Destructive! Driving us crazy. XD

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Destructive! Driving us crazy. XD

Posted : 12/29/2006 8:44:20 PM

Our 2 year old pomeranian is terribly destructive with my things! We've had him for two months now and he's provided with plenty of toys. He's crated when we aren't home, but he keeps getting to my stuff when we are home. He's always in the same room with us, but usually does these things while I am distracted or doing something like being on the internet or playing a game.

So far, he's torn holes in 8 pairs of socks, 3 pairs of underwear, one pair of my jeans, one pair of my work pants, destroyed two pairs of ipod headphones, ruined one downfeather blanket and put 5 holes in my other blanket. I know that all of this damage could have possibly been prevented(and believe me, I am trying to be more careful), but it's hard to watch him every second and annoying that he can't be trusted with anything. I don't just leave these things all over the floor either, he sneaks around into the closets and bathrooms and steals things out of bags and the laundry hamper, or random things he finds beside the dryer. Most of this damage occurs under my desk, because he loves to sit under it while I'm at the computer, right under my feet. The rest occurs while we sleep(he sleeps in the bed). Even if I catch him in the act and scold him, it doesn't stop him from doing it again a few hours later. This is becoming a real problem and annoyance. I've never had a dog destroy so many of my possessions and he's not even a puppy or left home alone with free reign. He's just sneaky. He has chew toys, he just prefers MY toys.

Benedict

Posted : 12/29/2006 9:10:15 PM

I'm not really experienced with an adult dog having issues like this, but it sounds to me that some basic "puppy" behaviours were never taught, or learned by, your dog, so here's what I'd suggest:

1. Try spraying things you can't move, like blankets and sofa cushions, with a product designed to stop chewing. Not all dogs respond to it, but trying can't hurt.

2. If he's not crated at night, he should be - or at least shut into a room with NOTHING that can be destroyed.

3. Teach a reliable "drop it" - or even better "trade". Your dog will learn to give up items he's not allowed to have in favour of the chance of something better.

4. If he's out of his crate and with you, start shutting yourself into whichever room, if possible. At least then you only have ONE room to watch him in, without wondering if he's going to run off and steal or destroy something.

5. If he's food motivated, try giving him some frozen stuffed kongs when you have something you need to do. Plain old toys don't always do it for some dogs when they have a lot of energy to burn off.

6. Try giving him more mental stimulation - honestly to me this behaviour sounds like boredom. Even repeated sit/stay/down exercises can wear out a dog mentally. (I believe a trainer on here refers to these as "doggy sit ups".) Graduate to more complicated tricks or behaviours when your dog is ready. A 2-5 minute training session, every hour or so that you spend with your dog, will go a long way to making him too tired to destroy anything.

Hope some of that helps!

Kate

jones

Posted : 12/29/2006 9:20:09 PM

Even though your dog is two I'd say it's time for some major puppy proofing. All bedroom and closet doors closed, all garbage cans with secure lids, ditto for laundry hampers, all tables clear, everything off the floor, and crate him while you're sleeping. IMO this isn't just a bandaid solution because once the dog stops being rewarded for those behaviors (he's rewarded every time he finds a sock or a pair of headphones) the behavior will stop. Dogs don't continue behaviors that don't produce results.