|
Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers. You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member! Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today! If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us. |
|
| LinkBack | Thread Tools |
07-08-2009, 08:45 PM | #1 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cupertino, CA, USA
Posts: 516
| I Love Him... But He Can't Stop Chewing! My dog Scruffs is great. He is so sweet and loving. Wouldn't trade him for the world. He is a very stubborn dog and does anything if he thinks he can get away with it. Here are some examples: he chews on underwear, he chews on pants, he chews on socks, he chews on post its, he chews on pens and pencils, he licks all bowls clean whether they are on the floor, table, desk, or counter, he chews open food/treat packages if I forget to close the cabinet (my fault). Oh, some more. He chews on sponges. He chews apart rubber door stoppers. He likes swim suits too!! He jumps onto my bed (where he is not allowed), and then JUMPS into the exercise pen and then eats whatever dog is in there's food. I go looking for him and find him in the pen. Scruffers = trouble maker. I'm not really sure what to do. He has dogs to play with. He has a cat to chase him (who actually chases him around the house). He has loofas, kongs, carrot squeaky toys, pig squeaky toys, plush toys, rope chew toys, puppy chew toys, and balls. He behaves perfectly fine when I'm around but as soon as he thinks he can get away with it he goes into eat mode. He gets over 2 hours of exercise daily to parks, creeks, lakes, down the rail road tracks, etc... he now doesn't even want to go on walks anymore but I make him anyways. He is 21 months old (almost 2 years). He also goes pee/poo in the house if I don't let him out when he decides he wants to go, but he hasn't had an accident in a few weeks. I don't think he'll ever learn to be fully potty trained but I don't know what else to do but give him treats when he goes outside. I clean the spots with a steam cleaner. He doesn't pee/poo in his crate and goes in his crate during the night/when I leave. He is MUCH better than before so I guess we are making progress in the jumping/peeing/craziness. He is a lot calmer now than before. Help please .
__________________ Vanessa & Scruffs (2 year old Yorkie) RIP My Little Neu (16 year old Cocker Spaniel) |
Welcome Guest! | |
07-09-2009, 11:29 AM | #2 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Miami, FL,USA
Posts: 1,005
| Scruffs needs to be taught some boundaries Take one thing at a time The going on the bed ... you said he's not allowed so make it so When he jumps on the bed It's an immediate UH!...... and he goes down Never scold him because that's just noise and excitement and Yorkies LIVE for noise and excitement He'll think you're playing with him and this happens EVERYTIME he jumps on the bed or anywhere he is not allowed The peeing pooping in the house when you clean an area even steam cleaning isn't good enough you need an enzymatic cleaner to kill the smell with a male it's more difficult because they mark but he needs to be contained in a certain area until he can be trusted and then the area gets expanded each time you know he won't go
__________________ Mike and Zach's Dadd |
07-09-2009, 11:42 AM | #3 | |
YT Addict | Quote:
| |
07-09-2009, 11:49 AM | #4 |
I ♥ Joey & Ralphie! Donating Member | When Joey was a puppy he was in a playpen unless I could watch him. Watching him didn't mean I would watch TV, and keep an eye on him. I was training him while I watched him. If he got a hold of something I said, "No" in a firm voice, as a command not a suggestion. He would chew on various things, and I told him "No", and also treated them with Bitter Apple, so next time it wouldn't seem as pleasant. Your dog shouldn't have full access to the house until he has proved successful in one room that means no peeing in that room other than pee pads, if you are using them. Gradually you take them to other rooms, again watching them. Anything that is on the floor Joey can play with, and we have a large area in the family room with toys on a blanket that he can use, and a couple of baskets he can get into. However the coffee table and side tables are paws off, and even if cream cheese is on the coffee table, he will not touch it, (at least when I'm around ). As far as him getting on counters, you really have to teach this is a no no. I mean this could mean saving your dog's life. If your dog has great energy, you can play fetch with him to wear him out, and this will also help him to obey. He needs to learn that you are the boss, and you can help reinforce this by making him sit and stay before you give him his food, don't allow him to have the food, until you have given some sort of release command. This will help teach him that you are the boss, and he must obey you. It sounds like he's challenging your authority. If he's just picking things off the floor that's harder to stop, anything on the floor they usually think is theirs, so keep things picked up, I know this is hard if you have kids, but they should learn to do this anyway. Consistency is the most important part; if you let them get away with poor behavior one time, you have really reinforced the poor behavior, and they will learn to break the rules. Just want to add, I think one of the biggest mistakes people make when training is to say too much. Like, "No, get off the table, you mustn't get on the table, you naughty boy, now you behave." This is just a bunch of gibberish to a dog. Pick one word, like no or uh-uh, and use it everything there is poor behavior, say it in a stern voice, without yelling, but loud enough so that they know you mean business.
__________________ NancyJoey Proud members of the CrAzYcLuB and YAP! ** Just Say No to Puppymills – Join YAP! Yorkshire Terrier Club of America – Breeder Referrals Last edited by Nancy1999; 07-09-2009 at 11:52 AM. |
07-09-2009, 11:49 AM | #5 |
No Longer A Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: NEW YORK
Posts: 16,218
| I feel for you, really I do and at the same time I am chuckling to myself because it brings back soooooooooooo many memories of Buddy when he was smaller. The only thing that saved Buddy was he housebroke easy and was so cute I would suggest that you take charge, in every aspect of his life. I had to do that to allow us to survive with each other. There was no way I could give him up, ever, so I had to treat him more like a child than a dog. He did something wrong he got punished, gated in the kitchen for a time. He hated that. I kept clothes were he could not get them, up on the dresser, then he learned to climb up on the chair and onto the dresser to get my socks or whatever was there. He drove me nut's. He would think about what to do next, I swear. Remove everything like you would if you had a toddler. Everytime he finds something that don't belong to him, be there take it and stick a toy in his mouth. Buddy was an aggressive chewer so it was so important to have many chew bones around all the time. Have you tried beef bones? They can be bought in any pet store. Make sure you get one that fit's his mouth. They can be filled with peanut butter, 2% cheese etc. Great for chewing. He's just starting to slow down on the chewing and he's 5. Put a gate across your bedroom so he won't get up on the bed. I do that so Buddy wont' go there. He's not allowed unless I pick him up and put him there. That's another story as to why he's not allowed there. Some are easy going, some are challanging. Sounds like you have a challange ahead of you. Hang in there, one day he will mature and it will be great. Belive me, I've been threw it all with Buddy. Never give him an inch, but give lots of hugs and kisses and let him know your the boss. It amazes me when I read other's with 2,3, even 4&5. No way could they do it if they had yorkies like Buddy. You name it, he did it but today he's a good boy and he's the love of my life. Hang in there, it will get better and you will be so amazed that you got threw it. It's truly worth it. Last edited by ARCHIE; 07-09-2009 at 11:53 AM. |
07-13-2009, 09:14 PM | #6 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cape town, South Africa
Posts: 703
| Great post! I also feel your pain. I had the same problems with Cash. Now, at 2 and 1/2 years, all that is left is the scavenging - he will find food everywhere in the house, including the garbage can. In our first year, I thought I would have to give him away. I was at my wit's end. Two things changed everything for us: He has to sit before he gets his meals and then I only leave the food down for 15 minutes. Regardless if he eats or not, I take it away after that time. The other thing that helped was to start a clicker training class. I still think that the clicker is the best thing ever as it saved our relationship. We are very close now and although he is haughty and independent, most people fall in love with him as soon as he does his tricks. The ones with dominant, strong personalities are the most difficult to train, but they can also go further in the end. My little June is a sweetheart and the cutest puppy I have ever known. She is the exact opposite of Cash, but she loves him. I am also clicker training June and she has the greatest disposition. She graduated from her first obedience class at the tender age of 4 months. Anyway, I just wanted to add my experience and the fact that they aren't all like that. It is really unfortunate if your first dog is independent and dominant, but with a little training and some TLC, it is totally worth it. Hang on, they get better when we get better with their training.
__________________ Cash & Orio RIP Beautiful Joni |
07-13-2009, 09:57 PM | #7 |
YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cupertino, CA, USA
Posts: 516
| Thanks for all the advice. So far, no accident yet for 10 days. He still gets into my cereal because I'll forget when some one comes to drop off their dog and then I'm like SHOOT SCRUFFS.. Gotta train myself. Can't do clicker training, he stops eating treats (including chicken, Zuke's, Yorkie Yummies, and Wellness treats which he all loves) as soon as he hears the clicker. I even tried a special clicker that is one of those quiet ones. He is afraid of some of the agility equipment now because the trainer uses a clicker (I told her he is scared of it now).. I'll keep trying, and keep updating on his progress.
__________________ Vanessa & Scruffs (2 year old Yorkie) RIP My Little Neu (16 year old Cocker Spaniel) |
Bookmarks |
|
|
| |
|
|
SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart