When does it STOP!

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Okay are supposed have phased out of the puppy age, both girls are two and a half, but at what point does this stop???? 

Clearly someone(s) does not like the fact mommy is no longer on vacation and spending 24/7 with them and grandma is failing as a stand in! 

Ever since I've come back to work we've come home to something, up till now it's been something from the backyard but today one of them climbed over the dog crate and pulled things from the shelf.  Some of it was on the shelf below the top of the crate level so I have no idea how they got that????

NEVER have I had dogs so destructive.  And we were doing so good??

Josie is acting very guilty, when we walk in before we say a word the ears go back, tail tucks and she flees the scene of the crime.  Sassparilla on the other hand grabs a toy and is ready to play (butt wiggling, snorting and yeah mommies home see my toy, see my toy while shoving it in my face)?? 

I feel like Josie is the guilty party here because Sassy is always with a toy or ball in her mouth so I'm thinking of just crating Josie tomorrow, what are your thoughts?  Sassy I know has the separation issues and just freaks when the crate door closes behind her but Josie seems fine with it.  I'm wondering if Josie has Separation anxiety too and I just haven't clued into it or Sassy is stressing her out??  I'm hoping Sassy won't try to free her?  My daughter gets home at 1-2 pm and can let her out?  In all fairness I should have listened more closely to her given name; Nosie Josie! That nose is forever into something and she is a scavenger.

So do you think it's safe to crate one and not the other?  Should I wait and do a test run this weekend?  I need a nanny cam to see who the culprit is! lol

[Doug, Micki, Dawson & Mya]

Every time we leave, we crate Mya while Dawson has the run of the house. For exactly the same problems that you are having. As long as Josie doesn't mind being crated, give it a try. If you come home to a clean house, you'll know who the culprit was. While Dawson might counter-surf for food if left out, Mya counter-surfs for food, utensils, cell phones (did I mention I'm on my fourth one?), etc..... Anything that looks exciting to a doodle, she snatches and carries off to the dining room for further examination. Mya is a sleeper, so she doesn't seem to mind being crated for four hours or so while were gone. In fact, she sometimes goes in her crate by herself to take naps.....

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Awesome it's good to hear it can potentionally work.  Josie is a doodle with greyhound (according to the dna test) so she is supposed to have a lazy gene in her.  When we are home we can find Josie curled up someplace; couch, crate, under the tables, in the bend of my knees, and when it's cold at my moms feet on her heating blanket! lol  I'm anxious to get a report from my daughter when she gets home.  If it's Sassparilla I have a new set of problems because she can't be crated, we've tried and tried but I'm just terrified she'll hurt herself. 

We had a guy come over to work one on one (claims to be a behavior trainer and came highly recommended), we didn't get far, actually I still have 1.5 hours left on my prepaid account.  He insists dogs with anxiety need to be crated but everyone I've run across who live it all say it's even more tramatic on the poor dog. 

Personally, I still don't fully get the crating.  I understand dogs are den animals but with dens they can come and go.  Crates you are trapped inside?

My next course of action if Sassparilla is the problem is putting the crate in front of the doggie door inside the house then they can come in so far and have the backyard to destroy?  Under the circumstances I think it's a fair compromise and hopefully they won't feel locked out and whine, cry and bark all day??

Wish me luck! Ü

[Kelly & Zoe]

I agree with you on crating for long periods of time.  I'm not really a 'full crate when I'm not around' type of person.   I'd prefer simply to confine to a small puppy-proofed space. We have puppy-proofed the area we confine Zoe to during the day - and she has access to the backyard via dog doors, so that was our approach, and so far, other than picking at the carpet (bitter spray or no!) she hasn't been destructive.  Good luck!

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Sadly, this room is supposed to be our puppy safe place! lol  They are confined to the back room that leads to the backyard.  They were horribly desctructive in the beginning then we somehow phased out of it and this room has been fine as it is. 

Over the Christmas break we met my sister and her dog in Oregon and everyday was doggie fun day (dog parks, beach walks, hikes, swimming at the lake, etc) they were full days and the girls were off leash most of the time to run.  Then we came home and mommy went back to work and our fun consist of evening neighborhood walks with weekend jonts to the dog beach/park (clearly not enough)!  I play catch with Sassy every night, she never stops (I'm allowed a dinner break and popcorn break that's it!)

Oh how they need me to be a stay at home mom but I gotta work and they just don't get it.  They are such the odd couple; Sassy could play ALL day EVERY day and Josie just wants to cuddle and lick you.

We clearly have to cover the shelf, blocking with the crate is not enough.  I hope we phase back out of this. 

[Kelly & Zoe]

Oh gosh - didn't realize this was already a puppy-proof zone!   Gah!  We noticed that on the weekends when we spend most of the day at a dog park - that following monday when we have to go to work, Zoe is a pill - all piss and vinegar - the early am walk is a disaster, and when we get home that night - she's relentless about wanting to play, zooming through the house.  Gets better the rest of the week, then the cycle starts again.  Last few weekends we stopped going to the dog park and just did long hikes (where she would meet up with one or 2 dogs at a time) which seemed to have a better Monday transition.  Hate to restrict the dog park activity - but it really affects her disposition the rest of the week.  Maybe when she's older we'll transition that back in.

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

LOL yeah I guess not puppy proof enough!  It's funny what they find and the determination they have to get it!  I'm still baffled on what they got from the backyard the three days prior, I'm 5'6" and the goodies came from my eye level in an empty huge flower pot? 

These two get the zoomies when I come home, it's pretty funny (and only me)? 

Sassy demands play time and retrieving from the moment I walk in, even from the bathroom.  My only break is to eat dinner and later eat popcorn but boy as soon as the last kernal is consumed the ball/toy is in my lap and she's staring at it waiting for it to fly down the hall.  I've positioned the couch so I can toss it the full length of the house and we play until bedtime.  This drives our company crazy, they find it very distracting but I just carry on. 

Our trips to the dog park are funny.  Sassy pays absolutely no attention to any dog or human the entire time, she is solely focused on her ball and me throwing it.  Josie on the other hand looks for the runners, chasing them and distracting them so they lose focus on what they are doing.  Other dog owners aren't thrilled because their dogs lose track of the balls they are chasing and the owner has to walk over and get it! lol  When not chasing another dog she is chasing Sassy biting her ears and butt trying to get her to drop the ball.  Then there is always another dog close by who grabs her ball and runs away leaving us for the next 15-30 minutes trying to get it back.  Poor Sassy is so stressed during this period and the owners of the ball thief find it amusing!  Sassy has only gone Cujo a few times and that's when some dog tried to take her ball as she was bringing it back to me otherwise she looks at them with a sad look of hey, why are you taking my ball????

[Kelly & Zoe]

oh yeah, we get the Zoe Zoomies twice a day, and she's taken to doing them in the house more than in the backyard.  It's usually *after* the walk when I'd think she'd be tired.

Another thing my husband does is - we take empty plastic yogurt/margarine cartons and stack them up, nestling them with a few bits of kibble inside - keeps her occupied for a while.  We make it pretty hard to extract.  I'm posting a picture.

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Oh what a clever idea, so the ones stacked together have a prize in the middle?  I may have to try that.  When it comes to food Josie is all over it!

[Kelly & Zoe]

yeah, the ones smushed together have a few bits of kibble in the middle - makes a lot of noise.  hard to pull apart - we made it easy-ish at first then progressed to harder to get apart - might at least entertain them for some time anyway?

[Pilar, Sophie & Rico]

I know the feeling! My pup who is going to be 1 year is the one that can't be trusted! He steals and destroys within minutes. My solution is that if I can't watch him I have him in an area of the house that is gated. I gave up on crates when my older one caught her leg in it and hurt herself. It's my family room/ dinette area and I make sure that there are no pillows, remotes, placemats, door rug anything that I know he's already destroyed in the past! Only his chew toys and of course he takes the liberty of licking the whole glass dinette table and running on the sectional. Now when he does something naughty my older doodle will notice it look at me and act shameful. On the other hand he seems to always be ready to play. Love them! Good luck for us!!

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Sorry to hear about your older one, that is my fear too!  We need built in cupboards in this room then if they can't see it they won't go for it but I don't have the funding right now.  Time to get creative and maybe make a curtain door over the shelves?

I have a play pen straddled on the other end to keep them out of that stuff (computer/scrapbooking) and so far (knock on wood) it's working?

Sassy has a basket of toys that's why I don't think she's the culprit.  Josie on the other hand is not a toy dog.  We tried antlers and they shredded them into tiny splinters and they really scared me.  We may have to bring the kongs back out - Josie is a food hound!  We have the one that rolls around dropping kibble and the ones you stuff.

I don't know about you but my dogs get away with a whole lot more than my daughter did/does! lol

Wishing us good luck, and hoping they phase out of it sooner than later.

[Jolene, Sassparilla & Josie]

Well first day and the room remained clean and all belongins entact.  I'm not getting my hopes up yet, Sassparilla could be tramatized that her buddyis behind bars.  But so far it's not looking like Josie will be freed anytime soon!