I or should I say, my son and I, decided back in May that we needed to get another dog. I have a min pin that has been with me for 16 years. Yes, 16 years! This dog refuses to let go and live in doggy heaven where she would be so much more happy and agile and can see and hear. So when my son and I got to the local humane society we found Riley (his name at the kennel was "yeller". Original huh?) We brought him home and he was going to be an indoor dog. I've never had a dog that weighed more than 15 pounds, so I had no idea what I was getting into. The humane society said he was potty trained. NOT! This dog pisses as much as I do. I decided that he would be alot better as an outdoor door dog and I wouldn't have so much laundry to do because of all the freakin' piss towels.Riley is such a mild mannered dog. He loves my kids, he loves other dogs. He's just a big o'l goof that doesn't know that he weighs 80 pounds. But there just one dilemma, he will not quit eating my landscaping in the back yard. Just today he ate the garden hose. He has toys and a thing called a "kong" that you stuff and they are supposed to be busy with it for hours. Oh no, not this dog, 10 minutes tops. Please tell me that there is some magic recipe of cayenne pepper mixed with bean juice or something that I can spray all over my backyard to get him to leave my landscaping alone. My neighbors think I'm probably some weirdo cause I talk to him like he's my five year old. I yell out "do you want me to take you're walks away from you?". Like he will cross his front paws, roll his eyes and say no. Please someone tell me you have the magic recipe before he starts eating something vital, like my air conditioner unit.
UPDATE...
I have found a product that works really well on the chewing issue. It's called Bitter Barrier. You can find it at walmart in the doggie department. It's made of tea tree oil and it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. Trust me I used it on myself cause it states that its safe around children and pets and it will not sting. We are 5 days of no chewing on plants and garden hose.
8 comments:
Training. That doesn't come in a spray bottle but I bet it would help. He's a shelter dog, he doesn't know any better. If peeing is the only thing that keeps him from living inside, then potty train him. Sure it sucks for a while, but if he's really a sweet, mild mannered dog it will be worth it.
tysgirl, should I look on the internet or is it best to get a book or DVD? I appreciate your help on this
Potty training is pretty easy. Try the book "SuperPuppy."
However, if you find something that works for the chewing, let me know. We've tried everything that has been suggested to us and our 8-month-old lab is still chewing up our entire yard, deck, etc.
Personally, I would highly recommend starting with good old fashion obedience training. Find a class in your community. Petsmart stores offer classes but I'd recommend looking for a class elsewhere. Petsmart should be a last resort. Since Riley appears to be a lab, I would look for a class that teaches positive reinforcement (good behavior=treats and praise). Try to find a class that teaches the "Leave it" command. It's a wonderful command that is very useful. Both my dogs could be chewing on a T-Bone Steak and if I yelled "Leave it", they would drop the steak and not so much as even look at it again until I said "Ok"....which is their release word. This could be useful for Riley's chewing, it's also helpful when your dog is about to eat the neighbors kitty.
Other useful commands are down, sit, stay, come and heel. All these things will teach Riley to have respect for you. Labs are very intelligent, he should have no problem learning this stuff.
It's not Riley it's...BUCKETHEAD!!!!!
tysgirl, sorry I haven't responded before now. This is my 20 hour weekend at school.
I really appreciate you giving me all this information, it gives me a starting point. So, there's a "leave it" command? Awesome! Does it work on children as well?? :-)
No problem. Learning all this shit became necessity for me 2 years ago when I rescued a German Shepherd.
As for the "Leave it" command working on kids, ask me in a few years :)
He looks adorable...which could be a problem when doing that training stuff. My Bella is the same and I find myself laughing rather than disciplining. I hope you have better luck than me!
Post a Comment