Need some dog advice!
We're trying to transition puppy to the outside kennel so she doesn't have to spend all day in the puppy pen in our house while we're gone to work. It's a large outside kennel, and we split it with an interior gate so that she has her side and Sir Willy the Dim but Patient has his; otherwise, she would hell devil him until he snapped, and I'm afraid he might hurt her, as he wouldn't really have any place to get away from her (he oftentimes runs away and hides in a bush if she gets on his nerves when they're in the yard. Or he cries until I come to rescue him. Big bad dog! lol). There are misters along their common wall, and each have a doghouse and toys, so it's not like it's a harsh place; there's shade from trees around, and the back "wall" so to speak is a large garden shed. It's even got adobe pavers as a "floor."
But her Puppyness has decided she doesn't like it. She barks pretty much incessantly when we put her out (that will diminish in time) but she also knocks all the water out of her water dish almost as soon as she gets put in. (The dish is bolted to the chain link as high as I could place it and she could still reach it; she sticks her nose or the tips of her paws into it to knock the water out.) That concerns me, as we're in a very arid area, and it's hot this time of year. The new trick she's doing today is biting the bottom of the gate and trying to bend the chain link up so she can get to Willy, or escape, or simply because she's pissed; there's something in puppy logic, I am sure.
The gate I think I can fix; I have heavy-duty tie wraps that are best clipped with wire cutters, and I also have wire if needed that I can use to secure the chain link to the bottom frame. I can also put a block in on Willy's side so that she can't try to muscle the gate itself (and she's doing that too!). The strength she has in her little 35-pound body is just amazing. So is the determination!
But the part that concerns me most is the water. Any suggestions? We could try a licker, I suppose, but I don't know if she would use it. Or we could drag a hose through Willy's part and leave it on to drip in (and of course she might drag the hose down and chew on it and eat some pieces). I've looked at some large tubs, like for sodas at parties, but I'm worried that the plastic has toxins that will leach into the water, as they aren't really water dishes. A friend suggested a horse trough, but I'm not sure where I'd find one, and it seems a little extreme to use for one middlin' size dog.
Any suggestions would be appreciated! I'm being outwitted by an eight-month-old border collie puppy.
But her Puppyness has decided she doesn't like it. She barks pretty much incessantly when we put her out (that will diminish in time) but she also knocks all the water out of her water dish almost as soon as she gets put in. (The dish is bolted to the chain link as high as I could place it and she could still reach it; she sticks her nose or the tips of her paws into it to knock the water out.) That concerns me, as we're in a very arid area, and it's hot this time of year. The new trick she's doing today is biting the bottom of the gate and trying to bend the chain link up so she can get to Willy, or escape, or simply because she's pissed; there's something in puppy logic, I am sure.
The gate I think I can fix; I have heavy-duty tie wraps that are best clipped with wire cutters, and I also have wire if needed that I can use to secure the chain link to the bottom frame. I can also put a block in on Willy's side so that she can't try to muscle the gate itself (and she's doing that too!). The strength she has in her little 35-pound body is just amazing. So is the determination!
But the part that concerns me most is the water. Any suggestions? We could try a licker, I suppose, but I don't know if she would use it. Or we could drag a hose through Willy's part and leave it on to drip in (and of course she might drag the hose down and chew on it and eat some pieces). I've looked at some large tubs, like for sodas at parties, but I'm worried that the plastic has toxins that will leach into the water, as they aren't really water dishes. A friend suggested a horse trough, but I'm not sure where I'd find one, and it seems a little extreme to use for one middlin' size dog.
Any suggestions would be appreciated! I'm being outwitted by an eight-month-old border collie puppy.