Pupster’s getting his big-boy pants
My pup is getting older and is testing limits everyday. He is slowly ensuring that he will never have freedom to run the house. At our house, we have a dog door that goes to a screened porch and a dog door from the porch to the yard. This arrangement should be ideal for a well-behaved dog (such as our elder dog). He can come and go as he pleases and no need for us to rush home because he has to pee.
Now the pup is a different story. After he was sufficiently potty trained, we let him have run of the house and yard while we were gone.
The problem: He dug six foot trenches in our backyard.
The solution: We close off access to the yard and let him free in the house (he was potty trained). Nope, then the game was (and I am not making this up) to move the couch into the center of the living room; or pull the Oriental rug out from under the coffee table; or dig up all the house plants.
Solution 2: Pupster is now crated during the day. No problems with this plan, except that sad look he gives us in the morning.
Latest problem: We have new neighbors who have two pre-teenage sons. And they have a boxer puppy. The sons were playing catch while their puppy was going potty. Then my pup hops over our fence for a little visit. My pup isn’t mean or violent, he just wanted to play with the boys and the pup. However, he is an intimidating looking dog so this is a problem. The boys had no problem with it and actually liked my dog.
Latest solution: We broke out the old shock collar. We gave up on the shock collar in the past because it didn’t phase him. We’d apply the zap! and he didn’t care. So, I broke out the instruction manual last night and discovered the collar had a level setting. Woohoo! We’re in business. The elder dog was easily trained on setting one. The pup started responding on setting six (it only goes to eight). Now, when he places his paws near the fence, he gets a little zzztt!
Now, if he’d just realize how much happier he (and I) would be if he would behave, we could get through this. I don’t ask much. Just don’t destroy stuff, don’t dig, and stay in the yard. Mind you the elder dog has figured all this out and can pretty much come and go at his leisure.
