Almost moving time!

[Lindsey]

Originally Posted by MaddieBoo

That is so funny, I just got that game as well. It's pretty funny, hey?
It sounds like your place is really coming together!

It is so much fun! There were a few times with the "straight up" card where we had to write about a person that we were all laughing so hard we were in tears!

Last night I went shopping for some extra stuff for the condo. I got a cute vase and a bunch of tall sticks (lol I don't know how else to describe it) for the back corner of the den/library area. It looks nicer than it sounds I also got 3 shelves to put on the wall in the living/dining area. Scott put those up before bedtime. The last thing I got was wicker laundry hampers, one with a divider with "Lights" and "Darks" and the other matching but just a bit smaller (for jeans ) They have lids which is nice to deter Layla from eating my socks!

On the topic of Layla, she went about 20 steps backwards in potty training. She is peeing EVERYWHERE. I just can't seem to get it all out of the carpet and it's terrible. I understand her not wanting to stay in the laundry room all day now because there's no ventilation and even though it's big and she has her food and water and bed far away from her pee pad, just one pee on it and the room smells so bad. It also gets really hot and humid in there with no air flow. It's making me want to pull my hair out. I know Scott is getting so frustrated too. I just keep telling him "It's not her, it's us" We need to spend more time training but it's really tough when we're both working.

She's also just being a brat in general. Anything we leave out is fair game for her to eat. Last weekend just before my friends left, she opened a zipper of my friend's suitcase and ate half a chocolate bar!!!! I was so worried because chocolate can be so bad, but it wasn't dark chocolate and my friend felt terrible so I didn't want to make her feel worse. They were on their way out so I thought I'd watch her and if she was acting weird I would take her to the vet but she didn't seem to have any problems at all. It just scared me a lot! She has also eaten soup, pasta, and chips in the last couple of weeks. She used to be way better behaved than this!!! Last night we woke up to her snooping through Scott's overnight bag, and the night before she pooped on the floor at the end of my bed I'm starting to feel like a really bad dog trainer. I don't know how to stop it.

Anyways, I'm hoping I will have most of my stuff in place by next weekend so I will get some pictures for you!

[Marilyn]

Lindsey, you might consider crate training Layla. It's really not cruel at all. Zoe uses a crate when we travel and when I go to set it up, she wants inside so bad she gets in the way. It's like her little room. Her's is the black wire kind, so she can see out and not feel trapped in. I often put a beach towel over it so it's like her cave. She goes nuts over anything with stuffing in it, and wants to hump it and growls if anyone comes near, so insted of a stuffed pad, I just fold a fluffy beach towel for the bottom and have a water bowl that clamps inside. Toss in one of her favorite toys and she's in good shape, and I don't have to worry about my friend's or family's floors when we are out shopping and such.

I used to put the dogs in crates while we were at work and they did fine. I'd leave them with water and little dry kibble. Hubby was able to let them out at lunch most of the time, but once in a while, they'd be there all day and they did fine. They were really anxious to use the potty when we got home though, and once in a while would have an accident, but by using towels in the crate, it's not hard to clean up if they do have an accident.

We are planning to get our house ready to sell, and may put new carpet in our living room and master bedroom, so if we do, ours will probably be back to being crated during the day.

Hope this helps. Most of the time when we are away from out pets, they are sleeping anyway. I don't know how they can sleep sooo long!!

[DianaB]

I use crates too. Reuger and Jazzi both have their separate crates to sleep in. Jazzi has never had an accident in hers. I was really surprised when she was little. I don't like to leave them in there for long periods of time but they seem to do fine when I do leave them.

I also have a tie out in the kitchen where she can be hooked up when I go somewhere. She can reach the food, water, toys, and a blanket to lay on. She really has quite a bit of room to move around but can't reach the carpet. When I go somewhere this is where I hook her up and she hardly ever has an accident there. I do have to move the chairs at the bar so Jazzi won't get tangled in the legs. The only times that she's had an accident has been when I've left her too long. Reuger is house trained and I hardly ever have a problem with him so I never worry about him.

I hope that you can find something that helps Layla get adjusted to your new place. Good luck!

[Lindsey]

I have considered crate training Layla and I really wish I would have done it when she was little. I'm sure it will be a little harder to train now that she's used to having free run of the house. It's something I've definitely looked into and I'm still considering!

[Marilyn]

Lindsey, they are like children. The first time you leave her in a crate, since she has no experience with them, she will probably cry and make you feel really bad, but 5 to 10 minutes after you leave, she will probably settle down and be fine. You might try crating her and leaving for 20 to 30 minutes and coming back. Short times at first. You have to leave though. She can sense if you are nearby and will keep up her crying just like a child does sometimes when you drop them off at daycare of school when they are young.

Another good thing to get her used to the crate is to have it in the room for a few days open. Put water, a little food and some of her toys in it so she gets used to it with the door open. The transition can be eased by doing things like this.

There are video's and books available at places like PetsMart and probably online about crate training. Yorkietalk probably has some good things if you can get past all the junk on there.

[DianaB]

You can find all kinds of information on the web. Here's a site that I found that might be helpful.....

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

[judy]

Layla is not really being bad. She is probably stressed out and also marking her territory in the new place. If you don't want to crate her, how about a playpen or an ex pen for when you are not home. If you let her loose, the carpet picks up the odor, and it is so hard to get them trained not to pee where they smell it on the carpet.

You and Scott can train her when you are home with her. It's also supposed to be better to not leave them in a situation where they can "break the law," so to speak.

I don't blame you for not wanting to put her in the laundry room with no circulating air.