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Vanity: Destructive Dogs
Self | 9/13/02 | Enough_Deceit

Posted on 09/13/2002 8:21:28 AM PDT by Enough_Deceit

I know that several of you fellow FReepers are animal enthusiasts. Since FReepers are some of the most intelligent people on the planet, I have come to you for advise.


About six months ago, we adopted our dog, Nellie, who is an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix. We adopted her from the pound. She had been their for a month and they were going to put her down the next morning. (I know, I am a pushover.)


We love her very much. We adopted another dog from the pound for her to play with, as we humans don't always play as dogs do. Nellie is the alpha dog, and Daisy is the less dominant one. (Daisy is also Aussie/Border Collie.)


Nellie is a very active dog, and since her breed is a herding one, it is very common for them to nip at peoples' heels when they run. However, she likes to give doggie kisses which eventually turn into play nips. That behavior is my first concern.


These dogs are in and out of the house. I went out yesterday morning to find Nellie chewing on the siding of the house! We reprimanded her, sprayed some sour apple stuff on the area and thought that was the end of it. It is not like these dogs don't have chew things. I've gone to the butcher and have gotten bones for them and they have toys. Last night, we caught her chewing the same area of the house.


I have enrolled Nellie in obedience training that begins in a few weeks. Does anybody have any ideas that could help out? We refuse to let these dogs literally tear our house apart. If the obedience training doesn't work, we will have to find new homes for them. I don't want to do this, so I am hoping that a fellow FReeper may have some ideas as how to solve these dog problems. BTW, Nellie and Daisy are 2 and 1.5 years respectively.


Thanks for your help.


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To: HairOfTheDog
I built some jumps and obstacles in the back yard that I can go play with her for a bit every day, or whenever she is driving me nuts with excess energy!

Me too, and it's really fun. The only problem I have with my Max is that he doesn't want to go through a tunnel. As I said previously, he is a rescued dog and I don't know what his previous life was like. He HATES small places and just balks at the tunnel. Otherwise is performs like a champ. Any suggestions?

41 posted on 09/14/2002 4:20:18 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Hmmm... Mine didn't have that particular phobia!

Would he follow you in? If you could sit in there with him, maybe he'd get over it, and then maybe have him follow you all the way through several times. Then start dropping a treat at the end.

If he won't even go near it, then treats inside alone won't work, unless may the treat were bits of fine steak ;~D
42 posted on 09/14/2002 4:27:02 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
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To: HairOfTheDog
I wouldn't fit inside the tunnel -- it's only 22-24 inches in diameter. We squished it up short, threw his leash through and push/pulled hiim through. He didn't like it one bit! Anticipating that I would have this problem, I had put a couple of treats in there before class when the teacher wasn't looking. Other dogs went in and wouldn't come out! LOL. I knew what they were doing!

On our thir try, he went throug when a man pushed him hard rom the rear, the teacher blocked his escape, and I pulled him through. However, I expect the same problem next week.

Otherwise he's great! Terrific on the see-saw, outstanding with all the jumps, good on the weave, excellent on the pause table. But the tunnel freaked him out. I wish that he had watched all the other dogs go through, but he was fascinated by a female German Shepherd that he knows outside of class, and he couldn't take his eyes off her -- paid no attention to all the other dogs performing. The Shepherd was coming right behind us, so he was still going through the obstacles when she was doing the tunnel. He really wanted to know when he was going to get a chance to play with his friend!

I need a tunnel to practice at home, I think. It's just finding an affordable one that is the problem.

43 posted on 09/14/2002 5:29:55 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic
LOL! - Actually, if it was just the first week, I bet he does get better in the next couple tries.

I worked on the "through" practice with a few big cardboard boxes taped together with a blue tarp draped over the end of it and taped on...

Such a flimsy contraption didn't last long, but it got her to where she would go through a blind tunnel with the tarp on the end... a few days.
44 posted on 09/14/2002 5:35:05 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
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To: SCalGal
Go here to learn another use for fabric softener and dogs
45 posted on 09/14/2002 5:39:52 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: ru4liberty
I wish I could adopt a dog :(
I live in the city though, and my yard is tiny.
46 posted on 09/14/2002 5:40:59 PM PDT by BrooklynGOP
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To: HairOfTheDog
... worked on the "through" practice with a few big cardboard boxes taped together with a blue tarp draped over the end of it and taped on...

Good suggestion! Thanks.

47 posted on 09/14/2002 5:41:01 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: BrooklynGOP
Get an old dog from the pound! - Mine hasn't left the couch all day. He doesn't need a big yard! Let somebody's else unmet responsibility live out his days at your place!
48 posted on 09/14/2002 5:47:34 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
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To: HairOfTheDog
Actually, if it was just the first week, I bet he does get better in the next couple tries.

I hope so. As I said earllier, Max is a rescued dog,found as a stray. The only thing I know about his background is that the person who found him locked him in a shed for 6 weeks befor someone persuaded her to give him up to G.R.R.O.W. His foster mom told me that he wouldn't even go into the same room as a crate, and I have noticed his aversion to small spaces. However we got him through his aversion to riding in cars -- he goes everywhere with me now. He got through his obedience training pretty well. We contain him in an office at work all day with a baby gate across the door so he can see what's going on all around, and he seems to have no problem with it. I've noticed that he seeks out the kneehole under my husband's desk when he wants to nap -- just so that his head and front paws are hanging out. Of course if I trired to make him go in there, he'd balk.

Hopefully after a few more tries, he'll accept the tunnel -- especially when he sees the other dogs doing it. We're doing agility because that was the part of his obedience training that he like the best. He really perked up and watched with intent interest everytime his trainer got out a piece of agility equipment as a treat.

This coming week, his doggie friend (the Shepherd) will be out of town, so maybe he'll pay more attention because he'll already know that there will be no play time with the other dogs.

49 posted on 09/14/2002 5:49:32 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Start out with the tarp just barely hanging to the ground at first, so he can push right through it, and then gradually pull it out longer till it is like the real ones he has to burrow through..
50 posted on 09/14/2002 5:49:42 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
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To: afraidfortherepublic
hehehe - well if he doesn't gotten over tunnel phobia without girlfriend there, maybe he will follow her through it when she is back!
51 posted on 09/14/2002 5:52:06 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
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To: BrooklynGOP; HairOfTheDog
HOTD is right. My 15 year old Golden (who died 4 years ago) didn't budge all day while I was gone. When I came home, I would let her out to do her business; and she then wanted to come right back inside. She could have existed with a postage stamp yard, instead of my 12 acres. She was like that for the last 6 years of her life.
52 posted on 09/14/2002 5:52:44 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic; BrooklynGOP
Here is my old dog doing what he does:

Oh - he likes to do agility once in a while still at 16, if I lower the jumps!

I have an old small-size dog too, there is a pic of her on my profile page.

53 posted on 09/14/2002 6:01:52 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
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To: HairOfTheDog
Get an old dog from the pound! - Mine hasn't left the couch all day. He doesn't need a big yard! Let somebody's else unmet responsibility live out his days at your place!

Yea, but I leave the house at 8 and come back at 7:15.. Who is going to walk him? :(

54 posted on 09/14/2002 9:38:17 PM PDT by BrooklynGOP
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To: BrooklynGOP
Doggie-door? Big dog with a big bladder? Doggie Day care?

Mine stay out in the yard when I am gone long periods. They have a barn they can go in when it is raining, but I am sure you could provide a comfy place to wait for you in!

I am tryin! ;~D
55 posted on 09/14/2002 9:41:45 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
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To: HairOfTheDog
Never owned a dog. :P
56 posted on 09/14/2002 10:04:25 PM PDT by BrooklynGOP
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To: BrooklynGOP
Time you did, then. :)

Seriously, there is no one who will love you as much as your dog does. It's really unconditional love, and they ask for very little in return.

57 posted on 09/15/2002 7:00:36 AM PDT by SCalGal
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To: SCalGal
I don't think its going to be possible with my smellish 1 bedroom, virtually no back yard, and not being home between 8 and 7 (sometimes I work later than that too)
58 posted on 09/15/2002 7:13:06 AM PDT by BrooklynGOP
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To: BrooklynGOP
If there were some way to let the dog have access to the yard during the day, an older dog would probably work very well. Mine are home alone all day - the reality is that people work. Being gone long hours are bad if there is no access to the bathroom, or if you're really just never there.
59 posted on 09/16/2002 10:29:25 AM PDT by SCalGal
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