Taradiddle81 Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 I am probably making him sound worse than he is. He gets very excited when he sees us after we have been out for a while. We have already stopped 90% of the jumping. He sits probably 7 out of 10 times we tell him to, and when he isn't it's normally when we have just gone out there or there are lots of new people around. Once the rain dries up I will try him inside and just watch him closely. If nothing else it gives us a chance to correct his behaviour at the time. It is very hard to reprimand him for chewing, when he isn't doing it when we are around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 I am probably making him sound worse than he is. He gets very excited when he sees us after we have been out for a while. We have already stopped 90% of the jumping. He sits probably 7 out of 10 times we tell him to, and when he isn't it's normally when we have just gone out there or there are lots of new people around.Once the rain dries up I will try him inside and just watch him closely. If nothing else it gives us a chance to correct his behaviour at the time. It is very hard to reprimand him for chewing, when he isn't doing it when we are around. You won't cure the chewing by reprimanding him anyway. You've got to channel the perfectly natural behaviour in a more positive direction. What do you give him that he is allowed to chew on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taradiddle81 Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 a knotted rope toy (it's pretty long and they play tug of war with it), a bone with rope looped through it, a spikey rubber football shaped chew toy with knotted rope out the ends, hard rubber bones, a short length of reinforced rubber hose, tennis balls, and a rubber chicken that he found in the yard somewhere LOL! We did have a hard rubber bone with holes in the end and I put peanut butter in it and froze it for him. Apparently he loved the PB so much he couldn't just lick it out and he bit the end off to get to the PB LOL! But the rest of the bone is still intact. We also have a kong wobbler, but generally Elly will get to that and defend it and spends the day with her tongue poked down it heheh I might get a second one, so they have 1 each. I cycle through the toys and will leave generally 3 or 4 out and will take a couple in each day and swap them (we have a massive tub of toys, but some are indoor toys only.) I will go to the butcher and get them both a massive big bone each this afternoon. In summer I was giving Elly a big block of ice that I had layered meat through, but it might get a bit chilly for that now. Someone suggested a milk carton with biscuits in there with the lid on, as they gave it to their dogs, who would destroy kongs. But, I don't know if that is a great idea. I mean, this dog eats rocks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taradiddle81 Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Ok, so today he has chewed more on the under part of the couch, but the cushions and blanket were in one piece... At least what he has chewed doesn't stop them from using it. Hopefully the bone will give him something else to do tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aphra Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 None of my dogs could be trusted with any bedding at all in their outside runs and kennels, even as adults. I use a really thick layer of clean straw for bedding now ... when it starts to get a bit low I just top it up with more straw. If it gets damp I sweep it out, compost it and add new. It keeps them warm, is dry, cheap and not particularly amenable to fleas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taradiddle81 Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Thanks, if he insists on destroying this couch, I think that may be the next option for outside. Though he doesn't seem to chew the wool blankets, so I can prolly put that in the kennel if he pulls it out, well sucks to be him! Though I am also going to start training him inside as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Have you tried putting something unpleasant tasting on the couch - someone remind me - I think it's Tabasco sauce. Very hot and dogs hate it, you only need a little bit and it would hopefully put him off doing it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taradiddle81 Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 I want to be careful, because I don't want them to not want to get on the couch at all. But I will keep it in mind, at least for the section under the cushions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Taradiddle81 - crate training your boy will make house training so much easier, that way he can sleep in a crate inside and Elly can have her nice comfy bed. Honestly crate training is a win - win situation. Once he is able to be trusted in the crate he will be better in the house. He will enjoy being in the crate, you can give him a bone in there and he will be fine. My boy was a dirty bastard when he came back home - he was not house trained, he was an outside dog. Crate training him helped to toilet train him, he only came inside on lead and treated like a baby, short visits inside building up to longer and longer visits until he was able to hold on for as long as necesary. With in a few months this young entire male went from a dirty dog to a bloody fantastic dog to live with. I asked a lovely DOLer to make him a belly band and he only needed it for a couple of weeks. The only time he has marked inside was when one of the girls were in season and he has never done it since. Not bad at all. Can I ask you not to give up on the idea of a separate run for your boy - it will give Elly some time on her own - they do no need to spend every waking moment together and this way she can still enjoy her comforts without him wrecking everything. Put them away before he is let out and she keeps her nice things intact. This will be peace of mind until he is through this destructive stage, your OH will have a chance to relax and once you stop him wrecking things he will appreciate him more. Think you will find he will not be able to resist the couch - personally I think that is a lost cause, some dogs get great pleasure out of gutting a nice comfy couch - plenty of owners in here can vouch for that, I have been lucky, none of mine have been that destructive. A few dog beds, plants and trees, but nothing lost of any real value. Your boy can not tell the difference between the free couch that doesn't matter and your good couch that could mean a rehome - if you allow him to wreck one - he will not think twice about the others. The way I see it is if he does not start behaving himself soon he may not be welcome much longer - crate training is a proven method to house train dogs - Rottweilers are pretty easy to house train from my experience (can't say the same about pugs though) Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Girl Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 We went through this same thing when my daughter got her dog, he ate my dogs bedding several times so we tried the bitter flavoured spray and it certainly does help, but you need to do it daily or else the taste disappears really quickly. We found the wool blankets worked best, luckily we have several old ones so donated them and it worked really well, for some reason dogs just don't like the taste, but they still have something to snuggle into. My husband also felt just the same way as your husband, that our dog was being punished by the younger dogs actions, but dogs don't think that way. Wool blankets and towels are really cheap to purchase from the op shop, and towels wash easily too. Instead of kongs, you can also put treats into empty 2L coke bottles, they work really well and make a nice noise when dogs play with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taradiddle81 Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 Don't worry Andisa, we have no intention of rehoming him! We are going to work on this until we are all happy (dogs and us!) At the end of the day, he is still a pup and we realise that this behaviour may continue for more than a year yet. We just want to make sure that we helping to get him on the right track. We realise it will be a long road. Don't worry, DP gives him cuddles and enjoys him and spends a fair amount of time in the garage with the dogs being "helpers." It's more just the "awww Bandit did you HAVE to!" when we find out what he's chewed that day. I actually think that Elly is enjoying him now. She has a youthful spring to her step now! She is more active (she will chase him when he has a toy, she doesn't want the toy, she just likes the chase So in terms of her getting a break, I don't think it's a huge issue and she does get time away from him every morning. They love playing and by the time they have been playing for a while, they both get tired and get to have a snooze (Elly's favourite pasttime! hehe). We haven't had to remove anything from her, other than the Kong Wobbler, and I will buy another one of them so they both have one. She didn't have it before we had him anyway. Andisa, are you saying crate train him outside first? My only concern is where the hell do you put a crate to fit a Rotti? He will need his own bedroom LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taradiddle81 Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 Also, it seems that so far, he leaves the couch alone at night. If that continues then sleeping on the couch is fine, and during the day, I just need to find more for him to do. (Turn the backyard into a ball pit? LOL!) But when we do want him to sleep inside at night, I think it is definitely a good idea to start with crate training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 (edited) You can crate train them anywhere - I crate trained Hamish outside in his run, when he first came home he used to toilet in the run because he didn't know any better. We never had kennels then - only metal framed beds because they sleep inside. I set the crate up for Hamish in his run and covered it over and it worked for him. As the nights got cooler I was feeling a bit guilty that he was the only one outside and decided to try him again inside, he was already crate trained outside. So I set up another crate inside. Our house is small but decided to set him up in the kitchen, he is wedged in a small space (for a 42" crate) out of the way, he can see under the table and is right beside the kitchen door. I often leave the crate door open now but when one of the girls are close to come in season he is shut in so he won't mark. He won't if supervised but can't say he won't if not. Must admit having all entire dogs it was a good incentive for Hamish be crate/house trained, the girls never come in season together but one after the other so it can go on for months. This has made life very easy. I have 3 separate runs undercover just out the back door, they are not large runs but they are never in them for extended periods and they never toilet in them. Hamish will mark the runs when a girl is in season which is to be expected - luckily for him he does not do the back door or inside the house. The main reason I don't leave them all running together is to avoid injury - not from fighting but from rough playing. I am sure the neighbours must think they are killing each other when playing, I will leave the girls together because they are mother/daughter and can be trusted. But Hamish and Pink (brother/sister) can get rough so are only together when we are with them. At night they can all be together inside with us, Hamish has the kitchen/dining area and the girls have the back room which is separated by a baby gate. The only time Hamish has gone over it was when a girl was in season so that is when he is crated out of the way. ETA: There was a time when I never had crates or runs and to be honest I never liked the idea or thought I would need them (that was before I understood how good they were) - best investment we have ever made since having several dogs. I work from home so the dogs are rotated throughout the day. Edited March 23, 2011 by Andisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Physical Stimulation vs Mental Stimulation......I'd definately go the Mental to exhaust the dog and also consider what enrichment you can provide the dog when you're not home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 My only concern is where the hell do you put a crate to fit a Rotti? He will need his own bedroom LOL! I have one for my Dane 122 x 122 x 122 iin my lounge room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taradiddle81 Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 ETA: There was a time when I never had crates or runs and to be honest I never liked the idea or thought I would need them (that was before I understood how good they were) - best investment we have ever made since having several dogs. I work from home so the dogs are rotated throughout the day. Our dogs are home alone during the day, but I know that when they are outside without us, they spend most of the day sleeping, with odd periods of play (they are like kittens LOL). I will hold off on putting runs for him, because our yard isn't really set up well for it, and I don't think that Elly is getting a hard time from him. If anything she seems to be loving it, apparently she enjoys him nibbling on her neck, you can tell by the smiley glint in her eyes and her body language! So separating them isn't high up on my agenda. I will investigate crate training. Elly is fine with sleeping inside, she lies on our bed until she is told "Elly, go to your bed" and she gets off and lies on her matt next to the bed. I would love for Bandit to be the same, but obviously it might have to start with crate training before we can get him to that point. I would probably be willing to try him inside without the crate for a night or two and see how he goes. He might be fantastic inside, afterall when we are outside sitting at the table, he just curls up and snoozes at my feet. So I am not concerned about him chewing while inside, it is more just him chewing his bedding outside. Definitely more mental stimulation during the day though! MEH, do you have any suggestions? Today they got a 1/2 a huge bone each and they also get a cycle through of various rubber bones and rope toys. I am buying a second kong wobbler this afternoon. What else is good to mentally stimulate him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taradiddle81 Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 Just in case anyone comes back to read the thread later... bones = no chewing on things he shouldn't! We are giving them either a marrow bone ($5 split in half, they get a half each), or some smaller bones (bag of bones $3, looks like some sections of ribs, but also some larger bones cut into smaller sections) or a kong wobbler each day. Problem solved. For $8 a week, it is a solution that we and the dogs are loving! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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