Pet experts please help! How do I control my dogs?
My husband and I have built a brand new home and are moving in this week. We have 3 elderly dogs. We love them, they are our family, but they are all a mess. We are very stressed about bringing them into a new home. My question is; Can anyone recommend ideas or products to keep our dogs out of certain rooms, off the stairs, off furniture etc…??? (Besides the obvious shutting every door and using unsightly baby gates)
We are tired of climbing over baby gates in our old house, but we want our dogs nowhere near our carpet and stairs.
When they are outside, they have a fenced in area and the garage to live in. (We may end up putting in an underground fence later) For the most part, the problem is when they are inside. They are, and have always been inside dogs. They are in 98% of the time. We would never throw them out in the elements for good.
6 Comments on “Pet experts please help! How do I control my dogs?”
Close doors and stick with the baby gates. If I were building a house, this is something I would have considered- just remember this when you think you want a new pup after your elderly dogs have passed. And FWIW- I am totally with you- I wish I had "dog free" spaces- mostly for the comfort of my guests that don’t appreciate all the animal hair and drool.
if you wated to keep them just out in the yard your could try a innotect pet containment system.. they wear a special collar and the wire goes into the ground and give them a little zap if they go over there bowndry..
Its difficult to train elderly dogs! but its not impossible. All that you need is patience. and if they have been with you for many a months, then am sure they would know wht does ‘NO’ mean. So you could start saying NO to them when they try entering those certain rooms and when they jump on to furnitures. You should immed reward them with a small biscuit or pat them on their head by saying GOOD BOY/GIRl so that they know they are appreciated. It sure does work.. gradually with a little patience, they will learn for sure. All the best!!
1. Get them in for a good grooming so they are nice and clean when they first come into your new house.
2. Apart from shut doors and baby gates, frankly I can’t see how you can avoid having them around your home – appropriate carpeting (colour) would, for me, be the best way to go, other than no carpets, just rugs as long as these elderly pets don’t lose their footing on bare wood flooring.
I’m afraid I don’t understand people who have ‘posh’ houses, if they have beloved pets. A good vacuum, and regular grooming should mean you can continue to live happily together? In my life, it would be a question of priorities – and for me, my dogs come first
ps By no means do I live in a pigsty!!
Teach them stay/wait commands you can find out how to do these either with pet training books or YouTube. Learn them and repeatidly teach them it until they learn not to go into specific rooms. Additionally you could get a squirty bottle and give them a quick squirt and say "No" or "HEY!" sharply,and them give them a treat or a bit of priase when they do not cross.
Be the pack leader.