Uhoh we have a digger

[shais_mom]

I'm glad you edited your post about the almost drowning of the dog b/c that makes the balloon issue pale in comparison!

I was assuming that she would be watching her and Missy would be able to pick up the balloon pieces before Ginger tried to eat them. Goldens are a mouthy breed and need to be watched constantly at that age b/c everything goes in their mouth. (as I'm sure with all puppies)
10 weeks is still too young to be allowed out without supervision.
Missy, are the boys allowed outside with Ginger? not sure what the weather is like there but was just thinking that it would be a good time for everyone to get some fresh air.

[RobiLee]

I Goldens are a mouthy breed and need to be watched constantly at that age b/c everything goes in their mouth. (as I'm sure with all puppies)
10 weeks is still too young to be allowed out without supervision.
Missy, are the boys allowed outside with Ginger? not sure what the weather is like there but was just thinking that it would be a good time for everyone to get some fresh air.

Hi Missy,
I think that Staci has a really good idea here. You said it was for only 5 minutes. So that should be a nice little break for all to go out and catch a breather and a bit of relaxation. My Tori is a digger and I need to take this advice for myself also. I have been trying harder to keep more of an eye on her when she is outside. I'm so tired of my yard looking like a mudd pit with all the snow and her digging it looks disgusting. Both of my girls like to be out for long periods of time so now I make sure I'm checking out the window every few minutes to make sure Tori isn't doing her usual thing. Once I see that she might be digging I immediately call her inside. I also don't believe that Tori digs because she is bored. I believe she digs because she loves too..lol. She loves to make nice little holes and then lay in them and watch the world go by or take a nap. Silly husky!

Now my opinion on raising puppies vs. childern.....Puppies are far more easier to raise than children. I think anyone who says other wise is crazy . Just my two cents

[dukedogsmom]

I wish that I had time to sit in a chair by the window and relax... Maybe when the kids go off to school..

I am not slamming you at all. Maybe an older dog would have been more fitting for your situation? Puppies are a lot of work. I'd love to have a Husky but I know my schedule and no fenced in yard wouldn't work with one.

[pitc9]

I had a HUGE problem with dogs digging under my fence, both my own dogs AND my neighbors dog. All three dogs ended up getting bitten at least once and Bud and my neighbor's dog ended up with stitches!

I ended the problem by using chicken wire and wooden slates nailed to the fence (I have a wooden fence) to keep the chicken wire in place and bricks to keep the bottem edge down.

I know you have a chain link fence so you could use zip ties/plastic tie wraps to keep the chicken wire attached to the fence and using bricks, rocks.. etc. to keep her from digging up the bottom of the chicken wire.

[Vela]

I am not slamming you at all. Maybe an older dog would have been more fitting for your situation? Puppies are a lot of work. I'd love to have a Husky but I know my schedule and no fenced in yard wouldn't work with one.

Gotta agree with Val on this one. If you didn't have time for a puppy, maybe it wasn't the best idea to get one. You HAVE to spend the time to train it and insure its safety, even if you think you don't have time to do it. She doesn't know any better. Puppies bite, dig, jump on you, jump on kids, potty in the house on occasion, get into all sorts of trouble and eat kids toys ALL the time. They may nip small children, knock them down. If you don't have 5 minutes to watch her outside, then how are you going to have time to train the pup to stop all of those other things? I'm not bashing you at all, but everyone knows how much work a puppy is. If you take on the responsibility of a puppy, then you have to MAKE the time to do it, whether you have the time or not. Saying you can't do this or can't do that won't help, you have to try to find things you CAN do to change the problem. There were some great suggestions (mostly), and hopefully some of those can help.

I hope you are able to work things out with the pup.

[Ginger's Mom]

My suggestion would be to put something around the edge of the yard that she can't dig. You can put patio blocks or something like that for about 12" wide in front of the fence, so she cannot dig along the fence line. Or you can section off the area around the fence with bushes or a flower garden. Something that will enhance the appearance of the yard, not be a permanent addition, and yet keep Ginger from the fence at the same time. I think if I had a yard, that is what I would do.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

Gotta agree with Val on this one. If you didn't have time for a puppy, maybe it wasn't the best idea to get one. You HAVE to spend the time to train it and insure its safety, even if you think you don't have time to do it. She doesn't know any better. Puppies bite, dig, jump on you, jump on kids, potty in the house on occasion, get into all sorts of trouble and eat kids toys ALL the time. They may nip small children, knock them down. If you don't have 5 minutes to watch her outside, then how are you going to have time to train the pup to stop all of those other things? I'm not bashing you at all, but everyone knows how much work a puppy is. If you take on the responsibility of a puppy, then you have to MAKE the time to do it, whether you have the time or not. Saying you can't do this or can't do that won't help, you have to try to find things you CAN do to change the problem. There were some great suggestions (mostly), and hopefully some of those can help.

I hope you are able to work things out with the pup.

I'm with these ladies - but I am sure you will work things out

[caseysmom]

I would never do the puppy thing again, too intense! However, Casey is my rescue and she has growled at small children, I just don't know her past or how she was raised for the first 3 and a half years. Bubba on the other hand was raised by us and we have helped form his personality.

If I had 2 small children I think raising a puppy with them would make me feel more comfortable, you just have to get past feeling like you are being mean crating her, you are home all day so I am sure you can do a fine job with her.

[Sirrahsim]

Thank you to those who gave me ideas of how to fix the problem.
To those who merely suggested that I shouldn't have a puppy, I hope that you might go back and read the OP. I spend nearly every minute of the day training and teaching my puppy and my children. Taking 5 minutes to put the children in their rooms or put the puppy outside doesn't make me a bad parent or pet owner. It just makes me human. If you are telling me that you spend every second of every day watching your dogs like a hawk then I will call you a liar.
We made an informed decision about getting a puppy and chose a puppy for many reasons. One of which is that my son is scared of older and larger dogs. Seeing Ginger little and watching her grow will be a great experience for my son and it will ease him into a more comfortable state once she starts to get bigger.
I take Ginger to training classes weekly and diligently repeat her lessons throughout each and every day. I walk her at least once a day and provide her with a variety of toys.
When she climbed under the fence I was just taking a few minutes to do the dishes. I wasn't sitting on my butt at the computer or watching TV, I was caring for my family. If I'm a bad person for letting her play by herself for a few minutes while I took care of my family then fine. Next time I'll crate her.

[Glacier]

I have diggers, tunnellers, cave builders! The bottom of my fence is buried in most places, but all the way around, there is a foot of wire along the ground. I buy 8 foot fencing and just bend the bottom foot when I put it up. I use tent stakes, topped with rocks, logs ect to hold the bottom down.

Can you angle a section in at the top to keep her from going over as she grows? I have that too in a few places. Just a couple feet of wire angled in. Stops the jumpers(most of them anyway!). I use game fencing as chain link is a ladder to my huskies!

The other option is one that probably won't work for you. You rent your home right? Your landlord might not appreciate this, but I have gone with abandon all hope of stopping the digging! As long as they aren't digging to get out, I let my dogs dig to their little heart's content! Don't bother landscaping or planting anything. I'll fill in the holes when I sell the place! Our last house, which was home to three huskies, needed six trucks of black dirt to fill in the back yard when we sold it!

[shais_mom]

If I had 2 small children I think raising a puppy with them would make me feel more comfortable, you just have to get past feeling like you are being mean crating her, you are home all day so I am sure you can do a fine job with her.

BINGO!

and I wasn't able to watch Keegan 24/7 either.
B/c there were times I woke up to a room full of torn up boxes of Kleenexes. (that would happen now if I let it at 6 1/2 years old)
Found poop under the Christmas tree -dried- that I didn't see.
That's exactly right - we are only human.

[dukedogsmom]

I have had nothing but nice things to say about her if you'll check my posts in your other threads. Nor did I accuse you of sitting on your ass. I already advised I wasn't slamming you. Just because I had a different opinion, you chose to take it negatively.

[Cinder & Smoke]

I have diggers, tunnellers, cave builders!

Our last house, which was home to three huskies,
needed six trucks of black dirt to fill in the back yard when we sold it!

SIX Loads of Dirt!??
Good Golly!

WHAT did they DO with all the dirt that came OUT of those holes?
(Were thye selling dirt on the black market when you weren't home?)

[K9soul]

I think the impression some people have are based off multiple posts of various puppy problems (which are all normal puppy things), and your continual emphasis on how difficult it is, how you have so much on your plate, so much stress, can't even get a few moments of peace that you so badly need. It's bound to make one say "perhaps a puppy is too much for you right now?" It's not meant as a personal slam, it's the impression one gets by various things said. You seem so overwhelmed and believe me, I know how overwhelming a puppy can be even without having young kids in the picture. No one is saying they are better than you, no one is trying to imply you are a bad person, a bad parent, a bad pet owner. They just read your words and state their impression based on how those words come across to them. Please try not to take suggestions and/or opinions so personally. You could always just explain you are stressed and venting a bit but you are truly happy with your puppy and thanks for the concern. It can make such a difference in communicating what you are wanting to.

[Sirrahsim]

OK *deep breath* I'm sorry. I will admit that I am more emotional than usual right now. At this point in time it does not take much for me to become offended and defensive. I am sorry that I snapped at everyone and I am ashamed of myself.
That being said, I do understand that it might not have been the best idea for us to get a puppy right now but that is done with. We have her and certainly aren't giving her back! What I need is practical advice on how to make things work because I will (now) admit that I might be in a little over my head.