Destructiveness

Chewing, scratching, digging, oh my!

Training a Destructive Dog

So he’s got toys, and he gets exercise, and yet still goes after couches, guitars, decks, table legs, undergarments, beds, shoes, remote controls, anything with paper in it, anything without paper in it — I’m getting tired just typing it. You hoped he would grow out of it by now, but he hasn’t. What can you do?

This Will Keep You Sane and Solvent

– First, increase/adjust exercise and mental stimulation. Notice I am recommending this before I even ask you how much he is currently getting. This is because I’m not calling you lazy. If you’re seeking help, you’re likely awesome and working hard. You may just be a bit unlucky, or maybe you just haven’t quite found the right form of stimulation for him, or maybe he came to you tuned to 11+. Some dogs require more stimulation than others. It can seem unfair. This is particularly true of dogs with working backgrounds, such as terriers and herding dogs.

Exercise for Your Dog

Walks are great, but I don’t recommend increased walks as the primary solution to this. Truth be told, high energy dogs are pretty much inexhaustible via leash walks. So here’s the best approach:

– Manage access inside. I am not telling you to keep your dog in a crate for the rest of his life. But dogs in new environments need to have their freedom limited. Walking your kid to kindergarten does not mean that you will have to walk him to college or the office. Likewise, most dogs will mature and learn and will be able to have more freedom. But if the dog is new or causing damage, she’s not yet at that point. Dogs get good at what they practice, this includes eating couches and $300 pairs of shoes (yes, they prefer the expensive ones with the fancy leathers). 

A new dog, like a toddler, needs supervision. Keep the bedroom and closet doors closed, just as you would not let a toddler near a tool bench with saws and hammers and nails. If she can’t be supervised, she can be placed in a crate, a puppy/exercise pen or a room in which she can cause minimal damage.

Place her in there with a puzzle toy or frozen Kong and she not only learns to relax but she also gets some mental stimulation. Do not leave a lonely dog with destruction problems unsupervised in the yard or you will soon have a gnawed-up deck and an escape artist on your hands. Remind yourself, management is not forever. You don’t have to love crates to use them as a tool.

Teach the dog to relax. 

Mat work. Crate games. Boundary training. Impulse control. All trained with positive reinforcement. (Keep an eye out for an upcoming series that will cover these points in more detail.) In the long run, this is usually more sustainable than trying to run the dog ragged on a treadmill everyday. Follow high-intensity exercise with structured relaxation. It may sound odd, but a lot of dogs need to learn to relax properly.

Get creative with your dog’s meals. 

Scatter the kibble across the yard and let the dog find it. Stick it in a puzzle toy. You can make them yourself with simple things like muffin tins. Let her have some fun with her food. Unless there’s a medical reason, avoid free feeding. Dogs would prefer to work for it. They have actually studied this. (Only cats prefer to be served without exerting any effort — it sounds like a joke, but that’s what the studies have found.)

How can I stop my dog from digging?

Make the yard more fun, do not leave the dog out unsupervised, and consider giving him a place to dig. I know it sounds a little weird, but it works. Here are a few articles on how to construct a dig box: here and here. You can then bury favored toys in the box. Bonus: it’s a cool discussion point when friends come over.

Applicable obedience refresher: Work a little more on recall.

I try to leash her to me, but she chews through the leash. What should I do?

Go back to the basics with leash training. Work on the “leave it” cue and trading for a toy. Don’t play tug with the leash. Don’t get angry and start yelling. I know leash chewing is more annoying than a bee sting or email spam, but it’ll be solved quickly.

Could it be separation anxiety?

Yes, but much of what gets called ‘separation anxiety’ is really just the dog having fun with things you don’t want him to have fun with. If you think it might be separation anxiety, set up a video camera for when you’re gone (it doesn’t need to be awesome and expensive, a computer or iPad camera usually works) and discuss with your vet and a trainer who works with separation anxiety.

He doesn’t like his dog toys.

Make the toys more exciting to him. Play with them yourself. Add a little flavor. Rotate the toys. Make them seem more precious than those off-limit shoes. It’s fairly normal for a dog to have minimal interest in a toy straight from the box. I wish it were as easy as ‘unwrap Nylabone, couch safe,’ but most dogs are looking for a little more stimulation in their destructiveness.

Could it just be his character? Will he always be like this?

This issue is very resolvable and implementing any of these steps should get you headed on the right path. I’ve seen dogs that were intensely destructive turn into well-mannered household members who can now have access to the whole house. It’s not necessary to endure hundreds upon hundreds of dollars of damage. Don’t despair. Don’t dump the dog. There’s a better way.

Need help with a destructive dog in the Fresno or Clovis areas? Let’s see how we can help.