Remove The Temptation Or The Dog?

[meganjane]

OK here it is - 17 month old pup, been an angel... until a month ago. I SUSPECT the cat zinged around chasing flies or something and set him off chasing, knocked down something and oh... this looks interesting... lets see what it tastes like!

BUH BUMMMMM.

Everytime I leave the house he's into something else. Chewing up DVD remotes, the cord off a (thankfully unplugged) heater, glasses cases, pens... he carries around soft things like stuffed toys and arranges them into little tea parties on the bed (seriously!) but anything interestingly hard gets killed. It's gotten to the point we turn the power off to the house to make sure he doesn't electrocute himself. He's only done it a few times, but I want to stop it and stop it NOW.

I really don't want to have to tie him up outside - he's never been made stay outside, he's a real mummies boy and sticks to me like glue, I think he misses me when I'm gone and that's why he does it - but if I have to leave him outside for his own safety I guess I will

I have already taken him over to the damage and pointed to it, and said NO, BAD OLLY and I believe he's understood what he was in trouble for. In saying that he hasn't been left alone at home since to find out!

I guess my question is - do I remove the things he wants to chew, and hope that he forgets, or do I remove the dog? With no one home to let him know he's done the wrong thing, does anyone think he can be taught not to? He's a pretty cluey boy and he loves to please, so as a rule once he's been chastined for something he doesn't do it again.

I'm worried about the power cords, because they can be hard to replace. Someone suggested putting a sheet or cardboard up to hide them but I think if I did that, it would just attract his attention to the fact that there's something worth hiding there and he'd be more likely to go looking.

I hate coming home wondering what he's done wrong now. He never did his, something has tempted him into being naughty. I realise he's bored when he's left home alone but his sister is a very dominant bitch, I can't leave him something to do or she'll take it and I dont want to risk a dogfight when I'm not home. I'd really like to split them up and leave him a big bone to keep him entertained but THEN I'm worried that he'll need to poop whilst I'm not home to let him out! Once a month when we go to the city we're away for up to 8 or 10 hours, the dogs are toilet trained and fine for that time but with a belly full of bone I'm not sure he would be. Also, our house really isn't designed to be able to safely seperate them all (3 cats, 3 dogs).

Anyone got any recommendation? Little bugger is driving me bonkers.

[Kez]

Only quick suggestion I can make, is get crates for the 3 dogs, and begin crate training.

At least then you will know that all 3 of them are safe (from all sorts of dangers, and each other), and that the rest of your house will also be safe

[Mum 2 Bailey n Chelsea]

I say remove the temptation

We had to do this with Bailey. We basically made our living room puppy friendly. So it meant using puppy gates to corden off electrical cords and things we didn't want him to touch and putting away things like remote control etc.......to be honest I think what you pup is doing is normal puppy behaviour......

I have a routine I follow everyday when I leave for work which means putting away anything Bailey and Chelsea shouldn't get into. I also scatter their toys all over the living room so that everywhere they look there is a toy this seems to help with the chewing of things that shouldn't be!

Goodluck!

Mel

[Nekhbet]

Dogs dont understand what is to be touched and what is not ... hell most small children dont!

whilst you cannot supervise, dont let the dogs have free reign in the house. Give them their own area/crates and they stay there. They shouldnt be able to run around where you cant see them, and if he has taught himself that household items are fun (its self rewarding - grab something, chew it and have fun) then you wil have a hard time dissuading him. Meanwhile I would grab some lovely hot chilli paste and smear some on the electrical cords. If you have your back turned, better he get a mouth full of chilli then electrocution.

Make sure he has plenty of things to keep him occupied, also rotate his toys, one or two per day when you're not around. It wil keep them interesting for him. Also treat balls/kongs during the day and skip breakfast so he's hungry enough to make sure he concentrates on that for a while.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Exactly what Nekhbet said. Give the dog things to do or he will find his own entertainment. Dog-proof your house or whichever parts he has access to, or limit his movement by gating him or crating him. Any dog that's not used to a crate will fuss when first introduced to one but this is fixable. IMO crating a dog is a great solution - peace of mind for you (and your things!) and safety for your dog.

My three dogs are always separated when I'm not home. I'm bringing my first foster home tomorrow night and she will be crated from the start. I expect some settling-in issues with ALL the dogs and I've puppy-proofed (but well enough? I'll find out!). She's about six mths old, so I reckon she will be a bit of work, but worth every second!

[wisdomis4thoseseek]

I have 3 dogs, the new pup is being crate trained and I am seriously thinking about getting crates for the other two. I used to think that it was the wrong thing to do, but, since learning about it and actually doing it, I would recomend it to anyone.

Because when I am busy etc I KNOW he is safe.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

A quick update to try to illustrate the wonder of crate training: Jackie (my foster) has been here since Friday night. My three have all got a safe place...and Jackie is no different. I set the crate up in the lounge room, where I spend the most time, and where Lilly is during the day (Lilly isn't crated). The first time I introduced Jackie to the crate, she fussed - a bit of whining, a bit of pacing (it's a HUGE crate...Dane sized, Jackie isn't that big), and then she settled down on her blankie. Once bedtime arrived, she whined again b/c she was alone and crated. But I ignored her and she settled in about 30 minutes. If she was a keeper, she'd most likely be crated in my room but as a foster, she doesn't get that privilege. She fusses a little when she goes to bed, but after the first night, she only whined for a minute or two last night. She's actually happy to have the crate, b/c she gets "time out" from my three...she can't be accidentally stepped on (it happens when there's four dogs in a small-ish space! )...my three get a break from her puppy-ness, and she can rest or sleep without being in anyone else's way.

I also feed her in the crate. She gets her toys only in the crate. She gets LOTS of praise when she goes in and once she settles. ;)

Oh, and she's never gone to the toilet in the crate. She had her first accident inside tonight, a very small wee in the lounge room. I managed to catch her and lead her gently outside...where she did another wee on command.

She's a great dog!

[meganjane]

Thanks guys

Nekhbet - I'm seriously considering rotating his toys, I think he's bored of all of his as he doesn't play with them as much as he used to.

Due to varying reasons crate training might be difficult in my household, but it's something I will keep in mind if it comes down to safety. For now, putting things up out of reach is working - to a degree. I put everything up out of reach prior to having to leave the house for 8 hours and came home to find the only thing done was he ate my plastic garbage in He pulled the bag out with the garbage IN it just to chew up the bin... This was pointed out and he was scolded.

Today he was left alone for 75 minutes and didn't touch a thing, didn't even relocate stuffed toys into a tea party - success! Baby steps!

[cavNrott]

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Edited May 8, 2009 by cavNrott

[poodlefan]

Meganjane:

17 month old pup,

Is that correct? If so, he's now a teenager, no longer a baby.

How much exercise is he getting? Do you walk him in the mornings? The more physical and mental stimulation he gets when you are around, the quieter he is likely to be when you ain't. :rolleyes:

I agree with the other posters - provide a "safe area" in the house where all temptations are removed. If you put enough bones out, I reckon he'll end up with at least one.