Puppy advice, please!!

delilah47

Positive reinforcement is the only way to go with animals. Kudos for adopting from the shelter. Maybe your puppy was disowned for the same behavior he's showing you. Sometimes a basic training class is all it takes to learn how to manage your pooch. Every dog and owner should attend one, the younger the better. Good luck!

lmeslie

Dogs do not "feel guilty"...they only become afraid of you. Smacking is not a form of communication in the dog world, so he/she does not understand what or why you are doing it, and all you are doing is losing your dogs trust in you. Kennel should not be used for punishment, they need to be there so the dog feels he has a safe place to go. As some other people have said, try giving him more exercise in the form of walks or jogs, and us the distraction method just as you would a baby. When he grabs something of your to chew on, tell him no and as you grab it from him, replace it with one of his toys.

This is so true...we have worked a lot with a dog behavior specialist for our dog and she's doing amazing now! I suggest hiring a professional and stopping the punishment immediately. The behavior will only get worse (proof is that you have been using punishment and the behavior is getting worse). Dogs love any attention so the attention your dog gets from you for being destructive is reinforcing as well, even if it is negative attention. I can't stress exercise, positive reinforcement, and hiring a professional enough.

SyntonicGarden

Raising a puppy is awesome, especially when they become well-behaved dogs. Patience is important, since the pup can tell when you're stressed and might not know how you want him to react.

1) Learn about the breed if you can. I have a herding dog who damn near killed me trying to herd me down the stairs when she was a puppy. Once I figured out what she was doing, it made it easier to address it. If you have a breed that's more likely to chew, knowing is half the battle.

2) Puppy-proof your home, just as you would child-proof it if the dog were a child. Use baby gates. Get trash cans with lids. Put your hamper in a closet if you can.

3) As another person suggested, products like "Bitter Apple" work wonders. You spray it on things like your dirty socks (if that's what the pup goes after) and it keeps them from chewing. (Spray the baby gates and trash cans with bitter apple too)

4) Research "crate training" since the crate / cage can be used constructively instead of as punishment. This will make things easier down the road, since the dog will be bigger and more difficult to get into the crate when you need him in there. It'll also help with "potty training" If you crate train and train them not to destroy his home, he'll be less likely to destroy yours.

5) Teach the pup the type of behaviour you want him to learn. Many pet stores have obedience classes that help with that. Once the dog knows what's "good" behaviour, it'll be easier for both of you. And use puppy size dog cookies or individual pieces of kibble and pet him as rewards.

6) Exercise, exercise, exercise! Puppies are high energy and a LOT of work. They need a lot of time outside. They also have teeny tiny bladders and intestines, so like babies, they eat a lot and make a lot of poop. Sometimes, they'll act out as a way of saying they need to go out.

7) Age appropriate toys. Rawhide might be too hard for little puppy teeth. Nylabone makes a puppy bone. Kong makes a puppy treat that you can fill with peanut butter. Be careful with things like tennis balls, especially if unsupervised, as an ambitious pup can devour half of one when you're not looking. (Only need to learn THAT lesson once, while mopping up bright yellow puppy puke foam and crying to the vet on the phone.)

One more thing to add - There are situational behaviours that can be good and bad, which can be confusing for the dog. If you don't want the dog to beg at the table when company is over, don't feed the dog from the table, period. The dog can't tell when it's ok and not ok to beg at the table. If you don't want the dog to chew your $150 pumps, don't teach him to chew on old shoes when he's a pup.

And when all else fails, when you're completely frustrated, remind yourself that he really is cute and really just wants to be loved.

blair_bear

Have you tried those rawhide bones?

I have, but he doesn't chew on them--he just buries them.

rawhide isn't really great for dogs, I use bully sticks instead.

vltaylor35

i think he needs more exercise. i hve 2 one year old cairn terrirs and one does the same thing if she misses a walk or i try to shorten a walk. despite being very smll my 2 need about 2 hours exercise a day

NotReadyForMomJeans

Our trainer told us to use an empty pop/beer can, throw some pennies into it and tape off the top. When the dog did something wrong we'd shake the can (which he HATED). He quickly learned which actions brought out the can, so he stopped. This only works if you catch the dog doing something wrong...doing it after the fact would only confuse it

iLoveMyPitbull1225

I have a 13 month old Pit Bull puppy and he is much like your description, but gotten much better. Here are a few suggestions:

1) keep a spray bottle of 50/50 vinegar and water in it, and spray him when he does the bad act, along with a firm ( not a yell) NO. They never forget this feeling or smell.

2) When he does this he is likely bored, or wanting your attention to play or something. Puppies need stimulation and chewing is an outlet. keep him as active as possible when possible. A GOOD PUPPY IS A TIRED PUPPY trust me. We took my pit camping this weekend for just two days and he slept for about 12 hours striaght when we got home...he missed his couch and the AC.

moving on..

3) Stop the behavior as soon as you see it happening, and replace it with a toy that he IS allowed to chew on. He might come
to learn what he can and cannot chew on. praise him for doing the right thing.

hkevans724

I have a dog (a mutt) I got from the local humane society about 5 months ago. He's just over a year old, so he still acts pretty puppy-ish, which I understand. He loves to chew on things, so I make sure he's got plenty of toys--his "baby" (a teddy bear), balls, chew toys, etc, but lately he's been getting more destructive--taking books off the bookshelf and ripping them up and taking my clothes outside to chew on. Usually he only does it when I'm not paying attention, but this morning he ran into my room with me standing right there, and grabbed some clothes off the bed and ran out the doggy door with them! He gets punished for being destructive (smacked and put in the kennel), and he knows it's wrong because he gets a guilty look and runs away from me, but he keeps doing it. I take him on walks and play with him in the evenings. Any advice on how to get him to stop??

He probably just loves you and wants your attention. Some dogs are needier than others. Spending some more time with him

PeaceCorpsKat

I am sooo lucky my dog never did this... Anyway, try doggie Day care, so he has the ability to burn off his energy in the day. Give plenty of good chew items, and keep others out of reach. Kennel him when you aren't around.

DieselGrrl

Have you tried re-directing his behavior? I was always told that if you see them being destructive, to correct their behavior by re-directing it. With my dog, if i saw him licking table legs or doing anything close to chewing or being destructive, I would "pop" his nose or behind, not hard mind you, just enough to get his attention. and say "NO". Then offer him something he is allowed to chew on. Once he began chewing on that, I would re-inforce the behavior by praising him for chewing on the correct thing. This may not be the exact way to do it, but I can tell you that my dog has never chewed up or torn anything he wasnt allowed to. But he does still lick the table legs, LOL. Consistency is key when dog training. Good luck and I hope this helps!

Katanthus

I wouldn't use his kennel as punishment... it should be his safe place, because if you ever need to crate him, he will feel he is being punished.

He has a LOT of energy... take him for a long walks.

Use a low serious voice when telling him off, high pitched, tells them you are out of control... "NO" Don't tell him off hours after you find the problem..he doesn't know what he is being told off for.

Always praise good things.. "good sit" "good stay" or whatever.

llahairdna

It sounds to me that he has a lot of pent up energy and so I would suggest taking him for some power walks and make sure that his mind and body are being exercised. At that age, but still have the puppy tendencies, the best thing that I have found in my experience are walks. Wear them out!

I took him out for SEVEN miles one day, and he still wanted to throw the ball for an hour afterwards. It's amazing, because he's only about 15 lbs and his legs are short. You'd think he'd have been worn out, but no.

Whoa! Is he a Jack Russel mix? It isn't necessarily about the physical exercise, he needs mental exercise. He needs a challenge, something to focus that energy on. Training, Training, Training! You may even look into flyball or agility.

I used to have a Jack Russel, and he looks just like her, so I suspect that he is. When he wants something, his ears go up and he looks like a Chihuahua, so I think he's a mix of the two. Not sure that's a good thing. Ha! Everyone thinks he's a lab puppy when they first look at him, but he's full-grown--pretty stinking cute.

To everyone--thank you for all of the advice! As far as the kennel goes, he doesn't sleep in it (he's actually really good at night--he sleeps on my son's bed and doesn't get up until my son does, or he hears my alarm), and he doesn't stay in there during the day, so that's why I have used it when I catch him doing something bad. I'll definitely start exercising him even more and work with him on some tricks--maybe I can divert his mind from being destructo-pup.

jah0217

We train, breed, and sell dogs. My husband uses our dogs day in and day out to work cows.

The biggest thing is additional exercise. You have to remember that most dog breeds were refined for a specific working purpose, but in today's world, many don't do what years of genetic refining has designed them for.

The mental exercise can be also just as important. I had a heeler pup one time that would dig out of the kennel every time my husband took the other dog to work. We got her one of those Kong toys with the treats, problem solved! She was kept mentally active enough to not worry about being alone.

All that being said, he will still need some training to fully correct your issue. Don't go neuter your dog just to fix this, sorry, that is just ignorant and lazy. Although it may help some, him being "attached" isn't the issue, the behavior is. If you want to neuter him for a variety of other reasons, great, but not just to "fix" him.

The squirt bottle works great and hopefully that will fix it. If not, a little smack on the butt (not his face!) to get his attention is not a bad thing. What we do when we catch a dog with something that is not theirs is try to verbally stop him ("break" or "drop it"), move to the squirt bottle or spank, and then IMMEDIATELY offer them what they can have. When the "take" their toy, get very excited and praise them. Most dogs just need to figure out what makes YOU happy, and they will bend over backwards to do it. If it makes you happy when they chew on a certain thing, they will try to do it.

khk2010

Have you taken him to training classes? That would help both of you. Smacking him and crating isn't really the best corrective measure. I use positive reinforcement to work with our difficult dog. It also sounds like your dog really wants attention even if it's negative attention. There are a lot of techniques to help. Do some research.

We have a smart working dog so he needs mental challenges. We do things like put his food into an empty plastic water bottle and hide it. Have him go find it. Takes him a while to find it and them a while to get it out of the bottle. The other thing is to wear him out. Most dogs need a lot more exercise than they get. A happy dog is tired dog.

Dogs go through phases and will keep changing. At about year 2 they usually calm down and become much easier.

Dog training is a lot of work. It's hard to be patient all the time with a young dog so hang in there.

KellyMirth

I advocate a repeat of what a lot of people have already said 1.) Neuter him (if he isn't already) 2.) Daily exercise 3.) No hitting ever 4.) His crate should never be punishment 5.) Train him. Consistent, daily training (even 5-10 mins) is a huge help. Mostly what you're doing is conditioning the dog (and yourself) that you are the pack leader. Positive reinforcement is awesome, but correction (vocal is best) is acceptable as well. My favorite command of all time is "leave it". I worked with all of my dogs on this one because it is so important. To this day, any of my dogs will stop in their tracks if I tell them to "leave it". I could drop a juicy steak on the kitchen floor and they will not touch it. As for grabbing things when you're not around, honestly either keep him in your sight or don't leave stuff in his reach. Puppies are like toddlers and the house needs to be dog proofed. As he gets older, he will get calmer but without training he will never be trustworthy left alone (unless he's crated.)

zenchild

Dogs don't understand being punished. They don't hit each other so to him you're just being mean. NEVER put him in the kennel as punishment. The kennel should be a safe, calm place to relax.
The "guilty look"? That's just fear. He sees that you're mad and ears back, head down, and crouching are appeasement behaviors. He can tell you're mad and he's trying to be submissive. He knows you're angry but he has no idea why.
At a year old he's too young to be unsupervised. If you can't have your eyes on the puppy, the puppy is in the crate (with a chewy). He needs two good 30-minute walks a day (hard walking, not strolling) to get his body tired and some training sessions to get his mind tired. He's bored and he has pent-up energy. Take care of that and you'll see a dramatic change.
Give him a variety of things to chew and play with. Bully sticks are safer than rawhide (if he swallow a chunk he can get a blockage). A Kong toy is good. Put a portion of his breakfast inside, seal the end with a smear of peanut butter and freeze it overnight. After he gets a good walk in the morning, put him in his crate with his frozen Kong while you get ready. It'll keep him busy and happy.
There are a few excellent books you can read to get a better idea of why he does what he does and how he thinks. "Don't Shoot the Dog" and "Culture Clash" come to mind. Also find a training class. Besides teaching him to sit, stay, come and walk nicely on a leash, it will teach him that you are in charge (all the time, even if there are dogs over there that he REALLY wants to sniff).

KStambulic

Dogs do not "feel guilty"...they only become afraid of you. Smacking is not a form of communication in the dog world, so he/she does not understand what or why you are doing it, and all you are doing is losing your dogs trust in you. Kennel should not be used for punishment, they need to be there so the dog feels he has a safe place to go. As some other people have said, try giving him more exercise in the form of walks or jogs, and us the distraction method just as you would a baby. When he grabs something of your to chew on, tell him no and as you grab it from him, replace it with one of his toys.

This is what I was going to say also. My dogs all love their kennels: I never use it to punish them. He might benefit from an agility class or dog park where he can socialize with other dogs. If he is a high energy dog like a jack russell or herding dog, good luck! They get obsessive quite easily when they are bored.

KStambulic

Dogs do not "feel guilty"...they only become afraid of you. Smacking is not a form of communication in the dog world, so he/she does not understand what or why you are doing it, and all you are doing is losing your dogs trust in you. Kennel should not be used for punishment, they need to be there so the dog feels he has a safe place to go. As some other people have said, try giving him more exercise in the form of walks or jogs, and us the distraction method just as you would a baby. When he grabs something of your to chew on, tell him no and as you grab it from him, replace it with one of his toys.

This is what I was going to say also. My dogs all love their kennels: I never use it to punish them. He might benefit from an agility class or dog park where he can socialize with other dogs. If he is a high energy dog like a jack russell or herding dog, good luck! They get obsessive quite easily when they are bored.

Oops, posted twice and can't delete it, sorry.

CapsFan17

My parents vet gave them a book when we got a puppy and my mom gave me a copy when I addopted my mutt. Its called 'How to be Your Dogs Best Friend' by the Monks of New Skeete. It has been a life saver! I highly recomend this book to anyone who gets a dog. I even gave a copy to my sister in law when she addopted her dog.

julierogers68

I have a 1.5 yr old Black Lab and she is an eating machine, so I feel your pain. But I agree with a lot of these replies when I say that and exhausted dog is a non-destructive dog. The best way you're going to keep your pup from destroying your stuff it to keep him well exercised. If you don't have time to take him for really long walks you can try getting him mind games for inside. For example, if he's food oriented like my dog, they make games to find the food. of my savior was the purple saucer, that you put kibble inside and they push it around the house to get the kibble out. I used to give her a lot of her daily food that way. You can also try scheduling play dates with a dog he likes. I do that still especially on rainy days.

I agree, that yelling or smacking is going to be much less effective than setting your pup up for success from the start with a lot of exercise, toys that keep their mind and body active and putting away anything that really matters.

I must confess, I still have difficulty with her destroying the toilet paper every time I put a new roll on, but for the most part the saucer and a LOT of exercise saved my furniture.

Good luck!!

Julie