Stay at home Dog Mom

I'm the same as you, with the dogs pretty much 24/7 except mine are both older now and more settled. I know exactly what you're talking about.

Part of the problem was mine, Harley said jump, I asked how high. We spent hours going in and out, I was lucky if I got a 15 minute break inbetween. When my husband came home at night I said "he's all yours" and went and hid in my office!

Someone was nice enough to point out to me that not all dogs have an off switch so we have to teach them to settle down even when they clearly think running around the yard is a better place to be. They will gladly run our lives if we give them the chance.

Once you know your dog is getting enough exercise and you know their bathroom habits you just have to learn to ignore the stares and whining and tell them all done, enough, go lay down etc. They do get the hang of it eventually.

I do remember that in Oct. the year Harley was born, (he was born in April) when the time changed and it started getting darker out earlier, he started settling down earlier at night. You might have that to look forward to very shortly.

Besides that slow down I saw a big change just around 9 months. He could actually lay on the couch for an hour during the middle of the day, lay quietly on the floor just watching the world go by, that kind of thing. In fact the few times this happened I actually starting watching him to make sure he wasn't sick!

It'll get better, honest.

I too, work from home. It sounds like Mac is just like Uschi. I was so intent on making sure she was happy that it was driving me crazy too. She knew no boundaries because she had total freedom and all of my attention, even when I was trying to work. A fellow poster gave me some excellent advice and told me to tether her to me, I literally tied her leash to my belt loop and she had to do what I wanted. When I washed the dishes she had to sit next to me, when it was time for her to potty I was there, when I had to work on the computer I picked out the chew stick and toy she could have and she had to lay there and control herself. I didn't give any commands, I pretty much acted like she wasn't there. Naturally she had play breaks, a training session and I crated her when I wanted to be unattached from her. I was determined to do this for a week but it took 2-3 days before there was a world of difference. My husband was out of town and he couldn't believe the difference when he got home. The biggest thing it did was limit her freedom, her movements and activities were determined by me and she ended up loving it! We had had a difficult time bonding and it was the best thing we could have done. She was able to control herself, look to me for direction and seemed to enjoy the boundaries. The whole world was too big and too much for a pup to handle

I have been a SAHM since 2 weeks before my son was born in 2002. My husband has worked from a home office since the late 90's. None of our dogs have ever really been home alone (especially since my husband is a home body). Before the Beast we fostered quite a bit and the rescue asked that we try to crate the dogs for several hours a day or put them in an isolated room etc to simulate people who have to work...it was an odd request and tough to do.

The older ladies are easy to live with home all day, but the Beast. Ack...he is convinced that every time you move it is to play with him. He is always on the ready. He seems to pull a toy out of no where and have it and drool on you if you simply shift position in a chair! We wake every morning to practice in the yard...then play. I then wake my family and do our home routine. As soon as the kids are on the bus Beast and I go for a long long walk. When we get home my husband romps with him in the yard. They will jog around 2pm. The kids play tag or chase with him at 3:30 EVERY day...they wear out before he does. My husband will walk or jog with him around 7...and I will walk him at ten. He gets time in the yard whenever he wants. He plays with the ladies throughout the day. he gets me to toss toys. We do dog activities in addition to the other things I listed. After a suggestion here, he has a treadmill and we have him use it....even with ALL that...he is all play all the time as I said- with even the slightest move.

I can't imagine what he would be like if we were not both home to give him so much play and activity time!

I completely understand what you are going through. I am home with our dogs all day too. Victor is 20 months never wants to stop. He was so addicted to tennis balls and playing ball that I would physically hurt my hands playing sometimes 4-5 times a day. For a while there all my life consisted of was VICTOR,VICTOR,VICTOR. It got so bad at one time I felt as if I was neglecting my other animals. He demanded all of my time every hour of the day all the time. It was never,NEVER enough for him. Everything was about playing as soon as he went out it was "let's play". It had to stop he has to have boundaries with his playing if not I would fall apart. I have to pick up all his toys when it is not play time and the tennis balls have to be hidden until playtime if they are left out he will run us into the ground with playing. We now play a little in the morning and an extensive playtime a hour or so before sundown and then a little cool down with walking. I will completely wear him out and then pick up all of his toys and tennis balls. The new puppy has helped so much now and took a little of the stress off of me with the constant playing. She is going to be an excellent playmate for him when she gets older. I am excited for this. He is now so much better now that I got into this routine because now I can do the stuff I need to do during the day and still have time for everybody. Shepherds have to have boundaries or they will take over every minute of your life. I love them with all my heart but sometimes enough is enough. There has to be time for yourself in there too. If you hit your breaking point maybe a kennel would help. You could put him in there and do what you need to do without worrying or a playmate if you think you could have another one. You are not alone out there. So hang in there.

my wife an i were home with my last GSD.
our pup had plenty of crate time, free time,
training, exercise, socializing and training.
both of us played with and trained the dog.
we trained and played indoors and outside.
our dog was always willing to go outside
but he didn't dictate when it was time to go out.
if he came to us because he needed to go to the bathroom
we never denied him. as far as going out for walks/play
we controlled that. i think through playing and exercising
helped with his desire to go out. thei dog i have now would
love to be outside all day but i don't leave him in the yard
unattended. through frequent breaks, play and exercise
i think he's content being indoors.

set aside some time for your dog during the day.
play some indoor games. find a job for your
dog to perform when he's indoors. ajob can be
anything. it doesn't have to been involved.

you could get him a playmate.

After reading all of the replies again over the weekend I did a lot of thinking.

We have a large yard. Mac loves running laps and playing chase with me. Every morning he has a (short) play date with the neighbor’s lab. I didn’t think lack of socialization or exercise could possibly be an issue.

However, I realize that we haven’t been taking him to the dog park lately and none of the other neighbors let their dogs play with Mac now that he’s so big. The local kids are back in school so he doesn’t get that attention anymore. And, he doesn’t get his daily swims anymore because its cold out. Plus we’ve implemented raw into his diet. So while his exercise and stimuli has been reduced… his energy level has increased. No wonder he’s acting crazy.

With all of that said, I honestly have to admit that I cannot exercise him more than I already do. In fact, I have to spend less time exercising and playing with him throughout the day and more time focusing on my work. He needs professional help! I’m signing him up for agility classes at our local kennel club. I'm sure this will make him happy.