I am in the dog house tonight! In fact I have gone to bed early with my Dad and I am not keeping my Mom company tonight.
I got a spanking this afternoon from my Mom and she has given me the cold shoulder all night. I did not blog last night because I was so embarrassed .... and today ... well it wasn't much better. Like I said ... I got a spanking today, even though my Mom told me she shouldn't have spanked me. She said she is pretty sure I didn't know what I was getting a spanking for.
I know many of you have been following my prison saga. First let me say that my Mom has tried piddle pads (I don't pee on them and I tear them up.) but not litter. She tried spraying apple bitter on the cage ... more about that in a minute. She has tried putting me in the kennel .... I mean prison for short pleasant stays when she is home and she fed me dinner in it tonight. She has done everything she knows to do and read web sites and talked to Dr Cindy.
Dr Cindy looked at my teeth and said they were fine. She said I did have a place where I bit my mouth ... it was swollen. She does not want to put me on medicine because she says we still have to train me. Mom asked if she was doing everything right ..... training me .... and Dr Cindy says yes. (Mom wonders though if she wasn't just being nice though.) So, Sunday night Dr Cindy said to Mom to put me in the metal prison kennel on Monday but to give me a blanket.
So Mom sprayed apple bitter on the cage and gave me my favorite blanket yesterday. Do you know that if you chew a hole in your favorite soft fluffy blanket that feathers get all over you and all over the kitchen and in the air and everywhere and you have to lay in them until Mom gets home? How was I suppose to know it would do that? Plus, if you chew on your kennel and it tastes like Apple Bitter, you have to get a lot of huge drinks when your Mom gets home to get the awful taste out of your mouth. Yesterday was a no good horrible bad day. I don't know who felt worse .... me .. or Mom.
So today Mom put away the metal kennel prison and put my soft sided kennel, which I will sleep in and go lay in sometimes on my own ... ride in the car in on trips ... the one I like ... she put it in the kitchen but did not zip me up in it. The door was velcroed up so I could go in and out. She put nice blankets in it and left me lots of toys. She turned on the TV to Animal Planet. I had water and a bone with my favorite recipe. The only thing I did not have was a manicure and a massage. Then she went to work.
When she came home, I had chewed up a place on the kennel and tinkled on every blanket. I had even pulled the cover off the kennel, the one she made to make it dark and private, and tinkled on that. I got a spanking, I think because Mom is so frustrated. She knew she shouldn't be spanking me but she was so mad and so frustrated she did. She even called Hershey's Mom and said she might have to get rid of me ... snif snif.
She said that because she is frustrated (but so and I) and she has a lot of stuff to do for Christmas and parties to go to and things to make and a stressful job and groceries to get and she even had to vote today. She said to Hershey's Mom that maybe she doesn't have time for me and maybe I need a home where the people are home all time time like at Isabella's house. She also said maybe I need a brother or a sister. She may look for one. But she thinks if she does not have time for one dog, how is she going to have time for two dogs.
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Get rid of you???!!! Heavens no! Where did your mom used to leave you before she bought the prison? Was the only thing bad that happened before was that you tinkled on your blankies? As a last resort, would you try a behaviorist? And, this may sound crazy, but how about a pet psychic so that you can communicate and the humans can understand. My friends have used them, and they swear by them. Or, how about a doggie sitter that comes in each day? Or, what if, at least on a trial basis, Hershey comes to stay with you? Or, how about finding a doggie playmate for the daytime... maybe you can go to the playmate's house everyday or every other day? I see postings for this on craigslist in my area.
Oh Copper, I will be very sad if your mom takes you to another place to live.
See, here is a boxer looking for playdates. Maybe after some play, it will tire you out and you won't be so worried about when your mom is coming home from work. You could post something and see if anyone responds, but make sure everything sounds legit before you meet them or give them your personal info. Maybe you could post something at your vet's office, or ask Dr Cindy.
p.s. The word verification for this comment is: ESVPAW. Since it's got "paw" in the word, this must be a good sign.
Oh dear, Copper,
I'm sure you're mom would miss you and doesn't really want to give you away...
...maybe a friend or a regular visitor, like Hana suggested, might solve your problem. You're probably lonely and don't even know it.
Sorry I can't offer more advice. I'm a live outside doooog myself.
I got yours and Hershey's card today, thanks so much. You guys are soooo handsome.
Chow for now, li'l guy,
Tin Tin xo
Oh, Copper! it sounds like it was a bad day for you and your mom both.
Linda said she hopes your mom thinks it through before getting another dog. A puppy would be hard to train with your mom's busy life and obligations, and people usually don't offer well behaved and problem free older dogs for adoption. You all could end up with a dog with lots of behavior problems. As we learned with Emmy, people often lie about dogs they are wanting to get rid of.
Could your mom leave you in the kitchen with just a rug to lay on and one cotton blanket (with no feathers in it-hee hee). If you peed on just two things, it wouldn't be as much work to wash and dry. There are also things called portable ex-pens. Linda used to have lots of them when she showed dogs. Her favorite one even had a top on it and was imposssible for a dog to escape. They can be a bit pricey but it would be worth it if it solved the problem and both you and your mom were happy. They can be set up anywhere- even in the ktichen and you couldn't get into much trouble in one of those. They collapse flat so it could be put away when your humans are home or company was coming. If your mom is interested in that idea, Linda can find some links to places where you could get an ex-pen.
I hope you can find a solution to your problem because I think your mom would really miss if she placed you in a new home.
Big Wags,
Isabella
oooooh nooooooo ... you can't go .. we just have to figure out why you are so mad and unhappy when your peepol go to work. I don't have any help for you because I'm not locked up when Mom leaves. She does close all the doors and makes sure I can't get hold of anything though. I hope your Mom figures it out - it can be very frustrating for the humans.
Cooper, I'm sorry you and your momma are havin' such a hard time. If you're gettin' bored, is there a doggy day care you can go to sometimes?
Whenever I think Lulu hasn't been around enough dogs, I take her there for the day. I'm on a budget but for $20 it's worth it. Plus, she comes home exhausted.
ps...if you could come over and play with Lulu she'd just love it. too bad you are far away.
Poor Cooper and Cooper's Mom, Sounds like your both going through a rough time.
I think Elizabeths idea of doggy day care is a good idea or maybe a dog walker who comes in in the middle of coopers mom workday and takes you out for a while. Another dog is a huge commitment, Issabella is right but I don't completely agree that all adult dogs available for adoption are have behavioural issues.
Another deterent to chewing is apparently hot pepper spray. I read it on the blog of a vet www.dolittler.com or I wouldn't suggest it.
Good luck Cooper and Coopers mom
Shannon
i think you must try medication, either for you or the dog (ha-ha),
it is just too upsetting for both of you! or can you go and live with hershy?
Hi Copper,
I was very sad to read this post. Your mom seems to love you so much, I am surprised that she would talk about getting rid of you.
First, please tell her that if you do have separation anxiety, her getting angry at you and scolding or spanking you will not help, it will only add to your anxiety.
Second - putting anything that you can chew up in your crate with you is not a good idea, since you seem to be more anxious in your crate because you are not used to it yet.
Crate training is a process that takes time. There is no magic quick fix solution that will work in one day. A pet is a commitment, just like a child. Children don't learn how to behavir in one day either.
It would be a good idea for your mom to not leave anything that you can destroy with you.
Your Kong - this is a GREAT tool. If peanut butter or the Kong cookies don' thrill you, your mom might want to try putting canned dog food inside the Kong and putting it in the freezer overnight.
Treat dispensing toys are a great tool, but they only work if your mom finds treats that you really love.
Also, how much excersise are you getting every morning? If you have excess energy to burn when your mom leaves for work, that will make it harder for you to behave. Do you get a walk in the morning?
As far as another dog - it can be more work. Is there any way your mom can try leaving you with another dog during the day for a few days to see if it does help?
There are many books available on the topic of separation anxiety. It's not an easy thing to resolve, it takes consistency, time, dedicaton and patience. Punishing a dog for anxiety won't help.
If you want my mom can send you some info on dealing with separation anxiety, just post your email address on my blog.
Indy
Instead of a doggie your mom may consider a kitty. Dey can be lots of fun to hang out vith vhen da humans are out. I live vith 3 kitties and dey are all bigger den me but I am da boss.
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