Bad Dog, very very bad dog

I come home today to find the place trashed … again. Our dear sweet, little, darling LeeLoo turned into a horrible nightmare (at least when we leave). I come home from class to find shredded paper everywhere, trash scattered over the living room and under the couch, underwear on the bed chewed up, and mr. bear eaten again :frowning: . She knows that she isnt supposed to poddy in the house but when we are gone it seems like she’s hasnt been taken out EVER. My SO takes her out before he goes to work and class … I wake up take her out before I go to work and class … and take her out when I get home … I dont understand how can one doggie do so much damage in so little time. The thing is she has a habbit of eating her own poo … sometimes she plays with it (I am dead serious). She gets it all over the blankets on the bed and its gross. Just a couple of days ago she got into my SO’s computer parts and ate his $90 computer chip… a couple of months ago she jumped up on the computer desk and ate my glasses. She steals food right out of our hands as we are eating (even after being given a little spankin) We cant keep anything from her because she can jump on anything and get a hold of it.

We displine her but since we dont catch her in the act I dont think it does any good. She only does this when we leave … we know she is very co-dependant so we dont leave her alone for very long. I think 2 hours is the max we leave her alone … even then we try not to. She literally runs our life, but we really dont mind … she is our little baby. We used to put her in her cage, but she would bark the entire time till we came home. I cant wait to move into the other apartment (dont get to until Aug.) because that way we can confine her to the kitchen only … the apartment we have now is an efficency apartment. That would limit her access to a lot of things. But what can I do right now.

Its not like she doesnt get a lot of excersise … we do live in the city but we take her on campus and let her run around (on a really long leash) and play in the duck pond (her new favorite thing to do). ON the weekends we go to either my moms or my SO moms where she gets to run free and play with other dogs. Its not like she doesnt get any attention … heck she gets all the attention. When my SO goes to hug me, play with me, and sit or lay by me she jumps on us, barks at us, does anything she can to get the attention we are giving each other. I just dont know what to do … oh by the way if you are wondering she is a jack russel terrier … one really hyper dog :stuck_out_tongue: . Its not her hyperness that is the problems because we love her energy … its her distructive behavior … its getting worse and worse and nothing seems to work. Anybody have any suggestions that have worked with them???

My only suggestion is to find a really good trainer and go to classes faithfully. I have a Border Collie who weighs 60 pounds and a good friend has a Jack Russell who weighs about 6. They have almost exactly the same personality, but the difference is that my dog is trained (mainly because it would be impossible to keep a dog that size who acts the way the littler dog does).

It sounds a lot like your little doggie isn’t so sure that you and your SO are the bosses. The best way to fix that is for both of you to take her to training and for all of you to learn together.

Sounds like your dog suffers from separation anxiety. I think your vet can prescribe a pill for that now. We have a husky/mix that used to chew everything and anything when we left her alone. She’s since grown out of it but we lost a couch, kitchen table and chairs, pillows, books, videos… You might also consider caging your dog though I never felt comfortable with that idea. Some folks find it works well for them.

I have been owned by several dogs including the three that currently let me live with and feed them. I’d say your pup is exhibiting some classic separation anxiety/acting out problems. Let me offer a simple solution–retry the crate training.

I know a lot of people think the dog will feel like he is being punished but this is not the case. Buy a kennel large enough for her to walk and turn around in and make it the bestest place in the whole world for her to be–her refuge so to speak. Put toys, soft fuzzy things and maybe a t-shirt worn by you in there. --my dog is partial to smelly underwear but there is no accounting for taste.

Set the kennel up in a quiet place, leave the door open and start by placing snacks in there, feed her in there and praise her for going in on her own. Put her in the crate for short periods while you are home and praise her then too. Don’t make the crate too large because most dogs will not soil where they lay. If she has a lot of room she may decide to go in a far corner. Gradually increase the time in the crate until she can stay in without barking.

I am not a dog trainer but I know crating your baby is better than letting her literally run amok the whole time you are gone.

I believe Rue DeDay is the expert on Jack Russell Terrorist. You could ask him for hints as well.

I had/have the same problem with my mutt. He’s half staffishire terrior/ qtr husky qtr chow. He looks like a brindal pit bull, only a bit thinner and taller. This dog can really do damage. We first tried to just lock him in my sons bathroom when we left. We put toys in there, something for him to lay on etc. When we got back, the whole bottom part of the back half of the door was gone. We locked him in the hot tub room during the winter, but during the summer it gets to hot. Finally, we had to break down and buy a crate. Best thing I ever did. Once he got used to it, he will go in there no problem. Only thing is, when we let me out when we get home he wants to run around the house like he was on speed.

Dang, I feel for you! It’s so awful when you love your pet to death, but they are destructive. I have a nine month old labrador pup and I’ve had to figure some of this out.

The only problem is that some of what I do to live happily with my pup might be considered cruel. Don’t get me wrong, he’s treated very well. I have a lot of help in caring for him, so he doesn’t even have to be alone all day while I’m at work. On top of that, I work at home most of the time now anyway. He’s quite spoiled and even gets his own doggie ice cream and I’m buying him a truck.

First of all, I took my puppy to puppy school. And now I’m taking him to “big dog school.” It’s the most amazing thing, that sometimes a trainer can give you a thirty second tip and it’s like a miracle. They’ve seen this stuff before and a good trainer will have multiple ideas for ways to stop particular behaviors. It’s a little different for me, because my dog is so big that there is NO WAY that I could control him now if he weren’t under voice control. He can easily drag my down a flight of steps on my face when he’s on his leash.

Second, my dog is in a crate when I’m not there. He didn’t like it much as a puppy, but he knows now that it’s his “home.” That way when I come home from work, or wherever, he’s happy to see me, I’m happy to see him, and none of my antiques have been destroyed. Angus loves to eat books, balls of yarn, anything plastic…he has to be confined as much for his safety as for the safety of my belongings. I’d be devastated if I came home to find him choking or worse.

Third, I bought an anti-bark collar. When he barks, it gives him a little zap. I tried it on myself and it’s quite mild, though not pleasant at all. If he barks again, it gives him a little stronger zap. This device has made my puppy and I much happier with one another. He never barks more than once now, either in or out of his barky collar. He only had to get zapped once to catch on and the thing worked like a miracle. I know Jack Russel’s are extremely bright too, so it would probably work the same way on your doggie.

Like I said, some of this might seem cruel to some people. But in the long run, I think making sure your dog is well behaved, under good voice control, and very obedient makes for a much happier animal in addition to being easier on you. I simply can NOT let him bark like crazy because I have neighbors who like to sleep. Letting him have his way is not an option for me. I would never strike Angus in ANY manner, but I do believe he has to have discipline training, otherwise, he’d have killed me by now.

L

sexywriter, I think your doing it perfect. I’ve crate trained my last couple of dogs and will NEVER do it any other way now. Makes the puppy period much more tolerable.