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He is driving me almost to the point of getting rid of him! If we leave, he is certain to destroy something..even if I go into another room, leaving paper work out, he takes it off of the counter and destroys it . Really,just being alone for one minute,he does this. I hate to put everything away from him just to maybe go to the bathroom! |
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C’mon people… it’s called exercise and attention… you can’t just expect a dog to entertain itself and get rid of all of it’s energy on it’s own. Sounds like your dog is in desperate need of some exercise, at least an hour a day and that your house could use some serious dog proofing if he’s able to get ahold of everything that you listed. When my Mini Schnauzer got ahold of my cell phone and destroyed it I realized that he really needed more exercise and that I was at fault for not keeping the phone out of his reach. Fixing those two things have really helped me. |
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Your dog is not fully house trained yet and should not be let unsupervised or unmanaged in non-dog-proofed areas yet. Use a crate, playpen, or small dog-proofed room with plenty of chew toys to keep your dog from getting into trouble when you can’t supervise him. He also needs to be taught to focus on chewing and playing with appropriate toys. Teach him! Otherwise the world is full of our stuff and everything has the possibility of being a chew toy to a dog. |
pcarpenter
62 posts |
And you really think that if you had a toddler he wouldn’t grab your eyeliner and your papers and whatever if you left both the item and the toddler alone in the room while you went to do something else??? Puppies have the same insatiable curiosity as small children. The fact that you recently fiddled with the item makes it that much more intriguing to them. I can understand that it’s a pain to worry about this every time you leave the room but that’s the way it is. If you don’t want to put the dog in a crate when you go to the bathroom, why don’t you just take him with you? Many experts advocate tethering even a new adult dog to yourself when you are going about your daily life. That way he gets used to everything around the home and you can stop him from getting into mischief until he knows better. You didn’t mention the dog’s age but I’m assuming puppy-ish. Even with the best supervision, puppies will chew just like a toddler will use your lipstick to create artwork on the wall. It just goes with the territory. |
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I was hoping for some serious realistic answers from this behaviour forum, not smug, flip,trite answers. He gets plenty of excerise, we have a A. yard, he is free to run and play in,has lots of chew toys, and has learned his “manners” , is not quite a year old, and is a large dog who can reach anything when he stands on his hind legs. He isn’t curious, he is angry when left alone. Talke him with me in the bathroom?? LOL He is a LARGE dog, also the cat litter pan is in there, whilch I do not want him to “:taste”. Crate him?? He goes crazy and bites the cage. My house IS dog proofed, we have had him since Jan, 9 months. He is a good dog except for this one thing. It is a pain to hide everything just to protect it—he can reach everything, everywhere. |
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Hi there, I wasn’t being smug or flip in my response. I was trying to offer advice. I apologize if it sounded otherwise. I too guessed his age by your description of his behavior and your frustration, it is right on cue for a teenager. He is only 9 months old, right in the heart of his adolescence. Dogs this age have a higher than normal amount of energy and low impulse control. It is no coincidence that most dogs are relinquished to shelters around this age. Yes, they can drive you crazy at this point in their development, but the good news is it won’t last forever. And thankfully it won’t even last as long as human adolescence! You say he has learned his manners and gets plenty of exercise, but his behavior tells me otherwise. Manners tend to go out the window at this age without doubling your training and exercise efforts. Plus if he learned his manners he’s have manners. Behavior doesn’t lie. He may have a yard to romp in but few dogs will do anything (except get into mischief) if left alone in a yard. You don’t mention whether or not you actively go out with him to exercise him. He probably needs at least 2 20 – 30 minute sessions of hardcore physical exercise twice a day and a few short (10 minute) training sessions as well. You may have trained him when he was young (very good of you to start when he was young!) but in adolescence training and exercise has to increase for a few months. Things get worse in this stage before they get better as he matures. If he doesn’t like his crate teach him to enjoy his crate time and make sure you don’t over-use it. (it doesn’t sound like you do, but it could be one reason he doesn’t like it so it bears mentioning). I would recommend feeding him all of is meals exclusively out of interactive food-dispensing toys for a few months to both keep him busy longer and get him really focused on his toys rather than your things. Here are some info and ideas for mental stimulation: http://dogtime.com/activities.html And on acclimating your dog to his crate: http://dogtime.com/puppy-doesnt-like-crate-dunb… You mention that you believe he is angry when he’s left alone, could he be stressed or bored: http://openpaw.org/Pet_Basics/separation.html Hang in there, up your training and management, and lower your expectations temporarily and in a few months everything should calm down. Best of luck! |
Mikel
155 posts |
Hi! Just hang in there. We have to keep in mind that no dog is born with good manners. Ask help from a professional dog trainer or visit your vet to find out why is he behaving this way. Try to know him better by visiting the links below. Good Luck! http://dogtime.com/ |
ritchellei
156 posts |
Hi! Having enough exercise is one of the key roles in day-to-day effects on a dog’s behavior. Dog needs daily exercise: A walk or jog, free time in the yard, a run at the beach or lake, or a game of fetch. Most puppies and young dogs have a lot of energy, and if they don’t get the chance to burn in off, destructive behavior is often the result. I think, a tired dog is a well-behaved dog. Check this link on how much exercise does your dog needs. http://dogtime.com/exercise-needs.html Hope it helps! Good Luck! |
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ritchellei
156 posts |
Hi! Having enough exercise is one of the key roles in day-to-day effects on a dog’s behavior. Dog needs daily exercise: A walk or jog, free time in the yard, a run at the beach or lake, or a game of fetch. Most puppies and young dogs have a lot of energy, and if they don’t get the chance to burn in off, destructive behavior is often the result. I think, a tired dog is a well-behaved dog. Check this link on how much exercise does your dog needs. http://dogtime.com/exercise-needs.html Hope it helps! Good Luck! |
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pcarpenter
62 posts |
OK, everybody, take a deep breath. bhurst, you didn’t give us very much info in the first post, just that the dog was tearing everything up and you were considering getting rid of him. You came across as someone who got a dog on a whim without having a clue what you were in for. That may be a far cry from the truth, but it’s how your original post sounded. Had you given us the dog’s age and the dog’s size initially, that would have helped. It would have also helped had you told us you’d tried crate training, It wouid help if you had told us how much excercise he gets and what you do with him when nobody is home. I don’t think anyone on these boards goes out of their way to be insulting unless someone comes across as an absolute dingbat. OK. Adolescence is a tough period for dogs and dog owners. Even a reasonably well-trained dog will push the limits to see what he can get away with. Even a seasoned dog-owner can start fantasizing about strangling “that crazy mutt.” (It’s just a fantasy, OK?) So keep that in mind, that this period is important in showing him what is acceptable and what is not. He wants to know what’s negotiable and what’s the absolute bottom line! If you can get through this stage, he will calm down. Honest. Kelly Dunbar’s second post has some excellent insights and suggestions. I hope you will reread that as advice, not as a put-down. Plain fact is there are a lot of people who end up in over their heads with a dog and need outside assistance to get over the rough spots. I would be curious to know how much time you actually spend with the dog. Really with the dog, not just an occasional pat on the head while you watch TV. Sometimes dogs act out just to get our attention. Being yelled at it better than being ignored for many dogs. |
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For what ever reasons, I feel I need to defend myself.. |
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Mikel
155 posts |
Take him right away to the vet. Your vet is the best person to go to right now. Another important thing….find time to to get to know more about his behavior. Just go to the links provided below. There’s so much to learn from! Good luck! http://dogtime.com/chewing-digging-behavior.html |
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pcarpenter
62 posts |
bhurst, I think what you have on your hands is a genuine Golden without the poodle part doing much to calm him down. If many dogs his age would normally be in that trying adolescent stage, your dog is still mentally and emotionally a puppy. Some dogs just take forever before they start thinking and acting like adults! As such, his fascination with all things paper is quite understandable even if he’s driving you nuts. It sounds like you are doing all the right things (except obviously you can’t make your home paperproof.) I’d say keep up with the exercise, keep up with the attention, and keep loving him. He will grow up eventually. In the meantime, do what you can to keep the paper products away from him and grit your teeth. |
mshelley
3 posts |
I have a dog that sounds alot like yours!! He is a 5 year old homeless minpin that i adopted, everytime I leave he goes bananas! Still trying to work on his issues, and not going anywhere fast or at all :( Now my neighbors hate me. Tried excercise, bark collar, obediance training, no dice. |
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I had a Goden Retrevier, got her when she was only 5 weeks old, and she was never like this one!! I know what he is doing is because he is still a puppy, and will be one for ANOTHER year!!! :) still this quirk of his is making me nuts! He has been nutered at 4 months.. mshelley, if you come up with an answer for your dog, I would love for you to share it with me… |
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