Dog owners, I have a predicament..

Options
2456789

Replies

  • bratgrrl
    bratgrrl Posts: 30
    Options
    I think walking is a great idea and yes it will calm him down and tire him out. I have a lab mix and a german shepherd mix. I've learned to tolerate the dog hair in return for the unconditional love I get from my dogs. We use baby gates to keep them out of the rooms we dont want them in and they work great. My german mix is crate trained and she actually loves her crate. She goes in there all the time on her own and we dont close the door. She sleeps in there at night although she has full roam of the house. the only time her crate door is locked is during the day while we are at work. But she sleeps all day anyway, so whether she's sleeping on the sofa or sleeping in the crate, she's sleeping.
  • gillybumbler
    gillybumbler Posts: 136
    Options
    i also have a black lab mix who sheds like crazy, i often wonder where all this hair comes from. But yes, baby gates work well to contain the mess.

    Have you shaved him? I want to look into this, especially with the weather starting to get hot.

    You don't want to shave a lab. Their hair will grow in funny and the hair actually helps insulate and keep them cool in the summer (or so the vet has told me). You can however buy a Furminator to get a TON of hair off of him for the summer and stop the shedding. They are kind of pricy by SOOO worth it. I got 1 garbage bag full of hair off my rottweiler!

    As for being on the couch you need to re-train him. get a training collar and a good leather leash and keep it on him while he is inside. When he gets on the couch tell him no (or we say "Get") and pull him down with the leash. Then make him lay down away from the couch and stay until you give him permission to get up (by saying a release word such as "OK"). It is never too late to train a dog!
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    Options
    Baby gates and sheets on the furniture. And I agree with the NOT shaving him. Their coats actually help keep them cool in the summer.
  • Buddhasmiracle
    Buddhasmiracle Posts: 925 Member
    Options
    Gating and confinement will work. Training the dog to stay off the furniture will work better.
    Don't mean to read more into this, it sounds like the intro of a dog into your life is not something you and your boyfriend have discussed.
  • brybre0413
    brybre0413 Posts: 212 Member
    Options
    Baby gates and sheets on furniture are great ideas, please do not shave him.Brushing him is a wonderful idea.........
  • SirBen81
    SirBen81 Posts: 396 Member
    Options
    Thanks!

    I took him on a 30 minute walk last night and I was practically jogging. He definitely walked me!

    This is how you tire out a dog. Buy a pair of rollerblades, and have him pull you around. It is great fun.
  • brentrhodes
    brentrhodes Posts: 139
    Options
    My 90 pound Yellow Lab smashed our baby gate like it was a house of cards or something. lol! Never stood a chance!
  • engineman312
    engineman312 Posts: 3,450 Member
    Options
    spray bottle with water in it. or a can of compressed air, like you use on computers. at this point, all i have to do is hold and shake the water bottle, and my cats stop scratching the furniture.
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    Options
    Have you shaved him? I want to look into this, especially with the weather starting to get hot.

    Do not shave a lab! They don't have that type of coat.

    Definitely get a dog bed. You need to let them know that the couch is your territory but the dog bed is theirs. My dog stopped sneaking on the couch the minute I provided him with a viable comfortable place to lay.

    Gate work great, but I would try crating them if they are older, you need to start young.

    My lab sheds like crazy, but he knows where he's allowed and where he's not so my house stays pretty clean. I also got a really good vacuum and a good dog brush.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    Options
    Gating and confinement will work. Training the dog to stay off the furniture will work better.
    Don't mean to read more into this, it sounds like the intro of a dog into your life is not something you and your boyfriend have discussed.

    There wasn't much to discuss. I knew he wouldn't give up the dog and I wasn't willing to give him up OVER the dog. :heart: I will say, he is very well trained to this point. He stays, sits and lays down on command (the dog that is..). I could leave food out all day and he wouldn't touch it and there is never a single thing out of order when I come home, he does not get into things he shouldn't. Unfortunately, he is used sleeping on my boyfriend's bed/furniture and I am not ok with that!
  • rbn_held
    rbn_held Posts: 682 Member
    Options
    We have 3 black labs but they are like our kids and sleep anywhere they want. I do however have to vacuum at least every other day. I do remember my aunt used to put empty clothes baskets upside down on her couch to keep her dogs off of it. Seemed to work pretty well.
  • 10KEyes
    10KEyes Posts: 250 Member
    Options
    Relax, enjoy the unconditional love, brush the dog regularly and use baby gates to keep him out of the areas you don't want him in. As for the couch, I don't know what to tell you. We have leather couches so they are easily cleaned. We have two dogs, a Scottie and Pom-Chi. They are smaller dogs and we allow them on the couches.
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    Options
    This is how you tire out a dog. Buy a pair of rollerblades, and have him pull you around. It is great fun.
    I approve this message, it can be dangerous though depending on how they are on a leash.
  • TheDoctor90
    TheDoctor90 Posts: 461 Member
    Options
    If you're back to let him out at lunch time just crate him.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
    Options
    How old is the dog?

    I understand that he's used to laying on the couch and sleeping with your boyfriend but you need to give him a firm "NO!" when he tries to jump up on there and make sure your boyfriend is on the same page with it so he doesn't get mixed signals. Also I agree that crating him isn't a bad thing if you're going home to let him out on your lunch.

    As far as the dog hair and mess goes, you get used to it. We just acquired a dog after almost 10 years of not having one. I was used to the nice, neat house. No dirt or grit under my feet. No dust bunnies the size of a small truck that could whisk me away and now I just run the vacuum a couple of times a week. No big deal. He's a dog. He sheds. Nothing I can do about it.

    Good luck!!
  • ampa916
    ampa916 Posts: 189 Member
    Options
    Baby Gates work great!

    No, he won't get worn out, he will love you for it!!

    This, Dogs seem a lot like kids, you will be amazed at how much you try to wear him out, but how much energy he has in store! You'll probably wear out a lot sooner than he does! And yeah I would do the baby gate thing, I used to have a German Shepherd/beagle mix, she kept digging in the trash and when we moved she started using the bathroom in the house again. So we bought an oversized cage to put her in when we werent home but when we were we always kept it open so she could see it wasn't a punishment, after a while we stopped using it because she started to get used to the change etc, but we never moved the cage and she would just lay in there whenever she wanted her "alone" time lol.
  • PanteraGirl
    PanteraGirl Posts: 566 Member
    Options
    Oh I know how you feel......I inherited two big dogs when I met my SO. LOL I have now had them for 4 years and I have a baby gate at the bottom of my stairs to prevent them from going upstairs. And they also love the couches so I normally leave something on the couches to prevent them from jumping up. The guitars for guitar hero or something like that.

    You could also look into getting couch covers if you don't want to leave things of the couch.

    You could also try your boyfriend suggestion of confining the dogs in the mud room/laundry room. But if you do that. Make sure there is nothing for him to chew as he may get bored and anxious with the new confined area.

    At the end of the day.....he's a dog....he can be trained and he will get used to it. He doesn't need to roam the entire house.

    Good luck! It is a big adjustment. I would also make sure that your boyfriend is regulatory combing the dog to get rid of his winter coat and there will be less shedding to deal with.
  • roodledoodle
    roodledoodle Posts: 183
    Options
    Definitely invest in a baby gate! At least you know he's not up on the furniture whiel you're out. Furminator brushes are excellent for brushing dogs - I have 4 huskies and 1 black lab and wouldn't be without 1!

    Also if you walk him it might not completely exhaust him but it will definitely settle him down - an unexercised dog can become distructive because of pent up energy! Also in addition to this walking him will be great for your fitness and you never know with enough time spent with him and doing stuff you might just start liking him :wink:
  • Firefighter_Jay
    Firefighter_Jay Posts: 426 Member
    Options
    Confinement????? Really? That's a living creature. Jesus ****ing Christ.

    A tired puppy is a happy puppy. We have a 150 lbs Rottie that we share our home with. Between my wife and I he spends about 4 hours a day, if not more being walked, swimming, or running off lead until he crashes out. (that is in the summer anyway) in the winter, it's not nearly that much, but we suffer through the stir craziness because it's our own fault for not taking him out.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Options
    If he stays off when you're home, then I see no problem with, when you're out, confining him somewhere. I think that's a very good idea.

    And, yes, a long walk will wear him out. That's a good thing!

Categories