Dog's behaviour is getting out of control

[BiancaDelRiooo]

Any help would be welcomed as my dog is driving me nuts. He's never been well behaved and we've had lots of issues with jumping up/on people, walking badly on the lead, no recall, excessive barking, stealing/destroying, attention seeking...almost anything you can think of. He still does all of these although we've had some improvement on some after lots (and lots, and lots) of work.

He's a cavalier aged 3 and I've had him since a puppy. He's been to puppy classes, adult training classes, and had a private session with a behaviouralist and nothing has made much impact.

I had a baby 8 months ago and things have gone from bad to worse. He has always been obsessed with stealing things like tissues, cardboard, post, wrappers and food. For the first few months of the baby's life he didn't go anywhere near his toys which seemed miraculous, but in the last month or so he's been steadily stealing more and more until now, when barely 20 minutes goes by without him nicking a dummy/spoon/toy/comforter etc. The other day he took a breadstick out of the baby's hand!

He knows 'leave it', we have done it 500000 times but he will run off with stuff into another room, and I have to leave the baby and get a treat for him to drop it. I'm currently having to do this about 20 times a day and it's driving me spare. Trying not to chase him/take things out of his mouth as he can get growly but a couple of times I've had to because they were dangerous.

I think he's doing it for attention and while he's always been a tricky dog (both the trainer and behaviouralist said he was not a usual cavalier due to the fact that he doesn't respond well/quickly to training) I think it's probably mine and my DHs fault too, we're definitely doing something wrong. I have felt very frustrated with him since having the baby due to the extra stress he's causing, although try very hard not to show it. He gets walks, toys, games and cuddles (although my partner does much more than me these days) every day but I think I spoiled him pre-baby and he had lots of bad habits that have now become bigger issues.

Rehoming is not and won't ever be an option so please no one suggest that, he's our dog and I love him deep down (just not IN LOVE with him at the moment ).

I could have written this!

My cavalier girl is terrified of other dogs, barky and gets things in her mouth she shouldn't all the them! Especially tissues and so on. She will eat them too! She also does it with cigarette butts on walks (has ended up in the vet for that) and her recall is so so. If she gets overexcited then forget it. She is exercised and gets lots of affection.

She loves people,
And is also very gentle with small people. Almost a bit scared
Of them too.

I thought cavaliers were more placid to be honest, but she is a
Badly behaved little monster . I love
Her dearly though so what can you do?

@Winsomelosesome yes a proper one, recommended by our vet actually, she was great and gave us a good training plan but it was quite a while ago and the stuff that we need the most help with is probably different now

We have one who won't give stuff up and if your dog is food orientated one of the best things we have in our arsenal is drop. We trained him by just saying drop and raining treats down on top of him, helping him find them all. It took a while, because it has to be reinforced. Now if he has something he shouldn't we call drop safely from another room and drop treats on the floor and he comes at the gallop, while he is hoovering them up we can go and pick up the item.
I am not sure if that is of any help to you

You've already identified the mistake you're making. You say when he takes something he shouldn't have and runs off, you leave the baby tonget the dog a treat in order to get the object back. You're rewarding his behaviour so it will increase that behaviour. You need to break this cycle.

Pickledog managed to dig out and eat a sealed box of chocolates, in the bottom of a suitcase full of clothes on top of a table.

They will always manage to get something.

Can you call her back then play a rewarding game with her for bringing it back?

@picklemepopcorn it took us about 3 months to crack 'down' on our kitchen lino, there's no way he'd ever do it on grass!

@allymcbeals yeah I did my research for years before I got him, he's definitely one not the placid easy-to-train kind of cav...lots of fun though and very very cuddly

@minsmum that is helpful yes! I can usually get him to drop it with a treat eventually but it does mean going after him, if I could get him to come back into the room it would be lots easier

We have managed
To teach drop (only works if she can see the treat) and heel to get her into the room. Heel is great but must not be overused and always rewarded with a big treat.

Doesn't always work when she's hidden away eating something she shouldn't though

I have a similarly challenging Weimaraner. She is very well trained, when she chooses to be but other times she does as she pleases. I wouldn’t mind, but the dog before her was superb and never put a paw wrong. I thought I was the best dog trainer in the world. Then I met my beauty and she disabused me of that idea.

You honestly should have tackled this before you had the baby.
But didn’t.
So now you have to keep him completely away from stuff he can steal. Use a longline and harness so you never have to chase him.
Having puzzles isn’t the same as you engaging in brain training with him. Make what you don’t want him to do as near impossible as you can. Make the behaviour you do want seem amazing and exciting or rewarding. Worth his while really.

Our dog is younger than yours but a terrible stealer and chewer! Brilliant games (for dog) of chase into garden with precious objects before we got on top of it. Look at the bib, for example, from a dog's point of view - an interesting, portable object that smells of food!

The best advice I had was prevention. So this is what has helped us:
Bathroom door always closed now = toilet roll
Stairgates on bedroom doors = shoes
Remotes on high shelf in living room. Ditto phones. Handbags on coat hooks. Letters in drawers.
No food or dirty plates left on kitchen counters (after dog stole a bowl, broke it and got a cut lip)
Charger wires all out of reach
Guests warned not to leave anything they wish to take home in reach of dog,

We haven't got room anywhere for a crate.

In your position, I'd definitely get a baby-den that you can easily chuck toys etc into. Teach leave it as well as you can - do training with old socks and treat for dropping.

Also think about what the dog enjoys - chewing, investigating, sniffing etc. Check out enrichment ideas to keep dog occupied while you are focused on baby:

• old socks with kibble in keep a dog entertained for quite a while
• kibble sprinkled over the grass instead of put in a dinner bowl
• reindeer horn to gnaw (seem expensive but last months so much better value and healthier than hide sticks).

Winsomelosesome yes a proper one, recommended by our vet actually

Oh that's good. Was just checking as I see so many people throwing good money after bad with so called experts and problems being exacerbated by bad advice. I would personally contact her again then as your dog's issues seem quite varied and ingrained. Training really is a lifelong commitment with dogs, they don't just learn something and get it forever, it needs to be constantly reinforced, but no 2 dogs are the same and that's why a decent behaviourist who will observe and tailor a programme specifically for you and your dog is the best bet.

Thanks for the suggestion poster Veterinari I will look into the implant option. I don't want to mess things up for him.

How much exercise and one-on-one time (play/training/fuss) does he get each day, and is this consistent?

I only ask because ours is 18 months and if he's not had a good walk plus a good training session (at least 10-15 minutes) each day he reverts to really poor behaviour. However today he had a run on the beach and we took him to a dog show this afternoon - he's been good as gold since as he's just eaten, slept and farted!

I've made the mistake of allowing a dog to train me into giving her treats, some dogs are good at that. She's my 11th dog and we do advanced obedience now but I still have to watch my step with her!

I agree that you've now been trained by him to give rewards for bad behaviour so you need to find a way to break the association between the object and the reward. ATM he associates the reward with dropping an object, so he HAS to have an object to drop.

Instead of using a 'drop' command try using 'sit' or 'paw' and then offer the treat. He will have to drop the object to take the treat but he won't be getting the treat BECAUSE he's dropped the object. Do lots of random 'sits' or 'paw' throughout the day, give treats often, you are trying to build an association. Call him to you when he's not doing anything much and get him to sit for a treat, keep him on his toes a bit, focussed on you.

The 6 month old pup I've just taken on is an escape artist with, I was told, poor recall (sadly his previous owner became very ill and died so it's totally understandable, but he was loved and has the basics) so I'm randomly calling him to me throughout the day, reward every time. Same on walks, random call back, reward. The association is that coming to me is worth doing. Soon I'll randomly replace the treat with fuss and a verbal reward. My 2yr old simply doesn't expect a treat when she comes back now, but she does expect, and get, a 'good girl'.

It is hard work, particularly when you have a baby, but it's worth it, it's about consistency in rewarding and reinforcing the behaviour you want.

By chasing after him your rewarding him by playing the game! You need to be committed to train him everyday and be consistent. Are you taking him on a stimulating walk or 2 every day? So off lead where there are lots of things to sniff (woodland areas are great, a path round a park not so great if the only walk of the day). Spaniels like to use their nose so somewhere he can sniff - and not just the lamp posts! Before the weather turns bad, commit to doing walks like this every day with him for an hour in the morning and again in the afternoon if possible. Also, put everything at a high level for a couple of weeks that you can, especially if it's precious like shoes or edible. If he takes something don't react with any alarm, anger of excitement. Regardless of a fun chase or shout and grab, it's a game to him and you've rewarded him in his mind for taking it. Calmly and quietly ask him to leave it, then immediately drop a treat or two. The penny will drop but you must be consistent. Try these 2 things religiously for 2 weeks and see if it makes a difference. Remember, be calm and non-reactive to any undesired behaviour. Redirect him to a behaviour you'd prefer to see. But don't give up. All dogs like to please us but need help understanding what we want ... he needs your patience and direction. Good luck and keep us updated :)