PtrPaolo
Posts:3
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| 02/28/2013 8:22 PM |
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Hello there.
Our 7-month old GSP has been showing us his "horticultural skills", much to the irritation of my wife.
Aside from long walks to expend his energy, what else can one do to stop the plant destruction tendencies of a GSP adolescent?
Thanks much.
- Paolo |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7835
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| 02/28/2013 8:50 PM |
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| Not much. They are phenomenal landscapers. Ii use plants that grow like weeds and are native to TX where I live. I have nandinas, holly, abelia, trumpet vines. In my backyard. I have removed most of the grass and put in paths around my oak trees. I put mulch under the trees and added crushed granite to expand the patio. The grass didn't grow well in the backyard anyway due to the shade from the trees, and the varied surfaces toughen up the dogs' pads. We also have more rock than dirt so this type of landscaping works in my area too. I have a couple of areas that I planted my azaleas in and used 2 foot fencing to keep the dogs from running through my azalea area. I also planted fig trees and crepe myrtles. So I ended up with an easy care dog friendly back yard that doesn't require allot of watering. I also plant seasonal flowering plants in pots and various containers and have a cement fountain that doubles as the dog watering bowl. I also fill a 6 foot across by one foot deep tank in the summer for the dogs to play in. I also have a two room storage house where one side is the dog kennel and the other is my garden shed. The dog kennel has an AC window unit as it gets hot in the summer and the dogs like to stay outside. My patio furniture is ll hard wood and although they all have chew marks they have with stood 5 puppies so far. All this has been done over the years as I have gone from one shorthair to four. I have also had one litter of pups and am planning another litter the end of this year. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
   
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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PtrPaolo
Posts:3
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| 02/28/2013 9:01 PM |
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Thanks, TB.
I'll show your reply to the Missus.
So, basically, we adjust to this instinctive characteristic of our new household member. |
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smatulewicz
Michigan
MH
Posts:1188
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| 02/28/2013 9:09 PM |
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I got rid of mine before I got Bella because I didn't even want to deal with it. trying to keep the cat out of them was task enough (and several that I had were toxic to animals like my beloved peace lilies). I do bring a Majesty palm in each winter that ultimately dies inside (despite my loving efforts) and then just when it looks so pathetic you think its done...summer comes back and I put it back outside where I pay absolutely no attention to it what so ever and it thrives beautifully  Bella doesn't touch it. She does shred any stick outdoors she can find, and has eaten a few of my flower blooms in the summer, so I figure less headaches just to not have any inside (any floor plants that is) |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7835
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| 02/28/2013 9:12 PM |
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| It's easier and cheaper in the long run. Personally I think the trade off is well worth it. I save money on the watering and up keep, plus I get the unconditional love of my shorthairs. I will say one shorthair is not as bad as 4 or 5 which is what I usually have. And with some patience they do get better at about 2 or 3 years. The challenge I have had as for the last 10 years I have had at least one shorthair that was in the puppy to 3 year age group. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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RyanGSP
MH
Posts:428
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| 02/28/2013 9:23 PM |
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Buy yourself a Kong and fill it with peanut butter or yogurt. It will keep him occupied for a time.
All of our new puppies dig but after some scolding from the mrs. they stop.
Now all they do is run around the yard. We have a dirt track all around our koi pond so this year we are having to gravel part of our yard they are ruining with their games of chase. With a new puppy coming it is only going to get worse.
Someone mentioned cats and I have a cure for them. Snake Poop. Go to the pet store, get some snake poop and mix it into the dirt. Cats dont like snakes and will stay out of the flower beds. |
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Texas Belle
Austin, TX
MH
Posts:7835
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| 02/28/2013 11:43 PM |
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| Speaking of digging, I never had any diggers until my youngest came along. Before that it was just their big feet chewing up the grass and the pruning of both potted and planted shrubs and flowers. With my youngest she has been able to dig out areas of the yard that I thought were nothing but limestone. On the positive side I rarely have to trim her front toenails. So, to solve the digging issue I turned the back corner of my yard into a digging zone. Then to stop her digging in areas I didn't want dug out I just put dog poop in those holes. She figured it out fast. Now the only issue I have occasionally is when she dumps a plant in a pot, but that isn't too bad and rarely happens any more. |
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Bev Quarles, the Pointer Sisters (Belle and Halo), the Outlaw GSP (Johnny Ringo) and the little Princess (Fauna)
Yellow Rose GSPs
"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." - Plato |
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everbell
Kanata, ON
MH
Posts:3162
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| 03/01/2013 3:53 AM |
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In our previous house, and my plan with our new home, we had very little garden in the backyard. All my important flowers are in the front yard which the dogs don't go into without supervision.
In our new home, we have about 20 feet of uncleared trees and scrub. Once we get the yard fenced, this will become the dogs favourite place in our yard I'm sure, pulling out twigs and nibbling on fresh green leaves. " border="0" /> |
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Joce and Rich
Bogart and Shiraz (GSPs)
Roxane (RIP: 1995-2009) and Tiger Lily (Cats)
The Everbell Adventures |
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smatulewicz
Michigan
MH
Posts:1188
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| 03/01/2013 4:14 AM |
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Bella doesn't dig in the Summer, but she loves to dig in the snow. Yup, still rather not bother with indoor plants than add snake poop to the mix lol. The cat doesn't dig or use them for litterbox, he just chews the leaves. Im happier without them honestly. I save my need for plans for my garden and outdoor flower beds  If your dog is messing with your outdoor beds, teach yard boundaries. Bella knows she is not allowed in the flower beds or garden (garden has a bunny fence and beds have a brick border so she can visually understand the boundary as well). She does well, the time she ate a flower bloom they were still in pots to be planted and we were playing chase. She had the urgent "must find something to have In my mouth while being chased moment" and grabbed at a bloom as she quickly passed by. It made me laugh more than make me mad lol |
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ckckla
Posts:13
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| 03/01/2013 11:06 AM |
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I already gave up on the outdoor plants...
I had very lush outdoor plants and pots in my back yard,
but after my CC's childhood they are all gone to trash...
BUT... my wife and I could not give up the indoor plants,
and found solution... put aluminum foils on the top of the pots where dirts are, and CC would not bother anymore..
I will try snake poop if foils not work anymore..
Thanks guys, I always learn something here...
Chris
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kpwlee
Raleigh, NC
MH
Posts:992
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| 03/01/2013 11:33 AM |
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I have to agree with several posts - a good long walk is not stimulation enough or enough exercise for a 7 month old GSP. Do some training with him, obedience stuff, clicker training, tricks or as mentioned boundary training. I learned the hard way that 5 minutes here or there of mental work will tired your pup faster than any amount of exercise and walking to a young high energy breed is not exercise.
I am fortunate in that my dog was terribly destructive to plants, he trimmed some shrubs and stole a few ornaments but never tore up beds of plants.
I did boundary train him to not go in my veggie garden, the area I have my bird feeders and one other are in the yard and he has been excellent with those boundaries since trained. |
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It's Bugsy's world...
http://dailyzoomie.blogspot.com/ |
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weerubbertummy
Ayrshire, Scotland
MH
Posts:726
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| 03/01/2013 12:37 PM |
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I have found that sometimes physical exercise can actually build up MORE hyper behaviour before they relax, so i can definately back up the fact that some mental stimulation is just as important, if not more.
I've got to admit that i'm not much of a pruner so was actually quite happy to find that the straggly lavender plant which soaked the legs of anyone walking down the path after rain is no longer a problem after some skillful gsp pruning  But admittedly, i have now fenced off the veg garden as they love nothing more than to dig up beetroot and tatties  |
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Miss you forever Kintra baby xxx |
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GSP7
Calif/Idaho
JH
Posts:26
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| 03/03/2013 1:24 PM |
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Heck, most of my furniture and even the steering wheel of one of my trucks have been custom modified by GSP pups
I like my mahogany coffee table, they did a very nice job redesigning it and rounding of the corners and chew marks 10 20, 30 years of pup work. Its a masterpiece of several continued generations of German Hunting Dog Craftsmanship. It belongs in a Hunting dog pup Museum |
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gsplover
Houston, Tx.
MH
Posts:382
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| 03/11/2013 6:50 PM |
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My two have to run outside for hours, be taken on a couple of walks a day, AND be mentally stimulated with obedience training. It does seem that if we skip a couple of days of obedience training, they are a bit more wired than usual. Maybrie is doing a number on our furniture right now because she cannot run her energy out. The walks are not cutting it, nor is the obedience training. I think GSP's need a combonation of ALL 3. GSP7, I laughed so hard with your post! My furniture has been through a couple of months of chewing, and it would definitely go well right next to yours in the museum! Luckily, although a bit late, Maybrie's leg is healed enough to where we can put her up in her kennel when we leave her. It has solved the chewing issues, but I know she would chew up the entire house if given the chance, so we have to watch her closely. Hopefully not too much longer! The wind blew all sorts of trash in our backyard last night and I was walking around the backyard with Maybrie on a long lead his morning to pick it all up. She immediately saw what I was doing, and began picking up pieces of trash in her mouth and handing it to me! It was adorable! It didn't take long for her to see what I was doing and to want to help! I wish I could have gotten that on video! It was SO cute! I think she is STARVING for problem solving activities.
Texas Belle, I am definitely going to have to try the poop in the hole trick. Maybrie also LOVES to dig. Kaido is not as much a digger, but he will add to Maybrie's artwork from time to time. We have about 7 or 8 large holes dug throughout our large back yard. Luckly, they have not figured out they can dig out yet. Their holes have been randomly placed in the inner portions of our yard.
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"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
-- Unknown |
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PtrPaolo
Posts:3
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| 03/12/2013 2:08 AM |
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Thanks for all the feedback!
All your posts have been very assuring that I didn't get a "black sheep" GSP.
It's just the way they are!
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