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Old March 28th, 2011, 02:48 PM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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Location: Edmonton Alberta
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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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Old March 28th, 2011, 02:54 PM
erykah1310's Avatar
erykah1310 erykah1310 is offline
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I would suggest a crate with plenty of "allowed to destroy/chew" toys in there to keep him occupied and use it even when you are home, making it a positive relaxing place.
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Old March 28th, 2011, 03:18 PM
Mirela Mirela is offline
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I second the crate advice - great for both toilet training and keeping him and your house safe.
I don't remember how young he is; if you feel that he's too young to be crated for the 4 hours that you are away, take a look into setting up an exercise pen around his crate - in the kitchen or bathroom so there's no carpet to chew and with the door left open so he won't feel trapped.
Here is a webpage with better explanations than mine and even pics

http://www.dogstardaily.com/training...-amp-doggy-den
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Old March 28th, 2011, 03:18 PM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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Location: Edmonton Alberta
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Tried that.
He started howling, and wouldn't stop. 4 hrs of howling. He howled so hard he ended up messing himself.
Sigh.
And I didn't just put him in there, and ignore him either...I put him in there, playing with him with the door open, until he settled down, then I put his 3 fav toys in there with him, and shut the door....omg...within 5 min he was howling down the place...so I ignored him for about 15 min, seeing if he'd settle once he knew I wouldn't come running...nope...so went in, sat in the front of the crate, and just calmly talked to him...he wouldn't settle...continued howling. I open the door, he ran out, into my lap, and settled down. So I played with him, to wear him out....them replaced him in the crate. He was good for about 10 min, and started howling again...tried ignoring him...30 min that time...he didn't settle...just howled and howled...went in, talked to him, petted him, tried calming him...etc...NOTHING worked. Only thing that did, letting him out.
I think he has a bit of separation anxiety...he HATES when he can't see you...and totally hates if he can see you, or knows your in the apartment and he can't be WITH you...he'll whine and howl at the gate.
Sometimes I wonder if satan was his dad...hahahaha.
No, seriously, tried crate training, even my vet offered suggestions I tried, and NOTHING works...he's either with you when you're home, or he's howling....if we're not home, then he's ok...which is weird in my opinion, but nice, cause don't need a complaint from the neighbour again, as she threatened to go to the landlord next time, and not me....and I don't want to be evicted or worse, told to give Thor up.
Sigh.
I feel like I'm failing as a dog owner, cause I can't figure out Thor's training way, as I know different things work for different dogs...but NOTHING works with Thor...sigh.
Angie
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Old March 28th, 2011, 03:22 PM
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Melinda Melinda is offline
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you have to slowly get him use to the crate so he doesn't think of it as a punishment place, but a "safe" place, leave it set up in the main room of your apartment, open the door, let him eat in there, toss his toys in for him to fetch, sit beside it and put a kong inside for the pup to work at, while he's working at it, close the door for a minute or two, then open it back up , to let him understand that you WILL open it again for him.....
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Old March 28th, 2011, 03:46 PM
Thor's Pet Thor's Pet is offline
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That's just it....if the door is open, he LOVES his crate...he'll spends hrs in there, with his toys, or sleeping....but if you so much as close the door a inch, he is awake and out of there....and won't go back until the door is open 100% and only if you're no where near it...as he knows if you're near it, you can and will shut that door.
I'll admit, his behavior is partly my own fault, the first few days he was here, I babied him something awful(cuddles, constantly holding him, taking him everywhere with me, etc)...and I accept that blame...and I realise I now have to "back track" it...but sometimes it seems like he is WAY smarter then me...cause he can sure outsmart any move I go to make. Which is kinda funny sometimes...but frustrating in others.
I think I'm gonna look into a dog pen(or making my own out of metel cube panels, which the gates are made out of now) and see about just penning him in the dining area....even if that means moving my table into the spare room for now, so he can have more room. The dining area is about 8ft by 8ft. The only thing in there he could chew is the baseboards...but I can "fix" those with a new coat of paint later.
I just hope he'll be ok in a pen, without howling down the place.
He seems to have caught onto the fact if he howls loud enough I'll eventually come and "rescue" him....as I can't afford to have complaints lodged.
So gonna talk to the bf about the pen, and go from there....if he agrees, then I'll go buy it friday(which is payday).
Cause I can only say this....something has to give, and I'm hoping to god it's not the apartment...we can't afford our house yet(we plan to buy a house in spring next yr, when our lease is up)...
Angie
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Old March 28th, 2011, 04:24 PM
erykah1310's Avatar
erykah1310 erykah1310 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Thor's Pet View Post
He seems to have caught onto the fact if he howls loud enough I'll eventually come and "rescue" him....as I can't afford to have complaints lodged.
Thats exactly what he has figured out, and the longer and louder he does it the more probable it will be that you come and "save him".
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Old March 28th, 2011, 04:27 PM
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chico2 chico2 is offline
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Thor's pet,I know all about feisty JRT's,my son got one after his divorce.
Kita,chewed everything in my sons little condo,doors,table-legs,walls,door-frames,carpets etc...I crochet a nice blanket for her bed,it was in shreds in 30 min.
One comfort to you,it will stop once he gets older,Kita is now about 10yrs old and has been an angel since about 2yrs old.
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