I think I need to get rid of Stew...UPDATE!

[Jess & Stewart]

I haven't posted on here in awhile. Long story short, Stew has been really great lately, UNTIL YESTERDAY. He's out of the crate in the mornings, I have a tall baby gate up, the dog walker puts him in after their walk and he's fine until I come home. He barely notices when I leave. He'd been so good lately that I hadn't been recording him. He'd been listening, happy, fun,.playful, snuggly, just getting to be a great dog etc. 

I have an appt with our trainer next week because he's been really stubborn with his harness and come He just sits or lays down and doesn't move at all towards me, then when he comes he tries to bite the harness and isn't very cooperative. But I didn't need the guarding or separation anxiety addressed. 

Yesterday, I get home and my dog walker's note said that he was the on the other side of the gate and opened my bedroom door and grabbed a pair of shoes but didn't chew them. Nothing else seemed out of place. This morning when I leave, Stew was on guard, wasn't his usual aloof self. Made sure the gate was latched/locked shut and put something heavy in front of my bedroom door. 

Get to work and open the app website, Stew isn't in my living room and there's someone in my apt!! I freaked out, then realized it was maintenance guys installing my dishwasher. I rewind the feed and Stew JUMPED over my 41' tall baby gate. Apparently maintenance talked to another Jess with a dog, that dog was going to be put in the bedroom. So when they saw stew got into my bedroom, they just shut the door. 

I freaked out, called my landlord and said I didn't know people would be in my apt and could they please put stew in his crate like last time. Landlord says they will. They don't, then they leave and i can't see what Stew's getting into. So I was in panic mode until my dog walker could get there at 10:30. 

Dog walker got him and took him out and I asked her to assess the damage. I'm freaking out that he chewed clothes, my moving boxes I had piled up etc. 

I really can't take all this worrying and stress. Stew's been SO great, no issues for months now he started this again. It really affects me and I had just stopped worrying and thought this was our new normal and he'd just continue being a great dog. I'm so jealous of you all with minimal issues--I feel like I put so much into Stew and wanted him so badly and he's the worst dog I've ever encountered with weird issues. I wish all my family who had dogs and mocked me for it (i have one & you don't) had issues while I had the 'good' dog. Sigh.   Of course, after all that freaking out, Stew didn't chew anything, just saw a shirt I wore yesterday on the floor when I got home. Closet door was open. He also barked when I tried on my new pair of jeans & I asked how they looked. That stinker. I got to the hardware store & got hook/eye closures. We'll see if they work.

[Jess & Stewart]

I just wrote a huge post then an ad popped up & I lost it ALL! Bummer, but I don't have time to re type it all. The gist was sometimes we all need to write a crazy venting post without feeling like we'll get cross examined online. I get everyone gets passionate, sees fiery red but in the end it's a personal opinion post after being frustrated. We've all had those days & my landlord certainly heard from me. They're trying to suck up now but I turned them down.

Well it ended with I'm fitting the fluffy nutty guy with a life jacket & taking him swimming. He'll probably be a better swimmer than me, it doesn't take much HA!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Jess, I think many of us have been with you from the beginning with Stew and just want to see you succeed. That's all. Believe me when I tell you there are days I could post I want to rehome Fudge and Vern because they are driving me nuts, but most people on this site know my humor and wouldn't take me seriously. We know you less well (is that bad English? LOL) and have seen your many posts of concern and frustration with Stew and take you more seriously and when you title a post that you are considering getting rid of Stew, many of us feel a need to offer advice because we care about Stew and you. This is the fiercest bunch of dog lovers around and we care so much about these Doodles that we just want to help. We also probably have years and years of dog experience between all of us and hope you take the time to re-read the good advice you have gotten here and take some of it to heart. I will tell you the same think I would tell my daughters....sometimes, experience and age  means you know some good stuff! LOL Swimming is a great idea. Vern and Fudge went this morning and are still sleeping. Just try and enjoy Stew. I think he sounds like a unique, smart, inquisitive, and awesome dog!!!

[DJ & Chance]

Jess, you need to expect people to react if you talk about getting rid of your dog on this site, even if you are just venting.  The phrase in the title of your post alarmed many of us.  

A good strategy for venting, as Karen and Laurie point out, is to write it all down and then put it away in a drawer for at least 24 hrs. No one will "cross-examine" you that way, either.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Rosemary!!

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

:)

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Laurie, right on all counts.  Thanks for expressing it so well.  

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Thanks, Cheryl!

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

This might be just me but when my doodles destroy something or create a mess in general I generally crate them and then just got sit on my bed and read the Puppy madness discussions because for anything that my doodles have done there is a doodle who has done just that or something else to make me laugh. Someone said it before but they are goofy dogs who don't mean any harm. I came home one day and Loki had chewed a down comforter and there were feathers literally everywhere.mind you I had literally boughten it the previous afternoon. He had been gated in the kitchen and had the cone of shame on so how he did is so beyond me. He however was so excited to show me what he did- great... Anyways after calming down and shedding some tears and taking a breather it seemed more managable. After reading how others handle things and hearing everyone's stories I generally feel confident and more able to calmly take control of the situation. My one doodle is extremely sensitive to people's emotions around him so taking a breather is something that has helped out a lot. Good luck to you.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Good advice, Jessica. Sometimes when my dogs drive me nuts on a walk and pull me into one too many groundhog holes, I go to a movie :) Life seems better after I eat my popcorn and enjoy a couple of hours away from them. LOL

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

Movie and books too! And I know what you mean about walks! I've only just started to get Loki under control and now having moose we are basically back to square one sometimes and then I just need a mini break :)

[Camilla and Darwin]

I love this advice Laurie. Darwin is 6 and he will still loot the garbage can if he gets the chance. He also loves finding tissues and always magically finds socks no matter how well we hide them. Our solution is to keep the garbage up when we are gone, hide the tissues and keep the socks tucked away as best we can. They are just normal dog quirks and they make Darwin the goofy lovable dog that he is. :-)

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I think Darwin and Vern are related. Vern thinks Kleenex are the best snack around.