To start disliking me dog

[catspyjamas27]

I feel terrible writing this. 2 years ago we as a family decided to get a puppy. We ended up with an American staff - big mean looking thing but soft as muck. He is so lovely natured, friendly and playful with the kids. Very loving and never once been aggressive....but....

He is out of control in other ways! He has chewed, mauled and destroyed so many items in our house and garden. I find him impossible to manage on the lead because he is now so strong and pulls like crazy. We did some training classes when he was a pup but then the centre closed and we just never found another. At this stage I would be concerned about taking him to a place where other dogs are anyway because he's so excitable and would go crazy and I would struggle to control him on the lead. Perhaps one on one sessions would be a better option but there aren't really any in our area that I can find.

My dp and I row about it a lot. Dp can control him better than me and doesn't see any issues. He just thinks that replacing the items he ruins is a solution to the problem and fails to see that this isn't really the long term answer.

We all love the dog to bits and in his quiet moments I feel terrible about being so exasperated by him. But I just wish we had done a bit more research into the breed - although having said that no two dogs are ever the same and we couldn't predict just how boisterous and tough to train he would be. It's upsetting me that me and dp are rowing over it too.

Aibu to feel this way? Please no suggestions to rehome (the dog or the dp!!!) i could never do that. But suggestions would be good...

I used a halti on my pulling dog. It’s on his head like a horse bridle but no bit in the dogs mouth.
If correctly fitted they don’t come off. I initially used a second loose lead on his collar just in case he did get it off. He did paw it as he didn’t want it on his head but we could walk down the street side by side no pulling and it was great. A week later you’d think I’d had him at training classes. He’d learned he couldn’t pull me any more. They were under a tenner last time I looked in petsmart. Different brand name right enough but same idea.

Hi @catspyjamas27 I feel for you I really do! Our rather boisterous mixed breed (staff-x-Dalmatian) was a nightmare to walk and used to eat everything in sight!

Buy a harness with a lead loop on both the back and under the chin/on the chest and buy one of these: https://fetch.co.uk/halti-training-black-dog-lead-small-86907011?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlOz3v9n74wIVC7DtCh1RgDTEAQYBCABEgLtEEDBwE

You clip it to both the chest and back loops and then hold the length leading to the chest relatively short in one hand and the other part leading to the back in your other hand. It will revolutionise your walk times with your dog and promotes close lead training and walking to heel. I can walk my dog without issues now and without it she pulls so hard I feel like I should be riding a sled!

Provide him with mental stimulation whilst at home to stop him getting bored - kongs with frozen food in, treat balls, etc. You can even put treats in old cardboard boxes and fill them with junk mail. He will have fun going through to find them.

Get a good harness. Front clipping ones can be used as a training aid whilst teaching walking on a lead properly. Practice in the garden to start with and reward walking with a slack lead, check out Zack George on YouTube. Then slowly up the level of distractions, with his normal walks being the hardest. Very high value treats on outside walks.

No dog breed is stubborn, you just need to find out what motivates your dog and go from there.

Can’t give any advice on pulling but we had a staff/Alsatian/Labrador Cross who was not particularly large but did need a lot of walks.

I would take her over fields and trails for 2 hours each morning, another 30 minute run after children came out of school and a walk round the area in the evening and if she was ever left alone she would chew everything.

A fellow dog walker had similar issues with chewing. She swore by Tabasco sauce painted on anything and everything that was a hard surface and chewable. Even painted her shoes with the stuff.

A fellow dog walker had similar issues with chewing. She swore by Tabasco sauce painted on anything and everything that was a hard surface and chewable. Even painted her shoes with the stuff.

I'm not against aversives per se, depends on the situation imo, I definately don't agree with the whole 'ignore/redirect all bad behaviour' mantra common to positive training but gosh I think that is really grim.
That surely must be so terribly painful?