Can I be garden/house proud and have a puppy?

potsofmoney_(I_wish)

Feel free to move this if it more of a greenfingers one.
I have a lovely 4 month old springer cross. She is like tigger in miniture and this can be a tad wearing where my garden and home is concerned. She gets walked 2x daily am and pm, I come home at lunch and play with her, she has kongs, toys and lots of ball, find it games when we're out and about as I try and wear her out mentally as well as physically.

In the garden, she will try and dig up plants, chew anything and generally be a pain in the bum. We have put a barrier up so that she doesn't have full access without supervision as she is very destructive and quick. She (being a clever spaniel) has found a way around this.

In the house, if I'm on the laptop she will paw me or try and jump up. The same if one of my children has a hug. She does have a cage, which she has to go in if I'm cooking as I will not leave her alone with the kids as she is still nippy.

I'm just finding that at the mo, especially with the garden I'm finding it very stressful, she only goes out on the main bit when I'm pottering but I spend most of the time asking her to leave it goodness knows how many times. She has had training since we got her at 8 weeks but recently she has her own agenda. any advice from other garden loving dog owners would be much appreciated.

ali-t

no, it is not possible to be house/garden proud with a pup!

I have managed fine for years with an adult dog and no mess or fuss but have recently introduced a pup into the equation and all hell is breaking loose. the dark destroyer has mauled the garden, chewed a kitchen cupboard, peed on everything and generally causes mayhem but he is so cute, picks up training so quickly and is a delight to have around when not causing mayhem.

border_collie

When you say, "I come home at lunch", are you working? How long is she left?

UKTigerlily

potsofmoney_(I_wish) wrote: »

Feel free to move this if it more of a greenfingers one.
I have a lovely 4 month old springer cross. She is like tigger in miniture and this can be a tad wearing where my garden and home is concerned. She gets walked 2x daily am and pm, I come home at lunch and play with her, she has kongs, toys and lots of ball, find it games when we're out and about as I try and wear her out mentally as well as physically.

In the garden, she will try and dig up plants, chew anything and generally be a pain in the bum. We have put a barrier up so that she doesn't have full access without supervision as she is very destructive and quick. She (being a clever spaniel) has found a way around this.

In the house, if I'm on the laptop she will paw me or try and jump up. The same if one of my children has a hug. She does have a cage, which she has to go in if I'm cooking as I will not leave her alone with the kids as she is still nippy.

I'm just finding that at the mo, especially with the garden I'm finding it very stressful, she only goes out on the main bit when I'm pottering but I spend most of the time asking her to leave it goodness knows how many times. She has had training since we got her at 8 weeks but recently she has her own agenda. any advice from other garden loving dog owners would be much appreciated.

I understand it's hard but they get better & i'm sure it's no less than you expected when researching a Pup & of that breed! I'm not sure how long each day to walk Pups for, I think some say 5 minutes per month of age but i've never had one so idk, I was thinking she needs more exercise but then remembered she's a Pup! lol so that'll come later. (Bit of advice that's off topic & i'm sure you know, but where you say you won't leave her alone with the kids as she's still nippy, even when she's not you can't leave them alone)

What do youi do when you're on the laptop & she's trying to paw you? She may be attention seeking, even what we'd think is bad attention such as a get down or go away is great for them! Same with the 'gardening' maybe, to her it might be a way to get your attention idk? I'm wondering if a DAp diffuser would help to calm her down abit? Normally a good long walk will but like I say she's too young.

I'm abit stuck really, I personally would expect that all from a ESS x, especially a Pup, but I don't know how to stop it cause to me it just sounds like she's doing what Pups do & not being naughty, so I understand you needing the advice totally buit idk what that is, I was thinking Kongs but you've tried those I see!

Maybe MrsTine will see this thread, her lovely Kira *apparently* was a devil Dog tho I don't believe that at alllllllllll!

potsofmoney_(I_wish)

"When you say, "I come home at lunch", are you working? How long is she left?"

She has a 25mins off lead run in the morning, I go to work about 8:30 and then I'm home for nearly an hour (if I walk fast ) at 12:00. I'm home with the kids at 3:45 and then she has a run and play outside, and then her big walk in the evening, which is usually a mixture of off lead and games for about an hour, it's longer at the weekend. I'm a TA, so I'm off for the school holidays which fits in well with a dog. I do try and cater for her seemingly endless energy like I said she's like tigger, I did read up on the breed to try and research what I was letting myself in for, I'm really hoping it's her age and she'll calm down a little when she's older. I even put birdsong radio on for her when I'm out to give her a bit of calm lol

foreign_correspondent

um.. springer cross - you had better just get used to it I think!! lol

How do you react when she paws you for attention when you are on the PC or with your children?

What is she crossed with?

potsofmoney_(I_wish)

"How do you react when she paws you for attention when you are on the PC or with your children?

What is she crossed with?"

It's tricky because ideally I know I should ignore her, but she will accidently claw the kids and hurt them and bang on the keyboard of the lap top, so I do push her (gently) away and ask her to leave it. We do try and give her lots of calm fuss when she is calm and she does get lots of reward for positive behaviour.

Her mum is a English Springer and her dad is a Springer x Cocker. I was hoping lots of walking would calm her down but in typical springer fashion she rests long enough to catch her breath and then would happily go out again.:D I was going to try one of those bacon bubble things for in the garden, they must taste better than my plants. My garden is my pride and joy.

luckys_mum

Sorry, we have had springer spaniels for most of our married life (almost 30 years) and they are the most loyal and loving dogs on earth, but house and garden will suffer when they are about. Springers moult non stop and they like going and doing things that we mere humans cant understand, but one look from those beautiful brown eyes and it wont matter. We have two springers at present father and son and I wouldnt swop them for anything.

suki1964

Springers are cuddle monsters and just want to be attached to you - when they arent tearing about digging up everything and driving you to distraction

Shes young at the moment and although she will calm down somewhat, shes a working breed and they just need to be busy.

Garden - dont let he out there on her own, less you want it all bought in to the centre of your sitting room (as all my cocker's and springers have tried - plant by plant). She can be tought to leave but you need to be consistant and be there everytime.Im thinking back and can say by a year to 18 months they tend to not feel the need to dig holes in the centre of your lawn everytime they are allowed out What we did was protect out plants the best we could, putting up fencing around the beds, plastic bottles to protect the trunks of bushes, planted as much as possible in to pots (oh and they just love to bury bones and rawhide in with your bulbs and in doing so will dig up your bulbs).

If you are houseproud you shouldnt be leaving stuff around for pup to chew. If a pup chews your things that your fault for leaving them in their reach. I was never house proud till I got my first cocker. He was two before he finally stopped chewing anything in his reach. Actually I would say having a pup has made me more tidy.

As I said shes a working breed and really needs mental stimulation. Can you find her training classes? Honest springers love nothing better then to please and teaching them how to walk on lead, sit, beg, roll over - all mental stimulation. From those first puppy classes you can move onward and work towards agility - or train to work to the gun. You could exercise a springer all day and still not wear it out, they are bred to be on the go constantly. Its mental stimulation that wears them out

1sue23

I find the best thing for tiring my 2 year old springer is to hide his toys around the house and sending him to find them ,30 mins of this seems to wear him out more than a 2 hour walk ,having said that he is ready for off again about an hour later .
If he paws you just get up and turn your back on him don't say anything not even get off ,he will soon get the message .

grace1990

Springers seem to have more energy than other dogs! Being a pup she may get bored left at home on her own for more than an hour or two.