Dog Behavior Issues - Wanting Advice

[kae006]

I’ve mentioned it in other threads but we have one older dog (10 years) that is an absolute angel and then one demon dog that’s almost 5. He’s sweet as can be with the kids and part of the family but I’m at the point I’m ready to get rid of him. He gets into the trash, eats off the counters, but worst of all destroys any book he can get his paws on. We tried kenneling him but he’s 105 pounds and destroyed 4 kennels, including a heavy duty one. He hasn’t been kenneled in 3+ years and I’m worried if we try now he will just hurt himself trying to get out. Wife and I have different schedules so the dogs are rarely alone more than an hour, but it doesn’t matter if we’re gone 8 minutes or 8 hours he’s getting into something. He used to eat remotes and we thought it was separation anxiety, but recently we’ve caught in in our sons room in the middle of the night eating his books while my son is asleep in bed and everyone is home. We’ve tried a “thunder jacket”, Benadryl, anti anxiety pills and the kennel. My wife is 100% against rehoming him, and I’ve never been a fan either, but I’m at the end of my rope. I really think it’s just a behavior issue and he doesn’t care how many times he gets in trouble, as he has other behaviors we can’t seem to modify either. He destroys our front door and windows whenever we get a package, and he goes ape**** when the next door neighbors dogs bark at the fence line when he’s out back and gets mud caked in his paws. The straw that broke the camel’s back today was that he apparently has learned how to open the kid’s bedroom doors and pulled another 6 books off my son’s bookshelf while we were swimming tonight. Wondering if anyone has suggestions on what we can try or opinions on how to handle the situation? I’ve looked into in home training but nobody seems to focus on these behaviors, more general obedience and aggression issues. He knows commands and isn’t an idiot, he just doesn’t seem to care about getting in trouble. Sorry if I rambled, typed from my phone and I’m beyond frustrated.

Pic for reference:

[TXDraht]

Sounds to me like your dog is bored and in need of as much mental stimulation as possible. IE: exercise, exercise and more exercise.

[kae006]

Sounds to me like your dog is bored and in need of as much mental stimulation as possible. IE: exercise, exercise and more exercise.

My wife is a runner. She used to take him with her every day to see if she could wear him out. He would definitely tire but he was still a d*ck when we left him home alone afterwards. Now they get daily walks but he hasn’t been run hard in a long time, guess we can try it.

[Hawkpuppy 1]

Is he intact? Sometimes cutting the boys off will help settle them down...

[GoneSouth]

Sounds to me like your dog is bored and in need of as much mental stimulation as possible. IE: exercise, exercise and more exercise.

Yep, wear his azz out

[kae006]

Is he intact? Sometimes cutting the boys off will help settle them down...

Nah, he’s cut. Hoped that would calm him down, then spent the next two years hoping his age would just catch up to him.

[TXDraht]

Do you own a treadmill? When I lived in the city and couldn’t get my dogs in the field during the week, I taught them to run on the treadmill. Start by teaching them to walk and slowly work into a trot. 45min to an hour every day. If schedules allow, exercise him multiple times a day even it is for 10-15mins. Maybe start some obidience traning. It will exercise the mind and help you establish who is in charge.

As far as destroying thing in the house. I’d impose my will by any means necessary to get my point across that his bad behavior will not be tolerated.

I’d buy a wire crate and start introducing him to it in short stays increasing over time. Give him something to chew while he is in the crate.

[twistedmidnite]

Set him up, lay out some magazines with Cayenne pepper powder in the pages. Iv saw the powder stop dogs from digging holes.

[whitetailtrail]

Dude, I'm sorry, I don't think you meant for this thread to be funny but my wife and I are crying laughing reading your OP!

[kae006]

Dog Behavior Issues - Wanting Advice

Set him up, lay out some magazines with Cayenne pepper powder in the pages. Iv saw the powder stop dogs from digging holes.

We considered mouse traps on the bookshelf and in the trash can, just not sure that he’s smart enough to associate the negative experience long term and I’m wondering if it’ll cause any permanent damage or if he will get snapped and then yank it off. Also, with him starting with the remotes, I’m concerned he will just start eating something else when we eliminate the books and trash can.

[fbchunter]

Some dogs just can’t be fixed. I’ve had one. If discipline and attention doesn’t work You just got to remember it’s a dog, not a person. Maybe it’s time for him to go

[bloodtrailer28]

Not sure how it would work in this situation but a shock collar has fixed any and all behavior issues with my 2 catahoulas.

[Trevor73402]

You may roll your eyes at this, but you are not being dominate over him. This behavior could be fixed by someone else more experienced, but when he returns home to you, if you are the same “beta” figure to him, he will, in time, resume his same behavior. I say this after having worked with/trained some of the more dominant breeds of protection dogs.

I could type for 30 min or more on this subject, but to keep it short, you need some help from someone more experienced.

I think getting rid of him is a poor choice. Remember, you chose him. It’s your responsibility to see it thru. He’s not “just a dog” as someone above said. You and your family is all he knows as far as life.

[SNIPER3388]

Its yall fault. No discipline. Dog are like kids and have to be disciplined and or corrected. Probably started from when the dog was young. Most dog trainers will agree a dog thsy train work for them and obeys. When the dog goes home the dog isnt kept at the same strict manners, and the dog starts seeing what it can get away with and it gets worse and worse. Trainers see it all the time.

You need to get a good kennel. Not a cheap one. But kenneling is not to be used as punishment!!! A kennel is a safe space, the dogs space, the dogs room. Exercise like crazy, the dog isnt getting enough at all. Lots of this comea from boredom. The dogs bored all the time it sounds like. Focus on correcting issues with a loud NO!, and popping the ♡hit out of the dog. It wil learn oh crap if Indo this im gonna get yelled at and popped. At the same time focus on releiving boredom. Give the dog more attention, run, walks, fetch, petting, cuddling, keep the dog with you more..

Shock collars help, but its either positive reinforcment or negative. Cant change once you start using it for punishment. My hunting labs its positive, just a vibrate to get their attention at this point. For our bulldog its negative, she runs from us when she sees the collar. She knows its bad news. If you use one it sounds like its will all be negative enforcement. It could help. Still gonna need a good kennel either way.

[CJ776]

No hump him til he pees jokes yet? How!?