I Am So Disappointed With My Dog

Philippines
May 17, 2010 7:26am CST
Hi everyone. I guess you all know by now I have been having problems with my dog one was about not eating dog food and today I just got so disappointed with her and so angry. You know she is such a spoiled mutt and have I known that from the start I would not have taken her in from her previous owner. Don't get me wrong I do love dogs but she is a lot of work. First she is a fearful dog up until now I do not know what happened to her why she has a fearful behavior and because she is fearful she gets aggressive even with people around especially with new faces. She refuse to walk with me on a leash no matter how I try it to be fun she withdraws into a corner. I have to pull her so she would walk. I did my best to socialize her but still she isn't that friendly. But today really made me mad because I did not allow her inside our room because my aunt is allergic to her hair. She sheds a lot of hair. What happened is she chewed 2 of my shoes! This is not the first time it happened. The first time was when my cousin came here for a visit with her 1 year old son and I was cuddling the child. My dog was acting crazy and wanting to bite the boy and she wanted me petting her too. My dog got mad and she also chewed my stilleto and the child's sandals. There were other shoes there from my family but she only picked mine and the boy's. The same thing happened with my aunt when she told her to get out of the room. When she went out of the room she chewed on my aunt's sandals! Well I've had enough she destroyed 3 of my shoes that I have barely used. So I did her a good deal of spanking. She got terrified of me and she ran off at the back of the house. She wouldn't come in at first and then she tried staying near me but I ignored her. The thing I have noticed after the spanking was that she no longer barked fiercely at my brother or at our houseboy to the point of biting them. When she hears my voice and tells her to sit or lie down she will do so. Don't know if it did her any good. What would you do with a dog who has behavioral problems? There are no animal behaviorist in my part of the world and I have to handle this on my own. I am so frustrated that when my cousin asked me this afternoon if she could borrow her I said yes without second thoughts. I bought her chew toys she could play with but she becomes so destructive. She even chewed on my couch.
4 people like this
23 responses
@jdyrj777 (6530)
• United States
19 May 10
Sorry to hear you are having problems with your dog. I think its strange that somebody wants to barrow a dog. Ive never heard of that before. I think understanding the dog will help a lot in you handeling her behavior problems. Seems like she chews the shoes of the people who are upseting her. Ive been having a problem with one of my cats not wanting to use the same box. At first i thought it was because the other two domanate her. Now im thinking she just didnt like the flap that coveres the litter box door. I removed the flap and i see she has been going inside the litter box. No wet spots or poop so far. Hopefully that was it. Who knows its not like they can tell us what their problems are. We have to become mind readers and try to understand them. I do know that our pets like to please us. Also sometimes we have to do things differently. Example: I used to keep my trash can in my bedroom on a shelf on the wall because one of my cats would eat holes in the plastic bags i lined the can with. I have to keep the trash can in the bathroom under the sink. You may have to keep your shoes out of her reach for awhile too. If she can not learn not to chew them. I actually had a tom cat that chewed a pair of my flipflops before. Strange thing i thought for a cat would do. But i believe its easier to train dog.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
22 May 10
Cats should each have their own litter box.
@jdyrj777 (6530)
• United States
22 May 10
When i had a larger place i had 2 litter boxes. They all used all the boxes. Now they are all using one once again. They dont care if they share.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
22 May 10
I'm sorry to say, this dog is not for you. You have abused him, neglected him and he knows you don't like him. He is so confused with your behaviour. You expect way too much when this little one needs a LOT OF TIME LOVE AND PATIENCE and you just don't have what it takes for this dog. You are too busy and too self involved. You keep talking ABOUT HOW MUCH HE HAS COST YOU...I wish I had the money to send you so that you will give him to someone who is prepared to give him the time and attention he really needs. Where were you when he chewed your shoes? You were too busy elsewhere. Why were they not put away out of his reach? Because you don't really want to see this dog behaving well. IT'S A DOG!! It needs to be trained but first you have to undo all the bad things it has learned...you are simply not prepared to do that are you? I have a pup I have rescued who is fearful. She will not go on a leash. When I try, she crouches lower to the floor. Before I get her on a lead I have to get her to come to me...these things don't happen overnight or even in a few days. You expect too much from this little fellow and it will never happen for you. You make me quite ill the way you say you are so disappointed in him. He has been abused and he is terrified and you are doing all you can to make sure that's how his life continues. Shame on you.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
22 May 10
Wow!, so defensive. You explained that you only kept the dog because you had forked out so much money on it. You care way too much for your possessions and everything has a dollar value...that's what I'm reading hear. My contribution was to tell you how wrong you are and to advise you to give the dog away to someone who is able to care properly for it. You are still explaining that you don't have time for this dog as you are too busy doing other things. You're right in so far as I have lots of free time as I work as a volunteer in the remote community where I live. I have several rescued animals in my care and people like you are the reason I care more about my animals.
• Philippines
22 May 10
well everything has dollar value don't they? do you just pick up dog food from the streets that you feed your dog everyday? Good for you that you have lots of free time to volunteer but some people don't have the luxury of time you have in your hands. and if I could get some of those free time I'd be happy to donate my time. I'm defensive lol and you're just hitting below the belt! You were down right rude!People like me donates to the animal shelter that's being started in the community to feed to the strays in the neighborhood. Before you judge please ask some more dear. People like me are fighting dog trade meat in the community and greyhound racing,people like me has protested against the city government putting to sleep just over 300 dogs in my place. That's what people like me does. You can tell me I was wrong in spanking my dog and yes I accept that I made a mistake but I do not pretend that I am a saint and has never made a mistake. People make mistakes especially when something they valued got destroyed, I don't know about you if there is anything you ever value but I do. Good if I killed that dog you have the right to be rude but you don't even know me at all. I didn't say I don;t have time for this dog I am telling you that I set aside a time for this dog and some other things that are also important. But unlike you I can't stay all day long with animals even if I want to because people like me runs businesses that gives jobs to the people in my area and supports abused women and children. Have a swell time with your volunteering but put into mind that our lives are quite different and you have no reason to judge easily and be so damn rude! Especially when you do not know the person. Sorry if you have to volunteer down there because of those strays and abandoned animals but darling I'm not the one who placed them there. We don't live in the same community and I have never abandoned any dog or has given them away. If working down there makes you unhappy that makes you react indifferently to other people who are having a hard time with their pets and you think they are being abused, lolz try finding another volunteer work that would bring out the best in you and free you of negative feelings. After all you only have this life to live and its a waste being angry. Good day!
1 person likes this
• Philippines
22 May 10
Well Miss Tickle I did not abuse her for your information! Maybe you don't have a job all you do is follow your dog! but other people have jobs too aside from having dogs. Where was I when she chewed my shoes? Right there earning a living after feeding her, playing with her and after grooming her. If I have abandoned my dog she should have been in the streets after she has pooped all over my house, chewed my couch and my shoes. But NO SHE IS STILL WITH ME! PEOPLE GET FRUSTRATED AND DISAPPOINTED, WELL YOU WON'T HAVE THESE FEELINGS IF YOU ARE AN ALIEN! YES SHE COST ME A LOT OF MONEY WHEN I BOUGHT HER BECAUSE PUPPIES DO NOT GROW ON TREES FYI. VET CHECKUPS AND FOOD COST A LOT TOO AND IF I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THIS PUPPY I WOULD HAVE GIVEN HER AWAY THE FIRST FEW WEEKS SHE WAS WITH ME. I SET ASIDE AN AMPLE TIME EVERYDAY TO TRAIN HER AND PLAY WITH HER AND I HAVE BEEN VERY PATIENT FOR 2 MONTHS NOW. IF YOU HAVE READ CAREFULLY I WAS NOT THE FIRST OWNER OF THIS DOG. WHEN I GOT HER SHE WAS THIS WAY ALREADY. SHE ALMOST BIT ME ON HER FIRST DAY IN MY HOUSE, SHE NEVER GOES OUT OF HIDING. IF I TRULY DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS ANIMAL IT WOULD HAVE LANDED ON THE STREETS THE VERY FIRST DAY. I HAVE MADE PROGRESS WITH HER BUT THEN SHE IS STILL VERY STUBBORN. SHE WON'T COME WHEN CALLED, SHE CHEWED ON MY COUCH AND YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH MY COUCH COSTS! BUT SHE IS STILL WITH ME. IF I SPANK HER IT HAS BEEN BECAUSE I WAS MAD ABOUT THE SHOES. ITS NOT LIKE BECAUSE SHE CHEWS THINGS EVERYDAY BUT SHE DOES THAT WHEN SHE DOES NOT GET HER WAY! FYI SHE CHEWED MY MANOLO BLAHNIKS THAT WAS INSIDE THE SHOE CABINET. NOT ONE BUT 2 MANOLOS UNFORTUNATELY SHE HAS LEARNED TO OPEN THE SHOE CABINET. TELL ME IF YOU OWN A MANOLO BLAHNIKS AND IT GOT CHEWED ON WOULD YOU JUST SMILE? I BET YOU WON'T, UNLESS YOU'RE SOMEONE FROM SPACE DEVOID OF ANY FEELINGS! SHE IS NOT MY FIRST DOG BUT THIS ONE IS THE MOST PROBLEMATIC ONE I GOT. THANKS TO HER PREVIOUS OWNER. I POSTED THIS DISCUSSION SO I COULD GET SUGGESTIONS NOT INSULTS FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS NOTHING TO CONTRIBUTE AT ALL. PERHAPS SOMEONE WHO HAS KNOWLEDGE SO THIS IS ALL SHE COULD WRITE.
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
21 May 10
I have 3 dogs, and the oldest is a very picky eater. She only likes a certain type of dog food. You can try to get her to eat by either adding soft with the dry, or beef or chicken broth to it. I wonder if the previous owner used to beat her which will make a dog fearful and act up. Which is why spanking is actually the wrong thing to do, all that does is scare the dog and she will only do more bad things. A dog doesn't know what they are being punished for if they are not caught directly in the act, just like with a child. I read somewhere that some dogs chew a lot because they are bored. Since she hates to go for walks, it's really hard for her to get rid of that built up energy. Maybe try treats and a leash that will let her move freely. Start out small and slowly work up to your taking a really good walk. If you have a fenced in back yard, maybe 30 minutes a day will do her good. If not, get a tennis ball and try to get her to play. I hope what I said helps. Good Luck.
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
22 May 10
I see it's not a all the time chew thing. She's chewing because she's not getting her way, lol, sorry. I have 3 dogs and 2 kids, so I have the jealousy and not getting way bit going on all the time. Maybe trying to show her attention when people are around a little at a time for her to get used to them, but when she goes to bite, say in a deep voice No. Dogs are territorial of their place and they see new people a threat, some dogs do. Mine have that omg, someone came to my home to see me, so they should pet me behavior. I wonder if she was ever attacked by another dog because she freaks out around other dogs. Reason I ask, my Beagle was attacked when she was little and now she's scared of all dogs even smaller than her. Give her time, she will get better. Maybe getting her a real bone to chew on will keep her busy. She won't even care if anyone came into your house. You can also look for this type of spray, once they put their mouth on it, it leaves a bitty taste in their mouth and after a couple of times. They will not even bother to take the risk of tasting it again. It works on a lot of things and themselves. I think you can order it online through petco and petsmart. I think slowly getting her used to other dogs will help. Good Luck with her. By the way what is her name?
• Philippines
28 May 10
I dunno if she was ever attacked by another dog but she is very fearful. Today I took her out off leash since there was no one in the street and she wandered around. She happened to stop by at the neighbor's house with a male dog. Although the other dog was inside the gate and she was outside, the moment he barked at her she ran off like mad. This is now a concern of mine. Don't know how to rehabilitate her. This often happens when she see larger dogs than she is she freaks out. Either she is aggressive or runs off.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
22 May 10
Hi Chertsy, it's not like my dog chews heavily everyday. She has chew toys she chews on and play with everyday. She chews things when she does not get her way. An example is when my cousin stayed overnight with us with her baby. My dog got jealous of the kid she also wants to get on my lap when I was holding the baby she even try to bite the baby. Afterwards she sulked and the next morning i woke up she destroyed my stilleto heels and the baby's shoes! She now walks on a leash, tried it inside the house first. Now she walks on a small distance but when other dogs comes around she freaks out! I am trying to arrange a play date with my friends who have dogs to socialize her. I hope this will help.
1 person likes this
@zandi458 (28102)
• Malaysia
17 May 10
Dogs have different characters and mine are no difference. I have 4 indoor dogs and each of them has different characters. I have taught them few basic doggy lessons and they absorbed the lessons fairly well. I can say they are smart dogs. Everyday I will bring them out for a walk if the weather permits. And they know the exact time for their walks. When I am busy surfing the net and couldn't make their evening walks, they will come to my seat and start jumping up and down, pulling my dress and making a lot of noises as if telling me time to go out and to stop surfing the net. They won't stop their actions until I leave my chair. Once outside they will quickly look for their comfort zone to relieve themselves. They have stopped biting my shoes or the others shoes when I caught them once and took the shoes and hit them on the mouth while saying 'NO' sternly. From then on they will only play with their toys or anything minus personal belongings.
• Philippines
17 May 10
I hope from now on mine would stop chewing my shoes too! Your dogs have no history of abuse but I guess mine has. She refuses to go outside of the gate. I have to either drag her out or carry her because she just refuse to do so. Plus the other aggressive dogs around the neighborhood who wanders around without a leash and charges upon us everytime we walk seems to add up to her fear.
• United States
18 May 10
First, you need to get the trust of your dog and at the moment, you do not have it. Her last owner showed no leadership whatsoever and the dog thought it was forced to be pack leader. It needs to be shown patience more than anything on your part. Anger and beatings make it more fearful. It may behave for a short while, but eventually, it will grow more aggressive. If you truly want to help your dog, buy Cesar Milan's book on training. He really can gain a dog's trust and have it behave in a good way very quickly, but he has infinite patience and perseverance should the dog require it. I could give you an outline of what he does, but it's really better if you read the whole book or at least the portions about aggressive/fearful dogs. He approaches dogs using his bare hands - I DO NOT recommend that for someone without his experience. Even he sometimes puts an object such as a tennis racket between him and a truly aggressive animal. He would not hit the animal with the racket, but simply prevent it from hurting him before he can calm it down. That is the primary tool in his method - being calm, helping the dog to become calm. But Cesar always walks into any situation as though he owns it, thus being an assertive personality - not aggressive. That's what a dog wants - someone who can be a real leader. Otherwise, the dog thinks it is forced into the job. Patience for a few minutes does nothing. You have to be willing to remain calm and patient as long as it's required for the dog to submit to your leadership. If you do not have the time or if you cannot contain your temper, please see if you can find someone who will do both. It's better for you and the dog.
• United States
19 May 10
Go to his website or Amazon.com. You can order from those places.
• Philippines
19 May 10
Hi, Thank you for sharing this tip with me and yes I am looking for Cesar Millan's book unfortunately though it is not available in my area. But I'll keep on looking though perhaps for a dvd copy. I have heard that he is good in this area.
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
18 May 10
I don't know you and I have never met your dog but I will tell you that most people have ridiculous expectations of their pets. Your dog is a child that will never grow up. Spanking the dog is not the way to train it. If someone hit you every time you did something they thought was wrong what would you do? How long do you think you would take it? Take the dog someplace reliable (Like the humance society) and let them train YOU on how to build a better relationship with your dog.
@Canellita (12029)
• United States
31 Jul 10
Maybe you are the one who needs to read things carefully before responding emotionally. With any luck you have found someone by now who can help your dog.
• Philippines
18 May 10
I do not have a ridiculous expectation of my dog and if you have read carefully why I am disappointed and not just the title of the post you will understand the frustration I am dealing with. I am posting it here for advice not your silly criticism that would not help me anyway. Thanks for posting hope your read carefully as you have said we have never met before and it's downright rude to judge when you do not know. So before you type and let your thoughts wander around kindly rethink if what you are posting is relevant or not!
• Philippines
19 May 10
maybe this dog of yours have been abused before that is why she wants your attention. When dog wants your attention dogs wants assurance that you love them, of course you will be angry because of what he or she done but you need to make them known that the pieces they destructed is really important. Spanking dog is a NO NO. They will fear you and they will never be close to you. You have to alot a time for your dog. She needs you because she think that you are her master. You need to be there for this dog also. I know you are disappointed by her act, if you just alot time with her like walking in the street, she will change. or try talking to her so that she will feel she is important no matter what. I have two dogs, one is kind and what have an attitude, really bad attitude. Until now we are facing problems about his manner but we try to let him feel that he is still welcome at home. I feel that this dog of mine is a jealous by my other dog. I give my attention to him so that he will not assume that we love the other dog more than him. Dogs have feelings, and the more we value them is the more they value us.
@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
18 May 10
What you did when you spanked her was establish yourself as alpha dog. It sounds like the people who had her before treated her more like a baby than a dog. (I have a dog that was treated like a baby, right to the point that the woman would sing the dog to sleep! I had a heck of a time getting the dog under control and getting her to mind me. I think the turning point was the pork chop. I was given three beautiful thick yummy barbqued pork chops by the neighbor. I had eaten two of the three and came home from class on the third night tired and very hungry, dreaming of that pork chop. Well I got home, got the chop out to eat it and that darned dog stole it. I was furious!!! I chased the dog down, got the pork chop back and thumped her on the head with it. I haven't seen such a surprised look on a dog in a long time. After she got thumped with the pork chop things really changed and she now recognizes me as pack leader and alpha dog. She minds beautifully now. I read your previous post about the problems with the dog eating dog food. One thing about a dog, they will go hungry for awhile but sooner or later they will give in and eat what you put down for them. I went through that with the "pork chop" dog. I was informed that she would only eat certain types of dog food, only would eat certain dog treats and expected to sleep on the couch. I bought my regular dog food and she turned up her nose at it for a few days, but she finally relented and started eating what she was served. Do you have a dog crate? Or a room that you can put the dog in for time outs? Especially when you have the problem with destruction. (By the way, when the dog chews the shoes, give it a few light thumps on the head with the shoe and state "NO" in a loud voice. I have done that with a few dogs I have owned. I normally wouldn't hit a dog, but with something as expensive as shoes I let go and give them a few thumps. Socializing will take more time. Until you have her to the point that she understands that you are her leader and that she can trust you, she won't be ready to be around other people. Dragging her won't do any good. Walks should be fun for both you and the dog...take it a little at a time, try walking her in the house and letting her wear the leash around the house. Then take the dog outside but don't take her too far (part of the problem could be that she is terrified that she is going to be bounced to another home.) There is a website that might help you out, it is called Ceaser's way. The following is NOT a link. The site is www.cesarsway.com . He is a very popular dog behaviorist and going to his site and checking out the tips.
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
18 May 10
spanking of dogs is establishing your self as alpha dog? common
• Philippines
18 May 10
Hi Lovebear, Thank you for this post. It is informative and inspiring. I had done the slight thumping when she did chew the first shoes and said NO sternly but she never never got the point. Every time I said NO she would never listen. I guess I had enough when she chewed 2 pairs of my shoes at the sametime. Yes I need to learn more about being the alpha dog, I must confess this concept is quite new to me. Yup I have learned of Cesar Millan and I watch video clips online but they are not how- to types just stories. I am looking for his dvd that is available locally in my country. No I do not have a crate and thinking of buying one now that I have gone through a month and a half of cleaning up poop and pee. She was never crate trained by her previous owner and when I got her it was like a shotgun deal. The girl I brought it from did kinda spoiled her. Yes I talked yesterday to her bf and he told me that her gf (the previous owner) did baby her a lot. She let her on her bed, she scratches her tummy till she fall asleep ( the kind of thing she asks from me now), she cooks her food and always cuddle her. The bf said the dog was quite spoiled by her gf. So with the s*itty attitude. There was just love but no discipline. I heard Cesar say there should be discipline first then love.
@manleyjoe (1597)
• United States
17 May 10
getsome2 said it best, You need to instill trust in your dog. Once that is done she will start to see that you are just trying to help her to grow and be a dog not just a puppy. Right now you are her mommy and the one to teach her to be a dog so take your time and get it right. Chewy is 14 now but was 5 months old when my wife got him from the animal shelter. He has never given her a bit of trouble. And he took to me right away when we got married. He sleeps on the floor beside of the bed and cries when we leave him, guess he still remembers the shelter. work with her and give her a lot of love even if it is tough love. She will want to get special attention, but don't give in unless it is her time.
• Philippines
17 May 10
Thanks manley for this advice. Yup I am willing to work with her. Will need expert advice though as I am not well versed in dog training. Wish there were dog obedience classes from where I am right now. I have learned recently that there are animal advocate groups working in rehabilitating stray dogs and mix dogs and fearful/aggressive dogs for free. But there are none in my city yet. I have only found one dog trainer here but his fees are ridiculously high! You bet at times it's gotta be tough love. She is problematic in most areas...house training, eating, and behavior wise. But as they said I gotta toughen up.
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
17 May 10
It sounds as if maybe the dog had been neglected by it's previous owner, or worse spoiled to the point that the dog always needs attention now. I don't think spaning a dog is good as we don't rightly know that they see it as what we do, which is behavior control. I've heard somewhere that if you look at the dog and point your finger at it, saying no sternly after it's done something, that can help. Hope you can figure out why the dog's behaving like this.
• Philippines
17 May 10
Hi friend, I did the hand thingy and the look in the eye but she would not obey me at all/ The nest time she is doing it again. I have never spanked her not even once just today because I was so angry with her for destroying my fave shoes. But I guess the spanking got into her head because she is more behave now as I was observing her. Before the spanking she would bark uncontrollably at my brother or anyone in the house and even if you tell her no or stop she would not listen. But today I just said shhh and she laid down.
1 person likes this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
17 May 10
Well it might be now that she respects you and will behave from now on.
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
18 May 10
based on what you said I think you shouldn't have any dog. It is not enough to love dogs to own one... If you think dog chewed your shoes because you didn't leave her to join you in the room with aunt, well it says much about...
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
19 May 10
Are there any places near where you live that offer obedience training? I think that would probably go a long way to getting her to behave in a way that you would like to see your dog behave. I have a dog that likes to chew on things and I would take her to obedience school but she is an old dog and I don't want to have to submit her to that in her years as a senior citizen. Though I've never taken a dog through obedience training, I know a lot of people that have and it has worked wonders for their pets.
• Philippines
21 May 10
There is only one place that offers obedience training and since he has no competition the fees are sky high. I can only afford it if I don't eat in a month. It's like putting a child through pre- elementary class! OR I can buy my meds for half the year with that! I wish there were others so I can sort out the prices.
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
17 May 10
Reminds me of what my dog used to be. We rescued her from the animal shelter. She was going to be put down in 2 days. She was about 10 months old and everyone pretty much just wants the puppies, not the older dogs. Anyway, she was old enough to be quite a handful. You usually want to start training very young. Well we got her home and found out that she was not house trained (she peed everywhere!) and that she loved to tear things up. She was fearful of strange things (like a guitar sitting on the shelf) and she was super hyper. She tore up socks, underwear, and so on. She also ran away a lot, usually chasing a cat or something. She was so much trouble that I often cried and worried that I'd have to take her back to the pound. I thought she had some mental condition because she was so crazy. I wanted to call The Dog Whisperer, lol. It took A LOT of patience, a lot of training, and a lot of consistency to get her where she is now. It's been over a year and she's now a very happy and fairly well trained dog. We still have our set backs. We tried crate training her at first. That worked with the potty problem and kept her from tearing things up when we were gone or when we were sleeping. But I didn't want her stuck in a crate all the time so I worked with her every day. She's eager to please and make us happy she just had to learn the things we DON'T want her to do. Consistency is key. Correct the bad behaviors as they are happening. I know it takes a lot of time you probably don't have. I didn't either. I also never punished her when she did something wrong as it was my fault for not watching her, not teaching her and so on. She just didn't know right from wrong. Today I can leave her alone in my house for hours without worry. The only things she tear up are her toys and we don't have accidents in the house. I'm so happy I didn't give her back. It takes time. But you have to try not to get frustrated. The dog picks up on it and they get frustrated and confused too! I wish you luck.
• Philippines
18 May 10
Thank you for inspiring me. Yes your dog is more than a handful and yes I would need to be more consistent with training her. I do work online and there are times I cannot watch her but the thing that concerns me the most is that when she does not get her way she tears and chews things not belonging to her. I guess I really have to be watchful of her.
• United States
18 May 10
It won't be easy. I work out of the house and sometimes I'm gone all day. So training was very difficult because I was only doing it on the weekends. Your dog just needs to learn what is hers and what isn't. Be sure to tell her no every time you see her just sniffing at something that isn't hers that you think she wants to tear up. Better to stop her before the chewing even stars. Also maybe she just needs to chew on stuff? Try getting her a good chew toy. My dog usually was just bored or just needed something to chew on so I got her a few strong toys to entertain her as well as a Kong toy. Those are great because you can put treats inside or peanut butter inside and then your dog has to work a while at getting the food out. It exercises their brain and keeps them busy. I also sometimes give my dog a nice healthy bone from the pet store that also cleans her teeth while she chews. You don't want to give too many treats like that tho since I read your dog is a picky eater and she'd probably only want bones... I'd use treats and bones as a reward for when she's not tearing things up. It'll help her learn the good behavior from the bad. Good luck with the training!
• Philippines
29 May 10
your dog was used to inside your house then suddenly you wouldn't allow her inside, that maybe infuriated her and by destroying your things, she would deliver the message that she is not happy with what you do.. Buy her chew toys and play with her. That's what dog needs, human affection..
• Philippines
29 May 10
Hi my dog still lives inside my house never outside. She wanted to get inside the room but my aunt did not like her. She has a lot of chew toys and a bone too.
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
17 May 10
hopefully she will get out of this chewing stuff that doesnt belong to her by the time she stops being a puppy. my black lab chewed up a DVD from blockbusters once when i first got him yrs ago. i freaked as knew id have to pay for it and before i knew how to handle my temper with dogs (he was my first dog) i took the dvd case and whacked him cross the nose a couple times. after that he never chewed any of things that wasnt a toy or chew bone.
@yresh12 (3212)
• Philippines
18 May 10
HellO Candy!! That must be very frustrating on your part. Don't you worry I know that you would find a very reasonable way how to handle this thing. do you have animal shelter? You can just like sell your doggie and buy a new one but that would be pretty impossible because your also attach to him/her. Annoyed and loving at the same time is surely devastating.
• Philippines
17 May 10
You just have to let her know that you're angry of what she's been doing, that it's a bad thing what she's doing lately. I'm really sorry with her behavior; maybe it would help if you take her to a trainer or people who are professional dog handlers. Yes you are doing right,imposing a discipline, I think is good.
@laniekins (4579)
• Philippines
18 May 10
You needs to be a little patient and authoritative to that dog, since you only adapted her. It will take some time before she can be comfortable to you. I've adopted lots of dogs before, boy and girl with different attitude. If the dog stay with you for like 1 year, his/her attitude will change too. Since she's now afraid of you, continue that but lessen the spanking. What is the breed of your dog? If you can't stand it you can give her away to someone you think can take care of her better.
@raviudal (260)
• India
17 May 10
than why u love your dog so much ..keep him away from your properties .. ;)
• Portugal
17 May 10
I just read you're text and i honesty agree with you. Dogs are hard to care, but they sure give us the change. The dog is like you're best friend you can talk to him, hug him and even tell him you're hugest secrest. And his allways there to listen you!!