Dog destroying my Moms house

[aracko]

I have a dog - when I got married I gave the dog to my mom because the dog is a known Cat Killer and my wife brought 2 cats into the marriage. The dog has quite the life at my Moms and I see it a few times a month so I dont feel like I abandoned it. It has a playmate as well.

 

Anyhow - it has always had issues with Thunderstorms and the 4th of july. But as he has gotten older the dogs fear has really progressed. A few weeks ago my Mom left to go to Pirate days in Port Washington and she came back (there were small storms) and he destroyed a window by trying to chew threw it, destroyed 2 screens on windows. Another time he chewed the back door. My parents just bought this house 2 months ago.

 

I have suggested that they put him in the basement room - its a nice dry basement that I would have no problem sleeping in and lock him in there when they leave. Problem is my Mom just doesnt believe in that - she likes him to have free roam of the house.

 

I know he cant be the only dog that has this issue. How to others handle this? They sell all this "herbal" stuff, but I dont believe it would work too good. I love the herbs, but giving him a drop of Chamolle on his toungue to me wont cure it.

 

She is sending him to Dog behaviour - I share the cost with her - but I want to be proactive and think ahead. If this doesnt work, what else can be done?

 

 

(added tag --1992)

[dadofandrew]

Crate him when he's alone, for one thing. It's natural for a dog, so he'll get used to it quickly.

 

Our dog was 4 when we got him, and he has also gotten more wimpy as he has gotten older. Much more scared of lightning, being left alone (out of his kennel), the phone ringing, and so on.

[aracko]

Believe it or not, he chews out of crates when a storm comes in. He is an escape artist. Even tried to Put him outside and he digs under teh fence. Dog might be too smart for his own good.

 

- Thanks - I do appreciate the response.

 

BTW - if it matters - he is a german shephard mixed with Golden Retreiver

[Baldkin]

Take a look here, there isn't much, but it may help:

 

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1310&articleid=2545

[1992casey]

My dog hated guns and firecrackers. Fear of thunder came later. It got to the point that the barometer in him could tell a storm was coming way before I could.

 

Your mom needs to understand that crating isn't bad. If she's not inclined to do that, she should at least accept the fact that closing a few doors is cool.

 

The basement sounds great. The dog isn't going to hear much. Turning on a TV or radio down there will help to further mask sound. Maybe you can get a couch and a piece of carpeting. Put his bed, dishes, and toys in that area so he'll feel at home.

 

You can take it a step further and put a TV there. That way it's comfortable for for people to join him downstairs.

 

Also, talk to the vet about this. S/he may recommend some kind of medication. I was using Vetri-Science Composure Liquid with my dog. It wasn't perfect, but it seemed to help a bit.

[Thurston Fluff]

That was a good read Baldkin. My dog can tell when it's about to rain. She gets distracted which is something that never happens otherwise. Funny thing is once it starts to rain she's fine. It might be because we go out to the dog park on most rainy days to play frisbee. So she might equate that to play time.

 

Aracko your mom needs to understand dogs don't view small areas as a bad thing. To most dogs it's a den. Which actually relates to saftey. If the dog chewes out of the crate I'd guess either the anxiety is getting way out of control or it has not been crated much and doesn't view the crate as a den. She might want to try to crate the dog more often for small periods of time when the weather is fine. Maybe give it treats in the crate. Once the dog equates the crate to it's own personal den it might take to the crate more readily in a storm. Only suggestions though dog phobias are the hardest thing to deal with.

[aracko]

Thasnks for the advice guys - lots of good advice in here.

[TerraceReserved]

My dog has the same problem with thunderstorms. Only thing different is, he'll pee in the house, making a mess and ruining our carpet. Kenneling works, but for me, if I'm home during the storm I'll just stay with him and he won't be as scared.

[HebrewHammer]

Sounds like a few people have the same dog issue. I'm by no means the "Dos Whisperer" but before I got a puppy Great Dane I read up a lot on it, did research and have enjoyed great results. Something to consider is this: A good dog isn't born. It's made.

 

That is, a dog is only going to be as good as the time and energy put into it. Especially in its first year, the critical year.

 

If you got your dog after it was a puppy, it's very hard to know if the previous owner trained it well and rewarded good behaviors. You're taking a huge chance so be careful. Also, getting a dog from the Human Society, although a wonderful, humane thing to do, is also very risky as many of those dogs have been abused, abandon and almost without a doubt weren't trained well. And not to sound snobby, but probably not breed too well. Not that this is always critical, but dogs breed from good AKC breeders (or even non AKC for non-pure breed dogs) will almost invariably be breed for good temperaments, good health (DNA testing now days is fantastic) and make superior pets, if the right time is put in.

 

Just some things to consider when considering a dog. Also consider that when you get your puppy (it will be ~8 months old probably, but never younger!) it will require lots and lots of supervision, training and patience. Socialize your dog with as many others as possible and take them to puppy school.

 

As for thunderstorms. No dog should ever have a problem with them, or loud noises for that matter. Then why do some? Because at a young age they were never taught how to deal with them. Most likely upon their first storm the dog got a little scared. The owner coddled the puppy, reinforcing this fear! This is critical. When your dog gets fearful of anything, NEVER coddle the animal as it reinforces the fear. Your dog really believes there is something to be fearful of! What you need to do is make a game of it. When the thunder comes down, have treats ready and act like it's fun, like it's a game. And reward the dog for enjoying the storm and loud noise. Very soon your dog will never be afraid of storms.

 

It almost sounds counterintuitive and for a human it is. With our children we would comfort them and reassure them it's going to be OK. Holding them often helps when they are babies. This doesn't work the same for dogs. A puppy with its mother would look to it and see she isn't afraid of the storm and then realize it's OK. But when you (you are the puppies mother in its eyes!) coddle and it, the puppy now things it's going to die and you're scared, etc, etc! Make it fun and the dog will stop "misbehaving" during storms, fireworks, etc.

 

Hopefully your dogs aren't too old. They very well might be.

 

As for crating, don't. Not your dog. This needs to be done at a young age. As others have said, the dog will see it as a den and accept it. But if a dog has never been crated and then when it's 7 years old it's crated, it won't respond well. You'll have to work this in to its life like anything now. However, other users are right that a puppy should be crated to make it aware a crate is OK. But crating a scared dog that's going to pee on itself isn't humane at all.

 

Also, don't yell at the dog for peeing in the house. Its YOUR fault it pees in the house, not its fault. Also, a dog will have no idea what you're punishing it for. If you can't discipline your dog within 8 seconds of whatever it did, then don't discipline it because it won't understand.

 

No offense but you're dog isn't trained well, has been misinformed and isn't very sociable if it's attacking cats and has killed them. No dog should ever do this and it's only the owner(s) to blame. Your dog has terrible anxiety and a fear of loud noise and isn't socially trained well (or even acceptable) it would appear. It might be too old to change now. But keep my advice handy if you get another dog.

[Thurston Fluff]

Some nice things Hebrew but I have to disagree with some of your statements.

 

As for crating, don't. Not your dog. This needs to be done at a young age. As others have said, the dog will see it as a den and accept it. But if a dog has never been crated and then when it's 7 years old it's crated, it won't respond well. You'll have to work this in to its life like anything now. However, other users are right that a puppy should be crated to make it aware a crate is OK. But crating a scared dog that's going to pee on itself isn't humane at all.

If you get a new adult dog in your house it should be crated and started out with a sensory deprivation technique used by professional trainers. It's not meant to be cruel but to establish pack leadership. I've provided a link that can explain it more fully thanI do here.

http://www.leerburg.com/dogtrainingebooks.htm

 

Also, getting a dog from the Human Society, although a wonderful, humane thing to do, is also very risky as many of those dogs have been abused, abandon and almost without a doubt weren't trained well

 

The humane society tests all their dogs temperment before they put them up for adoption. While some may not be trained as well as you may like it is no differant than getting any adult dog. Humane society dogs are some of the lowest risk dogs available although I would recommend a mixed breed since most mixed breeds have less health risks than pure bred dogs. Overall if you are looking for a good family pet or companion dog the humane society has already done a lot of the temperment work for you.

 

 

Not that this is always critical, but dogs breed from good AKC breeders (or even non AKC for non-pure breed dogs) will almost invariably be breed for good temperaments, good health (DNA testing now days is fantastic) and make superior pets, if the right time is put in.

 

 

This is true for good breeders. The trick is it can be very difficault to find good breeders. Fact is the AKC has had real problems with breeders going for physical characteristics and not paying enough attention to the health issues. Virtually every pure bred dog has a set of problems due to poor breeding practices. The AKC has been working on this but from the Basset hounds legs to the Geramn Shepards hip problems all have been negatively effected by the AKC's ideal of the perfect looking dog vs the perfect healthy dog has made finding healthy pure breds from responsible breeders hard. I agree if proper research is done to find a breeds physical faults and asking a breeder about their efforts to avoid those faults one can find a great healthy happy pure bred dog. I had to search all over the country to find a pure bred Akita breeder who understood the thyroid and accompanying skin conditions problems. I has to inform several AKC breeders of those problems. Including one where I went to see the dogs and saw the tell tail signs of the crusty nose and loss of hair on the back by the tail where the breeder told me it was natural and nothing to worry about. I knew better since my last one had the same condition and he was on prednizone for life. All pure breds have problems be very careful when researching purebred breeders. Sounds like you did the proper research for your Dane. Good job.http://static.yuku.com/v2//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/smile.gif

[HebrewHammer]

Thanks for the information. And like I said I'm by no means an expert on anything regarding dogs but just someone whose researched a lot and tried to gather as much knowledge so I have a happy, healthy pet that's enjoyable for its lifetime and beyond. For the crate comment, I was just suggesting don't just get a crate and throw the dog in there the next time you go out. You have to "train" it initially, like you suggested.

 

As for my Dane, we found a terrific breeder in Wisconsin. She's far away so it took more commitment but we visited her kennels and had a mental check list of our requirements. Some things we wanted to make sure of was: The Kennels were clean, she didn't breed too many types of dogs (she only breeds Danes, and only Fawn and Brindle ones), she was knowledgeable, she required all types of credentials from us, etc. In short, she didn't run a puppy factory and he dogs (and the puppies) all appeared healthy and happy. Her main interests in breeding the breed was health. She didn't inbreed and she had proof of this in AKC documents, etc. After getting to know her you knew it was likely she would produce a healthy, well tempered puppy that would also fit the standard as well as an added "bonus".

 

Some people we know thought she was actually too strict because she got to pick what puppy was ours. Her rational is she lives with them for 8 weeks, is an expert and is made aware of our lifestyle so she can pick one that suits it. Also, we're not getting one to show so I'm sure she'd rather sell "standard" ones away to showers and breeders, etc. We also had to build a fence by her order and sign a contract that basically says if we screw up or don't want the dog anymore, it becomes her property. It sounds strict but she does it to protect any dog she breeds and it's pretty admirable. She puts the dog ahead of the buyer and she does everything to help them. If you play by her rules, you'll have no problems. Her puppies are in such demand that if you don't like her style then she flat out recommends you go elsewhere and find a breeder that suits your requirements better.

 

It also is nice that the veterinarian we use has 2 of her Danes and can vouch for her.

 

These are characteristics you should look for in a breeder. And you're right; there's no guarantee you're going to find a great breeder for the breed you want anywhere close! Lots of time and research might be needed.

 

And I agree about mixed breeds. They tend to stray away from genetic dispositions. In Danes we have to worry about bloat and hip problems of course. Although our breeder has breed to minimize risks of these things, you can't ever be 100%. Not inbreeding helps. Mixed breeds are also just as great of pets as any other dog too if not better it seems.

 

I suggest for whatever breed you want to lookup the association for that breed and reference their list of certified breeders. Then check them out yourself and do your homework. If you want a typical "pet dog" mixed breed, try and do homework on the breeder. There's a lot more fly by night, 7-Mile Fair type breeders out there for these kinds of dogs. Some even pass them off as pure breeds, or "Rare colored" pure breeds.

 

Lastly, getting a puppy is like getting a kid. Lots of time, love and patience is needed to create a happy pet that you enjoy and that enjoys you. The extra time you put in when its a puppy will pay off when it becomes a young adult and beyond. If trained well early on, you won't have to worry about the dog becoming anxious due to separation, storms, cats, etc.

[Thurston Fluff]

Excellent stuff Hebrew. It's good to know there are people out there who do their research. May you have years of enjoyment out of your Dane. I'm no expert either and don't try to pass myself off as one but, like you, have done plenty of research. I do train my dogs for either pulling scooters or frisbeeing depending on their inclinations. We've got a sulky (think dog chariot) for the Akita who just loves to run with it. If you are interested in doing something fun with your Dane check it out. WWW.dogscooter.com Dogs love to have a job.

 

I'm assuming the breeder talked to you about feeding the proper food to your dog. Giant breeds need a special diet as a pup so they grow correctly.

[HebrewHammer]

Yup, no "puppy food". They make a dog grow more and faster and not something our dog needs. It's on Canidae Lamb and Rice meal. Something like 23% protein I think?...

 

We try and only give it "all natural" things. For instance, no raw hide bones but rather real bones. They cost a little more but are much healthier for the dog. The vet talked to us about a raw diet, consisting of all raw meat, ground bones and vegetables, etc, but we decided to stick with the breeder recommended food basically because of cost and practicality. Carbohydrates aren't that good for dogs all in all, but rice and such isn't the worst. And the protein balance is right.

 

Also, all treats are of good quality and not from China.

 

Sounds like your dogs are fun. Ours is only 5.5 months old (and big!) and will start some agility training soon and eventually obedience school. We'll see what shes capable of and enjoys. You're right about them loving a job though. I might have to look into that dog scooter. Will make walking....easier. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif