Biting

Have you read any training books? Do what Caleb says- get rid of her. lol j/k She may still grow out of it- she's still young. Maybe it's because you named her sooner and the Sooners kick a$$- she has to fight like them???? lol

As far as shredding the tennis ball she might need some stronger toys that are hard to shred. Kong toys are pretty tough. In fact they are made so you can put a treat in the middle of them and that might keep your dog busy. Also raw hides might be good for her.

As far as the biting goes, I would grab her mouth and in a firm voice say "no bite!" and give her a chew toy to try to teach her she can chew on the toy and not a human. You'd have to be consistent about it. She is still young enough she should hopefully pick up and learn not to bite soon.

I have watched The Dog Whisperer (Cesar Millan) and he has a book out you might want to get. I can't remember the name of it. I plan on buying it myself. He does amazing things with dogs who have behavioral problems. He teaches pet owners how to be the pack leader which is what his book is suppose to be about.

There are some dogs who don't like to be petted. I found something online that might help in that area: http://www.animalhubbub.com/2007/04/...touch-the-dog/

I hope those suggestions help. Working with dogs can take patience but in the long run, especially if they are still young and easier to work with, it pays off. Your vet might have some suggestions too since they work with animals all the time.

Hi there, new to the site. I have been raising dogs for more than 20 years now. My wife and I currently have two dogs in the house with our 17 month old boy.

First question. What breed of dog is this?

Second question. When does this dog do most of its tearing up? While you are at work, right in front of you? I guess what I am asking is if the dog has torn up a cushion off the couch, did the dog do it while you were there or when you were gone?

Third question. How much regular excercise does the dog get? Different breeds need different amounts of excercise.

Fouth question. Does the dog have the run of the house? Often times I see many obedience issues because the dog has absolutely no rules in the house. They go here or there, jump on the couch, lay in the recliner. I submit my dogs to only 3 rooms in the house. Family room (TV room), kitchen, and dining room. It does two things. One it creates a pecking order. Dogs need that because that is their instinct. My dogs know that humans are alpha and then they serve a different role in our house. Two it allows you be able to get away from the dogs. We can sit in our living room while my son plays with his toys or while we read a book to him and yet the dogs cannot come into that room. They must remain in the dining room (which they do). typically they lay down and watch from the dining room. Our TV room is our family room. This provides the dogs a resting place and they know this is where we come to relax and where we do most of the grooming or petting.

I can't stress enough the importance of really looking at each breed of dogs to best suit your family. I will give you an example. French Brittanies are a sporting breed dog that has un-ending energy (this is one of my dogs). She needs a minimum 2-4 miles each day. That means at least an hour of my time or my wife's time each night. This breed is really for high energy families.

I don't know this case in particular, but many times I see people get dogs because they "saw it on TV" or because some celebrity has one. Families need to research all breeds to decide which one will suit them the best.

Hope this helps.

Dan

Hello forgive me if this post double's up. I tried posting here but it never showed, so I will try again. This is my first post at the site. I was hoping to get some info on how to get my 17 month old son to sleep better but saw this forum and figured I could maybe lend a hand here.

Couple of questions come to mind for the owner mditmore. I have over 20 years experience raising and training dogs. Have two at home myself.

1st question: What breed is the dog? Some breeds have more of a chewing charactistic than others.

2nd question: How much regular excercise does the dog get. (regular meaning each day).

3rd question: When does the destruction happen? While you are in the room? When you are at work? (example to quote you "tears up everything")

4th question: Does the dog have the run of the house or are some rooms off limits AND does your dog know they are off limits? When I mean run of the house, also include if they can jump furniture, curl up in the recliner, sit on the couch, etc..

One thing that dog owners need to do is research the breed they are looking at. I don't know this particular family or dog, but I will give you and example at my home. Our older dog is a French Brittany. Brittany's are part of the "sporting breed". She is very active and has high energy. That means we as a family need to be high energy as well. She gets 2-4 miles of excercise each day. That means about an hour of my time or my wife's time outside on a walk, chasing a ball, etc.. We are an active family so that breed works very well with us. For many families time for excercise becomes an issue and this causes problems in the home.

I also limit the areas to which our dogs may roam. Dogs need a pecking order. It is part of their genetic make up. when you allow a dog to run loose around the house with no rules (so to speak), they believe they can do anything they want which means destroy things and they aren't repremanded like they would be in a pack. Our dogs are limited to the family room, dining room, and kitchen. My wife, son, and I can sit in the living room and read books and the dogs will lay in the kitchen and watch us. But they also know that when we want to relax we will go to the family room which is when they get lots of petting and attention, plus they know this part of the house is for relaxing and hanging out.

They also understand that when we go back to our bedrooms, the lights are out and they are the ears for the night. The Brittany typically makes 2-3 rounds from the dining room door to the family room door just to make sure everything is OK. The lab relys on her hearing for any discrepancies (a lab can tell the difference between and 1/8th of an octave).

The dogs have learned their role in the pack. It doesn't mean everything is A-Ok at our house. My labrador tends to have some chewing tendencies as well, but this is when she hasn't seen some attention time. She knows if she gets into something, I HAVE to deal with her, any attention is better than no attention.

As I stated before, I am not sure on the particulars for the issue above. Hopefully some of the info I gave will help you out. Dogs are wonderful pets and a great addition for a family home, but all to many times families end up with a breed of dog that does not match their family style and that is when issues tend to arise.

Hope I helped some and if anyone can help me figure out why my 17 month old won't sleep through the night, I am all ears (not to hijack the thread).

Take care,

Dan

Sorry I didn't see the post sooner. I will try and help you out with some info.

This makes things a little more difficult, but I will try and focus on the what breed you know she is. The Dachshound is a member of the hound group and was developed in Germany for the sole purpose of hunting. The word Dachshound actually means "badger dog". That was what these dogs were used for because they could work above and below ground. So that is kind of their history (if my memory is correct).

I have ran across badgers out hunting and trust me when I say these can be very violent creatures. Long front paws with sharp nails. Interesting to think that a little dog like the dachshound was used to hunt them.

Dachshounds also have incredible noses (hence why she is probably getting into the garbage).

There are two sides to this. I would say your biggest issue with her is her not being able to get enough excercise each day. However she gets the run of the house/apartment so that lets her get some area to stretch her legs. I believe she probably isn't getting enough excercise. This is leading to her not being able to sit still on your lap to be petted and the fact that she is "finding" excercise by tearing things up. It releases all the pent up energy she has. She also may be showing signs of separationg anxiety. Some dogs just don't deal well with the owners being gone.

Hounds typically have great stamina which means they can keep a constant pace for long periods of time. I owned a beagle once (another hound group member used for rabbit hunting). I could ride for 10 miles each day on my bike and that dog wouldn't even break a sweat as long as I was riding at his pace.

I would suggest a couple of options to try.

1. try and fit a regular walking/excercise routine into the dog's daily activity. A walk when you get home from work would probably do the trick with a longer walk being done on the weekends when there is more time. I would guess an hour long walk on a leash OR half hour of play time (where she is free to roam/run) would probably help. If there is a dog park nearby, half hour there would probably help alot.

2. If that isn't an option (I see you have children and they come first), I would look into a doggy day care facility. Hopefully it would fit into the family budget, but this wouldn't allow the dog to be sleeping in the kennel all day while you are gone at work/school. Most doggy day care facilities will have lots of play time and lots of running around in open areas. I would check to make sure the facility has strict policies on shots and vaccinations of all animals that attend the care center.

If those aren't options, it might be time to really sit down and decide whether the animal will fit in your families lifestyle. Not a decision that is easy to make (been there).


This is hard habit to break, but can be done. dogs are basically "kids with fur". They need to understand the word "no". It will take some time, but when the dog bites, grab its mouth and hold the dog's mouth closed saying "no". If you are consistant with the discipline this usually can be solved. The other option is using a muzzle. Most people think this is in-humane, but if used properly you can curve bad habits. If it is time to relax and watch a movie with the family, put the muzzle on and keep the dog with the family during this time with nice soft petting. Make sure the muzzle allows the dog to pant and open its mouth slightly.

I hope the information helps. Make sure the entire family is involved in how you are handling this situation. That way everyone knows what their role is in "training" your dog.

Good luck and thanks for the advice on getting my kid to sleep. I am going to try some music tonight.

Dan