Need advice on how to deal with dog's destructiveness

[**~Jenn~**]

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Heather* The trainer also had some other interesting methods of training that I wouldn't necessarily recommend. For example, he said one of his dogs (he has a ton of dogs and he does training for the CIA and stuff) used to eat high heels all the time. So one time he shoved a high heel in its mouth and put tape around its head and left it like that for hours. When he took it out, he said that dog has never touched another high heel! Interesting.

WoW..I would definitely not go back to that trainer..That is cruelty in my book!
There are some good trainers out there...and you may never know what the real reason is, but you try some things and see what works..That's all we can do as dog owners :-)

Oh and my dog did half of an agility course this weekend...He did better then I thought! It's really funn for them..And really gets them to focus! :-)

[binzer]

Agility is so much fun! Taking a class like agility or obedience is another thing you may want to consider Sunbride. You don't have to be competitive and can do it very casually just for fun (I did it with a lapdog!). Beagle's are working dogs, and besides exercise they need mental stimulation. Doing activities like agility really strengthens the dog/owner relationship and helps establish your leadership. My FI's aunt has a ridiculously energetic border collie who NEVER stops, but after agility she sleeps like a rock!

 

Something else you may try since you're watching your dog's weight, is feed him his regular kibble with a kong (or other treat toy). You can mix it with the odd treat (or carrot) to keep him interested, and it should keep him busy longer without becoming a little fatty

[SunBride]

Yeah, like I mentioned in my last post my husband will be starting in the spring. He was suppose to do it last year but he broke his ankle. I can't wait for them to start, I think Charlie will love it.

[seaprincess]

We put Bailey in 'time out' too by telling him to 'go lie on the stairs' when he does something bad and we catch him. He now knows that when he has to lie on the stairs he has done something bad and his behaviour has really improved. He also knows that he isn't allowed off the stairs until we say its okay (usually about 5 minutes). He looks sooo cute pouting with his head on his paws lying on the landing at the top of the stairs all depressed....it gets me everytime - but we stay strong he is so much better. Our experience is that consistency is the key.

 

And I feel you on the husband not loving the kennel either - it took Bailey destroying the couch before Jamie decided that we needed to be really consistent with Bailey and put him in the kennel... He's always had dogs that were good as gold being left alone all day roaming, but Bailey just can't be trusted.

[hammerb44]

I adopted a dog from the shelter who has MAJOR issues. The vet suggested anti-anxiety medication which works well. I don't know if this is necessary for your dog though.

[Vikki]

I rescued "Jupiter The Dog" at 6 weeks, I won't go into details-it was a nasty situation-but the first couple weeks we had to keep him separated until his little body healed. It broke my heart at the time but now I'm glad we were forced to do this because we decided to crate train him at night. It's a safe place and most importantly a routine.

 

It sounds like you've done a great job creating some routines for your dog and exercising him regularly. Every dog is different and your puppy sounds really mellow but we've found Jupiter gets destructive when he's bored and toys don't do it for long. Our trainer suggested more exercise and all the dog shows I watched and books I looked through said the same. I can walk him but not for several hours and I can't take him to the dog park because he tries to herd other animals and gets snappy. (Thank goodness it's not with people!) So I trained him to run along side my bike and he LOVES it. Almost like a sled dog except he's not allowed to pull me, I don't want him to get hurt. We ride a couple blocks to the park then around the track until he gets tired then home. He still has a ton of energy but his behavior is much better.

 

We also just started an agility class. Jupiter is having a great time and loves having a "job" to do.

 

I have an exercise you can do with your dog at home. It's a great dominance exercise and it's really easy for you to do. If you would like the details PM me-it's from our trainers methods and I don't feel comfortable posting it in the public forum. I don't know how much it will help with the destruction but it should help with establishing that pack leader authority.

 

Good luck, I think the agility work will be awesome for your dog and you and I encourage you to continue to work on becoming a leader in your house. Controlled feeding might help if your dog tends to be food motivated. I also encourage you to use verbal praise over treating, especially with a breed that may struggle with weight issues down the road. And maybe you can have your husband ask his agility trainer about his/her views on crate training. If he hears it from somewhere else it might help convince him-it's a great, non-invasive way to show leadership.

[tvt]

we had the same problem with our dog Kody. She would pull the carpet up an rip out the individual carpet fibers, pull the cushions off the couches and eat the padding by the springs - MAJOR stuff. Not a CD or a flip flop. We were in the same situation as you - gave her lots of attention, walked her, etc.

 

When we started walking her in the morning and/or letting her run at the park before we left for work we noticed a HUGE difference. We also started saving water bottles and putting her dog food in them before we go to work. She will work at unscrewing the cap off the water bottle and then throw around the bottle to get the food out. A fun game for her, keeps her occupied and gives her a job. I was home sick the other week and still did that with her and I realized how long she actually works on those bottles - I was amazed!

 

I swear those two things alone have saved our furniture and the rest of our carpt.

 

Now, if I could just get her to stop barking when I tell her to! If anyone has any advice for that I'd love to hear it!

[Emily&Matt]

I have a 2 yr old beagle I picked up as a stray 4 mo old puppy. I have a 10 yr old lab mix too and have to leave them both a lot. I think having a 2nd dog is a huge help for the beagle. Maybe you could get a very tame older dog from the pound or a rescue.

 

Also, it is a HUGE help to walk the dogs, ESPECIALLY a hound dog like a beagle, in the morning so they can run out some of that energy for the day. There is a field (about 6 acres) I drive to at 6:45 am almost every morning. I put the beagle on a 50 foot rope and let her take off. Of course, that means I am running/walking/dragged behind her but that's great exercise for me! She flat out runs and sniffs for about 20 minutes. Beagles HAVE to smell things and take off yapping after the scent. Most days, she then sleeps and is quiet until I get home to let her out at noon and again at 5 when I get off work. Sometimes we'll run again in the evening or at least walk around the neighborhood, just to keep her happy and content smelling stuff. She's so friendly and loving and I am happy to take the time to run her. It's been good for me too. I can tell I've toned up from the running.

[Emily&Matt]

Forgot to mention this - I did crate train the beagle as a puppy so I could leave her in a controlled, safe place for part of the day. Walked her in the morning, left her out, crated her for the afternoon, walked her again when I came home at 5:00, left her out for the night. She learned to be good! She never goes in the crate now.

[niujess]

Hey so wow your problem sounds a little like my own. I have a 11 month old puggle Mya aka (Beast that's what I call her). When my FI and I are home she has to be around us constantly and if we're not paying attention to her she will go destroy things like my bras, my laptop cord, oh gosh she even ripped some of the carpet up in our guest room.

We're really bad doggy parents and we rarely walk her especially since it has been cold out. I think exercise is one of the biggest things that contributes to bad behavior.

 

So here's what our saving grace is DOGGY DAYCARE. So yeah doggy daycare is pretty expensive so we decided to take her there on Wednesdays. It works out great. She is around us all Saturday and Sunday so she's pretty good on Monday and Tuesday. By Tuesday night she can be a little bit of a brat and steal my things and have me chase her around the house to get them back but come Wednesday she is an angel. She is so good and tired Thursday and Friday from playing all day with doggy's on Wednesday that she is calm and will just lay around and chew on her bones. That is the only thing that has worked for us. Good luck with your doggy. They're a ton of fun, but they just love to test your patience.