Please can someone help - Problems with rescue dog - toilet training and chewing

[dreamingofthefuture]

I posted about our rescue dog but we have several issues and I am desperate would really appreciate it if someone can help.

Firstly he keeps chewing - he has a kong and a bone and toys but has destroyed my armchair, coffee table, shoes, etc. He rarely chews when I am around but if he does and I say no he stops.

Secondly he will not toilet outside apart from a wee. I keep doing after he eats, when we go out, when we come in, every half hour, etc but no success. There is no pattern at all when he toilets, last night was 1am 1.30 am and 5am whereas Monday was 9pm. Also has no sign that he is about to do anything.

Thirdly he will not leave the house for a walk if not ready. This is an issue as I work so had arranged for him to stay at my mum's when I was not in but obviously he will not go out of the house or in the car. I have tried treats, coaxing and being patient but nothing.

Thank you for bearing with such a long post but I am so desperate, he is a lovely dog but after nearly two weeks of mess, destruction and very little sleep I am near breaking point.

Also he is petrified of men, my daughter's boyfriend stays over often and keeps gently talking and trying treats, leaving on the floor when he won't take them but there is not the slightest improvement.

How difficult! Does the rescue offer any support ? What breed/mix is it?

Is he a collie/collie x?

Just found your other thread and I see he is a BC, sorry, should have searched first.

Do you have any idea about his background?

Thanks for replying.

We do not have any history at all other than he is a stray from Ireland. He clearly has issues with men as he cowers from them but is fine and bouncy with females.

I would say he had probably never been in a house before.

Resue has not been any help, I telephoned them last Tuesday and it took till Saturday until they replied and even then it was no help at all. I felt a bit like we had the dog now so their hands were washed of him.

Toooldforglitter - you asked if he was a Collie, are these problems quite common in Collies?

you say his behaviour is better when you are around, how much time are yo able to spend with him during the day?

Can you create a safe place he can go into when you leave him ? (so eh doesn't destroy things), like utility room, or a room that doesn't have stuff that can be destroyed?

Can you look for specific help on a dog forum, maybe there is one for collies?

Hi Dreaming, is it two weeks since you got him? RescueDog was very reluctant to go for walks the first few weeks I had him. He is settling now, but I was at my wits end for a while. I let him decide how far we went and in what direction, and we came home again as soon as he wanted too. Some days this was the end of the drive and back! Lots of treats for being brave.

Is he scared of the car?

We have a rescue dog from Ireland too. He is terrified of pretty much everything and doesn't respond to sweets or toys. We rehomed from Wiccaweys, and they are always there to help with any kind of colllie mutt dog issues. I am going to see a trainer with trauma dog next week. With good information, things WILL get better. Press on regardless and keep searching. Our devil runnaway dog belted off into the road today. He hasn't done that for more than a year.

Thank you for the replies.

It is two weeks tomorrow that we have had him

I am not sure if he is scared of the car as at the moment we cannot even get him in it.

Unfortunately I work fulltime but we had arranged that he would go to my mum's during the day as she is there nearly all day. With the car issue my mum is going to mine so he is not alone very much

It's early days and these things take time, we got our dog from a rescue but he was a pup, he's a collie x lab ( we think ), we had trouble toilet training and in the end we used a crate ( I was against them but was amazed how quickly it worked ), we did a few days of having him the crate ( once he felt ok about being in there ) and removing him every hour, taking him outs side and praising when he did something, took a lot of effect and me being at home all day but within a few days he was 90% clean in the house.

We now use the crate for when we go out as he will chew, this week we tried him out of the crate ( as we have had him a year ) when we went out, today he chewed through some wires so we are going back to crating again.

Our dog will chew more if he is bored and not had enough exercise , he needs 2 long walks a day and these involve lots of running ( he plays fetch with a ball ), if I walk him on the roads on a lead he does not get tired ( would be walking all day ), he also needs lots of mental stimulation, training and brain games ( there are some great food reward games you can buy ).