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What Chai Got Up To While She Was "home Alone" Today


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Guest Mooogies

Left her in my bedroom, completely baby proofed, with a kennel muzzle on, water, pumpkin filled frozen kong, all her stuffies, and her blankies. With a baby gate in my bedroom door way, secured properly.

 

While I was gone,Broke down the baby gate, not sure how, because it was secured properly. And pooped all over the dining room floor. Thank goodness her food is good because it was good solid poos.

 

Not sure if she pooped BEFORE or AFTER or in between snacks of getting into an almost 40 lb bin of her dog kibble. Not sure how much she ate but she ate a fair amount. I had also put a 12 pack of bottled water on top of the food bin and secured each latch on the lid.

 

Needless to say, she is hiding in my bedroom after 1 firm "bad dog" while I was cleaning up the kibble.

 

Plan b.........sigh

 

HELP?!!!

 

a very frustrated Chai's Mom

 

PS Thank doG I muzzled her!

 

Question.....would she have been able to feast on the kibble? I guess so if she could get at her Kong? I'll be back, after I eat and cool off.

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Left her in my bedroom, completely baby proofed, with a kennel muzzle on, water, pumpkin filled frozen kong, all her stuffies, and her blankies. With a baby gate in my bedroom door way, secured properly.

 

While I was gone,Broke down the baby gate, not sure how, because it was secured properly. And pooped all over the dining room floor. Thank goodness her food is good because it was good solid poos.

 

Not sure if she pooped BEFORE or AFTER or in between snacks of getting into an almost 40 lb bin of her dog kibble. Not sure how much she ate but she ate a fair amount. I had also put a 12 pack of bottled water on top of the food bin and secured each latch on the lid.

 

Needless to say, she is hiding in my bedroom after 1 firm "bad dog" while I was cleaning up the kibble.

 

Plan b.........sigh

 

HELP?!!!

 

a very frustrated Chai's Mom

 

PS Thank doG I muzzled her!

 

Question.....would she have been able to feast on the kibble? I guess so if she could get at her Kong? I'll be back, after I eat and cool off.

Is this your question? Question.....would she have been able to feast on the kibble

or are you looking for advice on keeping her contained?

 

I would also guess she has no idea why she's a bad dog and is hiding from you :(

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Kari and the pups.
Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.
Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17

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Oh, Chai!!!

 

I guess she either really had the hungers and to go, or she was just up to some mischief. The muzzle wouldn't prevent her from feasting at all, so I am sure she is now sitting content as anything. Maybe she looked outside and felt there was no way she'd go out in that weather today!! Can't blame her for that...mine barely made it down the ice covered driveway alive.

 

I can't offer much advice as it sounds like you've done all the basics. I can only say that sometimes when they want out of somewhere, nothing will stop them from breaking out. Our Brucie did this with a softsided crate we used for traveling. It was then we decided he didn't need to be crated anymore (as we found it completely destroyed 3 rooms over, with marks along the walls all the way there). We just muzzle him now as he's a mischievous boy (and Bumper is an angel and is muzzle-less when alone).

 

Good luck with Chai!

Doe's Bruciebaby Doe's Bumper

Derek

Follow my Ironman journeys and life with dogs, cats and busy kids: A long road

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Guest lanielovesgreys

There's no point in punishing a dog this far after the fact. Right now she has no idea what she did, but she's sad you're home and not letting her see you.

 

:(

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What they said about punishing after the fact…it does no good and the dog has no idea why you are mad at her. It sounds like she is not “banished” to the room, but hiding there. Next time, go about cleaning up the mess without yelling…there’s nothing you can do about it but laugh at that point anyhow!

 

Yes, she can most certainly get to the food through her muzzle. I’d skip dinner for her tonight and possibly breakfast in the morning as well.

 

If she is not happy being contained in one room you have two options. Crate/Xpen or free roam. Personally I crated both my pups for a while and that’s the route I’d pick. But that’s just me. Oh, and lots of exercise too.

Poppy the lurcher 11/24/23
Gabby the Airedale 7/1/18
Forever missing Grace (RT's Grace), Fenway (not registered, def a greyhound), Jackson (airedale terrier, honorary greyhound), and Tessie (PK's Cat Island)

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How long have you had Chai? If she's really new, you might want to really start from scratch - maybe keep her crated to start. Sometimes having too much freedom at the beginning can be overwhelming, or too exciting, or just too much temptation. Also, if it's really early, she may not fully know what's allowed and what's not. Make sure she's nice and tired before you leave for the day - so hopefully she's had a good long walk, maybe done some training exercises (i.e., so her mind is tired too).

 

Keep in mind too, that if she can get to her food, even if it's inside a secured container, or on a shelf or whatever, then it's fair game. I learned the hard way just how 'ingenious' my dog was with getting into food, no matter how secure. I now have to keep anything edible behind a closed/locked door or on top of the refrigerator. The other thing I had to learn too, and this was even more important, was that when I'd come home to the 40lb container of food dragged out into the living room, tipped on its side with the supposedly dog proof screw top lid off, and most of the food gone, that there was no point in me getting angry because unless I caught her in the act of doing it, she'd have NO IDEA why I was mad. So now, when I find new random things on the living room floor (like destroyed sardine tins or a punctured beer can), I just have to laugh and actually scold myself for leaving it accessible because I'm the human, I should be able to outsmart her, not the other way around.

 

Oh, and you can't really blame her for pooping on the floor. If she gorged herself, she's probably going to have to go. She's certainly not doing that to be 'bad'.

Lima Bean (formerly Cold B Hi Fi) and her enabler, Rally. ☜We're moving West!

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Most greys I know have the ability to knock down a baby gate. If you have her muzzled, is there any reason to restrict her movement during the day? I'd also find a safer place for her food. You'd be amazed at what a dog that is food motivated can do. I know there are a couple here on GT who can open the refrigerator door.:lol

 

Scolding her after the fact does no good, she has no clue what you're scolding her for. For it to be effective, you have to scold when you catch them in the act. Step back, take a deep breath and start over again. If you feel she needs to be contained, I'd suggest a crate. If not, the muzzle should keep her from doing any real damage if you've doggie proofed your home.

Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel

Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee

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Guest Mooogies

ok let me clarify. I didn't punish her at all. Other than when she tried to get back into the kitchen, as I was cleaning up the kibble, I told her "out of the kitchen" which is her normal command, as she is not allowed in the kitchen. And when she tried to sneak some kibble before she left, I told her "bad dog". I didn't put her in a room, she went into my bedroom, which is right off the kitchen and sat there with her head on her paws watching me.

 

I have had Chai since Dec 18th. I was home on vacation over Christmas but I did do alone time crate training and when I returned to work on the 4th transitioned her into her crate. She howled and barked most of the day, I made sure she had all her stuffies, her blanket (seeing as I came home one day and she had chewed her bed to pieces), her kong with either frozen peanut butter or pumpkin, fresh water and no collar.

 

When it was obvious that she didn't want to be in her crate, another GTer suggested that I gate her in 1 room, baby proof it, but muzzle her until I know whether she will chew things. And that brings me to today. She had her walk this morning, even though it was pouring rain, I still walked her, she did everything she needed to do and I didn't make a fuss over her when I left, put all her stuffies on my bed, with her blanket, left the tv on the food channel and put the gate up.

 

I don't blame her at all for pooping, I was sure that it was the amount she has eaten over the day. She didn't pee though, which is a good thing. And she wasn't barking or howling when I came in. I stood by the door for about 30 seconds to see if I could hear anything and didn't hear a peep and when I opened the door she had been sitting on the couch. Well probably lying on the couch.

 

I didn't feed her any dinner tonight and she didn't hover around looking for her dinner so I'm sure she's been well fed. I will probably only give her a little breakfast tomorrow morning. She did have another poop when I walked her this evening and then just about 45 minutes ago looked like she needed to go. I took her out real quick and she pooped again and this is the first time it hasn't been completely solid!

 

So, here are the good things, now that I have calmed down. She didn't chew anything other than about ohhhh maybe 5 lbs of kibble. SHe drank all her water that i left for her and didn't pee anywhere. I know as soon as I said "bad dog" that I was scolding her for something she has no memory of doing and I gave her lots of extra loving after we came in from her walk and she seems to love me again.

 

Tomorrow is another day, I won't gate her in my room tomorrow, her food bin is put away in the coat closet, I will put her muzzle on her (just picked up moleskin so that she doesn't get any irritation).

 

You all made some very good points and I did even apologize to Chai and tell her Mommy was very sorry and shouldn't have scolded her. a lot of it is worry that she may get sick, plus I am genuinely concerned about the anxiety she is going through when I'm away from her. That is the thing I'm focussed on more than anything.

 

Thank you all for your advice and understanding and I will let you know how day 2 goes.

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Well if she was laying on the couch when you came in, that's a good thing. It says she can be left lose during the day and not cause any problems (well unless she has access to food:lol). I think tomorrow I'd just leave her out, leave her toys, kong and the tv on and see what happens. I'm sure the reason she pooped so much today is that she ate a ton. If she didn't pee in the house, that was a good thing. Good luck tomorrow!

Judy, mom to Darth Vader, Bandita, And Angel

Forever in our hearts, DeeYoGee, Dani, Emmy, Andy, Heart, Saint, Valentino, Arrow, Gee, Bebe, Jilly Bean, Bullitt, Pistol, Junior, Sammie, Joey, Gizmo, Do Bee

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Guest FastDogsOwnMe

Oh, I hear you!

 

I really hope she calms down. Have you tried melatonin? It also can help their butt fur grow in, as an added bonus. I learned about it on Greytalk.

 

Keep an eye on her. I would be nervous if my dogs ate that much. It will probably give her the runs, too- which she cannot help.

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Round 2 coming up! Good luck. I think you and she are getting closer all things considered today.smile.gif

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Susan, Jessie and Jordy NORTHERN SKY GREYHOUND ADOPTION ASSOCIATION

Jack, in my heart forever March 1999-Nov 21, 2008 My Dancing Queen Jilly with me always and forever Aug 12, 2003-Oct 15, 2010

Joshy I will love you always Aug 1, 2004-Feb 22,2013 Jonah my sweetheart May 2000 - Jan 2015

" You will never need to be alone again. I promise this. As your dog, I will sing this promise to you, and whisper it to you at night, every night, with my breath." Stanley Coren

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Guest Mooogies

You know, just so you all know, I am in this for the long haul. I had a funny feeling when I got her that she had "character" which is what I was looking for. However.....I want her to be comfortable at home while I'm away and not be stressed about it, but I think I am going to have to be inventive about keeping her mind occupied. Maybe more than 1 stuffed kong, maybe 5 LOL. And I'll have to sit and watch tv with her and see what she likes.

 

So I am taking it all in strides and tryign to find the silver lining!

 

But I will definately keep you all posted. I am sure you haven't heard the last of dear little Chai.

 

Thank you all for listening.

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:lol: i love the one's with character, but that character is usually associated with a very inquisitive and inventive mind, and that usually means trouble ;).

 

i think dogs like this can really thrive when you do something like clicker training with them. nothing really fancy, clicker training is excellent for learning new things, and it gives their minds something to do and adds to their bonding with you. the best part (for me, an extremely lazy person) is that it's really effective in short little spurts. we just do 10 minutes here and there and that seems to keep her mind occupied and, more importantly, tired :colgate

Lima Bean (formerly Cold B Hi Fi) and her enabler, Rally. ☜We're moving West!

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Guest Mooogies

She is very smart. SInce I've had her, just with her kibble, my son and I have trained her to do about 5 tricks. She learns things like "out of the kitchen" "off" "down" very quickly and without having to be stern with her at all.

 

I just back her up, if she comes into the kitchen and I keep repeating the same command so that she associates it and then all of a sudden she gets it.

 

So like I said, I am going to have to keep her mind occupied and I will be looking forward to lighter, warmer mornings so that I can walk her longer before I leave for work so that she's a little tireder.

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Lots of good advice, especially from Rally. Dsoesn't sound to me like she's anxious when you're not home, she just wasn't properly crate trained so being crated was causing her anxiety. I agree with the suggestion to try leaving her out muzzled if you've REALLY doggie proofed. Lots of dogs will knock down baby gates if they don't like being confined (which is sounds like she doesn't). I bet you are going ot have a lot of good stories for us over hte years. ;)

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Jen, CPDT-KA with Zuri, lab in a greyhound suit, Violet, formerly known as Faith, Skye, the permanent puppy, Cisco, resident cat, and my baby girl Neyla, forever in my heart

"The great thing about science is that you're free to disagree with it, but you'll be wrong."

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Guest Mooogies

oh btw, yes I tried melatonin (Janet) foxysmom recommended it and I think that was the day she chewed her brand new bed to pieces. However...I will give it to her again tomorrow.

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Lots of dogs will knock down baby gates if they don't like being confined (which is sounds like she doesn't). I bet you are going ot have a lot of good stories for us over hte years. ;)

 

Diamond knocks them down all the time but it's because he's a butt head :lol

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Kari and the pups.
Run free sweet Hana 9/21/08-9/12/10. Missing Sparks with every breath.
Passion 10/16/02-5/25/17

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Doesn't pumpkin get runny as it thaws? Neither of mine like pumpkin anyway and peanut butter makes them work harder to get it out especially if I've put some broken up treats or pieces of cheese, carrot etc. in the kong before I freeze it.

 

Both of mine HATED crates and it sounds like Chai was comfy on the couch while you were gone. Other than the food raid she didn't chew or destroy anything and as you said the poop was probably the result of all the extra food she ate. Hang in there sounds like she's adjusting to you being gone.

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Charla, Mom to Carl ( Bella Monsoon ) 5/2002 - 9/2016 and remembering Gracie Rose ( Cee Bar Xtreme ) 2/2002 - 1/2014

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Guest Mooogies

Another Greyhound? I don't think any of mine would be happy without another hound.

 

oh.....trust me.....another greyhound is on the list of things that I may be prepared to do to help my pup deal with me being away from her all day.

 

Doesn't pumpkin get runny as it thaws? Neither of mine like pumpkin anyway and peanut butter makes them work harder to get it out especially if I've put some broken up treats or pieces of cheese, carrot etc. in the kong before I freeze it.

 

Both of mine HATED crates and it sounds like Chai was comfy on the couch while you were gone. Other than the food raid she didn't chew or destroy anything and as you said the poop was probably the result of all the extra food she ate. Hang in there sounds like she's adjusting to you being gone.

 

She pretty much attacks her kong as soon as I give it to her, I let the pumpkin sit in a sieve and drain and then I pipe it into her kong and I haven't found any leaky messes......yet. She likes peanut butter too but I was worried about the extra calories. But I will definately have to get another kong or two to keep her occupied so I will need some low cal ideas. She's a good weight now (although she may have spiked a pound or two since her food raid) but I would like to keep her weight optimal. but carrot, cheese, that's a great idea!

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I could tell by looking at her you have a stinker on your hands.

 

She's given you very clear direction that she wants to be able to move about the house. You could try baby gating her out of where the dog food is kept. She may be content enough with her freedom to not try to break it down. I'm impressed that she got the food container open, she was obviously determined. :lol

 

I'm betting the poop came after the food. ;) Charla has a good idea about the peanut butter with bits of broken cookies or kibble since she likes it so much. :P It takes them a long time to work the mixture out, even longer with a muzzle on.

 

Looking forward to seeing how today's installment of Life With Chai goes.

 

I told you Chai reminded me of Cali my friend Vicky's girl, Cali is a champion at getting into food containers.

 

 

Casual Bling & Hope for Hounds
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Janet & the hounds Maggie and Allen Missing my baby girl Peanut, old soul Jake, quirky Jet, Mama Grandy and my old Diva Miz Foxy; my angel, my inspiration. You all brought so much into my light, and taught me so much about the power of love, you are with me always.
If you get the chance to sit it out or dance.......... I hope you dance! Missing our littlest girl.

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Look at this face! She's plotting I can tell.

 

chai002.jpg

 

chai003.jpg

 

I love her face here. I was playing a video of Jake and Peanut playing in the snow, Jake is barking and that really got Chai's attention.

 

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Casual Bling & Hope for Hounds
Summer-3bjpg.jpg
Janet & the hounds Maggie and Allen Missing my baby girl Peanut, old soul Jake, quirky Jet, Mama Grandy and my old Diva Miz Foxy; my angel, my inspiration. You all brought so much into my light, and taught me so much about the power of love, you are with me always.
If you get the chance to sit it out or dance.......... I hope you dance! Missing our littlest girl.

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