are entertained for a couple of hours, get excercise from playing, and focus their chewing. Another thing we have done is rigged up a treat to a string and tied it to a branch in a tree in our backyard that is almost out of Ripsi's reach. She has to jump over and over again before she can finally grab the bone and snap the string. It is another way to entertain her for awhile and tire her out. When Ripsi is in the house she is regulated to a single area that is totally dogproof (either the kitchen or the unfinished basement) where she doesn't have access to anything other than toys and stuff she can chew on. Oh- and if you don't want them to ever chew shoes again you can take a pair of tennis shoes and tie them around their necks so they can't get the shoes off and have to drag them around with them for two or three days. They will never go near your shoes again.
Sorry for the long post...I just figured I'd throw all my ideas out there. Good Luck.

~Our Family~ said...

Hi!

I know what you mean! Dogs are in many ways like having kids! LOTS OF WORK!! I have a Maltese that is 1 1/2 and she still acts like a puppy! Shoes, baby toys, decorations, underwear (yuck), fabric, garbage and a whole lot of other things I won't mention! I asked my vet one day in desperate need of help, what to do. It sounds so odd but until they can get out of that puppy stage (which some dogs never do, unfortantley) to put lemon on anything you don't want ruined. Of course this doesn't help with all the problems but if there is certain things that are safe to lemon juice on, I highly advice it. They hate the taste bc of course it's so sour. Then there is always the gates that are big and round. They us them for babies but they work well for dogs when you need to leave for awhile and can't puppy prof everything! http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8457890
Good luck!