Quote:
Originally Posted by WT Sharpe
Here's a partial list of the items the new dog has chewed up:
• The upholstered piano bench for my Clavinova that I use daily but managed to keep in mint condition for years.
• Every one of my shoes she can get a hold of.
• The shoulder strap on my knapsack I wear to work.
• One of the two canvas straps on my tool bag.
• My wife's favorite house shoes.
• My grandson's shoes.
• My Sennheiser HD 212Pro headphones.
In addition, she raids the garbage cans in the kitchen whenever she thinks I'm not watching. If I don't stop her, she'll have at least one rug covered in garbage.
The other night she jumped up on the counter and got into the homemade lasagna my wife made from scratch with fresh ingredients. She ended up throwing it out.
Norton's love has worn off. She plays too rough for him. She means well, but he's a little fellow.
She's very loving, but the rest of the family hates her, and I'm losing my patience. I think I'm going to have to find her a good home with a large fenced-in yard with a high fence (she jumps over ours). Either that, or find a new family for me.
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Tom - we had a similar problem with Stella - she grew SO fast and wanted to play SO roughly with the older cats - that they didn't like her at all. And she is destructive when she gets wired. But we love her and want to keep her. But surviving until she matures and slows down a little is tough.
Here's how we're dealing with the issue:
1. Crating - we have a large dog crate that I use as a kitten play pen or "time out" area. When she plays too roughly with the older cats or gets out of control, she's put in the crate for 20 - 30 minutes. Usually she takes a nap. And the rest of us get a respite.
2. Absolute rigid scheduling of events - so she learned when it was play time, feeding time, sleep time, etc.
3. I engage Stella in rough and energy consuming play activities - she's learned to fetch discs I fire through the house, plays with Nerf balls, etc. Sometimes the older cats join in - but usually just watch.
4. Protect the other pets - I monitor/listen for altercations - the older cats have learned to call me if Stella plays too rough. I used to have to always crate her, but now I just yell "Stella - go to your window!" - the deck door is her "time out" area - and she learned if she goes there and watches the birds, she won't get crated.
5. Put away fragile stuff - at least until her energy level drops a bit.
6. When she misbehave, divert her attention to an acceptable activity rather than just yelling at her all the time.
For rambunctious dogs:
1. Sign up for dog training classes - for both of you! Check at your local shelter/rescue organization.
2. Introduce crating.
3. Establish regular play times - with very strenuous activities to wear her out. Find a local dog park - where she can rough up dogs her own size.
It sounds like you all need some R&R to regain your perspectives - and make the correct decision for the entire family.