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Karja you scared me so bad when you said 'whip' hahaha. Thank you so much, I'll totally look into that!! And Nina Ottosan... gosh, I'm so out of practice!
I've been working with her training, but haven't really focused on training her to do anything new in a while. I might have a little session with her tomorrow! Thank you!
And as per walks, hmm, I see your point. I might try and take her on one shortish (10-20 minutes) walk for now and play with her in short bursts at home throughout the day just while I get this work done, and then move on to proper walks at the end of the month.
(To be honest, my pudgy butt looks like it could use some walks too XD)
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Karja you scared me so bad when you said 'whip' hahaha. Thank you so much, I'll totally look into that!! And Nina Ottosan... gosh, I'm so out of practice!
I've been working with her training, but haven't really focused on training her to do anything new in a while. I might have a little session with her tomorrow! Thank you!
And as per walks, hmm, I see your point. I might try and take her on one shortish (10-20 minutes) walk for now and play with her in short bursts at home throughout the day just while I get this work done, and then move on to proper walks at the end of the month.
(To be honest, my pudgy butt looks like it could use some walks too XD)
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Frankie If your partner wasn't prepare to walk the dog daily, he should not have bought a kelpie mix. Hopefully this is a mix between show line labs and kelpies and not working dogs, but even then, the kelpie blood is gonna give her a drive to work. For a working dog to nothing but waste time... take this from someone who worked a lot with working breeds... your girl is going to raise hell and high waters from approximately now (give or take a few months) until 18 months of age as doggy adolescence kicks in. All those working instincts are really going to begin manifesting soon..
Back yards aren't going to do much of a difference. Kelpies and labs are breeds meant to work with people - they're not very independent in a way that, say, a Shiba Inu might be. They're gonna want to be with YOU! If you're not in the back yard, playing with them, they're probably just going to lay around by your feet anyway.
If she's a working line mix... well, let me give you this illustration of my grandmothers Groenendael. That dog walks free on the countryside. She guards and patrols four different houses on their vast property, and roam freely across them. She get three daily walks by my gran, hunt vermin, hang out with other neighborhood dogs, have access to an entire lake where she can go swimming whenever she wants, and my grandma plays catch with her several times every day. And that's not enough for her. She's STILL bored and frustrated during the weeks when the sheep are out in the summer pastures or the winter barn, or any other time she is not being worked. I'm talking destroying carpets, bark at everything, howl at night kind of crazy.
Working kelpies are even more demanding than Groenendael are... just as a heads up..
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Frankie If your partner wasn't prepare to walk the dog daily, he should not have bought a kelpie mix. Hopefully this is a mix between show line labs and kelpies and not working dogs, but even then, the kelpie blood is gonna give her a drive to work. For a working dog to nothing but waste time... take this from someone who worked a lot with working breeds... your girl is going to raise hell and high waters from approximately now (give or take a few months) until 18 months of age as doggy adolescence kicks in. All those working instincts are really going to begin manifesting soon..
Back yards aren't going to do much of a difference. Kelpies and labs are breeds meant to work with people - they're not very independent in a way that, say, a Shiba Inu might be. They're gonna want to be with YOU! If you're not in the back yard, playing with them, they're probably just going to lay around by your feet anyway.
If she's a working line mix... well, let me give you this illustration of my grandmothers Groenendael. That dog walks free on the countryside. She guards and patrols four different houses on their vast property, and roam freely across them. She get three daily walks by my gran, hunt vermin, hang out with other neighborhood dogs, have access to an entire lake where she can go swimming whenever she wants, and my grandma plays catch with her several times every day. And that's not enough for her. She's STILL bored and frustrated during the weeks when the sheep are out in the summer pastures or the winter barn, or any other time she is not being worked. I'm talking destroying carpets, bark at everything, howl at night kind of crazy.
Working kelpies are even more demanding than Groenendael are... just as a heads up..
Not nec. honestly. YOU using the sheets, and her getting away with chewing them is just a revolving circle. (I mean, since you're asleep and don't catch her, she gets scolded rarely, still gets to sleep on the bed, and still has something to chew on.)
You don't even have to replace them nec. (and maybe it's not the best idea until you curb the chewing) but making sure that there is a distinction between, YOUR sheets, and HER sheet might be helpful.
Like, take one of the ruined sheet, and designate it hers. You say, this is her sheet. So, make the bed and then, put the sheet on top, in her favorite spot. She she's on HER sheet, and you're on yours. You can also then pick it up and move it around the house. So, "this is her bed," (an old chewed sheet) and she can sleep here. They'll follow they're blankies, lol. (as a side note, it's also an easy way to train them to sleep somewhere else. They have one sheet that's theirs and they sleep on it. So you just put it where you want her to sleep.)
Hopefully that will deter her from eating any OTHER sheets.
She is a puppy, and she needs a way to run out energy, and things to chew on. It's probably better to invest in some cheap dog toys, or dish towels or something, so she has a collection of things that are ok to chew.
Not nec. honestly. YOU using the sheets, and her getting away with chewing them is just a revolving circle. (I mean, since you're asleep and don't catch her, she gets scolded rarely, still gets to sleep on the bed, and still has something to chew on.)
You don't even have to replace them nec. (and maybe it's not the best idea until you curb the chewing) but making sure that there is a distinction between, YOUR sheets, and HER sheet might be helpful.
Like, take one of the ruined sheet, and designate it hers. You say, this is her sheet. So, make the bed and then, put the sheet on top, in her favorite spot. She she's on HER sheet, and you're on yours. You can also then pick it up and move it around the house. So, "this is her bed," (an old chewed sheet) and she can sleep here. They'll follow they're blankies, lol. (as a side note, it's also an easy way to train them to sleep somewhere else. They have one sheet that's theirs and they sleep on it. So you just put it where you want her to sleep.)
Hopefully that will deter her from eating any OTHER sheets.
She is a puppy, and she needs a way to run out energy, and things to chew on. It's probably better to invest in some cheap dog toys, or dish towels or something, so she has a collection of things that are ok to chew.
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Frankie
Hi hi. Dog trainer here.
Sometimes it's a matter of age. My lil pup used to be a huge destroyer of sheets and blankets and bedding, but now she's grown out of it. Young dogs like to chew, period. And if they don't get enough to chew on, they will find things themselves.
Scolding also does not work unless they are caught in the act, and even then it's not as effective as redirecting or reinforcing them NOT doing it (well, depending on the dog).
Labs are VERY high energy dogs, so you will need to provide some form of stimulation. I let my pittie shred up old cardboard boxes and stuff while she's left alone. She loves tearing up cereal boxes.
The kongs are also good. If you're on a slight budget, Walmart has an off-brand called Sumo which works the same way.
And yeah, multiple short walks a day work just fine as well. Just make sure she's able to do something. Training sessions are great for mental stimulation and bonding as well. You might want to look into building a sort of home-made agility course in your backyard for when she's older. Nothing fancy. Stuff like a plank of wood balanced on boxes for jumps or a hula hoop hung from a tree branch.
What's important is that you DO NOT LET THE DOG CONTINUE CHEWING ON SHEETS. Not only is she self-reinforcing, but if she consumes the shredded bits it could cause intestinal blockage. If she can't handle having sheets or bedding, then she can't have any in her crate, simple as that.
TLDR: This a high-energy puppy. Give her more stuff to do, and chances are she'll grow out of it in a couple of months.
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Frankie
Hi hi. Dog trainer here.
Sometimes it's a matter of age. My lil pup used to be a huge destroyer of sheets and blankets and bedding, but now she's grown out of it. Young dogs like to chew, period. And if they don't get enough to chew on, they will find things themselves.
Scolding also does not work unless they are caught in the act, and even then it's not as effective as redirecting or reinforcing them NOT doing it (well, depending on the dog).
Labs are VERY high energy dogs, so you will need to provide some form of stimulation. I let my pittie shred up old cardboard boxes and stuff while she's left alone. She loves tearing up cereal boxes.
The kongs are also good. If you're on a slight budget, Walmart has an off-brand called Sumo which works the same way.
And yeah, multiple short walks a day work just fine as well. Just make sure she's able to do something. Training sessions are great for mental stimulation and bonding as well. You might want to look into building a sort of home-made agility course in your backyard for when she's older. Nothing fancy. Stuff like a plank of wood balanced on boxes for jumps or a hula hoop hung from a tree branch.
What's important is that you DO NOT LET THE DOG CONTINUE CHEWING ON SHEETS. Not only is she self-reinforcing, but if she consumes the shredded bits it could cause intestinal blockage. If she can't handle having sheets or bedding, then she can't have any in her crate, simple as that.
TLDR: This a high-energy puppy. Give her more stuff to do, and chances are she'll grow out of it in a couple of months.
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Frankie
I dunno, my old dog used to chew up any sheet or towel she had. Even when she was 14/15. But we never let her sleep on the bed and she never wanted to.
I've always had my dogs crated at night. Occasionally I'll let my dog now in bed with me. She doesn't chew up most things, and when I'm gone I leave her in the crate. That said, I personally sleep better without her in bed with me, and I think she actually sleeps fine in the crate. She willingly goes in when she's tired so it's not like she hates it. I pile it with blankets, keep one of her toys in there, and put a towel on top to make it nice and cozy.
I'm a student so I know how hard it is, especially with a high energy dog. I've got a pit bull mix who's around 2 and she has so much energy. It's expensive but I take her to doggie daycare a couple of days a week, and sometimes trips to the dog park as well. She has loads of toys that she can play with. I just usually buy a ton of cheap squeaker toys since she destroys them so quickly, and it gives her variety. She can't have regular treats so I can't do kongs and stuff, but she does enjoy green beans so I can do some things with that. If you're worried about too many treats, green beans and cooked carrots are fine for dogs.
If you have steps, throwing a toy up/down the steps wears them out a bit faster. :P
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Frankie
I dunno, my old dog used to chew up any sheet or towel she had. Even when she was 14/15. But we never let her sleep on the bed and she never wanted to.
I've always had my dogs crated at night. Occasionally I'll let my dog now in bed with me. She doesn't chew up most things, and when I'm gone I leave her in the crate. That said, I personally sleep better without her in bed with me, and I think she actually sleeps fine in the crate. She willingly goes in when she's tired so it's not like she hates it. I pile it with blankets, keep one of her toys in there, and put a towel on top to make it nice and cozy.
I'm a student so I know how hard it is, especially with a high energy dog. I've got a pit bull mix who's around 2 and she has so much energy. It's expensive but I take her to doggie daycare a couple of days a week, and sometimes trips to the dog park as well. She has loads of toys that she can play with. I just usually buy a ton of cheap squeaker toys since she destroys them so quickly, and it gives her variety. She can't have regular treats so I can't do kongs and stuff, but she does enjoy green beans so I can do some things with that. If you're worried about too many treats, green beans and cooked carrots are fine for dogs.
If you have steps, throwing a toy up/down the steps wears them out a bit faster. :P
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I second what everyone else here has said, your puppy needs a "job" to do.
The puzzle toys are excellent for this, because it gives them something to do without you having to do much.
As a person with chronic pain, I get not being able to do things because of your health, but if you or your partner are unable to walk your dog, you really need to hire someone to walk your dog at least once a day.
I second what everyone else here has said, your puppy needs a "job" to do.
The puzzle toys are excellent for this, because it gives them something to do without you having to do much.
As a person with chronic pain, I get not being able to do things because of your health, but if you or your partner are unable to walk your dog, you really need to hire someone to walk your dog at least once a day.
