I really need some help!

[MiseryBusiness]

Please help me.

I know I've mentioned a few time on here that Ddog2 is trying my patience at the moment but I think I'm starting to really, really not like her anymore.

Every time I walk into my kitchen and look at the 2 cupboards and all the skirting she has ripped up and chewed to shreds it makes me want to cry. She's damaged the cooker too and we're moving in a month and we're going to have to find the money from somewhere to replace it all.

We've tried the crate with her again, feeding her in there, treats, yummy things as she can't be trusted and she still hates it as much as when she was a puppy.

We spend so much money on treats and kong fillers etc for her and she just isnt interested.

We've tried letting her sleep out side the kitchen but she chewed through all the telephone and internet cables. She also had a good chew on one of the dining room tables.

If she is around the DC in the day she will steal all their food. Yesterday she took youngest DC sandwich off her plate at lunch while my back was turned making them a drink. So I shut her in the kitchen and she scratched the kitchen door until she was let out.

She's started to scratch the kitchen door at night and from about 5am every morning, no crying just scratching but it's so damaged now we'll have to replace it too.

We go down to her, let her out for a wee, make sure she has water etc but she just carries on.

The last couple of days I've realised I feel no affection for her. I feel terrible for even saying that but it's true. I need to get back on track. Help me!

(This is summing up MN at the moment a poster asking for help gets no replies but posters all have an opinion when to put a dog down)

Miserybusiness you poor thing this must be doing your head in. Right time for action and time to sort out your chewing dog!

What breed is she
What is she feed
You say she does not like her crate - what does she do if you put her in the crate?

TBH she is more at risk of hurting herself by eating everything than she is in getting a bit grumpy in the crate.

Take her for a walk get her tired feed her in the crate shut the crate and then stay in the room with her. She will bark etc but the second she is quiet then treat her ignore all bad behaviour.

I have to dash now but will be back to help later on - hang on in there this can be sorted

Thanks for replying herbert!

She is a Dalmatian - you may think we are rather mental getting a Dally but our Ddog1 is also a Dally that we had from a pup and was remarkably easier that Ddog2.

She is fed James Wellbeloved at the moment because its pretty much the best we can find here (Germany).

She hated her crate from a pup - we tried everything, tried following lots of different advice from breeder/Ian Dunbar/the doghouse etc and she just bashed around and screamed, she would rather go without food than get it from there. She has never, ever been shut in a crate - has only ever been in one with the door open but she still hates it.

She has a long walk with me in the morning, about an hour - 2 hours and then another one in the evening with DH.

My rescue dog absolutely hated the crate at first, he used to bark and bark whenever I put him near there.

We used to do a long walk about 8:30pm, and put him in the crate with a kong from the freezer stuffed with peanut butter.
He used to bark, but we persevered with ignoring the barking and giving him a treat after a few seconds of quiet. It took about 2 weeks tbh and it was very noisy but it worked.

My puppy is a chewer, will chew anything and everything. We are working our way through different chew toys, the puppy kong seems to working quite well.

Where does your dog sleep at night?

As for the food thing, probably a stupid question but have you taught him the leave it command?
My puppy used to sit right next to my ds2 at dinner time and try and jump up for food until we taught him to leave it.

I can't offer much advice I'm afraid being a new pup owner, but hang in there she sounds like she would try the patience of a saint.

Seems to me the kitchen isn't the best place for her...do you have a secure garden you could put her in for time out? (time out for her and you as well!)

Thankfully my pup is just starting to 'get it' but before she did I literally had to shut her outside (she has a kennel and its lovely weather here) for a couple of hours in the morning and the same in the afternoon...just to make her sleep and chill. She simply wouldn't relax when I was around her doing stuff and of course the more tired-overstimulated she was the worse her behaviour, the more stressed I got, and its a vicious circle.

It meant the time when she was in the house for a couple of hours, even if she was a maniac, I felt more able to cope.

Just an idea....

What age is she? Sounds like a very bored teenager to me :( does she get any off lead time, ie running on beach or fields? These dogs are bred to run for miles every day and if she is young and full of energy I think that is where your problem is lying.

If you are moving and there is stress in the house (with her adding to it no doubt) she is likely picking this up too. I feel so sorry for you, can't offer any helpful advice as not my breed, Herbert is your person here.

Crate is a nightmare - I could put up with it if it was just barking and crying but she literally bashes and thrashes around until she gets out - that is with the door open.

She has loads of chews and always has a filled kong on the go.

She knows 'leave it' and will obey immediately with anything except food.

Cant leave her in the Garden. All the other rooms have too much in them to chew.

They both get loads of exercise. Older Ddog gets a bit more as she'll go out for long 10 mile plus runs with DH but Ddog 2 is too young for it. She's 1. She get a minimum of 2 hours walking sometime 3 hours. Not off lead as it's illegal in this part of the country.

The thing is, she is not mental, doesn't run around the place, she is very placid not too excitable unless she sees other kids/children/dogs that want to pay her attention the rest of the time she just mooches about. She's actually a lazy sod most of the time. It's just these moments.

She is a terrible counter surfer as well. She can jump so high she can literally reach anything on the kitchen sides even if its right at the back.

Does he pause at all in the crate, so you can reward for being quiet or is it continuous barking and thrashing?

Is it possible to shut the door and ignore?

Does he sleep in the kitchen?

Nope, no pause. We sacked it off because she was at risk of harming herself.

We got it back out last week. Set it up, lots of treats inside. Food inside. Water etc. Older dog was pretty happy and will sleep in there fine but DDog2 wont have any of it. Just runs away. Wont be lead in with treats or anything.

Yes, she sleeps in the kitchen. It's the safest room for her to be honest!

I love dalmatians. I bet she is gorgeous but it sounds so stressful for you at the moment. You must feel like you can't take your eyes off her for a second.

If she won't even go in the crate to get a treat, maybe you can reward her just for going anywhere near it, and hopefully build up from that to getting closer and eventually in. (Sounds daft but I have been doing this with my cat and his basket at the moment to get him used to it. Had to start giving a treat in the same room as the basket, then gradually move closer and closer, then put treat so he had to put just the tip of his head in to get it, and so on).

It sounds like she has lots of chew toys already. I wonder if you can find somewhere that she can run around a bit off-leash? Is there a fenced dog park that you could drive to, or a tennis court that you could use?

Best of luck, it sounds really difficult at the moment. I am sure she will turn out to be a wonderful dog in the end!

I agree that leaving the crate up and trying to get her used to it being there and being fed/trained/given attention/anything good in the vicinity of it is a good start and build up to being closer to the crate, then in it. It will probably take even longer if she has a negative association with the crate.

Have you also tried a DAP collar or diffuser? If she is highly strung as Dals can be, that might help.

The other thing is supervision. I'm assuming she's chewing when you're not there/at night? Can she sleep in your room on the bed/floor?

Counter surfing, I am sure you know, but be rigourous about removing anything she might want from them. Eventually she will give up. Stealing food, watch her like a hawk and when she is ignoring the kids/not stealing food from them occasionally call her over for a treat. You can also train her to stay in a bed or particular spot while they ar eeating by rewarding her for being there. Have you tried a bone/kong during mealtimes?

Thanks for the help, everyone.

I'll try to build her up to being near the crate - seems like a sensible approach.

I know her chewing is my fault but I have another dog and a toddler home all day and older DC after school and sometimes I get distracted. She doesn't actually chew much at all at night, just sleeps.

She's just a PITA to have roaming around with the DC's, she loves them and is very good with them. Always gets really excited at the sight of them it's lovely but if they have any crayons or paper or pencils etc downstairs she'll eat them. She's not too bad with toys.

Now when the DCs eat I put her in the kitchen with a kong or chew. I always did this at meal times anyway because she would beg and get under the dinner table but I used to be able to give DCs snacks when she was about but not anymore she'll just take them.

The counter surfing is something we are vigilant about. Never leave food in reach or tea towels, oven gloves, books, paperwork, wallet, money, lunch box, handbag, phone and so one. It's not just food she like to steal

It's funny now as it's a while ago but DH had 250 euros in his wallet and left it on the kitchen side. She demolished it! So now we try our best to keep everything out the way. She still gets things every now and again. She can jump very high and lunge quite far!

Thanks for the advice!

Misery, I am in awe of you. It must be really stressful. I hope she settles down for you soon.

Thanks, Chickens. When I saw you'd replied, I was hoping to read all about how bad Jasper is so I wouldn't feel so lonely in the terrible teenage dog/bad owner corner.

Oh also, she can't have a bed. She chews through them within a few weeks and as they are so expensive we decided to give her blankets for the time being but it there a way I can actually stop her chewing a bed?

If there is a way to stop dogs from destroying and chewing up their beds, please please let me know!

My pup is a chewer, he is getting quite good now as he is getting to grips with the puppy kong but loves to rip up his bed.
He takes the little cushion part out and rips the lining at the bottom to pieces. So we bought one without a cushion part to get out. He turned it upside down and started working on the bottom.

I don't know whether to give up on a bed entirely or perserve, keep watching and telling him no, giving him something else to chew on.

My pup hasn't chewed her bed, however since it got moved out of the cloakroom and she isn't forced to sleep in it, she hasn't gone near it.....

I made her a bed out of two pillows and a blanket removable cover and she curls up on that. Damn sight cheaper than the bed too....

Ah, Misery. You have missed my posts about Jasper trying to eat other dogs if they look at his Amazing Squeaky Ball Of Awesomeness

Oh dear! Eating the money is no good!!

I am really lucky that mine aren't chewers but when we first got Dog2 it did feel like he had a book of bad dog behaviour that he read from each night, to pick a new thing to do the next day.

Maybe it would help to keep teaching the 'leave it' command, with a range of different things to leave? Who knows, perhaps crayons are especially prized in dalmation-world, and also need building up to.

Thanks everyone, you have all actually made me feel a bit better.

She is the most beautiful dog.

I think we are going to go back to basics. Thinking about she is starting to slip on a lot of things. Recall isn't great anymore. She seems overly rude with other dogs we meet (pawing their faces, backs, heads and just generally being quite rough) not in an aggressive way just a bit too friendly.

We could probably do with going back to the begining. We'll try to build up her confidence with the crate too.

One year old dogs are teenagers and the phase does pass! I am sure she will become a lovely dog!