to bring the dog back to the pound?

[FairLadyRantALot]

because he is chewing everything in sight...and now he simply just did it.,...he went for the puffee and the sofa in one night.....

basically we rehomed this young (under a year presumably) Mastiff/German shephards x about 2 and a bit week ago....he is utterly gorgeous, don't get me wrong, and when he is good he is good, but when he is bad, well, he is a nightmare...

he takes dirty clothes out of the laundry baskets and shreds it, he chews through everything plastic, distroyed our floorcushion, several other cushions, including the ones from our swingsweat in the garden,he ripped out some carpets....and well...there is more....

I have really had it wiht him and want to take him back, because, well....this is just ridiculous....

my dh seems to think I am being unreasonable, but then, he has been away the past 1 and a bit week...

the dog has several toys and bones and all sorts, and it doesn't stop him, indeed he can't be bothered with things he is allowed to chew....

Oh, and anti chew spray isn't a deterrent for him...it seems...

am just so sick of it and whilst I hate the idea of taking him back there, I just can't deal with this....he is destroying my house and garden and there seems nothing I can do about it....

I wish I could say I feel better now, after I ranted on here....but right now, I am just sooooo pissed off....

Sorry you are pissed off, and I'm not going to make it better, but YABU I'm afraid. I'm assuming that you and your dh thought long and hard before getting a pet? You thought through all the ups and downs of it? Tbh, dogs are hard work, sometimes I think more so than children. But when you took that dog home, you made a commitment and a silent promise to home him and look after him, and now it doesn't suit you, you want to give him back?
IMO/E it's this kind of thing that leaves dogs with social and emotional problems.
It'd be better for him to be with someone who can and wants to look after him so if you can't do it, take him back, but please don't get a pet ever again

littleboy, this is not the first dog we have rehomed....but he is the first one that has done anything like this...

we recently lost our last rescue dog, who, admittedly we got as a young pup, he died of some liver/kidneyfailure after being a wonderful pet for 9 years....
I have actually never seen a dog being this destructive....
actually, that is a lie, I have...not sure if you have seen "Hotel for dogs"...you know that bull dog that chews everything in sight...you see in that movie I thought that was funny....but, it isn't funny when it is your own home, is it?

But, yeah, thanks for your words of kindness, very helpful...not that I expected much sympathy, I know mn to well....but wow, you making quite a judgement about me as a petowner there....

Sorry, but your post sounded like you are just fed up with the dog, which I can understand, but maybe he is like this for reason, he needs help to tackle behavioural issues, not to be shafted from pillar to post.
You posted in AIBU, therefore you are asking what people think of you taking the dog back, and I think it's not on really. If you'd posted somewhere else, it would have been easier to give words of sympathy and advice but you hae put across like the dog is nothing but a PITA. If you don't want to know don't ask.

Have you had any outside help? When we had our dog (as a puppy and some years ago), we had a dog trainer round to the house for a few hours to give us some advice and pointers in doing the right thing, as we were inexperienced dog owners.
Obviously, you are not inexperienced dog owners, having just recently lost yours, but maybe you are inexperienced in correcting existing bad behaviour in dogs? If so, this might be worth a go - the trainer said to us at the time that he helps lots of people who have rehomed rescue dogs, and that he had never yet been unable to resolve their problems - it was just a case of training the owners to work in the right way with the dog.
The other thing is, have you tried a crate/indoor kennel/cage - a large one obviously! The dog goes in these when you are unable to supervise them, ie overnight, and can't cause any distruction to the house etc.

well, I am fed up with him....which is only natural, I am sick to get up/come in, etc....and know he will have destroyed something, and well, a sofa is quite an expensive thing, surely....

he is, btw. not being locked away, he is able to go in the garden anytime he likes, etc....

I mean...so...how do you stop a dog chewing, any words of wisdom?

I am sorry, I know I am coming across as abrupt and rude, and it really is just, that I am just right now so really pissed of with that mutt....more than anything else....

would have to be a mighty big cage...just trying to wonder where one could put one of those....I mena, we haven't got a small house, but it isn't huge neither...sigh

This may not be the popular view, but if the dog is making your life miserable, I think you are well within reason to think about rehoming. In my view, yes, dogs are a huge commitment, but so is family life, and if the dog is destabilising family life for a prolonged period of time, then it might be an idea to rethink having the dog.

That said, there are things you can try -- can you lock the dog up at night? Does he/she have her own toys to chew? You might want to start a thread in pets for advice.

What worked for us was to decide a time limit when we would discuss how things were going -- 2 weeks at a time. Of course, by the time 2 weeks had gone by, we were all that much more attached to our dog (apart from dh), but she had also improved (only slightly, but she has then gone on to calm down quite a bit).

I hope that helps.

thanks oregon

anyway....it's nearly 8 and am off for school run and stuff...so...am not running off...just out....

What I'd say is stick with it for now, I know it's frustrating especially when you have other things to get on with, but if you put the time in, these things usually improve. I agree with getting a dog trainer if you can afford it, even if it's one or two sessions to focus on the specific problem. How much exercise is he getting. Knacker him out till he hasn't got the energy for mischef! Also, you could try crating him if you're going out somewhere, at least you won't dread walking through the door. You can get a large crate from any big pet store, ours cost 50. You'd need to walk him before he went into it. Good luck!

IS he a young dog?

Seems normal behaviour to me.

I get really mad when people offer homes to dogs and then change their mind. You must have thought through the possibility that a dog who needs rehoming may have some problems?

I can completely sympathize that having your house destroyed is awful but maybe you could consider hiring a pet trainer or behaviourist before dumping the dog.

It might be possible to fix the problem with help. I think that as you made a commitment to the dog you need to follow through with it, at least until you have exhausted all avenues of help.

It worries me that you do not mention once in your post any consideration for the dogs state of mind.

I think that you need to try and find a solution to the problem before you just send him back.

YABU.

48" metal dog cage on ebay - £33.99 + £7.99 p&p.

Dogs chew until they are trained not to.

Your dog probably has had less 'training' in the early stages so like a foster child you need patience and love to work through this.

in the meantime can I suggest a muzzle?

only you know in your herart wether you can love this dog (teeth and all) through this particularly upsetting phase-if you cant the fairest thing would be to return him.

maybe you just got a new dog to soon?

I would contact the dogs home and see if they can help with training.

You've only had him 2 weeks?! Then YABU. If you've had him a few months, tried all sorts of training, had help, gone to classes etc and still couldn't solve the problem, then fine, but after 2 weeks YABU to send him back. Dogs that have been rehomed often have problems, that can usually be solved with some extra work and lots of care and attention.

On the other hand if you're not able/prepared to put in a bit of extra effort maybe you are right.

That's probably why he ended up in rescue in the first place. Absolutely classic case. People get a cute puppy, don't train it, then it turns into a not so cute badly behaved young dog and ends up in rescue. Someone comes along to rehome it, discovers all the difficult behaviour and off it goes back to rescue. And so it goes on...

The alternative is that you get some help to change the dog's behaviour, put some hard work in, and end up with the lovely family pet you'd hoped for.

Try looking here.

ok i am not going to judge you ,you are already suffering enough at the moment from your dogs wanton destruction! I would just say it is still really early days though .Have you thought about getting a kong toy and filling it with pate ? another tip is to buy loads of really cheap perfume and spray everything with it ,the smell soon disappears but the tatse is foul to dogs ,even the ones who love the normal deterrent stuff ,like ours did . Get a crate like others say ,so you can crate him when you go out ,lots of walks and honestly by the time youve finished paying for a new sofa you will look back and laugh

I am not going to judge or flame you (there are plenty others who will so don't take it all to heart)

It sounds like you are at the end of your tether and I am not surprised. I do think that you have to give it more than two weeks before you think about rehoming him.

I would try damage limitation first. Crate so that he cannot damage things when you are not with him. And dog training classes.

Is he getting enough exercise? A Mastiff/GS will need a lot of walking.

YABVU. Don't post on here then whinge. You took the dog on, so read up on what to do. Two weeks FFS. Get on the "Pets" thread and get lots of useful advice.

If this sounds harsh, consider the animal is a dumb beast and YOU made the decision to own him/her. You owe the animal big time.

I misread the OP. I thought it was 2 and a bit years, not weeks. 2 weeks is no time at all for most animals to settle properly in a new home, and nor is it any time at all to properly train a dog NOT to do these things.

I do understand - obviously - that it's awful to have your home destroyed, but this is always going to be a risk with any dog. It's a known trait, and not especially uncommon. Unfortunately, you've been unlucky in choosing a dog who does this, but IMO, if you take on an animal (and especially one from a rescue home who may have been treated badly, who may never have been trained and/or who is simply traumatised from being moved between different locations) you have to be prepared for most eventualities, and, more importantly, be prepared to at least try and resolve them, before inflicting another potentially stresful move upon them.

As Dexter suggests, one of the best sources of advice and help will probably be the home you took him from. They don't want animals returned and would far rather work with owners to sort problems out before admitting defeat. Please call them - they won't judge, they will be sympathetic, and if, after following all of their advice for the recommended period of time, things are still not working, then you can return the dog with a clear conscience, having tried everything you can. I think those of us who take rescue animals owe it to them to try our utmost to work with them ...... there obviously must have been a lot of attractive traits when you decided to take him home, they must still be there surely ?

Can you list a 'day in the life of fairlady' here for us. Such as 7.am get up, let dog out for wee etc

We can see how many walks this dog gets, for how long, type of excercise ie lead/off lead...chasing ball.

What type of chews/toys you have out for him.

Where you/kids/dh are when dog is being naughty. ie out of house/in garden/another room/same room.

Where dog sleeps.

This will be helpful in deciding if UABU or not.

Personally, if you really dont think you can cope with him, take him back. Its no slight to your pet owndership skills or abilities, but if he does have behaviour issues then he's going to be better off with a family/owner who have the time to dedicate to him that he'll need to get around it.

I had to return a Greyhound a few years ago after he turned out to be nothing like we were told.. we were told he was a housetrained housepet.. we found a gypsy tattoo in his ear, he wasnt house trained AT ALL and he was aggresive... we tried to persevere but then he mauled the neighbours cat after it came into the garden while he was out there.

Sometimes you have to know your limits and realise when its too much to cope.

I agree with dogsandcats, give us a breakdowna nd we may be able to point out some bits and pieces to help.

Crate training is a great idea but will take time and patience, there are quite few options for training them out of chewing but, again, they all take patience and lots of time (and consistancy).

TBH, the first thing you have to decide is, are you up for this? taking on a dog is a big commitment (as you know) and sorting out these problems is going to be a big job so is an even bigger commitment. Personally I think YABU to take a dog back after you commited to it, however it is far betterfor the dog if you go back now and let someone who has the time and energy take over than if you go for, say 6 months, trying to train, getting frustrated and ultimatly giving up and taking him back anyway.

I am trying to be gentle because these things do make me cross but I can understand how difficult and frustrating it can be.

In short, are you in this for the long haul or not? If not do what you can to see the dog well settled elsewhere and be honest about his problems, if you are then post again in Pets where loads of people will offer you advice and support.

Keep going, he's young & GS in general take longer to mature. They usually mature around 2yo.

How much excercise is he getting? How much play time 1-2-1 is he getting? He won't just play with toys on his own, treat him like a child & play with him.

Get a cage too, then when you go out/go to bed he is confined and not able to chew, introduce it correctly though else he will bark all night.

Best of Luck!