ISO advice about destructive dog

[AvrilH]

I have a one year old beagle at home who is a terrific dog. It is my DH's first dog, but I grew up with a beagle, and my parents have had them since I left home. The dog is "mine" and for my boys, but DH was of course part of the decision to get her.

She has been destructive. If left alone, or things left out, she will chew them... After several problems, my DH was insisting we return her to her breeder. We had a family meeting and talked about responsibility of the pet owner: put things away, keep doors closed, and if you can't be paying attention to her at all, then put the dog in her kennel. This improved things a lot, and DH was more loving and accepting of the pup.

This week, though, DH is out of town for 4 days. He works from home, so with him gone she is in her pen all day (with something new to chew each day). Sometime after the boys got home yesterday and before I did, she ripped up the side of our couch. Our new couch. Our couch that has already been replaced once bc of her ripping (the ripping is in a completely different spot).

I don't know what to do. Money is tight, so any destruction causes us distress. I am expecting DH to return tomorrow and insist the dog go.

I don't want her to go, and my boys will grieve her loss, even if the breeder agrees the pup can join my mother's beagles (so we'd see her 3 times a year.......). I guess I was hoping someone would have some advice.

[avariell]

a lot of people own dogs that are crated for 8-10 hours a day. my dogs are no longer puppies but spend the day in their crates. they love their crates. they run straight to them. i would suggest not allowing the puppy (She's still a puppy) out of her crate until an adult is around to supervise her. i also think that beagles need a ton of exercise... so maybe if your boys are old enough they could take her for a really long walk or throw a ball for an hour or whatever to "take the edge off".

she sounds normal to me. which i guess doesn't help you much. i guess i just think you should keep trying to find a solution (well it sounds like you are trying, just ask your dh to keep trying :))

good luck... dogs can be challenging. my great dane ate my brand new mp3 player when he was a year old and i wasn't paying attention. that sucked. i wanted to strangle him with the earphone cord he pooped out the next day... :eek: :rolleyes:

[aggie94]

Ditto everything Josie said. You probably know that we have been beagle owners since 1994. At one point, we had three at once. :eek: They're great dogs but can be very difficult puppies. At one year, she is still very much a puppy. I can't tell you how much (expensive) stuff our beagles have destroyed over the years. Sometimes it gets better when they are adults, sometimes it doesn't. Since we lost Abbey in November, I am shocked at what we can leave sitting out in the house now that the other dogs don't touch. She was very destructive, even at 10 years old.

Crating is very important. They're like toddlers (not that I would put a toddler in a crate, but you know what I mean) - if you can't be watching them all the time, put them in the crate. Our beagles loved their crates. We don't have the crates anymore and it has been YEARS since Nacho was in a crate, but I guarantee you if we brought one into the house today, he would run inside and lay down in it.

Tons of exercise, like Josie said. Wear her out, every single day. That will help the temperament, but you really do need to watch her like a hawk and give her a chew toy anytime you see her heading for something she's not supposed to touch.

Good luck, and I hope it works out for you (and the puppy).

[RunnerKim]

Sometimes I wish I could crate my toddler :rolleyes:

In addition to crating you could tether the pup to you or maybe if one of your children are old enough. This ensures the dog is not out-of-sight getting in trouble and helps build the human-dog relationship. Or perhaps gating the dog so it is in the same room (I'm assuming the couch destruction happened when the dog was able to head off to another room without you/your kids noticing soon enough).

Good luck,
Kim

[AvrilH]

Thanks for the advice - I was expecting to be told about the need for vigilance! I just hope the DH can handle this one, and not insist she go.

I will remind the boys to walk/run her every day. They are good about it, but need reminding.

[aggie94]

Sometimes I wish I could crate my toddler :rolleyes:

LMAO, Kim! :D

[aggie94]

Avril,

Have you tried Bitter Apple or any of those products? With our first beagle, Casey, we had issues with her chewing as a puppy. One taste of Bitter Apple was enough to quickly teach her that the bad behavior wasn't allowed. I don't know if she is chewing on the couch or how exactly she's ripping it, but if it's chewing, you might try spraying the couch with Bitter Apple.

[Beth]

Dogs need play and other forms of stimulation too. I don't think I could walk my lab enough to keep her content on a daily basis. I have a lab and haven't had a beagle since I was a kid, so I can't help there. But I can tell you that we give our lab walks and take her to a dog park to play with other dogs. The running and playing there does more for her than walking all day. We also giver her chew toys, chew treats, a Kong ball with treats inside, and her favorite puppy toy was a cat toy that was a ring with a mouse inside. She would chase that mouse, carry the ring around -- got a lot more out of it that the cats ever did. LOl

Beagles and labs are both working/hunting dogs. They need stuff to keep them busy. Crating helps keep them under control, but that alone doesn't satisfy their needs. In addition to the play and walks, I have heard some folks train dogs to put toys, tennis balls or even socks rolled up into a basket or find a "job" to give them. Sounds like your beagle is crying out for more. Couldn't hurt to try.

Get a slipcover for the couch -- at least until you can get things uner control. Another year will make a difference.

[aggie94]

Beagles and labs are both working/hunting dogs. They need stuff to keep them busy. Crating helps keep them under control, but that alone doesn't satisfy their needs. In addition to the play and walks, I have heard some folks train dogs to put toys, tennis balls or even socks rolled up into a basket or find a "job" to give them. Sounds like your beagle is crying out for more. Couldn't hurt to try.

That is a good point. One thing that used to keep our beagle busy for HOURS was a Buster Cube:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5102DX6D2BL._AA280_.jpg

For dogs that are highly motivated by scent/food (like beagles!), it's a great toy that makes them work for food/treats. We used to put their kibble in it and make them actually work to eat their food, which is also a good tool to help them slow down in their eating (our beagle will inhale a cup of kibble in less than 10 seconds). Gives them a job, like Beth described, and keeps them entertained and out of your stuff. :)

[SusanMac]

I agree w/what everyone has said. We had hideous covers on our furniture, electrical cords, etc for the first 2 years of our last puppy's life. And all nice items and small items place up high or put away. I felt like trash, but it was worth it! Oh, and we essentially lived in one room. Our newly remodeled living room was 100% off limits to the puppy.

It's a really tough choice to get rid of a dog and, in some instances, the absolute right thing to do for both the people & the dog.

But, with that said, I often think twice when I see kids are involved. To me, it sends a subtle message that, if you're a member of this family and do bad things, the solution is to send you away to live somewhere else. That sounds extreme, but I think subliminally some kids could take it that way. Not all kids, of course.

[Puppylove]

I know how hard a destructive dog can be. Our first (a mutt) dug through a wall in the room off of the garage that we'd put him in. He broke a window and jumped through it. He lept a 6 foot hedge without any concern for what was on the other side and impaled himself - he was centimeters from piercing his stomach :eek: :( . And that was with a big yard and lots of toys and daily walks. Some dogs need human interaction and/or can't stand being alone. I hate to say it but . . . might a sister or brother help? We got our second dog and suddenly we could leave #1 in the house or in the yard with #2 and he was perfectly content.

[Peweh]

Funny I was going to suggest what PuppyLove just did... another dog! We just got a new puppy, and after about 2 weeks our other dog is all warmed up to him and playing nicely and more importantly... sleeping extra hard! The other thing I was going to ask is do you have a fenced yard, our dog was a nightmare chewer & destroyer because she wasn't getting enough exercise but once we fenced our yard she was pretty angelic. Tired dogs are GOOD dogs.

[avariell]

count me as a person who got a second dog to help entertain my first dog... buuut if i had a dh on the verge of throwing dog#1 out the door, i don't think i'd get dog#2 quite yet :)

so it is not even 6:30 AM here yet, and I thought of this post this morning when my dog barked and i crinkled my nose up in my bed (they sleep in the kitchen area)... then i rocketed out of bed because I knew I smelled dog poop. yep. Crash got his shots yesterday and I think the stress caused some diarrhea. nothing like waking up to cleaning up dog cr@p (and fyi, a great dane makes quites a mess when they have diarrhea!). so as i am trying to decide whether to go back to bed or not i suppose the point of this post is to let you know that even we advice-giving, older-dog owners have days where we would like to give them to the first taker :D ;)

[Chefzhat]

Oh, dear. :( What a mess you'll have, Josie!

We have two dogs. They certainly keep each other busy. I agree that tired dogs are good dogs. But I have no personal experience as I have Shih Tsus and they are about the loungiest dogs on the planet. However, we still use their crates if we can't pay attention to them, and they are always crated when we leave the house. Can't trust the little buggers!

[Autumn]

Sometimes I wish I could crate my toddler :rolleyes:

In addition to crating you could tether the pup to you or maybe if one of your children are old enough. This ensures the dog is not out-of-sight getting in trouble and helps build the human-dog relationship. Or perhaps gating the dog so it is in the same room (I'm assuming the couch destruction happened when the dog was able to head off to another room without you/your kids noticing soon enough).

Good luck,
Kim

After spending the holidays with my siblings who collectively have seven toddler boys, this made my laugh out loud...and then look for bulk rates on crates ;) .

Seriously, I think your tethering idea is a very good one. I tethered our puppy(mutt) on a 4-foot lead to help with housetraining. It worked for that, but another positive consequence, I think, was that I was also right there to discipline her from any improper chewing and distract her with one of her toys. At 5 months we packed away the crate and have never regretted it. That was almost a year ago, and she leaves anything that is not "hers" alone. Shoes, socks, toys, pens... housekeeping is not my strong suit, so there is usually lots of stuff laying around. Food is another story :rolleyes:; that will definitely get eaten.

I also second the idea of lots of exercise and play. My "puppy" is now 65 pounds, and I could walk her for two hours without tiring her out, but 45 minutes of playing tag and wrestling her friends at the dog park will ensure that she will be passed out on her pillow for several hours. I have never had beagles, but they seem like sturdy little dogs, and they hold their own at the dog park with larger dogs.

Good luck, Avril!

[mcgeiger]

Is the destruction mostly while you are gone, or just any ole time?

[armel]

It is amazing how quickly dogs can be destructive. Today, I took my friend, her dog Molly and my dog to dog agility. We have done this many times. Somehow Molly managed to find time to chew a hole in the dog car seat . . . that she has been in many times and that we had both saw her chewing on and thought we had stopped her.

Somehow she still managed to do it, right under our noses.

Really just reinforced the message that with a dog that likes to chew, it would be a good idea to keep something acceptable for it to chew on in all situations. If we had given Molly one of the nylabones when we put it in the car . . . Might not have kept her from chewing the dog car seat, but it also might have.

I know how frustrating it can be when you have dogs that ruin things. I think everybody has given you good advice. Another thing you might consider, is seeing if you can find a doggy day care. You don't have to have the 2nd dog yourself that way and the doggy comes back tired and happy. You might not even have to take it more than 2 or 3 times a week either.

[AvrilH]

Thanks to everyone who responded! DH came home and calmly took the news. That was a step in the right direction!

His feelings right now are "we need to decide what kind of home we want, and whether Charlie fits into that picture." However, I believe that we are settled on keeping her. It is bitterly cold right now, so outside time is limited, and she is still young. My hope is that she will continue to calm down over time.

I have found a doggie day care that is almost on my way to work - I may try her there on the days DH is out of town. That should make her pretty happy. And tired. And calm....... You get the idea!

[luv2cook]

I agree with the exercise, keeping her leashed to you, but I don't agree on the 8, 10 hours a day in a crate...the max, last time I checked, is about 4 hours.

Having said that, I have crated my dog (when she was younger) for longer than that but that's what the book says.

Kharlee was destructive. Couldn't leave her alone. I tethered her to me and taught her right from wrong. She's good 99.8% of the time

however, she HAS started counter surfing and she found some bacon bits in the pantry last night and ate the whole bag:rolleyes: and left the plastic in pieces!

doggie day care is an excellent idea. you might want to bring her there BEFORE you go bc they will need to do a temperament test and you will have to present proof of shots...

[RunnerKim]

Something we did to run off a little energy when the weather wasn't cooperative was to do the "recall game" or hide-and-seek. The recall game is where you call the dog back and forth between 2 people (giving a small treat after she sits in front of you). If you have stairs in your house that can really help take the edge off but just getting as far apart as possible is good. Hide and seek is just where one person hides (with a small treat) and calls the dog from another room and repeats a noise or "Find me" as needed. Both are ones that kids can help with.

I have a retriever that doesn't retrieve so we've used the recall game many many times outside too.

Good luck!
Kim

[AvrilH]

Thanks for the suggestions. And Kim - I'd never thought to use the stairs to wear her out. She'll recall back and forth forever if we have the right treat in our hands. :)

[leightx]

If she's ball crazy like my dog is, you can wear her out by tossing a tennis ball down the stairs and having her bring it back to you at the top.

Training also requires a lot of mental energy which can wear them out just as much as physical activity. Teach her a few new tricks or have her walk at a heel for example.

[AvrilH]

Thanks for the idea Leigh - I had forgotten how tired she was after obedience classes. I haven't taught her any new tricks in a while bc her basic obedience that I wanted is pretty strong.

ANd Kim: Thanks for the great idea! DS#3 and I had her racing the stairs for treats (I gave her a small dinner ahead of that) about an hour before bed. I couldn't believe it! She actually stopped the game before the treats were gone. She just sat at the bottom and panted. At bedtime she was really ready for her kennel.

[armel]

Not that you necessarily have time . . . but another activity is dog agility. I go to class with Gigi once a week and have some equipment that I set up in the back yard to practice. If your hubby or you or your kids are handy, it is easy to make the jumps yourself or some weave poles with just pvc pipe. I am not handy . . . so I bought mine.

But they also have rally which really doesn't require any home equipment for the most part.

And sometimes you can find other classes or books for training. I have one about how to teach your dog tricks. And we are going to be starting the Canine Good Citizen class in February.

If you have limited time, I still say you cannot beat doggy day care. That is where Gigi is right now. She will come home one tired and happy pupster.