Crazy Shepherd

[Guest Robatife BCs]

Hi all,

Our GSD is about 7 months now and its like a bomb has dropped. I have never had so much trouble with a dog!! She is highly distructive (digging holes, pulling washing off the line, chewing up bedding, chewing up her kennel, chewed off part of the house!!!) etc etc the list goes on.

She has a million toys in the backyard and actively plays with them. She has 2 other dogs to keep her company and they are best mates, she has a large yard and gets walked everyday. We are home 4 out of 7 days of the week but she does these naughty things while we are at home as well (I have sprung her lol), so she isnt bored.

Just darn NAUGHTY!! hehehe

She responds well to obedience training and is a very smart girl while im training her, but as soon as she has the run of the yard, she turns feral.

Our Border Collies are a god send compared to this cheeky girl, .....but she really is beautiful

Any suggestions, im pulling hair out here!

Daisy

[sas]

Our GSD is about 7 months now and its like a bomb has dropped. I have never had so much trouble with a dog!! She is highly distructive (digging holes, pulling washing off the line, chewing up bedding, chewing up her kennel, chewed off part of the house!!!) etc etc the list goes on.

Sounds like a stressed puppy, I would suggest you read up on pack leadership such as methods discussed in the book 'Dog Listener' by Jan Fennell available at your local book store.

She has a million toys in the backyard and actively plays with them. She has 2 other dogs to keep her company and they are best mates, she has a large yard and gets walked everyday. We are home 4 out of 7 days of the week but she does these naughty things while we are at home as well (I have sprung her lol), so she isnt bored.

Just like children, a dog doesn't not appreciate toys if they are given a lot, rotate 2 toys a day.

Just darn NAUGHTY!! hehehe

She responds well to obedience training and is a very smart girl while im training her, but as soon as she has the run of the yard, she turns feral.

Our Border Collies are a god send compared to this cheeky girl, .....but she really is beautiful

You have a highly intelligent & active dog, they need a lot of mental stimulation otherwise they will turn into ferals. Instead of providing your typical toys, look into toys that will stimulate her mind such as Treat Balls/Cubes, Kong Despencers, Sand Pits in clam shells, Paddling pools in clam shells, scatter kibble around the yard, the list goes on, however, even with this in place, if the pack leadership is out of whack it probably won't make too much of a change..[/color]

Edited June 5, 2007 by sas

[Guest Robatife BCs]

Sorry, forgot to mention that we do rotate toys, but she always has plenty of them. You name it, I work in a pet shop so I have everything on the market, including thinking toys like Buster Cubes, Kongs, Everlasting Treat Ball etc.

[sas]

Sorry, forgot to mention that we do rotate toys, but she always has plenty of them. You name it, I work in a pet shop so I have everything on the market, including thinking toys like Buster Cubes, Kongs, Everlasting Treat Ball etc.

Ok, so limiting them to only 2 a day will bring up her appreciation levels. However she won't appreciate anything if the Leadership is out of whack, she sounds like a very stressed puppy that needs to understand where she stands, it fairly easy to do. I really reccomend you get that book, it will save you from pulling your hair out.

This is just my opinion based on experiencing foster dogs with similar issues.

Edited June 5, 2007 by sas

[Kavik]

What sort of training do you do and how often?

Does your Shepherd like to play tug or fetch a ball?

If your Shepherd has good prey drive, some drive training may help tire her out.

Even something simple that my guys like is hiding a toy in a bag and watch while they figure out how to get it out

Or an activity like tracking or scentwork. Or some tricks. Something fun

[Guest Robatife BCs]

Ok, so limiting them to only 2 a day will bring up her appreciation levels. However she won't appreciate anything if the Leadership is out of whack, she sounds like a very stressed puppy that needs to understand where she stands, it fairly easy to do. I really reccomend you get that book, it will save you from pulling your hair out.

This is just my opinion based on experiencing foster dogs with similar issues.

Thanks for your help, I will check this book out. What do you mean by the leadership may be out of whack though? (sorry please detail)

[Guest Robatife BCs]

Kavik - I do basic obedience with her. She has learned some tricks too. She loves to fetch and we play fetch everyday. We do spend a lot of time with our dogs and she isnt hyperactive at all. She is actually quite a placid girl, just having a ball destroying the yard lol.

[wagalot]

maybe consider looking into Doggy Day-Care, 1 or 2 days a week......this may help break the routine your dog has got into and can even improve behavior. Not to metion getting out and burning off that puppy energy, playing and having fun with dogs at a similar level.....basically using that energy for good not bad behavior

I get alot of people contact me with the same problem, some times training etc just isn't enough to keep those bad behaviors at bay

You will be amazed how quick their behavior can change buy simply having a big change in their routine...

[Guest Robatife BCs]

maybe consider looking into Doggy Day-Care, 1 or 2 days a week......this may help break the routine your dog has got into and can even improve behavior. Not to metion getting out and burning off that puppy energy, playing and having fun with dogs at a similar level.....basically using that energy for good not bad behavior

I get alot of people contact me with the same problem, some times training etc just isn't enough to keep those bad behaviors at bay

You will be amazed how quick their behavior can change buy simply having a big change in their routine...

Thanks Wagalot!! Does anyone know of any daycare centres near Sunbury, Victoria?This sounds like a good idea, but if anyone has any tips for what I can do while she is at home, I would love to hear some

[wagalot]

Robatife BCs...... i just PMed you

[sas]

Ok, so limiting them to only 2 a day will bring up her appreciation levels. However she won't appreciate anything if the Leadership is out of whack, she sounds like a very stressed puppy that needs to understand where she stands, it fairly easy to do. I really reccomend you get that book, it will save you from pulling your hair out.

This is just my opinion based on experiencing foster dogs with similar issues.

Thanks for your help, I will check this book out. What do you mean by the leadership may be out of whack though? (sorry please detail)

Dogs need a leader, when they have a leader it takes the stress right off them as they don't need to worry about the multitude of things a leader worries about.

If your leadership os out of whack, you puppy/dog may see itself as the leader because you haven't proven that you can be one, so this means when you leave the house without them, they're going to stress because they feel responsible for you, stress then brings up issues such as chewing & barking and so forth.

When you come home and your dog is way over excited to see you.....don't be flattered because that's your dog saying "Thank God you're home, I've been so fricken worried!"

[Joypod]

Sounds like a stressed puppy, I would suggest you read up on pack leadership such as methods discussed in the book 'Dog Listener' by Jan Fennell available at your local book store.

Or, 'The Dog Whisperer' by Cesar Millan. I just read that and will never look at dogs the same way again! It's a brilliant book, is very easy to read and makes SO much sense.

Good luck!

[Seita]

That sounds like Ella (border collie) when she was probably about that age!!!! She still digs holes and destroys things if given the chance but less than before. What I have found helps is training before going out and leaving her to her own devices. For example I make sure she gets at least 15 minutes to half an hour of training and games before I leave for work in the morning (5min training, some games, a bit more training etc etc) and then when I'm out she gets things that keep her amused for long periods of time - kong, treat ball, bucket of frozen chicken stock with a bone in the middle (takes hours to defrost at the moment!) and other things like that to keep her busy. I do mix them up on a regular basis to keep them interesting, so not always the same stuff in the kong or treat ball, different bones, sometimes frozen sometimes not! It all takes a bit more effort to organise but it is definitely worth it for keeping the yard/house in good condition!!!