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Hello everyone...I've been lurking for a few days and decided to join hoping to find some encouragement. We got our 6 month old basset hound about 6 weeks ago and let me say it has turned our family upside down. We have always had dogs and always had inside dogs but this one has taken things to a new level. Let me fill you in on our situation though....We have 3 children - 12, 10 and 4. Our 12 year-old daughter has a pomeranian/chihuaha mix that we got 5 years ago and she is the sweetest, gentlest thing (mainly attached to me though). Our 10 year-old son has wanted a pet for the past 2 years and we have put him off time and again because we already had 2 dogs (the other is an outside dog-lab mix) and 2 cats, but one cat is gone now. I had been thinking that maybe a basset would be a good pet for our family since we've had one before many years ago so we got one from a nearby breeder.
I hate to say this but I was so unprepared for how much stress it would be. I can't believe a dog would overwhelm me so much. She is the cutest thing but she has so much puppy left in her and she's so STRONG. She chews EVERYTHING and runs when we try and take things from her, I can't get her housebroken (some progress though), she wrestles with the little dog and ends up hurting her. She nips and bites my son (and us), jumps on everyone that walks in the door and barks non-stop at the cat. It has been CHAOS here. Plus our niece and her 18 month-old son are staying with us and we have to watch that Ginger doesn't tackle him.
I just don't know what to do. My husband tells me that she will outgrow it, my son is trying to be patient and see what she is like when she is older but he is miserable with her right now - she just over powers him.
I feel so torn. I just don't feel like I have any energy to do this. Can any of you offer any encouragement? I've had a couple of friends swear to me that it gets better if I can just hang in there but I just don't feel hopeful. To be honest though, she has gotten a little better since she came home. She will stay in her crate without barking, she will eventually settle down and sleep lying near someone, she is learning "no", "down", "out" and already knows "sit" and "outside" and "go poopy". I am trying the Dog Whisperer approach - calm and assertive, plenty of exercise, discipline and affection. Please share your wisdom. I am ready to find her another home but I love dogs and she is sweet and I feel I made a commitment to her that I should follow through on.
Thanks so much for any help/advice/encouragement you can give....and if you got this far, thanks for reading the journal!
-Tammy
I hate to say this but I was so unprepared for how much stress it would be. I can't believe a dog would overwhelm me so much. She is the cutest thing but she has so much puppy left in her and she's so STRONG. She chews EVERYTHING and runs when we try and take things from her, I can't get her housebroken (some progress though), she wrestles with the little dog and ends up hurting her. She nips and bites my son (and us), jumps on everyone that walks in the door and barks non-stop at the cat. It has been CHAOS here. Plus our niece and her 18 month-old son are staying with us and we have to watch that Ginger doesn't tackle him.
I just don't know what to do. My husband tells me that she will outgrow it, my son is trying to be patient and see what she is like when she is older but he is miserable with her right now - she just over powers him.
I feel so torn. I just don't feel like I have any energy to do this. Can any of you offer any encouragement? I've had a couple of friends swear to me that it gets better if I can just hang in there but I just don't feel hopeful. To be honest though, she has gotten a little better since she came home. She will stay in her crate without barking, she will eventually settle down and sleep lying near someone, she is learning "no", "down", "out" and already knows "sit" and "outside" and "go poopy". I am trying the Dog Whisperer approach - calm and assertive, plenty of exercise, discipline and affection. Please share your wisdom. I am ready to find her another home but I love dogs and she is sweet and I feel I made a commitment to her that I should follow through on.
Thanks so much for any help/advice/encouragement you can give....and if you got this far, thanks for reading the journal!
-Tammy