Re: [pyrnet] Kongs

[Cat <cmsockol@sbcglobal.net>]

I have found that my 11 month old will chew anything SOFT.  Forget kongs, even with treats in them.  Buster cubes entertain her for about 10 minutes.  She has never attacked anything that even smacks of a hint of a hard substance.  I jokingly refer to the destroyed items as her "kills", somewhat akin to protecting the flock from predators.  Who knows, maybe she fears these items will rise up in the night and attack us!

 

Her kills over the last 5 1/2 months? 1 love seat, 1 large dog bed (mistakenly placed in her crate), 1 rear seat belt, 1 left high-top sneaker (she left the right one alone, go figure), a couple of towels, a few stuffed animals (it's a good thing the grandkids love her), a 6 ft. hand braided, 1" latigo leather leash (she DID leave the solid brass hardware), 2 nylon leashes, a couple of throw pillows, every "plush" toy I've bought her, a king sized sheet I (well, I HATE the fact she has nothing on the floor of her crate) and a few towels.  The funny thing is that she sleeps in our bedroom and has yet to bother anything in there...including her bed or pillows making their way to the floor during the night.  She only chews when ahe's alone and bored.

 

I swear by bitter apple spray and would by it by the 5 gallon drums if it were sold that way.  If I REMEMBER to use it, it works like a charm!

 

I keep telling myself and my husband that this is just like having a child in the terrible 2s.  She WILL outgrown this....I hope....oh well, there ARE slipcovers, I can ALWAYS sew new throw pillows, the sneakers WERE 12 yrs. old, we DID trade the car in, the loveseat was in the kids playroom, losing it made way for a much more "functional" futon, the leash only cost $17.50, the plush toys and bed WERE hers...

 

All in all, she's worth it, her loving personality more than makes up for the lost items and it COULD be worse.

 

She is responding to basic commands, learns without food rewards, and is very well mannered in most instances.  The only other "bad habit" she has is one common to ALL breeds, she'll dig if left alone outdoors for any length of time.  However, she does NOT use her paws, she uses her beautiful white muzzle to dig, head first!

Just think, we're getting a male pup in a week...a "pair of Pyrs"!  In hunting for a names for him, I found that I SHOULD have named Angel, "Sottise Angelique du Chat" (Cat's Angelic Mischief!), far more fitting!

Cat

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