Should I get rid of my dog?

Question

My dog has destroyed my house....He goes to the bathroom all over the place all day everyday. We have spent $500 dollars on dog training and it didnt do anything and people have recommended these trainers! his morning I walk downstairs ad he chewed my livingroom pillow on my very expensive furniture. He eats all of my daughters toys and this morning he chewed her boppy pillow. This dog cannot cost us anymore money. We have tried crating him and he yelps and screams(not good with a baby in the house). We tried locking him in the kitchen and he jumps over the gate. oh and he also goes to the bathroom in the crate and rubs himself in it. Here is the catch, my husband loves him!!!! he knows that we are probubly going to have to get rid of him but he is soooo heartbroken. i dont want to hurt my husband. i don know what to do.

Answer 1

Not even the best dog trainer in the world can stop a bored and frustrated dog from chewing up very expensive furniture! How old is this dog? It also takes a couple of weeks to house train a dog if done correctly. He obviously was never correctly crate trained, he's likely not getting near enough exercise and for sure, not getting any obedience training or anything else to keep his mind active.

You need to start all over again and train this dog - a good breeder is an invaluable resource. Get a book on basic dog training - Tamar Geller has a book called "the Loved Dog" that's really good for novices - gives step by step, very clear instructions.

However, if you won't invest the time a dog needs, it would be a kindness to him to find him a good home now where he'll get the care, love and training he deserves.

Answer 2

In my opinion you sound like a very busy mom and have no time to watch and or give attention to the dog. Since your husband wants to keep him, he should walk the dog for at least an 1 1/2 before going to work and in the evening. The dog needs someone to be there BEFORE he destroys anything rather than AFTER he already destroy the item. You and or your husband need to catch the dog in the act (destroying) and yell no and put him in the kennel so you can clean up the mess without having to worry about him being in the other room. Every time he goes in the kennel and does not bark and is calm give him a treat, he will start associating the kennel with treats. Once he gets the hang of it you can stop giving him treats. Overall you husband needs to spend more time with the dog...playing,fetching,walking,running daily exercise is what the dog needs! Good Luck.

Add: With defecating all over the house problem, you need to pay attention to the dogs motions, when you see he starts sniffing around the entire house non-stop means he is looking of a place to defecate and when he starts circling that area means he already found the spot. When you see this motions take the dog outside to relive himself! Also when you hear him wining he needs to go outside right away! consistent housebreaking must be done.

Answer 3

I bet this is a small dog right?

Buy Ed Frawleys Obedience training dvd from Leerburg.com.
Theres really no point sending a dog to a trainer, they don't work usually.

I have a similar problem with a Dobe. I know how much money you waste trying to rctify the problem.

Don't let him have free run of the house! Come on! If he's like that the Kitchen should be the only room for him.

Now housetraining? Thats simple and it should have been done the second you brought him home! Its gonna be a lot harder now.

I think this is just a simple training problem, YOU have to train him, this does come more naturally to some than others, but work at it with the help of Ed Frawleys DVD. I wouldn't bother with any other trainer, I think this guy is really good.


Good luck!

Answer 4

Yes.

The first reason I say this is you have already given up.

I don't know what breed you have or how hard this dog will be to find a home for. I'm hoping there is a reputable rescue in your area.

The second reason I'm saying to surrender your dog is that I don't believe you are committed to having a dog and making it work. I'm going to say some things that may sound harsh and I'm not trying to be rude but if you disagree with me, then prove it by changing things in your home.

If the dog is going to the bathroom all over your house, that's your fault. You aren't supervising your dog. I have 5 dogs in my house. No one potties in my house ever. They are all house trained AND crated trained.

No one destroys anything here either. They are supervised, corrected if their behavior is incorrect and they are trained. I reinforce good behavior and I correct bad behavior.

If he is pottying in the crate, he's being left in it to long.

The dog is in charge of you and not the reverse.

Dogs need schedules, rules, discipline, activity, training, supervision and affection. In fact, if you look at this, it's much like having a child. You can't let up at all. If the dog realizes you will let him out of the crate at night if he cries, he will cry.

If you leave him too long without potty breaks, he will go in his crate.

Do you have a fenced yard? Is that why he's going to the potty in the house? You have to walk him to potty instead of letting him out on his own?

If you aren't 100% committed to making major changes, he's better off going to someone else who can. And if you have a baby in the house who is demanding all that attention from you, the dog is getting very little attention now. I'm sure that's part of what's going on.

As I said, I'm not trying to be mean, but loving a dog isn't all there is too it. Loving your child is great but there's a ton of work that goes with having a baby. The same goes with having a dog. You have to do the work to get them to turn into good well behaved dogs. Depending on the breed, it may take a little more time. Some breeds are more active, some need more exercise etc. I don't know what you have so I can't help with that.

I'd start looking for a good rescue unless you are willing to REALLY change your lifestyle.

Good luck.

Answer 5

you obviously spent a lot of money getting your dog trained.
Problem is that a good trainer will not train your dog for you. You will still not have a well behaved dog that way.
In my classes you must demonstrate every class that you know the exercises taught that day before leaving.
Training a dog does not come down to what it is taught once a week in class. You must go home and at least spend 2, 15 minute sessions daily between classes reviewing and training what was taught to you.
Don`t give up on your dog, find a trainer that is willing to work with you. In my classes , I am very hands on, that is , if I see you having problems learning an exercise I step in to help you.
You may also want to find an obedience club that offers classes. Yes they are far more regimented but it sounds to me like your dog could use it.
Find a class with a small amount of dogs enterd in it, or you won`t get the attention you need.
With so many trainers out there, for some it has become about the numbers of dogs entered in a class and the money they charge.
And bottom line after reading your frustration, If your husband wants to keep the dog, make sure he takes him out to class, play, teach, and do it`s business on a daily basis.
Their should be one Alpha for a while with a dog like this, give him the job, and make sure he follows through if he wants the dog.
If he balks at it, tell him that the reason the dog is doing these things is that it is bored, and if he wants a dog he should be willing to sacrifice the time to properly train it.
Good Luck

Answer 6

Did you go to a class? Have you read any books by Patricia McConnell, Ian Dunbar, Pat Miller, Jean Donaldson, Trish King...... YOU need to learn how to work with this dog, not count on a trainer to fix him. You don't mention what kind of training you've done with the dog, so it's impossible to comment on alternatives. What does the dog like to do when he's not being 'bad', run, catch balls, chase sticks, etc. Does the dog's mind and body get stimulation from learning new behaviors and commands?

If the dog is young and just untrained and you don't intend on working with this dog to teach it appropriate behaviors (spending money on a trainer is grand but living and with a dog requires 24 hour training since dogs are learning from us every minute), find a new home for it before it gets older and inexperience and immaturity are replaced by adult dog inappropriate behaviors, not just puppy wildness. If you think the dog is untrainable, put the dog down, don't pass him off to a rescue system that causes dogs' behaviors to usually get worse and the dogs are stressed until they get adopted out to another a home that can't manage them or they get euthanized. Too often a dog that needs special training doesn't get it and ends up chained up to tree and lives out it's life alone and miserable.

Loving a dog isn't enough if you're not willing or able to put time into learning how dogs learn.

www.fearfuldogs.com

Answer 7

You should keep him becasue I have a dog too thats 8 years old now and very calm, when he was a puppy he destroyed and chewed up our carpet, and everything else in sight,which caused my parents to lose a lot of money like u but he's callmed down now, and we love him. A tip for right now though, is @ petco u can buy training pads which are these water absorpant pads that if your dog goes in the house, then it won't be a mess u throw that pad away, also if you buy "gates" so your dog can only stay in 1 room (like the kitchen) is where we put him becasue the floor is tile and there's nothing on the floor to chew so he can't ruin the house. gate off archways and usually you can buy gates that are like high enough so the dog can't jump, ut low enough where it's convinient 4 you to get around the house.

Answer 8

Jessica, you have just described every puppy on the planet. It's totally normal for a puppy to act like this, and the only thing that can be done is for you and your husband to work together on training.

He chews because you're not watching him (try keeping him on a long leash in the house for a while, you'll notice when he has to potty, and you'll also notice what a short time it takes for him to get bored and go find something more fun to do...like chew stuff up). Keep on using the crate, and use it consistently...it won't take long for him to stop eliminating in his crate, especially if you commit to using it regularly.

The yelping and screaming when crating is also normal...he wants you to come open the door and let him out to chew on more stuff! Don't pay him any attention when he is in the crate, and he'll learn soon that he needs to be quiet. Try crating him for short periods when the baby is awake, so he won't wake her.

You don't HAVE to get rid of this dog, he's like every other puppy out there...believe me, the "good" puppies are the exception, not the rule...they're like human children, they need someone to guide them in manners, and that would be your job. It would be a very lazy way out to dump this dog.

Answer 9

The difficulty is that no-one will take on a problem dog. Your dog is completely "fixable" but needs a lot of time and attention. I'm thinking if you have young kids then it's hard for you to find the time to do that.

Basically he needs a lot more exercise to wear him out (morning and night), and he needs to be supervised in the house. Take him outside on a leash at regular intervals and walk him around until he pees, then bring him back in. If he pees inside then say NO and straight outside. When he is inside it would help to keep him on a leash and with you so you can supervise his behaviour and correct him when he does something wrong.

He will outgrow this stage I'm sure. You can get him a belly band so he doesn't pee on everything and you might hope he grows out of it. I'm assuming he's an active breed like a terrier or some sort of working dog? If so you need to really work on keeping his mind active with walks and toys.

If it's all too hard then you should rehome him, but what kind of person is going to take on a dog like this? If you do a bit of work with him you might have a better chance of finding someone to keep working with him.

I know a lot of people aren't a fan of the dog whisperer (Caesar Millan) but check out his website, he has some good tips.

Good luck - and tell your husband he has to start working with this dog!

Answer 10

Is your husband who loves this dog so much taking him outside to go to the bathroom every 2-3 hours? Is your husband taking him on at least 2 30 minute walks a day? This dog needs exercise and to be taken outside to use the bathroom. If a dog is well exercised and has chew toys he will not destroy the house. A dog that is supervised in the house and taken outdoors every 2-3 hours will not eliminate in the house.
So many people get a dog and expect it to come perfect. Dogs are hard to train and a lot of work to exercise. You have to include this dog in your everyday activities as if it is another child. He sounds frustrated and bored.
Tell your husband if he wants to keep the dog he is going to have to start taking care of it. If he isnt willing to do those things then you will have to rehome him.