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  #31  
Old March 31st, 2011, 07:24 AM
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chico2 chico2 is offline
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Thor's pet,sounds good
It would help if you had shares in the Kong-making company
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  #32  
Old March 31st, 2011, 08:08 AM
Mirela Mirela is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thor's Pet View Post

He LOVES LOVES LOVES his new round kong...he's played with that by the hr today...and I'll admit, I fill it occasionally with his food(he was to busy playing that he forgot to eat during supper time...lol)...

Angie
Actually, there's nothing wrong with feeding his entire meal out of the kongs. Just fill them with his usual food mixed with a bit of PB or cream cheese or whatever he likes and makes the kibble stick to the kong and a bit more difficult to get out.
Or, mix the kibble with a bit of wet food or gravy or youghurt or soup or... and freeze before giving it to him ( will be kinda messy one thawed but it's a nice crate treat.
This is also a good idea once he starts teething.
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  #33  
Old March 31st, 2011, 09:58 AM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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Today will be the big test tho....as I work a day shift (10am-6pm) so he'll be alone from 9:20am, until 5pm(when the bf gets home).....so fingers crossed!lol
Angie
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  #34  
Old March 31st, 2011, 10:19 PM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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ooooooooooooooooooooooo Thor is lucky that he's a baby and that my bf knows I'd kick his butt if he so much as laid a hand on Thor...cause today, while he was home alone, he managed to chew right through the cord that allows my bf's xbox to go online....sigh.
Bf is now basically demanding we buy a cage and lock him up in it...
I told him I MIGHT be okay with it, IF it's a BIG cage....considering Thor will be spending HOURS in it....sigh.
He was doing SO good, why'd he have to go and ruin it!?
Maybe the bf is right...that a cage is the only way to save our home from going to crap...
Angie
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  #35  
Old March 31st, 2011, 10:39 PM
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Masha Masha is offline
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Originally Posted by Thor's Pet View Post
that a cage is the only way to save our home from going to crap...
Angie
When we bought our house, we didnt want 'new hard wood floors' and all the nice bells and whistles of a new/remodeled home... our friends were wondering why, but we told them 'we are about to get a puppy.... ' puppies will do bad things and get in trouble... one day you will laugh at it, i promise here is our 'house going to crap' story that we laugh at now (but i cried when it actually happened....)

one day when jermy was a pup, we decide he was a big enough of a boy to sleep outside the crate, he was a good boy several nights in a row, and then on saturday night, i guess he decided to entertain himself, he ripped the curtains, and when he was pulling at them he yanked the curtain rods out of the walls together with large chunks of dry wall... we had ripped curtains and big gaping holes in the walls.... that was after we spent the entire previous day finaly installing the rods, shortening and ironing the curtains and hanging it all...

we had to buy new curtains, shorten them, iron them, together with fixing holes in the drywall.... it was brutal... but now we laugh at it -- puppies will be puppies, thats why we love them
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  #36  
Old April 1st, 2011, 12:20 AM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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Oh if it was my house, I wouldn't care...lol...but it's not, it's an apartment...so essentially if he damages to much, I'll have a pretty big bill when I move out next march....on top of a big bill of having to buy our home then to...as the bf and I plan to buy a home when our lease it up in march next year.
Already told him my musts....all floors, no rugs(I HATE HATE HATE vaccuuming..lol...and I do it twice a day now...ugh) and a fenced in back yard for Thor...with a doggy door so he can come and go as he pleases...
Right now I have Thor on my left thigh sleeping(well his head anyways, body is on the couch) and I have my cat on the right thigh(well half of her, other half is on the couch)....and I look down, and I think of all the trouble they cause(cats like to break valuable things to...lol)....and you look down, and you can only think HOW do you stay mad at that???lol
I love my babies....but man....they're distroying my apartment...and the other cat(Tucker) has distroyed my couch....brand new couch has scratch marks on EVERY arm(it's a sectional) and EVERY corner...and I KNOW it wasn't Tiki(she'd declawed...not my choice, she came to me that way)...Tiki's biggest goof....breaking my FAVORITE vase....off the FOURTH shelf on my shelf....cause the 3 empty shelves below weren't enough don't ya know....lol
I love them all...but sometimes, they drive me bonkers!!!
But a house is not a home without a pet....or two...or three....haha
Angie
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  #37  
Old April 1st, 2011, 06:58 AM
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Masha Masha is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thor's Pet View Post
But a house is not a home without a pet....or two...or three....haha
Angie
or more
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  #38  
Old April 1st, 2011, 07:12 AM
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chico2 chico2 is offline
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Thor's pet,one thing we learned the hard way,a very long time ago cats/puppies don't work with drapes(don't like drapes to begin with)we have Roman Blinds on all our windows.
No tempting hanging cords anywhere and after years of damage fabric-couches(kitties)bought leather and micro-suede.
Sure we have some scratches on the leather,but no rips or holes..

I personally never crated a puppy and we had a GSD/ChowX who peed huge puddles,a Cocker and a Sheltie in our past,but crating seems to be the norm today.
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  #39  
Old April 1st, 2011, 12:09 PM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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Oh I'm fighting the crate idea....trying to convince the bf to either just pen off the equipment with wire shelf cube thingys(lol, don't know what they're called officially, and it's what I've used to confine him to the living room/kitchen area.)...it would only cost about $25 to pen off the tv area. Cheaper then a crate! Or to buy more cubes(same price) using those with the existing cubes and just pen him into the kitchen/dining area.
I just do NOT like the idea of crating a puppy....more so one with the energy Thor has...plus he gets his "exercise" when we're not home by running around and playing with Tiki(who LOVES to play with him...Tiki is a cat)....
So we'll see if I can convince him....I'm hoping to god I can.
But he's a TAD upset right now, so I'm letting him "forget" about it a few days, then I'll approach him again with the cube idea.
I told him last night we could pen off the tv area...his reply "No way, that's ghetto"...lol...so I'll let him "relax" a day or two and approach again.
The bf is just worried that if he chewed thru the ethernet cable, then what is stopping him from attacking the xbox360 cables, ps3 cables, pvr cables, surround sound cables...or even the tv cables...
I understand his worry, puppy half way chewed thru my laptop cable a week or so back...now I just put it up where he doesn't have access to it when I'm not home....but you can't do that with the rest...
But ya...hoping I can just modify the pens....weither it's pen him just into the kitchen/dining area...or penning off the stuff he's not allowed to chew(the electronic cords)....
Cuz I REALLY do NOT want to have to lock him in a crate for hrs....he would go BONKERS. Sigh.
Angie
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  #40  
Old April 1st, 2011, 12:10 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Thor's Pet, get down on your hands and knees and crawl around your apartment, thinking like a puppy. No, really! You'll find all sorts of things that as Human, you just look past and don't notice, but as Puppy you will find irresistible! It's a great way to puppy-proof your house. Look for cords, draws on blinds within his reach, small objects he could potentially swallow, identify furniture you may want to treat with bitter apple... Things like that. The dangerous stuff is the most important--toxic plants, electric cords, etc.--but you'll want to puppy-proof the things that he might damage with no harm to himself, but with aggravation to you (like the xbox cord).

At least he's a small lil guy, so if you do end up having to crate him, you can find one big enough to allow him some play room in it. We crated all our pups when they were young...until they were about 2 years of age...if we were going to be gone for extended periods, and they just considered crate time as nap time.
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  #41  
Old April 1st, 2011, 12:49 PM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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Oh I've done that....lol
Everything of importance has now been lifted up and out of his reach...anything in his reach is basically indistructable or ok for him to play with.
The only thing that isn't, is the cords....which frustrates me...cause when I'm home he doesn't even TRY to go near them...but when I'm not home, they seems to be his favorite toy 8-) lol
Hense why I want to just pen off that cord area(it's all along just one area)...
But I told the bf tho, if he is set on a cage....then it has to be a BIG one....as Thor is just to hyper to shove into a small on, and leave. It's cruel.
Bf said he'd get one that's made for a huge dog....so I figure that would be ok....as long as Thor doesn't howl....cause the neighbour is a biatch....was almost tempted to tell her to turn down her hearing aid then...haha...altho I'll give the lady props...she came to me about her complaint and not the rental office.(our place is company owned...by a company that owns half the apartments in this area).
So I'm just worried if we crate him, he's gonna HOWL all day...and next thing you know, I'll have a notice from rental office...to either get rid of the dog, or saying I'm being evicted.
But like I keep telling the bf, we just gotta get him thru this puppy stage once, then we never have to worry about it again(I dont plan to get another dog, one is enough for me...lol...not cause of the work, just because of the attention part...I don't have time for 2...plus 2 cats...and some day a baby hopefully).
Once Thor is older, and trained, we should be in the gold....as it's not the energy part that's kicking our butts....it's the chewing part....sigh.
But ya....only a couple more months(sigh..months...lol) and we'll be good to go!
Lets just hope he doesn't cost TO much in damages til we get there.
As to curtains and such, we ain't got none...lol
Bf HATES curtains....so we have bamboo blinds in all windows...all of which are out of Thor's reach, except the patio doors...which we just open half way, so Thor can look outside....and the cords are up out of his reach to....(We learnt quickly there, cause he LOVES chewing on them..haha!)
But ya, his only thing that he can distroy right now, is the cords....which I'm working on blocking....if the bf agrees....cause it WILL make our place look a little weird/ghetto(like the bf said...haha)...but it'll protect the wires, and Thor...
I just gotta get him thru the puppy stage in one peice and alive, then we're good to go... lol
Angie
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  #42  
Old April 1st, 2011, 01:03 PM
SamIam SamIam is offline
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8 hours is an awful lot for a puppy his age, and some older dogs don't do well with it either. Have you asked around to the people you know if they can help give him some attention, exercise, and a potty break on those rare days when you are away full time?
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  #43  
Old April 1st, 2011, 01:17 PM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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That's why I'm fighting the cage idea....I don't know anyone well enough in this city(this is not where I grew up) to allow them to have a key to my place....
So thats why right now, while the bf is at work,(and before I got to work) I'm "gating" off the wire area with extra cubes I have(I'd have to get more to do it properly...but I'm making a make shift one right now) to show the bf it doesn't look as bad as he thinks it will...and will protect his "stuff"...
Just hoping it works....
Angie
P.S> My back up plan is to make a pen out of the cubes, and have him in that when we're not home....and back up to the back up....empty out the spare room(flip the bed up against the wall) and confine him to that room...as I really don't want him in a crate...sigh
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  #44  
Old April 2nd, 2011, 04:15 AM
reanne reanne is offline
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I don't profess to know everything, but since your dog is a puppy, even though crating is not ideal for that long, it would be much, much safer for your dog. You can get one of the wire crates, and you can get one that is a little bigger than he would need as an adult dog to give him a little more space. x-pens are also a good option, but crates are nice because they can't jump over them and can't wreck what is underneath them.

Also keep in mind that you may need to use the crate in the future, even after puppy has earned the right to be loose in your house. Having a crate open in the house all the time gives him a safe place to rest, provides security when there are major changes in his world (such as next year when you plan to purchase a home), and they are great for traveling too (and the wire crates collapse to store flat, very easy for travel).

Crates aren't super cheap, but when you consider a) the price of keeping a pet and b) what it will cost you to replace everything he destroys, the cost of a crate is nothing.

You may also have a dog walking service in your town for a decent price, I would look into that.

Good luck!
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  #45  
Old April 3rd, 2011, 11:25 AM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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Well so far so good....
I gated off the wire area...so he can no longer access ANY wires....and so far so good...only thing he's distroyed in the last couple days....a roll of paper towels...lol...cat helped him there tho, she had to have knocked it off the counter, and he took advantage of that, BIG time....maddening part tho....the bf was HOME!!!! lol
I came in, walked around the corner to the living room, and stopped dead.
There was my bf, sprawled on the couch watching tv, and there was Thor on the floor, right beside the couch, in mountain of white...haha
But ya, the only thing left in his grasp to distroy, is my kitchen chairs made out of wood....so far, only one has been chewed on a little....but training is fixing that.(I have been teaching him that he chews on his toys only, but passin him a toy when he goes for other things...replace the bad things with the good kinda deal)...
But ya....we're getting there!
Angie
P.S> Helps that we're doing 30 min walks again....which seems to be Thor's limit. My ankle is still tender and sore, but I can walk again....which Thor seems to enjoy!
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  #46  
Old April 3rd, 2011, 11:32 AM
pattymac pattymac is offline
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Gotta watch those kitties!! They love getting their dogs in trouble! That must have been cute with Thor in a mountain of white!

Sounds like you're making headway with him! Good luck!
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  #47  
Old April 5th, 2011, 01:02 PM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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Thor is sure a smart little boy....
Yesterday I left for a short shift at work(12-4) and I put the gates in place.
Our gates are free standing...but work great, but seems I didn't push it over enough on the one side, and it left a gap beside the shoe rack's lower shelf in the corner. I didn't even notice there was a gap...but Thor sure figured it out!
He climbed onto the shoe rack's lower shelf, squeazed thru the hole, and TADA he had free range of the house....
ALL the doors in the hallway were open(which we do so the cats can go where ever when Thor is penned up in the living room/kitchen area)....
So when I came home, I went to my room to plug in my ipod, and there was a pair of my shoes DISTROYED on my bedroom floor!(I keep all my shoes in my walk in closet...and when Thor is in there with us, the door to the closet is kept closed)...I mean they weren't even remotely salvagable....completely and fully distroyed...and one of my FAVORITE summer shoes....sigh.
I was like how the heck did he get down here!
Even the bf was stomped(we came in at the same time).
Then I noticed the gate not quite hitting the wall....I was like you got to be kidding me...just as Thor went to squeeze thru to come to our side of the gate....
But good news is...he didn't have ONE accident ANYWHERE in the house....so he's learning there...but dang it....since when is a puppy smarter then it's owner?lol
But ya....seems Thor is smart....I just gotta learn to be smarter....lol
Angie
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