[CarrieD]

Ugh. The past couple of months everyone has been getting after Menolly with what she does. Recently she's been opening the fireplace doors and dragging out burnt peices of wood to chew on and get ashes everywhere. I hope they won't hurt her. (they're completely cool so she hasn't gotten burned) Everyone (except my brother and me) has yelled at her. My Dad has struck her several times. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to make me furious.

He keeps saying I need to be 'firmer' with her, and yet looking at him losing his temper I'm thinking no. We've gotten into several big arguements about her training. The aggravating part is, as sad and mad as his yelling and hitting Menolly hurts me (let alone her), I know I can't call the police because he hasn't technically hurt anyone. I've wanted to, though.

I want out of here. Now. I've been looking everywhere for a job, but no one is hiring until the New Year. I can't move out until I'm making more money. What I'm making now at my part-time job is just enough to support Menolly, but nothing else.

I don't want to sound like I'm complaining or making too much of it, but I'm sooo frustrated. Menolly has gotten so much better in her training, too! She'll go into her crate when she can't be watched without any fuss at all, and she's gotten extremely gentle with my nephew. (she used to unintentionally knock him over) The only things she still does are get into things and chew them up. Aside from that's she's practically perfect.

Help! I don]t know what to do.

 

[Murphys Dad]

Menolly is still a puppy. Remember that!
She will calm down in less than a year - you'll see the difference then.
Until she does - you need to work with her, especially on discipline. I know money is tight, so go online and read on those things. I'm assuming that when she gets stuff to chew (including the fire place burnt wood) she is unattended. If she is - it's your responsibility (or whom ever is watching her) to discipline her with a firm NO!! and distracting her with something else to chew on.
If no one is watching her - CRATE HER!!!

 

[Java]

I think your mentality is right. Training is not about anger, and all about patient consistency. Have you considered gating her to a specific Menolly-proof area? Letting her have the run of the house can be inviting her to get creative in trying to entertain herself. If she's somewhat confined to a comfortable room with all her toys and a cozy resting place, that might help a bit. Then again, she might have some separation anxiety and leaving her alone can cause her to be a little destructive.

 

[Zookeeper]

I have to say, we still go through chewing issues with Duke at times. He is good 95% of the time, but that 5% can be very destructive and it can be frustrating.

Dave and I usually laugh it off because (honestly) we created this monster by not being firm enough. That's ok, we do let him get away with more than we should, but we are the ones paying the price for that when he destroys our things or our home. However, your parents didn't bargain for that and if Duke were one of my kids' dog instead of mine, I would not be as tolerant.

What you need to do is one of two things. Either train Menolly better (I know it's hard to watch them 24/7, but if you can't, then you do need to crate her or have her outside or in her own area) so that she doesn't destroy your parents house and things. Or you can move out and support her and yourself, which would not be easy right now.

I know you don't agree with the way your dog handles her discipline. Neither do I. But, you have to realize there are a lot of people who have a different ways of dealing with dogs. Not that they are correct, but that's how they were raised. And since you live with your parents, you have to put up with that. And you have to take the responsibility of making sure Menolly doesn't do things that would anger him. Your parents do have the right to have a home that is not messed up by youg dog. And burnt wood does make a huge mess and is hard to get out of the carpets (which I happen to know from Duke chewing on it here. LOL).

 

[angelaH]

What sort of work do you hope to get? Financing a place on your own will be more than hard. It would be cheaper to spend your time keeping a firm eye on Menolly. Sounds like you love that dog and if you can get her to stop destroying things then your mom and dad will love her too.

 

[Brisen]

As Eleanor said, Menolly is still a puppy, and it's going to be a while before she settles down. In the meantime, I think you'll need to keep her crated when there's no one to keep an eye on her...these young ones will find trouble in the blink of an eye.

 

[CarrieD]

Chloe's Mommy: Oh, I know that- it seems my family still needs convincing. I'm trying to remember now to carry a small toy around in a pocket- so if trouble strikes, I can correct and distract her immediately. Yes, most of the time she is unattended- my bad. She's turning into a full-time job. But, sometimes, she steals something right in front of us, and then play-bows, teasing us with it. Then the chase is on. I keep trying to tell my family that chasing her is just playing along with her game, but everybody, inclusing me, still needs work in that area. It's also rather hard to tempt her away from it- even food she won't wink an eyelash at, unless it's real meat.

I've got her crated right now- it's become a bit of a habit now. I just don't want to overdo it and crate her all day. She's got way too much energy to burn and has already destroyed her doggie bed. That's also, regrettably, my fault. I haven't been walking her at all since the snow. As soon as that left, the wind got REALLY cold. Oddly enough with her short coat, she doesn't seem to mind it too much. However, I do. Am I being selfish not walking her because I get too cold?

Java- Yeah, I tried, but she defeated the gate system, either junping over it or figuring out how to open it. Plus I wouldn't dare leave her confined in a room. Even my bedroom, which is the most dog-proofed in the house, has way too much stuff she could destroy.

Zookeeper- I understand what you're saying, ajnd I am very sorry that my dog is destroying the house and the stuff in it. I've tried replacing the stuff she has torn up, but with finances so tight now it's not really an option. We've been lucky to have a VERY patient landlord- he said not to worry about the carpet, because he has been meaning to put in wood floors anyway (the carpet was pretty beat up when we moved in). I thought about tethering her to me, but she's chewed up one of her leashes all the way through and is working on another one. It's easier now that the college semester is over, but looking for work has become a full-time job in itself. Crating her and continuing to work with her in training are the only things I can do.

Doghouse- I don't care what kind of work I get. I've applied everywhere from Burger King to Home Depot to Petsmart. At this point I will literally do anything for work as long as it's not illegal. I know it'll be hard to make enough to move out, but at least I may be able to pay for the damage Menolly has done, and probably start saving to move out. Oh, Mom does love her- it's dad that's the problem. Even he improved since he read an article about Beagles a day or two ago. (figures- he wouldn't believe it unless he read it from an expert) He still gets mad, though, especially mornings. It's probably a combo of caffiene withdrawl and just a short fuse. (another reason I have sworn never to drink coffee. Seeing how everyone acts when its' gone is more than enough)

Thanks for the advice, and sorry for dumping on you. I just feel like such a failure as a dog owner.

 

[DaisysMom]

You could try a gate like I have. It is too tall for Daisy to jump and there is no way that Menolly could open it. It has a release at the top that you use your thumb to push back, and it's almost too hard for my 6 year old. Anything without opposable thumbs doesn't stand a chance.

It's not exactly like this one, but it's similar http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2632196

As far as tethering her to you, use a chain leash (not a chain collar). Then, she can't chew through it.

Where there is a will, there is a way and believe me I know how hard it is (as I'm sure everyone else here does as well). Daisy is only 13 months so she does still have a lot of puppy left. Thankfully, she is calming down a bit now.