hi monarchbutterfly! We had a boxer when I was little too, but I didn't remember it until we got thor. I remember a big dufus dog that would take the abuse of 7 kids!

Thor apparently is still upchucking pieces of leash! The only way we realized it was he was flipping pieces in the air playing with them in the backyard. So we either missed cleaning up all the messes from yesterday, or we have a bulimic dog on our hands Up/down/up/down.

I told you guys it's a full time job keeping him alive!

I wish everyone would study the benefit of crate training, most dogs benefit and like it. I have four dogs and all were crate trained with no problem. I was against it at one time but I have turned around completely. If I leave for a while all day I have my neighbor come over and let them our for a while. I just say hey guys go get in your crate and off they go. I still have had chewed up things when they were young and one dog who is a packrat, steals stuff and hides it. My life would not be worth living without dogs.

I'm thinking kevlar for the next one. He doesn't seem to have much luck eating his nylon one either.

I buy him those Kong Air tennis balls with the squeaker in them and his jaws are so strong he breaks the squeaker (pops it loose inside) within 5 mins. They come in 3 packs, so I'll save a pristine one for a special treat. He goes NUTZ loving it so much, we call it his 'girlfriend'

damned if he does destroy every squeaker toy! I keep buying them though, because he's hilarious when he squeaks them and pauses to howl.

stormsun - yeah I know I need to break down and buy a crate if nothing more than for emergencies. We had a sheltie for 13 yrs and always left him home alone with no problems except a knocked over xmas tree when he was a pup. For safety sake, I think I will pick up a crate and let him think it's a playhouse.

Dorry,
This same dog we found out loves walnuts...we had left him alone when we went to a family party at Xmas and I had a bowl of walnuts in the shell on the coffee table and when we got home there were shells everywhere all over the floor and we found the little guy in the corner cracking open yet another walnut and eating the nut inside....we were amazed that he could do that and I don't know if nuts are bad for dogs but I swear this guy has a cast iron stomach as nothing has ever hurt him or made him sick in 8 years...beats me????

omg I love it! Your dog sounds SO much like thor Wish we had stomachs like that!

They get into stuff because it's there and no other reason. I love the "huh?" look when you call them out on it too

Our son brought home a 3 mo old kitty the other night and thor will sniff him/lick him, but keep his distance, because he's highly offended at a cat hissing. If we attempt to put the kitty on the floor, Thor does the excited fanny wiggle and we realize he could never contain himself enough for the kitty to be safe around him just yet.

I've realized thor is just a big baybee with little self control and has to be watched like a hawk. If I get on the floor with him to play I am covered with bruises, because he is a brute! But, if I accidently step on his foot outside, you should here the yelp! delicate brute I guess!

I'll have to look and see if we have a pet forum yet. Animals crack me up and stories of their antics and loyalty always brighten my day. And pictures! I love pics of ppl's animals. Everyone has a special personality and I want them all!

Just jumping in here...my Dylan (G. Retriever) has also destroyed no less than 3 leashes (leather and nylon), any number of squeak toys (he disembowels them) and quite a few other items that I was less than thrilled to see hanging in pieces from his muzzle. How can you be mad when they give you "the look" with those big brown eyes tho?? Anywho, my vet suggested during his teething period (read: large amounts of destruction ) that we give him raw marrow bones to chew on. Well, the local pet store has them and we get the largest available (femur bones) in 4 inch sections.

Since giving him something to chew on, I've no longer come home to destruction and mayhem. Large, meaty raw bones also have quite a few health benefits. If you do a search on BARF (biologically appropriate raw foods), you will find a host of information on the subject of raw bones. I don't feed Dylan a completely raw diet anymore, except when he has gallbladder "attacks", but he loves getting his raw bones and does that cute little tushie wiggle and practically vibrates with pleasure to get rid of some of his energy gnawing on the raw bone for a few hours. I say the agreement works pretty well...he gnaws the bones and his mummy gets to keep her house intact (he gnawed the bottom of a door off at one point).

Theresa

Two weeks ago, I fell asleep on the couch upstairs and when I came down the next morning I found happy dog on bed along with husband, with no less than five pairs of MY shoes in various stages of digestion on the floor.

Tbackpain1 - I can't resist those big brown eyes myself When thor really wants something he just comes to where I am and stares up a storm. I'm working on "come" when he is in the backyard farting around and I get the "whaddaYOUwant" stare lol.

I also feed thor barf burgers from natures variety and other high quality kibble or canned. Our living room looks like a bone yard from all his raw bones. Unfortunately, it only stops him from investigating household items for a few hours.

Tried a smoked bone once and thank god I was in the room when he started choking. The local pet shop sells roasted patella bones with lots of good stuff on them, which I pick up for .99. Slow roasted bones seem to be safe and he loves them. That will be my mainstay for shopping cart excursions in the future! Like you, I highly recommend the b.a.r.f diet if even to supplement cheaper more affordable foods.

lol tamanaco! My husband said in the army years ago they had a piece of leather in the survival kits for survival food if all else failed. Maybe our dogs are saying they are hungry? naw - just mischievous!

I know I was alot younger (in my 20's) the last time we had a pup, but I don't recall all this chewing back then. I do know, there is a major energy lag this time around in chasing after a curious pup :-)

When I figure out how to post pictures here, I'll show y'all some of Poochy's destruction.

She loves these bones that you can only buy at Albertson's. We brought her home ribs from the barbecue place the other day and she was in doggie heaven.

lol I love pooch destruction pics! Especially the ones with the guilty pooch face in the foreground

to add a pic from your computer just go to the manage attachments button at the bottom of your reply box > click browse to find the pic > click upload. When you see the pic has uploaded (link txt) close that box and you should then see your attachment a ways below your submit reply button.

it want to insert the actual image into your posts:

click the image icon on the message toolbar above and put the URL to the pic online. I use imageshack.us. It's free and all you have to do is browse from their webpage to the pic on your computer and it will upload. Copy the URLS it responds with on the next page and copy them to the image URL box here.

If they're ones I post often I copy/paste and save the URLS on imageshack to notepad.