I am at the end of my rope

My 10 week old puppy chews on EVERYTHING, and he just totally destroyed my avocado tree. He knocked it over and ripped off all the leaves except 2. He's already killed about 10 other plants. All the inside plants he hasn't killed are on the dining room table, and the outside plants are on shelves he can't reach.

I can't fucking deal with it.

When he's not destroying the plants, he's chewing on ME. I try to give him other things to chew on, but he's at me ALL THE TIME. My arms are covered in bites. I can't sit anywhere around him without him LUNGING at me. I'll give him something else to chew on, and he's back at me 10 seconds later. THIS GOES ON FOR HOURS EVERY NIGHT. I can't walk anywhere without him gnawing my ankles.

When he's not at me or the plants, he's at our other dog. He bites her, she barks at him, he bites her, she barks at him. Her barking is also just absolutely frustrating.

I love my avocado tree, I grew it from seed, I've had it for 8 years, and I'm worried he's killed it. It has 2 leaves left on it.

It makes me just want to shut him in the kennel, or throw him outside all day, but I know that not socializing him will make the problem worse.

I want my plants to stay safe, I want my older dog to stop barking, and I want to be able to enjoy the puppy's company without getting bit, but none of these problems seem to be getting better.

I really don't know what to do.

I know that's horrible. I'm kidding. :)

Good luck.

Sorry you're so frustrated right now. :hug:

Have a friend with a similar problem. Puppy is chewing up newly planted Crepe Myrtle tree, nips and bites her. Older dog has resorted to joining the puppy in the outdoor plants destruction.

while grabbing his scruff and giving him a gentle shake then handing him another toy, but he thinks it's a game. :(

have raised many dogs in my lifetime. Have found the most effective way is to do this.

Have puppy food bits (kibble) in your LEFT pocket at all times (for a while...you see...)

You have to stop where you are and what you're doing (don't worry...after a few times you won't have to stop as often...)

Get down to the puppy's level. Gently hold his mouth closed with your RIGHT hand and firmly tell him NO BITING, (or your choice of word or words...) ALWAYS use the same words and voice tone when you are doing this. After gently holding mouth closed and saying your words, hold your hand up in a STOP position in front of his mouth/face (like telling traffic to stop using your hand).

Also, have your hand in your LEFT pocket where the food kibble is. Do this several times. The FIRST time he hesitates to "attack" you again, pull out one kibble with your LEFT hand, put it at/in his mouth, praise him, pet him.

Command with your RIGHT hand always. Praise/reward with your LEFT hand always.

Eventually you start extinguishing the behavior by your actions of command and reward. You start replacing the kibble reward by withdrawing an empty left hand from your pocket, let him lick/sniff and use praise and petting instead of kibble. You'll recognize the time to start this replacement of food reward with voice/touch reward when he starts to respond to your command re: the behavior you are targeting, by anticipating that you have something for him in your left pocket.

It does take time and patience, but the actual time to alter the behavior takes anywhere from 3 to 14 days.

Be sure you start out by targeting only one behavior. Once he learns the RIGHT hand commands, the LEFT hand rewards, you can move on to targeting other behaviors, as well as teaching him other commands to which you may want him to respond.

Good luck!

we go through this when we foster greyhounds - and these are adult dogs

first - puppy proof the house - move all things you don't want chewed out of range or blocked off or moved to a room that will be off limits to the puppy.

I agree that a firm NO will work -- sometimes -- but unless you catch the puppy in the act he doesn't understand what it means

Our airedale (now 10 yrs old) chewed on shoes, ripped up linoleum and trashed the wastepaper baskets as a pup. 99% of the time we didn't catch her in the act. So saying "NO" meant nothing to her.
We opted for the adversion therapy approach -- we took the shoe, magazine, pieces of linoleum or whatever and tied it to her collar. Then over the course of an hour we would shake it in her face and yell NO. After about an hour it would be removed. In about a week she left these things alone. There were a couple of relapses, but another hour of wearing the item soon set things right.

biting at your heels etc. -- he wants to play and is trying to entice you to join. Again we ran into this with our airedale - a snap on the nose and/or yelling NO did no good -- she thought it was part of the game. Back to adversion therapy: When she would bit we would put our hand in her mouth and hold it there until she whined, followed by firm NO. You want to hold it there long enough so it's uncomfortable -- they learn this real fast because it's an immediate reaction to their action.

not sure how big the pup will be - but if jumping is a problem and "NO" doesn't work........

two approaches: A. when the dog jumps - grab the paws and hold them in a standing position until they whine and give a few "NO"s
Dogs aren't built to stand for long periods of time - it gets uncomfortable for them to be in this position.

holding our airdale up didn't work well so we went to plan B: When I would come into the house - I'd immediately say "NO JUMPING" - when she would jump, I would grab her and force her to the floor in a laying position and hold her there until she whined and all the while saying NO JUMPING -- took about two weeks and we had no problems after that

she's a big, heavy dog and jumping is NOT ok, I put my knee up whenever she tried to jump so that she'd hit my knee. She learned REALLY fast that I do not want a 55 pound dog with pointy claws jumping on me.

that will tire him out. Go out and buy a ton of dog toys. I mean buy 50 and throw them all over the house. So chances are he will chew on those.

And you've got to talk like another dog would.

First off, you must remember you aren't doing this to inflict pain on him, you are doing it to show him that you are the alpha dog in the house.

Next time he lunges at you or bites you, snatch him up and using your deepest voice say NO. While continuing to scold him, get down on the ground with him, put the pup prone on the floor, bend down and grab his neck skin/fur up in your mouth and grrrowwwlll at him. Wool him around a bit like this, continuing to growl. This is how dogs figure out who is alpha in the pack, and this is what you are telling him. Be aware that this will frighten the pup a bit, and he might pee a little.

When you are done with this, send him away, some other room for awhile. This might take a couple of repeats, but he will get the message.

As far as chewing goes, try spraying your plants with something non-lethal that tastes horrible. Hot pepper spray(organic gardening stores carry this) do the trick quite well.

Good luck, and don't worry, he'll grow out of the chewing phase in oh, about a year.

my moose liked it so much that one day he ate one of my Habanero plants.

dogs aren't like cats. Cats own you and you have no choice. Dogs can be owned and should be (especially if a larger breed).

Our old, crazy German Shepherd, Cheyenne, loved my mom the most it seemed. She was also dominant over my mom. Wouldn't listen to a word she said, but stayed faithfully at her side. My father & I both agreed in the "act like pack-leader" method of training. The dog would listen to us completely and she liked us, but we were no where near my mom in the level of "love" we got.

One funny moment...
I come running down the stairs and Cheyenne comes around the corner and lunges up at me. Me, being an equally crazy motherfucker at times, leaps back at the dog and snags her by her collar, putting her on her back. I got on top of her and yelled, "Do you know who I am?" She never did that again. My mother made it all funnier because I'm telling her about the situation and she goes, "Well, what did she say?" and she was serious about it. My sister & I look at my mother and I go, "Mom, it's a dog. She didn't say anything." Mom goes, "Oh yeah, you're right" and wanders off. She's kind of Stepford-y.

Good Owners, Great Dogs by Brian Kilcommons

We kept out first pup confined to our kitchen when we had to leave for errands or whatever. I remember coming home one day and finding the phone jack chewed up. If it is within reach..........

like you haven't established yourself as the alpha in the pack. It seems your puppy has just been allowed to take over. I'm not a dog or training expert, but I think you should consider looking into Cesar Milan's work: http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com He has a show on the National Geographic Channel ("The Dog Whisperer"), and they recently did an episode with 2 rotti puppies, who acted very similar to the way you describe yours. It was amazing to watch him put them in their place in 5 minutes. the owner even asked if they were really her dogs after the first session with him. His show is on Fridays at 8pm and you should definitely check him out. He also has a lot of work you can buy....also, hes in CA and does make house calls!

hope this helps...

He's always challenging our other dog, who thinks SHE's the alpha of the pack.

Heinous.

And I picked him out of the litter because he was the dominant puppy, and I thought he would be able to hold his own against our other dog, but little did I know...

its totally worth it. you will learn a lot on how to assert yourself and send out calm energy to control a dog.

:hug:

We only get broadcast, CSPAN, and the Redding Channel. :eyes:

On edit: Does he have a book?

you can watch previews at his website, and he does have books and DVDs on training!

He's about a year old now, and he still occasionally snaps at you when you play rough with him, but he's stopped biting stuff. You have to be patient.

Had to get rid of it.

'Cause Bailey also has a peeing problem. I let him outside and waited and waited and waited and nothing happened, so I took him inside and put him on the bed. He promptly peed ALL OVER the comforter. I threw the comforter in the laundry and took him back outside and waited and waited and waited. I decided he didn't need to go any more so I took him back inside and he peed all over my bed AGAIN.

I was so pissed.

He's been sleeping in the kennel since then.

Lil Prince can do whatever he pleases, or our eyes will be ripped out in the middle of the night lost forever under the sofa bed.

If your cat is going outside of the litter box, there could be a medical problem.

Believe me, he gets "pissy" when things don't go his way. But he's due for a checkup soon, and that will make him even more pissy.

Dump the problem on someone else and wash my hands of the situation. I'll remember that. :eyes:

and wrassle with him a little bit.
Also, teach him to not bite too hard. I taught my dog what "ow" means and she knows to back off. And "no" means "to let go of what you are biting on".

It's great fun. Also, he might be into fetching/tug of war. I have a squeaky toy shaped like a bone that various dogs have loved to chase. When I caught a biggish dog that was wandering my neighbourhood, I played fetch for a while to help wear him out (so it would be safer for me to put him on a leash).

He probably needs another young dog to play with - maybe a dog park.

The older dog LOVES fetch but she doesn't get the concept of letting go of the object I'm throwing. :eyes:

I've been trying to get them into tug-of-war games so they can wear each other out, but the older dog beats the younger one handily every time.

When a playful puppy bites Heather hard enough to hurt, she squeals in shocked indignation. The puppy, surprised at her reaction, usually hesitates a moment, unsure of himself, then tries to bite again. Heather yelps even louder this time and whirls on the puppy, growling, showing her teeth and scowling at him fiercely. Then she turns her back on him and storms away, completely ignoring him and any further attempts to get her to play. A smart puppy picks up her clear message quickly: "if you can't play nice, I won't play with you at all!"

If the puppy persists or doesn't take the hint, Heather doesn't fool around. With a menacing growl and using her teeth, she grabs him by the scruff of his neck and gives him a shake. If he sasses back, she gives him another little shake, tougher this time. She doesn't let go of the pup till he's acknowledged her authority (in dog language) by relaxing his body, laying his ears back and keeping still for a moment. Heather disciplines especially obnoxious puppies by knocking them over with her paw and pinning them to the ground, growling angrily and pinching them with her teeth. The puppies shriek but they're not really hurt. She doesn't let them up again untill they relax and lie still. After the correction, the puppy shakes his fur back into place and goes off in search of a playmate with a better sense of humor.


http://www.canismajor.com/dog/bite2.html

all this frenetic energy that he's taking out on you.

He needs longer walks that are more energetic... this is what the dog whisperer recommends to do with over-active young pups.

http://blogs5.nationalgeographic.com/channel/blog/dogwhisperer/?p=23

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/insight.html

Dogs are not humans. Before they receive love and affection, they need exercise, clear direction and leadership. Giving them love alone doesn't create balance in their lives. Be a pack leader!

Rehabilitating a dog is not about "fixing" it. It's about you, the owner, creating the intention for what you want, not what you're feeling. Dogs pick up on feelings of fear, doubt or worry—and they will move to fill them by attempting to become dominant.

Practice unwavering leadership every day, especially on your walk. The energy you're projecting internally is the message you're sending to your dog.

Dedicate at least 45 minutes of time to the dog's walk in the morning. Let the dog know you have a consistent pattern that you expect it to follow. Utilize your dog's energy in a positive manner.

Don't expect more from your dog(s) than your own children. Dogs need discipline, too. Give them rules, boundaries and limitations as well as love.

Avoid nurturing your dog's fears or unstable mind. Imagine a successful scenario and hold it in your mind when dealing with your dog.
You are the source of your dog's energy. You are the role model.

Challenge the dog's mind—dogs want to know what to do with their lives. Let the dog work for your affection. Once in a calm/submissive state, your love will intensify those qualities in your dog.

Dogs need "on" and "off" time. Engage them fully in structured times together; then they can relax and avoid impatient or destructive behaviors.

Dogs show us how much we can learn—they live in the moment. Try it!

Your dog is probably getting new teeth. Not pleasant for a dog who can't communicate to you how much it hurts. I recommend talking to the vet about it.


Also - Bored dogs go crazy. He'll learn from a lot of firm, consistent, and long-term obedience training. Ten weeks is a good time to start, but he's not going to learn very quickly.

There are "light bulb" moments, when dogs figure out what you're yelling about. Until then, they don't make the connection between "bite" and "bad." Especially if bite is all the time.

Also, it's important to dog-proof the house. My dogs are all less than two feet tall. However, one of them really enjoyed peeing on the big plants. and on the other dogs. and on the couch. and on anything he could lift his leg over.

After cleaning everything, we utilized a three-prong strategy (to use until he understood the obedience training). First, keep him active. A well-exercised and tired dog will be content. Second, give him something to do with the other dogs. They have this knotted rope that they use to play tug-of-war. All of the time. Third, realize that it's our fault if the dog doesn't understand. We patiently taught him that "pee" equals "outside."

I'm no "dog whisperer," but I suspect that your dog bites so often that he doesn't understand what you're upset about. Also, that he's teething.

He's really very, very young. As you said in your post, he can't reach plants that you move out of the way. Once he gets out of this phase, I'm sure your investment will pay off as much as the avocado seed. :pals:

We actually had a better day today (in some ways :eyes: ).

Yesterday I think he "got" that I really don't like being bit, because he only tentatively nipped me twice today, and both times he backed off promptly. I got him a bunch of different toys yesterday with different textures, including a knotted rope, and he and the older dog were pretty busy with them today.

He also scattered 100 onion sets around the back porch and yard, and DESTROYED a rhododendron and a lavender plant. :eyes:

The avocado has some tiny leaves on it, so I think it will pull through barring further incident. :eyes:

she was a puppy. Holding her was like holding a wiggly perana. Wiggle--wiggle--wiggle--bite--bite--bite (Oh, those puppy teeth). I would put her outside for a while, bring her in, and in 5 minutes I was carrying her back to the door, holding her with her back to me because of the constant biting. I didn't have a cage, so for the first six months, I had a leash attached to one of the legs on the front of my washing machine in the utility room that I would put her on when we went out and at night when we slept. I made sure there was nothing but her toys to chew on within her grasp. If it is any consolation, she turned out to be the best dog we ever owned. She calmed down and was the sweetest animal and a great indoor and outdoor pet. She died at 13 yrs. old and we still miss her terribly. Be patient and try to set things up so that she doesn't have the opportunity to chew on things other than her toys.

This is what my stepdad did years ago with a dog we had that did some of the same things...

Pebbles was chewing on plants, shoes and anything shiney. My stepdad tried everything he could think of and finally rolled up a newspaper. He gave her a whack on the butt one time and yelled at her.

She never did it again after that, but Pebbles was scared to death of rolled up newspapers after that. No one could roll up a paper without her cowering. He really regretted it.

Pet shops such as PetsMart sell a variety of Kong toys. My daughters dog trainer recommended this for her pit bull who chewed up her sofa, dining room chair and was beginning with the house itself.

They have a variety of Kong chewable toys that are indestructable. The ones that are especially good are ones that have holes in them and you can stuff edible treats for your dog. The dog can take time trying to get the goodies out of the holes of the Kong and it fulfills their need to chew.

and say no sternly. Or the water bottle. The water bottle works wonders. My little 4 month old rescue that I got a month ago has stopped biting after doing such things with her.

But if you are, I'd look into some of the dog training programs that are available almost everywhere. If the dog has something to challenge his little doggie intellect, he'd not be so interested in making trouble.

Sorta like a conservative, don't you think?

training course that starts on the 14th. :D

iteslf. Fingers, toes, even one's nose, were all grist for my kitty's awesome choppers.

We gave her away; it was just too much to deal with. It was killing our home life.

when your pup bites - it'll stop.

It has to be high pitched, though.

to obedience school. He MUST be socialized with other dogs, other people and he must learn his "place" in the order of things.
Obedience school is quite fun. The dogs love it and they love to please you.

Call your vet and ask for help! They are a wonderful resource and they can help you.

Get him some rawhides to chew on. Get some of that bitter apple spray and spray it on things you want him to stay away from. (Yesterday, my beautifully trained 2 year old Boxer actually tried to chew on my coffee table. It just happens.)

Make sure you use his kennel appropriately. We never used the kennel as punishment, just as a barrier to keep her from being destructive. Now, the door is open all the time and she sleeps in there of her own will. It's her little space to get away.

And...excercise. Whether you have a safe, fenced-in place where you can let him go or whether you need to take him for walks on his leash, he must burn off that energy. Try hitting a tennis ball with a racket for him to chase. Have treats in your pocket so when he comes back to you, he gets a reqard.

Would love to see a pic of your puppy.