We have accepted defeat......

Oh, please, please reconsider your decision. There is always a way to fix any problems you may have with her. Really. I know sometimes it seems hopeless, but it's not. Maybe I've missed your previous posts, but what problems were you having with her? I'll see if I can search back some of your previous posts. There are so many people here who are full of such a wealth of information. And everyone here can do their best to help you through whatever difficult time you are having with her. Please reconsider.
 
Please PM me if I can be of any help. I'll do whatever I can.

I just went and searched some of your recent posts. I found the thread about her chewing problems. Did you end up trying the crate suggestion? You were given some fantastic advice that would have surely put an end to her chewing when unsupervised. Are there other issues that you didn't post about that someone can help you with? Trust me, there are cures for any problems you may be having with her. They just take time, and you have to be devoted to doing so for the well-being of your dog. Please try to stay open-minded here, for your dog's sake. Please don't take this the worng way, but you made a commitment to your dog when you adopted her. Please don't give up on her.

i agree, i wouldnt accept defeat.... it doesnt seem like you've had her long enough to admit you've failed as dog people.
it isnt easy.... and she doesnt deserve to be thrown back into the pits of hell. that will make it harder for her to be adopted back out, if she has "failed two homes" ..... i wish i was close by so i could help you.. but i live in Florida....

there is a way around the chewing. you just have to be smarter than the dog AND patient. this is like baby proofing your home. a baby is going to chew on electrical cords too (though not likely to chew them in half) a baby will also get into trouble and break valuables.... you have to alter your house for a little while and stay on top of her... and the one thread i did read, when you tied her to the doorknob.. isnt the worst thing you could have done to her!

tethering dogs-in-training to various parts of your house and/or to you is a well-accepted method of "housetraining" a dog, so don't worry about that being "bad", go right ahead and tether. Some experts advocate setting up a "tether" location in every room, so you can have the dog with you most of the time yet the dog can't get into trouble while you do chores.
 
Honestly, it sounds like you only have two problems with the dog: the dog isn't supervised/confined enough and thus eats the house; and the dog is a bit shy. Both highly manageable conditions.
 
Have you tried enrolling in an obedience class?  And dog.com was selling crates for dirt cheap last time I looked.

We got a crate, and we've tried it and things have become worse since getting the crate... She chews more, pees more..... She's just ruined soooo much stuff in our house, we can't afford to keep her any longer, as we're afraid of what she'll eat/pee on next......
 
She's had obedience training through our Community College, but they basically taught all the things she knew already--such as heel, stay, leash training, she knows all that.... When we asked the instructor about the problems we were having, her answer was to crate her...... but now that we've done that, things are WORSE.....
 
don't think for a second that we're happy about this, I cried most of the way to work, I don't want her to go..... but i don't see any alternative, I CAN'T having her destroying things and peeing everywhere, I just can't have it, no matter how much i love her..... []

But if you're crating her, how is she chewing on things?

We only crate her when we leave for a long period of time...Like going to work, or going to the races--- if we're going to be gone for more than an hour or so..... if we are outside doing yard work, if she's not out there with us, she's not in her crate, or if we're just watching tv, she's not in her crate.... that's when it's happening now.... if we run to the neighbors, or the other day we were getting our fishing stuff ready to go fishing and in less than 15 minutes, she had chewed up my step sons sandels AND peed on the floor......
 
I don't crate her when we're 'around' because when I was asking about crating on here, they suggested that i NOT crate her all the time, that being in it all day and all night was too much.....
 
So is it too much or not?? People say not to crate her that much, and some say crate her whenever she's not in your sight????

I am new, so sorry if I mention something already tried, but this is a high energy dog and probably needs a job.  How about agility?  It is fun, the dogs love it, and even twenty minutes of practice a day make for a more peaceful existance around my place.

I'm starting to feel like a broken record, but are you sure your dog gets sufficient exercise?

Dogs that have neurotic tendencies have them as a result of frustration from pent up energy. A dog that is exercised properly is more relaxed and balanced. A dog that doesn't get exercise will need to expend that energy on SOMETHING, and its usually your rug, furniture, barking, etc etc.

Before you stick the dog in the crate she should be thoroughly exercised, tired and ready for a nap. If you stick an energetic dog in a confined area, the dog's going to go nuts. Who wouldn't?

Walking, jogging, biking, hiking. .  doesn't matter what you do, you just need to get her out of the house and moving for at least 45 mins a day. You might be surprised at what a little cardio will do to calm down the mind. .  for the dog and for the human.

I agree that she needs more exercise - both mental and physical. A tired dog is a well behaved dog. [align=left]

So is it too much or not?? People say not to crate her that much, and some say crate her whenever she's not in your sight????

 
Oh gosh - I know you've been trying SO hard with her and for her - I've read every single one of your posts and all the responses.
 
here's my take on it .... if you "admit defeat" and bring her back I'm a bit worried for what will happen to her - she'll have a "history".   SO crating and tethering are probably the lesser of two evils.  I would suggest that you DO crate her whenever you can't supervise, and when you do supervise that you actually keep her tethered to you.    Its for her own good and it may be the only way for now.   And keep up the exercise and mental stimulation.    When you walk her give her a backpack to carry - a small bottle of water for each of you in it.  
 
And try the bitter apple spray if you haven't yet --- you don't have to spray everything - boobie trap her !  Leave something you care "less" about out and spray it.    Do it a few times a day - vary the items and the times.   We always talk about how dog's shouldn't be treated each and every time they obey a command - that the "slot machine" method (hmmmmmm, maybe THIS will be the time I WIN !) works better ..... maybe that can work with the spray to (hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, will THIS be the one that tastes awful !!!).
 
And if you do decide that you just can't do it then I'd understand - you've been working with her for two months now and you certainly weren't faint hearted about it.

That's the first thing the board here told me..... get her exercising..... I take her to the dog park EVERY day for about an hour..and she runs HARD... when we get home, she goes right to bed.... which is why i try to take her about 8pm, but by midnight, she's up... in the mornings before work, she goes outside for about a 1/2 hour... I don't have a LOT of time in the mornings, but since getting her, I try to give her all I can
 
I see that I joined this board on June 28th..... We had Roxi for about 2-3 weeks before I found this board... I miscalculated when we got her...... so we've had her 3+ months......

Do you walk her? Like. . in the outside world?

Running around a backyard is just a so-so way to let your dog exercise. Its not really a mental activity so the body might be worn out, but the mind is still frustrated because she didn't really get to go do anything.

Going for a leash walk and having to concentrate on you and the commands you give while taking in new sights and smells is actually a more strenuous activity because it requires mental discipline AND physical activity. It requires the dog to multi-task, as opposed to just shutting down and running. Dogs need both the mental and the physical exercise.

A backyard, no matter how big it may be, is confining. And confinement = frustration. Frustration = bad behavior.

She does go for the leash walk.... We don't have a fenced in yard... So we take her to the dog park for her to run.... but we leash walk her at home when we take her out potty.... usually at least once or twice around the block
 
If taking her to the dog park every day, and taking her out to potty on a short walk isn't enough, then we really don't need a dog, because to be quite honest, that's about all the time we can give to her..... We also wanted a dog we could take places--fishing, camping, parades, flea markets..... but she's soooooooo shy, and timid-- we can't take her ANY of those places... anywhere there is other people, she plants her feet and will NOT move, or she'll refuse to even get out of the car...... which makes it hard to introduce anything to her... or to get her to do "mental" activities.....