Dog Owners Please Advise What You Would Do If :

[HiddenIcon]

You really disliked your dog but your dh and children liked it.

She craps all over the floor each morning, eats the cat poo [unless I am cats bottom to catch poo], her hair is white so all over uniforms, adding 10 minute onto each item, when ironing.

She runs aways, only when I am on my own with her [refusing to to come back], she attacks other dogs, [again only when with me]she eats trainers, skirting boards, my washing basket, and the cats toys, the dc toys.

Would you keep her, just because your dc said they would be sad, if she were re-homed?

TIA

I would seek help for some of these behaviours as a compromise as she is clearly driving you insane.

Did she go to classes as a puppy at all?

I was too afraid to take her.

She is hyper-active.

I forgot to mentioned that, she jumps over every person who dares enter the house.

I tend to keep her in the kitchen when visitors come.

Then she eats the linen basket and the cats play-thing, or the poo

She is a very nice dog, when she is not doing all these things. Which makes me feel guilty about looking to re-home her.

I just remember their are local training classes and the gent who runs then was a Police officer [with dogs].

Do you think she is too old now, she was 1 in August 2007?

Your family feel like it would be getting rid of a family member. Get some help training her

Make an appointment with the vet, they should be able to give you some numbers of people who work with animals, puppy trianing doesn't work for all and sounds like you maybe need some one to one training with someone. Are you the primary carer?

She sounds like she needs a firm hand and some training.
I've been looking at classes lately,(new puppy in a fortnight) and seem to remember that some do take older dogs.

Re the hair fallout,do you groom her?

Dogs are never too old for training.

Yes I am primary carer I guess

I do brush her outside every few days but she and cat play-fight quite a bit, so tend to pull each other loose hairs off.

Yes I shall get her some training.

I did cage-train her when she younger and she was great, no peeing/pooing etc. but since we moved house she started it again.

Must admit,the shedding would drive me demented.

Strangely enough its the shedding which bothers me the most.

I can buy new toys, trainers, linen basket but the bloomin white hairs on the clothes.

Hence me posting [whilst ironing boys uniforms]!!

On that note I am off the brush her again .....

Thanks for all your replies. I have found the website of the ex Police officer and he runs training classes nearby.

I bet she has worms! they do tend to make the dog a little hyperactive and fidgety.

Apologies if you've already been down that route.

She is not too old for training classes. My first dog was totally untrained when we got him at the age of 2. We took him to training classes for about three months and he was totally trained.
I do think it depends on what breed they are though. Some are easier to train than others. WHat breed is your dog?

I have wormed her and do so every few weeks but I wonder if she actually gets all the worming tablets. I may ask the vet to give her them whole.

She was supposed to be a staffy but she isn't, she is possibly a staffy/Jack Russell cross, she looks like an over sized Jack Russell.

I have phoned a local class so I am hoping they will say she can come along.

She is a nice dog she just has lots of horrible habits.

We also changed her diet from 1 can & biscuits to just biscuits, this is when the poo eating started! [yuck]

hI- we have a dog- kids and dp love him, but if he ran away tomorrow and never came back I would be quite happy.
He used to do some of the things you describe, like jumping up at people, etc, but the only answer is that you need to train your dog, and its never too late.
Dog is bearable now, as he is well trained.

You will just have to get used to the hairs!
I do know how you feel, though. Get the beast trained

HiddenIcon - you say she was trained up until you moved house. So she can be trained. Just re-train her. Take her back to classes or find a one-to-one trainer who will come to you.

Don't rehome her, a dog is a member of the family, not something to be discarded when the going gets tough.

We are having similar issues with our Cocker Spaniel, most notably the jumping up on visitors, and it is hard work, but it will be worth it in the end.

Re the shedding, daily brushing is good, and I think I read somewhere about a change of diet minimizing shedding. May be worth reading up on.

Good luck!

When we first got our rescued dog, she would eat poo - cat, fox etc etc. Yes, yuk. However, she is cured - we left her with absolutely no doubt that she'd done a bad thing. If necessary you can get a muzzle that will stop them eating things - I've seen labradors walked in these - we managed to stop our dog without this though.

Re hairs, the best brush we have is a rubber curry comb for horses - small oval, flatish, with small rubber teeth sticking up - this is fantastic for short haired dogs like yours sounds to be - our dog loves it and it really helps getting the hair out easily (although I put my black jacket on this morning after it had been on a kitchen chair over the weekend and had to remove tan hair from bottom of sleeves and back!)

You sound as though you definitely need to try the training route - and it is as much to find out how you can be assertive to the dog and get it to do what you want, as it is training the dog. If you try the training and it still doesn't work for you, at least you've done your best.

Best of luck.

If its any help, we got our 1st dog when my dd1 was 1yr (just). We got the dog because dp really wanted one. I chose the breed and the name as a compromise.
I hated the dog for about 2yrs! She was soo demanding and naughty for me. For dp, she was very well behaved, but for me, no.
Dp was adament, if i got rid of the dog he would leave or at least never forgive me, so i carried on struggling to like the dog.
After a while i decided to start her on a training class, as she wouldnt do anything i asked her to do i thought it best that i take her training rather than dp.
After a while, she was doing more of what i asked, and i was the only one who could get her to sit and laydown or stay on command, which was a big step in the right direction.

I wouldnt be without her now, she is now 6 and matured into a lovely well mannered dog. She used to jump up, chew, bark, whine, run off etc but now she doesnt- EVER.
DD1 loves this dog (see profile pics) they are like sisters or best friends, i could never take the dog from her she would never cope (am dreading the day that something awful happens).

Basically, there is hope and light at the end of the tunnel, but it is a long tunnel and is an uphill tunnel too - but incredibly worth it if you out the work in.

With regards to yours attacking other dogs, is the part that most concerns me. I would either invest in a muzzle or keep her on the lead until you are satisfied you have strict control of her.

All dogs of all ages can be trained, very quickly for some certain basic tasks.

Thanks for your comments. Tbh I don't think I could get rid of her now. Like some have said she is part of the family.

I am definitely going to start training.

Haychee your dog is gorgeous, really lovely.

If she calms down and stops eating poo she will be a great dog.

I have had dogs when I was younger but this one is just extremely hyper-active.

I have tried to socialise her by taking her when I collect Ds from school [all the dog owners are out] but this was when she tried to go for another dog and tripped me and my younger son up in the process.

I also think a muzzle may be a good idea. I would have liked to take her out without one but do not trust her anymore.

Thanks for all your comments I just needed to get things in perpective with her.

I have also attached a chain to the fence outside so she can go out but cannot run away.

Fingers crossed and thanks very much.

I love those pictures Haychee, we have a similar relationship between dd (age 4) and our dog; sometimes when they are snuggled up on the sofa together it is hard to work out where the girl stops and the dog starts!

And that for me is what makes perservering with training worth it!

Dill (the dog) is very good off-lead, does not run off, comes when called etc. Luckily he has always been good with other dogs. In the house the chewing has massively slowed down, although he did manage to take a bite out off dh's trainers last night!
The poo eating (and it is fox poo found at the top of the garden as a fox has made his home in the garden of two doors down and likes to roam the neighbourhood pooing as he goes) is something I struggle with. Dill also likes to roll in fox poo.
I think I may have to let that one go and write it off as 'animal behaviour'.

It is the jumping up on visitors that is proving the hardest. At the moment we have to put him in the kitchen.
So any tips to change this are very welcome!!

You think she has horrible habits, but she's just doing what dogs do. Unless you teach her other behaviours and stimulate her properly she'll continue to chew/run away/go for other dogs/jump up. Dogs don't come ready-made - you get out what you put in. It sounds to me like you have a very smart little dog who's bored out of her mind and needs more exercise.

Sorry to be blunt but you should have thought of all these things before you got her, and been sure you were prepared to put in the necessary time/effort. IMO to rehome your children's beloved dog because you didn't fully consider the implications of getting her is very unfair on both the dog and the kids.

I'd suggest arranging training for her, and for you - you need to learn how to understand her, then her actions will make more sense and you'll be equipped to solve problems. I'd also get help with her - if your kids are old enough they can help out, and your DH should be doing his bit too. If you do nothing else, just walk her more (under proper control if she's untrustworthy around dogs) - lack of exercise is probably the number one reason for hyperactivity and unwanted chewing behaviour.

this book might help you - very American but will help you think dog!

Sorry, xposted with you. Also meant to suggest adding a splash of pineapple juice to her food - it will stop her eating her own poo - that's a start, right?!

Right,
Jumping up/over excitement can be cured.

What you need to do is invite a few people over who can help you/dont mind being jumped on etc. (supply wine or beer if necessary)
One person arrives at front door - allow dog to do what ever it wants but the visitor MUST totally ignore the dog, not even put a hand down to it or make eye contact. After a minute or two that visitor leaves by the back door.
Another guest rings front doorbell repeat the same process, ignoring and leaving by the back door.
You keep on doing this until the dog gets bored with it (takes a morning or two).
The only trouble with this ive found, is that the guests say oh yes ill ignore etc and then they dont! grr!

Problem solved.

Another way, is to bring your knee up just as te dog is about to launch itself up at you. Your knee and the dog (chin or chest usually) colides and he decides after a while that jumoping up always results in a clonk on the chin.

My dogs never jump up.
But dp thinks its an advantage that they bark and get excited when someone is about outside as it will deter burgulars. Which i can kind of agree with - but it does drive me insane when they bark so much at the window cleaner or someone collecting for charity, i can hardly hear myself think let alone talk to the person at the door.
When ive been home alone when dp is away, i do find it reassuring that i have 2 large dogs in the house. I dont ever feel vulnerable or paranoid as i used to do before we had dogs.

BTW, all dogs eat poo! And roll in it. Its their favourite thing to do in the whole world!
Dont think youll ever be able to stop that.

You are correct. I am the only one who walks her so I take her out, morning, after-noon and she really could be doing with another walk in the evening.

Dh does not help out with very much at all with anything so trying to get him and boys fed, bathed, bed, stop them fighting etc..[yes dh with dc too] poor snoop comes last in the evenings, hence this is when she chews.

I shall try anything with her now.

I have got "How to train your puppy in 7 days" but may have to go through the full routine again, which has her in her cage for most of day allowing her out only briefly for walks and play.

I think she really needs a training class.

Thanks for that Haychee. We try to get the guest to ignore Dill, but you are right, they say they will but then they don't. Instead they will look at him, talk to him, and stroke him! Aaarrrggghhh....

Will try what you said, about a continuous steam of visitors arriving, ignoring, leaving by the back door. Will bribe them with coffee, cake, and beer if necessary!