by Dennis Fisher.
This article is one of a great many articles written by Dennis Fisher about a very wide variety of subjects concerning different dogs, such as obedience training, breeding, showing, health matters, training problems and other subjects. All these articles appear on Dennis Fisher's websites. Visit http://www.allaboutgermanshepherddogs.com the site that has been set up specifically for German Shepherd Dog enthusiasts, or http://www.freedogadvice.com if you interested in a breed other than German Shepherd Dogs.
Dogs can
be very destructive – especially pups – and this usually happens when you are
not around. It is quite common for
people to leave a dog in the home alone,
while they you go out, and then come back to find that he has chewed your
favorite chair or you most expensive rug.
Why do
dogs often do this?
This can happen to an older dog as well as a pup.
Obviously with a pup that in the process of teething this sort of
behavior is more understandable, but why should an older dog do this?
The most
probable reason is boredom. If you must leave an adult
dog alone or a pup in the
house while you away it is advisable to leave the dog with a chewable item that
will keep it occupied while you are away.
There are plenty of these available in pet stores.
You could also consider giving the dog a very large knuckle bone.
Dogs can busy themselves for hours chewing on a large bone.
What
should you do if you return home to
find that your dog has damaged a piece of furniture?
Even though you will
obviously be very upset when you
catch sight of the damage and your
immediate reaction would be scold the dog very harshly and even hit the animal,
try your best to keep your temper.
Your dog
is obviously going to be very pleased to see you and will wag its tail
furiously; and action like this on your part can only be counter-productive.
First pat
the dog in your normal ,
manner. Then wait a while, giving the impression that you had only just noticed
the damage.
Then take
the dog to damaged article; point to it and reprimand him with a very firm
“No!”.
If it is a
small item it may be possible to use the particular item to reprimand
him. Obviously you must not
actually hit the dog with the damaged article, but try and make it clear that
this is the offense you are angry about.
It is a
different matter if you actually catch your dog in the act of damaging
something. Then you can be
much firmer in your reprimand.
The dog will have less
difficulty associating its
unacceptable behavior with the article it has damaged.
It is
possible that you may have the opportunity to catch the dog while it is engaged
in chewing destructively.
The fact
that the dog has done it on a previous occasion suggests that it might do it
again.
You may
pretend to go out; wait a short while and then return to find the dog in the
process of repeating its destructive behavior. This gives you an excellent
opportunity to reprimand the dog far more effectively.
It is then highly unlikely that it will do so again.
It goes
without saying that you should take every precaution to see that the dog – and
certainly a puppy - does not damage
itself in biting something harmful while you are away.
Make sure that electric wires are placed in an inaccessible place.
There are
a number of others ways you can avoid this problem of destructive chewing.
In
addition to being bored while you are away, the dog might need exercise.
Make a point of exercising the dog vigorously before you go out.
After vigorous excise the dog will be more relaxed and more likely to
sleep peacefully for the entire period that you are away.
The
destructive behavior that we are referring is out-of the ordinary behavior -
actions that one does not normally associate
with your animal.
If the
animal is a very highly-strung animal and is prone to a condition called
separation anxiety then it would not be a good idea in the first place to think
of leaving your dog alone in your home.
There are
also chemical sprays, with a very bitter taste, that one can use to spray on
items you wouldn’t like your dog to touch.
This can be a very effective method of avoiding the problem of having to
repair or replace a valuable item.