Welcome to February, and being very late to joining the âWelcome 2018â train, Happy New Year? From the Dog Trainer Mama perspective, January was pretty interestingâŚthe entire month simply got away from me! The kids went back to school, the holidays are over, and we are immersing ourselves back into all of our after school sports, academics, and play dates. So where does that leave my dogs while I get my crap together? At home. Up until the past few weeks, my dogs normally free roam the house when we leave, and itâs not an issue. I canât say itâs never been an issue, because while Karma was amazing from day one, Vino had a normal puppy stage of nonsense thefts, and chewing. He was always a food motivated little weirdo, but we worked through it, and heâs learned a healthy respect for what is mineâŚuntil recently.
This week alone, Iâve had multiple clients contact me about their dogs âsuddenly becoming destructive for no reasonâ. I kind of chuckle when I think about what our idea of âfor no reasonâ is, and what the reality is behind it. So I decided to put myself on blast for a moment, and let me be the example, and the learning moment for all of you, because it can seriously happen to ANYONE!
I want you to disconnect from your relationship with the struggling dog, in this case, we will use Vino. Forget what their past was for just a moment, and letâs talk about what the current issue is. Vino is stealing food off of tables, counters, and various locations if itâs unattended, and if you have turned your back. He has been tearing apart his beds, blankets, boxes he finds, and various kids toys. In 15 years of dog ownership, I have never had a dog dig through the trashâŚwell Vino can now check that off of his bucket list. He can also thank that adventure for his crate time when I leave the house now. I am often surprised at how many of my clients have assumed that damage and âacting outâ is just okay, but itâs not, it means something!
I Donât think I really have a problem â So in reality, the first step is realizing there is an issue with your situation to begin with. IF you leave home, knowing that you will return to potty accidents, or damage to your personal items, and property, then this is likely going to be pretty helpful to your household. BecauseâŚThose things should NOT be happening. Period. You shouldnât have to pick up the aftermath of your dog when you get home everyday, and this doesnât sound like the set up for a super healthy companionship to thrive in. It is, however, a pretty good sign that your dog is missing something, and is replacing those energy release needs with what he CAN get to. Which is your wallâŚ
Taking responsibility â Now that we know there is a problem, we move on to our second partâŚwhich, in this case, is taking responsibility for my part in all of this. This is why I find the âfor no reasonâ comment so amusing, there is ALWAYS a reason. Around the first part of November, we caught the nasty flu bug, and it circulated our house (NO JOKE) for 2-3 straight months. It felt like death (really, Ava was even hospitalized at one point!)âŚwhich means, a lot of my normal activities stopped for about that same amount of time. In reality, it messed with our daily walks, I stopped running with them in the evenings, our training sessions were not as often, or as long, we havenât attended a class, and all in all, their normal exercise (both mental and physical) was seriously lacking. When you take into account what my dogs are used to doing on a daily basis, itâs even harder for them to do next to nothing. Karma is great at bouncing back to and from down time, but Vino needs much more than she does. We had a few instances each day, where we would leave to take Aiden to school, and come back to find that he had snagged ANYTHING he could find, and devoured itâŚitâs dangerous for him, and frustrating for me. Remember above, when I said itâs not normal to expect disaster, and clean up when you come homeâŚgood example! So obviously we crated him when we left from that point onâŚgood start, soâŚIâm done now, right? Nope.
Iâll just get a crate â The crate can, and is, a reasonable way to react to destruction. The dog clearly canât be cool when heâs free, and alone for a lot of reasons. I donât want to dismiss a perfectly safe option based on sympathy (you had no problem putting up play pens for your baby so he didnât stick his finger in an electrical socketâŚjust sayinââŚ). Safety really is my biggest point with crating, i donât want to leave my dog alone if he can get into dangerous items, or find himself caught in precarious places. However, another important point is how it is going to effect our connection (or âbondâ) by leaving my dog in a position to constantly destroy my home, and my things. While crating is a good start, itâs NOT the only thing needed here. Shutting your dog into a small space instead of dealing with the underlying issue is more of a âbandaidâ for the moments I cannot watch what heâs up to. Itâs absolutely not going to fix the issue at hand. So what is the issue at hand then? Itâs surprisingly pretty simple, this dog is NOT getting what he needs to burn the physical and mental energy he has (In my case, in a way he is accustomed to). Which leads me to my part in combating the problems we are having at home.
Just like all of you, I have 24 hours in a day, and itâs up to me to make sure all of my family gets what they need in that time frame. Thatâs kind of what I promised my dogs when I decided to make them part of our family, so they should be allotted some of my time to keep them balanced daily as well. Another words, even if I feel justified with sickness keeping me down, I SHOULD make sure they are getting enrichment, and exercise each day, and prioritize it into my schedule. If I donât, then I really canât be upset with my dog, for being bored. You know, the saying, âA tired dog, makes a happy ownerâ, in this case, itâs pretty spot on. Tire the brain, exhaust the body, then your dog wonât have to find other ways to do that for himself!
What a thief â Now that we have that pesky responsibility issue out-of-the-way, lets back track to his food issues. Remember when I said to push the history of your pup aside? Now itâs time to bring that back into play! It does help give me insight to his previous training, and needs, but donât rely on what has worked before being the only option. Vino has always been a serious food hound, and as a puppy we really had to work hard with him on impulse control. With that being said, impulse control exercises are a great way to start, for a lot of reasons! They are a great tool for mental exercise, and can be so unbelievably versatile, and easy to fit into your schedule. You can start with;
-Control feeding times, and make them work for meals.
-Play games (hide and go seek, find it, cups, you name it!)
-Load puzzle toys with meals (there are TONS online now to purchase!)
-Make them work for whatever they want! (Food, toys, ride, walks, anything!)
-Work on âLEAVE-IT!â Up the anti and progress with your dog to further stimulation, and build reliability!
-The âwaitâ command is my fave, and you can progress with your dog, continuing to make it more of a challenge as they catch on.
-Stay is great, add distance, distraction, and duration!
-Introduce them to new things! Physical items, sports, games, anything!
-This one is VERY important for those of you that have a counter surfer, and super hard for those of you with kids!  Now that your dog has made the reward connection to your counters, and tables, make sure you ALWAYS keep your counters clear. If they check often, and find nothing from now on, it is no longer a lucrative exercise, because there is no longer a reward. If you leave snacks, even small ones, they make for a pretty tasty reward, and the repetition of a nasty habit!
Letâs take a walk â This is my second get real moment, walk your dog. Run your dog! Hire a dog walkerâŚit doesnât matter, both stimulationâs are important to tire your dogâs needs. Take into context the personalities, AND BREED, when you take in a dog, or when you are judging the exercise needs for your pal. Vino is a higher energy mastiff breed (lol, yes that exists), which is WHY I got him in the first place. We have dabbled in running together (he fails hereâŚthis is past his lazy point), Agility (he loves this!), and nose work, on top of our normal obedience. I knew this is what I was in for the day I told myself, âyeah, I can totally take in a tiny Cane CorsoâŚâ. So itâs absolutely necessary for me to meet his physical exercise needs on top of his mental energy needs.
Training is a MUST â Dogs are not born knowing what you want from them. Sure we are connected in a way, but that doesnât mean they can read your mind. So take your dog to obedience classes, just give it a try! It doesnât mean you canât âdo it on your ownâ, in fact most good group classes are literally just giving YOU the skills to teach your dog on your own in the most constructive way! Search out a good âpositiveâ trainer (a topic for another day) that can help you earn a good relationship with your dog. By positive I mean someone who can work with your dog outside of slapping on aversive tools to hurry anything along. As your dog progresses, move on to some fun sports that will offer you both a good bond, some fun, AND exercise (both mental, and physical). If you like to compete, and your dog is on board, there are tons of ways to find a group near you.
Combine it all!- Letâs recap, destruction of any kind is not okay. Crating is alright, but not a resolution. Dogs need both mental, and physical stimulationâŚcough, cough, I canât say this enoughâŚthis is the millionth timeâŚLook at your dog, and say, âwhat can he need from me?â Instead of âthis dog doesnât get it!â because itâs usually us. Take in to account the personality, and breed of your dog when you decide what exercise they need. Get some thinker toys, use your training wisely with meal times, always make them work for a reward, and donât be afraid to try out new classes!!!! Nothing in life is free, you can look at food and treats as currency if it makes it easier for you. When your dog is tearing up your house, your yard, and âacting outâ if you will, realize they are missing something, and give them what they need. Your dog is a part of your life for a reason, so make the time to help them have a healthy and happy life with you!
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Destructive dogsâŚwhy canât THEY just chill out?! Welcome to February, and being very late to joining the âWelcome 2018â train, Happy New Year? From theâŚ