Salukifan Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) Whats the grace period of the shelter? You've had this dog a week and he's destroyed the place. Weigh up if you have the time and finances for a high maintenance dog that will obviously need a lot of ongoing work. I reckon the Army or Australia Post would jump at the chance to evaluate this dog!! ETA: I'd be adding TOT and NILIF to Eric's life pronto!! Just remember that you need to exercise his body AND his mind. Training does the latter. Edited March 9, 2012 by Telida Whippets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) They wont take a dog that left alone will tear things to shreds like its environment, escape and potentially shred itself - it's a character flaw on the dogs behalf. Edited March 9, 2012 by Nekhbet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panto Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Kudos to you for your dedication to Eric, he sounds like a loving boofer :) I have had a similar foster boy, it was all I could do to not think it wasn't the same boy they sound so alike. The suggestions so far have been great - love the big box suggestion and the local dog clubs. With the head halter, my only suggestion might be that it's just you or just your OH (not both oout walking him at the same time) and having a go initially with him so both dog and handler can really focus on getting it right. You may not get more than 50 or 100m the first few times, but it will be a big mental stimulation for him, it's a big new learning experience. Be careful he doesn't buck and pull on the halter too much that he hurts his neck, go slow. I used to also duct tape old ice cream or large yoghurt tubs with holes cut out and have his treats in them, and he could roll it around or destroy it to get to what was inside. He used to get it literally as the last thing before I shut the door and that was his feed. After a couple times, he would happily take this treat and walk away with it before I even shut the door and did not care I was leaving. The front clipping harness is also good, but not a great fix in the long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salukifan Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 They wont take a dog that left alone will tear things to shreds like its environment, escape and potentially shred itself - it's a character flaw on the dogs behalf. Not even if boredom is the motivation Nekhie? That's disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) They had the dog a week and it was all through the week and continuing. Frankly I would have packed him back to the shelter within a week of the destruction. The dog has options and instead his anxiety rules, he goes into destructive mode as he has no temperamental resilience to deal with changes like new environment, being without people etc. His trainability for work would be low if he's anxious about change. Theres a difference in dogs shredding soft toys like my lot do, but my house is in tact. They get left alone and I dont come home to my doors and house decimated. I would not be offering this dog more toys, especially stuffed ones, as ingestion and blockage is a very real danger. Edited March 9, 2012 by Nekhbet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsty79 Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 Also remember that if you provide the 'same' toys every day he'll quickly become bored of the toys.... you need to change them every day. Even with the box example above that Talida Whippets mentioned (which is a great idea!) if he absolutely loves destroying the box, don't think 'yahoo!!' we've found something he loves and give him a new box every day - make sure you give him a box once a fortnight so it remains a novelty for him. Or else he'll lose interest. Also with the box idea I put a few treats in it before I seal it up to get the dogs interest in it first. You should see what a working police dog can do to a washing machine box. :laugh: If destroying a box a day stopped him destroying my furntiture, I'd let him have one!!! A washing machine!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuddleDuck Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Big frozen ice blocks with treats hidden in them are great too! Fill a container halfway with water, let it freeze, add a layer of treats (kodi goes nuts for canned cat food!) then fill the container the rest of the way and freeze. We would usually get a good few hours of quiet time out of them :) Also even though you can't afford a behaviourist now I would go ahead and book now for when you can. Some of the best ones are booked out months in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsty79 Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 Whats the grace period of the shelter? You've had this dog a week and he's destroyed the place. Weigh up if you have the time and finances for a high maintenance dog that will obviously need a lot of ongoing work. The period is 4 weeks which we are upon now and the owner of the shelter I notified of the major problems after they started happening after one week. Unfortunately the only suggestion was crate training. The shelter will take him back at anytime but obviously a refund on adoption fee is only within 4 weeks. I can't help but feeling I would have completely failed him but I just don't know if financially and timewise we can help a dog with these kinds of issues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsty79 Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 Kudos to you for your dedication to Eric, he sounds like a loving boofer :) I have had a similar foster boy, it was all I could do to not think it wasn't the same boy they sound so alike. The suggestions so far have been great - love the big box suggestion and the local dog clubs. With the head halter, my only suggestion might be that it's just you or just your OH (not both oout walking him at the same time) and having a go initially with him so both dog and handler can really focus on getting it right. You may not get more than 50 or 100m the first few times, but it will be a big mental stimulation for him, it's a big new learning experience. Be careful he doesn't buck and pull on the halter too much that he hurts his neck, go slow. I used to also duct tape old ice cream or large yoghurt tubs with holes cut out and have his treats in them, and he could roll it around or destroy it to get to what was inside. He used to get it literally as the last thing before I shut the door and that was his feed. After a couple times, he would happily take this treat and walk away with it before I even shut the door and did not care I was leaving. The front clipping harness is also good, but not a great fix in the long term. Thank you. He is possibly the sweetest most friendliest dog I have ever meet. His potential is overwhelming and he has so much love to give. :) Will take your advice with the halti and take it slowly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzzieLioness Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I know!!! The malty cross bribed him to do it! ;) :laugh: Hope you get it sorted. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) Kirsty it's not a failure. The decision is ultimately yours but NEVER blame yourself, I'm not pushing merely suggesting it as an option considering this is all probability will turn into a lot of long term management. If you did not want nor expect a dog with problems you did not make provisions for it. That is in no way failure, you are probably being more responsible saying it's out of your depth then plugging away with no resources. I got a rescue once that bent a window frame out of a wall, screamed if he couldnt see you even over a bench and broke out of a steel cage while partially anaesthatised. Making him go through any more would have just been ridiculous for him and for us. Edited March 9, 2012 by Nekhbet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeimMe Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Kirsty, I don't think there is any shame in admitting that you are out of your league with this fella. I think that he might need an owner who is prepared to work with difficult dogs (eg. someone with a dog training background). From what I have read you have given it your best - perhaps the best thing for both Eric and yourself would be to return him to the shelter while that is still an option. And now I shall don my flame suit.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 And now I shall don my flame suit.... I see no reason for a flame suit if it is in everyone's best interests. We get companion animals to help bring us joy, not to cause us stress and cause themselves potential harm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog_fan Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 (edited) I would return him to the shelter. Sometimes we are not equipped to deal with such difficult issues and it may be better for all concerned that the dog be returned. I think you have tried very much to remediate this dog but maybe the issues cannot be resolved. Edited March 9, 2012 by dog_fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash1 Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I would return him to the shelter. Sometimes we are not equipped to deal with such difficult issues and it may be better for all concerned that the dog be returned. I think you have tried very much to remediate this dog but maybe the issues cannot be resolved. I agree with all the above, but wonder if you are able to take a week off work first to see if you can retrain him? If it is separation anxiety, there are some great online resources that could help. Maybe as a last chance if you really had your heart set on keeping him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panto Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Kudos to you for your dedication to Eric, he sounds like a loving boofer :) I have had a similar foster boy, it was all I could do to not think it wasn't the same boy they sound so alike. The suggestions so far have been great - love the big box suggestion and the local dog clubs. With the head halter, my only suggestion might be that it's just you or just your OH (not both oout walking him at the same time) and having a go initially with him so both dog and handler can really focus on getting it right. You may not get more than 50 or 100m the first few times, but it will be a big mental stimulation for him, it's a big new learning experience. Be careful he doesn't buck and pull on the halter too much that he hurts his neck, go slow. I used to also duct tape old ice cream or large yoghurt tubs with holes cut out and have his treats in them, and he could roll it around or destroy it to get to what was inside. He used to get it literally as the last thing before I shut the door and that was his feed. After a couple times, he would happily take this treat and walk away with it before I even shut the door and did not care I was leaving. The front clipping harness is also good, but not a great fix in the long term. Thank you. He is possibly the sweetest most friendliest dog I have ever meet. His potential is overwhelming and he has so much love to give. :) Will take your advice with the halti and take it slowly. TW's suggestions of TOT and NILIF are fantastic too. They worked really well with the boofer I had. It's a great read, for both you and your OH. You can find them in the training thread. It requires a lot of discipline on the human's part. He got pats and cuddles when he was settled, and not when he asked for it. (Trust me, when you have a wagging boofy face asking for a cuddle, it's MUCH harder on you than him, but it worked). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsty79 Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 Kudos to you for your dedication to Eric, he sounds like a loving boofer :) I have had a similar foster boy, it was all I could do to not think it wasn't the same boy they sound so alike. The suggestions so far have been great - love the big box suggestion and the local dog clubs. With the head halter, my only suggestion might be that it's just you or just your OH (not both oout walking him at the same time) and having a go initially with him so both dog and handler can really focus on getting it right. You may not get more than 50 or 100m the first few times, but it will be a big mental stimulation for him, it's a big new learning experience. Be careful he doesn't buck and pull on the halter too much that he hurts his neck, go slow. I used to also duct tape old ice cream or large yoghurt tubs with holes cut out and have his treats in them, and he could roll it around or destroy it to get to what was inside. He used to get it literally as the last thing before I shut the door and that was his feed. After a couple times, he would happily take this treat and walk away with it before I even shut the door and did not care I was leaving. The front clipping harness is also good, but not a great fix in the long term. Thank you. He is possibly the sweetest most friendliest dog I have ever meet. His potential is overwhelming and he has so much love to give. :) Will take your advice with the halti and take it slowly. TW's suggestions of TOT and NILIF are fantastic too. They worked really well with the boofer I had. It's a great read, for both you and your OH. You can find them in the training thread. It requires a lot of discipline on the human's part. He got pats and cuddles when he was settled, and not when he asked for it. (Trust me, when you have a wagging boofy face asking for a cuddle, it's MUCH harder on you than him, but it worked). TOT & NILIF?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsty79 Posted March 9, 2012 Author Share Posted March 9, 2012 I would return him to the shelter. Sometimes we are not equipped to deal with such difficult issues and it may be better for all concerned that the dog be returned. I think you have tried very much to remediate this dog but maybe the issues cannot be resolved. I agree with all the above, but wonder if you are able to take a week off work first to see if you can retrain him? If it is separation anxiety, there are some great online resources that could help. Maybe as a last chance if you really had your heart set on keeping him. Unfortunately not. I had surgery the end of last year and have no leave at all left (actually I'm into minus figures! ) My OH is actually looking for a new job atm so if by chance he found something he might be able to have a week in between but it's lots of if's and buts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panto Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Links are from K9pro's website, they are also posted in the training website NILIF TOT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog_fan Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 I would be concerned that this new dog will teach the other dog some very bad habits and the problem will be doubled. I think you are in a very difficult situation and the shelter needs to either assist you more or take the dog back. Clearly the shelter did not do a thorough assessment of this dog before he was re-homed so they bear quite a lot of the responsibility for this situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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