Hi , My puppy name is Megan, she is a English lab, I have a lot of issue about her, she always wants to find something to chew or grab. I was thinking all the time , How my puppy to stop to grab something or chew and sometimes jumping,, She really drive me crazy. Especially when I was tired just got home from work. My shift is early in the morning, I do as much as I can to play her. even I was so tired. Is there any good like a DIY to used a spray to our furniture? so that she wont chew it . Please share. She always grab my slippers. sometimes she run and never listen ..please share the easiest way.. thank you.. cheers, Amei
Hi @WINTER-MEGAN Lots of issues going on Amei with your puppy. I believe she is eating your furniture while you are at work. You can teach your puppy to be comfortable in a crate. If she stays in a crate, then she can't eat the furniture. Here is a link to some instructions. https://thehappypuppysite.com/crate-training-a-puppy/ You will NOT be able to leave your puppy in a crate for extended periods of time. How long will you be away from your home? I think the other issues of taking your slippers is that she wants you to play with her. I realise you are tired when you get home from work. She is happy to see you. Show her how you would like her to play with you. Buy a tug toy and play with your dog. Let her chew on the tug toy while you animate the tug toy. Cue the puppy to sit. When the dog sits she can't jump up. Reward the dog for staying in a sit. Also put a houseline on your dog while you are monitoring her. Use the houseline to re-drect her away from the furniture.
Amei - like Michael says, you need to create an area for the puppy where there simply are no 'wrong' choices to be made, so that the pup can be left in that area when you are busy or when you are out. If you are out only 3-4 hours at a time, this could be a crate. If you go out longer than that, then you will need to get a puppy playpen which is sturdy enough for a labrador pup. I think it would also help to have more buster cubes; Kong Wobblers; PetStages DogWood chews; deer antlers (till the adult teeth are in) and other great products like this, to keep her busy without destroying the furniture.
Hi Michael, I appreciate your advice very much. I am not home like 12 hours 5 days a week from my puppy. because of work schedule including driving, Yes, I always wanted her to know MEGAN, that I love her and even a little time want her to feel that I never ignored her. She is not my first dog , I have an AMERICAN YELLOW LA her name is (MAGGIE). But she needs to put sleep because she got tumor and its bleeding inside in her body, she is 11yrs 1/2 when that time she have tumor. She just past away 4 months ago. I don't have problem about her because I am not working that time . I always at home but this time I'm always away from MEGAN. that is the difference. I feel bad but we need to do. what we gonna do. I know is very complicated for MEGAN. That's why when I'm off I give my time to her as much as I can. There is another one thing MEGAN sister die because she refused to eat that's is what I got inform from the breeder. and hereditary kidney. So I feel kind of upset because when I was looking for a puppy they advertise that they are in good health. So I was assuming that maybe MEGAN is feeling ill because of pain sometimes kidney. When I was at the vet, the vet said she is ok no kidney issue found. But I'm still worried. That's why I join here to get an advice. And share what issue I got from MEGAN. Thank you very much once again to your advice..
Hi Jo, Thank you for your advice, speaking of deer antlers. well I have one at home. I keep on eye MEGAN if she is not on her create, I don't want her put all the time on create. well she get used of it now. I love this forum you can learn a lot of stuff how did you take care of your puppy cheers thank you, Amei
Hi @WINTER-MEGAN Sorry to hear about your other dog. You cannot put a puppy in a crate for 12 hours while you are at work. And you cannot put a puppy in a playpen for 12 hours unsupervised. Your dog is a social animal. She needs human company to develop. You also must socialise while she is between 8 and 16 weeks of age. The only positive thing I can propose is that you hire a puppy walker to come in and walk her and play with your dog twice a day while you are at work. The dog walker should know something about socialisation. If you cannot do this, then I recommend you put your puppy up for adoption to a good family. I realise this is harsh. I don't wish to be. You are already experiencing problems with the dog. They will get worse unless you do something about it now.
I totally agree with Michael. Dogs are social animals and they have needs. Puppies, especially, need company and training and TIME. If you don't have these to give a puppy, then don't get one. Wait until you do. That might sound harsh advice, but I really believe in putting the dog's needs first and being a voice for the dog and their position in things. My advice would be to return the puppy to the breeder whilst she is still young enough to be able to benefit from human company and companionship and whilst she is still desirable, as a puppy. Any good breeder would not have sold a puppy to someone who is going to be away from the house for 12 hours....
HI Gentleman, well . speaking of not supposed to be alone the puppy. its night time. my shift is night time. and that time she is sleeping...and even I mentioned that to the vet, She said its ok, night time,,,so speaking also a good family, she is in good hands,,, and she is like 6 months old now .. so any advice for that. I is only on the create if Im at work but if I m home she is all over inside the house.. Like queen in the CASTLE,,, cheers
Hi @WINTER-MEGAN I now understand better your circumstances, albeit not completely I understand that the dog is sleeping in the crate at night while you are at work. That is a better arrangement, except that 12 hours in the crate even over night is too long. Eight hours is the absolute limit on how much time a dog may be crated at one time. Your vet is simply wrong There are additional concerns. Your puppy is awake during the day while you understandably need to go to bed yourself. The dog needs to be trained and have humans as company during the day when she is awake. In all likelihood she is chewing things because she is bored. She needs to be stimulated during the day. The jumping is probably resulting from her attempt to get attention from you when you up. That does not mean it is right, but it may explain her motivation. I appreciate that when she is a senior dog she will sleep much of the day. But at the moment she is a very young dog, who needs lots of training, guidance and companionship. It may be the case that while you sleep during the day, there is someone else who can train and be with your dog. Is that so? If that is the case, then we will try to come up with some solutions. But if that is not the case, then I have to be advocate for the dog. The arrangements as you have described them so far are not appropriate for your dog. You either have get a a trainer to come to your home each working day, give up the dog, or take her to day care each working day, where she will receive some training. In two of those scenarios you will need to get someone to come to your home to let your dog out of the crate after 8 hours have elapsed.
Night time is often a difficult time for puppies - we get many posts on the forum here from people saying their puppy is barking in the crate at night or has toileted in their crate at night - and people need to be on-hand and available to respond (and hopefully then prevent!) this from happening. It's not really possible to do that, if you are not at home. If the pup is barking in the crate, will you even know? And, as Michael says, 12 hours is too long for a pup to be crated - even overnight. Few humans even sleep 12 hours(!). And again, as Michael points out, when you are then home in the day and the pup needs a lot of input, socialisation and training - you are sleeping. How can you meet this puppy's needs?
Hi again, OK, this is my arrangement... I am not here to have an aggravation ..Im here to share my experience to my dog.. First when I left at home I have a recorder and cam for here,, who do you think wants to waste time to left a cam and recoreder and stereo for the dog.. Can you tell me that please....
@WINTER-MEGAN I'm not sure you understand the points being made... You seem to think that your intentions and how you feel about the dog are what matter. Your intentions and how you feel only matter if they impact on what you do and on the dog's experience. You can love the dog 100% and have only good intentions and set up 80 video cameras on the dog, taking a long time to get it all working.... and the puppy is still left alone for 12 hours. It makes no difference how many cameras you have, what you are recording or whether you leave music on - the puppy is still alone. A stereo is not a replacement for a person or for contact with a person. Heck, my dogs don't even recognise my voice when I talk to them via video, so they are not going to be much reassured by a stereo. There is no replacement for your time and attention and for contact with you - not 55,000 video cameras or a stereo...
I agree with Jo. You might have bought the most expensive stereo to play Mozart to your dog, but it is irrelevant. The time you are expecting the dog to stay in the crate is too long. I have not set out to aggravate you. And although I don't speak for Jo, neither has she. You dislike our message. Please put aside your feelings and emotions, and think of the welfare of the dog. If you intend on keeping your dog, then please find a better solution than crating your dog for 12 hours in one stretch. And please consider finding a trainer who will come to your home each day to train and spend time with your dog.
