Should have known a Devil-Dog would give the best advice here.
(X)
Thanks for the vote of confidence PB. I have always had sporting dogs (Labs and German Shorthairs) and have seen and delt with just about anything you could imagine with them. My current Lab, a JKC registered Brit breed, is the smartest dog I have ever owned, I swear he would do long division for a snausage...:)
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When it absolutely, positively has to be destroyed overnight... US Marines!
As a quick update: I think my wife and I had just gotten a little frustrated and perhaps were using the crate too much. she would do something bad and we would put her in her crate. We've stopped doing that basically and she actually started calming down a bit last night. Also, I'm not sure who suggested it but we took everything off of the tables except a few things that we didn't care if she had or not. She grabbed them a few times and ran off, once she realized we weren't chasing her she came back and half the time returned the stolen item right to us! Anyway, I think there's light at the end of the puppy tunnel, hopefully its not the train.
Oh, her name is Laney by the way. I attached a picture, its kinda fuzzy, I'll try for another one later.
Here's another question. We refer to Laney as the "Destroyer" of toys that is. Anyone have any suggestions (other than kong toys we already have a bunch) that are durable?
I have a rat terrier that I used to call a holy terror. I got him when he was four months old from a family friend. He has a ton of energy so I have to keep him exercised. It takes about 30 mins of constant running and playing to tire him out but he mellos out after he gets tired. The grabbing stuff and running is a game he likes to play also mostly with my socks because he knows I will chase him to get them back before he chews them to shreds so I try to keep them hid from him. I bought him a nice food dish but he would not eat out of it. He likes his food spread out on the floor or the ground so he can sniff each piece individually and pick and choose what he wants to eat first so your dog is probably a picky eater like him. To break her of jumping up on you or other people just time her jump so that your knee hits her square in the chest everytime she jumps up on you and have your guest do it also. It wont hurt her but she wont like it and eventually will stop jumping up on people. All the other stuff she does is for attention good or bad like others have said so be sure to give her some attention but not until you are ready to not when she demands it.
A good practice is to ignore her all together when you first come home for about 15 mins but make sure she knows you are there but you stay in a different room so she cant see you but can hear you moving around. This will teach her to wait until you are ready and eases some of the seperation anxiety. My dog is nearing 2 yrs old now and is maturing more from the earlier months it just takes time and patience but if you stay consistant it will all work out. Good luck. Also make the crate a place where she thinks its a safehaven and a place of good memories. Feed her in the crate and always remove her from the crate before scolding dont make the crate seem like a jail.
Here's another question. We refer to Laney as the "Destroyer" of toys that is. Anyone have any suggestions (other than kong toys we already have a bunch) that are durable?
Just keep buying more lol . I havent found anything yet that my rat terrier cant destroy which is his way of saying i am alpha over you stupid toy
I'd just like to say thanks again for all the advise. I don't want to give off the wrong impression here, I really do love my dog this puppy stage is just a little frustrating at times. The worst thing is though that she is a very smart dog and knows what she is and isn't supposed to do, I think she's just testing our resolve to make a last ditch effort to be alpha.
Just to explain how smart my dog is:
She learned by watching us how to open drawers and cabinets, with the handle!
To further rip apart toys she will thread them through other toys in order to get better leverage.
She learned sit, stay, lay down, and shake within a matter of a few hours.
Anyway, I guess its good training for a child right?
She's seeking attention! Food behavior is just to make it more interesting for herself.More time spent with her, talk to her, play with her. Get her spayed. ABOVE ALL: no electric shock collars. This cruel device will destroy her personality, will put fear and uncertainty in her eyes forever. Good luck to you both, cherish your confused canine friend!
Originally Posted by justpaul205
I have a 7mo. old golden retriever / labrador retriever mix who has a ton of energy. There are times when she is very sweet and relaxed. There are other times however where she does the following:
Grabs items including TV remotes off of tables and runs away and hides.
Jumps up on everything, people, tables, everything.
Is still a bit mouthy, doesn't really bite at all but still puts her teeth on people.
Bites and growls at her leash.
Only eats her food after she has spread it all over the floor.
Runs around the house like crazy.
Barks at us when she's supposed to be eating in the kitchen.
She's definitely gotten more well-behaved since we first got her but I'm wondering if there is anyone who has any suggestions as to how I could break her of these other habits, the worst of which being the jumping thing.
Ah, she's already been spayed, that was a horrible experience. She was feeling perfect the very next day but we couldn't let her run around because of the stitches. Our vet told us we basically had to keep her in her crate for about 7 days; I'll suffice it to say that it was no fun for her or us. Oh, and those cones for the dog's head are no match for her. We were supposed to leave it on her while she was at home alone. A few days after the spay we come home to find the cone off of her head and in a hundred little tiny pieces.
On the shock collar, I've never liked that idea, it may work for some but I just don't think I could do it.
I only had time to skim the thread quickly, but here are a couple of things I didn't see mentioned.
Set aside time each day to play with her in a good way. She needs to get that energy out. Wear her out and she'll be too tired to jump all over everything, and she'll also be getting the attention she wants so much from you.
For the teething, get a largest KONG toy you can find. There is one that is shaped like a snowman but hollow inside. Fill the hollow with some kind of treat and give it to your dog when you need her settled down. The packaging has all kinds of ideas for things to stuff it with; I'd use peanut butter or mashed potatoes mixed with some dry food and then put it in the freezer. This would keep my pup occupied for a good hour or more trying to get the frozen goodie out. This not only helps with the teething, it also occupies their brain because they have to figure out how to get to the goodie inside.
Here's another question. We refer to Laney as the "Destroyer" of toys that is. Anyone have any suggestions (other than kong toys we already have a bunch) that are durable?
Heh… we nicknamed our Redbone Coonhound "Drifter Destructo" because of all the toys (and other stuff) he destroyed during his teething phase. Anyway, I see you already know about Kong toys, but do try the freezer trick!
The next best thing we had for him was this pom-pom looking ball that had a loop coming out of it. The pom-pom part was about 5-6 inches across and it was made of a nylon-like material. The inside was hard but the outside was frayed and soft. It was supposed to also help clean the dogs teeth. This was about the only toy our dog didn't destroy… eventually a lawnmower accident did it in.
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I second the Kong.
when we leave her all day my mom puts peanut butter and dog treats into the Kong. The dog loves trying to get the peanut butter and takes her most of the day to get it out.
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This poor dog needs a few things:
