Leaving Gifts Under The Christmas Tree

[Rottnlove]

This year we put up a small tree on a little table top.

It's been great since I don't have to put the wrapped gifts on the floor where Xena will get to them. I'm not sure she'd actually wrip off the wrapping paper, but I didn't want to find out! :p

Do any of your rotties go after the presents under your tree? If so, what training methods have you used to correct this?

I find that with Xena telling her "AH AHH" or "leave it" works for a while, but later it's back to whatever it was she wasn't supposed to do. This is only if she wants something that's irresistable and I usually put that stuff out of site, out of mind.

That's why I decided to put presents up off the floor this year...I don't want to take a chance that she'll try to open our gifts. :)

[Jaegergirl]

luckily i've been able to keep maverick AND my 2 year old away from the presents. although my 2yo likes to "hide" maverick's bones and kong IN the tree. i think he think's he's decorating it. :D luckily maverick hasn't attempted to retreive his toys... :)

[Rottnlove]

Originally posted by Jaegergirl
luckily i've been able to keep maverick AND my 2 year old away from the presents. although my 2yo likes to "hide" maverick's bones and kong IN the tree. i think he think's he's decorating it. :D luckily maverick hasn't attempted to retreive his toys... :)

HAHAHA!!! I can just picture your two year old putting Maverick's bones and kong in your tree while Maverick sits pretty and watches closely with his big brown eyes; tilting his head trying to figure out what the heck your little two year old is doing putting it there! :D :D :D

Yeah, Xena wasn't the only reason I put the presents up this year...My 3 year old was another great reason. They're a bit higher where I can keep a close eye out. :p

[Jaegergirl]

i'm just glad maverick didn't try to get them out. :D my son loves to toss his kong in the kitchen or down the steps and watch maverick go after it!

when i started put the presents out last week, maverick was definately interested in what was going on. but i've been lucky that he's left everything alone (and hasn't tried to mark on the tree ).

[Rottnlove]

Originally posted by Jaegergirl
i'm just glad maverick didn't try to get them out. :D my son loves to toss his kong in the kitchen or down the steps and watch maverick go after it!

when i started put the presents out last week, maverick was definately interested in what was going on. but i've been lucky that he's left everything alone (and hasn't tried to mark on the tree ).

Oh wow! He's been a good boy! I guess he knows Santa is watching him, eh? :D

I know the key is to watch them very closely, but since I've got a new little baby that keeps me a little busier, I didn't want to let her have any chance of getting to the presents. Then next year my baby will be 1 and into everything...it'll be a few years before I'll feel safe with leaving gifts on the floor! :p

[Rottnlove]

Oh, another thimg...I know Xena would be curious if I put a large tree up and try to go after the bulbs, just like a child...too scarey for me! I can imagine a glass bulb wouldn't be the best thing for her to get to. If she did, it would be all my fault and I need to train her not to go near them! She's just like a curios cat, I swear!

[Birdie'sMom]

We didn't get a tree this year, partly because I didn't want to deal with Birdie and the tree (last year at this time she was still crated) and partly because I felt like if we put the tree up, it wouldn't come down until July because we would be busy with the baby!;) :p So, anyway, I put all of the wrapped presents in the nursery and have kept the door shut. Birdie knows that they are in there and will sit outside the nursery door and cry! So, I'm sure if they were under the tree they would be destroyed!!

[Burnsway]

Psyche has given me absolutely no tree problems. Infact I think she is annoyed at the tree..... I stood it right infront of one of her favorite front windows....:D

Nicki my 15 year old Pom mix has thrown me for a loop though. She never gave me any problems but this year she will not keep her nose out of it. She isn't going after the gifts but she keeps digging her way through them to the stand(It's fake so water isn't the issue). Last night I think she got stuck because all I saw was her butt and tail sticking out and not moving. I can't do any verbal with her because she is hard of hearing and I wouldn't dare physically correct her poor 15 year old body, so I just remove her.....

I bought lots of Potpourri and candle type-of gifts that are food smelling, so I thought Psyche being a pig when it comes to food would give me problems but all she does is walk by it and give it a dirty look. As if to say your not real, your in my viewing way, I don't like you!

I think that storing it in the attic where we also have a few squirrels living may be why Nicki keeps going under the tree and getting lost.....

Oh well in 24 hours I will be ripping that thing down anyhow......:D

[LavenderRott]

We put our tree up last night. The best place to put it is right where Chase's bed goes, next to my computer desk. We finally had to lock her out of the room until we got the tree done. With all of the boxes of decorations and the kids and everything, we couldn't put her bed in it's temporary spot. So she kept trying to get through an 18" space to lay under the back of the tree. Now that her bed is down, she is just fine.

I will post a couple of pics of Sassy later. This is her first Christmas tree.

[samanthac]

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...hehehehehehehehehe....hohoh ohohohohohohohoh...*wiping tears from eyes*

Sorry, the thought of leaving anything on the floor with Disel around just really cracked me up. We put the tree in the front room this year because with as much as he enjoys targeting all I could see was him trying to get an ornament about 4.5 feet up and bye-bye Christmas tree! :) Although I did intriduce him one night. He immediately started to lift the old leg and him and I ahd a little CTJ then and there. Ironically I ahve not seen him pee on my pines in the yard recently either! :D

Next year Disel should be MUCH better trained...if all goes wll he will have his BH and maybe SchH I. The new pup will be about 9 months so it looks like a few years before we will have the tree in the family room again.

Not sure Disel will ever have full access to the entire house though. :)

[Brooke&Ryan]

Originally posted by samanthac
Ironically I ahve not seen him pee on my pines in the yard recently either! :D

Poor Diesel is scarred for life...:D:D:D:D:D:D

Brooke

[Luvs]

Having two young, large, and very rambunctious Rotties in the house, we almost didn't get a tree this year. I decided to go ahead and give it a try. I bought a cheap fake tree from Walmart and set it up two weeks ago.

Both Akasha and Keil have been pretty good about leaving the tree and presents alone. Every now and then Akasha will go lick the apple ornament and nose some of the balls, but a firm "leave it" is usually all it takes to get her to leave it alone.
Our tree did get knocked down one time when Akasha and Keil were running and slid across the hardwood floor into the tree. Everything came crashing down and scared EVERYONE. They have been much better about playing away from the tree ever since.

Akasha has opened two presents, both of them were mine:D I thought it was sweet of her to try and give me my presents early. My family thought otherwise

I make sure and NEVER leave Akasha and Keil alone in the living room with the tree. I am sure Akasha would LOVE to open more presents for me;) :D

[RottieGirl86]

No presents under tree for me! It would be a 'toy', as my girl loves paper! Now that she has a big brother, she resource guards ( it's mine & I'll keep it! ) so she'll eat it. ( still drops on command though! thank goodness!)

Now, as for the tree, I had to put it were Max's crate was. I looped wire around tree trunk ( it's a fake tree) then nailed it into the wall - 2 different places, it's hidden by curtains, so the nails won't show.

The tree is fairly heavy and has a lot of glass ornaments on it, most 20 + years old. Then, I looped the wire opposite side and nailed it to the ping pong table that serves as the base for the tree. No problem with tree being knocked down!

However, my village has had some pieces knocked over, but no breaks or anything *yet*

FYI: The wire nailed into wall was a trick my parents used, ever since my brother was a toddler and pulled down a tree thinking a lolipop ornamnet was real! lol. Not always the dogs who do the most damage!

[rotts and roses]

I can happily report that we had NO problems with the tree OR the presents:D Now that it is over and the tree is put away, I didn't dare brag on the dogs too much before Christmas was over or they would have shown me! *L*

As much as I dreaded putting up a tree with two 9 month old pups in the house,I think I would have rather they messed with the tree than listen to my husband's " I told ya so's" I still think he threated the pups with their life when I wasn't looking *LOL*j/k.
He was totally confident that they would leave the tree alone and he was right.
Even the presents were safe from my paper fiend Ozzy.

My proudest moment came when we all went out looking at lights one night, and stupid ME forgot to put the board up to block the dogs in the kitchen.We were gone a couple of hours and came home to dogs sleeping right where they were when we left. They had two hours alone in the house and thank DOG almighty they didn't mess with a thing. I'm still bruised from kicking myself for being so careless and the "what if's"
I'm just glad its over!