How can I make my dog STOP tearing up the carpet and furniture? Plz help!?

Question

She is almost 6 months old. She will scratch at the carpet and the cushions on the furniture until she puts a hole in it. My husband is about to have a fit. If this continues I will have to get rid of her, and I don't want to do that. She is part of the family as far as I am concerned. So far we have 3 "bald" spots on the carpet. She started scratching at the furniture cushions earlier, but so far no holes in it yet. Please help with this...How can I make her stop?!?

She is doing this when I am at home. When I leave I put her in her "kennel". She does this when we are home. My husband was sitting in the chair when she jump on the sofa and started scratching at it. She has plenty toys, more than she can play with. I let her out several times a day and I play with her.

Answer 1

Sorry you got so many nasty answers to your question. This is such a great idea that Yahoo had but to bad "those" kind of people are going to ruin it.

Onto my thoughts on your puppy problem . . .

Sounds like your puppy is experiencing some pent up energy problems. They have a lot energy and need a lot of exercise. Especially at that age. They are in what could be considered the terrible "2s" at six months.

I've had difficult puppies (and dgos) before and I've found that distracting the negative behavior for a more positive one has worked well for me. If they do something they shouldn't be doing I give them something they can be doing like a chew bone, a toy or (the best) a KONG.

If you are unfamiliar with a KONG they are sold at pet stores. They are hard rubber, hollow toys that you can stuff treats in. Then the dog has to work at getting the treat out. This really releases a lot of frustration for them. Kongs work wonders for separation anxiety in dogs.

Obedience school is a good idea also. It will help your dog learn to be a dog. It's a hard adjustment living in a human world where you are treated like their child. I consider my dogs my FurKids. Obedience schooling helps train you to train your dog.

I encourage you to work with your dog to overcome these negative behaviors. You'll be greatly rewarded with the companionship and love of your pet over the rest of her life. I could tell you some horror stories about my pets but the real horror story would be what my life would have been like without them. I have one dog who is 16 yrs old and just an angel now but those first couple years WOW!! Everyone wants her or a dog like her. They never believe me when I tell the bad things she did when she was very young. She's really good at putting on the innocent face with sparkling angel eyes when those stories are being told too.

It's the actions of the pet owner that makes a perfect pet. Dogs require more attention than I think people realise. Remember the golden rule of dog ownership. Exercise, disapline THEN affection.

Hope all this helps you out.

Answer 2

First make sure she has plenty of her very own toys to play with. Then every time you see her begin to scratch at carpet or couch pillow/ cushion tell her firmly "NO" and hand her or him their toy to play with. It will do absolutely no good to try to discipline the dog after the fact. You must catch the dog in the act and do as I have said above. Do not beat, hit, scream or yell at the dog. This will only cause the dog to become nervous and begin peeing everytime someone talks loudly to her or him. The dog needs a lot of consistency when training them. You must repeat the steps over and over even when you are tired but before long he or she will understand what you want them to do. Always praise them when they are doing good and both people or all people dealing with the dog must always use the same commands. Hope this helps. I have trained10 animals within my family without a problem.

Answer 3

Black pepper in the spots she's starting to scratch might deter her. However, WHY is she tearing it up? Does it smell like food (my nephew once put a dog treat in the couch cushions, he was 4. the dog ate the couch)? Is she BORED? Bored dogs will tear and scratch and chew to amuse themselves. Plus, she's a puppy and PUPPIES CHEW. Get her a chew toy--even if it's a bunch of old socks stuffed into each other and knotted (I dont care who says they'll start chewing on the good socks--never happened to me!). Walk her, play with her, do not ignore her. And give crate-training a thought or two.

Answer 4

i HAD the same problem with my long-haired dachshund when he was a puppy. There are many reasons that a dog would tear things up, with my dog it was because he wanted to escape and go home because we took him from his abusive mother. with your dog it could be anything but i would suggest:

*If there is one special part of the carpet that she chew then sprinkle some hot sauce there- it stains but it will keep her from chewing and it sounds like you have to replace your carpet anyways
* walk out of the room and leave her in there- when she starts sctraching and chewing then come out and say bad girl and give her a "time out" where she has to sit in her kennel for around five minutes..if you walk out of the room and wait thirty minutes or an hour and she doesn't do anything then give her a small treat and praise her
*give her some chew toys to play with-my dog loved dirty socks- they will keep her occupied so that she wont even think about chewing and digging
I hope I helped!!!!!!!!! KAtie

Answer 5

Yes, you should "crate-train" your puppy soon, before it is too late! (google "crate train" and you will find instructions). Your pup just needs lots and lots of attention, and something to do, that's why she is scratching (she's learning to dig). You can always get another carpet ( and husbands are pretty easy to come by, too!), so do the right thing and start crate-training now! ( this has the added advantage that she will come to view the crate as "her" territory, so will be happy to be in there while you are out of the house, so she won't eat the couch!)

Answer 6

There are two major causes of destructive behaviour: boredom and separation anxiety. Separation anxiety
is a term used to describe the insecure behaviour of a dog who is too dependent on his owner and thus becomes destructive in his owner's absence.
Separation anxiety is also common in dogs who have been abandoned or mistreated
Too many dogs are given up for adoption because of destructive behaviour, usually without any effort by their owners to change or improve their pet's behaviour. Accepting the responsibility of owning a dog means being prepared to deal with such situations.
The suggestions listed below will help you and your dog get right back on the good behaviour "track":

Have your dog spayed or neutered.

Give your dog rigorous, tiring exercise before you leave your home. This will require more time and effort on your part, but it is necessary to help your dog.

Make all home departures and arrivals uneventful. Avoid exciting your dog at these times.
Most destructive behaviour occurs within the first and last half hours a dog is alone. This is due usually to anxiety brought on by the excitement that often surrounds this time.
Plan a play session for your dog half an hour after you arrive home.

Never reprimand unless you have caught your dog in the act of being destructive.
Punishing your dog on your return for something done in your absence will serve only to increase its anxiety and confusion, and will hinder any progress you have already made.

Purchase a crate for your dog to stay in while you are away from home or are unable to keep an eye on your dog (this is comparable to placing a toddler in a playpen). Line the crate with a blanket and provide a variety of safe and suitable chew toys for your dog.
Never use the crate as a form of reprimand. Make the act of entering the crate enjoyable.
This method is commonly referred to as "cage" or "crate training", and emulates a natural habit of dogs, which is to go into a den for a safe and secure place to rest. Once you feel your dog can be left on his own, you can practice leaving him alone for short periods of time.
Allow your dog access only to certain areas of the house and, as with children, make sure breakables and dangerous items are well out of reach (also keep in mind that your dog may just prefer to stay in its "den"). You may wish to read The Toronto Humane Society Fact Sheet "Crate Training" for more information.
Before leaving, switch on a radio tuned to a soft music/talk station. The sound of soft human voices and music has a calming effect on dogs.

Consult a veterinarian about your dog's diet. Foods that are too high in protein and/or lack other necessary nutrients may have an effect on your dog's behaviour.

Make use of the experience of others. Many excellent books are available.

Most behavioural problems can be solved with the right amount of love, time and patience. Don't give up! The love and devotion your dog has for you will make it all worthwhile.

Answer 7

Go here for an awesome dog training program http://OnlineDogTraining.enle.info/?f1nR

Since it is obvious that you do not have a clue about obedience training, your services should be for free. You cannot train even an adult dog for 8 hours a day. About the most that can be done at any one time is 10 - 20 minutes and that is with an adult dog and not a puppy. The attention span on this baby is extremely short and training session should be no more than 10 minutes and twice a day. Additionally, there isn t going to be much learned if you will only be training for 5 days. Obedience training is cumulative and is done over a much longer period of at least several weeks to several months.
What you can charge is determined by your experience, reputation, and accomplishments and in a case like this, should also include guaranteed expectations. Just working with dogs over several years, is not the experience that is necessary to be a dog trainer. There are too many people who are putting that title to their name and fleecing the public. Don t be one of them.

Answer 8

knock it's god damn ******* teeth out

Answer 9

Get a gun and shoot him in the ***. He'll stop

Answer 10

Shoot the dog!!!...........just kidding. Do you leave you dog alone for long periods? If she does this when you're not around she might be suffering from separation anxiety disorder. You might try getting her toys to keep her occupied. My dog went through the same thing....totally trashed my house a few times. He finally grew out of it......I hope!!!!!!!!