I am so pissed at my husband right now!!!

[paddbear0000]

  I'm so pissed off at my husband right now!!! He found a huge hole dug out in the yard by one of the dogs and started screaming that the next dog to dig a hole in HIS yard is going back to the pound! We have gone rounds about the dogs digging holes before. He cares more about the stupid yard than he does about the dogs, or my feelings. Those dogs are my kids! And it's just dirt! How dare he?! And he's constantly calling it his yard! It's OUR yard! I am so upset right now! 

[willieandwinnie]

paddbear, I'm sorry your husband is being (I need a word here)... My husband use to get upset about that stuff too. I tell him the moles did it and push the dirt back in the holes. Your puppies will outgrow digging I hope. Most of them do. Hope he calms down and realizes it's just a yard. 

[Sluff]

It must be in the water .. I'm having some crap to deal with too right now. I feel for you but I don't think he would really take the dog back to the pound. Take a deep breath and when the dust settles and you get the chance talk to him calmly about how you feel. hey Dogs dig, it there nature until you can break them of it but you have to be out there when they start so you can scold them.

hang in there Paddbear..    

[tamara]

What woman wouldn't check this thread after seeing the subject ! YOU GO GIRL !
        

Tamara xxx ooo 

[okarol]

My husband would be screaming if my kids were digging in the yard 

Maybe the dogs are after gophers, or rabbits, who are damaging the lawn! (Good doggies!) 

[paris]

What is it about some men and their yards?   When we have company, my husband spends hours making sure the yard looks good.  They get out of their car and walk in the front door.  They never look at the yard!   It must go back centuries when men defended their land.   Let the dogs dig!  That is what dirt is for--digging!   One more thought---- when my husband can't do anything in his power to help my situation, he works hard on being in control of something, like the yard.  Maybe yours is taking out his frustrations on the stupid holes in the back yard. Sometimes they forget to tell us that they are worried and scared.   Tomorrow will be better

[Beth36]

UGH!  I think men have their monthly friend, too....mine is like that about the yard.  It makes me so mad because I want to build a big sandbox for Conor to play in this summer with his friends and he doesn't want to because it will mean sacrificing some (NOT MUCH) of the grass he babysat all summer...yes, our lawn is gorgeous but this is in the SIDE YARD and noboby sees it because it's fenced in!  The only revenge I can think of with pets is, he SAYS he hates my cat, Hyacinth.  Well, she knows she gets on his nerves so what does she do?  She gets in the bed at night and curls up in his butt on the bed...he can't move because she has him blocked AND she pukes up hairballs in his slippers from time to time, just to remind him who really is boss!  I hate that your dh is so upset about the yard....ugh...


Beth

[Sluff]

backing out slowly from this thread...........

[petey]

backing out slowly from this thread...........

smart man  -- 

[paris]

Sluff, you do know when to retreat!  Good call on your part.

[KT0930]

backing out slowly from this thread...........

I was impressed that he dared to check the thread to begin with!

Unfortunately, my dog digs, as well, padda. Thankfully, my husband did not react emotionally, and did some research online about it. He found out that a good number of dogs who dig are doing it out of boredom. One of the suggestions he found for dealing with it was to make an area of the yard that would be given up to the dog(s). Dig out the grass, put down some sand, or some other material that's easy for them to dig in, and bury toys, treats, and other "prizes" in there. Move them around, put different ones in there, things like that. It may take some time to train them that this is "their" area, and you'll need to be in the yard with them for awhile so when they start to dig, you can redirect them to the appropriate area, but you should be able to retrain them to dig only in that place.

I know, it's a lot of work...we haven't gotten around to it, either, but it SOUNDS good! Good luck with it, and next time tell your husband that you'll send HIM back to the pound!

[Adam_W]

Give me a dog over a bunch of stupid grass and dirt any day. Our back yard is an ugly mass of dirt, sand and a little bit of grass, because we play with the DOG outside. She loves to chase tennis balls, and she tears up the yard. None of us have tried to stop her, because we all feel that the happiness and well-being of our dog is a lot more important than how our back yard looks.

Adam

[okarol]

"We have to use exercise, discipline, and affection every day. Most of the time people share affection, affection, affection, but that creates frustration. In a powerful breed, thats going to lead him into aggression. So exercise and discipline play a big role in balance."
- Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer

Wow, this is sooo LA: You can cure your dog's chewing, digging and boredom by hiring a Dog Jogger! 
http://www.jogyourdog.com/

[Sluff]

I loooove my dog so much I will dig it for him...

[kitkatz]

I know how you feel. 

[rose1999]

Oh Sluff I just want to hug that dog, oooooohh!!  As for husbands and yards, well I suppose I wish I still had mine here to get cross about anything (he never did yell) but he was such a softie with animals  that as long as it was Molly doing it then that was OK - Now if I started to mess up the garden that would be a different matter 

[KT0930]

Sluff, he's gorgeous!

[paddbear0000]

AND she pukes up hairballs in his slippers from time to time, just to remind him who really is boss!  I hate that your dh is so upset about the yard....ugh...


Beth

  The image had me rolling on the floor! Thanks! 

Sluff--your dog is absolutely adorable! I just want to give him a big ole hug! 

Update--my DH says, quote "I didn't really mean it." However he did not apologize for his behavior when I confronted him in tears. We still aren't talking. Well, ok, I'm still not talking. As usual, he's acting like nothing happened. Oh well.

[paris]

Paddbear, that is exactly how my husband reacts after a disagreement.  Like it never happened.  Me, I like to be mad for a little while.  He gets it out of his system and then will say "let's go get ice cream"! 

[paddbear0000]

Almost every man I've known since the age of 18 has reacted that way. Is there some unwritten code that that's how men are supposed to behave? And my husband tells me I should be seeing a therapist! 

[cherpep]

Oh my goodness, did I ever stumble onto the right thread!  I love my husband dearly, but sometimes....... 

OK, it's not a dog digging holes with me, it's kids having too many friends over, or my 17-year old son having a 'sword' fight with a friend, using empty cardboard tubes.  Who was to know that my husband was 'saving' those cardboard tubes?? I've been known to pick one up after emptying the wrapping paper and using it to 'smack' my kid in the butt.  My son rips up 1 cardboard tube and gets a loud lecture over why he shouldn't touch other people's stuff?!  Even though I COMPLETELY disagreed with his reaction, I waited a little while and calmly told my husband that I thought he over reacted. 

However, I get a little upset because he failed to mention to me about a school function this evening, didn't keep the flyer that he received from my daughter, didn't write it on the calendar, didn't post it on the fridge, didn't even mention to me that it was happening, and now does not know what time it starts or what time she needs to be at the school (which, by the way is before either of us gets off work) - and I'm now being ridculous, and he's angry with me for being frustrated!!  His words: "If you had questions about it, you could have looked it up on the school web page!".  My response:  "If I knew the function existed, I would have looked it up".  He's a great guy, I just don't like that he doesn't understand why I'm frustrated, but instead gets angry because I'm frustrated. 

OK, I'm done venting.  I've got to go find out what time Coney Night starts at the school tonight.

[cherpep]

By the way, paddbear, it sounds like your husband saying that he didn't mean it was his way of apologizing.  My husband usually apologizes in that same 'pretend it didn't happen' manner.   It's usually not what I'm looking for, but at least he's making an effort. 

[paddbear0000]

It's so nice to know I'm not alone! 

[Sunny]

Oh my gosh, my dog is doing the digging thing again too.
I have enough space that I allow her to dig in certain areas of the yard. Later in the year, when the holes are deep and dangerous, I have to go around the yard filling them in so nobody brakes an ankle. A real pain in the behind, but she's ten years old and shows no sign of giving up this fun. I think it has to do with the time of year when gophers and moles are active again and she can smell them. Sometimes she actually gets one. For the last two weeks she's had a constant dirty nose, a sure sign she's been digging.
Now, if she decided to dig in the front lawn where the grass is nice, then I'd get really angry!

[Ohio Buckeye]

Maybe all the yard work, etc, is a stress reliever for your husband Padlebear.
But now it's causing you sress.
Hope you find a good solution to the problem. and everyone (including the dog) is happy.
His [ (or her) pic is so cute by the way.