Quick straw poll re: puppy

[BlueKarou]

My lovely puppy is 15 weeks old; he's starting to test his teeth out on everything (possibly about to start teething) as such I've learnt to put precious things up high/out of the way.

While I'm at work, puppy currently stays at my Mum's. Ideally he'll come to the office with me, I'm just waiting for all the paperwork to go through, and all the red tape to be dealt with.

So he's at Mum's, under her care. She's mostly there, but he's on his own (with her two dogs, and access to the garden) for maybe an hour or two each day. It's not ideal, but until things are sorted it's the best we can do. Currently living at Mum's are my teenage step sister and my adult sister. My sister has lived with a myriad of dogs in this house, and (I thought) knew the basics of what young dogs are like.

The puppy has chewed up a pair of headphones, worth about £10. Would you replace them? Or would you think that the pup was under someone else's care, and she should have known better. Previous dogs in that house have destroyed remote controls, shoes, coasters, through being puppies or bored. There are plenty of toys available to him, so these weren't the only things he had available.

(Disclaimer: I have already offered to replace them if she lets me know the brand/style/etc more to prevent this from becoming a situation than because I want to - I'm not flush with cash, but can spare a tenner. I'm just a little put out as she's been very tetchy about the whole thing, and I honestly do think she should have known better. Happy to hear I'm a horrid person; I'm 11 weeks pregnant and all kinds of tired from lack of sleep, so might be clouded by short-temperedness.)

[mmmuffins]

I think you are not obligated to buy the headphones.

I can why you would pay £10 to avoid an atmosphere, but you should make clear that this is the only item you will be replacing, as your sister has now learned to keep all items out of puppy reach (even if she should have well known already!)

[Floralnomad]

I think you should replace them .

[whatlifestylechoice]

What is it with dogs and headsets? Mine has got through three different pairs already!

Anyway, I would at least offer to replace them, yes.

My pup once chewed up a pair of my visiting brother's sunglasses. I did offer to replace them, but luckily he wasn't bothered.

[insanityscatching]

I would replace them the first time anything got chewed but I would expect the lesson to be learned and so anything else chewed I wouldn't replace.

[BlueKarou]

Thanks, I feel a little better in my limited sympathy now. Have offered to replace like for like if she lets me know what they were.

Puppy chewed one of my books, which I was a little distressed about, but to his credit he's done a lot less damage than previous young dogs have. Or maybe I've just learnt from earlier hounds!

[WeAllHaveWings]

If he's only 15 weeks old and chewing I would provide a crate for when she is out. The house will never be fully puppy proof, ours chewed our sofa cushions and a few inches off the carpet when he found nothing else to chew.

Its your mums home not a kennel, she is kindly giving you free doggy daycare. If you don't provide somewhere safe for your teething pup to go, and you know your mum has to go out and leave him alone then you should take responsibility for any damages.

[BlueKarou]

He has a crate at home which he occasionally takes himself to, and I use if he's clearly needing to sleep but is over-excited by whatever's happening. I also use it when taking him to all day outdoor events so he's safe and secure when I can't hold on to his lead. I don't think I would fully trust my mum, and definitely not my sister to use the crate properly; i.e. not to use it as a punishment when he was doing something annoying. I rely on that crate when at these events and really don't want him to start hating it.

It's really frustrating; I would have him with me in a heartbeat, it's just an admin thing that's preventing me. He's fully jabbed, insured and the like so is ready to come in.

I'd be happier replacing anything damaged that couldn't have been moved out the way. (Mum looked after my aunt's puppy, who ripped up the carpets in her hallway and destroyed the underlay beneath - she knows the risks involved in puppysitting.) It's more that, having had dogs of all ages since we were in our early-mid teens, my sister still left her headphones somewhere the puppy could get them. There are several places downstairs, plus all of upstairs where puppy can't get to, so it's not like he's everywhere.

Mum's dog used to destroy the remote controls well into his adult years - we just started leaving them somewhere high up where he couldn't reach.

Gah! Sorry, I'm doing that awful thing where people ask for opinions, and then argue against the ones that don't agree with them! You are right; I'm having a massive favour done for me, and I know my Mum would always play down any damage done, and I'd find a way to make it right; it's just having the sister back has changed things, and her attitude to the puppy isn't the best. I'm waiting for her to let me know the headphone specs and will try to be gracious and understanding when I get them, even if I don't fully agree.

Not to commit a further sin of drip feeding, but Mum was fully complicit in my getting the pup, and came with me to meet him and to bring him home, so she was fully on board before I landed him on her.