I don't know what to do with my dog, hes really getting on my nerves and I can hardly stand it anymore?

Question

I don't know what to do with my dog, hes really getting on my nerves and I can hardly stand it anymore...

we got him from the pound about a year ago, for the most part he has been an excellent dog, every once in awhile will have an accident, and sometimes will be dumb so he gets a light slap on the butt... but the past 2 weeks every time we leave he gets into the garbage and leaves it all over the place... its become quite the issue.. when i came home i would yell and spank his butt... its not working anymore.. hes becoming scared of me and is listening less and less... I have recently just sat him down got eye level with him and told him he is naughty... and he knows it too when we come home he is always hiding because he thinks hes going to get in trouble... if he was a good boy we give him a treat though.... we thought maybe it was a need for attention this weekend we gave him a good 20 hours of undivided attention, yet went out to eat on sunday night and still did it..i dont know.

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For those of you that have actually gave some constructive criticism or ideas, let me start by saying thank you... the rest of you... get a life...

I see what some of you are saying about not hitting your dog, but it is a technique that is proven to work, its not like im welting him, he gets the point... if you have away that works... kudos to you... he is extremely excited to see us when he never did anything, only when he did something bad... i do believe when i come home and point at the garbage and he puts his ears back he knows EXACTLY what i am talking about... he is a chihuahua and quite smart... moving the garbage is an option... i can contain him to other rooms, but at this point in time its not first on the list so I was wondering what other techniques might work... this isn't my first dog, but the first dog that has ever had this issue before, other dogs have been very obedient and can resist temptations when asked to

Answer 1

First of all, put the trash in a place where the dog cannot get it. Dogs do not understand being punished after the fact. They think you are just yelling at them and slapping them for no good reason. No wonder he's terrified of you. You come home, he's excited to see you and you slap him. He doesn't understand that you are mad about the trash. He just thinks you are mad so he's scared of you. To him you seem like a crazy unpredictable person.

Hitting dogs is not an appropriate way of training them!

Your dog is not a child--he cannot be scolded for his behavior. You need to set him up for success not failure. First of all contain him in a room in your house that he can not get into trouble. Give him bones, toys, treats etc. Anything to keep him busy while you are away. Better yet crate train him, then he can never get in trouble while you are gone. People say crating is cruel. But what is more cruel hitting your dog for digging in the trash (a normal dog behavior) or keeping him out of trouble all day?

Look into positive training, read a book on clicker training, talk to a trainer. Spend some positive time with your dog, praise him all the time and shower him with love and treats. Do not hit him, ever again. And maybe, MAYBE, he will learn to trust you again.

Answer 2

It sounds like you love your dog you are just having a moment of disdain for the guy. You can work it out, I promise!

Your dog is bored while you are gone. The garbage is something to do to pass the time. How much exercise does he get? How about a good walk before you leave? AND make it so he does not have access to the garbage. Then give him something to do, like a kong filled with treats. There are also these pet sitter DVD's available. I don't know how much time the dog will spend watching it, but it is available. You might have to limit his roaming area while you are gone.

Punishment like a spanking doesn't really work unless they are caught in the act. Even then I don't recommend it, a stern voice can work just as well. When you spank a dog, long after the crime the only thing that they learn is that you are mean. That is why he is becoming afraid of you. They don't necessarily make the connection.

Good luck, I know it can be frustrating!

Answer 3

Your dog is hiding from you when you come home because he knows he gets hit when you come home. He probably does not get at all that it is due to the garbage raiding- just thinks when you come home, he gets in trouble. Dogs don't have a memory that allows them to associate punishment long after the fact w/ the thing they did wrong.
Ok, first, why not just put the garbage up where he can't get it? Thats the easiest solution. Or you could start working on the garbage as an off limits are- when he goes near it, give him a VERBAL ("No!")correction and when he moves away from it, give him a treat or verbal praise.
As to sitting at eye level w/ him and telling him he's naughty- he is not human. He has no clue what you are talking about- just knows hes in trouble and doesn't know why.
He may get into the trash due to boredom or even hunger. Play w/ him alot before you leave, then feed him, and go. He should be sleepy then from the combo of play and food. Leave him w/ fun toys (Kong stuffed w/ treats) to amuse himself. And stop hitting him. It's not working, and now he's just scared of you. Good Luck.

Answer 4

If you want to keep adn help the dog read my instructions...if not...plese give the dog to a no kill shelter...but if you truly want to keep the dog the following information will benefit both of you. You need to train the dog. Dogs learn from training and experience. First of all...don't touch him...thats why hes growing distant. Instead of making him dislike you...make him dislike digging in the trash. This dog always finds something it likes when it digs in the trash. You need to make it find something it doesn't like. Put chili powder or some other sort of hot powder on the surface of the trash can. Do this every time you leave the house until he stops...if you repeat this enough he will NEVER want to dig in the trash again because he will always think there is chili powder in it. ALSO! Don't let him see you put the chili powder in it! He may put 1 and 2 together and figure out why its happening!

When you are with the dog a good way to disclipline without touching the dog is to spray them with a water bottle or shake a coffee can filled with coins.

P.S. Disregard the people who are more or less calling you a dog beater , we all make mistakes and you are taking a step in the right direction by looking for advice.
Hope everything works out!

EDIT: 1 more thing if it helps...if it is a chiuaha just get a really tall trah can and put a 50 pound wieght in the bottom of it or anchor it against a wall...the dog won't even be able to knock the can over :)

Answer 5

It's apparent that you do not know the first thing about training a dog. Your terror tactics are probably the cause of the bad behavior. Dogs get anxiety and act out, plus they love garbage, it's natural for a dog to get into garbage. Why is your garbage not enclosed so the dog cannot reach it? Or, crate the dog and it will stop the behavior and separation anxiety. Buy a dog training book. Dogs do not understand words like "naughty." You need to really spend some time with a good trainer or give the dog to someone who knows how to care for him. Yourt heart may be in the right place, but you must educate yourself about caring for this animal. What you are doing is counterproductive and mean.

Answer 6

Alrighty, fist things first. I've been where you're at. Probably all of us that have dogs have, and there are things that you could do to help him. For starters, invest in a crate. They are life savers. Put him in the crate when you leave for extended periods of time, or even short periods of the smell of that "delicious" garbage is just too tempting which i suspect it will be. You can also move your garbage (in a cabinet) or get one with a top.
As for how you respond to him, dogs respond to positive reinforcement. Although there are times when it's appropriate to scold (not hit) the dog. You can use a firm, low/deep voice, and make a stern expression. Then I would ignore him. They really just want to make you happy. Also, if you are going to correct your dog, do so right away because if you do not they will not know a few minutes later what's really going on. That is terribly confusing for them. As for attention, it's great that you spent that time with your dog, but like I said trash is just a big tempter for them. Also, make sure he is well fed and exercised. A tired dog, is a happy dog!

Answer 7

Crate the dog and a dog should never be hit. Youeven stated that he has become scared of you. How would you feel to be a little tiny Chi and have some big old monster hit you?

Crate the dog. And why didn't you just make sure the garbage was put up before you left the house?

Answer 8

Your dog is trying to tell you something. It may be that he has separation anxiety or some other problem, but it is very clear that you and you dog have communication issues. As you have pointed out , spanking him is only making your dog scared of you. If you want to see results in your dog you need to take the time to get him properly trained and that means training the both of you so that you speak the same language. Start by researching house breaking techniques and start with that. Your dog is likely not as housebroken as you think. Then look for a dog training class in your neighborhood and make the investment in you and your dogs future. There is no need to get rid of your dog - he is not the problem. You need to be a responsible pet owner and provide you and your dog with the training necessary to maintain a happy and rewarding union.

Answer 9

He is afraid of you now that he has been yelled at and hit on the butt-you can change this! Start by playing with him before you leave if possible and either crate him or limit his access in the home to one or 2 rooms. He has seperation anxiety and that's why he is getting in the trash can. Start praising him when he is doing good things-playing with his toys for example and he will gain more trust that he isn't going to be punished. When he goes to the trash can say uh uh even if you are standing right there-he needs to know that's off limits to him.Praise him when he walks away from it. It sounds like he needs to be refreshed on his training too. Good luck and email me if you have any questions:>)

Answer 10

Garbage is really too much of a temptation for you dog to ignore. It would be like putting me in the same room with Haagen Daz ice cream. Can you get trash cans with lids, or keep especially the kitchen trash can under the sink behind the cabinet doors? I agree with you that the spanking doesn't work, it will just make things worse really because he will be afraid of you and be tense, and tense dogs are more likely to seek solice in garbage (again I am reminded of Haagen Daz).