Puppy advice, please!!

I used to be a dog trainer (positive reinforcement) and I think your dog is doing these things because it gets your attention. Good attention or bad attention, dogs are like kids.....they just want your attention. And even if it gets him smacked and yelled at, you're still talking to him and touching him.

He needs distraction. Go to a pet supply store and get a kong toy. You fill it with treats (bones, peanut butter, chicken stock & then freeze, etc) and the dog has to work to get the food out. Start him in some obedience classes too. Being able to give him a command instead of yelling at him will go a long way towards correcing the behavior.

Also, every bad behavior needs a replacement. Instead of taking off with your things, why not teach him to fetch and return a ball? Or bring in the newspaper? He needs something to do! Mental and physical stimulation are super important.

Good luck!

Dogs do not feel guilt, it is a human emotion. He knows you are mad. You have made it okay to chew cloth by giving him cloth toys. Dogs are black and white. If one cloth is his and okay to chew on the rest is too. Make sure all of his toys look different and are of different texture than the things you do not want him chewing on. Then same as when kids are little if you can not be looking at him have him contained. Also sounds like he has a lot of pent up energy take him for runs and lots of walks the more tired he is the better he will behave and have and outlet for that destructive energy.

I strongly suggest that you look into a dog training class that you can do with your dog. You've gotten many good tips from people here, but it's very helpful to have a chance to practice with a dog trainer. And it's fun.
I had many bad habits to unlearn from watching my father use physical force on our pets and the best thing my husband and I ever did was to take several training classes with our pets. We have happy well behaved dogs (three big ones) and we are happy and know how to behave as pet parents now.
Please look into a local dog training class.

You shouldn't smack him, or put him in his kennel. You should take the inappropriate item from him and give him one of his own toys. You should also lock the doggy door if he takes off outside with your things! You can re-open it after he has learned better. Lots of exercise too should help. He shouldn't be teething any more at his age, so likely he is bored. Exercise will help that. Take him for long walks or take him running, or get a neighborhood kid to come run with him during the day.

It sounds like he may need more physical and mental stimulation. They make puzzles for dogs now and all kinds of treat holders where the dog has to "work" to get the treats. I've trained dogs like this to run on a treadmill also.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.