Hoosier Houndini

It seems the escape artist is making his comeback.  After the wedding, honeymoon, and really really long drive to Indy while reading the Dog Whisperer's book, Caesar's Way, Edgar is up to his ways again.

I introduced him to his "den," aka the kitchen, upon arrival making sure that I was the alpha leading him into the house.  We then set up barricades with wedding gift boxes and barstools to let him settle in.  That night we left him only once to take my Mom to her hotel and when we came back all was well in Hoosierville.  He cried when we left him in his den for bedtime, but that ended shortly as well. 

Yesterday, feeling very encouraged, I left again for about 30 minutes.  I set up the barricade just like the night before.  When I came home, Edgar greeted me at the door, chewed up CD case all over the living room floor.  Houndini was back!  This was even after his two walks (to help his migrating instinct and tire him out) as well as a rousing game of fetch which ended when he was too hot and laid down on top of the ball.  So much for Caesar.

Houndini made his first appearance when I lived back in SLC.  I would leave him for work barricaded in the kitchen.  First I used a very expensive x-pen (aka movable metal fences/playpen for dogs.)  He figured out how to use his paw to either push or pull them so he could get out.  He was always sitting in the window sill when I came home.  So then I used chairs to reinforce the x-pen.  Again, Edgar used his clever wits to pull the chairs then the x-pen and voila!  The x-pen went back to Petco.

I resorted to Home Depot.  Plywood, foam insulation tape to protect the floor, and cinder blocks.  Ah ha!  He was foiled!  Until....  one day I came home and thought it smelled so nice!  It smelled just like the lemongrass vacuum beads from Restoration Hardware I had used to clean two days ago, but surely that scent couldn't have been that strong, I thought to myself.  When I opened the back door I found a very proud canine.  He had somehow figured out how to jump on the kitchen counters, tear open the vacuum beads bag, knock over the sugar bowl, eat all of my garden produce and spit it out, chew up the sponge, knock over the knives, dig up the potted geranium in my window sill, eat my check register, and knock over my cookbooks.  (See photos.)

Now I knew I couldn't yell at him as I've read dogs live in the moment and will not corrleate punishment with deeds unless you do it right in the act.  For instance, grounding a dog or withholding dog park priveledges will not work.  But oh, I was mad and he was just happy to see me. 

When J proposed to me in January, he knew Edgar was part of the package and he loved him too.  However, I worried how he would handle his alter-ego, Houndini!  Last night we left again and J constructed the barricade.  It was now a battle of wits between him and the dog.  But when we came home, Houndini rested in the kitchen without tearing the house apart.  Perhaps Monday when I go to work won't be too bad, or perhaps I'm deluding myself.