We don't know what to do with Ripley. We are seriously at our whit’s end. Ripley is so neurotic and is constantly in a tizzy. She paces all night long and is having accidents like you wouldn't believe. She is so skittish, barking at every noise that comes from the hallway, and because of our little hooker friends, we're having a lot of noise in the hallway. Since we got back from Chiemsee we have been knee deep in puppy pee. Everyday it's something and we don't know what to do anymore. Friday by far was the worst. I am still in the process of washing everything that got peed on.
Let me start from the beginning. On Friday I was cleaning, which is pretty normal, and I was vacuuming, which again is pretty normal. The girls don't love the vacuum. They never have, they either try and attack it or jump up on the bed or couch to get away from it. I made my way from the bedroom, to the kitchen, to the bathroom, and I was finishing up in the office when I saw it. Saw what you ask, well a large puddle of pee under Jon's desk and chair mat. I turned off the vacuum and started surveying the mess when Ripley came running into the office from the bedroom tracking what I thought was water with her. So I followed her back to the bedroom to find pee EVERYWHERE. I didn’t get upset, I didn't yell, I didn't scold her or hit her. I was mostly just worried. There was so much pee I couldn't believe it. Jon shortly made it home and we teamed up to get the house unpeeified. Since Friday Ripley has had an accident every day. They mostly occur at night when she's up pacing, during the day when she gets in a barking tizzy from the noise, or when we are coming or going from the house.
What do we do with her? It is clear she isn't happy. It is clear she is very stressed out and it's getting to the point where we don't enjoy having her around anymore. There are those times when Jon's home and it’s quiet that she feels like she can settle down and stop guarding the house, but those times are VERY rare these days. How can we help/fix her?
What should we do?
UUUGGGHHH!!!
Like I said before we don’t know what to do.
Let me know what you think because we are seriously at our wits end.
Charmian
Have you tried a kennel? That helped our dogs! Also, try taking away the
ReplyDeletewater bowl and only giving her designated times when she can drink. We
had to do this too. Both seemed to help us. Also, whenever we
vacuum the house, we put the dogs in the kennels or kick them outside to
let them run around. I hope these tips are helpful! Best of luck!!!
I agree, you may have to kennel her and cover the kennel when she's really stressed. Make sure you give her designated "play time". Keep us posted and I'll try to think of more ideas.
ReplyDeleteI think both comments sound good on the kennel idea and that's what I thought of as well. She was used to that here so maybe it would give her some comfort and feeling of security. You might also take her to the vet as they can give dogs some anti-anxiety meds that seem to help. Larry & Cathy's dog, Greta, was in the same boat and she is doing quite a bit better now, at least according to the last we heard from Larry.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest thing right now is money - I guess we'll have to find the least expensive option. Thanks for the ideas.
ReplyDeleteHey! You might want to check her lower belly, and back for sensitivity. I would go in for some "tummy pets" and do some small pokes similar to what the doctor does at a general check up. Maybe she has kidney problems or an infection. The fact that there was so much pee might be an indicator that she can't tell if she has a full bladder, and that she is pacing at night she might be confused and fell funny. She might not be able to tell if she has to pee. You could always take her on long walks before you vacuum to make her too tired to rebel, if that is what she is really up to!
ReplyDeleteGood luck, sounds like a complex problem!