My husband has pretty much been gone about 10 months out of the last year (Navy) and he is now home enjoying being with us again. My problem is that Zahra is not nearly as well behaved as I wish she was, it is like she has forgotten anything that we learned in her sub-novice obedience training. She has been scratching at the couch, jumping over the baby gate, clawing at the carpet on the stairs. I have a little more patience with it than my husband does. He is not happy that after 10 months his 2 year old couch looks like a 20 year old couch (I add it up to having pets) and she has done a number on my Berber carpet in the living room, on the stairs and up in our loft. I feel like I am sucking as a dog parent because I didn't prevent them from getting into trouble (at the time I can't think of one thing that Chase our Puggle has done other than eat an onion which costs me money for a phone call to Animal Poison Control and then the vet the next day) and I think DH does not have the patience built up yet to deal with them misbehaving.

I told him that they just require more exercise then we have probably been giving them both lately.

Tonight, Zahra ate the main plastic piece off his Keen shoes. I tried to glue them back together but it didn’t work. He is going to be soooooo mad when I have to tell him. I quickly logged online and bought him a new pair that will hopefully ship tomorrow and get here before the weekend.
He is so going to hit the roof when I tell him; I wish I could have fixed them …

Please pray for Zahra to turn into the good little B I know that she can be before my husband makes her get a job to pay for all of the things that she has been destroying.

You mentioned that your husband just returned from a ten month absence. The dogs may be jealous that they are having to share you again and unsure of where your husband and they, the dogs, all fit into the picture. My husband was in the Army and the absences and returns are hard for all the family members - spouses, children, and dogs - to adjust to. You might want to point that out to him. While your husband was gone, those dogs had your undivided attention and they were who you were sitting with, watching TV with, and having conversations with in his absence. As for the worn sofa….....small price to pay for them sitting on it and keeping you company while he was gone. And, if your husband is like mine, I'm sure you can find at least one man toy that he owns that you can point out costs more than that sofa and/or anything you own or have ever asked for. In my case, it was my husband's jetski. I would just point out that by calculations, my dog would have to damage a lot to equal that toy! Also, if you have dogs and/or children, might as well just get fairly inexpensive upholstered furniture. Saves your sanity!

I really hope things settle down for all of you soon. I had a crazy Lab that ate two car seat belts and tore up brand new kitchen cabinet doors during a storm. Eventually...you can laugh about it.

Good Luck,
Pat

Thanks Pat, he actually took the shoe situation pretty well and said it was not a big deal what she had chewed up. He actually told me to cancel the order of the shoes I ordered to replace them.

Zahra is laying right next to him cuddeling up right now. Wise girl, very wise girl. Hard for Dad to be mad at you when you act super loving and cute.

It has been a big change for them, our routine is off with him being home now, he is sharing responsibilities but he has been out of our routine for 10 months so when I tell him the dogs need their morning walk he doesn't always understand why. Our commands to do things are different too, when I put the furkids in the kennel before I leave for work I tell them "time to go" and they run up the stairs and go straight into their kennels for their treat. He keeps telling them kennel and they run around crazy and then finally go up stairs but he doesn't always give them treats.

Adjustments, ugh …

Zahra does keep rolling around getting his scent all over her whenever he gets up off the couch. It is pretty cute to see her do it.

@ChaseandZahrasmom:

Zahra is laying right next to him cuddeling up right now. Wise girl, very wise girl. Hard for Dad to be mad at you when you act super loving and cute.
and
Zahra does keep rolling around getting his scent all over her whenever he gets up off the couch. It is pretty cute to see her do it.

Yep…...they are masters at looking woeful, apologetic, and cute. They really know how to work it.

And regarding the scent thing - we always accuse Cory of "scent marking" my husband when he gets home from work. She sits next to him on the sofa and licks and licks and licks his arms. I told him he should just be thankful that she doesn't scent mark like they do on "Meerkat Manor"!

Pat

The more I think about it the more I am sure that it is a thing with her and him. When he leaves for work in the morning she follows him to the door and then looks like a lost soul when he is gone. Sometimes she whines a little.

Zahra was very little when we got her and he was gone quite a bit on workups and a school before he left for his 8 month deployment. I think she has bonded with him now and doesn't like for him to leave, before it was no big deal to her because he was not around much to get to know her. But when he came home from his 8 month deployment they hung out quite a bit before he left for another two months and I think now that she is back could she possibly be having seperation aniexty with him?

My female love, love, loves her Daddy! She makes this kind of worried cooing noise when he leaves and is ecstatic to see him when he returns!

isnt that something. rubbing around in his spot where he was sitting…..

When my husband left for a week our b Trixie went absolutely bonkers!!! I thought I was going bonkers as well. She chewed up our carpet in our dining room (we now have hard wood floors) and in our bedroom and she went from window to window crying and looking for him. One night we made the mistake of putting the phone to her ear and he talked to her and that really upset her. He actually cut his trip short by a couple days just to get home to see his baby!! Thank god!! Hope he does'nt leave any time soon! She does love her daddy!!!!!