Destroyer of the house :(

[friendltfi]

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Hi all, i have a 1yo lurcher cross, and he is brilliant apart from the fact that every time i go out he destroys my furniture, walls, doors and basically anything he can sink his teeth into. I have tried sprays that are supposed to deter him but he seems to like them, can anyone give me any tips to try as i really dont want to cage him, thanks for reading Fiona

 

[JoanneF]

How long is he left? It could be down to several things including boredom or frustration. Do you see this behaviour when you are in the house or just when you leave him? If you don't want to crate train him you could perhaps try a muzzle but that won't solve the problem of what is causing the behaviour; it will only prevent him acting upon it and his frustration could come out in other, more challenging behaviour.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Yes, as Joanne says, you need to find out why. One thing that is certain is that he is not doing it to make a point. Dogs don't think like that. They react to the emotion they are feeling at the time. If they are feeling calm and relaxed then they will settle down and go to sleep when left. If, however, they are feeling bored, frustrated or anxious then they will try to relieve those emotions. Some dogs will bark, some will toilet while others will chew as a way to find relief. If we chastise when we find the mess then we add to those feelings of anxiety and frustration etc.

Your best way forward is to try to find out what emotion your dog is feeling when left. Relieving boredom is the first box to tick by increasing exercise, providing lots of stimulating toys and tiring the mind with reward based training. None of this should just take place before you leave the dog. It should be part of the dog's life on a daily basis.

Then you have to find out if he is anxious or frustrated. Filming is one way to find this out. A frustrated dog often attacks the door or window to try to follow their owner. An anxious one will cry and pace and look for ways to relieve that anxiety.

Best of all is to employ a qualified Behaviourist from either COAPE or APBC.

 

[friendltfi]

thanks for the replies, I take him for a long walk before i leave to try and tire him out but he has so much energy its near impossible, i usually only go out for about half hour or so as i know what i will come home to, he does tend to chew things when i am around as well if i dont watch him. He tends to follow me everywhere and doesnt even like it when i go to the loo, he will jump at the door trying to open it while i am in there, he has lots of toys to play with and we have another dog that he plays with (he isnt destructive). I am completely out of ideas and have gone through 4 sofas inthe year i have had him. I did get him from a gypsy campsite where they had about 20 pups and older dogs caged up, could this have anything to do with his behavior? I wanted so bad to take all the pups but couldnt . also would finding a club where he could run around with other lurchers help? the dogs we usually meet cant keep up with him so he gets bored with them quickly.

 

[JoanneF]

There is a risk with a dog like this that you exercise them physically so they get very fit and you can't physically tire them out. Many people say brain training helps tire them better - lots of training exercises, tricks etc. When you are home it sounds like training a good 'leave it' for when he starts chewing will be useful, redirecting his chewing to something appropriate like a chew or safe toy. When you are out I still think in the meantime a muzzle is cheaper than a sofa or three. Make the muzzle a great thing by introducing it slowly, smeared with squeezy cheese or meat paste. Just let him lick it to begin with and take slow steps. Alonside that you should work on his independence. Gypsysmum is great with advice on this but essentially it's about leaving him for a few moments when he is calm, rewarding independent behaviour by giving him attention only when he is playing happily by himself and stopping him from gluing himself to you.

And yes, his parentage could have a huge influence on his behaviour. Too late to do anything about that now but if anyone reading is thinking about getting a puppy, this is one of the reasons why it is good to see mum and dad, so you can see their temperament.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Starting from basics are his breed needs being met? How long is his walk? Most dogs benefit from 2 hours per day and could do longer. As Joanne says, brain training is very tiring.

If, however, he is very clingy then it could be that he is over bonded to you and emotionally dependent on your presence. Many people think that the company of another dog should relieve separation problems but that is not the case. If a dog is over bonded to its owner then they will be unhappy when they are separated from them.

The way forward is to teach our dog to be calmer and happier when left by building his confidence that he can cope without us.

Start with not letting him rest touching you. Just get up and move to another seat until he settles on his own. Reward this, independent, behaviour with attention every time he performs it. Don't let him follow you around. Be cool about leaving the room, don't talk to him. just go and come back with no fuss and attention. It is no big deal that you are leaving the room.

A dog that gets lots of kisses and cuddles before being left is going to be much more upset at being left than one that has been ignored for ten minutes or so before the separation. So be very cool for ten minutes and ignore him before you go out.

Teach him, while you are around, that there are times when he will not get your attention. Put out a signal, such as a garden ornament or other novel object, and completely ignore him. Build up from a few minutes to half an hour or more of training him to know that if the signal is out he will get absolutely no attention. Put the signal out of sight and go back to normal. He can have lots of attention but not when he demands it and not prior to being left.

Reduce his anxiety by blurring the edges of being left. Start the process of going out by, say, putting on your outdoor shoes and then sitting down again. Then put on shoes and coat and sit down again. Shoes, coat and keys, sit down again. Go through door and come back in again. Be convincing, he will know the real signs that you are going out. Progress to staying outside for a few seconds, then a few minutes then a little longer. Each time just leave and come back as though you had just popped out to empty the bin. No big deal.

Eventually he should not know the difference between you really going out and a spoof going out. This should help him to wait for you just pop back again as you have done dozens of times during training.

If you place the signal out when you leave him and remove it when you come back that will help him to realise he would not get your attention if you were around anyway.

Adaptil sometimes helps to support a dog.