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Old March 28th, 2011, 02:48 PM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Edmonton Alberta
Posts: 54
Thor(puppy) is driving me BONKERS!

Ok,
First I'm gonna say that in getting a Jack Russell Terrier/papillon I KNEW I was getting a HIGH energy dog. That part is NOT "bugging" me....I play with him by the hour when I'm home...he and I both LOVE that time together.
BUT what does have me going bonkers, is his ability to destroy everything in site when I am not home.
I'm at this moment looking at a good damage bill once we move out of this place, as Thor has chewed the carpet up good in 2 places. sigh.
I use to lock him in the bathroom when no one was home(which is for about 4 hrs a day, max)....but he'd FREAK and whine and howl for a LONG time....or so my neighbour said.
So to keep peace, my bf and I went and got gates....so we could confine him to half the apartment. aka the Living room and dining area.
He stopped the howling...he'd whine for about 10 or so min, then go quiet....neighbour is now happy.
But in leaving him "out"...he has access to WAY more to destroy.
In the bathroom he'd only chew on the vanity base....which I can "fix" with new stain.
But in the main area, he has taken to destroying the rug!
Literally.
He chewed on area...so I cover said area with a shelf....thinking that would stop him...nope, he just found another area, and chewed that up.sigh.
So I'm looking at a BIG bill when I move, as I can't "fix" the rug...
It's not because he has no toys....trust me, it's not that. He has so many toys that when you walk in here, there is no denying I have a dog...lol
He has chew toys, balls, rope toys, stuffed animals(the kind without actual stuffing for dogs), rubber bones, etc....so it's NOT because he doesn't have toys.
It's almost like he's a teenager and saying "You wanna leave me alone, well I'll get even!"...sigh.
He knows he's NOT allowed....cause when I'm home, and he does it, all I gotta say is "hey" and he stops dead, and comes running to me....so he KNOWS it's not allowed...but when I'm not home, it's free game.
I know he's high energy...and that he's bullheaded. But when home he's GREAT...high energy but I play with him by the hour...which he and I BOTH enjoy a lot.
But when I'm not home, that energy goes into destroying a home I am trying very hard to maintain the appearance of....I'm VERY proud of my home(dog toys and all...lol)...but when you come home, and find carpet fibers EVERYWHERE and a hole in the carpet, it's VERY hard to maintain the frustration!(I don't freak out, as I know that behavior would only confuse Thor)....but dang it, he's DESTROYING my home!
Also, doesn't help right now, I have a badly sprained ankle....doesn't stop me from playing with him, as I can sit on the floor while I do it...and just get him running after his toys and such....but it does make it harder to keep him under control and keep cleaning up his messes, which adds to my frustration.
Another thing that gets to me...his puppy pad training....if we're home, and he's happy, he does FANTASTIC...hits the pad EVERY time....but when home alone, or if he's unsupervised in his confined area(like me taking a shower, or what not)...he hits everywhere BUT the pad...cause he doesn't like feeling like he's separated from us(he'll whine at the gate constantly)....I don't get mad, I just tell him "no, not allowed" in a stern voice, place him on his pads and tell him "this is where you pee/poo" then calmly clean up his mess...then I praise the heck out of him when he DOES hit the pad...or when he does good.

But ya, I guess my question is simple.....how the heck do I stop him from destroying my house, without having to confine him to the bathroom again(which'll piss my neighbour off again)...but without having to be "negative" to him....as I want him to respect I'm boss out of respect, and not out of fear...
So ya...Any tips on raising a jack russell terrier/papillon in general?

I love him to death...but man, he's driving me bonkers!
And I wanna learn to "handle" him before I start to get to frustrated and start negatively correcting him. He doesn't deserve to have to deal with that kind of owner...and I'd rather NOT be that kind of owner either...sigh
Angie

P.S> Been looking into classes for him...next round in 90% of the places don't start until the beginning of may....which is when my surgery is(I'm having surgery on May 5th, for cyst removal behind my ear drums)....so I'm looking at not being able to do the classes until the end of may, when other classes start again. Or been thinking of private lessons to.
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