# Growing Pains - Share Stories About Your Puppies



## frustratedearthmother (Jun 16, 2015)

Southern By Choice and I recently had a conversation about my new English Shepherd puppy, Gracie.  SBC suggested a thread to discuss some of the crazy/bad/silly/exasperating things that our puppies do. 

Gracie had a 'no good very bad day' this past weekend.   Despite that, I still believe that she is practically perfect in every way.  She simply decided to remind me that she is truly still a puppy! 

Our day started with rain.  Many days DH tries to take Gracie for a morning walk.  If that's not possible we enjoy a cup of coffee on the back porch while Gracie burns some energy in the back yard.  We did that, but obviously it was not enough.  We came back in the house and I planted myself in front of my computer while DH ran some errands and Gracie played with her toys in the other room....or so I thought!

I'll try to condense some of the things she did:

Got into the trash
Stole a hairbrush off the table and tried to make it her new chew toy
Got into the trash
Chewed a rug
Got into the trash
Shredded an entire roll of paper towels (very quietly and very efficiently)
Got into the trash
Jumped a fence into a pen with two does who had fresh babies (she almost instantly regretted that decision)
and probably got into the trash again!

But, she did it all w/a doggy smile and I still love her!  

What are some of the things your pups have done to keep you on your toes?


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## Southern by choice (Jun 16, 2015)

Made me laugh all over again!

I especially love the "_got into the trash"  x4 maybe even x5 _


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## OneFineAcre (Jun 16, 2015)

Got to love a puppy


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## Southern by choice (Jun 16, 2015)

Some of you may remember these....
"D" at 5 months ... need I say more. 
Bad puppy! 
But it gets worse... he did it at 2 years and of course you can't leave anything out!
Counter surfing at 16 months...
SO BUSTED!


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## bonbean01 (Jun 16, 2015)

Naughty or nice.....D is dear to my heart


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## frustratedearthmother (Jun 17, 2015)

*WARNING*  This post has graphic detail about killing farm vermin - if that offends you please stop reading now!

I know some folks would have just given in and moved the trash - but I'm stubborn!  She WILL learn that it is off limits, lol. 

However - she redeemed herself yesterday.  I was home because of Tropical Storm Bill....which totally split and went right around us...whew!

So, I was out in the hay barn which is practically empty. I was pulling up some of the pallets that we stack hay on because we've got a (grrrrrr) rat problem with all the rain we've had for months and months now.  They like to hide under the pallets and true to form I found a nest with 'wigglys' in it.  Now - I am an animal lover through and through but I hate a rat almost worse than anything. 

Time for Gracie to learn a new lesson.  I called her over and she was excited to see the wiggly's.  She kept giving me that 'look'.  I could hear the wheels turning in her brain...."mom fusses at me if I chase little critters - but I really, really want to get 'em!"  

I pulled the pallet up and Gracie just watched... she wanted to get 'em so badly she was practically trembling with excitement.  Soooo, I picked one up by it's itty bitty tail and tossed it out onto the drive.  Gracie held herself in check and just watched so I encouraged her to get it...and before she could...a chicken grabbed it!  LOL   You snooze you lose!   So I tossed another one. By then the rest of the chickens were on baby rat patrol and they grabbed that one right out from under Gracie's nose.  Now - Gracie knows she'll be in trouble if she chases a chicken so she let 'em get away with it but I could tell it was hurting her pride!

I took another little wiggly to a different area and tossed it down for her.  She looked at me for approval and very gingerly pawed at it...she glances back at me to see if she was in trouble - NOPE!  I encouraged her to 'get it' and she pawed at it again.  Geeze Louise, Gracie.  I'm thinking I've got a total rat killing dud on my hands.  A couple more tries and she finally understands that it's okay to 'get' a rat.  After that - it's on!  She nipped at it a couple of times then picked it up, shook it and then promptly dispatched it.  I didn't want her to eat it, so I took it away from her and gave her another one to dispatch.  No hesitation that time - she finally understood that it was her job and she did it very well!

Here is a shot of the little darlin'.  Notice the frayed edges on the rug.... sigh!  (good excuse for a new one, huh?)


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## animalmom (Jun 17, 2015)

Good dog! (in training)


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## Southern by choice (Jun 17, 2015)

Oh she is perfect! 

Good girl!  and yes she is helping you as you wanted to replace the carpet anyway right?! 

I think the worst thing I have experienced was when I had 2 German Shepherd Pups... they were about 6 months old. I had the male since he was 2 months but got his sister when she was 5 months. Both dogs were great no issues. One day the family decided to step out for a while... expected to be gone for about 2 hours or so. Left the dogs loose, no need to crate they were clean and old enough for a short stint. Well our 2 hours turned into 7! 

Came home to see the arm of our  brand new couch tore open and the stuffing pulled out!  My favorite potted plant was overturned and dirt everywhere! 

No "accidents", just my new couch and the plant.
The pups looked up so happy as if nothing was wrong when the one went and brought me my "displaced" plant.  

They truly had no idea what they'd done. I ended up keeping the couch for 3 years and just threw a throw blanket over the arm. 

Two of the greatest German Shepherd dogs I have ever owned.
The female is on my FB cover... took this pic shortly before her death. One of the greatest dogs of all time. She is still greatly missed and still brings a tear to my eye when I think of her.


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## Baymule (Jun 20, 2015)

Danny Dog, our dear departed black Lab, as a puppy, chewed a hole in the door going into the garage from the back yard. Once inside he proceeded to chew holes in horse feed sacks stacked neatly on a pallet.  Had just picked up half a ton and most of it was on the concrete floor.

Danny was on first name basis with the police department and dog catcher. He'd jump the fence and go downtown where the police dispatchers would let him in the office. He sat, gave high five and spoke. If the dogcatcher got him, we'd get a note on the door. We'd leave a check for the fine in the mailbox and Danny would be delivered to the back yard. Rinse. Repeat.


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## Southern by choice (Jun 20, 2015)

Baymule said:


> Danny Dog, our dear departed black Lab, as a puppy, chewed a hole in the door going into the garage from the back yard. Once inside he proceeded to chew holes in horse feed sacks stacked neatly on a pallet.  Had just picked up half a ton and most of it was on the concrete floor.
> 
> Danny was on first name basis with the police department and dog catcher. He'd jump the fence and go downtown where the police dispatchers would let him in the office. He sat, gave high five and spoke. If the dogcatcher got him, we'd get a note on the door. We'd leave a check for the fine in the mailbox and Danny would be delivered to the back yard. Rinse. Repeat.


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## frustratedearthmother (Jun 20, 2015)

Oh my - Danny sounds like he was a total mess!  And, probably a whole lot of fun to have around.


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## JayRo626 (Jun 20, 2015)

Lol. Our Golden, Kipper just about got himself killed, the stupid not-so-mutt(But we love him.) The dumb thing is horrified of storms. Horrified. So, of course we've had storms like, every other day. Ugh. A while ago we put him out in his own pen(Where we used to house the bucks.) Because he usually stays with the does, and we didn't want him stressing the one who was pretty far along. So, out to the buck pen he goes. There's a shed, and a four foot fence. He'll be fine, right? Wrong. Went out there, and he had jumped the fence and got his foot caught in the fence, because he heard distant thunder. Ugh. But wait, there's more!

(This was awhile later.)So, we put him back in with the does when the weather was clear. My mutt had started digging a hole under the gate, trying to get under the gate to the goats. A decent sized hole, but not big enough to get through. So, once again, Kipper hears _distant _thunder. So, what does he do? He tries to squeeze under the hole. This hole isn't big enough for our 25lb mutt to squeeze through, let alone out 75-80lb Golden. He squeezed under s_omehow _and got stuck halfway. Now, the gap under the gate is only a couple inches. We had to go, take the gate off it's hinges, and lift it off of the dumb creature. He also runs away without hesitation. All the people in my neighborhood know him by name.


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## Baymule (Jun 20, 2015)

Trip our GP/Maremma 7 month old, has had chicken lessons. I built a hoop coop for the 12 golden comet pullets and got them out of the house. Trip charged the wire. I immediately grabbed him, shoved his head to the ground, telling him NO! These are MOMMYS chickens! It took a few times and he quit. I let him in the 6 geriatric hens coop where he discovered poop cookies and layer pellets.  He could have cared less about the hens!

The real test will be when we close a 300' gap with fence so I feel OK with letting the chickens out. Trip will be supervised, will let hens out late in evening, gradually allowing more time. 

So far Trip's only bad habit is chewing collars off Parker, our BBD. big black dog


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## Shorty (Jun 20, 2015)

When our Springer Spaniel Roxie was about 6 months old we left her in the house with our older dogs for the first time and she found my moms knitting and she spread it all over the house complete with it tangled around her. She is 9 now and the only trouble she causes now is occasionally getting in the garbage.


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## frustratedearthmother (Jun 21, 2015)

Pretty crazy what these critters can get themselves in to!  Gracie has been really good for about a day and a half now, lol.


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