Sudden Naughty Behaviour

[chepet]

We recently went away for 5 days & left Ralph in a kennel -- excellent kennel we have left him there before , I have previously blacklisted 2 others -- but this time -- we have been home nearly 2 weeks -- when left alone he gets naughty --

stealing things , something he has never done & he is 3 next month , I only have to be in a different room , eg

I had an odd sock - you know the one that loses it's partner in the wash , I put it on the bed side table until I found it's partner ,he was asleep on my bed , I came back he taken the sock , I took it of him & told him NO

I could always leave things on the side tables in the lounge - he would NEVER touch them , I had some Vicks vapour drops for a sore throat there , while hanging out washing ,I came back in , they are all over the floor

I have had 3 boxes of tissues shredded over the floor

worst of all my DH left a half a large fruit & nut choc. on the dining room table on night when I went to bed early -- so I didn't know about it , & when I was in the shower next morning he got it off the table & ate some , there followed a panicked call to my vet , we always shut that door at night to keep him in " his area " I had opened it for him without thinking of looking around

he has dug a hole in my garden , he has never done that in 3 years

we are thinking we are being punished for leaving him --- he is VERY spoilt , I am in the process of going through retraining -- any other ideas , I need help

[Erny]

What exercise/mental stimulation do you provide him during the week? Could be that he's bored. There are other possible causes, such as attention seeking (which could also in itself hark back to boredom), but I'd look at boredom first.

I had an odd sock - you know the one that loses it's partner in the wash , I put it on the bed side table until I found it's partner ,he was asleep on my bed , I came back he taken the sock , I took it of him & told him NO

By the sounds of it, you told him "NO" for letting go the sock to you. That can evolve to him running away with things such as socks (and items of even higher value) because he learns that giving things back (even though he shouldn't have had it in the first place) gets him a reprimand.

[chepet]

What exercise/mental stimulation do you provide him during the week? Could be that he's bored. There are other possible causes, such as attention seeking (which could also in itself hark back to boredom), but I'd look at boredom first.

I had an odd sock - you know the one that loses it's partner in the wash , I put it on the bed side table until I found it's partner ,he was asleep on my bed , I came back he taken the sock , I took it of him & told him NO

By the sounds of it, you told him "NO" for letting go the sock to you. That can evolve to him running away with things such as socks (and items of even higher value) because he learns that giving things back (even though he shouldn't have had it in the first place) gets him a reprimand.

OOPS !! What do you suggest ???

I thought of putting a box of tissues in the lounge room , & hiding & when he when he takes them , ' jumping out ' & ' catching him in the act ' & then reprimanding him , but I can't think of any other way of retraining him

I should add I have a spinal cord injury so I am a little restricted with some mobility , I can walk , but I can't move fast & I suffer terrible dizziness so I have trouble with ' catching ' him at times

[persephone]

Hi- I think the best thing you can do for Ralph is to be stricter.

this does NOT mean punishment... or 'catching' him in the act...

it means that you retrain yourself to only give him love and cuddles when he is behaving as you want...when he is sitting quietly- when he comes when called - when he isn't being bouncy....

you need to ensure that tissues, socks etc are kept out of his reach.

you need to provide him with things to do ... like a sandpit, toys which he can chew, which make noise, or which move.

he also needs time entertaining himself with a ginormous bone, or his dinner in a Kong....

Walks don't need to be fast... or really long- but walking on leash, being asked to stay close, and not sniff etc is a wonderful mental and physical exercise!!

You train the dog to behave in a way which makes it comfortable for YOU- not the other way around....

Once Ralph has his rules, and the humans stick to it , he should be a lot happier, and less prone to interfering with your possessions.

[chepet]

Hi- I think the best thing you can do for Ralph is to be stricter.

this does NOT mean punishment... or 'catching' him in the act...

it means that you retrain yourself to only give him love and cuddles when he is behaving as you want...when he is sitting quietly- when he comes when called - when he isn't being bouncy....

you need to ensure that tissues, socks etc are kept out of his reach.

you need to provide him with things to do ... like a sandpit, toys which he can chew, which make noise, or which move.

he also needs time entertaining himself with a ginormous bone, or his dinner in a Kong....

Walks don't need to be fast... or really long- but walking on leash, being asked to stay close, and not sniff etc is a wonderful mental and physical exercise!!

You are absolutely right , it is me who needs training ,

I often joke that he is my dog spelt B A B Y , but that is really no longer a joke , as I am largely housebound he & I are together 24 / 7 , I need to be WAY more stricter , starting now

You train the dog to behave in a way which makes it comfortable for YOU- not the other way around....

Once Ralph has his rules, and the humans stick to it , he should be a lot happier, and less prone to interfering with your possessions.

[chepet]

Hi- I think the best thing you can do for Ralph is to be stricter.

this does NOT mean punishment... or 'catching' him in the act...

it means that you retrain yourself to only give him love and cuddles when he is behaving as you want...when he is sitting quietly- when he comes when called - when he isn't being bouncy....

you need to ensure that tissues, socks etc are kept out of his reach.

you need to provide him with things to do ... like a sandpit, toys which he can chew, which make noise, or which move.

he also needs time entertaining himself with a ginormous bone, or his dinner in a Kong....

Walks don't need to be fast... or really long- but walking oyo

n leash, being asked to stay close, and not sniff etc is a wonderful mental and physical exercise!!

You are absolutely right , it is me who needs training ,

I often joke that he is my dog spelt B A B Y , but that is really no longer a joke , as I am largely housebound he & I are together 24 / 7 , I need to be WAY more stricter , starting now

You train the dog to behave in a way which makes it comfortable for YOU- not the other way around....

Once Ralph has his rules, and the humans stick to it , he should be a lot happier, and less prone to interfering with your possessions.

sorry I somehow put my reply right in the middle of yours

-- hope you guts can still work it out

[poodlefan]

I think its possible that your dog got used to a higher level of stimulation in kennels than he's getting at home. Much of the behaviour you describe sounds like a dog's version of entertainment. I think its stimulation as much as discipline that he needs.

What toys and training does he get? Does he have boredom busting toys?

Can you walk him on lead?

Edited May 26, 2009 by poodlefan

[Kelpie-i]

No such thing as "naughty" behaviour, just behaviour that is reinforced whether inadvertently or purposely.

From your post, it seems you spend much of your time "reacting" to Ralph's adventures, rather than Ralph reacting to yours. Time to turn the tables and as suggested, pay less attention to when he is being "naughty" or rather attention seking and more when he is doing what you like.

If he grabs something you don't want him to have ie. socks, instead of chasing after him... simply leave the room. Watch him drop the sock (or whatever item he has) to come and see where you've gone. Once he finds you, you can ask him to sit and give him a treat or some sort of reward for sitting quietly.

Also as Erny suggested, more stimulation in the form of training and exercise should also be put on the daily agenda.

Leadership is not about punishing or reprimanding, rather it's providing your dogs with opportunities for reward and to teach and "shape" the behaviours you wish to occur more often.

Perhaps get in touch with a good trainer in your area to show you the ropes.

[chepet]

I do walk Ralph on days when I'm up to it - (I have Syringomyelia -- yes the same as Cavaliers get !!! it's usually easier to say spinal cord injury but a lot of you guys might know what it is ) , admittedly it's way not enough , we sit & do training & tricks every day , sit ,stay ,beg , roll over ,hug ,play dead etc -- he will not fetch

he gets exercise by a game we have where I stamp my foot & pretend I'm going to chase him & he goes nuts & runs & runs

so he gets exercise

when we do go for walks I don't allow him to pull ahead of me & I don't allow him to stop & sniff or pee unless it's on MY terms -- I think I'm doing that right

I have bought numerous toys etc to keep him occupied -- he's just not interested , even in a stuffed Kong !! or meaty bones !!

the only thing I've found that he's the slightest bit interested in is these disgusting smelling dried kangaroo tail bone things that I get from Big W , & I give him these A ) to occupy him & B) for his teeth

I even have special toys that he only gets when we are out , so that he is occupied with something special , as he usually only does these things when no one is around , but this last bout of behaviour has only been since he was in the kennel so I do think you have a point poodlefan & what do you suggest as boredom busting toys ?

I did see on another post a toy that you put some sort of I think it was raw hide rings around it , I'm going to get him one of those , I am going to look for it now

Thank you so much for your help it is really appreciated

[Zug Zug]

From a safety perspective, is it worth also considering the use of an inside crate when you can't supervise closely?

I too have a dog that has stolen chocolate. Twice - very scary. Both times she ate THE LOT and both times I was unaware for a few days until we found the empty wrapping and the penny dropped. Luckily she's built of steel and is okay. Now very careful with chocolate in the house but with 2 teenagers around not always easy.

I didn't introduce a crate for my 2 (the dogs that is, not the teenagers but there's a thought ) until quite late in their lives - around 9 years old. They adjusted quickly and now they love it. They go there when I ask them to, sometimes of their own accord for a snooze. I pop them in the crate overnight, when we're eating, when visitors come over with little kids etc. It's very handy and is not a punishment - just a safe and useful routine they happily accept.

These days, if I ask one of mine to do something she doesn't want to do she runs to the crate as if to say 'can't I just sit in here instead please?'. Usually when it's time for her to go outside on a cold day.

Won't solve the stimulation problems and you wouldn't want to use it for long periods, but may help when you really do need to turn your back for a while.