On Sat, 22 Nov 2003 20:27:05 -0600, wrote:

madgardener wrote:

So I called her and dragged her dawg ass out the front door over to
the pit she'd dug and dragged her muzzle thru the dirt yelling at her
"what did you DO????? BAAAADDDDD DAWG, NO" about 30 seconds of this

Why are you mad at the dog instead of your sons, who left them unsupervised?

I WAS mad at my son who unsupervised them (he just ignored the fact
that he didn't see them when he got up and immediately went upstairs
to his computer, where he stayed all day.) He knows I'm not happy
about his inconsideration.

For what it's worth, your dog most likely associates your yelling with her
most recent action...coming to you before being dragged outside.

no as a matter of fact, as soon as I started to drag her outside, she
acted as if she knew. And when I let her loose and told her to go into
the house, she didn't book off, she went into the house. When I called
her to come to me later on, she came to me. She sat near me all night
when I was on the couch, when I was here at the computer she sat on my
foot. I petted her, told her I loved her and spoke softly to her. When
we ate chicken, I shared the bones with Rose, Pesters and Sugar
because the punishment was over.

If you doubt this... Next time, try getting her to come again immediately
after the yelling. If she thinks coming is a good thing and digging is the
bad thing, she won't hesitate to come.

I yelled for Rose this morning when I let her outside and then called
Sugar and she came immediately. Want to know worse???? During this
long time of no one watching her, she dug 1/2 of my BBQ pit garden and
destroyed about $200 worth of plants with a hole that went three foot
deep by three foot, dug up the pot on the deck that had ablemouschous
Cherry Lips roots in it to winter over from Mary Emma and lord knows
what else I'll find she had time to dig up when I wander around the
garden areas. This dog is smart. Yes, she is a puppy, but she learns,
and she's older now. Almost eight months. And she KNOWS when she does
things we disapprove of. When she ripped up my youngest son's hat
(he's 29) she KNEW she had done wrong because when he woke up and
discovered it torn up and went looking for her to show her the hat,
she had already gone and hidden. This is a smart but disturbed dog
and eventually she'll be awesome. But right now she's racking up
points to be taken to the shelter and put down. I won't give up yet,
but the orders around here are to NOT let her out unsupervised at all
by ANYONE. One more massive earth moving episode will get her put
down. I can't take all this stress. And YES, it's ONLY PLANTS. BUT
right now my stress level is peaked out. These were plants I CAN'T
replace that have sentemental value. Yes they're ONLY PLANTS, but
gardening is my release valve. Yesterday I planted things into the
hole I found first and didn't think about the plants she destroyed in
her digging in the front bed because what was lost I CAN replace, just
not the maturity. (the poker's were three and six years old, how do
you replace mature perennials like that? And pokers resent being
disturbed once planted, as some perennials do) The pulmonaria can be
replaced, but only thru mail order as no one around here has the
insight to carry them. Not even the Lowe's I work at.

The plants I lost in the fountain garden were three years old and
until I get home and survey the damage, I won't know what all is lost.
But it appears the first successful growing of Helenium has been wiped
out and those were two years old. Again, something I will have to mail
order as no one has the insight to carry them around here.

You're fine in your critisisms of me, but I don't abuse this dog. This
is a well loved, well fed dog that has another dog for companionship,
we play with her, provide her with rawhide chewies, give her attention
when she's awake and while she sleeps beside us. She's not tied
outside and left alone, she even has the companionship of two of our
cats. I suspect this dog has behavior problems and I'm willing to
try, but with the stresses of my life at the moment, this is what I
don't need. It's bad timing. And yes, I"M the one who brought her
home. But with upcoming unemployment on my husbands job which brings
in the bulk of the bill money, and my cut hours, and the other son not
finding a job yet, it's possible that the lifestyle she has gotten
will change drastically. Two dogs eat a LOT of food, I'll give her to
someone else who can provide a home for her if I have to but she has
problems and problem dogs don't get second chances. Now enough said.
I've spoken my peace and defended myself and that's all you'll get out
of me from here.
madgardener


Eric