Puppies - and My Sanity

Give them away while they are still puppies, it will be easier for you to find homes for them. Puppies are much more in demand than grown dogs. Its not right to have them caged almost all the time, that is not a good quality of life for them, so may as well let go now before it gets harder to find new homes.

You mean you are keeping them in the basement instead in the house?
Start training them, and you must train them separately. leash train them and walk them separately .
We adopted 2 puppies in December if you have any questions about managing them send me a message and I'll be glad to answer any questions.

ok with two puppies you need to socialize them seperately or they will get what's called twin syndrome. That's where one can't bear to be away from the other. Bring one up stairs at a time so they get time with the family with out the other around.

It doesn't sound like you *really* thought things through before you brought home 2 (!) puppies - your yard isn't ready for them, you and your husband disagree on where the dogs are allowed in your home.

Dogs aren't like cats. Cats are happy with a clean litter box, food and water, and an occassional lap to curl up on. Dogs NEED to be part of the "pack". They need love, companionship and interaction, training and regular exercise. If you cannot provide your puppies with these things then you should find someone who can....or you'll have 2 bored, destructive, possibly aggressive full-grown dogs who will be much harder to adopt out.

Why did you get them in the first place? I am just wondering, because puppies need lots of attention and training. It isn't right to keep them cooped up, and only to be let out 3-4 times a day. I would give them away to a family that has the time and would pay lots of attention to them. It is mean if you just keep them cooped up in a basement. It's a waste of having a pet in the first place. I don't mean to sounds rude, but sometimes you mean well and think it's a good idea, and it turns out to not be what you thought it would. Best to give them up.

I read your post and the so what happened very carefully. I still don't see in there anywhere why you and your family wanted two dogs in the first place. The only real positive you mention is that they are "cute". Dogs are very social animals, and should never be caged for extended periods unless there is no one home, especially puppies. If you don't want two more family members, which should be fully integrated into your life and family, then please adopt them out to someone who will lavish them with love and affection. If you really love and want them, then when you are home, your "pack" should all be free to roam around, and be with the other pack members.

Personally, I think before you make any further decisions, you and hubby need to decide the end game. Jump ahead to a year from now, when your puppies are almost teenagers and are potty trained, etc. Where will they be? Will they still be in the basement? Will they be allowed to be upstairs at all? Will they be able to accompany their favorite family member around the house? If, when they are perfectly trained, they will not be allowed to participate in "the pack", then you might be better served finding them a home where they will be...while they are still puppies. It is much easier to re-home a puppy. Part of that reason is that the training is yet to be done. Some people like older dogs because most of the training is already done, but the reverse is also true: people like puppies because they don't have to UN-learn any undesirable behaviors that have been permitted/inadvertently taught.

Dogs are pack animals. They actually NEED to belong to the pack. And being separated from their pack is stressful for them. The IDEAL place for the puppies' crate(s) is/are in your bedroom. They learn to follow your cues about when it is time to go to sleep, when it is time to wake, and that they are beneath you (quite literally, they are LOWER than you b/c they are NOT in your bed). It is very comforting for them to be nearby you. Our dog was crate trained and her crate was in the family room the first week. Then I read how that meant she was separated and alone from her pack at bedtime--not normal for dog pack behavior. Ostracizing a pack member portends eventual death--surviving alone is much more difficult than with the pack. Very stressful for the dog. So we moved her crate into our room in the corner near our bed. Covered the wire crate half way with an old sheet, so it was more cavelike. She didn't whine (unless she needed out to potty--and that quickly got later and later, from 3 am to 4 am, to 5 am and eventually more like 7 am. These days, she is in no hurry and just goes whenever we get up and take her, some days as late as 9 am). And since I could hear if she DID need to be taken out during the night, it aided in quick house training, b/c she never learned that it was acceptable to "go" inside her crate. And therefore, not inside "her quarters" which translated to our entire house as soon as she wasn't required to sleep in her crate anymore at night (she still went in by choice, I just left the door open on it). To this day, she will not go inside unless she is sick, and if she has to throw up, she goes for the door and tries to keep it down until she can get outside.

The best dogs are those that are treated as family (pack) members. That does NOT translate into additional children who eat people food and live on the furniture, etc. It means that they are part of the social family unit, and know their place in it. Our dog can read each of us so well. And really, we would not enjoy her as much if she were a "toy" that we took out to play with a few times a day. She is around us all the time, and she is not pushy for attention, because she is just part of life in our house. She doesn't get so excited to play that she jumps up on people b/c she is so starved for attention. It just doesn't happen. She sleeps on the floor next to my side of the bed. She stays in the family room until I go to bed, then she gets up and follows me. She lays on the bathroom floor when I am in the shower. She is always "around"... and never in the way or underfoot. She is the first one to greet hubby when he comes home from work. And she plays "go find the kids" when he comes in. It's great fun.
You are so right that it isn't worth a fight in your marriage. That is why I say you and hubby should talk about how things will be when they are properly trained, so that everybody knows what to expect. If you are expecting pups to be following you around upstairs when you are home alone, or eventually sleeping in the kid's rooms or something, and hubby is NOT, then you either need to agree to some sort of compromise that you can BOTH be HAPPY with (not begrudgingly) or find them a different home.
Just my opinion.

Can I ask, why in the world did you get two dogs? I don't usually advocate getting rid of animals. However, they are still puppies. Puppies find homes quickly.

Dogs need walks EVERY day. Good walks. (Not just a fenced yard, actual walks.) They need to see the world. They need to be part of a pack. They need to have a place. They need to have a life outside of a crate and basement. Obviously, they are not as important as a few mortgage payments. They are getting to be to much, because YOU are not providing them with their needs. They are puppies, they have energy. YOU provide them with no outlet. Please find them a home, with people who are willing to be responsible with their animals. It's the best thing you can do for them. It's clear you don't want to put in all the effort a dog (times 2!!) takes. Training take A LOT of time. It's not easy.

It doesn't really matter if your basement is finished and nice. Dogs don't care. They are social pack animals and won't do well being separated from the family, especially as they get older. They NEED to be a part of the family. If they get tired of the basement they will start to bark and chew and possibly other bad things. (And you're right, it IS cruel to never let them out of the basement. And if you work full time, that means they are in the basement alone for 5 days? They only get out with the family on your days off right? That's a sad life for an animal that needs activity and socialization.)

As they get older, the problems will just get bigger. I think it's best to find them a good home now, while they can still be socialized and trained by people who really want to spend time with them. If you keep them around and don't take them to training and separate them from the family, etc., it will be really hard for the next owner(s) to retrain them to be good dogs. Please consider finding them a good home soon. I can't see this getting better down the road. And I am a dog person. But they are A LOT of work for up to almost 20 years sometimes.

Excellent Idea Cheryl O ! ! !

You can also get some welded wire fencing and a few fence posts and spend less than $50 to get them an outside enclosure.

Just a thought, if you don't let them out of your basement and they only get out of their cages 3 ot 4 times a day, why did you get two puppies?

Our last two dogs were adopted from an animal shelter. They were 9 month to 1 year old and about 90% house broken. Its much better than having to house break puppies.

Good luck to you and yours.

Ugh I am so sorry for both you and the dogs, it sounds like you didn't know what you were getting into :(
Puppies are like newborns, they require so much attention, care and socializing. I am a SAHM and as much as I love animals I have always said NO to puppies, too much work! We've gotten our dogs at least a year or older.
Honestly, if hubby thinks it's okay to keep dogs (puppies or not) alone, while you both are at work, all day in a basement then he shouldn't have dogs. They are very social animals, and they will not be good pets if they spend a majority of their time like that.
You can try that run-thing that someone suggested but depending on the breed (you didn't say what they are?) that may not be enough.
IMO, I think you should try to find them a more appropriate home, one that is already set up for dogs and with owners who are in agreement concerning their needs and care.

if you have a back yard go to Petsmart and get a Tree Line RUN - you connect it between two trees and let them out that way...no fence needed...

We have one for our dog and my hubby just installed one at our GFs house who doesn't have a fenced in yard either!!

GOOD LUCK!!!

How would you like to spend all day in a cage? If you can not dog proof your home well enough to let them out during the day, and can not get your yard fenced in, than you need to think about giving them a ways to a family that has time to properly care for them.

Also, they will not get "trained more" until you make the time to train them.

I'm kind of curious as to why you got two dogs if your husband never wanted them upstairs? Dogs need to be with their family (pack). They will be better behaved and adjusted if they are with you and can spend more time out of their cages. It is very unselfish of you to want them to have a better life. I know how easy it is to fall in love with a dog. Hopefully you and your husband can come up with a solution that is great for everyone. If you haven't already gone, maybe a good puppy training class would help with the potty training and get them good and tired. If nothing else works, I agree that a good home while they are young and trainable would be the best thing. Good luck.

The Tree Run thing sounds like a good solution for short periods of time, but a couple of warnings--dogs who are left alone tied up outside get bored and then they get destructive with barking, chewing, etc. So that is only for when you are home and not when you're away all day at work. Also, it sounds like you are in D.C. so maybe this isn't an issue, but where I live coyotes are a huge problem and smaller dogs can't be left outside alone. I live only 15-20 minutes from downtown St. Paul. Coyotes all over the country are increasingly becoming a suburban problem. You don't mention the type or size of dog; coyotes are more of a threat to small and medium sized dogs although multiple coyotes will try to go after larger dogs. I don't know the answer to your problem, unfortunately, but I wanted to give you a heads up. I have a dog that just turned 1 less than two weeks ago so I definitely know how much work puppies can be. Crate training is actually very useful for housetraining, but since you both work all day you might need someone to stop in to let them out during the day. In the evening, can you confine them to an area that's larger than the crate, but still keeps them from having access to the entire house until they are trained? When you are home from work they will need regular walks, obedience training and a lot of play time. If that doesn't fit in your schedule you might need to find them new homes. Good luck!

I know you've already gotten advice about getting a dog run, but you might also check into a wireless dog fence. We put one up a couple years ago and it worked great, and was relatively inexpensive. I think the company we used was Radio Fence. You should be able to google it (radio fence, wireless fence, underground dog fence). You get wiring (yes, I know it's called wireless) to put around your yard and a shock collar (and before anyone beats me up about a shock collar, it is more humane than letting your dog get run over and my husband shocked himself to try it out. It was definitely uncomfortable but didn't harm him at all). Once you run the wiring around the perimeter of your yard, if the dog got too close to the perimeter the collar beeped. If she kept going it gave her a small shock. We don't keep the fence on anymore, or the collar, but my dog WILL NOT leave the yard. Actually, within a day of wearing it she learned not to go past the beep and I don't think ever got shocked again. We have three acres fenced by hog and barbed wire. It was a great solution for us. Good luck!

Crate training is pretty standard with puppies, and they have each other while you're at work. They have half the house, a cozy den, some pretty active kids to play with (if I'm remembering your kids correctly), and a lot of family time. LOTS of people have dogs who work. Get that line run up in the back yard (or build a wooden run for them, - cheaper then fencing your entire yard, esp if you build it yourself, or buy an 'exercise run/ pen' http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3432639).

You may also want to see if your husband will compromise on having a collapsable canvas crate in a bedroom upstairs (the top unzips, there are several brands/ sizes but I'm talking about one like this http://www.amazon.com/PETCO-Travel-Portable-Canvas-Crate/... ) so you can keep it open at night to easily reach in. Maybe the kids' or one of the kid's bedrooms. (AKA like alternate every week, and the week the crate is in their room is the week they are responsible for letting them out and giving them breakfast, etc.)Then the dogs just walk through the house twice a day.

our dog is always in her kennel when we aren't home and so is my friend's two dogs. We have some ratty old towels and we keep one in her kennel so that if she has an accident, it's ok.

Would he agree to having them gated in the kitchen during the day? Hopefully, they can't ruin too much there and wouldn't have to be that confined and could have each other for company. Good luck!

you could try puppy daycare one day a week.