Dog Trainers

[lnghrn2536]

I just got a second dog back in January. She is a terrier mix who is now about 10 months old. We keep her in a crate at night and during the day while we are at work. That has worked well to stop bad habits like peeing/pooping in the house.

Our biggest problem with her is that she chews up everything. We keep the dogs in our sun room, with a gate up, if we don't want them to roam the rest of the house. Over the last 4 mornings, Lady, has chewed/eaten an ottoman, a chair cushion, and a loveseat. My wife lets Lady out of her crate while she gets dressed in the morning, because we feel bad about leaving her in a crate all day and night. We let her come in and play with us at night. She loves being outside, but she chews on everything she can find out there. Sticks, hoses, bags of soil, dog bowl, planters, everything. I am about on my wits end with her and don't know what to do.

We have a baby on the way, and I need Lady to be fairly well behaved by the time the baby gets here.

Does anyone have suggestions as far as obedience training in the RIchardson/ Plano/ North Dallas area. I took my other dog to PetSmart to get him trained, but we never covered anything about preventing destructive behavior. The price at PetSmart is reasonable $99 for 8 classes, but I might be willing to spend a little more, if we are able to prevent destructive behavior.

Thanks

 

[JohnnyM]

some dogs just chew, especially at 10 months old.

how many things do you give her that she CAN chew on?

 

[lnghrn2536]

When she chewed up the loveseat, there was a NylaBone and a rope bone on top of the loveseat.

 

[teh]

I've used these folks for my blue heelers; they specialize in terriers, though.
The Link

 

[JohnnyM]

maybe some rawhide bones? or one of those "Kongs" with the **** inside?

 

[Gustafson]

Is the dog getting enough exercize? It's been my experience that only a bored/under exercized dog is destructive.

 

[Campus Loop(y)]

Johnny, I have found that peanut butter is a better thing to use than ****. Even Kitty Chocolates are not suggested although they are irresistable to dogs, sad but true. Your house must have been an odd place to be in .

 

[JohnnyM]

haha i guess that did read a little bit odd. however, our two little dogs seem to looooooooove **** eating.

 

[misterpink]

The dog is bored, you need to excersise with it daily and always have something to chew on like a rawhide. You can do this by walking with it or playing fetch, anything will help.

 

[Clever Username]

It's important to determine if she's exhibiting destructive behavior intentionally (anxiety, abandonment, etc) or if she's just a 10 month old that likes to chew. They're two sides of the same coin, but how you address them is very different.

 

[TenaciousTgarden]

I used Taurus Training for my cocker spaniel. they have a location on south lamar and one on 183 and McNeil. My dog went for two weeks, like boarding school, and when he came back they did one on one lessons with me to learn how to train him. He is a doll, extremely well behaved, the only thing we haven't managed to keep up is walking well on the leash.
You may consider taking your puppy to doggy play day and see if this helps before doing the training. At Taurus, if you buy a pack (10 days), you save a few bucks so it ends up being about $14 a day. I take my dog once or twice a week- they basically play outside in the playyards all day, with some rests in crates inside in between. when he comes home, he is so tired he just passes out. this type of exercise and fun really helps to eliminate bad behavior.The Link you can PM me if you want to know more. i've been using them for 3 years - training, boarding, and day care, and have been really happy with the facilities and with their staff.

 

[TenaciousTgarden]

WHOOPS - misread, thought you were in austin - sorry dude.

i only know places in austin and houston. but, you should try and find a playday place anyway - the activity should help a ton.
sorry!

 

[Oakhill Horn]

Regarding the chew toys:

Years ago ('88 or '89) when our dog wanted to chew on just about any other property of my wife or me rather than the chew toys (nylabones & rawhide), my wife and I heard a tip on a veterinarian's call-in show in Dallas (Dr. Jim?). The advice is a little gross, but we heard that the owner should spit on the toy and rub it in real well. This is so the dog would have your scent on the toy and be more receptive to it. Doggone if it didn't work.

My wife went through obedience training with the dog through Dallas County Community Colleges.

RIP Princess, our Italian Greyhound we had to put down 1 year ago next week.

 

[Luke Duke]

It sounds to me like you have a bored puppy that is crated up too much.