PLEASE HELP! OH wants to re-home our dogs!

[TheNewMrs]

Please help! We have 2 small breed dogs who I love dearly! Before we had T they had the run of the house. Living in Ireland means a lot of cold, wet, weather. We have a backyard that becomes like a swamp!

Here's the issues. We have a dogflap from the back yard to the kitchen so they come in and out mostly all day with dirty paws. The get up on all the furniture and everywhere is DESTROYED in MUCK! This wasn't much of an issue before the baby came because I had the time to wash the floors 2-3 times a day, I could stay in the kitchen with them and make them "sit" in bed until they were dry so it wasn't too bad. Now shes here though my time is SO limited (I should really be mopping up now rather than typing but I really need help!). I honestly don't have the time to be washing floors 2-3 times a day waiting for them to dry especially with a crawling baby. They also poop in the backyard as they only get 2 walks a day now instead of the 3 they got before. So I worry about there being poop in the muck as well and my daughter crawling on the floor if I dont get out to clean it up in time. (Not that I put my child on a dirty floor but regardless of how many times I wash, her socks are always dirty when I pick her up so there is obv still some dirt there)

Also the male dog has started to pee on ALL the babys things. Her toys, her playmat, her highchair everything. I know he is jealous and thats why he is doing it (according to vet) but I really do try to give them as much attention as I can. My sofa is currently destroyed in muck as I type because they wanted a cuddle while she was sleeping and just jumped up!

My husbands job was brushing and washing them. They are down to being brushed once a week, whereas they really need brushing daily to stop hair being everywhere. So I am needing to vaccum twice a day to allow them to still have run of the house as well as keeping the place clean for my daughter.

I complained to my husband about this once a week since she was born AT LEAST. Not because I dont want them here but because I need a solution to the issues. His solution was to REHOME THEM. That makes me so so sad to even think about. I love these mutts and I want them here, I just dont want the 2-3 hours work daily that I have now that I cant stand in the kitchen saying "Stayyyy Stayyyyy" everytime they come in from outside. Ive tried limiting the amount of times they can come in and out by shutting the falp but they pee inside if they cant get out=more work!

Has anyone got any ideas as to how I can overcome this AND keep my dogs? Please, I am desperate here!

 

[girl friday]

Could you put a baby gate up to the kitchen door so they have to stay in there till they dry off?
What about putting old sheets/blankets/towels down on the kitchen floor to soak up the wet/mud?
How about throws for the sofas? If you have a few you can replace one while you wash another and one dries.

x

 

[TheNewMrs]

Could you put a baby gate up to the kitchen door so they have to stay in there till they dry off?
What about putting old sheets/blankets/towels down on the kitchen floor to soak up the wet/mud?
How about throws for the sofas? If you have a few you can replace one while you wash another and one dries.

x

I do lock them in the kitchen when I'm home alone bit we have 2 enterances to the kitchen and when my OH is home he doesn't close the flippin doors. We tried throws but they scratch them down with their pars. The Kitchen is quite big so we wouldnt have enough floor covering to put down.

I was thinking on building a "run" outside on the concrete that they could stay in till they were dry but then it rains every day or 2 here.

 

[dizz]

Dirt trapper mats at the entrances, towels stationed at all entrances, get into the habit of only bringing the dogs in through one of the doors... ours don't get let out of the kitchen (baby gate) until they're relatively mud-free and dry. Otherwise if they're flying in and out of both entrances - it's inevitable they're going to get mud everywhere!

We've got a long dirt trapper mat at the back door - while it doesn't cover the entire kitchen floor it's enough to catch the muddy footprints of a greyhound hurling herself in from the garden at full pelt - we bought it quite cheaply as it's an ex-rental one (the sort they have at the entrances to offices and shops).

Would a weekly furminator brush cut the fur down to a manageable level - amazon quite often sell them for a decent price.

Personally I'd suggest rehoming the husband!

 

[Sproglet]

I second the baby gate- you'll just have to nag your Oh to shut them, or tell him it's his job to clean up after the dogs! They'll still have space to run round a bit in the kitchen, and then you can let them into the rest of the house when they're dry, and when you're there to supervise.

Though I think they could do with a refresher in toilet training, most dogs can go a few hours between toileting (or can learn to 'ask' to go outside), then you could restrict outside access to certain times, and dry the dogs off when they come in. Maybe schedule some time off work for your OH, or get a friend or family member to come round and give you a hand, and train them like you would a puppy.

 

[Casey3]

I second the baby gate- you'll just have to nag your Oh to shut them, or tell him it's his job to clean up after the dogs! They'll still have space to run round a bit in the kitchen, and then you can let them into the rest of the house when they're dry, and when you're there to supervise.

Though I think they could do with a refresher in toilet training, most dogs can go a few hours between toileting (or can learn to 'ask' to go outside), then you could restrict outside access to certain times, and dry the dogs off when they come in. Maybe schedule some time off work for your OH, or get a friend or family member to come round and give you a hand, and train them like you would a puppy.

^^I second this. You'll have to retrain your husband to shut the gates to the kitchen too haha.

I know little dogs have toilet training issues, but it's possible for them to go a few hours without peeing. If you wanted you could even have a pee pad by the door so they go there instead of on your furniture, but that's not the best to have laying around with a baby so I'd really try to retrain them in the toilet training department.

We have two small dogs that go out every few hours, they never pee in the house and if they're desperate they'll ask at the door. I wipe off their paws on rainy days and I hate the mess they track in on the floors, but they're my mom's dogs so I can't complain lol.

What do you do when they pee in the house? How do you react?

 

[Caslynn]

Could you make a contained area for them when they go outside that keeps them away from any mud? For ours we have a closed in deck, and off one side of the deck they have a run with rocks that goes down the side of the house. And then we keep a towel at the back door to do a paw wipe when they come in!

As for the peeing inside, when he has an accident inside, do NOT let him see you clean it up!
Another thing that might work is training to go washroom on command. We taught our dogs this and it is a lifesaver! Every time they went potty outside we would say "Get busy" and when they got busy we say "good busy!!' and get really excited and reward with a treat!

I hope this helps!

 

[MiniKiwi]

All these suggestions are great. If my OH suggested such a thing, he could pack his bags. They're YOUR dogs, YOUR house, tell your OH they're staying and he better deal with it.

 

[Fergie]

Sorry you're having so many problems with your hubby and dogs

I agree with the baby gate idea, and those mats are brilliant for keeping the dirt off the floors ... well they work on my OHs farm mucked wellies .

About your dogs peeing. They are trying to domineer the baby. It's a natural thing for them to try and work out the pecking order and they think your baby is at the bottom. You need to show them that you are all above them and they are at the bottom. Wash all the baby things that they are peeing on and if they are peeing on the carpets etc use an odour neutraliser (we used febreeze) on the area. Don't give them a row for peeing on the baby things, just put them outside until you've cleaned up the area. Another thing we did was to put the baby in the dogs bed ... sounds stupid i know, but the dogs could see that the baby was the dominant one not them and they got used to her smell then i used to give them a biscuit so they wouldn't see her as a threat to them. It took a while but now they love her when she visits.

I hope things work out for you

 

[beth_terri]

Definitely get a baby gate and make your oh shut them!! Tell him the dogs are not going and if he can't be arsed to shut the gates he can clean up the mess. We've just got a puppy so I'm going through toilet training as well as a muddy garden and the odd accident in th house. But when I bring her in I shut the kitchen door and she stays in there until she dries. She's peed on Rory's play mat and change mat twice but I just know to keep things out the way. If the male dog is peeing, has he been castrated? That usually solves the problem.

But seriously, your oh needs to start shutting doors/gates behind him!!

Xx

 

[TheNewMrs]

So the girl who grooms them has a friend who deals in training and retraining.

Here's the advice she gave us.
1) RE the peeing on babys things, its an "I'm the boss over you" statement. -Put them out, don't let them see you clean it up. Wash, and re-wash tilll the smell is gone. Repeat when needed.

2) Retrain them about toileting outside. Treats, ect like you did when they were puppies. (Day 2 and success already!)

3) Close off their dog flap for now. They need to learn to "go" on demand again. Put baby in a safe place in another room. Close off kitchen and let them in one at a time. Dry paws of excess much and make them "Stay" in bed till they are dry. Baby can be picked up when excess muck is removed. If baby needs picking up before muck is removed. Put them back out. Do not let them loose in the kitchen without you till they are dry.

 

[SophiasMummy]

Maybe get a cage for the for them to stay in until there dry or you get a chance to dry them. If im running round after LO and the dog when weve just come in from a walk and hes wet or muddy he gets shut in his cage until LO is sorted and i can then dry him it does mean i have to wash his blanket from his bed once a weej but its better than mud trailed through the house