Husband's old dog can be a real female dog sometimes...

[notbutanapron]

This dog. I swear.

She takes 'privileges'. She knows she's supposed to be in bed but the second you leave the room she beelines for the couch. And I mean, the second. She'll go to get a drink of water and then just kinda slowly climb on the couch like she totally was sitting there before.

Thing is. She's old. She's deaf. She's mostly blind. And other than basic heel, sit, stay, off, go away, etc, she doesn't know how to behave and she's never been taught. She's an 11 year old kelpie and, while having plenty of loving quality time with my husband [long before I ever showed up] hasn't learned how to not be a complete

My dog is supremely well trained - down to being able to crawl on command, recall perfectly etc. I'm training him for training competitions. Problem is, he gets confused because husband's dog takes her privileges. He still doesn't go on the couch but he freaks out when she's on it and doesn't understand why she won't get off and then he starts to wonder if he can so he puts like one paw up and gets a 'uh-uh-uh' and drops his paw. A couple times now he's climbed onto the bed or gone into the house without permission because Sally [husband's dog] did it first and he thought it was 'okay' before we could yell at her to get down.

So I'm not sure if I should let it go because, honestly, this dog has also started wetting herself from her advanced age. Part of me is like, "Well maybe after all these years she deserves a little couch." but most of me wants to chalk it up to how lenient my husband is with his dog. But now the dogs seem to know they have separate rules for both of us. Which is fine in instances like jumping [husband doesn't mind being jumped on while playing, but the dog will NOT do it to me because I won't allow it] but when it comes to household training doesn't seem to fly.

Even when she can hear your command, if it's not the command she wants, she pretends to be deaf. I can see her understanding!!

So. Yeah. Lots of words to basically say... should I try to retrain my husband's super old cranky dog so that my dog behaves more or should I keep up with the harsh training on my dog as my husband's dog doesn't have much time left to impart her 'wisdom' on mine or should I let the poor old thing just have the bloody couch already?

[lasergrl]

Never too late to train her. He trained her to his satisfaction, so now its time for you to train her your way if you want the problems solved.

[mekasmom]

When you married your husband, you married the dog too. She is part of the family. If she was allowed on the couch before you came along, then she thinks she is still allowed on the couch. Believe it or not, she is not just trying to irritate you. She is a dog. They don't have vengeance in their heart. More humans need to have dog traits like that. My suggestion would be to calm down, and cut her a little slack. Your husband loves her. And for that reason alone, I would respect the dog's place in his heart and in the family.

[notbutanapron]

Originally Posted by mekasmom

When you married your husband, you married the dog too. She is part of the family. If she was allowed on the couch before you came along, then she thinks she is still allowed on the couch. Believe it or not, she is not just trying to irritate you. She is a dog. They don't have vengeance in their heart. More humans need to have dog traits like that. My suggestion would be to calm down, and cut her a little slack. Your husband loves her. And for that reason alone, I would respect the dog's place in his heart and in the family.

Oh sorry, I wasn't clear. The dog isn't allowed on the couch. She never was and she still isn't. When she gets up there we take her off. She knows she's not allowed so we waits to the very moment we leave the room to do it or she sneaks on it slowly like she's totally allowed to do it. The second you glare at her or say 'bed' she sneaks straight back to bed with a sad look on her face. She knows. I even praise her when she's on her bed. Doesn't matter, she wants the couch. I think it might be because the couch is fluffy and her bed is a bit hard and she's getting so old, but I also think it's because husband isn't as strict with his training What I meant by that is he doesn't do 'immediate' things. Like when he tells her to get off the couch... he tells her fifteen times and over the course of twenty minutes before he gets up and physically removes her or gets a stern voice. That's why she doesn't listen is because he lets her get away with having to tell her no a million times. My dog listens because 'no' only gets said one time. After that, you're a bad doggy.

But should I still be slack because she's getting older?

Edit: Oh I should add. She's been really good up until recently. This is only a new thing the last couple years as she's started to turn gray and go deaf/blind so I'm not sure if it's age or husband going slacker on her.

[notbutanapron]

Okay I spoke to hubs again and it turns out I was wrong on his dog's age. She's nearly FIFTEEN. I decided we're just going to give her a couch for herself to finish her life on. She's way older than I thought, so she deserves this. I will simply train my dog that this is only for her and not for him and hopefully he won't get too confused.

[Otter]

Originally Posted by notbutanapron

Okay I spoke to hubs again and it turns out I was wrong on his dog's age. She's nearly FIFTEEN. I decided we're just going to give her a couch for herself to finish her life on. She's way older than I thought, so she deserves this. I will simply train my dog that this is only for her and not for him and hopefully he won't get too confused.

That's what I would go with. Old dogs get privileges.
And it really won't confuse your dog. That's not to say he won't test you, but he'd do that anyway. Some dogs outgrow it, and some dogs don't.

Something I had to learn the hard way - from now and forever, EVERY dog that comes in the house needs to be YOUR dog. I tried to let my DH have his dog = epic fail. Now all dogs are mine, and I train them, and he can give extra attention to his favorite.

[pamda]

I can not imagine a life with animals not sharing my sof, recliner or bed..I can't say it would not be nice..but I like my cuddle time..I guess I would fail at dog training, but I share my life with them like family, not like master servant and I get plenty of respect from them. However all my animals but two are over 10 now, and they get privlages due to thier aging. Good thing anything larger than a mid-sized pom..lives next door lol

[notbutanapron]

We have plenty of cuddles. The dogs are allowed on the bed when invited for cuddles. We just have nice couches. I have a shoddy one we can put in the livingroom for her instead. We also have pretty big dogs and one of them can take up the whole couch and c'mon, that's just rude. They also kick in their sleep!

Also, they're so big I can cuddle them when they're on the floor in front of me, too! I'm doing it now

[Joshie]

I have to wonder if your dog is ill. It sounds like she could be at the end of her lifetime. To my way of thinking, a dog who is blind, deaf, and can no longer hold her bladder deserves to live out the rest of her life on the couch should she want.

Our Tootsie died this week. We don't feed people food. Tootsie lost interest in dog food the last few months of her life so I gave her things like bread, cookies, liver, hamburger, etc. our other dog, Rebel, felt so abused and neglected. Now I don't blame him for being jealous but I still didn't let him get by with the same stuff. I would let the old girl enjoy the end of her life and tell the young guy he has to suck it up.

Does she have dementia? Have you told the vet she's having problems with continence?

[notbutanapron]

Originally Posted by Joshie

I have to wonder if your dog is ill. It sounds like she could be at the end of her lifetime. To my way of thinking, a dog who is blind, deaf, and can no longer hold her bladder deserves to live out the rest of her life on the couch should she want.

Our Tootsie died this week. We don't feed people food. Tootsie lost interest in dog food the last few months of her life so I gave her things like bread, cookies, liver, hamburger, etc. our other dog, Rebel, felt so abused and neglected. Now I don't blame him for being jealous but I still didn't let him get by with the same stuff. I would let the old girl enjoy the end of her life and tell the young guy he has to suck it up.

Does she have dementia? Have you told the vet she's having problems with continence?

Well now that I know she's 15 I wouldn't disagree with you. She doesn't appear to have dementia, just to be pushing her luck more than did she did as a younger dog. I guess she feels she's earned it and she's probably more right than I am.

[secuono]

She's old, leave her be and she's only on the couch...It's not like she eats or destroys furniture...
I don't care what my animals do, as long as they do not destroy anything they shouldn't.
If you are not giving her something else very comfortable, then leave her alone. She is old, her joints prolly hurt, so give her a quality bed or step aside. It's not like she will be around that long for you to get your panties all in a knot for long.

[Kwings]

Originally Posted by secuono

She's old, leave her be and she's only on the couch...It's not like she eats or destroys furniture...
I don't care what my animals do, as long as they do not destroy anything they shouldn't.
If you are not giving her something else very comfortable, then leave her alone. She is old, her joints prolly hurt, so give her a quality bed or step aside. It's not like she will be around that long for you to get your panties all in a knot for long.

This comment seems fairly rude to me. Did you read all the other comments before posting? She already said she's letting the dog have time on the couch because she's older than she thought, so please un-knot your own panties.

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by Kwings

This comment seems fairly rude to me.
un-knot your own panties.

It's a common saying in the midwest. It's really not rude. It just means don't get upset. I've heard it used in churches many times. Maybe it isn't used commonly all over the nation? I have never heard it used as an insult. It's just an idiom you hear in the Midwest.

[Kwings]

Originally Posted by mekasmom

It's a common saying in the midwest. It's really not rude. It just means don't get upset. I've heard it used in churches many times. Maybe it isn't used commonly all over the nation? I have never heard it used as an insult. It's just an idiom you hear in the Midwest.

I'm in Indiana, here its not at all a friendly thing to say to anyone lol. I've never heard anyone say it any other way but negatively.

[notbutanapron]

It's normally meant rudely here but it's said with 'your knickers in a twist'. It's actually considered sexual harassment to say that to a woman in the workplace!

She has her own bed I made myself out of palettes and old pillows and a giant pillow I made out of fabric scraps. It's actually quite flash for a dog bed if I do say so myself. My dog loves that bed, it's big enough for both, but she prefers the couch. Which, honestly, is hard for her to even jump on. Sometimes she misses and yelps.

I wouldn't mind the couch so much but it does actually destroy the couch and they were a nice set my husband got before me that we'd like to keep nice. We have an old ratty Ikea one we can bring in for her that she can have that she'll like though. We just have leather sofas, y'know?

I just thought, at 11, maybe she was pushing her buttons and seeing what Daddy would let her get away with. But now I think she's just so old perhaps she really isn't making much sense of everything. She's been a good dog and I do love her, I hope it didn't come off otherwise. She used to do pigging. She used to hunt with her Daddy. She taught all the other dogs how to behave Back In The Day. She deserves her rest now.

[Kwings]

Originally Posted by notbutanapron

It's normally meant rudely here but it's said with 'your knickers in a twist'. It's actually considered sexual harassment to say that to a woman in the workplace!

She has her own bed I made myself out of palettes and old pillows and a giant pillow I made out of fabric scraps. It's actually quite flash for a dog bed if I do say so myself. My dog loves that bed, it's big enough for both, but she prefers the couch. Which, honestly, is hard for her to even jump on. Sometimes she misses and yelps.

I wouldn't mind the couch so much but it does actually destroy the couch and they were a nice set my husband got before me that we'd like to keep nice. We have an old ratty Ikea one we can bring in for her that she can have that she'll like though. We just have leather sofas, y'know?

I just thought, at 11, maybe she was pushing her buttons and seeing what Daddy would let her get away with. But now I think she's just so old perhaps she really isn't making much sense of everything. She's been a good dog and I do love her, I hope it didn't come off otherwise. She used to do pigging. She used to hunt with her Daddy. She taught all the other dogs how to behave Back In The Day. She deserves her rest now.

They actually made pad/cover things you can put over part of your couch to keep dogs hair and claws from getting on your couch. You could train her to only lay on that side, so you wouldn't have to move in a whole different couch. Just an idea ^_^

[GrannyCarol]

You might want to look into what you can do for her pain and discomfort too, since you say she yelps when she tries to get on the couch and doesn't always make it up. I'm glad you checked with hubby and learned how old she really is and agree that the old dog gets the best of everything. I like your idea of getting her own couch in... or maybe a really comfy orthopedic bed for her on the floor? She may just need more padding for old sore joints. You could also slipcover the couch she likes to protect it for now. Sadly I doubt she has long to go. I'm sure you'll be glad you were extra nice to her when she is gone.

[SilverFlame819]

My 15-year-old is starting to lose her mind. I'd say if she wants a fluffy bed that badly, buy her a soft, fluffy bed. Her little old hard bed probably hurts her little old bones. At 15, she deserves a soft, comfy place to dream. Besides, at almost 15, she won't be able to climb up onto the couch for much longer anyway, so a fluffy, soft bed on the ground would be easier for her to manage. You won't have her for much longer, and in my opinion, the end of her long life shouldn't be filled with anger and yelling. She's earned a soft place to lie. Soon enough, she won't be around for you to get cross with, and you'll have wished you gave her a comfy bed to spend her last days.

[notbutanapron]

Her 'little old hard bed' isn't little, old or hard! She has a huuuuge doggy bed filled with pillows and blankets and soft things. I used shipping palettes to make the base up and then I made a big fluffy pillow out of all my old pillow stuffing and scrap fabric. I went all out making this thing! Maybe I'm just jealous she wants the couch and not my fancy homemade bed.

We already have the couch in the back room and we're moving again soon anyway. It's just as fluffy as our current couches it's just a cheap one I had in my apartment before we got married and it turned out hubby had the nicest couch set. Sally has used it before. Although I like the idea of the fluffy mat, I'll put that down for her if I want her beside me.

I'd want to buy her a couch just for herself if I could, but money these days. Soon, if we can before she gets too old.

She wasn't at the vet all that long ago. She had to have some pretty major surgeries. She had cancer in her stomach. It was benign and removed, but that's the area she hits when she misses and yelps. She already needs a hand getting into the car, poor thing.

I used this thread as an excuse to bring it up again to hubs, as every time we talked about it, the topic kinda just sadly would die down with no results. I said to him, "But I read online kelpies can live to be fourteen! She shouldn't be so rude so soon!" and he said to me, "Um, wifey? She's almost 15. Don't you remember? She was nine when you met her."

Time passes quicker sometimes than I realize.

[Joshie]

Originally Posted by secuono

She's old, leave her be and she's only on the couch...It's not like she eats or destroys furniture...
I don't care what my animals do, as long as they do not destroy anything they shouldn't.

There are a lot of us who do care what our animals do. Ours are not allowed on the furniture.

Notbutanapron, Dasiquin does wonders for painful joints. For the last two weeks before our beloved Tootsie died this week, she wouldn't take her pill. (Food wasn't all that tasty the last few weeks of her life.) Her joints really started hurting the last week of her life so I know it really worked well. It's not cheap but your dog doesn't have a long life in front of her so I think this would be good for her.


http://www.nutramaxlabs.com/index.ph...uquin?Itemid=0