Charlie has been sleeping with us in the bedroom since Day 1 and recently me and the bf made a mutual decision to move his bed and pen to the living room. He’s just shedding too much and it’s very discouraging to find your bedroom covered in hair only one day after you have meticulously cleaned it.
Banished to the living room. See how emo he looks -_-
This morning would have marked the end of the 2nd night alone for Charlie. However, I opened the door to find him lying right outside our bedroom instead of in his pen. We still don’t know whether he opened the pen himself or whether we didn’t latch it properly the night before.
And then the smell hit me. He has pooped at the doorway and pissed right next to our sofa -_-
I was livid! But having him for more than a year already, I knew it’s too late to reprimand him because he wouldn’t understand what it’s for and will probably repeat his actions anyway. Dogs are not human beings…they have no concept of past or future, they live in the moment. So the only time to reprimand a dog is when you caught him or her in the act.
We made him go into his cage and took about 1/2 hour to clean up his mess. Got to admit, eversince I got Charlie, I’ve learnt to be more patient and responsible. When Charlie was a puppy he used to poop EVERYWHERE and it was pure HELL! I used to want to give him away almost every other day. Thankfully those soulful doe eyes had managed to stop me from doing that.
Well, it’s just not Charlie to poop/pee in the house and the only reason I can think of is that he was affected by the whole sleeping alone thing :(
The other day I was just chatting with the bf about my constant guilt towards Charlie and whether it was normal. You know, I work for long hours on the laptop everyday, so most often time I cannot provide Charlie with proper playtime. What he does is that he curls up in a corner or on my feet with his eyes closed while I tap away, only moving when I call his name or touch him. Of course I don’t totally ignore him…for every hour I’m on the laptop I’d cuddle or play with him for a couple of minutes etc but I still feel like it’s not enough. I don’t know if it’s Charlie’s face or what but whenever he gives me that bored or pained expression, a little bit of me inside dies.
Curled up like that, bored out of his wits.
The bf thinks I’m crazy for feeling guilty and there’s one thing he said that really made sense to me. Charlie has to grow up and we have to learn everyday not to live our lives around him, he should be the one living his life around us.
So sorry Charlie, you’re still sleeping alone tonight :(
one small step for charlie, one giant step for kim and bf being able to come out during weekday nights
heh, i feel the same with ruffy n senna.
Have you considered getting another dog, babe? It helps with separation anxiety and provides a playmate for Charlie so he won’t be lonely sleeping outside or while you guys are out. Getting a second dog is really easy — it’s always easier to have two rather than one, I find!
suanie: true that
lance: sigh…we are all their bitches hahah
mell: it’s always on my mind! and i totally agree with you. but i have to convince st to want it too, heh. he thinks one is enough.
Aww..what a cute dog.
lindy: thanks :)
ala.. :( kesian charlie … i know what you mean… whilst i have coco and i still miss rex oh so much… but coco is used to sleeping in a cage by herself.. so i guess charlie will be alright.. you will prolly notice he crave your attention even more.
Pssst: i know st wants another one of QQ hehehe
aww….charlie seems really sad in the pic la….hmmm….getting a companion for him is going to help..BUT ru ready? Im thinking to get a gf for my CLEO too…but can not tahan to serve two cats la :-(
shireen: he doesn’t want lah…he wants to play only then give back to neighbour -_-
ohmywtf: i’ve tried having 2 dogs b4 when dogsitting a neighbour’s cocker spaniel..it’s not easy. but the joy of having two mutts to love doubles!
He’s too cute, but when I saw the pee on the floor I wanted to kick him out the window grr. Oh well, time for him to grow up!
st: we need a 2nd dog period.
charlie needs to toughen up!
awww..poor charlie…usually when i’m working on my PC in the living room or watching TV, patches will come and just sit/lie next to me with her head resting on my leg – never seen a dog more contented, especially when she starts to snore..LOL!
then again when she REALLY wants attention, i’ll know for sure – she won’t stop ‘scolding’ me!
give charlie some time to grow up – then either he’ll learn to live his life around you both….or he’ll learn how to make you both live your lives around his! :D
bee: same with charlie but i still feel like he prefers more activities than lying on my lap hehe. it’s my mind playing tricks on me i tell you!
Hey kimberly, long time reader, first time commenting. I feel you. I recently got a dog from my bf’s sister. I feel the guilt when I come home from a long day at work only to work some more while he watches me or curls up on my lap. I also go livid when I again..come home from a long day at the office to find his pee pad torn up, pee laden cotton flying all over my hall (i’m a clean freak) or waking up at 7am to find his pee pad in pieces. It gets so much that sometimes I just want to throw him out the balcony but then he gives me those doe eyes and the I’m-sorry look that I just want to drop everything and give him EVERYthing. Their eyes are evil I tell you. Anyway, after a long winded comment, just wanted you to know that I share your pain and joy…and I guess it’s normal:P Hehehehe
kelly: hey, thx for commenting :) yeah I can totally relate to ur pain too. Do u walk ur pup regularly coz ur pup’s destructive behavior might be due to the pent up energy. Do check out Cesar Millan’s videos, I find his methods in training dogs extremely helpful. Cheers :)
Yeah.. just started walking him this weekend cause he just got his third vac last weekend:) His energy level is amazingly high! Me and the bf get up an hour earlier and make him run round the whole house, chasing us, playing fetch for a solid hour…and he’s still good to go after that while the both of us are out of breath and panting (yeah, i hear the calls of the gym…but meh)
kelly: puppy is like that lor haha. my charlie was a ball of energy too! have fun with him!!!