Hi,
A little problem.
The house I'm in is a large open plan town house and the dogs have 'access all areas'. Even the kitchen is open to the living room /dining room area. Feeding raw meat/ and or bones is becoming a problem because they like to drag their 'goodies' away to a corner and enjoy privately. The floors are all carpeted excluding the kitchen but as I say it's O-P. Hygiene is an issue but they so love their 'meaties'.
I have one crate in the house but that's the maximum number I'm happy to have around.
How do others cope?

My lot go outside if they have bones etc and are fed indoors if given bowl food eg mince, eggs whizzed veggies etc

Ho tooolz,

mine like to take theirs away from their bowls too :rolleyes:  I feed each a good distance apart from the other so nobody feels too threatened by the others slobbering presence :D and use large bath towels for them to stand or lie on with their bones etc.  I did try washable lino type mats but the dogs didn't like these so find that its easier for them and me just to use towels.

HTH, Teri

Thanks Teri,

I'll try the towels thing but I have one or two who get their enjoyment from dragging their 'kill' around - flaunting it!. They, unfortunately, are the ones who are picky eaters otherwise and will refuse their food in protest, if caged .
I'm at my wits end with them ( mother and son.)

Hi LJS,

I'd love to but my 'flaunters' bury bones and with all this rain there never seems to be a good time to feed.

We are lucky as we have a lot of paving stones and patio areas so they normally stay on there. When however they decide to dine on the mud and grass then a quick mop up when thye come in sorts it out. Luckily we only have carpet in the lounge but that will soon be gone so cleaning all the floors won't be an issue.

Hi again - does your layout make it possible to temporarily block off the kitchen area or at least part of the open space (you could use a cage or 2 for eg as a barricade) ?

Or could you perhaps buy a lino off-cut cheaply and use that for an area inside or outside .....?  I dont feed mine outside as they'd scarper off into the bushes and I'd never know which had eaten what, buried it, etc etc :rolleyes:

We bought a room size remnant for about £15 a few years ago when I had a litter - although that was staying put for a few weeks so not as inconvenient as it may be for you when only to cover feeding times.

I'm guessing you probably already own a carpet shampooer - if not it will be a life saver   I love mine more than my washing machine :D

Hi Teri,
Yes I do have a Vax shampooer as recommened by our fellow CD members, it's great for the dirty feet spruce up but do find it leaves things a tad damp for regular use.
I think I'll use your idea of the barracade and covering the floor for the 'biggies' and the 'littles' can be - one caged, fussy ones out. Just got to stop Tweed ( Littlie ) dragging his onto the sofa!:rolleyes:
Do you think they would retreat to individual beds if they had them? At present the littlies slob on the sofas.
Don't you just love them?

Thanks for your imput

>Do you think they would retreat to individual beds if they had them

LOL not if they're anything like my lot :rolleyes: :P   For the sofa loving muncher you could try a dog mat with a vynil back perhaps (I use these for cages when travelling and they're ace, soak up a lot without leaks and wash and dry in no time at all ) or else cover in a vet bed sheet (would need more washing probably though)

Trying to think of as many alternatives here as I can - they do find a myriad of ways to test us

I have a couple inside runs in my garage where they go with the RMBS, it has cushion floor on the bottom.

Not much help I know

My lot would have them in every corner if they got them in the house

Hi Teri,
sofa loving muncher

I just love that and I've told him if he smears one more chicken thigh on my sofa the's going onto Asda's own make doggie diet -Basics range... that'll teach him. You should see the look he's just given me.

Blue I have an admission: all mine get a cooked sausage for their breakfast and I do find them in every corner of the house... very inventive Cavvies.
Don't tell the 'foodies' on here I feed sausages and Morrisons own make ... horror!

Given half a chance mine would eat everything off the sofa or my bed :rolleyes: so can relate to that :D  When staying at our caravan it's a nightmare because it's pretty much all open plan too but if the weather isn't too bad I can put them out on the deck (Ya know what, I'm glad this came up because there's me found another excuse to lengthen weekends from Thursday to Tuesday :D :D :D )

Teri

Well there you go then, makes sense to me.

A comrade stick around :D

I'm tellin!!!

going onto Asda's own make doggie diet -Basics range... that'll teach him. You should see the look he's just given me.

If you fed that poor little boy such things he'd pack his bags n leave! :D :D Come to auntie, Tweed

:D :D

Just how long does Bichon sperm last in the uterus? Hebeboots?

I use a steam cleaner (polti) to kill the old bugs. The high temperature kills all bugs. I also use a Vax too and I tend to clean with it a fair bit. I have also bought a dehumidifier to handle the dampness that the vax creates which seems to work very well.
My old boy eats raw meat but tends to walk into the living room and then wipes his chops all over the walls and seats

Thanks for that Minipeace,
I've always wondered if steam thingys work well. Do you use them on carpets?
We have a boxer girl who fills her cheeks up with water (hamster-like) after having a drink, them makes a bee-line for the nearest person and slobs it all over their lap.... nice. 

Yes I use my machine on the carpets all the time. I have a brush type head which I fit a cloth to and then slowly run the head over the carpet. You can use it without the cloth on mats but a cloth will absorb the dirt at the same time. The Vax does however clean deep down but a Vax does not kill off the bacteria. Best of all the steamer kills bacteria without the use of chemicals.
It pays to buy a good steamer/vapour cleaner if you have a large house and plus you want a good high temperature and bar pressure at the wand end so it kills deep down. Mine can be adjusted depending on the pressure you wish to use. I also use it to clean my sofa but care must be taken on different materials as the high temps can damage.
I also use it on my tiles in kitchen and conservatory. You can also get extras like a wall paper stripper. You do have to be careful round paint work. It will lift paint work if directed for any length of time onto it.
Some steamers also come with a built in hoover but I don't know what they are like to be honest.
I like the Polti one I have due to the fact the handle has no electrics, a safty cap to prevent you being burnt, a stainless steel boiler, lots of extras and good after service from the company if spares are needed. It can also be used continuously without the need of stopping and waiting for the steam pressure to build up.
If possible perhaps it would be worth you hiring one from a hire shop to see how a steamer feels before buying one.

Thanks, sounds like the very thing I need.
Do you have a model name/number on your version? If it suits your home it's likely to mine.

its the Polti Vaporetto Eco Pro 3000 Lux. I paid £500 for it but you can find it cheaper online.
I would strongly recommend due to the cost if possible for you to hire one first to see how you feel about one.
They do other models costing less which may be more suitable, it just depends on how much you want to pay and the job its needed for.
If you do hire or buy one I have just one tip and that is when the machine runs low on water a buzzer is heard. You turn the machine off but leave the wand on and press the trigger to remove the steam from the boiler. The safety cap then can be removed for refilling but please allow the machine to cool first as the boiler is still very hot and the water you tip in will spit back at you.
Apart from that which is written on their instructions for safety the machine is great.

Gee Minipeace and here i was thinking all the good men were gone! Do you cook aswell? :D

Well cough cough I do a rather mean bake beans on toast
Sadly not the worlds best cook. I am looking for a good teacher

Tooolz - same here with the hamster impression :rolleyes:.  And he is especially good at it after eating as well.  Mushed up kibble all over the place if I don't get to him with a cloth first

>I am looking for a good teacher

ROFL   Witt aswell

Oi you two,
Flirt elsewhere!!