help how can i stop my 14 month old lab cross cocker spaniel been destructive today was the final straw when?

Question

she ate my usb memory stick

Answer 1

Keep stuff out of her reach.

Answer 2

Not to sound condicending but - is that all? LOL Oh honey I lost window sills, table legs, walls, carpeting, door and door stops, shoes, pants, remote controls, phones.... the list goes on and on.

A certain cure - LOTS of exercise. Everyday run that dog till exhausted. 1 hour every day along w/ 2-3 long walks. Also bitter apple spray - which is a nontoxic spray that won't damage clothes or wood, etc. It's a good deterant. If your dog is an avid chewer and chews right though that you can try cayanne pepper or tobasco sauce. They both are natural that will leave a bad taste in the puppy's mouth.

You're oging to have to get in the habit of lifting things out of reach. NO use in punishing the puppy for what is already done because it does no good. Dogs live in the moment he won't understand why you're mad unless you catch him RIGHT in the act. It's instant reward once he has chewed it.

Also, get the dog in some training classes. Not petsmart or petco pretend classes. Real training that not only teaches the dog but you how to be alpha. A submissive dog will not touch the leader's belongings. If you're Alpha in your household it will help to curb that behavior.

When you feed your dog command the dog to eat, don't just let the dog eat. Have him sit till you let him know its okay. When you let him out or in make sure to have him wait till you give the command. Make sure he sits when you tell him and down when you tell him, no hemming and hawing. When you walk you should be in front, not the other way around.

Those are just a few suggetions

Trust however - that your baby will grow out of it.

Good Luck

Answer 3

Ahhhhhhh dogs. Aren' t they wonderful??? I was "doggie- sitting" for a neighbour some time ago and just went into the house periodically to let her out to do her business. Once, in between my visits, the dog managed to totally chew her couch cushion an demolish the TV remote. Is there anything you can do??? Well I certainly wouldn't get into beating the dog when she probably did the damage hours ago. Usually the mere tone of your voice is enough to let the dog know that they did something REALLY wrong. I hate to say this but my 7 year old lab is still a chewer. All shoes have to be stored in closets, all garbage cans are put up or into cupboards..........unfortunately it just is the nature of the beast. I know someone with a dalmation who ate a lightbulb!!

All you can do is "Puppy-proof " your house before you leave, using all the techniques that you would do for a small child. If you can confine her in a cage or small room while you are gone, even better.
Look at it this way.........in a few days you will have your own doggie story to tell and it WILL be funny after a while :)

Answer 4

I know how you feel as my 14 month old lab x has gone through shoes,ps2 wires,carpets etc.The first thing to look at is how much attention is your dog receiving?does she get walked regulary?a lab x cocker spaniel needs at least 2 1 hour walks a day,this burns up alot of negative energy.Is she left alone long perieds?dogs become destructive if there left alone regulary mainly through boredom.Make sure she has loads of chew toys aswell,when your busy and can't supervise her leave a good hard chew toy down for her,buy a few and have a couple that you only bring out when you cant be around,she will come to see these chew toys as prized possesions and be much more interested in them if there not her regular toy.We have been doing this with our dog and he hasn't chewed nothing for about 2months....touch wood....When you do catch her chewing anything tell her no and remove her from the same room as you for 5-10mins,when you let her back in ignore her untill she's settled down.Good luck.

Answer 5

I don't know about the lab in it but cockers tend to chew alot around 18months old, because it's around this age that it's adult teeth start setting in. A cocker breeder told me this. You'll find a lot of cockers for sale about this age because they start chewing, it's a bit like babies teething. Give it a tough nyla bone.

Try praising your dog everytime it's got something. Whether it's something it should have or not. Give it a treat every time. It will soon learn to bring you things instead of hiding and chewing things up. I used this method on my cocker and he would bring me everything he found, Money, chocolate, shoes.
You could also get a dog crate which you can put it in while you're not about to supervise it. Get a treat ball. Put treats in it and it'll spend time trying to get the treats out.

Answer 6

She has cocker and lab in her, this means she needs plenty of time spending with her, try crate training her so when your out she cant destroy anything and watch her carefully when your in the house. Ensure she has plenty of toys to chew and remove all objects that are chewable. If she manages to get hold of something thats not hers, quickly remove it from her grasp say NO loudly and firmly and then put it somewhere safe. Give her something to distract her with.
Without sounding sarcastic but if you leave interesting things lying around she's gonna chew them so broken objects are your fault as much as hers.
Please ignore the comment about crates being cruel they are only cruel if shes in there for long periods of time.
And I know if my pooch had a choice between being in a crate or getting electrocuted or having an intestinal foreign body she pick to sleep in her crate. She actually goes there when she gets tired.

Answer 7

My lab ate the plugs off my TV, VCR and DVD Player. We now dog proof the house when we go out to protect him as much as our stuff. He's 18 months old now and less destructive, but I'll still be dog proofing the house for a bit longer.

Answer 8

Lots of people are mentioning crates. I hope that they are not what i think and it is a cage to keep dogs in. That would be classed as cruelty in the UK or at least it should be. If you are out the house for long periods and you don't have a large backgarden and shelter for your dog then you shouldn't have one. Dogs make great companions and are loyal and should be treated with the respect that they deserve. They are pack animals and need company and lots of excercise. In order to train them then you should use the command and reward system i.e tell them to sit and when they do reward them with a treat and this is a useful and effective tool and dogs can learn this very quickly.

Answer 9

Lab Cross Cocker Spaniel? You have two dog breeds there that don't grow up until they are at least four! And you have a mixed one!

Try keeping him entertained. Short sharp shock treatment for something you don't want it to do and some toys of its' own may help. What about a gigantic marrow bone for it to chew on?

Best of luck, You still have two more years of stupidity out of this animal...

Answer 10

know how you feel. time and patience and the correct training will help. my lab cross ate most of my house for 15 months then just stopped. so now im rebuilding, redecorating and reflooring but shes worth it and i would go through it again. your dog is obviously bored and is destructive for both attention and for fun. you have to dis encourage her to stop eating the wrong things and it will just take time. hang in there it will get better.

Answer 11

Labs are known as chewers, so you have to keep her occupied and exercised, try mental stimulation get her to find toys you have hidden round the house and garden scatter tip bits round the garden. When you walk her take her some where that's busy so she has to concentrate this tiers them out.When your not watching her every thing should be out of harms way, then she can't get any of your stuff