Dog people...please help!!

[CherryokeeXJ]

We have a golden retriever/german shepherd mix. She's about eight months old and we love her to pieces. She's been a great dog. However...

We have two problem habits that I don't know how to contend with. When we're gone, she gets on the couch. You may not think this is a big deal, but I don't love her so much that I want to wear her hair every day of my life. I would put her out back while we're out, only enter problem number two.

We just finished landscaping our back yard and the sod is only a week old. She has taken up the hobby of digging it up.

Help! I don't want to put her outside all the time (not like I could anyways), and I don't want her to destroy our yard. We've worked really hard getting it put together finally. Anyone know how to break a dog of digging and couch snuggling???

TIA for any info...:thumbsup:

[creepycrawler]

Scooby doesn't get on the couch but there is still Scooby hair on the couch so I don't know what to tell you.

[birddog59]

Crate training/Kennel. Pile stuff on the couch so she cannot lay there. This will be unpopular with some but a training collar and knowing how and when to use it would help with both problems.

[ToyRunner1]

We have a couple of dogs that have issues when we are gone as well. They chew though. Since the wife won't let me get rid of them, we have resorted to putting them in kennels now when we leave. It has worked out fine, and they actually run to the kennels themselves when we are getting ready to leave.

[CherryokeeXJ]

Scooby doesn't get on the couch but there is still Scooby hair on the couch so I don't know what to tell you.

There wasn't any Emmie hair on our couches until she decided those cusions looked mighty fine while we were gone. There were your hairs here and there, no biggie, but now the sofas are absolutely coated. It looks friggin' gross. She's got a really thick coat so it just falls off her. Brushing only helps a little. :shrug:

[CherryokeeXJ]

We have a couple of dogs that have issues when we are gone as well. They chew though. Since the wife won't let me get rid of them, we have resorted to putting them in kennels now when we leave. It has worked out fine, and they actually run to the kennels themselves when we are getting ready to leave.

I thought of doing this, but I would feel really bad if we were gone for any extended period of time. I don't have the option of putting her out back until I know what to do about her digging. Ugh. I know a dog will be a dog, but that grass was a big chunk o' change.

[Colo.TJ]

You can only discipline when you catch the dog in the act. This means many hours of training your dog. You must be consitant as well.

I always recommend to crate your dog. This has many benefits and it is neither cruel or inhumane. When you are gone and the dog is in the crate you will not have to worry about your dog getting on your couch, in the trash, or fiddling on the floor. The next benefit is you will not be unhappy w/ your dog when you return home. You are happy hence your dog will be happy.

As for digging in the yard I have no advice except for discipling when you actually catch her.

[CherryokeeXJ]

when you actually catch her.

Key phrase, thus rendering my goal nearly impossible.

[birddog59]

A kennel in your yard, or crate training her are your best options.

[creepycrawler]

There were your hairs here and there, no biggie,


:eek: You say it's no biggie that my hairs were there untill your hubby finds out about it.


































:flipoff2:

[creepycrawler]

A kennel in your yard, or crate training her are your best options.



X2....When Scooby was a puppy, I never had to tell her no more than once about anything, but then she is the sooperspecialscoobydog.

[Bauer]

Meh Gunner has his spot on the couch.. In the pickup, in the jeep, in the sploder, and in the bronco. And yes he sleeps on my side of the bed..


He's my buddy.. :)

[CherryokeeXJ]

:eek: You say it's no biggie that my hairs were there untill your hubby finds out about it.


































:flipoff2:


He never would have noticed had you not started shedding, you hairy SOB. :flipoff2:

[creepycrawler]

He never would have noticed had you not started shedding, you hairy SOB. :flipoff2:

I'm not shedding. It rubs off.

[CherryokeeXJ]

I'm not shedding. It rubs off.

And you'd know all about rubbing.....:P

[creepycrawler]

And you'd know all about rubbing.....:P


:flipoff2:

[OFRD_GRL]

Put a blanket on the couch.....

or crate train. start off small (one hour at a time) and make the crate a happy place. where that is the only place it gets a special bone, or something....

our dog loves his crate, its his comfort zone. he sleeps there and goes there when we leave.

we also let him on the couch though, he has his own special spot with a blankey on it...



how often does your pup get baths? that seems to help with shedding IMO (granted you are fighting ALOT more hair than an avg. dog...)

[creepycrawler]

Put a blanket on the couch.....

or crate train. start off small (one hour at a time) and make the crate a happy place. where that is the only place it gets a special bone, or something....

our dog loves his crate, its his comfort zone. he sleeps there and goes there when we leave.

we also let him on the couch though, he has his own special spot with a blankey on it...



how often does your pup get baths? that seems to help with shedding IMO (granted you are fighting ALOT more hair than an avg. dog...)


Hey Ooooooooonadammitt, I already highjacked this thread. Don't go trying to get it back on topic. :flipoff2:

[TIMITIMI]

our house belongs to buddy (our dog) he just lets us live there.

[Budman]

Crate training/Kennel. Pile stuff on the couch so she cannot lay there. This will be unpopular with some but a training collar and knowing how and when to use it would help with both problems.

I have said this many many times before. Crate training is the best way to go with ANY dog. It makes life so much easier. I built a large pen in the corner of our basement where out dog spends his days, and he sleeps in his crate, which is inside the pen.

If you are looking for a kennel for your back yard, my neighbor has one that he wants to get rid of. If you are interested let me know, I will see how much he wants for it.

[mtntj]

Sale the couch, It won't happen again.:D :beer:

[projectAviator]

I agree with crate training Our dog has been crate trained since he was a puppy. it is his room a place where he can go to have alone time. He will go in there even when he doesn't have to. He is in his room most of the time when we are gone or at night. He know when we say it's bed time he heads right to his room(crate)

Tim

[mygreenjeep]

Our dog loves to lay on the couch as well, so we trained her to lay on only one spot. We put a blanket on one cushion of the couch and she knows she only allowed to lay there. Once she was trained the issue was resolved. It's alot easier to throw the blanket in the washer than to have to try to get the hair off the entire couch.

[MonkeyBomb]

Crate training is the way to go. Our dogs love the crates. No problems getting them to go because it is a comfortable place for them. kind of like a den and each has its own. Of course mine are young shepherds so if they weren't crated they probably would eat the house.

[al24]

http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/resources/gallery/dogs/images/bullmastiff02.jpg

[JR4X]

We let our dogs on the couch and have only one of three that sheds excessively. She gets a sheet spread out and knows that is her spot. We take the same sheet when we travel and she will lay where ever we put it even at other peoples houses.

[bronc_17113]

crate training, shed stop, what kind of diet that could have something to do with the excessive shedding, you can try some of the no dig products but they do not work, if you have the money you could try calling bark busters they do a very good job at training and for what you spend u get a warranty on retraining for the lifetime of the dog. Thry also come to your home and will adress your specific problems. Any dog training will definitely bebefit you. In all honesty though if you were worried about hair anywhere in your house adding a golden to your family may not have been the best decision you ever made.

[RebelRescuer]

I would say crate training, or at least blocking your dog into a non-couch area when you leave.

As for the sod, I'd take her out on leash to potty until it gets up and stable. Take her for long walks, etc. Once its rooted in, she may not dig on it anymore and it'll hold up better to the abuse.

[OlBlueCJ7]

A kennel in your yard, or crate training her are your best options.

+1

I've got a yellow lab/german sheperd mix. She has a tendency to leap over 6ft privacy fence when we're not home. I've seen her sit on the top of it, but have never caught her actually going over.

She's crate trained now (actually has been almost her whole life). They get to the point where they actually enjoy going in their 'bed'.

[OFRD_GRL]

In all honesty though if you were worried about hair anywhere in your house adding a golden to your family may not have been the best decision you ever made.

:beer:

[jeepingpete]

Use clippers to get rid of the hair. I have a Great Pyr, and he gets clipped for the summer or he is miserable. It does help control the hair. Also, he has his spot on the "old" couch. Doesn't get on the good couch at all. Good luck.

[GM4X4LOVER]

:eek: You say it's no biggie that my hairs were there untill your hubby finds out about it.


































:flipoff2:


Ya know i read these forums as well :flipoff2:

[Oscar]

I have self groomng dogs Smooth coat Jack Russell Terriers dog hair has become a way of life.

[creepycrawler]

Ya know i read these forums as well :flipoff2:


:spit:

[CherryokeeXJ]

In all honesty though if you were worried about hair anywhere in your house adding a golden to your family may not have been the best decision you ever made.

I've had a many pups and I know there's a lot of hair loss to be expected. With Emmie my hard wood stairs often look like an old man lost his beard on them, but I take it all in stride cuz she's totally worth it. I do draw the line when my sofa looks like a fur coat, though. I don't think that's being unrealistic. I'm just looking for viable solutions so everyone's happy. I'll probably start covering my couches unless we have company (this isn't a bad idea with anyways having two young boys...soon to be three), or I'll kennel her. We've got a nice big kennel that would suffice.

Nick wants to find an outdoor dog run, so yes Budman, if you know how much he's asking for that dog run I'd be interested.

Thanks for the advice, all. If my two chosen solutions for the hair don't work out, I'll probably just make her her own spot with a good blankie. The trick will be training her that that's the only spot it's ok to be on. Maybe I'll just designate an entire couch. :shrug: We'll see.

Now just to nip the sod digging in the butt. I think the outdoor dog run is going to be the best bet until the sod is mature.

[otisdog]

Our Corgi Otis sheds enough every week year round to make a new dog.
He's so much a part of the family he basically gets to do what he wants - in other words spoiled rotten.
Jim

[creepycrawler]

https://www.nelsonhobby.com/store/images/CLEAR%20COAT%20expoxy%20copy.jpg

[colombiapunk]

Late in the thread but this worked well. I love dogs but never wanted an indoor dog (until losing that battle with the wife). I had the same issue. answer was hang out with the dog as much as possible (anytime you get an animal you have to get it when you can spend time with it. If training doesnt happen right away it's way harder later). Any time spent away from home the dog spent outside on a tether. In the home if there was even so much as head resting on the couch (dog initially wanted to get up there with me) then it was grab by the muzzle, flick the muzzle and head to the ground, accompanied by many minutes of being told how bad she was, with direct eye contact the whole time, and not releasing her until she stopped struggling and lay still and obediently no matter how long it took and no matter how much she whined (can take 15 minutes sometimes, which can be really hard when you really love your dog, staring into it's eyes while it's scared and trapped). Sounds harsh, but did that for the first week with all problems (digging in back yard, chewing furniture, jumping up at people, trying to tear down the fence, potty training). After that week I had a dog that listens, never needs to be punished anymore, won't lay a paw on the couch, and poos neatly next to my dog poo can in the back yard leaving the rest of it clean of poo and and even pee. And she trusts me now. On the occasion that I do need to punish her (growling at neighbors) she now knows that I won't hurt her so she doesn't even struggle. If yell "No!" she'll drop to the floor muzzle to the ground, tail back, and ears down.

She learned well enough that when i got my second dog, and he tried to get up on the couch she pulled him down and punished him until he learned all the house rules. With her doing it he learned even faster than i could teach him. She had him potty trained in 2 days, it was amazing.

Being a little rough once can mean a lifetime of little to no punishment.

[bronc_17113]

columbia that is not an approach I would brag about. While old school may work dogs trained that way tend to become aggressive more often as well.

[Budman]

Nick wants to find an outdoor dog run, so yes Budman, if you know how much he's asking for that dog run I'd be interested.





I will ask him tomorrow.

[RJsfun]

You have a dog, regardless consequences come with it.

[Budman]

Nick wants to find an outdoor dog run, so yes Budman, if you know how much he's asking for that dog run I'd be interested.





I will ask him tomorrow.

[sonofmayhem]

Fawk. I just pop them. Now I can leave the door open down stairs, and they don't come in unless given permission. SOB still eats our deck away everyday.

Hair yes, BIG problem. We vaccum once a day and keep the big dogs outside/basment, unless we are up there. She don't do it.

Kennel outside, seems to be your best bet.

[CherryokeeXJ]

You have a dog, regardless consequences come with it.

Well no kidding. That's why I'm reasearching solutions that are practical and will at least band-aid the issues. Covering my couches and kenneling out back are my decided alternatives to shaving her and having a dirt back yard. Happy medium.

[Sound_Man]

I had the same problem with a German Sheppard I had. If I put her outside when I left she would act out by tearing stuff up. Some of you may object to this but it worked. Put mouse traps on the couch when you leave. I started by covering them with a washcloth at first then just left them uncovered. The dog discovered that getting on the couch sucked and stopped ever trying to get up there. She got popped a few times but it broke her of the habit.

[CherryokeeXJ]

I had the same problem with a German Sheppard I had. If I put her outside when I left she would act out by tearing stuff up. Some of you may object to this but it worked. Put mouse traps on the couch when you leave. I started by covering them with a washcloth at first then just left them uncovered. The dog discovered that getting on the couch sucked and stopped ever trying to get up there. She got popped a few times but it broke her of the habit.

You are a brave, brave man to post that up here. Paging all animal rights activists.....:flipoff2:

[Sound_Man]

You are a brave, brave man to post that up here. Paging all animal rights activists.....:flipoff2:

It kept the 100+ pound puppy off the couch and if they don't like it I figured out how to throw a loaded mouse trap. Bring it on hyper activists!!! :flipoff2:

[BradC]

My wife bought scat mats for the furniture that she wants the dog to stay off. They spread out over the couch/chair/bed/whatever and give a little zap to him if he jumps up. We didn't even have to turn them on after a week.

[bronc_17113]

Well no kidding. That's why I'm reasearching solutions that are practical and will at least band-aid the issues. Covering my couches and kenneling out back are my decided alternatives to shaving her and having a dirt back yard. Happy medium.
During the summer when the shedding is the worst shaving would not be a bad thing unless you just plain don't want a shaved dog. I'm not an activist at all but withe mouse traps that the other person mentioned they need to keep in mind that a mouse trap has the potential to break bones. To the scat mat individual I'm glad you had luck with the product I have frequently heard that they do not work well. Cherokee, what kind of diet do you have the dog on? Sometimes that can affect how much your dog sheds.