I fully expect to get a bunch of mean remarks to my post, but I'm posting anyways because I really need some constructive advice on this situation.
A lot has happened since we got Emma a year and a half ago! Firstly, I believe Emma has some type of bladder problem, which has kept her from being a regular inside part of our house. For about 8 months we let her inside all the time and she continually peed in the house even though she knew she wasn't supposed to. It seemed to be a nighttime thing and we tried everything we could think of, including taking her to the vet (who could not find anything wrong with her). She almost "wet the bed" like a little kid. She would litterally go pee on her bed in her sleep. As I'm sure you know, it is no small matter when a Dane pees in the house.
At any rate, we tried for months and months and months to do everything we could with her, and it just wasn't working, so she became mostly an outside dog (along with our other dog, Bo, who has mostly always been an inside dog, we didn't want her to be alone). This was a very difficult transition for me, but we do everything we can to spend as much time outside with her as possible, and she is set up with a nice insulated dog house and large kennel area. We also leave as many toys and bones as possible in the yard and kennel for she and Bo.
Last November, my husband and I had our first child, as well, which brought a whole new set of problems. Our child was premature and to be honest, the dogs were neglected for a while while we dealt with all of that. Maybe neglected is too strong of a word, but we were not able to spend as much time with them as we would have liked to. We are getting better as our tiny daughter becomes healthier, but we both work full time, as well, and there's a lot to keep up with.
Lastly, the biggest problem of the moment is that Emma has been digging. Digging giant craters in our yard, and my husband is fed up and keeps threatening to make me get rid of her. This is the LAST thing I want, as I've never seen myself as the type of person who would give up on my dog...she's a member of my family! I have grown to love her very much. I'm not sure what to do at this point, though, and I thought some of you might have some insight. I have been getting out with her daily to throw the ball and/or take her for walks, and she is still digging whenever she gets out of the kennel even for a few minutes without supervision. I don't feel right about locking her in the kennel all day every day except for when we play ball or walk, but as I said, each time she is let out to wander in the yard she digs big craters (and ignores her toys and bones and even Bo, our other dog!), and my husband continues with his threats. Does anyone have any suggestions to help us cope with this?
Emma has done well with training and knows all of the basic commands such as heel, sit, stay, drop it (when playing ball), shake, be gentle (which we taught her when we had our baby...who she does great with), and speak. She is a good dog but we really need to come up with something here on this issue. I know that a main reason for digging is not enough exercise or attention, but I am trying to do the best I can juggling my premature daughter's medical problems, my husband, my house, and my job. I am completely stressed out over all of this.
Do any of you have Danes that live mainly outdoors? Do they dig? What do you do about it? Please be brutally honest (but hopefully constructive, too), I really want to find a good solution.
JennS
A lot has happened since we got Emma a year and a half ago! Firstly, I believe Emma has some type of bladder problem, which has kept her from being a regular inside part of our house. For about 8 months we let her inside all the time and she continually peed in the house even though she knew she wasn't supposed to. It seemed to be a nighttime thing and we tried everything we could think of, including taking her to the vet (who could not find anything wrong with her). She almost "wet the bed" like a little kid. She would litterally go pee on her bed in her sleep. As I'm sure you know, it is no small matter when a Dane pees in the house.
At any rate, we tried for months and months and months to do everything we could with her, and it just wasn't working, so she became mostly an outside dog (along with our other dog, Bo, who has mostly always been an inside dog, we didn't want her to be alone). This was a very difficult transition for me, but we do everything we can to spend as much time outside with her as possible, and she is set up with a nice insulated dog house and large kennel area. We also leave as many toys and bones as possible in the yard and kennel for she and Bo.Last November, my husband and I had our first child, as well, which brought a whole new set of problems. Our child was premature and to be honest, the dogs were neglected for a while while we dealt with all of that. Maybe neglected is too strong of a word, but we were not able to spend as much time with them as we would have liked to. We are getting better as our tiny daughter becomes healthier, but we both work full time, as well, and there's a lot to keep up with.
Lastly, the biggest problem of the moment is that Emma has been digging. Digging giant craters in our yard, and my husband is fed up and keeps threatening to make me get rid of her. This is the LAST thing I want, as I've never seen myself as the type of person who would give up on my dog...she's a member of my family! I have grown to love her very much. I'm not sure what to do at this point, though, and I thought some of you might have some insight. I have been getting out with her daily to throw the ball and/or take her for walks, and she is still digging whenever she gets out of the kennel even for a few minutes without supervision. I don't feel right about locking her in the kennel all day every day except for when we play ball or walk, but as I said, each time she is let out to wander in the yard she digs big craters (and ignores her toys and bones and even Bo, our other dog!), and my husband continues with his threats. Does anyone have any suggestions to help us cope with this?
Emma has done well with training and knows all of the basic commands such as heel, sit, stay, drop it (when playing ball), shake, be gentle (which we taught her when we had our baby...who she does great with), and speak. She is a good dog but we really need to come up with something here on this issue. I know that a main reason for digging is not enough exercise or attention, but I am trying to do the best I can juggling my premature daughter's medical problems, my husband, my house, and my job. I am completely stressed out over all of this.
Do any of you have Danes that live mainly outdoors? Do they dig? What do you do about it? Please be brutally honest (but hopefully constructive, too), I really want to find a good solution.
JennS
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