Tammy Jones
04-21-2005, 04:54 PM
Hi,
I'm back again with some concerns about my dog, Oreo. I really don't remember my older dog being this much trouble. Oreo barks at our poor neighbors, but we are working on that. I feel like that is just a matter of time and patience. The other problem is that she loves to be outside, but is very destructive when she is outside alone. The yard is a big one, it is gated, and she has toys and stick galore out there to chew on. I guess she is just bored out there alone. She chews on anything that isn't bolted down. She has an area that she is allowed to dig in, but just today she dug up a HUGE yard in our hole and destroyed a recently planted pot of pansies. I thought she understood that rule, but I guess not. She is fine when our older dog is out there with her, but our poor dog is 8 years old now. She is willing to spend maybe 15 minutes outside with Oreo, then she's had enough. Oreo CONSTANTLY bugs her when they are outside, so she hardly ever goes outside anymore. (One more reason I feel bad.) I know a possible answer is to go outside with Oreo whenever she goes out in order play with her, but I just can't. Or, rather, I can do it sometimes, but she wants to be outside all the time and is very unhappy when she can't be outside. On at least 3 occasions, she has messed on the floor because she had to come back inside--due to barking at the neighbors or being destructive in some way. I'm a stay at home mom with a small child who demands my attention quite a bit. I can't ignore him in favor of the dog, sorry---he is my priority. I guess my question is this: can an active, energetic dog (lab/border collie mix, but heavy on the border collie, it seems to me) be happy when she has to be confined inside most of the time? She whines to go outside almost constantly when she is inside. Is it that she just doesn't fit into our lifestyle? I'm so confused and don't know what to do. Any suggestions would be helpful. She is on NILIF, BTW. Thanks,
Tammy
I'm back again with some concerns about my dog, Oreo. I really don't remember my older dog being this much trouble. Oreo barks at our poor neighbors, but we are working on that. I feel like that is just a matter of time and patience. The other problem is that she loves to be outside, but is very destructive when she is outside alone. The yard is a big one, it is gated, and she has toys and stick galore out there to chew on. I guess she is just bored out there alone. She chews on anything that isn't bolted down. She has an area that she is allowed to dig in, but just today she dug up a HUGE yard in our hole and destroyed a recently planted pot of pansies. I thought she understood that rule, but I guess not. She is fine when our older dog is out there with her, but our poor dog is 8 years old now. She is willing to spend maybe 15 minutes outside with Oreo, then she's had enough. Oreo CONSTANTLY bugs her when they are outside, so she hardly ever goes outside anymore. (One more reason I feel bad.) I know a possible answer is to go outside with Oreo whenever she goes out in order play with her, but I just can't. Or, rather, I can do it sometimes, but she wants to be outside all the time and is very unhappy when she can't be outside. On at least 3 occasions, she has messed on the floor because she had to come back inside--due to barking at the neighbors or being destructive in some way. I'm a stay at home mom with a small child who demands my attention quite a bit. I can't ignore him in favor of the dog, sorry---he is my priority. I guess my question is this: can an active, energetic dog (lab/border collie mix, but heavy on the border collie, it seems to me) be happy when she has to be confined inside most of the time? She whines to go outside almost constantly when she is inside. Is it that she just doesn't fit into our lifestyle? I'm so confused and don't know what to do. Any suggestions would be helpful. She is on NILIF, BTW. Thanks,
Tammy