Update on Shadow

Normally I have tons and tons to say about the kids, but they have been gone for the last 1 1/2 weeks with their dad! I miss them terribly & look forward to getting them back this Sunday, June 29th.

In the meantime, I have a LONG (and funny) update about how Shadow has been doing his first two weeks with us. Here it goes...

The kids were with us the first four days we had Shadow. Since it's summer, Shadow was not home alone at all for the first six days with us (fours days with the kids, then the weekend with us). So, on Monday (June 16th) Shadow had his first experience in the crate while Matt & I were at work during the day. Since I only work from 9-3, he wasn't in there too long. He did fine...at first. On Wednesday, Matt went out of town for a week. Yep, it was just ME & MY S-H-A-D-O-W (get it?). I know, bad joke. Anyway, I've been doing my research on Shadow (a German Shepard) and German Shepards are pack dogs. They are very loyal and protective of their owners and want to be around them constantly. This is certainly true for Shadow since I cannot even use the restroom with the door closed without him sitting outside the door and whining for me to open it. Back to the story...I think that Shadow had a hard time with the kids leaving, then Matt leaving too. While it was nice that Shadow and I had a whole week to bond, it was a very trying time!

On Thursday, June 19th I came home at lunchtime to check on Shadow and he had chewed up the entire plastic tray liner in the crate. This liner is made from heavy-duty plastic. Something that reminds me of what baby car seats are made of. He didn't just chew up the corners or anything. He shredded it. It was literally in shreds and even had small pieces chewed up and spit out. They were so chewed up that they looked like little pieces of crumpled up paper. While it was a little messy, it wasn't too big of a deal. The entire crate is made up of metal bars, so I just took out what was left if the liner & the shredded pieces. Then I arranged the blankets in the crate and headed back to work.

I was coming home from work on the 19th and as I opened the garage door, the door to the house was open?!?!? I opened the door and there was Shadow, just sitting in the kitchen waiting for me! I went to his crate (which was in the living room) to see how he got out. There are two locks on the crate door, one at the top and one at the bottom. The top latch was still locked, but the bottom one was unlatched. So, he managed to squeeze through a little tiny opening that could only open about six inches at the most. Shadow is a pretty big dog and weighs about 58 lbs. He really had to squeeze through there! The good news was that other than pulling a few randoms papers off the counter, he really didn't mess anything up.

Friday, June 20th- I was thinking that maybe Shadow just didn't like being in the crate or where the crate was located. He loves laying by the windows, so maybe he just wanted to be free and not locked up while we were gone. So, I left him out this morning to run free in the house while I was at work. I came home to check on him at lunch and he hadn't messed anything up, but I just wasn't comfortable leaving him to run free all day, every day. We love him very much, but he is a dog. They like crates, it's like their own room! Plus, I wasn't going to let the dog start making the decisions around here! So ,I decided to put him back in his crate for the afternoon, and I added a couple bunjee cords to make sure he didn't squeeze through the door again. When I got home, his nose was all scratched up for trying to get out. I felt so bad, but hoped that he would soon learn that he can't get out of the crate & maybe even get used to being in there all day.

Saturday, June 21st- It's the weekend, but the kids are gone, Matt is out of town, and I have an all-day scrapbooking event with my friends! What am I to do with Shadow now?!?!? I didn't leave until about 2:00, I also put Shadow's super-comfy dog bed in the crate so he would be more comfortable. I had my mother-in-law check on him around dinnertime. She came by & fed him & took him out. She said he was fine. Well, when I got home, Shadow had made a hole in his $50 dog bed & pulled out some of the stuffing. He had also chewed off a bar on the crate. Let me say that again, he chewed off a metal bar!! I mean, he's like 1 1/2, not a puppy that chews on everything!! He just wanted out of the crate to come find us so bad! The dog bed was not so bad. It was only a tear on one side at the seam, so it can be easily fixed (although I haven't gotten to it yet).

Sunday, June 22nd- We had an incredible Baptism Experience at our church today (I'll post more on that later). I left for that at about 4:30 and didn't get back until 9:00ish. Shadow was good the whole time. No surprises when I got home, thankfully. It had already been an exhausting week since I was taking care of the dog by myself and was not used to how much work that took. I mean, I walk him three times a day, fees him three times a day, and have to play with him almost constantly. I was even training him, in addition to all the regular things. I am proud to say that I have taught him to sit, stay, come, up (for a treat), and we're still working on heel.

Monday, June 23rd- I was feeling pretty good about Sunday & thought I would give it a shot & let the dog stay home in the crate all day, without checking on him at lunch (which is only six hours for him). When I got home from work, I had a surprise waiting for me! Shadow had pulled up the carpet under the crate! It is only about the size of my foot, but he pulled up all the carpet to where you can see the bare wood underneath. I have to admit, I was a little ticked off. I mean we just built this house one year ago! This is primarily the reason I did not want a dog! And where was Kyle, who was the one who wanted the dog in the first place (and promised to take care of him). It's not his fault, of course, because he's at his dads. But I was just fed up with taking care of this dog by myself and now this!! I had to go to a dog training class that night (ironic!), but it was the introduction one, so Shadow was not to go with me for this class. I moved him crate into the garage (the only place I could think of that had a concrete floor that he could not mess up). I put a fan in the garage and left the lights on for him so it wouldn't be dark. He was fine when I came back home. His nose is also healing well because he figured out that he can't escape anymore.

Tuesday, June 24th- I left for work this morning putting Shadow back in his crate in the garage. As the morning progressed, I was feeling really bad. A storm was coming (I didn't know if Shadow was afraid of storms or not), plus I forgot to leave the lights on in the garage. So, Shadow was stuck in the dark! I went home at lunchtime and moved the crate into the Kitchen, hoping that he would not ruin that floor, too! Well, I think this may have done it! When I got home after work, the crate was in the same place I originally put it (SHadow moved the crate in the garage to the other side of the garage by scooting it somehow). THe blanket was also still laid out in the crate (Shadow usually bundles it all up in the corner). I was feeling pretty good about this. We'll have to see how tomorrow goes.

Wednesday, June 25th- I left Shadow in the crate while I was at work all day (again, only six hours). I also remembered that I forgot to put the bungee cord on it before I left for work. I only had one bungee cored left because he chewed the hook off the other one at some point last week. When I got home from work, relief. Shadow was still in his crate (even though he probably could get out) and the blanket was still laying neatly in the crate. I am hoping that the garage may have taught him that if he misbehaves, he has to go to isolation. I'm not sure if a dog is capable of thinking that way or not, but if they are--Shadow has certainly gotten the picture. I am just glad that he has settled down & is not tearing anything else up!

On a side note, I do want to say that when we are at the house--Shadow is an excellent dog. I don't think we could ever have a better dog. He is completely house-trained and has never had an accident in the house (fingers-crossed!), he has never gotten into the trash or pulled food from the tables or countertop, he doesn't chew on anything (except when he's alone in the house in his crate), and he listens to us very well. I can take him out back & when I call him-he always comes to me. I am not afraid of him running off at all. He is also very friendly. Since he's a big, black dog--I think he intimidates a lot of people. But he is very friendly, including to the little dog next door that always runs over into our yard and weaves through his feet. My dog could eat him in one bite, but he doesn't! (I'm very glad of that!)

Matt is back in town and the kids come back on Sunday, so I'm hoping that Shadow will be fully entertained and worn-out. I hope that when the kids go back to their dad's in July, that Shadow is still good & does not act up when he's home alone! Stay tuned to find out!