My husband is going to be SO MAD at my yorkie!

[cheryl000]

Okay. I'm really trying not to cry right now. Brandy keeps climbing out of her xpen and destroying things. At around Thanksgiving my son made his first school project, a turkey made out of construction paper cutouts and put it on the fridge. We have a baby gate up and we put Brandy in the xpen. She has toys and raw hide chews. But she knocked dominick's project onto the floor and tore it up. My husband got really mad about it and this amoung other things has wanted to get rid of Brandy because she will climb out and pee and poop. yesturday I even put a pee pad pad outside of the cage incase she does it and she didn't use it, instead she goes everywhere else.
Well just now I went into the kitchen, she has climbed out 3 times already. I have no idea how she got ahold of it, but she tore up the first christmas ornament dominick ever made. He made it just last week at John's command xmas party. It was a family event and he enjoyed making it so much. I have no idea how the dog got ahold of it, as I had mopped and swept the floor last night and I found it destroyed under the table. I do not give her the run of the house.
I don't know what to do. I am upset about this as well. But after my husband finds out he will be REALLY heated. I don't hide things from my husband but I have the feeling this will be the straw that broke the camel's back. I really love Brandy too, even when she is a pain in the butt. But John doesn't share that love and I don't want to fight with him over this. John is not usually sentamental, but he is sentamental over our son. John was upset about the turkey project getting destroyed, I know this will be much worse since this was a father/son project. I am upset too and I don't know what to do.

[Shanatink]

Im so sorry about all that, it is very sad. I cant believe how much of a climber she is. Can you maybe get a crate instead of an xpen for whenever you cant keep your eye on her? Other than that I really have no idea how to be of any help other than to tell you that chloe grew out of that destructive phase at about 6 months of age. SO if you can talk your husband into dealing with just the first few months it gets much easier. I hope everything works out.

[cheryl000]

Well I have a pug too and he doesn't mind the xpen. She used to stay in it when he was in there. Now she climbs out and leaves him in there. If I put her in the pet carrier that is her size she whines from being lonely. I haven't found a crate big enough for a yorkie and a pug. I don't want to feel like I'm crowding them.

[Jaspermom]

Get a blanket and some clothespins and put a lid on that xpen!!

The sit down, take a deep breath, and tell your husband you have solved the problem, you just need a permanent cover for your xpen. You can find them online, I think, or make one. Work that out, and you will be OK. It is obvious to me that you truly do love this pup and want to have her as your forever doggy. Now you just need to keep peace in the family.

Find a way to keep your son's project out of harms way. And maybe you need to keep the xpen in a small room such as the bathroom or laundry room with the door closed so if Brandy does get out, she still can't cause too much trouble.

I wish you the best of luck!!! Let us know how it goes, OK?

[chachi]

They can be a real challenge when they are puppies and they are destructive. Both my dogs outgrew that phase also so you might just want to tell your Husband this isnt forever. I had an xpen that was kinda tall that I used but if that still didnt work I would get a crate.

[cheryl000]

I tried the blanket but the pug would knock it off. I will buy some clothes pins and try that. The bathroom isn't big enough and the launry is in the garage. So the kitchen is the only place. I still have no idea how she got ahold of that ornament picture frame. I just never went through this with the pug.

[yorkieusa]

I really love Brandy too, even when she is a pain in the butt. But John doesn't share that love and I don't want to fight with him over this.

First, I would get a taller x-pen. Your family's love for this puppy should be unconditional as well as her love for you. This is why I don't like to see yorkies in the homes where people have small children.

Second, it seems like a very small thing to be made into such a major issue. Sentimentality is ok, but if it is that important then why are these things just found on the floor. Put them up so that they cannot be gotten ahold of by the puppy. It is not the puppy's fault. That is what puppies do.

Third, it is a puppy's nature to tear up things. You are responsible in puppy-proofing the house, so that if she gets around those things that she cannot get ahold of something that can harm her.

[Thorsmomma]

I'm sorry that Brandy is causing this huge nightmare! These puppies go through stages and chewing and shredding seems to be one of them. It just comes along with the dog. I know how stressed you muct be about telling your husband about what she has done now, but try not to focus on "well if this if that", because what has been done is done. I agree that a lid for that xpen sounds like a great solution. Thor is a climber and and chewed many many valuable things up! It is such a pain, you go to all the trouble of baby proofing and providing yummy fun chew toys and they think things like a turkey project are better to chew on. As she gets older I'm sure she will grow out of this terror stage and I will be the first to say that I can't wait. Your husband sounds like he will be pretty upset about what she has done, but maybe he can make it a possitive experience to sit down and spend more son-father time together and make another ornament. Good luck with everything, and keep us updated! I wish I could help you break the news!
hannah

[cheryl000]

I really hope that it will do the trick. I just hope that it will be good enough for my husband. He used to pet Bailey all the time. But he doesn't touch Brandy and after Brandy tore up Dom's project, John doesn't want anything to do with BOTH of the dogs and he keeps telling me to get rid of them. I never see him pet them anymore. He says having dogs has now turned him into a cat person. He gets mad that they don't come to him when he calls them. I told him that of course they won't come to him if he's not nice to them. I have been waiting for him to warm up to them, but it doesn't look like it's happening.

[cheryl000]

Originally Posted by yorkieusa

First, I would get a taller x-pen. Your family's love for this puppy should be unconditional as well as her love for you. This is why I don't like to see yorkies in the homes where people have small children.

Second, it seems like a very small thing to be made into such a major issue. Sentimentality is ok, but if it is that important then why are these things just found on the floor. Put them up so that they cannot be gotten ahold of by the puppy. It is not the puppy's fault. That is what puppies do.

Third, it is a puppy's nature to tear up things. You are responsible in puppy-proofing the house, so that if she gets around those things that she cannot get ahold of something that can harm her.

I stated that they were hung on the frigerater. She climbed out of the xpen I bought and knocked it down to chew it up. It was paper, trust me she did more harm to it. I have "puppy proofed the house" I bought an expensive xpen and an expensive babygate that hooks into the wall. She got out of the xpen, not the kitchen. I never had this problem with my other dogs. This is the first house dog I have ever owned as well my family had always kept their dogs outside. Bailey never was as "driven" to chew things up as Brandy is.

[Chelsey]

Originally Posted by yorkieusa

First, I would get a taller x-pen. Your family's love for this puppy should be unconditional as well as her love for you. This is why I don't like to see yorkies in the homes where people have small children.

Second, it seems like a very small thing to be made into such a major issue. Sentimentality is ok, but if it is that important then why are these things just found on the floor. Put them up so that they cannot be gotten ahold of by the puppy. It is not the puppy's fault. That is what puppies do.

Third, it is a puppy's nature to tear up things. You are responsible in puppy-proofing the house, so that if she gets around those things that she cannot get ahold of something that can harm her.

Well said Yorkieusa!!

[txshopper73]

Oh no! I don't know what to tell you except you need a cover over that pen!

[Chelsey]

Make sure she has LOTS of toys that shes allowed to do with what she wants. Any puppy will be "distructive" but they dont know what they doing.

[jerodancrystal]

Brandy is going through her puppy stage. I went through it with Homer, and my husband wanted to get rid of him to because he was tearing up the carpet in our apartment & chewing in the walls. Homer climbed out of his pin with or without a cover on it. He out grew the chewing within a few months and now the only thing we have to worry about is Homer finding the box of tissues on the end table. I think Yorkies have a love for paper.... Talk to your husband, I am sure he will see how much you love your furbabies and come around... (military guys need to feel like they have control at home... hehehehe mine thinks he does....)

[cheryl000]

Originally Posted by yorkieusa

First, I would get a taller x-pen. Your family's love for this puppy should be unconditional as well as her love for you. This is why I don't like to see yorkies in the homes where people have small children.

Second, it seems like a very small thing to be made into such a major issue. Sentimentality is ok, but if it is that important then why are these things just found on the floor. Put them up so that they cannot be gotten ahold of by the puppy. It is not the puppy's fault. That is what puppies do.

Third, it is a puppy's nature to tear up things. You are responsible in puppy-proofing the house, so that if she gets around those things that she cannot get ahold of something that can harm her.

I don't know if you've ever had kids or not. But this is a big deal to my husband. He does NOT LOVE the dogs and I don't even know how he will react. You can tell him all day that it wasn't the dog's fault and that won't matter to him. He didn't used to be this way.