The Newest Member of the Carr Family
I forgot to mention that as of two weeks ago, I’ve added a new member to my household… BOBO!
I picked her up recently from a co-worker who wasn’t home enough for her, and she’s been both a bundle of joy AND a great cause of putting me on the verge of a nervous breakdown!! 
The Good
She is for the most part a very good dog. I can let her run around the yard while I’m outside and she stays within the yard (with the exception of running to a neighbor that may come outside) and returns when yelled to do so. She’s also trained and comes up to me and whines when she needs to “do her business,” which is a major plus for me. Finally, she’s just an all around fun dog to play with and very affectionate (she’s a bit of an attention whore though).
The Bad
The first week she would chew everything while I was gone. DVD Remote? In pieces. Magazines left on the coffee table? Shreds. The worst is when she began chewing on my rugs, so I sprayed them with “anti-chew spray”. Not one to be defeated, she one upped me… the next day she chewed the actual carpet!!! 
I gave her a bit of punishment, but deduced that this was a result of perhaps not having enough chewy toys, so I’ve populated the house with a good 6 or 7 toys as well as a box of flavored “chewables” that each takes her a good 2 hours to go through.
Last week I discovered to my horror that, for whatever reason, she thought the vacant bedroom was perfectly okay to go to the bathroom in… I mean she just walked in there right in front of me and started going… EEEEEEK!!! For now, I’ve been forced to keep her in a crate while I’m gone… only to avoid surprises and train her a bit. Giving her a bath was also a bit of an adventure… it’s not so much fun when a completely drenched dog jumps out of the tub and takes you on a chase through the house… had to air the house out.
A bit of work, but it’s all worth it.
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June 23rd, 2008 at 9:58 am
From everything I’ve read, those are the symptoms of a really bored dog. How often do you take her out for walks? Play time? Socialization with other dogs/people?
Crating the dog while you’re gone is a good thing to do, especially until things get to a more normal groove. Just don’t use it for punishment or they’ll not like the crate anymore; it should be a cozy place they can have their alone time in.
BTW, I got a new puppy a month ago; American Staffordshire Terrier. She’s a wonderful dog and is learning commands pretty well and fairly easily. At some point I’ll have to post pictures.
June 26th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
There is some good advice at http://www.morehappydogs.com - you should find some good leads there about how to improve your relationship!