Reason number one for the full plate, Ike. (yes I am aware I brought this upon myself) This dog could be the end of my sanity as I know it. He is a digger (as seen in the photo), a chewer, a barker, a toy thief, an instigator, a bully, and the most stubborn beast I have ever come in contact with. This dog refuses to be house broken and this is not the first dog we have attempted to train. He will go outside, and then two minutes later, there is a pile of crap on the floor. I. dont. get. it. If you have any house breaking tips, please send them my way. We are doing EVERYTHING that we have read, following all of the vet's orders, and using our best judgement and he still refuses to stop going in the house. Please tell me there is light at the end of the tunnel! We have been through 2 CASES of Costco sized paper towels as well as 3 cans of carpet cleaner. When will it stop!? He does have a sweet heart though, he's just a VERY large/ crazy puppy. Thankfully our fence is complete and he enjoys playing outside.
Speaking of our fence, we are happy to have another item checked off of our house project list. It blocks out the view of our neighbors unsightly house and contains dogs and children =) The weird angle of the fence to the right has been corrected since this photo was taken. It was a bit awkward. Keating has loved the excitement of power tools and digging going on to get it constructed. He has seen a shovel used one too many times and has started perfecting his skill. Such a "helper"! He is still getting in to everything and cant be left alone for one second... not one. I have learned that his day to day clothes need to fall into the play clothes category because he tends to get everything dirty. Boys will be boys.
Case in point when he is left alone for one second... he gets into my purse for "chapstick" and comes out looking like a clown. He was very proud of his handy work, his dad was not as impressed with his son wearing lipstick. Good thing red is a good color on him!
Even though our house is hectic, we do have a few nice calm moments, fleeting as they are. My favorite part of the week is getting a sleepy, crazy haired boy out of bed on Saturday morning and making pancakes with him. It is still shocking to me how big he has gotten in the blink of an eye. I know he is going to be a great big brother. 
And speaking of little brother... Last week while Brad was out for a dinner meeting, Keating and I got the curtains hung in Archer's room. This is somewhat humorous for a few reasons. Brad has forbidden me to hang curtain rods because I do an awful job. I think I did okay this time, it is straight and not even falling off the wall, yet. Its also funny because Keating really was a huge help. I would ask him to hand me things that I needed while I was standing on the chair and he was the perfect assistant. Seriously, what 2 year old comprehends "Keating can you hand me the drill bit?" and does it? I kept the photo in black and white because the color was off since it was taken at night, and I didn't want to spoil the surprise.
That is our life lately, crazy, hectic, and lovely. I wouldn't change a thing... except maybe the house breaking issue. That really needs to stop. I keep reminding myself of the song "It wont be like this for long" These moments pass by so quickly that they need to be savored. As Ferris Bueler would say "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in awhile... you could miss it."
Sounds like you are one busy mama! And you're still working full time, right? I took in a dog once that would not go to the bathroom outside no matter what. We ended up gifting her to a nice family, I just couldn't handle it, so NO, I don't have any advise on that. Can't wait to see Archer's nursery
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you've tried this, but have you crated your dog? If you have and he goes in the crate then it's too big. Also for the digging, the only thing we've found that works for our dog is to put his poop in the hole. He won't dig there again after we do that. Let me know. If this doesn't work!
ReplyDeleteI've never owned an animal (dog) because of my husband's allergies so I'm sorry I have no advice for you there.
ReplyDeleteI think we all have our phases where life overwhelms us. Just know that it will pass and hopefully Ike will be trained by the time little one gets here.
Yes, crate training is great! i also taught my puppy to ring a bell on the door when she wants to go outside.
ReplyDeleteWe only fussed at her when we saw her go to the bathroom in the house taking her out immediately. She receives lots of praise when she goes outside.
My puppy likes to dig a bit too. I pour Tabasco and Cayenne pepper all over the ground where she likes to dig. (my family has done this with multiple dogs.)
We've also taken an empty coke can put in a small rock or two, sealed up the top with tape and thrown it toward the dog when we catch them digging. the can is light enough that it won't hurt the dog, but the noise will scare it.
First off, you need a Bissell Spot Bot!! I'm not exaggerating when I say that it is the best invention ever if you have kids or pets and carpet. They're around $100, depending on where you buy them, but worth every single cent. Ours has saved our carpet too many times to count. It literally erases any evidence of anything on the carpet and is incredible. Okay, done plugging the Spot Bot!
ReplyDeleteI have to second the crate-training idea. I was ready to throw my dog in the woods after she pooped all over my brand new couch, but I finally decided to try crating her as a last resort. It worked wonders, and she even chose to sleep in there at night time, I just left the door open for her... it was her little "cave."
I feel the need to say that I wasn't actually going to throw her in the woods, but you know someone will think I'm serious! LOL
ReplyDeleteI would definitely recommend crate training but other than that I have no tips :/ our five year old Jacks were perfectly housebroken until Carter was born and then all hell broke lose! Either they were jealous and trying to get my attention, or they regressed on five years of training because they are constantly having accidents even after I watch them go potty outside. SO frustrating but I agree with Jessica, invest in a good carpet cleaner ;)
ReplyDeleteoh the crazy dogs . . . We got a second dog (remember that?!) and it was the worst mistake of our lives - I could NOT handle it. And also, I cannot wait to see those curtains in color :-)
ReplyDeletei want to live in archer's room, cuz i LOOOOVE those curtains.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the finished nursery and Keating's room!
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