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Pat
Member

Dec 12, 2001, 6:28 PM

Post #1 of 11 (3661 views)
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Help! Behavour change	Can't Post

Recently my dog has become very restless. She dug up the garden, toppled the flower pots, ate up my plants and chew on anything she can find. She is 10 months old and this is my second month owning her. During the first month she was good. Can anyone advise me? Frown

I don't want to chain her up all day but if this goes on I would have to, then it really defeats the purpose of having a dog to guard the house. HELP!!!!

Pat, David
parents to Kiki-nicole choa

Derrickok
Novice

Dec 12, 2001, 7:23 PM

Post #2 of 11 (3656 views)
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Re: [Pat] Help! Behavour change [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hello Pat, welcome to the forum,
Please give some further details on your puppy. Anything that is under 14 months old I personally classified it as a puppy.
The following details are required before I could offer you some remedial solutions.
What breed? Male or female?
Rgds

Rainbow
Canine Addict

Dec 12, 2001, 7:52 PM

Post #3 of 11 (3654 views)
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Re: [Pat] Help! Behavour change [In reply to]	Can't Post

Pat looks like she's settled in and is getting bold..mine just destroyed my mum's furniture yesterday (first time)...hehehe..and I am waiting to get nagged at when she finds out!!!

By the way this is her second month with me.....ah...the joys of puppyhood.. Smile

Cheers

�..� ��)) -:�:-
�.�� ))
((��.�� ..�� -:�:- Rainbow -:�:-
-:�:- ((��.��*

jason
Enthusiast

Dec 12, 2001, 7:59 PM

Post #4 of 11 (3652 views)
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Re: [Pat] Help! Behavour change [In reply to]	Can't Post

I think this may be normal for puppies. In order to control this behavior, I use to scold my boxer with strong voice 'NO' and if she is still stubborn, I will smash her with newspaper Smile

. Now, she is not likely to mess up my belongings around living room when I say 'NO' on her.

regards

_______________________________________________
papa to Candy - female boxer; fawn; natural ear;
docked tail;born 6/2001.
Jasper - male boxer; fawn;natural
ear;docked tail;born 11/2001.

Pat
Member

Dec 12, 2001, 10:44 PM

Post #5 of 11 (3648 views)
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Re: [Derrickok] Help! Behavour change [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Derric.

My puppy is a female terrier mix. I tried scolding her, pushing her to the spot, forcing her to sniff it and slap her on her face with a forceful "no" but she does it less than 5 minutes after her punishment. And to my amaze, she keeps doing it despite the slapping and the scolding, even if the punishment was carried out for a few times consecutively in a day! Unsure

Pat, David
parents to Kiki-nicole choa

Derrickok
Novice

Dec 13, 2001, 4:19 AM

Post #6 of 11 (3639 views)
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Re: [Pat] Help! Behavour change [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hello Pat,
Now that I have some particulars of your puppy, I may be able to offer some suggestions and reasons for her recent behavour.
(A) It could be due to boredom that she is doing it; in which case some puppy toys may help. One of the best puppy toys I have ever invented was to find an old socks tie a knot on it and it will provide hours and hours of amusement to the puppy. Please do not substitute and use lady's nylon stockings as this is both dangerous and detrimental to the puppy if swallow.

(B) The other possibility, could well be she is digging for a place to whelp. She could be going through phantom pregnancy/false pregnancy, taking into consideration that your puppy is 10 months old; and according to my calculations, she would have come into season around 7-8 months old and after 63 days, her 'puppies' are due. If your puppy has already been spayed, then such possibility could well be discarded. If she has not been tampered, then there is a strong possibility this may well be the case.
It is absolutely pointless to punish a puppy after she had committed a 'crime'. Either you catch her red-handed or not to punish at all; because, she will never understand why and for what reason she is being punished for.
In order to spare you the head-ache, I suggest that you have not much choice but to confine her in a cage or chain her up for the time being, until hopefully, she grows out of this bad habit or she becomes more mature. Besides, you can never expect a puppy of 10 months to jaga house for you. She will only be productive at perhaps 14-16 months.
Regards.

P.S. Your original posting you said that your dog has become very restless, this could also be a sign of motherhood.

(This post was edited by Khoobg on Dec 13, 2001, 3:32 PM)

Pat
Member

Dec 13, 2001, 6:10 PM

Post #7 of 11 (3627 views)
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Re: [Derrickok] Help! Behavour change [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks so much for your advice. She is spayed recently and have lots of toys but will try old socks instead. It is a relief to know from an expert that it is no point punishing a puppy because I definitely don't enjoy it!!

Cheers,
Pat
Pat, David
parents to Kiki-nicole choa

Derrickok
Novice

Dec 13, 2001, 7:39 PM

Post #8 of 11 (3622 views)
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Re: [Pat] Help! Behavour change [In reply to]	Can't Post

If as you said your puppy was spayed recently, then there is absolutely no reason for phantom pregnancy.
I would suspect that she is doing it out of boredom and mischief. If it is boredom, you'll have to spend more time playing with her and make her understand that there is time to play and time to behave.
Being mischievous/misconduct and destructive deserves no other form of treatment, except punishment which has to be executed promptly and preferably caught red-handed.
The one thing that any dog is extremely frightened of is a thickly rolled up or flattened newspaper. This tool makes big noise when you hit it against the floor or whack your dog with it. When I said whack, I really mean whack!! I find it the best, because it stings externally yet it will not cause internal injuries. even though you may accidently hit its face or neck. The best places to whack are the rump, the sides and the shoulders and the thighs.
My best advice is still to chain her up, and wait for a few more months until she is matured. There are dangers lurking in your garden which you may be oblivious. For example, you might have applied fertilizers to your plants, or you might have placed snail pellets into the pots. If your puppy has developed this habit of chewing up your plants what is there to stop her from consuming some of the chemicals? Think about it? Keep us informed the progress of your puppy
Regards.

Khoobg
Webmaster / Moderator

Dec 23, 2001, 8:17 AM

Post #9 of 11 (3608 views)
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Re: [Pat] Help! Behavour change [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi Pat,

Like Derrick has mentioned, puppy is puppy and they will do anything out of boredom. They have plenty of energy to burn and they definitely need more of your attention. You may wish to take her out for a walk more often or attend some obedience training, something which you and your dog can work and exercise together.

Khoo BG

Dog Obedience and Agility - http://www.puppy.com.my/ob/
Events' Pictures - http://www.doggie.com.my
Online Pets Memorial - http://www.rainbowsbridge.com.my

Pat
Member

Jan 11, 2002, 8:13 PM

Post #10 of 11 (3594 views)
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Re: [Derrickok] Help! Behavour change [In reply to]	Can't Post

Dear Derrick,

I observe that my puppy is causing havoc partly to show off to the neighbour's dog!! I noticed everytime that the destroyed items are paraded next to the boundary where the neighbour's dog is resting. The neighbour's dog is chained up all day and is extremely jealous when I take my puppy out for a walk or buy her new toys. May be she is trying to provoke the neighbour's dog even more! When I kept her inside the house she was an angel. Also, I guess it is just the nature of my puppy to get bored easily. She grows out of her toys easily. Now I start hiding treats in a t-shirt which is tied in a knot so that she spends most of her time untangling the knot. That occupies her time when she is home alone.

Regards,

Patricia

Pat, David
parents to Kiki-nicole choa

Derrickok
Novice

Jan 12, 2002, 1:15 AM

Post #11 of 11 (3589 views)
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Re: [Pat] Help! Behavour change [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hello Pat,
If your puppy is doing what you thought she is doing (making the neighbour's dog jealous), I am at wit's end to solve your problem. On the other hand, she might be trying to share her toys with her friend next door. So long as there is no aggression and no hostility between them, I won't want to worry to much.
I hope she will improve with age and soon she will grow out of her puppyhood.
Regards.