My puppy is a MONSTER!!!!

Reading your other post I saw that you got him when he was only 5 weeks old.  That makes for a situation where you’re going to have to step in and really take some control because he missed out on a crucial part of development. 

I would like to give you some training tips but I think what you really need is a behaviorist to evaluate your lifestyle in your home with a nice long sitdown with you and your dog. 

You need to puppy proof your home.  Don't leave things out that he can chew and destroy. He can't chew up shoes and bras or anything else if those objects are out of his reach.  Dogs have no concept of what is a chew toy and what is a human possession.  Puppies should never be left unsupervised.  If you can't be actively interacting with him, put him in his crate with a chew toy. Hitting him and getting upset won't help the problem. Putting him outside teaches him nothing that you want him to learn.  He can't learn how to get along if he's banished outside.  This dog needs training from you and your husband.  Positive training.  When he is starting to chew something that is not allowed, take it away without punishment or being upset and give him one of his chew toys.   Consistency is the key.  You need to spend lots of time playing, training and exercising this dog.  I strongly suggest you get the book "Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson.  It's a very easy read and will give you some insight into how a dog's mind works and how you can learn to teach him to be a good dog.

Try and not blame the dog for doing what is normal and natural.  Both you and your husband need to be on the same page with the training and teaching.   I understand your frustration but take a deep breath and start over. :)

A few very easy things you can do:

1. Put away or block things you don't want him to chew.  When we have a puppy around, we "puppy proof" the house and even use baby gates or expen panels to block certain areas/furniture.
   
2. Keep him kenneled, crated, or otherwise confined when you cannot supervise him. 
3. PLAY WITH HIM with his toys.  The toy is the catalyst for YOU to play WITH your dog and develop a bond with him.  The dog will not play with himself, unless he decides to just destroy his toys too, that's about all a dog can do with a toy without a playmate.
4. If he likes to chew, get him something better to chew on.  I don't like rawhides but use bully sticks and marrow bones, even re-stuff the marrow bones when they are licked clean.
   

 Why would you spank him? That teaches him nothing! If hes chewing inappropriate things put them out of his reach.

First -- let me explain the dog to you a bit.  There are things YOU just plain don't understand about him ... so he annoys you just being himself.  Hopefully once you understand a few things it will be easier for *you* to make better choices to help train the dog. 

1.  First off -- someone mentioned above you got him at 5 weeks old.  Serious serious problems!!!! -- When a puppy is taken from it's Mom and siblings too young they have missed out on .... well,l let's say they didn't just miss puppy "kindergarden" they missed elementary school ENTIRELY!!!

Now -- I dunno what your situation was -- maybe his mom died or something.  But you have to understand that getting him SO young changed things -- which means YOU guys have to change things,

Bite inhibition -- when puppies play  they teach each other.  You smack me, I smack you .... that's 'Play' -- however -- if you smack me TOO hard .. and I cry in pain **OR** if I take a bite outa your face because of it -- you learn not to do that again.  OR ... if "mom" sees two pups getting too rough -- she will intervene (sometimes just separating them -- sometimes hauling the perpetrator back -- sometimes with an almost inivisible growl or curl of the lip ....

This goes on and on and on ... out of a litter usually somebuddy is 'top dog' and somebuddy is the 'omega' (the dead last in everything).

Ok -- if you separate that pack too early -- several things happen -- but in EACH puppy's case -- he suffers.

The 'top dog' -- the more dominant one (which yours might just be that guy) -- he walks away pretty full of himself but without those critical lessons in "THIS is **enough**" -- he hasn't learned what they call 'bite inhibition' -- he's still nipping and biting too hard, wanting it to be his way or the highway and he hadn't gotten enough schooling from mom and the siblings to know when to stop.   

The 'omega' -- this little guy suffers from a total lack of caring - he never learned to stick up for himself. 

Everyone else in between -- same thing to different degrees.  They literally don't know how to accept correction -- EASY correction.  If you ever watch a momma dog -- you usually don't even know she's disciplining them.  But she IS -- and that's a vital part of their learning.

2.  Teething -- BIG BIG MEGA DEAL -- puppies shed their teeth in stages -- wee tiny (about 8-10 weeks) they lose their milk teeth -- to be replaced by razors ... no ... adolescent teeth aren't really razors but they feel like it.  Mostly they just grow in 'extra' -- and fill in. 

BUT -- and I bet no one ever told you this -- teething for a puppy is LESS fun than it is for a human child.  When WE lost a tooth it was a celebration -- Mom or someone helped you pull it and then you got money under your pillow or something.

For a dog it's difficult.  First off -- when those initial teeth come in they literally have to cut thru the gumline -- so they chew.  Oh heavens they CHEW.  Mostly because they have to literally chew thru the gum so that the bigger teeth actually come in. 

Also -- some secondary teeth come in at about 4 months and onward -- now -- a dog can't say "help me pull thith thing pleath???" -- nope -- they have to CHEW -- they literally have to get hold of something hard and chewy enough to help RIP that juvenile tooth out so the adult tooth that is pushing up from underneath can come in. 

MAYBE you found a tooth or two laying around (hope you didn't find one in your foot at midnight -- that can be sore!).  But mostly dogs actually swallow their juvenile teeth --

BUT IT DOESN"T STOP.  They actually get teeth right straight thru until they are like 18 months old.  and the older they get the HARDER it is to teethe -- because they have to chew and chew and CHEW to try to get sufficient gum massage to cut those new teeth. 

They are DRIVEN to chew!!!  There's no other way to put it -- they MUST chew.  Constantly.  And it's not just "playing" with toys -- he may simply not be getting enough CHEW stimulation -- most of the things you are talking about -- shoes, thongs -- plastic, fabric, leather -- things he can get his teeth INTO -- things he can pull against and rip and tear.

In short -- you must realize he is driven to FIND things to chew -- so you have to remove inappropriate things FROM him and provide a constantly changing cycle of NEW things to chew, chew, chew, chew, chew, CHEW CHEW CHEW.

so first -- you have to have him in a place where you can **supervise** -- that means concentrate ON HIM all the time.  Or ... crate him until you CAN take a break and supervise.

Right now it seems like all you do is scold and deal with the bad things he does -- you have to *break* that cycle -- by first of all, removing ALL potentiial dangers from his mouth and just plain PREVENT him from being able to get TO anything.

Someone mentioned "baby gates" -- I have 3 dogs -- and we couldn't live without them.  You can make them, you can buy them, you can have all shapes, sorts and sizes.  But -- you simply make it a habit **constantly** to always think of brining him with you -- or putting him in his crate or putting him in a contained area with something appropriate to chew.

Don't make the mistake of assuming he "knows better" -- he doesn't.  He won't.  He can't.  He won't grow a brain until he's about 2 -- and that's with a LOT of good training!!.

A dog does *not* approach a thing and think "Hmm, that's Mom's bra -- I'd better not chew that or she'll be upset!"

Nope -- HE THINKS:  "Wow -- smells like MOM!  She's not here!  Wow -- if I SHAKE it like THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS THAT"S FUN!!"

They are totally immediate.  They don't "plan".  They REACT.  They seize the moment ... or the bra ... or the panties ... or the shoe ---or the corner of the cupboard --- or the rug .... or anyhing else that's in front of their face. 

Judgement and good choices come slow -- and mostly they come from training them BY PREVENTING THEM FROM SCREWING UP --- if they always have nylabones, chew toys, think toys, and NOTHING WRONG TO CHEW ... then they learn to like the appropriate stuff.  But once they get hold of the bad stuff -- it tends to just make them seek out MORE bad stuff because it's *there*.  It smells like YOU and you aren't around now. 

Does that make sense?

3.  HIS AGE NOW IS **Rebellious Adolescent** --  he's an unschooled 17 year old boy looking for trouble with no one to play WITH and parents who aren't around enough???  Oh yeah -- and this kid never went to elementary school so he doesn't get "no".  Heaven forbid he gets the keys to the car ... or winds up in the computer room???

Yep -- that just about where he is emotionally right now.  He's bored, he's big, and he doesn't know the difference between "good attention" and "Mom being ticked off and GIVING ME ATTENTION".

He just wants attention -- so I'm sure in many ways he's CHOOSING things that smell like you and then he may even proudly bring them TO you JUST to get you to "play" with him.

So essentially you have to re-think things and plan AHEAD of him.

Exercise He's a big boy, he's an adolescent, HE has **all the time in the world** and he's BORED.  He need structured time wtih **both** of you -- walks, runs, if you have a fenced yard or go to the park or whatever -- he needs *more* than he's getting. 

A tired dog is a good dog.  It takes a LOT to tire out a 7 month old mastiff/lab mix. 

when you crate him -- give him something to do -- does he get raw bones??  a big raw bone (like a big old knuckle bone) will help the chewing and will help wear him out. 

Give him his meals in a Kong -- shoot, add blended pureed veggies in with his kibble, pack it in 2-3 kongs and FREEZE them -- make him WORK to get his food.  That's a good thing to leave him with when you have to leave him crated.

Your husband will have to help you by helping you puppy proof the house AND by giving you some baby gates and things to contain the dog when you can't actually supervise him.

BUT REALIZE -- you can't crate this dog 24 hours a day.  There's some responsibility here to train him.  Two classes are NOTHING.

He needs a whole obedience course -- and BOTH of you need to take him.  Don't expect your husband to take him -- because you want him to obey YOU as well.  So you both go -- let your husband do the first exercise, and then you take the second. 

Once you get that 8 week "puppy class" done don't stop there -- this dog is going to need some real obedience training.  And during that training *YOU* will learn how to train him. 

A dog doesn't train itself -- and honestly you need to understand the dog well enough to be able to train him.  Because you have to see that he's not trying to make you mad -- but you DO have to see that there are places where you have to take that rolled up newspaper and smack YOURSELF on the head because he got into trouble ***because*** you allowed him to.  You didn't keep him contained.  You didn't keep shoes, clothes, and furniture away from his mouth.  You left him unsupervised. 

He's a dog who had a bad beginning - missed out on some crucial puppy learning when he was young ... and he hasn't gotten it thus far wtih you guys.

Smacking him isn't going to get his attention -- it will make him shy of your hand.  It will make him run away with something he's not supposed to have rather than relinquishing it willingly.  It will make him hate that THING enough so he'll go for THAT thing again and again. 

I've said this in a very long-winded way -- but hopefully it explained some gaps for you.

JackieG

You need to puppy proof your home.  Don't leave things out that he can chew and destroy. He can't chew up shoes and bras or anything else if those objects are out of his reach.  Dogs have no concept of what is a chew toy and what is a human possession.  Puppies should never be left unsupervised.  If you can't be actively interacting with him, put him in his crate with a chew toy. Hitting him and getting upset won't help the problem. Putting him outside teaches him nothing that you want him to learn.  He can't learn how to get along if he's banished outside.  This dog needs training from you and your husband.  Positive training.  When he is starting to chew something that is not allowed, take it away without punishment or being upset and give him one of his chew toys.   Consistency is the key.  You need to spend lots of time playing, training and exercising this dog.  I strongly suggest you get the book "Culture Clash" by Jean Donaldson.  It's a very easy read and will give you some insight into how a dog's mind works and how you can learn to teach him to be a good dog.

Try and not blame the dog for doing what is normal and natural.  Both you and your husband need to be on the same page with the training and teaching.   I understand your frustration but take a deep breath and start over. :)

Agreed.  Another possibility is that he's simply in the "second chewing phase" which is when adolescent dogs need to chew to set their new secondary teeth in to the jawbone. They can't help needing to chew, but it doesn't have to be bras, shoes, or table legs.  Lol, my ex-boss once had a client who was complaining that her dog chewed up a whole couch.  The boss' response?  "How did you get the couch into Fido's crate?"  In other words, if you cannot be right there to exercise, or supervise, the dog, then secure the dog in the crate temporarily.

Hitting is the worst thing to do because it's now been proven that aggressive owners have more aggressive dogs, and I'm sure you don't want to create an aggressive dog.

I also think you would benefit from a good positive training class.  A dog that has some skills can be asked to "work" rather than just hang out thinking up his own "jobs."