The puppy from hell!

[Raven]

Just kidding. I adore Tinker but she is eating everything in sight. She chewed a hole and my mattress and before I knew it half of the stuffing was on the floor or in her mouth. She looked like she was wearing a beard! She brings in sticks and leaves and old rotted logs and feasts upon them. She loves bugs. She likes stones and she adores cat poop and litter. She has a millon chews and toys and teething things but she prefers "natural foods" I guess. Does anyone know how long this goes on? She's just over 4 months old now.

[havocmom]

1. What breed (or mix of) is the little home wrecker?

Any sort of retriever?

[MuseRider]

2. HA!

My first guess was retriever too having had several who could eat mounds of couch stuffing and every single bush on the property.

[havocmom]

6. Friend of Havocdad's had retrievers who were not satisfied with anything

tougher than soda cans. Our Golden chews rocks. He didn't damage much as a pup as he seems to want to please me and would sit for me to take away inappropriate items and accept the things I gave him in their stead. Problem is, he is smart and still does the barter thing if I have something he wants. He will gladly give me a half chewed nylabone for a hunk of watermelon or in exchange for a slipper (which he won't chew up, only tease me with).

I have heard lots of horror stories of labs & goldens eating large portions of furniture. Glad the 90 Pound Hound settles for large tree limbs he drags home from the park after storms.

Raven, is the dog an alpha? You may have to resort to dog-speak to let her know you are the top dog around the house and she had better do things the way you want them done.

Throat over throat maneuver is a good way to let her know you are the boss of her. I had to do that a lot with the 90 Pound Hound when he was a pup. and yes, I did clamp down on his ear with my teeth on occasion until he accepted that he was not the boss. Been smooth sailing since then.

Remind me to tell you the story about him taking the coyote pelt off the wall and bringing it to me. ;)

[Raven]

12. Bite her ear????? That's not

in my puppy training book! And what is "throat on throat"???? I think you're telling me that I have to become a dog for awhile!

[havocmom]

18. Yep, that's exactly what I am telling you!

Throat on throat (best done when dog is still young and impressionable)
If she is being willful and/or not minding, at that time so she knows what she is doing that you are not pleased about, roll her onto her back and hold her, place your throat over her exposed throat (be mindful of those teeth and make sure she is immoble in your grip) and just hold it there a bit. She needs to be held til she stops squirming.

That is how an adult dog handles an uppity pup. The ear bite (don't do a Tyson, just let her know you have teeth too) is another thing you will see adult dogs do to maintain order.

This is how dogs teach the boundaries for play and rough housing to pups and keep things from getting too aggressive.

Being pack animals, they will eventually give in if you keep maintaining dominance. That is where the consistancy thing comes in. And, yes, the pup will test from time to time to see if you are still interested in being the top dog or if the position might be coming vacant soon.

Ask NothingShocksMeAnymore about it. ;)

NSMA, you on today?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

23. I was just going to say "listen to Havocmom"

Some people will tell you that it is cruel and that you are threatening the dog. Don't believe them. a DOG wants order...a dog is a DEN animal and unless you let them know YOU are the alpha, they will fight for that position unless you assert it.

I took Havocmom's advice...my dog loves me..isn't afraid of me and has turned into a wonderful dog..he was 2 and a half when I got him..completely untrained and unruly..he isn't the model child but he's a wonderful dog.

The only thing I do is bite (not hard) his upper lip...but he stops the poor behavior in a nano-second.

[DemExpat]

29. The best book I read with my new adopted Jack Russell is about den rules.

Dominance training like you describe, only books here don't mention having to use your mouth or throat - your hand holding the dog's throat down is fine because to a dog, humans are 3-headed dogs (hands count as heads.....:shrug:)
I did this several times to show my feisty young terrier that she was not the new Alpha here in the house, and she has responded by being a sweeter, well-balanced and more mellow dog.
TWO long walks and playing with balls per day help the mellowness tremendously. :D

Other tips -
Never feed your dog until you have finished eating.
Don't let them sleep in your bed......hard to do this one sometimes...
Don't let them win contests over objects....
Have your dog follow simple commands from you throughout the day (Sit, down, stay, etc) to remind him/her of her place.
There are several other tips I can't remember tonite....

At first I thought these rules of the Den were harsh, but they actually create a peaceful atmosphere and a seemingly happier dog (and whole family!)

I recommend this approach too with all young dogs....especially the dominant types!

DemEx

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

32. I had to crate my guy and lay on top of his crate and look down at him

He isn't allowed on bed or couches with me in the house but out in the yard he sits on the swing next to me as a treat..he's gotten with the program.

[Eurobabe]

21. too bad they can't eat THAT bu$h (GWB)

[MuseRider]

24. Dogs are way too

smart to even get that close. Poor Barney has no choice.

[Raven]

3. Yup.

She's part Yellow Lab and part Standard Poodle. My 14 year old Gypsy is part Black Lab and part Collie and I don't remember this level of distruction with her when she was a puppy. Tinker even goes in the lake and drags out soggy branches. I'm afraid my wood pile will be next!

[Ithuilwen]

4. Is that what they call a "Labradoodle"? nt

[ET Awful]

5. I thought it was a Pooblador :) n/t

[Raven]

7. Yes. She's

a wonderful dog...smart like the poodle and with a wonderful temperment like the Lab. She does not shed and is hypoallergenic. People have used these dogs as companions for the elderly...I'm almost there!

[Ithuilwen]

13. She sounds like she'll be even more wonderful once she's full grown.

Had a yellow lab myself who lived to be fifteen. Maudie was the sweetest!

[SoCalDem]

9. Our Labs tried to eat their DOGHOUSE

Labs are chewers and diggers :)

We had to line the entire perimter of our 8 FOOT HIGH (the can JUMP too) with boulders the size of basketballs to keep them from tunneling under the fence..

Their "doghouse" was 6 foot square, with a tiled roof, a window, and a wraparound porch..on "stilts", so they could crawl under it..

They ate all four corners of the house, so my husband put metal on all four corners, and they chewed the metal off on 2 sides.. They also ATE the knobs off of our gas grill and chewed through the cable tv line 3 times..

Enjoy :)

[MuseRider]

14. We went throught that too!

God it was funny. First he dug a basement then he made it a gazebo. It was. Our Golden was the one who ate our cable and phone lines.

[havocmom]

15. rocks, fences and terriers with degrees from MIT

Had a friend who inherited a terrier when his mom passed away. Dog didn't know how to play, always been with a frail old lady.

His retriever taught the little guy how to play and the terrier made up for lost time. There were dogs next door. There were GIRL dogs next door. Terrier owners will attest to their randy determination.

Anyway, the rascal dug a tunnel under the fence. Owner placed very large rock at entrance, blocking tunnel. Next day, owner finds new tunnel. Owner (yeah, like anybody actually owns a terrier) gets immense rock, almost ended up in hospital with hernia from moving it, but manages to put it at entrance of second tunnel. Dog thinks on it.

Next day, owner comes home from work. Dog has a large hole dug next to the immense rock. Owner giggles thinking dog not getting anywhere and heading in wrong direction instead of under the fence. Dog sits by hole, smiling and wagging tail. When he is sure he has everyone's attention, he returns to his hole and digs directly toward the immense rock. At crucial moment, he jumps backwards and Poof! immense rock rolls from its position blocking the second tunnel and into the latest hole. Dog goes through tunnel, get his kisses from the ladies next door and says "neener neener neener, I win" to owner.

We never did find the slide rule.

[havocmom]

10. Sounds like a lifeguard in the making!

Seriously, do the dog-speak posturing with her til she gets the message that you are the leader of the pack.

She must be smart with that sort of breed heritage. Now you just have to make her understand that you set the limits and then what the limits are. Of course, she will keep testing your resolve on the issue from time to time. Consistency is very important.

She will be a great buddy when she learns the rules. Glad you went ahead with the plan for a new puppy. You will be too... eventually! ;)

[MuseRider]

16. She sounds so cute!

We have had one Golden who just ate everything, my kids had no toys without chew marks or missing parts. She ate the arm off of my best silk blouse, well everything she could eat she ate. Our next Golden has been an angel from the beginning. Lots of luck getting through this, it can be so trying but as you well know, it will be worth it.

[Kokonoe]

8. did you buy it some toys and chewees

it will be a while . my dog goes everywhere with its toys in mouth. it's a yellow lab. I heard somewhere yellows chew the most and browns the least.

[salinen]

11. Wendy loves cat litter encrusted poop

we call them almond roccas.

[LynneSin]

17. Abbott & Evita want to know...

...where they can send tinker some of their cat poop

:loveya:

[Raven]

19. Oh Jesus! Thanks but no,

I have a lifetime supply! :hi:

[Fleshdancer]

20. Crate training helped me

My pup is crated when no one is home which keeps him from eating the house. Now, if there's too much excitement around him, he'll go into his crate on his own to chill out. This is the first time I've crate trained a dog so I was unsure at first, but so far it's been working beautifully.

Every now and then I'll catch him trying to sneak a throw pillow out of my sight so he can chew on it, but for the most part, he's pretty good. Problems start arising when I get too busy to take him out on long walks. He'll start chewing when he gets bored. I think he does it for the attention...kids and pets will agree that negative attention is better than no attention.

[pagerbear]

22. Pictures! We want pictures!!!!!!

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

25. By the way...Nyla bones rule...takes them forever to chew through them

dogs gotta chew...and my guy has left his mark on my seat belts, my hair brushes, my hammers and everything else but for some reason only ever steals my shoes and never chews them.

I was gone last weekend and he came in when I got home..took one of each shoe into his den and surrounded himself with them and held them but didn't chew them..then smiled at me as if to say,"Look what I have!"

[havocmom]

27. Exactly what my golden does! Won't destroy things but takes hostages!

And if I don't get up & chase him fast enough, he will come bakc and smack the shoe on the ground to make sure I notice. It's like he is saying: I am gonna eat this paint chip and get lead posioning; better stop me! He laughs all the while. Now he is teaching the new kitten how to be a retriever... Havocdad thinks we need a mastif too. :eyes:

[Raven]

26. Thanks everybody!

I just tried Havocmom's suggestion. Tinker got a little wild and I held her at the throat (gently) and lightly nipped her ear. You should have see the look on her face. She's standing at attention..."reporting for duty"! :-)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

28. By the way...retrievers live for approval...try Clicker training

there is a book on it..you use a clicker and a treat..when the dog does the right thing, you click as they are doing it..then give a treat..the timing of the treat doesn't matter but the timing of the click has to be as the dog is doing the deed...this is how dolphins are trained...it works REALLY well on retrievers..ask in your pet store...it is good positive training..and actually good training for humans as you are acknowledging the dog for doing what works rather than punishing the dog for doing what doesn't work.

[havocmom]

31. Does it work for husbands?

just, you know, sorta wondering... ;)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

33. Yeah but the treats are different

you know conditioning and all that :evilgrin:

[havocmom]

30. Glad to hear it Raven!

A dear friend of my daughter's got his first dog during his last year of college. He was a complete novice at dog wrangling but a loving kid with a good head on his shoulders.

He got a dog from the humane shelter. A lab/great Dane cross. Interesting choice for a novice. ;)

After a couple of weeks, he called and wanted an honest answer to a question. OK, I'll do that; what's the question?

"Do you think my dog is retarded?"

I almost fell over giggling. No, not retarded, just not sure which one of you is in charge. I told him what to do. Got a call back in 20 minutes: "My dog has a whole new attitude toward me!"

The dog is a love. He is secure and clever, gentle and loving.

Sometimes all it takes is to put them on their backs and hold them there, but retrievers are a bit hard to convince and teeth or throats often need to come into the mix. Dogs are so amazing at all they learn about how WE communicate. But when they are young and not experienced yet, it does help if we communicate in a language they do understand. Watch how a mother dog keeps the pups in line. That works well.

A long and wonderful adventure for Raven and Tinker. And, I agree with Pagerbear, we need pictures!

XO
hm