Help with Lab Puppy

[KingWheatley]

We have a pure bred (papers and things) Labrador puppy who needs some correction.

He's good when we are home. He's submissive around other dogs (and cats... there is a kitten across the street that has done nothing to him at all but he will hide behind whoever is walking him.) he doesn't beg at the table, nor does he beg when other people have food. He is bilingual (a joke. He knows his commands in both Spanish and English...) and listens to both myself and my roommate when we tell him to sit/stay/lay down etc. He has learned to not go to the bathroom inside (unless he absolutely can't hold it anymore, then he uses the laundry room.)

He is a very good and somewhat behaved puppy.

When he gets excited, he will start jumping, scratching and nipping. I've gotten him to stop actually biting, and almost broke his habit of raking his claws down a person out of sheer excitement...

One thing neither of us can break is his destructive habits. I've tried several ways of communicating to him that we don't want him chewing up furniture or the remotes. Starting from giving him plenty of alternative options (toys and such), trying to wear him out before either of us leave for work, putting the spiciest hot sauce I could find on the parts he's begun to chew on (the kind that burns your nose. It was my "bright" idea... and it worked... but it stains....) Judging from the "obvious guilty dog" look he gives either of us, he KNOWS he's not supposed to.

He's tore up all of his toys, his puppy bed, the cushions of the chairs outside as well as the chairs themselves, a humidifier, the vacuum hose, ... and several remotes with the batteries still inside them... Not to mention the knife he chewed the handle of.... I came home to that. Don't know if my roommate or his daughter left that out, but yea... that made me want to throw up. My roommate keeps asking me what to do, because I have a decent amount of knowledge when it comes to dogs. However, I've exceeded my research and ability at this point.

Just short of sending the puppy to Petsmart's training school (1st class is free, but consecutive classes are $50 each, I think....), but I'm not 100% sure they will be able to break the destructive addiction...? And the longer it takes to break him out of it, the harder it will be.

Anyone have any other ideas?


Herp Derp

[KingWheatley]

(I didn't say a word when I took this photo. Just sent it to my roommate. The floor looks that way because earlier on he used to dig at the linoleum.)




Herp Derp

[Fraido]

That dog, I guarantee, needs a crap ton more exercise. Long walks, lots of play time, and I would seriously suggest crating him when nobody is home or able to watch him, unless that is 90 percent of the time.

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk

[redshepherd]

You'll need to start crate training (playing crate games, using the crate when everyone's home, eating in the crate, etc) for him, since it's possible he has separation anxiety and that's the outlet. An indoor kennel run (with same crate games for conditioning) would work too, if you want to give him more room. Like Fraido said, it might also be pent up energy. For all destructive behavior though, the first thing to do is crate/kennel train.

The crates from petco will almost definitely be destroyed by him though LOL, so I'd consider metal crates and kennel runs used for working dogs.

The petsmart training classes are iffy, usually for "puppy socialiation" and the very basics.. past that, you may or may not luck out with how much skill or experience the trainer actually has LOL. I'd look up trainers experienced in "behavior modification" if you want to find something that'll focus on the issue.

[voodoolamb]

I agree with the others... I doubt this dog is getting anywhere near enough exercise.

Hint: a leashed walk is not exercise.

This:

Judging from the "obvious guilty dog" look he gives either of us, he KNOWS he's not supposed to.

Is a misconception. He's picking up on your body language and mood. Unless you correct the dog IN THE ACT there is absolutely zero association between when he chewed and why you are so mad.

The dog needs to be supervised 100% of the time or crated.

Chewing and destruction can be very very hard to stop because it is a self rewarding behavior that is very natural. Think about what a pack of wild dogs does when it catches a deer - rips and tears at the hide. Chews the bone. Do you know how some people are "stress eaters" or "boredom eaters"? Dogs are the same way. Destroying stuff feels really really good to them. It makes all their icky feelings go away. It's soothing.

think of it this way - dogs learn through reinforcement. Everytime he chews something you dont want him to and you do not correct him while he is doing it - he has rewarded himself for chewing just the same as if you were there to say "good boy!". You can get him to make better decisions about what to chew by consistently marking and rewarding when he chews on the right things. If he goes to chew his bone tell him he's a good dog and give him a treat. He will learn chewing on the right stuff is better. Imagine you have two fridges in your house. One in the same room as you, and one upstairs. Now imagine the one upstairs not only has food, but ALSO has a cash dispenser and will give you $20 everytime you open it. Think you'd go out of your way to get to the upstair fridge? Even if you were really really hungry?

This reinforcement for chewing good stuff needs to be very very consistent and there needs to be a lot of it at first. I would make a goal of rewarding the dog for chewing his toys say 50 times every day for a month, then gradually reducing the reinforcement rates. And making sure you can correct him every time he goes for a forbidden object.

Up his physical exercise. He needs off leash and running time. and make sure he is mentally stimulated. Fun factoid: none of my dogs eat their food out of a dog bowl. Feeding time is great for enrichment. I usually either feed a large hunk of meat and bone they get to chew or I feed them through foraging activities. Look into kong toys, wobblers, snuffle matts, etc. Lots of puzzle toys can be homemade. Cutting a small hole in the corner of an empty milk jug and filling his kibble with that.

Personally I wouldn't waste my money on petsmart training. The good trainers in that company are few and far inbetween and they don't last long.

[KingWheatley]

That dog, I guarantee, needs a crap ton more exercise. Long walks, lots of play time, and I would seriously suggest crating him when nobody is home or able to watch him, unless that is 90 percent of the time.

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk

I work nights and sleep during the day, and my roommate is not home a good period of time. I'd say this pup is alone a good 75%-80% of the time. Usually he's outside in the backyard but it's getting cold.

I'll talk to my roommate about crate training....


Herp Derp

[Fraido]

I work nights and sleep during the day, and my roommate is not home a good period of time. I'd say this pup is alone a good 75%-80% of the time. Usually he's outside in the backyard but it's getting cold.

I'll talk to my roommate about crate training....


Herp Derp

If that's the case I recommend rehoming as it's not really fair to him to be crated all the time or shoved in the backyard all the time, and not getting enough exercise.

[voodoolamb]

I agree with Fraido. Doesn't sound like a dog is a good fit for this living situation.

Dogs are very social animals. Being alone is so bad for them

[KingWheatley]

But I have problems with recommending a new and inexperienced dog owner to go for crates because more often then not I see things like this:




(That is a pure bred (no papers, but confirmed parents were both sheps )German shepherd. I asked the owner why she was so thin, and his response was because she was a runt. He opened the cage and she made a bee line for the nearest dog bowl, then started complaining about how badly behaved she was. Jumping up on counters, stealing other dog's food. I observed him giving her food... just a cup's worth. A single. Cup. I asked him how often she gets fed. "Just once a day." Told me she gets diarrhea frequently so feeding her too much makes her sick.)

But I'll see what I can do...


Herp Derp

[voodoolamb]

Those pics aren't great, but from what I can see, that is a healthy weight for a young female shepherd. They should be lean and mean. Out line of the last 2 ribs visible and the rest easily felt.

The behavior has nothing to do with the crate. It's a lack of training.