Puppy vent!

[roliepolieoliefan]

Not fair to yell at him... if he wasn't being watched, he had no way of knowing not to do it. Sounds like he was out of sight/out of mind... always dangerous with puppies. Like small children -- if there's silence, they're probably up to no good.

Agreed! It wasn't the puppy's fault he chewed up your bras it was yours for not watching him. He's a baby and doesn't know any better.

You shouldn't be mad at the puppy be mad at yourself.

I'm not saying I've ever not lost track of my pups and they chewed something, it has happened , but I was annoyed at myself not the pup. Withholding treats and affection isn't teaching that pup anything. Or showing him what he chewed up and saying no. He doesn't have a clue. As others have said you need to catch him in the act. If you can't watch him crate him. Or what I would do is put my pup on a long leash and tie it around my waist. Then I knew where she was at all times.

 

[kirbsam]

My frigginfraggin puppy got into my laundry basket and completely tore up three of my bras. I'm well-endowed and these were my best bras, costing about $60 each. I am furious! That little butthead better stay out of my way for a while.

***Disclaimer - I am not going to physically harm him, but I certainly will give him a piece of my mind and I will not be giving him any treats!

well endowed??? hmmm

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I love my pets, but I'd be annoyed too. Hopefully he learns better quickly. And I think showing him the remains of the bra, and saying no in a firm voice does give him a clue that it's bad.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Ah puppies. So cute and fun and so much to learn!

I love my pets, but I'd be annoyed too. Hopefully he learns better quickly. And I think showing him the remains of the bra, and saying no in a firm voice does give him a clue that it's bad.

Unfortunately it really doesn't work that way. You have to keep a watchful eye on them when they are loose if they are not trained. Then, if you catch them chewing on ANYTHING that they are not supposed to firmly tell them no, take away the object and (here's the key) replace it with what you do want them to chew on and when they start chewing on it praise them highly. And make certain that they have lots of their own chew toys available at all times since it's a part of nature for puppies to chew. And when they go for their own chew toy - again give them lots of praise. This and puppy proofing until they are older and have learned what is ok will go a long ways toward saving lots of $$$'s and headaches.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Thankfully Eragon and Matthias are not chewers, but Schnitzel (my parents' dog) is.

The list of things that dog has chewed is endless:

-Several masks my to my mom's CPAP machine
-Multiple pairs of glasses
-Many watches (he loves the leather bands)
-My Bachelor's Degree
-Shoes
-Many pairs of earphones
-Books
-Earrings
-Necklaces

The list goes on. We do our best to dog proof the house, but all it takes is one slip. One time for mom's door not to shut all the way and there goes her CPAP mask and a pair fo headphones. Leave your watch on the table for two seconds and down the hatch it goes. Back when he stayed in the kitchen instead of the hallway, the cats would knock things off the counter for him to chew. We have caught them in the act.

 

[HunnyPots]

Nope, unless he's caught in the act, nothing you say or do will mean a thing to that puppy. You'll just a have a puppy that feels confused and rejected. Just make sure he has plenty of toys he can take his chewing needs out on and keep him out of things he shouldn't chew. He'll soon outgrow it. And admit it - he's awfully cute even if he destroys your property!

 

[watersbland]

ugh... I can definately sympathize with your situation. When our german shepherd was a puppy he really tried our nerves. Picture the scenes from Marley and Me where he was a puppy and being destructive! That's how Jackson was and it would come and go in spells. His worst habbit was digging holes in the backyard. I tried every approach I could think of and was even lucky enough to catch him in the act several times and reprimanded him with a big loud "NO, BAD DOG". He would always sulk away like he knew he was being a bad boy but that didn't stop him from going at it the next time we let him out. Fortunately he hasn't dug any for the past 6 months or so and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it was just a puppy thing. I do have to say that even though he tried us at every angle, he is the most intelligent dog I've ever had and has become a wonderful companion. So, just hang in there. With most dogs, they just need to get through that puppy phase. If done properly, it is definately a full time job training a puppy to become a well manered dog. Best of luck with the rest of his puppy days!

 

[daisax]

I love my pets, but I'd be annoyed too. Hopefully he learns better quickly. And I think showing him the remains of the bra, and saying no in a firm voice does give him a clue that it's bad.

As far as he's concerned, he'll know you're mad and you're shaking the bra around. He may well decide you're mad at the bra.

Other than when you catch them in the act, "no" is too abstract a term for a dog to understand.

 

[MichelleVW]

I love my pets, but I'd be annoyed too. Hopefully he learns better quickly. And I think showing him the remains of the bra, and saying no in a firm voice does give him a clue that it's bad.

uh yeah...it may make the dog feel bad, but he would be have no idea why he feels bad.

Nope, unless he's caught in the act, nothing you say or do will mean a thing to that puppy. You'll just a have a puppy that feels confused and rejected. Just make sure he has plenty of toys he can take his chewing needs out on and keep him out of things he shouldn't chew. He'll soon outgrow it. And admit it - he's awfully cute even if he destroys your property!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Sigh. When our GSD was a puppy she chewed her way through several pairs of my shoes, including a pair of Coach shoes and several Naturalizers. Other things were chewed -like antique furniture - but they could be repaired (more or less). As the GSD was the DH's idea and chewed things up when he SHOULD have been watching her, but was busy with computer games, DH eventually did a silly thing.

He told me to go out and buy myself a purse. Any purse - it didn't matter how expensive the purse was, I could have any purse I wanted.

DH had experience at that point in his life with Coach and Dooney & Burke purses. He was thinking several hundred dollars.

I bought an LV backpack from eluxury.com.

To his credit, DH didn't say a word to me, just sucked it up and paid for the purse with a smile.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

As far as he's concerned, he'll know you're mad and you're shaking the bra around. He may well decide you're mad at the bra.

Other than when you catch them in the act, "no" is too abstract a term for a dog to understand.

I disagree, it's always seemed to teach my pets. The cat even knows that she's not allowed to go after birds, just mice.

 

[5 'LIL *TWINKERS*]

I got my new puppy, Lollybell, yesterday. She is a tiny thing. I keep her in our old baby playpen with lots of chewable baby toys and hanging toys(they hang by the baby plastic links). She is doing really well so far. Her favorite thing is her doggy brush. Some of the bristles are gone already

She happily has 5 kiddos ready and willing to play for awhile and then right back in her playpen. Her crate, with comfy warm bed is in there too.
I know if I let her have the run of the house, she would be chewing up everything!

 

[edandcolleen1995]

Agreed! It wasn't the puppy's fault he chewed up your bras it was yours for not watching him. He's a baby and doesn't know any better.

You shouldn't be mad at the puppy be mad at yourself.

I'm not saying I've ever not lost track of my pups and they chewed something, it has happened , but I was annoyed at myself not the pup. Withholding treats and affection isn't teaching that pup anything. Or showing him what he chewed up and saying no. He doesn't have a clue. As others have said you need to catch him in the act. If you can't watch him crate him. Or what I would do is put my pup on a long leash and tie it around my waist. Then I knew where she was at all times.

Someone needs a timeout! Relax Rolie, the OP was just venting. No need to act like that..

 

[Liberty Belle]

Maybe your DH put him in there so you would have to run around without a bra from now on!

lol He wouldn't have had to go to that trouble. It's the first thing that comes off when I get home.

 

[PatsGirl]

wow, after these stories I'm thinking my new kittie is an angel

I guess my puppies (I've had six dogs in my life) weren't real chewers, the worst they did was get into the garbage or jump out of the truck at a stop sign Now... the kitten, that's another story, to say that he is mischevious would be an understatement

 

[Liberty Belle]

Unless you catch the dog red-handed (er...pawed) in the act of chewing the bra, yelling at him will do absolutely NOTHING. Witholding treats (or affection) will also DO NOTHING. Dogs do not process info like humans do. Yell "No" if you catch the dog chewing and immediately remove the object and replace it with a suitable toy he is permitted to chew.

If you find items chewed up after the fact...there is NOTHING you can do to punish the dog. They will not understand why they are being reprimanded or punished.

As the owner, OP, you have a responsibility to set your puppy up for success by puppy-proofing the house like you would for a toddler. Electrical outlet guards, removal of all chewable items, close doors to rooms he doesn't need to or isn't allowed in to.

I'd be miffed at the lil gut too...but more mad at myself for leaving clothes where he could get to them. Buy him so good chew toys.

I'm not sure how he got in my closet. It has bi-fold doors, so I guess he just wiggled his nose in and went at it.

Yes, we have puppy-proofed as much as we can, but we also have two children and sometimes things get left out. None of us are perfect, but I still think we're responsible puppy owners and deserve a puppy.

And, no I would not yell at him after the fact. He'd have no idea what I was upset about.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Someone needs a timeout! Relax Rolie, the OP was just venting. No need to act like that..

Sorry don't need a timeout. I taught dog and puppy obedience classes for many years and it annoys me when people get mad at a dog and puppy because it does something bad when it is truely the owners fault.

Maybe she was just venting, but I had 2 puppies in my classes electricute themselves from chewing on cords because the owners weren't watching them. So sorry if I'm a little sensitive on the subject.

I had to call the owners to find out why they weren't in class for a couple weeks to find out their tragic story. Its very sad. And it obviously can happen. So please watch your pups, if you can't, pen them somewhere so they can't get into anything.

 

[Katieinwonderland]

My "puppy" is actually a two year old cat that chews EVERYTHING! Just this past week, he chewed through the straps on a new pair of flip flops, the spaghetti straps on dress, the laptop cable and, most annoying, a hundred dollar bill! He's fast asleep right now, looking innocent and adorable...

 

[Liberty Belle]

Someone needs a timeout! Relax Rolie, the OP was just venting. No need to act like that..

Thank you.

I decided to ignore.

 

[JR6ooo4]

and don't believe that saying "that you should not scold a dog if the damage was done a while ago. they say dogs don't remember more than 20 minutes"

Not true (with our smart one at least). If she gets into something at midnight... then I come downstairs in the morning... she will not follow as usual. She remembers that she is going to be in trouble.

Mikeeeee