Which option sounds best for our bored dog?

I’m in a similar situation. I’m not gone as many hours as you and also leave Frodo gated in the kitchen. I do crate at times but only for an hour or two when I am home or when the cleaner is coming. He does seem bored and very demanding of my attention when I am home and I also use kongs, bones, toys, etc. I do walk him but not as much during this icy, snowy weather. He has also chewed through baseboards, etc. Have you tried Bitter Apple spray to keep her from chewing things? I know it sometimes seems like you have to spray everything in the house. Last week, he chewed his new bed, a phone cord, a chapstick and nearly through a router cable. Plus he is still nipping and mouthing me a lot.

Sorry – misery loves company. I think the doggie day care makes sense and if it is a good place, you can tell them of your concerns and do a trial run. The place I would go to is $18 so I will only use it occasionally but yours is a good deal. You could leave her there for just a few hours as a test and, as I said, if it is a good place, they will tell you how she was.

@janbb “Have you tried Bitter Apple spray to keep her from chewing things?”

I have a full bottle that we purchased at PetSmart when she was doing her puppy obedience training. Get this: she likes the taste of it! I did spray it on the wall she chewed yesterday, but I’m not sure why. It’ll probably just make her more likely to chew on it.

@livelaughlove21 Oy vey! We should get our two naughty dogs together! But I do think the doggie day care sounds good.

I have duct tape on the corners of my cabinets in the kitchen.

Were you told that freezing the kongs makes them occupy them longer? I have been doing that.

We always leave the tv and a light or two on in the house when our four-footed furry friend needs to be left home alone. Our TV provider has recently been carrying DogTV. Since we leave the TV on for her anyway, we have been putting it on that channel. She seems to regard it with the same indifference as any other channel. Here’s an interesting article about DogTV, and some suggestions to help puppy to avoid boredom.

I crate my 1 yr old, and let my older girl roam free. Mostly they just sleep when mom & dad (us) are gone all day anyway, we’ve watched out the window a few times, so it’s not cruel or anything.

After they mature, at some point, you should be able to let them just hang out if you’re okay with that. Puppy’s destroy things, just the way it is.

There are mama-dog pheremones you can use like a Glade plug-in, that keeps them calm while you’re gone relieving anxiety, or that dog channel, but I think a large crate would be fine. Just don’t feel guilty, I already know you’re a good mom, and dogs love the small space feeling, it’s in their dna.

@janbb Yep! I wet some of her kibble, put a few pieces in the bottom, then a layer of natural peanut butter, another layer of kibble, another layer of peanut butter, and top it off with a few more pieces of the wet kibble. Then I put it in the freezer all night and give it to her before I leave for work. She absolutely loves it and it’s empty by the time we get home, but it obviously isn’t occupying enough of her time. We also have a kong wobble meal dispenser thing, but she can’t seem to figure out how to use it. Waste of $25, I think.

I’d like to find something else to put in the kong other than peanut butter, but she has a sensitive tummy, so I’m not sure what I should try.

@Yetanotheruser Yeah, we leave a light and the TV on all day for her. She doesn’t give a crap about it, but I think some noise is better than dead silence.

@KNOWITALL Hm, interesting about the Glade plug-in, but I think Daisy’s a bit too old for that. She hasn’t been with mom since she was 6 weeks old and likes people way more than dogs, so I doubt she’d care about doggy pheremones. It is interesting though. Daisy’s not anxious, she’s just bored out of her mind.

I work in a daycare and training facility in the UK and we are the only one of our kind in the area. Since we have been open our customers have said how much happier their dogs are in their day to day life (less destructive and hyperactive) which puts the owners mind at ease. I would suggest doing this rather than just getting someone in to visit her during the day as she will get a lot of mental and physical stimulation being around the other dogs and so you will get more for your money. A lot of our customers say that the dogs are so tired when they get home that they don’t need a walk that evening (and sometimes the next day depending on the dog) which gives the owner a bit of a rest after a hard days work as well. I don’t see any harm in getting a pen for the days when she needs to be left and can’t go into daycare (if they are fully booked that day) and maybe on those days you could get a walker in too. Just make sure they are insured to walk your dog, I don’t know if they need to be in the States but over here they should be (many aren’t though.)

In regards to your concern, anyone running a daycare facility should be trained to read subtle signals that a dog isn’t happy (ie: excessive lip licking, stress yawning and avoiding eye contact) so should be able to remove any dog that is causing another dog to feel threatened before they even have to growl or lip curl. They should have a big enough space to be able to separate two dogs and dogs should never be left unsupervised. If anything about the place makes you suspect that dogs are left unsupervised then don’t book Daisy in. We make sure every dog is assessed and has a trial before being booked in to make sure that they are happy to socialise with other dogs (generally) and they are not going to be stressed by the situation and/or be a risk to other dogs themselves.

@Leanne1986 Thank you for that information. Very helpful!

@livelaughlove21 Also, what @KNOWITALL said about the plug in diffuser is correct. Over here it is called ADAPTIL and it comes in a collar, a spray or a diffuser and it is effective for any age dog. I recommend it to a lot of my customers with elderly dogs to help them deal with things like going blind or deaf and it is very useful for dogs that are left alone. Just be aware that, while it will make her feel better, you may not notice a massive change in her behaviour. It will take the edge of her anxiety of being left but I think you are right to try and occupy her during that time.

You are describing what could be separation anxiety and the cage would be a good option for both you and the dog. The dog will actually be comfortable and feel safe in her own little space. Of course she may protest at first but this is how we trained our dog to be better behaved when out of her cage.

It sounds like you are taking appropriate training measures and I had a dog that was 100 times worse than yours and almost escaped from the house after chewing a huge hole in the kitchen wall and was through the sheathing and scratching away at the siding when I came home. The 2×4’s were half chewed through too. I almost think dry wall tastes good to dogs. So IMHO a cage will be your best immediate solution.

After having two dogs I wouldn’t have a single dog.

@livelaughlove21 My trainer told me to mix the kibble with some canned food just for kong stuffing so that’s what I use. He loves it.

If you live near a high school, a guidance counselor or grade advisor might be able recommend a reliable teen-ager to do a walk or two. Here that is easy because we all know everyone; in a larger community it might be more difficult.

I have found terrific kids in the past to do heavy lifting and odd jobs for me.

@Cruiser makes a good point. If you are going to use a pen, crate, or any type of enclosure, make it available and inviting to her at times when she is not required to be confined, so that being confined is less traumatic to her. My dog has a sport crate we call her “house’, where she has her main bed and keeps her favorite toys. She’ll go there when she is tired and wants to sleep (especially at night), and surprisingly, she will go into the crate if she thinks she has done something wrong.

A few weeks ago, she was out in our fenced-in yard, and a meter reader came along. I didn’t realize that he had left the gate open. She wandered out, and went down a few doors to visit the neighbor. I got the call, and went to retrieve her. I didn’t say anything to her, but she knew what she had done was wrong, and when we got back to the house, her first stop was her water bowl, then directly up the stairs to her house!

@Yetanotheruser <I’m so ashamed of myself> lol, that’s funny! My boy will go to his crate to drink water, hide bones and my other girl gets jealous and tries to sneak in there when he’s not looking. It’s funny!

I’d look into a dog walker to come and take her out, play with her, exercise her for an hour or so mid-day. I don’t care what anyone says about crating. Leaving any animal crated for hours on end is not a happy or healthy situation. Using a crate for a bed with the door open so the dog can come and go is one thing but not crating for endless hours.

Good luck with your dilemma, maybe you can find a neighbor or neighborhood kid to come over after school and play with her for an hour, pay them $10—$12 for their time.

@janbb What is “kong stuffing”?

Maybe it is just me but I avoid using the crate as a place for our dog to be put when she does something she shouldn’t have done in order for the crate to a be a place a good dog goes to feel happier about being in there.

@Brian1946 There are various kinds of kongs and konglike toys. They are balls or cones, etc. with a hole in them that you stuff treats or food in for the dog to work at and get the food out. It is very enjoyable for them.

@Coloma
Prison or cozy retreat? It all depends on perspective and on how you use the crate. Dogs have a natural denning instinct, normally preferring safe, enclosed quarters for their naps. In the wild, a den is a secure place to get some shut-eye without becoming someone else’s meal.
If a dog is properly introduced to a crate as a young pup he will view it as a safe refuge from the hustle and bustle of the house (and away from any pesky children!)—a place for peace and quiet and serious snoozing. When wild dogs aren’t looking for food, trying to mate, or taking care of young, they are resting up to save energy for those key, life-sustaining activities. Most domestic dog owners are surprised to learn that wild dogs spend up to 16 hours a day sleeping! Rest periods in snug quarters are a natural part of caring for our dogs’ needs.
But… dogs have many other needs that crates interfere with. Dogs are social animals; they require interaction with other dogs or people. They also need exercise, mental stimulation, and appropriate “potty” opportunities. So, while some time spent in a crate is usually a positive element of dog rearing, too much time spent in a crate can have disastrous consequences.

How long is too long?
A good rule of thumb is that a dog can be crated overnight and for up to half the day, provided his social and physical needs are being met while not in the crate. Young puppies need more frequent naps and much more frequent opportunities to “do their business” than adults. A good estimate of how long a pup can wait before needing to relieve himself is as many hours as he is months old, plus one. So a three-month-old pup can manage for about four hours. Overnight he can usually hold a bit longer, usually about 1.5 times the daytime maximum—about six hours for a three-month-old. But don’t forget that puppies need to be thoroughly socialized before they are five months old—so those hours awake and out of the crate are very precious for socialization!
http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/trainers-truth-about-crates/174

@KNOWITALL Yes but….( not trying to be difficult here…) denning wild dogs have free will as to when they chose to be in their dens or not. I think crating used as a bed and safe refuge is fine, as long as the door remains open for the dog to exercise his free will.
It is only poor domesticated dogs that have to rely on humans to take them out for a walk, or to play.

I also wanted to share that our dog absolutely went nuts for a toy called the Jolly Ball

It is indestructible and she would play with it for hours on end. It is hard plastic ball with a tennis ball inside and it took her well over 6 months to figure out how to finally get at the tennis ball which she promptly took out her revenge on it for being such a tease. Just stuffed another tennis ball in the hole and she was back at it.

It really kept her occupied and might be a good choice to keep your dog busy while you are gone.

@Coloma Not difficult, I feel much the same way with caged animals of any kind. Killed me when I volunteered at the zoo.

Let me put it this way- I left the puppy out with my big girl Friday to get chinese takeout for 30 minutes. When I got home puppy was freaking out clawing his mouth because he had eaten the remote and got a piece of plastic between his teeth. True story, I freaked out thinking he ate a battery.

I think of it like a baby play pen. It’s for their safety to be constrained while I’m away, and when we get home baby is happy, excited and we play and walk and it’s all good.

My ‘poor domesticated dogs’ would both be dead by now as they were both rescues at our local shelter.

I also crate my pup when we are not at home. It was rough at first – I think the people that had him before us kept him caged all the time. But we figured something out: There’s a certain treat toy he gets in his “house” that he doesn’t get anywhere else, so when I tell him to “go in your house”, he’s actually excited to go. As long as he has his chewy bone and his stuffed horse (he freaking loves that mangy animal) he’s a happy camper.

I’ve decided not to go with the doggie daycare option. The only one that I could actually use due to its proximity to my work seems to have a good reputation, but it’s impossible to get in touch with these people. I called, they didn’t answer. I emailed, they haven’t responded. I texted (it said I could on their website), they haven’t responded. I’m not comfortable leaving my dog at a place that I can’t get in touch with if I need to.

I went on Care.com and found a graduate student that is willing to walk and play with Daisy on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays for $9/hr. If we do one hour sessions, that’s only $27/week. I’d prefer two hour sessions, but $60/week is a bit steep I think.

The only problem is that my husband is really uncomfortable with the idea of giving someone we don’t know access to our house and pets. I’m not really sure what I can do to get him to agree.

@KNOWITALL Agreed, as a safe play pen for puppies but not for adult dogs to be locked in for more than an hour or two at most. Glad your pup was okay. :-)

@livelaughlove21 Have them come over to the house and meet the two of you and spend time. I think you can get a pretty good assessment of their character.

@livelaughlove21 Criminal and background checks. I would be leery, too. You could get a nanny-cam, too!

@Coloma Once my guy learns not to eat everything, he’ll be freeeeeeee, I promise! I give him his bone and toy in there and he’s happy because big sis can’t take it away from him in there…lol

@KNOWITALL How much would I have to pay for that? I can get one through Care.com, but only after I “upgrade” for $40. Uh, no.

Amazon has some for $20–30 dollars. :)

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_sabc?url=search-alias%3Daps&pageMinusResults=1&suo=1392845231574#/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/191-6258435-5161017?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=nanny%20cam&sprefix=nanny+ca%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ananny%20cam

@KNOWITALL I meant the background check.

@livelaughlove21 Oops, let me ask, my friend knows. I’d assume it would be local law enforcement but I’ll get the skinny.

@KNOWITALL I just looked it up on SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division). You have to send all of the info and a certified check for $25. Uh, I just want a dog walker. Sounds like a lot of time and trouble to me. And I’m not going to ask this girl for her social and date of birth. I mean, come on…

She’s a 23-year-old graduate student that normally babysits for extra cash, but will also do petsitting. Her profile says this:

“In the summer of 2007 & 2008 I was a camp counselor for 2nd-8th graders. I also worked as a lifeguard at camp for those ages from 2007–2009, meaning that I have been lifeguard, AED, and First Aid certified. For my internship in my undergraduate program, I was a teacher’s assistant for 3rd and 4th graders. So I have some experience in watching kids and making sure that they are safe, and keeping them entertained with crafts, games, and activities for hours at a time. However, my favorite thing to do is just hang out with kids and watch kids movies and play video age-friendly video or board games. I should also mention that I have been a military dependent my whole life – I even married military – so I am more than willing to go on base for babysitting.”

She also gave me three references with names, email addresses, and phone numbers.

Why not?

Does your renter’s insurance cover theft from someone you’ve hired to work in your home?

@Seek_Kolinahr I don’t rent, so I suppose it doesn’t.~

@livelaughlove21 Totally worth $25 to me. Make your hubs pay..lol

Ah. sorry, so much for assumptions. For some reason I thought you were renting an apartment.

$25 seems not unreasonable. At the very least, Google her name. And most likely, you can pull up a criminal record on her through the county sheriff’s office website. I do that all the time. It only gives you actions in that county, but it’s a place to start and it’s free.

I guess I was much more trusting of my own judgment when I was hiring babysitters – let alone pet sitters! :-P

@KNOWITALL Yeah, it’s worth it (it’s only $25), but I’m not sure how comfortable this girl would be giving a complete stranger her date of birth and social. They give it to Care.com, but I’m not doing their monthly upgrade thing in order to get it. I know if I were her, I’d be wary of just handing over personal information like that.

I mean, dog walking – it’s something people used to hire neighbor kids to do. And now it’s stupid not to get a criminal background check on these people? What happened to trusting people? If I lived in a high crime area, I’d worry more. Eh, I don’t know…

@Seek_Kolinahr Nope, we own. Care.com only gives first names and last initials. I think we’ll just meet her somewhere so she can meet Daisy and then I’ll go about asking for a blood sample.~ :)

I’m just saying that it’s isn’t unreasonable to do a simple search or background check before allowing a total stranger into your home. I know I wouldn’t. Hell, I do the Sheriff’s office search on my landlords. No theft, but he did just get his fourth DUI. I don’t have a whole lot to steal, but plenty of people would love to get their hands on my husband’s music equipment. His particular model of guitar is in high demand. I want to feel completely comfortable with anyone that has a way to enter my home without me present.

@livelaughlove21 Just PM’d you the info. Good luck!

@livelaughlove21 It seems silly, sure, but you are an employer. And besides, there’s very very little anyone can do with JUST your name and Social Security number.

I’m glad you’re going with that option. Good for you, Daisy will love it…because no matter what people tell you – putting a border collie mix in a crate all day is cruel.

If you want the kong to last longer, how about wrapping it in paper/sheets/etc?

@KNOWITALL Dogs are not denning animals. Neither are wolves – the den is just where they raise their young.

@longgone No – the freezing is to make it take longer to get the food out.

^^ I know. I’m suggesting wrapping the frozen Kong so it’ll take a while for the dog to get to it :]

@longgone That was from a dog magazine, as you can see from the link. Thanks.

@KNOWITALL Sloppy reading, sorry. I didn’t even see that link. Just pointing out, though… dogs being den animals – while a common assumption – is a myth.

Well, I got great references for that girl from Care.com, emailed back and forth for a bit, met her at a park to let her meet/walk Daisy, and hired her. Unfortunately, she did not realize I lived 30 minutes from her (though I did tell her the street name), so she was unable to do it. She apologized profusely, but what a huge waste of time. Quite a few other people responded to the job listing, but I’d have to upgrade my account ($40) to respond to any of them. What a crock Care.com turned out to be.

So, Daisy is still bored and still gets gated in the kitchen until we figure something else out. Luckily, she hasn’t eaten any more of our house. We’ve also managed to let her roam free downstairs for three hour increments while we’re gone with no incidents. Yay!

I suggest Plenty of rawhides, Lots of toys, good cozy bed, leave the tv on for her, and plenty of food and water.

I did with my puppy he never got bored.

@crushingandreaming I’ve already done all of that except rawhides (not good for their GI tract). She’s just got a whole lot of energy due to her breed. Most dogs would be satisfied with what we give her, but she needs more stimulation.

Do you let her rome the whole home?

If you don’t extend her a few more rooms to run in or when you leave in the morning let her stay out and when you are on lunch break come and put her in your house or at lunch put her out and when you get off bring her in with you

I suggest getting up a few hours earlier then before and run her and stuff then she should be fine I had a Lab so i understand I could’nt even chain her because she could break through the chain.

@crushingandreaming I work 40 minutes from home, so coming home at lunch is a no-go. And I already get up before 6AM. I’m not waking up when it’s still dark out to run with the dog. And then work all day, come home and cook and clean? Ain’t gonna happen. I’d rather pay someone to walk her, but that’s proving to be harder than I expected.

Thanks for the suggestions though.

I had plenty of room for my two, and they were outside dogs when I got them, so I had a 60’ X40’ pen built for them so they could roam that at will. I was on the road a lot, so there was no way they could be let out during the work day. After dinner we’d play for an hour or two until they were tired, either balls or a frisbie. But I don’t think you have that kind of option.

@Adirondackwannabe Unfortunately not. Our HOA would throw a shit fit if we put a huge dog pen out back. And there’s no place to take her where she can be off leash outdoors. She has to be leashed or she’ll be gone before you could blink and we don’t have a fence. Even if we did have a fence, the yard is pretty tiny. I wouldn’t be comfortable leaving her outside anyway – she’s always been an inside dog.

She’s doing so well roaming around downstairs for 1–3 hour intervals while we’re gone, I’m thinking eventually we may be able to do that all day soon. I’m sure she’d love to chase the kitty around and sleep in her spot on the couch. Still makes me nervous though.

Have you tried a radio, playing quietly. When my female was getting toward the end, we left her inside with a radio playing. She stayed calm. A lot different than a bored youngster, but might be worth a chance.

@Adirondackwannabe Well, the TV is on.

And I thought I was nuts for leaving on a radio? What we do for pets. And some people treat their kids like dirt. :(

“She has to be leashed or she’ll be gone.”

Maybe the real solution is to find a good dog trainer to change that. Then, you have a chance at tiring her out. Obedience classes once a week – or even an individual training session – really aren’t that expensive.

@longgone We live in a subdivision, so having her off-leash is against the law (same for all of our parks). She’s curious and easily excited, as most puppies are so, yeah, we’d have to chase her down if she got loose. She’s been in obedience classes. They don’t take your dog out in the parking lot off-leash to teach them not to run. There’s no reason to teach her to be off-leash if it’s illegal to have a dog off-leash in our area.

If you’re planning on having kids, you’ll want to teach her at least an emergency return command, for when your toddler learns how to open the front door, and send the dog bolting into the street.

Chasing disobedient puppies through the neighborhood while carrying 20 lbs of squiggling child is not fun.

@Seek_Kolinahr That’s one reason I’m glad we have a screened in back porch and our front door stays locked. In our house, the kid would have to be much bigger than 20 lbs to open that door. My 10-year-old niece can’t even do it without help. Luckily, Daisy doesn’t bolt out of open doors.

Plus, Daisy’s on her way out of puppy-dom. She’ll be at least 2½ before any kids arrive, and older than that by the time they can get into mischief like that. I’m guessing her hip dysplasia will make her easier to catch by then. Poor puppy.

Okay. If there’s no place you can let her run free, she doesn’t have to learn to come when you call.

Where I am, letting dogs off-leash is illegal almost everywhere. Few people obey those laws, and I’m not one of them. I guess that’s just different in your area.

“They don’t take your dog out in the parking lot off-leash to teach them not to run.”

Good dog trainers do exactly that. Just last week, our local trainer took her group to the woods. Again, I don’t know about your area.

@longgone Oh, you’re one of those. Yes, I do follow that law, and luckily so do most people here. It’s in place for a reason – the same reason I’d never take my dog to a dog park. Leashing your dog is not only a common courtesy, but a safety precaution.

You’d never take your dog to a dog park?

I feel terribly guilty that we don’t go often enough. Russell so loves playing with other dogs. I can’t wait for the Gulf to warm up enough to take him to the dog beach and see how well he can swim.

@Seek_Kolinahr No, I wouldn’t. I’m sure she’d love it, but I’m not putting her at risk. Dogs are attacked by other dogs at those parks all the time. Even docile dogs like Daisy can be unpredictable, and I’m not going to be held responsible for my animal acting like an animal. And I’m not going to risk her getting attacked either. I can’t guarantee my dog won’t behave aggressively at some point, even if she never has, and neither can any other dog owner.

1. “One of those”?!

2. I live in Germany. Seriously, in my area, there are hardly any dogs on-leash when they’re away from the streets.

3. My dog wouldn’t be considered a safety issue by many people. She doesn’t bolt. She doesn’t hunt. When I call her, she comes.

4. “I’m not going to be held responsible for my animal acting like an animal.”

Well, I want mine to act exactly like an animal. As she should.

I don’t want to start a war here. We obviously live in very different places. Let’s agree to disagree.

@longgone Yes, let’s.