Please help me with my dog

[AtMyWitsEnd999]

As my username shows, I'm at my wit's end with my dog. I can't take much more. I love him but he's just an utter, utter cunt. I don't want to rehome him, that usually goes against all my principles, a dog is for life etc I've tried everything, positive reinforcement, telling off, ignoring, walking for hours, bribing with treats, but he is still relentless.

When we come in he gets stupid excited and jumps and runs and gets in your shopping bags. Tried ignoring this and turning our backs on him - doesn't work.

Whenever he gets excited he has to grab something, tea towels, washing, your coat, anything, but he chews it and makes holes in it. All my fucking towels and tea towels have holes in. Even most of the duvet covers and pillowcases that I used to have on the sofa ffs. My dressing gown. He grabs stuff and runs around and thinks it's a game. He took something off the floor in the shed while I had the door open getting out pegs this morning, then showed me up in front of all the neighbours by running all over the garden with it. Chewed it to fuck. Someone just came to collect something from me. as we came back in he grabbed the towel off the sofa (i've got towels as makeshift throws until I can get some) and went running round the garden again with it. I lost my temper then and squirted him with water.

We can't leave blankets or pillows or cushions on the sofa. We can't really leave anything anywhere. Coasters, washing on an airer, remote controls, anything.

He has to be supervised all the time. He cries if I go upstairs to the toilet. I have to walk the other dog for less time because I can't risk leaving him on his own too long.

He'll be sleeping, as soon as I move, to get a drink or something he's up. He has to follow and get in the way.

He pisses or marks all over everything. He will be getting done, but I think it's to do with my DH because when he's not here, he doesn't do it.

If you put him outside on his own for discipline, he barks like a fucking bitch. We've just moved so I'm trying not to piss the neighbours off so I'm trying to keep him quiet. His bark is so so loud though.

He's 2yrs 9mo and a presa canario. My last dog, a cane corso wasn't like this. This is relentless. He chewed the sofa in our last house. Scratched up all the door frames clawing at them.

A dog is supposed to bring joy to your life. At the moment, he isn't. e's stressful. This is our fault for not doing the right training, but I need to know how to train him to make him a pleasure to be with. Most of the time I just bide my time and count down the time until I can go to bed and leave them.

He gets me up earlier and earlier, and I can't ignore it in-case he pisses everywhere (furnished rental), but most of the time he doesn't even want to go outside, just wants me to get up.

I think that's everything but there's probably more I've missed, its never fucking ending.

What are your walks like? How long?

We've literally just moved, on Saturday, so still finding walks here, but street walks atm. About 20ish mins. It's hot here. But walking him makes no difference, he's worse sometimes after a walk. More revved up.

They aren't fed shit, no additives. They have porridge, veg and protein, usually chicken but we mix it up with sardines, mince, turkey, whatever we get reduced.

I was hoping he'd get better with age but doesn't seem to have. We got him at 6m from someone that needed to rehome him, so we missed all the important cut off stages but that doesn't mean he can't be trained. He responds very well to training, its just when he gets silly excited.

I would genuinely consider crate training in your position. It sounds like he needs to learn to switch off and he can't when there's too much fascinating stuff to do.

Is there a reason you haven't enlisted the help of a dog behaviourist (which is still ok, even if you are in lockdown)?

I've never heard of that breed before. I've only ever had Border Collies, but if he were a collie I'd be saying after reading about his behaviour 'He's bored!'

Just as a kid might be jumping on the furniture and teasing his siblings and following you round moaning he has nothing to do if he wasn't getting enough outdoor time/stimulation. How much walking is he getting? Can he get offlead time? Do you do brain training with him, like teaching him tricks, giving him food in interactive dog toys, playing games like 'Find it!' to have him problem solve?

Also, what are you feeding him? Cheaper foods like Bakers can send them doolally. You might want to look at higher level brands as it can make a real difference.

I would be looking at some professional help. Sometimes if you speak to your vet they can recommend a good behaviourist.

It's difficult to respond to this thread without starting by asking what on earth about your lifestyle made you think it was a good idea to get a dog like this. (Oh look, I failed!)

Taking at face value that you would like to solve this, then you need to get serious about it immediately with consistency in training and a damn sight more exercise than you are currently giving. He needs mental exercise as well as physical exercise, but saying he's worse after exercise is short-sighted - he needs a mix of mental and physical exercise to calm him.

There is every likelihood that this dog will be a dangerous menace as he matures further if you don't get on top of this immediately. If you can't do that, then you absolutely should responsibly rehome him.

In the meantime, could you keep him busy with difficult foods? Stuffed Kong or a busy mat or something.

Firstly - take all the duvet covers and pillow cases and towels off the sofa - I'm not sure why they all need to be there, but it's things he enjoys so remove them so he can't chew them. It's constant temptation whilst he isn't trained so surely easier to move them.
Also, he isn't showing you up in front on the neighbours - he's a dog. A poorly trained dog that knows absolutely no better and is in desperate need of a behaviourist or trainer. That's down to you as his owner to sort out, it really isn't the dogs issue that he hasn't had the appropriate time spent to train him.

His walks are only 20 minutes? Again, I know nothing about the breed, but for a collie 20 minutes would just be aggravating, again like letting a kid go to the park for a quick go on the swings but having the come home again without going on the other equipment! Is it important to limit his walks for some reason? I would have said at least an hour in the morning, and a further 40 minutes in the afternoon very day rain or shine for the average dog.

You're not in the UK are you? They're a banned breed here.

@fairydustandpixies

You're not in the UK are you? They're a banned breed here.

No, they're not (although God knows, they're not something we need to see many of, not a dog for the average home).

20 mins doesn't seem enough for a walk

20 minute walk round the street 😩
I have an elderly Pomeranian that gets more than that

Your dog is bored and, much like a child, he has learned that any attention is better than none

Up the exercise, he needs at least two good walks every day

In between walks keep his brain busy with toys/Kong

And seriously consider seeking professional help from a behaviourist, this breed is not for novices and need firm, consistent training

You say he wakes you up earlier and earlier but doesn't even want to go outside. I have a dog like this: I can open the door to the garden and he can't be bothered to step outside. Grab the lead though and he'll bullet to the front door for walks. Just because they show no interest in taking a piss in the garden does not mean they don't need/want long walks. 20 minutes walking a day is the reason your dog is trashing your house and peace of mind. Walk your dog, OP. Sorry. But that's pretty much your starting point. Heat is not an excuse. An early morning walk should help you avoid the heat. Your dog needs a minimum of 60 minutes a day. I just googled your specific breed.

Where are you located? It's hot, so not the UK.

@fairydustandpixies

You're not in the UK are you? They're a banned breed here.

They’re banned in Aus and NZ.

I'm taking some leaps here but I am guessing you are not in the UK, possibly in Spain - you said it is hot, and the breed is more common there than anywhere else.

This is a working dog. 20 minutes walking and nothing more will simply not do. They were bred to work in hot climates, so walking in a hot climate should be nothing for him.

You need serious assistance, not some well meaning advice from strangers. He sounds both extremely bored, overly energetic and also in control of the household. Some half-hearted training won't change that; and given that these have been used as fighting dogs, that pent up energy and intelligence could easily become dangerous.

If you can't give him that, rehome him - but please be responsible if you do as their use in fighting may be illegal nw, but that doesn't mean that they aren't used in that way.

20mins walking? No wonder the dog is going nuts.
It's a large breed that needs plenty of walking as well as mental stimulation or they will be absolutely bored out of their minds a destructive as you have experienced.

For reference I had a little cockapoo and she got a solid hour a day walk, 2hours + sometimes at weekends.

Has he got a bed or a boundary area that he feels safe? Now is not the best time as you’ve just moved house so he will be unsettled but you should spend some time working on calm and boundary areas.

With billypup, almost by accident, she adopted the bottom step of our stairs as a safe place, so when she starts barking at the hedgehog that farted in his sleep 5 miles away, we redirect her to her step. She will go ape at anything coming near the house, or similar to you when we come home. Now it’s straight ‘on your step’ and she goes happily. She is now 3 and just started to calm down.

Start the training when everything is calm and quiet, it won’t work when distracted until it’s a well established safe place. You can then start to control the distraction, have a friend come and visit if that sort of thing sets him off so you can practice. Every time he gets excited encourage him to calm on his safe place.

We did use time out a lot when she was younger, our hall works as there was nothing to chew and it could be enclosed, so when she was biting things she shouldn’t or getting over excited, we put her in the hall for a few minutes to calm down.

As for leaving towels and cushions etc, just put them away until he’s learnt ‘not yours’

Also maybe try chew toys, antlers, bones etc that gives something to focus on and gets them using their brain.

Also is he crate trained. That’s an option for when you go out.

With walks, don’t think of having to completely exhaust him as that’s like having an over tired kid. Think of what enrichments he is getting, so maybe try an on lead, or longline walk perhaps somewhere new but concentrate on the sniffs, billypup likes mousing so will sniff through long grass, scatter feeding is also a good calming method, don’t give him his food in a bowl, make him work for it using his nose.

These are probably all things you’ve tried already but worth some suggestions
.

Also do you have anything in your garden he can entertain himself with? Any toys or equipment suitable for his breed?

Sorry, I got that wrong, I was going by a list a certain caravan holiday firm won't allow on their sites. I have a staffie cross who gets mistaken for a pit bull so am a bit touchy about banned breeds! I stand corrected! OP, lots and lots of training I think - and then some more.

I'm in the UK btw.

Just spotted the only 20 minutes walk bit, sorry missed that, my collie needs her calm enriching walks but 20 minutes is no where near enough for any level of physical exercise or enrichment.

So much here that I agree a proper trainer would be the best way to go.

But some initial thoughts:

1. He likes chewing so give him something he can chew safely. Everytime you find him chewing something he cannot, swap it for something he can. When he picks up a tea towel, swap it for something he can chew (better still, put the teatowles where he cannot get to them). Cardboard boxes make a great alternative if what he likes is destroying things. Hide a few treats in scrumpled paper, inside the box and let him have it.

1. 20mins walk in the heat are not cutting it for this dog. Walk him for longer and aim for cooler, quieter parts of the day. Really assess if he's getting any stimulation or enjoyment from the walk at all and change the time, type, location to suit him better. The reality is this breed is likely to need a LOT more exercise than you are offering.

1. During the day, give him things that will entertain him. Training sessions, interactive toys, scatter feeding, etc.

1. Focus on interaction with him being emotionally calm rather than getting annoyed. If he wants to get his nose in your shopping bag then distract him by scattering a few treats away from you while you walk to the table. Or practise going to a specific location until you are in and bags are down so you can call him to you for greeting. Stop squirting him with water.

1. Really question if this dog is in the right environment. Honestly, it sounds like you are all miserable, not least the dog who is not getting what he needs and then being blamed for needing something else.