Need some dog training advice

[purplemuffin]

So, our family got a new dog a few months ago. We've always gotten our dogs as puppies, and this was our first slightly older dog(she was nearly 2 years old)

She's sort of our rescue dog. She didn't have the best original home life. She's a blue heeler mix that my mom's best friend's son picked up one day cause his friend had puppies. His mom didn't want the dog(she's a one-breed-only person, only really likes rottweilers) and he picked it up and paid for it without permission so it became his responsibility. The issue was he had full time school AND work so the dog was left outside all day until he came home at 10pm. She had about an hour of being with people if he even felt like it before it was time for bed.

So she was never really trained... She actually had never even experienced carpet until she went to live with us, and she had always just been outside and never had to beg to be let out or was taught that outside is where bathroom time happens, so right off the bat she had potty training issues.

She also acts as if she's been beaten. Now, I know this family, and they might be pretty lame dog owners, but they aren't the 'beat the dog' type of people. She just appears to be extremely self conscious and sensitive. She always looks like she's in trouble.


The biggest issue we've been having is her...well, doing things behind our backs. I don't know how to deal with an issue when she is purposefully sneaky. If I'm around she'll never go near the cat room to get to the litter or if there is any food out, but if she doesn't think I'm there, she goes right to knocking down the toddler blocker fence thing and starts to go at it. All it takes is for me to announce that I'm there by saying her name or making a noise(not even like a 'no!' noise, just a footstep or moving something) and she looks like she's been shot. She bolts out of the room with her tail between her legs like I just ordered her execution. Then, she'll act like she's in trouble the whole rest of the day related to that thing. If she was caught with cat litter she acts as if merely eating is a sin. If I walk by while she's eating her food we just gave her, she has the same reaction, thinking she's been 'caught' doing wrong. If she's been caught chewing up furniture earlier that day, she nearly has a heart attack when she is seen chewing on her ACTUAL toys.

To be honest, she has quite a few issues. If she manages to sneak out of the room we're in she'll end up ripping up things(we had a wicker chair outside, now it's a bunch of sticks, mamaw had a realistic fake cat which is now just fuzz and fake fur, etc.), getting into food or trash or litter, she digs, she has occasional potty training failures, etc. etc. But when she's with us, she's an angel. I have never seen a dog that just NEEDS so much attention and affection. She gives hugs like no dog I've ever had and is just a precious girl. This is my first girl dog as well. They definitely seem to have a different spirit than the boys. She's just a very kind and gentle animal.

Now, I've never had to 'fix' a training issue with a dog, we've just always gotten puppies that we were able to socialize and train from the beginning who just learned not to do the bad stuff and that being good is always awesome. Now I seem to have a dog who knows right from wrong but tries to be sneaky about it anyway. I don't even know where to start. With her being as sensitive as she is, I don't want to mess up and do something that will make her not trust me, but I don't want to see this behavior continue. I know we could simply have her locked with us 24/7, but some of our rooms are big enough to where she can get out of our sight, and when I'm doing homework on the computer she's snuck behind me and destroyed a remote control. I ended up having to set up a webcam behind my back to watch her.

I would just love to actually get some real advice on what to do here. My parents..Aren't the best with animals to be honest. Sadie walks all over them and they just let her, and then are surprised when she doesn't respect their authority. They also are just too busy to play with her(which is bad in a high energy animal like a blue heeler) Nathan, Aaron and I are the only people she really listens to, and we're also the only people who walk her and play with her and have at least tried to encourage her to learn simple commands(sit, stay, come here, lay down, etc.)

Anyway. Dogs aren't my specialty. So all of this stuff I've been having to study and learn on my own. There seems to be so many opinions and clashing views on training. I know I have seen a lot of really nicely trained animals and a lot of opinions on this site that really make sense to me, so I thought I'd start asking here. I'd just love to know I can trust my dog. I know my parents, and I know that if she chews the wrong thing, she'd be a lost cause and be dumped off on someone else, where she'd just do the same thing again and end up dumped off again where she'd probably end up in the pound. Don't want to see that happen. I think we took a responsibility by taking her in to give her a good home and I think we should fulfill that responsibility.

If anyone has any advice...Please, share!


Here's some pictures of the little toot!