Recent Posts by FriendOfBadger

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / A bit OVERWHELMED... Advice?

I have good news!  Just when Badger pushed me to the brink with his antics, we somehow reached an understanding [sounds weird, I know] and he's coming back in the right direction.  It's still difficult to get through to him, but we're both trying very hard to work things out. 

Also, my friend referred me to a trainer who will work with my schedule and come to the house to help Badger and I get on track.  She warned me as well about the rawhides, and suggested using natural stuff like hooves and pigs ears.  But I'll definitely watch out for the rope toys, Aussie, thanks so much. [I'd be interested to know your take on those hooves... they seem to crack into really sharp pieces... and stink = ) ...]

I've started staking him outside for a few hours a day, in the morning and evening [my husband and I just bought our house and don't have a fence yet], so he's tired out and only wakes me a few times while I sleep.  He's also much better behaved on our walks and less jumpy in the house.  I don't leave him unsupervised in the house anymore, so almost no chewing, and I've tried to come up with lots of creative toys for him to keep his interest off of our stuff.  I made him a giant braided rope out of strips of old sheets, which he loves, but I'll bring it with me to the vet to make sure it's safe, after that warning.  He's still causing issues with the cats, but I'm hoping time is the solution for that one.

Anyway, I really appreciate everyone's tips and advice... I'm really glad to have a place to talk about my dog.  Random funny note: does anyone else's dog bark and run to the door when they hear a doorbell on TV?  Because Badger isn't satisfied until you let him outside to check for himself that no one is there! 

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / A bit OVERWHELMED... Advice?

The problem with a pet sitter/dog walker is that they'd have to come at 3 in the morning, the half-way point of my shift.  I was afraid that if I crated him all night while I worked, he wouldn't let me sleep during the day.  However, he was in the crate about 9 hours last night, and I took him out for some vigorous exercize when I got off work, so he went back to bed with me at 10!  Success!  Plus, I'm sure the cats enjoy the break from being chased.

I'm still unsure of what to do when I find something he's destroyed, but Badger and I are heading to Petsmart right now to buy him a ton more chew toys.  I figure [maybe stupidly] that if he has more toys/rawhide than he can chew, he might not get around to ripping up stuff that belongs to us and the cats.

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / A bit OVERWHELMED... Advice?

Thanks so much everybody!  You have no idea how much I appreciate your tips.  Good luck with Ember, it's awesome that she's learning so quickly!  Badger has learned "No" now, as well as "Up" and "Down" [like on and off a piece of furniture], is doing well on a leash and has almost got "Wait." But he's breaking my heart with the chewing.  I tried to dog-proof the house, but he jumps and can get almost anywhere the cats can.  After working overnight, I came home this morning to find that he had choosen one book off a bookcase to shred, and it happened to be my husband's favorite, given to him by his late grandmother.  When I walked in and saw the mess, I was in tears, and didn't know how to convey to him what he did.  I just picked up the pieces and showed them to him, saying No and Bad, over and over in a stern, disappointed voice.  He rolled over on his back with his tail between his legs and silently listened to the rant, then slowly rolled over and walked toward me cowering to lick my foot.  So he got the message that I was really upset, but I don't know if he understood why.  I'm afraid that when my husband gets back in town, he will want me to start crating Badger while we're at work, which is about 10 hours a day, and I really really don't like doing that.  But Badger is only destructive when I'm not home. 

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / A bit OVERWHELMED... Advice?

He and I go on 3 or 4 shorter walks and at least one longer walk every day, but I live in kind of an "outside" neighborhood, so there are usually lots of people and dogs and cars around.  Maybe you're right, I should take him out somewhere where it's more peaceful.  Thanks for the tip!

Topic: Advice, Training And Tips / A bit OVERWHELMED... Advice?

Thanks to all who read my whining!

I'm a new member of this site, and my dog, Badger, is very new to my family.  My husband and I have two wonderful, beloved cats, and we adopted Badger because he didn't really have anywhere else to go.  He's an 18 mo Dachshund/Beagle mix, about 25 lbs, foot high at shoulder... so not much bigger than my giant felines.  He was already living with cats, in a house full of bachelors, so we thought we could make it work.  My problem is this:

He knows NOTHING.

The only training/care his previous owner bothered to impart was housebreaking.  Beyond that, Badger is completely oblivious to the fact that anyone else's wishes matter.  He didn't even know his own name [which was Skeeter], so I changed it... new beginnings.  No manners, chases cats/kids/dogs/cars/birds/insects/moving objects/visitors/imaginary creatures/etc, steals everything anyone [even the cats] is holding- food/toys/remotes/clothes/utensils, flies around jumping over furniture like a cat [not good for his doxie back], jumps on everyone- special move is the "crotch headbutt", chews chews CHEWS, the list goes on and on.  I'm not sure how to get him to learn his name... he's never had one as far as he knows.  Also, he's very excited about me, so [inside the house, not outside] he comes to me when I call him, but also when I talk, call the cats, get up, change position, whatever, so it's hard to know when to praise him.

Now, he's a lovely dog.  He's sweet, loving, playful, and seems to be intelligent.  When you talk to him, he looks at you like he's really trying to understand what's going on.  I don't want to give the impression that he's bad... it's actually really sad, because the poor guy has been totally left to his own devices and, in a way, neglected.  They fed and watered him, but he didn't get outside much and was never paid a whole lot of attention to.  There's just so much to do, I have no idea where to start, and because I have a really demanding job, it'll be several months before I can put him into a good training class.  AND my husband is out of the picture for now [job related travel] so I'm trying to handle this alone.

Any advice, shared stories, reading suggestions, etc would be very welcome.  I haven't owned a dog since I was 10, almost 13 years ago, and I'm VERY excited, so I really appreciate your support! 

Topic: Pals / Friends in Need

Hi, I just joined the site, and in my exploring, I came across Keylee and Princess' stories.  I looked for an update on Princess, but couldn't find anything... guess it's too old.  Just wondering if anyone knows how she is recovering?  Those pictures tore me up...

Topic: Pals / jUST jOINED!!

I'm both a new dog owner and new to the site, so it's nice to know I'm not alone =)

I've got some figuring out to do as well, and I think our page will be quite simple for a while...