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Works For Me Wednesday




My pregnancy hormones have kicked into gear with a vengeance. One minute, I'm perfectly fine and the next I'm a raving lunatic. I can probably attribute the madwoman nature coming out of me thanks to my six-month old puppy. That dang thing refuses to shut up. I will feed her and give her plenty of water. I will take her out at regular intervals. But, nooooo. Is that good enough for her? Of course not. Well, when I am particularly busy cleaning or homeschooling, I don't have time to hold her just so that she will shut up. So, in the midst of these activities the whole house will echo with her high-pitched wining, howling, and barking. She is chained up by the back door because I'm not stupid. That dog does not have the run of the house to do her business in every room. No way. So, she is a very unhappy puppy with only a chew bone for company unless Aidan takes pity on her and visits. Well, because of these crazy hormones I have worried about that dog's safety. I'm sure my husband has. I told him one of these days he's going to come home to a dead puppy. So, to protect the thing from being hanged by the neck, I have figured out a way to shut her up. I pull the van into the garage, put the puppy cage with her in it into the van, shut the van door, and then shut the garage door. Blessed silence. For some reason, that dang puppy likes the enclosed environment. I just don't get it, but it certainly keeps me sane. In a little while, I will let her out, but for now......ahhhhh. If you have any tips on keeping puppies quiet, please, please, please take pity on me.


Make sure to check out Rocks In My Dryer for more WFMW tips.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I heard once that you can wrap up a ticking alarm clock in a towel, and place it near where the puppy sleeps. It's supposed to simulate the momma's heartbeat. We never tried it, though, so I can't say for sure that it makes a difference, but it might be worth a try - we ended up just putting her cage in the garage. And THAT worked for us!! :)
April 18, 2007 at 8:28 PM
Anonymous said…
Watch or google The Dog Whisperer, or pay for training or at least a training book. Using Dog Whisperer terminology, I "claimed" the back door that my lab used to jump on. When he'd jump, I'd run at the door and get between him and it as though it was my baby and he was hurting it. I'd also whop him on the nose with a folded newspaper. He stopped after a few times of this. With whining - giving the dog attention when she whines encourages her to keep it up. You'll have to ignore her. I turn my back on our whiny dog, then I quickly turn and praise as soon as she stops. If she whines again, I turn and ignore. We paid big bucks for training, and it taught us a lot about working with our animals. Good luck!
April 18, 2007 at 10:37 PM
Goslyn said…
I used a GREAT book "The Idiot's Guide to Dog Training" that taught our dog not to bark or jump - all without using violent methods.

It takes time and consistency, but it can be done. And believe me, I'm preggo too, and even though our dog is now well-behaved (for the most part) some days I wonder if he's going to see the next morning, too.

The other thing that has really helped is crate training, and then covering the crate with a blanket or old sheet to make the dog feel enclosed. Our dog loves his crate and goes into it willingly just to get away sometimes. It's his safe zone.

Good luck, and I so feel your pain.
April 19, 2007 at 10:18 AM
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