Ideas on training a dog?

Question

I got this e-mail from my cousin...about their new dog they adopted. Any ideas?


He kind of looks like a black golden retriever. He is VERY playful and chews anything and everything. He has eaten about ten pairs of underwear, three pairs of shoes, chewed a hole through the carpet on the stairs, and gnawed on my coffee table. I like him but he's so destructive. We give him plenty of bones and rawhide things to chew on, but he goes after our stuff anyway

Answer 1

They need to puppy proof the house the same way we do for our human babies. Anything that's left down is fair game to a puppy that isn't being supervised.

An added note about puppy chewing... Even when puppy gets his full adult set of teeth in, the urge to chew will still be present until the age of 3 yrs old. Even though they have adult teeth, the teeth are still shifting into proper place within the jaw and will create that urge to chew.

I learned this from my vet becasue my dog was VERY destructive as a puppy and he literally all but stopped the behavior right around the age of 3 yrs old. Until that age, I used a crate to confine when I couldn't be right there, like at night time and when I went away.

Lots and lots of proper chewing options are needed and a Kong with peanut butter in it will keep a puppy busy for some time.

Answer 2

How old is this dog? Whatever, he sounds like he's incredibly bored and a bored dog turns destructive really fast!!

He needs a lot of exercise, mental stimulation like obedience and for pete's sake, anyone knows that a new dog who's not trained needs to be kept in a crate when no one's home until he is trained!

He is also a dog so he has no way of knowing which things he IS allowed to chew on without anyone teaching him! Train the dog - he can't do it himself!

Answer 3

Anytime u see him chewing something he shouldn't be then tell him firmly not to do it and then if he ignores you and keeps doing it, shake a bottle of stones in his direction and the noise will discourage him if it is done consistantly. Or use a water pistol or spray gun, not a powerful one but just something to startle him away and persuade him not to do it anymore. U have to make sure u do it everytime he chews something. Always ensure he has his own bones that he can chew though. Hope that might have helped.

Answer 4

i've had a few puppies in the past and now i am left with my favorite dobie. he is 4 yrs old and is very well trained and behaved. someone left you a good comment - you have to punish the puppy and even an older dog when it does something bad. my technique is i train my dogs like in military - very strict. you have to spank it if it pees indoors or put its nose in the pee and drag it outside to point where you want it to go to the bathroom. cage it! when you leave the house, put it in the dog cage, if the dog is not used to it, it will cry, but ignore it as long as you can. when it chews on stuff, same thing - board it or hit on the nose with whetever it chewed on. don't hit the dog with your hands or it will be scared of your hands even when you want to pet it. also, treat your dog as if it was a human. talk to it, express your anger and love because dogs sence feelings. it also broadens your dogs vocabulary. i trained my dog commands in 4 languages and it takes me to look at him and he knows what to do. it takes some work, and it might take up to 2 years for your dog to be very well behaved but the older they get the more u see a human in them.
good luck

Answer 5

Put him on a leash and walk him till he eliminates. The first thing to remember about house training a puppy is there ability to hold themselves is limited. A rule of thumb is they can hold "it" usually 1 hour for each month of age. 2 months old = 2 hours, 3 months old = 3 hours, etc. When your puppy wakes up (morning, nap, whatever) the pup has to go, right then! Take the pup out. When the pup eats or drinks, it has to go, take the pup out. After exercise (play), take the pup out. When the pup does it's thing outside praise it. A lot. Tell the pup how good, how smart it is. You have to pay attention to the pups "looking for it's spot" behavior. When you see that behavior indoors, whisk the pup out. If you catch the pup in the act, simply tell it "NO!" and whisk it outside. If you find a puddle or pile after the fact, clean it up with an enzyme cleaner (pet food store) get a newspaper and hit.... yourself in the head and say "I should have been paying more attention." Daytime training they get pretty fast. Night time training is easier if you crate train the pup. Also remember the one hour/one month rule. You will have to get up through the night to take the pup out. Good luck

Answer 6

punish him(but not too harshly) when you see him doing it, and give him something good to chew on(like a rubber kong toy) and reward him for chewing on that instead. and make it seem really fun by playing with him with it, or sticking food inside.
there are also sprays you can use on furniture to keep pets away.
also, not all dogs like rawhide and bones. mine doesn't.

Answer 7

crate training and adequate exercise are key in dogs. Hyper activity or seperation anxiety can both cause dogs to chew. Crating them while you are not home and giving them plenty of exercise when you are can generally help them with their chewing. Also please make sure they have plenty of hard chewing material (nylabone, etc...)

Answer 8

As much as people don't like to, when it chews up something punish it.
For example cathing him in the act, and a swift but firm whack on the nose will work.

Make sure to reward for good behaviour as well. The dog will then be able to differentiate between good and bad, and will stop eating your clothes to avoid a whack.

Answer 9

Some ideas are take class at Petco with your dog& try to tell no bad dogor get a news paper &hit him lightly

Answer 10

I think it is in Retrievers to have really sensitive noses. Walk him alot and excercise him. I have the same problem with my aussie mix, almost to the point I want to bash his face with the ripped up shoe. His sisters used to round up neighbor hood shoes and bring them to my house. (they were all dumped as puppies, and i kept the boy).