Chewing stair carpet

[lynyona]

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It is comments like this that make me dislike cages/crates more and more.

You have a problem with a puppy that is chewing a carpet, the damage is already done now, and you mention having a new stair carpet. Given a little time and a few changes, (there are some helpful suggestions here) why not wait until your youngster has grown out of the chewing habit, why can't you wait and have your new carpet at a later date. Don't just give up and put your puppy in a cage for convenience. I don't believe that our dogs and puppies should be caged just for convenience!
Of course these modern cages do have some uses, and some puppies are quiet happy to use them, but a puppy should not have to "get to like her cage sooner rather than later" ! It shouldn't be used for a quick convenient fix
If you want an animal to live in a "cage", maybe a rabbit would be best.

Too harsh!
Well I have often got myself into trouble for speaking my mind, I'm used to it.

Don't get me wrong I am not intending having a new carpet until maybe September October time and hopefully by then she will have got out of the chewing phase.I myself do not agree with crates another American Idea I myself wouldn't have got one but my husband thought it would be a good idea as it its the in thing all my other dogs had a free run of the home and was lucky enough didn't destroy anything she is getting her housetraining down to a fine art as well so really there isn't a need to be in it seeing she doesn't like it ..I was thinking more of her not sticking to the paint if I d known I was getting a puppy as a gift id have done the decorating before hand lol

 

[excuseme]

Good luck with making the right decision.

 

[Josie]

Crates can also be a place that your dog feels safe and happy.

It’s just using it in the best way

 

[lynyona]

from the above it sounds like you want a dog but don't really need one, i also dislike to comment on the crate, you should have crate trained from day 1 not now! sorry if i sound horrid but its true

I don't intend crate training her now and yes I watched all the puppy training crate videos when I first got her and as I said before I wouldn't have got a crate out of choice, and I hold my hands up because I don't really like them I maybe didn't persevere with it as long as I should have but she is quite happy to curl up on her bed ,she isn't left alone for any length of time so don't need a crate for that reason and I also hold my hands up I wouldn't have got a puppy if my youngest hadn't thought it was a nice thing to do for me as I often mentioned getting another dog as ive always had dogs especially when he saved up bought her and all her toys collar lead bed he even got a seatbelt harness for the car all this himself. The litter she came from was a litter of 11 and 2 of the puppies the new owners tried to return them because they nipped and chewed. She will get all the love and attention she needs I don't have small children so her and the cat will have our sole attention .I will find a solution to stop her going upstairs and indeed chewing the stair .Thank you all for your input greatly appreciated

 

[JoanneF]

I personally think it's a good idea to train a dog to a crate in case it is ever required in future, for example having to be kept contained at the vets. I have probably posted this before but the link below by the much admired Emma Judson is a great guide, if anyone now or in future is thinking about crate training (and it isn't too late @lynyona if you did want to do it - not saying you should, it's your choice)

Crate Training - Step By Step Guide to A Distress Free, Force Free Crate Trained Dog or Pup by Emma Judson

 

[JudyN]

I'm surprised at some of the harsh comments above. Lynyona said that she wouldn't be replacing the carpet until her puppy has got out of the habit of chewing it, and of course she wants to break the habit as soon as possible. Her comment about crate training I took as a throwaway comment, but she said 'she'll have to get to like her cage sooner than later', not 'she'll have to go in her cage whether she likes it or not'. Which can also be read as 'I need to put more effort into crate training her so she's happy in it.'

Crates can be really useful, and some dogs love them. And a dog that will happily settle in her crate (when all her needs are met) when you want to decorate will make life a whole lot easier. Crate training didn't work for my dog, maybe because I didn't put enough effort in, but mainly because he likes to sprawl and when he sprawls he can take up a whole room, but I still think they're great if used properly.

Lynyona, I didn't see anything wrong with any of your comments

 

[Mayblossom]

Well said Judy no need for such harsh comments at all !

 

[Teddy560]

Completely agree with Judy and Mayblossom. Crates are fab if used correctly. Lynona I think you sound like a lovely owner and you obviously care about and love your puppy a lot. No where did you mention that the puppy is an inconvenience or that you wanted to replace the carpet now. Don't really know what was meant by she doesn't sound like she needs a puppy and just because someone has a different "choice" to you, doesn't make your choice "right" and theirs "wrong."

 

[Sezzy]

@lynyona your stairs look very similar to mine. We did try a baby gate on the first step fixed between the wall and post, but it wasn’t ideal. The fire guard solution as mentioned before has worked wonders, even though she could get past it she doesn’t even try.
I have never crate trained Misty, she loves to help with decorating by adding black hair to the paint

 

[leashedForLife]

.

I've been faced with similar staircases previously, & i attached one side of an ex-pen or free-standing child-gate or similar, to the rail-support [with a re-usable / openable cable-tie, very cheap & durable], & braced the free-standing side with something hefty that the dog / pup can't shift.
A large potted plant [tall enuf that the pup can't get their face or paws into the soil], a set of drawers, a table parallel to the outside wall of the stairs with the gate trapped behind it, or similar. Whatever my clients had to hand that would do the job, & didn't look horrid.

As for crate-training, it's never "too late" to train a dog to be relaxed & happy in a crate for those times when U are doing something messy, or the dog's at home solo, or there are visiting children who are rude to the dog or have no manners toward pets [or visiting adults with the same lacks...], or the dog is recovering from surgery, has an injury that requires confined rest, etc.
I tell all my clients that like a box-muzzle, U never know when U might need one urgently, & it's better to already have that tool happily pre-conditioned & skip any further stress... plus airline-approved shipping crates are the gold standard for transporting pets safely. :thumbsup:

When we shared an apt in Va Beach, my mum thot i was a complete nutter for keeping a scramble-bag packed for my dog, plus one for myself, that included food, meds, water, her paperwork [vax records, chip #, med Hx] / my paperwork [vax records, med Hx, etc], & every month i used the food & meds, & put fresh ones in the bags.
I also ALWAYS had a crate set-up that could be easily put into my mother's car, so that if we had to leave in a hurry, the dog & i could be out the door & in the car, ready to leave, in 5-mins or less.
She saw the wisdom of my prep only when the apt-building behind ours burst into flames over New Year's, & toxic black smoke poured out of it, completely obscuring the view of the parking-lot 10-ft from our windows! It went from afternoon daylight to deep-dusk in 15-minutes, & i had to shut off the air-system in the house to stop the smoke being moved into the house, & thru the vents. It was scary.

__________________________________________
No one hurt in fire that damages 10 Beach apartments | News ...
pilotonline.com › News
Jan 1, 2008 - VIRGINIA BEACH
Firefighters battled a two-alarm blaze at an apartment and condominium complex Tuesday. No one was injured. The fire broke out about 4:40 p.m. at the Marina Shores complex.


Virginia Beach fire department issues summons in Marina Shores fire ...
pilotonline.com › News › Local News › Courts & Crime
Jan 3, 2008 - VIRGINIA BEACH -
Fire department spokesman Bat. Chief Dave Hutcheson said Thursday morning the department will issue two summonses to the management of Marina Shores apartment and condominium complex, where...


Marina Shores complex owners fined $500 in sprinkler case | Courts ...
pilotonline.com › News › Local News › Courts & Crime
Mar 6, 2008 - VIRGINIA BEACH.
The company that owns Marina Shores Apartment Homes, site of a New Year's Day fire that destroyed 11 units, has been fined $500 for failing to properly maintain.
__________________________________________

There was a small leak in the building's sprinkler-system that the maintenance crew couldn't seem to fix, so they SHUT OFF THE SPRINKLER SYSTEM FOR THE ENTIRE BUILDING... FOR MONTHS ON END. Brilliant solution. They had shut it off - not telling any tenants, mind U! - in September.
More than half the building was uninhabitable, & condemned; the rest of it stank of toxic fumes. The tenants in the burned apts lost EVERYTHING, thousands of dollars of household items, clothing, electronics, memorabilia, all their precious personal possessions; the tenants in the rest of the building had smoke & water damage... & the courts fined the irresponsible Mgmt $500. Insane.

Anyway, while tenants there for 10-years, we also went thru 3 hurricanes & 2 Nor'easters, evacuating for 3 of the 5 events. // Her crate got plenty of off-site use.
I even evacuated us for a week when my younger sis & her 2 sons came to visit - we coped with the boys, despite the frequent loud quarrels, but when Suzy arrived & added her angry shouting to the boy's obscenity-laced arguments & physical fights, i'd had it - my dog hadn't emerged from her open crate in my [locked!] bedroom for 3 days, except for meals & potty-trips.
The dog & i went to a nearby motel, with her crate in tow, explaining that "our apartment was being painted". // We had a lovely, quiet stay.

- terry

.

 

[Violet Turner]

I'm surprised at some of the harsh comments above. Lynyona said that she wouldn't be replacing the carpet until her puppy has got out of the habit of chewing it, and of course she wants to break the habit as soon as possible. Her comment about crate training I took as a throwaway comment, but she said 'she'll have to get to like her cage sooner than later', not 'she'll have to go in her cage whether she likes it or not'. Which can also be read as 'I need to put more effort into crate training her so she's happy in it.'

Crates can be really useful, and some dogs love them. And a dog that will happily settle in her crate (when all her needs are met) when you want to decorate will make life a whole lot easier. Crate training didn't work for my dog, maybe because I didn't put enough effort in, but mainly because he likes to sprawl and when he sprawls he can take up a whole room, but I still think they're great if used properly.

Lynyona, I didn't see anything wrong with any of your comments

sorry, i reread mine and it sounds harsh i will delete it

 

[Teddy560]

I think things online can be read different ways because there's no tone of voice so things can be misconstrued or come across worse than they are intended.

 

[Teddy560]

Am I right in thinking you're pregnant Violet or have I got the wrong person? If so, how are you feeling?

 

[lynyona]

sorry, i reread mine and it sounds harsh i will delete it

Thank you ..you didn't have to I am grateful for any feedback, on a positive note I went with the fireguard idea it will arrive tomorrow and i took on board what was said about crates so I put Bettys bed back in her crate and she was quite happy to sleep in there and even printed off the information someone kindly posted about crate training and gave it a go it needs work but she didn't do bad also got some painting done which she didn't bother with until I painted the stairs and she stuck her head through now white painted whisker ends

 

[Violet Turner]

I'm okay @Teddy560 , but getting more stressful with Doris being a bit aggressive

 

[Teddy560]

How far are you now? Exciting times