Odin is a very good dog when we're home but you leave him for more than an hr. He loses his mind & chews up shoes & pillows!
We realize it's seperation anxiety but my husband is at the end of his rope as far as patience goes. My husband is very good with dogs & has done wonders w/my Shep/Pitt mix, she used to be an angry biter dog & has bit 6 people. Luckily no one sued me! & no she was never abused I've had her since she was 12 wks old. She was just very protective of me.
We've had Odin since he was 8 wks old & he's always been around people. So when he gets left alone he gets mega pissed off even though he's got another dog & 2 cats (they all get along very well) to keep him company.
What can we do to stop this behavior? We really don't want to give him up! He's a very sweet dog & we love him very much!
Right now he is kicked out into the yard & garage (by my Husband) & is not allowed back in until we resolve this situation. HELP!
2006-10-23 14:56:27 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
He's never been crated & we don't believe in it. We've never had to do that with any other dogs we've previously owned.
Also, this is a 70lb 8 month old Red Nose Pitt (Notorious for jumping & climbing) puppy.
If no one has another solution I guess the best thing to do is leave him out in the yard & allow him access to the garage when we're gone.
Hubby just allowed him back in the house but is restricting him from the top part of the house, where we sleep & Odin has slept with us since we've had him. I think that's wrong & will only make things worse.
2006-10-23 15:25:32 · update #1
BTW jaxchick2...
Um the Cats are in charge here & they are both declawed! (Before we owned them)The cats have already established the pecking order, and both of our dogs respect both cats and are protective of them as well. We all 6 sleep in the same bed, thank God for Cal-Kings! So no worries there!
2006-10-23 15:38:53 · update #2
Put him in a kennel or crate when you're gone.
2006-10-23 14:58:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Boredom could be causing it. Does he have toys to chew on and play with? Does he get enough exercise?
Get in the habit of putting off-limits things away. For now, crate him when you're gone. I'm not really sure how to train him not to chew on things since you aren't home to catch him in the act. Contact a dog trainer.
Banishing him out of the house will only make your problem worse.
Off topic, but it worries me that you leave your cats and dogs together unsupervised. Anything could happen and someone could end up very hurt or dead. I have a dog and a cat who get along great, but I wouldn't leave them alone together when I wasn't home to stop a potential problem.
Whoa, I didn't even notice the part about the biting dog. you allowed him to bite SIX people?! And you can't say that you didn't allow it, because it was your responsibility as the owner of an aggressive dog to keep him away from other people/animals. Wow. unbelievable. That makes me even more worried about your declawed cats.
You don't "believe" in crating a dog? Dogs/wolves in the wild use dens. A dog crate is basically a den. A dog needs a safe place he can go to when he needs to. It's actually meaner NOT to provide that for him. And a backyard or garage will NOT make him feel secure in the way that a crate would.
Some serious obedience classes are in order. I'm not sure who needs it more though, you and your husband, or the dog.
2006-10-23 15:11:51 · answer #2 · answered by jaxchick23 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Buy a very good crate and train him to go into it himself. We use "Treat Time" and ours runs for the crate.
Dogs feel very secure in a crate. They have some that have 2 doors, one at the end, and one in the middle. Ours seems to like the middle door. Begin with just a short time while you are in the same room, Add time as Odin adjusts. The key here is don't just put him in the crate and leave! We had an Odin German Shepherd 30 years ago. Big ol' teddy bear.
2006-10-23 15:17:05 · answer #3 · answered by Baffled 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Putting him in the yard and garage will not stop your problem and is a cruel thing to do. Dogs are pack animals and you are separating Odin from his pack, which is causing more psychological damage than you think. You have a puppy that needs to be crate trained. They are the best thing ever for a dog. A crate gives them security and a place to call their own. Have you talked to your vet about this? He might have a suggestion to help you out. There are homeopathic drops for dogs with anxiety and well as doggy tranquilizers if he's too out of control. Any good dog trainer can help you out also.
2006-10-23 17:10:52 · answer #4 · answered by linda z 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
STOP!
You have a baby and you are acting like a baby too!
You must be the thinking adult, and the dog needs to learn boundaries. You need to enforce those boundaries. You need to give the dog a place that is its own.
The dog needs a house (crate).
You need to teach the dog to sleep in the crate when it is in the house, at night and when you are away. It should be large enough for the dog to sleep and stand only.
You gave the dog the opportunity to be an adult, and it let you down. It's not the dog's fault.
You need to take the time and when the dog does something wrong as you teach it right from wrong, remove the dog and take it to its house. It must stay there until it calms down. Many times they take a nap...sometimes they cry, but that's just to get your attention.
You need to walk away.
When you come back, take the dog out to do its business.
Are you forgetting to play with the dog? It sounds like it's just a baby and is bored ....feels housebound.
Your 2 cats and another dog are to keep you company, and this dog doesn't care about them...as he shows you. ..so stop saying they are there to keep him company.
If you both (husband and wife) don't agree on the correct discipline, animals know it. They are all upset.
So get yourselves under control and agree on how to discipline, otherwise you are not doing the dog any good by keeping it in a house, where the adults are out of control.
If you love your husband, get his thoughts on how to get a crate and start all over to discipline your dog together....he will love you for asking.....and remember....a good husband is worth his weight in gold, and a good dog is man's best friend.
2006-10-23 15:10:11 · answer #5 · answered by May I help You? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the short term you could purchase a dogie kennel for the house. Place the kennel in an area that Odin typically naps in during the day. Put a blanket, his favorite toy, and a few treats in the kennel to lure him into it (without locking him in right away - give it a week or so for him to feel comfortable before you leave him in it. Otherwise he will think of the kennel as punishment).
In the long term, you will need to work with Odin to assure that the only thing he associates with chewing is his toys. However, I have spread a mixture of cianne pepper and Vaseline on items that my dog chewed before. It works like a charm but it leaves a bad stain. So if you attempt this make sure that you are prepared to discard whatever you put it on.
Good luck.
2006-10-23 16:54:13 · answer #6 · answered by steinmancloud9 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Poor dog----if you are aware the dog does this whenever you leave the house why let him have the run of the house when you are gone-confine him. You can get one of those tie up things for dogs-very sturdy and he will not be able to break and you can either tie safely in the garage or you can try a crate(which we had to get for my dog for he goes nuts when it thunders or fireworks or even lawnmower) we got one large enough where the dog can turn around and lay down in it and has a pull out floor. (No need for tie-up when in the crate) We keep it in the garage. When I leavae the house since weather unpredicatble and he will dig out of his backyard pen I put him into the garage-which ofcourse has been made safe for him-all that can hurt himhas been put way out of his reach on shelves. Initially give him something old for him to chew and a comfy old rug to lay on and something with your scent on it--for if he smells your scent it may give him some reassurance. You also contradict for you say that you realize separation anxiety but then also "he gets mega pissed off"---2 very different feelings but I since have read of many other dogs doing this-I am inclined to believe anxiety . If every time that you've left the house and probably he heard yelling at him because he chewed he is now also assciating you going and when you come back bad time for him so his anxiety has extremely doubled . Since a dog lives in th enow has no knowledge of why he is being punished-hes reacting to your stress.loud voice For people will say he knows what he did. Doesn't Also as a last resort of those who love dog but at their wits end have gone to the VET and Prosac does wonders.Read a article on this just last month Hopefully you'll help the dog by becoming smart and not making it easy for him to chew things up. I'd just call a VET since they aare experienced in dogs who have this problem and what works best so the dog can get help he needs and can come back to family-his pack for now feels banished.
2006-10-23 15:33:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Crating is not cruel. It will keep him from destroying your home and belongings. Start with small amounts of time in the crate and then take him out, praise him and try again several times during the day. He will raise he@@ the first few times you put him in it. I would leave the room but stay close by. if you give in to barking and whining, he wins and you loose. I never believed in crating either but now own 2 Boxers and they nap in their crates and go in willingly at night. The older one (5 yrs old ) had never been in a crate when I got her. She was crate trained in May of this year. The second one is a little over 2 and was crate trained when I got him. I would not change it.
2006-10-23 18:40:56 · answer #8 · answered by MANDYLBH 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It may be difficult, but a crate will solve your problem. He may fight and carry on to get out, but he'll be safer and you'll be happier nothing was destroyed.
Get a crate that is big enough for him to turn around in and can lay down in comfortably. It may take some time for him to get used to the crate, but with persistance on your part it should work. Start out for only a short time in the crate, give him some dog toys to occupy himself. Gradually increase the time in the crate. Don't put food or water in there because he will only make a mess for you to clean up. Don't make a big deal out of putting him in the crate, just do it. When he allowed out of the crate, praise him.
Hopefully this will help.
2006-10-23 15:04:15 · answer #9 · answered by trusport 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well I hate to tell you but the chewing will most likely not stop until he is about 2 yrs old or so.. I would say to have him in a crate when you can't watch him.. But the whole if hes not neutered thing will not matter if hes chewing thta does have anything to do with him being fixed or not..
2016-05-22 03:03:30 · answer #10 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you need professional help.. and yes you are VERY LUCKY you were not sued.. you were luckier that the dog didnt hurt/kill anyone.. saying "she is very protective of me" ISNT acceptable.. a dog should NEVER bite a human unless its owners life is TRUELY at risk and the owner has commanded it to defend...
this is a sign that she has NOT been properly socialized...
your other dog is of a breed that requires haivng things in their mouth to be happier (most terriers are this way) the dog needs MORE mental stimulation from you when you are home and should be kenneled when you are away
dont "give him up" you will be passing on a problem dog to somebody else.. have him euthanized if you cannot correct the behavior - get professional help
have him neutered as this will also help
2006-10-23 15:06:33 · answer #11 · answered by CF_ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋