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I think you may realize this dog's challenges are more than you can cope with. It is ok to recognize this, and do the right thing by giving her another chance at a home w/ someone with more time and perhaps energy for the tasks she needs lots of help with.
As the owner of two Australian Shepherds in NYC, I will tell you this:
its not so much running , playing off leash that will make a high energy dog tired. Rather, its all about mental stimulation.
Take her to an agility class, obedience class, trick class, etc. They meet 1x a week and give you stuff to do at home. She sounds like a dog that needs direction and a task, so taking her to a class in your area is a great idea.
Excellent excellent idea. Many dogs need jobs to do.
well dogs like to play....Shar-pei arent the most hyper, but they like to run and play in the house. They also have a large .25 acre pen to play outside when Im not home.
Hope you can keep ur dog OP Im sure shes attached to you by now.
That said having a dog is like having a child, they need attention and affection esp. first few years.
Wow. She would drive me insane. There are lazy quiet dogs that can't find a home because they aren't playful enough - find one of those! I adopted one. She had been in the shelter two years before I came along. She is a perfect fit. This pup needs a home that will apprechiate her.
Location: Somewhere between the mountains and the ocean
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OP, your situation sounds so much like mine. We just adopted a terrier from the shelter. She is also about 20 lbs. She is 8 months old. She was at the shelter as an owner give up (financial reasons). She is not completely house trained. She is very high energy. She nips at our feet, pants, legs, arms, etc. When we pet her, she will start gnawing at our fingers. She jumps up on us and guests. She barks at the cat and frequently chases her. She destroyed wrapped Christmas presents. She ate an address book, calculator, my cell phone, shoe laces, and all manner of paper products. The list goes on and on. We have never owned a dog like this. We had our doubts about her after just a few days.
However, she is adorable. She loves to play and interact with us. She is very polite when given treats (the only time she doesn't nip our fingers). We have been able to confine her to the kitchen when we are not home (had to buy an extra tall gate as she jumped over the standard size) and after barking and crying for a few minutes she seems to do fine while we are gone. I have bought her a gazillion different toys to try to work on her nipping issue (hasn't worked yet) and she loves them all. She has boundless energy and zooms around the house like a mad man (uh, I mean dog). She sleeps with us in our room and never makes a sound. She's fun to watch and just so darn cute. Now, after just a couple of months, I wouldn't trade her for the world. She has so much love to give. Also, she is still a pup. I will continue to work with her but I think in time, a lot of her rambunctiousness will ease. My patience has worn thin many times, but that is on me, not Lucy. She was not trained well and she is just a puppy. It is not her fault.
OP, I wouldn't blame you for wanting to return your girl since the amount of time you have for working with her is limited and the bad behaviour can be so frustrating. I am lucky enough to have two other people in the house to help with mine. Do what you feel is necessary. Don't keep her if your frustration levels affect the way you interact with her. If you start to resent her and her behavior, you will not be doing yourself or her any favors by keeping her.
After Years of Katie Nipping I got a cheep tube of Ben-Gay [off brand for $1] at Family Dollar Put it on my hands! No Nipping even tho After a week I stopped using it! I use to do that when I had pups ANY THING I Didnt want chewed [like leather Saddles & Bridles!] I put a thin layer of ben-gay on LOL
Location: Somewhere between the mountains and the ocean
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katie1
After Years of Katie Nipping I got a cheep tube of Ben-Gay [off brand for $1] at Family Dollar Put it on my hands! No Nipping even tho After a week I stopped using it! I use to do that when I had pups ANY THING I Didnt want chewed [like leather Saddles & Bridles!] I put a thin layer of ben-gay on LOL
She destroyed wrapped Christmas presents. She ate an address book, calculator, my cell phone, shoe laces, and all manner of paper products. The list goes on and on.
Oh, geez, this sounds so familiar. I haven't even dared to have a Christmas tree for the last several years. While my young dogs have outgrown the chewing stage, they still get a little hyper in the house at times and I doubt a tree would remain standing when they got to playing.
As for chewing - mine were hell on wheels, multiplied by nine. When I say they ate a recliner, I am NOT exaggerating. And my list goes on and on, too.
As for the OP's puppy - I have to say that I feel very, very sorry for Toffee. It sounds like she spends a large mount of a 24-hour day in the crate. If I understood the OP correctly, not only is Toffee in the crate while the OP works, but also while she sleeps? Even with an over-sized crate, for a puppy, that must get claustrophobic and confining and frustrating.
It sounds like there also isn't much bonding going on between the OP and Toffee, probably because of all the "issues," but I suspect also because of the expectations the OP had, with the reality of a high energy puppy being much different.
Anyway, unless the OP could find someone to help her out a little - maybe a friend or neighbor with a fenced yard to watch her while the OP is at work - or unless the OP can re-home her to a loving, responsible, and dog-knowledgeable home herself, then returning her to the shelter, where hopefully she will be adopted by someone more equipped to give her the time, attention, and love she deserves, is probably the best thing.
And I don't say that lightly. The thought of all those wonderful dogs and cats stuck in shelters breaks my heart, but as a last resort (and I think this is one of those times), I think that returning her is the best thing for the puppy.
However, telling someone who doesn't want to, or can't, for whatever reason, put in the time and effort and commitment to raise and train a dog, to get a cat instead, is absolutely the wrong advice. Cats require just as much attention and effort as dogs. They don't need to be walked outside, but they need human interaction for socialization and play time for exercise and mental stimulation every day, just like dogs. They need to be trained how to behave, same as dogs. They need to be fed, and have their litter boxes cleaned out every day. Cats and dogs, as living creatures, both need the human to put in the time effort and commitment, every day.
As the owner of 3 cats myself, I hope you didn't think I was implying cats require no care!
But also having a dog, I know they require a different kind of care than a dog - and their lifestyles/needs are often more amenable to somebody with long work hours & limited space. I can leave my cats alone all night if necessary, even all weekend as needed... can't do that with a dog, at least not if you value your carpeting & furniture. LOL. So that's all I was saying in my post, and didn't mean to imply cats are "easier." They're just better at apartment living, generally less destructive, and care less about how long you work in comparison to dogs. Both species require time & commitment, and either can adapt to your living situation - cats simply take less human intervention in order to adapt, IMO.
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. They also have a large .25 acre pen to play outside when Im not home.
While my young dogs have outgrown the chewing stage, they still get a little hyper in the house at times and I doubt a tree would remain standing when they got to playing.
