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Old January 19th, 2006, 04:38 PM
hunny8373 hunny8373 is offline
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Bad behavior

This may be a bit of a long story, but I'm in such need of help. I don't want to give my dogs away, so I am hoping for some solutions to our problems.
Our family dogs are Goofy, an Am Staff mix who is 9 years old and Max, an Am Staff/Shiba Inu mix who is 2 1/2 years old. We moved to a brand new home 4 1/2 months ago. They don't get as much exercise as they used to, as our back yard is mud from construction, but other than that, their routines are pretty much the same as before. The dogs are destroying my house and furniture, something they never did before.
Here are the problems - Goofy has decided that it's okay to take the kids toys and eat them, which makes her throw up, on the white carpet, the beds and couches. Now the kids toys have always been on the floor and she's known they are off-limits. Goofy has also decided that it's okay to pee and poop anywhere she chooses, whether she's just been walked on her leash or not.
Max has also decided it's okay to pee or poop wherever he wants and has "marked his territory" in every doorway, on kitchen furniture, beds, walls, carpets. He has also become aggressive towards us. When he has peed somewhere, he knows he is wrong and hides under the kitchen bench. When we go anywhere near him, he growls or snaps at us and has even nipped my husband. We have tried "putting him on post" and that has made him growl at us when we get his leash to walk him too.
We have tried giving them extra attention, extra walks, praise, bones to chew on. Nothing has worked. I don't want to get rid of them, as they are like our children, but they are destroying my new home.
Please help
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Old January 19th, 2006, 04:45 PM
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BMDLuver BMDLuver is offline
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What is putting him on post mean?

Obviously the move has triggered something for them. You just have to figure out what. I would suggest trying a trainer. List every little change recently and then consult the trainer. Maybe there's one thing changed in the routine that they are unable to cope with.
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Old January 19th, 2006, 05:01 PM
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StaceyB StaceyB is offline
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Unless they are very long walks they do very little to get rid of extra energy. They need to be getting adequate exercise. It has already been mentioned that the move has changed something and that is probably true. Is this a brand new home or just new to you. If so there may be smells in the home from other animals. There is also the chance that products that were used in your home are attracting him to use as washroom areas. The destruction is probably due to the exercise.
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Old January 19th, 2006, 05:06 PM
hunny8373 hunny8373 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by StaceyB
Unless they are very long walks they do very little to get rid of extra energy. They need to be getting adequate exercise. It has already been mentioned that the move has changed something and that is probably true. Is this a brand new home or just new to you. If so there may be smells in the home from other animals. There is also the chance that products that were used in your home are attracting him to use as washroom areas. The destruction is probably due to the exercise.
It's a brand new home, so there are no smells from other dogs. They did get a lot of outside time at our old house, and they do wrestle each other quite a bit, but would that make them turn spiteful and agressive?
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Old January 19th, 2006, 05:57 PM
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StaceyB StaceyB is offline
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I wouldn't say they are spiteful. It is actually a very complex behaviour, thought out and planned. Dogs tend to be in the moment. They could be overly stressed but it is strange that they would start this without any previous indication of aggression even a mild form of, resource guarding, not trusting others, etc.

Last edited by StaceyB; January 19th, 2006 at 05:59 PM.
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Old January 19th, 2006, 06:12 PM
Lucky Rescue Lucky Rescue is offline
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Quote:
I don't want to give my dogs away
Do you think strangers would want your dogs (one who is 9 years old) who soil in the house and are aggressive? Who do you think you would give them to?

If you've had these dogs all their lives and they never behaved this way, something is obviously causing them stress, and it's not "spite". Are they getting any exercise? What kind and how much? This is very important, as even the best behaved dog may MISbehave if exercise is not adequate. The excess energy must go somewhere. Running around in a backyard is usually not enough. Do you take them for long walks and runs?

The expression "A tired dog is a good dog" is so very true!

Quote:
I don't want to get rid of them, as they are like our children, but they are destroying my new home.
If you're considering "getting rid of them", they obviously aren't like children, since I assume you wouldn't get rid of your kids if they messed up your new house?
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Old January 19th, 2006, 07:52 PM
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BernerLver BernerLver is offline
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We live in a new house and neighborhood and currently do not have a backyeard either.

Try taking your dogs to a park in your neighborhood. We go early in the morning and/or later in the evening where no on else is around so that Bailey can have some off-leash time to burn off his energy. I find this really helps tire him out even more than a good walk.

Moving is a huge change for a family and like peopel I imgine some animals deal better with the stress than others. I don't do well with change either but I hope my family would give me away
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