K!!!!!!!! I need your help ASAP ZOey's life depends on it...

[Guest Anonymous]

Really i am going to lose it with this dog. i can't take it anymore..
today she ate 3 pens and got the black ink all over my kitchen floor anyone know how to get black ink of lanolium?
anyways. i have crated her, she ate her crate so we had to throw it away, we put her outside, she eats our fence and digs out of hte yard ( we are goign to have to replace the whole fence when we move.... )
we pin her up inthe kitchen/dinning room and she will eat anythign she can find ( half the time i have no idea where she gets it.. ) she has eaten our kitchen table, the trash can the candles ON the table (she jumps up on it.) my phone ( right off the freakin' wall) my recipe book that was up on the highest part of my kitchen counter, about 5 1/2 feet up.. my fridge handle, and the door, my kitchen door to the laundry room, and my mini blinds that are in my kitchen window AND the ones onthe kitchen door that goes out side...
I called a trainer and she said it's becuase we brought COdy home, and now she is my hubby's dog, and when he's gone she retailiates.. well wtf am i gonna do he's gone all the time with the army, and he'll be deploying for a year in april, he's gone for 30 days now and then will be gone many times between now and pril ( 2 more 30 day deployuments )
it's to the point where i'm going to post her on Petfinder.com so she can find a new home..
please help... any ideas

[xavierandrea]

For ink use hairspray or Oopps. Oopps is sold at like Home Depot, Walmart etc. Good luck with Zoey. It can be very hard I have 3 and when we got Patti Free ate everything in site also. She finally got over it but it took alot of dog watching and crating.

[Guest Anonymous]

hairspray didn't work neaither did simple green... how can i crate her when she eats through the dumb thing. i really am afraid i'm going to have to find her another home. one where the owner is home all day and can keep an eye on her.. beucase i work at 4:30 am and get home about 9:30am and then i'm gone through out the day running errands..

[Black GSD]

Get her a Metal crate. She won't be able to eat it.

[Peng1zrule]

get a metal crate--a wire one, a friend of my sister's has had her "gorilla tough" brand crate for thirteen years. and excercise that dog! put her leash on, make her run. I've heard of four wheelers being employed, i've seen people have someone drive a pick up at low speed while they hold the leash and watch the dog jog behind. DO NOT fasten her to a vehicle and take off--have someone supervise HER while someone else drives. i think all this activity merely means she's looking for something to do. i think you'll be surprised how much better a thoroughly excercised dog will behave. and train...and train...and train. never stop. when she's doing obediance commands at the wave of your hand, start on stupid pet tricks. when she's done all the cutesy ones, start on helpful ones---my littlest will stand up on her back feet, her front feet on my knees, to help me reach her to put a leash on when my back hurts (just to give you an idea) If you can't find the time to excersize her, see if a jogger needs a companion, or if you can find someone to walk her extensively for just a few bucks a day...I know this kid who must walks MILES, and all he does is walk around the neighborhood...six or eight hours a day.

[gooeydog]

I agree with the others on getting a sturdier crate for her. How much exercise is she getting before you leave her in the morning? Try getting up 1/2 hr earlier and running her or playing ball with her until she's about ready to drop, then bring her in and put her in her crate or room. Often when you do this, the dog will just sleep or lounge around most of the time you're gone, and sleep=no ruined things when you get home. Then if you have to run errands later, do the same thing again. They key is to keep her from destroying things for a while, so she forgets what a rewarding thing it is to do, and stops the behavior. At one point, when I had to start crating Goo again (she developed some big problems with windows, and my dad insisted it was either being crated or being PTS, soooo...), I was getting up an hour earlier to take her out running or play catch with her, then come back in and get ready, then take her out again for a walk, feed her, and leave. If I didn't get exercise in for her, she'd pull things in through the bars of the crate and beaver them, even managed to escape a few times and pull things down out of the closet or off the walls to add to her collection under my bed. It wasn't the most fun or easy way to deal with (especially when it was 40 degrees with pouring rain outside :o ), but it was worth it. We worked through the problems, and now she's allowed to be free again. You also have to consider the prospects she has if you put her up for adoption... not many people want a dog who's going to destroy their house everytime they step outside, and if her problems stem from anxiety, uprooting her and puttign her in a new home may make them even worse.

[abker17]

Everyone's suggestions are great! :D I just wanted to wish u luck, what a hard thing to go through! :( :( :( I hope Zoey can overcome her speration anxiety so she can stay with u.......... :(

[sheltielover]

Oh Naomi I am so sorry you are going through all of this....... :( I also hope Zoey get's over her seperation anxiety so you won't have to get rid of her.........*hugs*

[Malamum]

I can't really add anything to what everyone else has said but I live by the saying a tired dog is a good dog.

Hang in there - if you perservere with what everyone has suggested it will work out. Also remember she is still only a baby so she will calm down as she gets older.

[Guest Anonymous]

I do not have much more to add, Gooeydog and others already gave wonderful suggestions. Have you tried giving her stuffed Kongs? I give all three of my dogs Kongs before I leave for work. Usually I will hide them around the house, in extremely tough places these days so they are busy for a while seeking them out. I also hide treats and cookies, in the yard and around the house (carefully inside) for another fun thing for them to do.

A dog without a job, will become self employed!

Maybe try a 15 minute or however long you can manage training "class" before you leave everyday, mental exercise is important as well. Excerise like running or balling catch will certainly help as well.

You could also try to make your arrivals and departures very boring and low-key. Don't make a big fuss over saying hello and goodbye. Be very casual and up-beat. Get Zoey used to your getting-ready-to-leave cues, like picking up keys and jacket. Go through these actions repeatedly during the time when you're staying home, without actually leaving. If Zoey has already learned to associate her fears with your depature cues, it will take a lot of repetitions before she will get it.

Then you can move on to walking out the door, shutting it behind you, locking it, and then turning around, unlocking it, and coming back in. Don't make a fuss over her. Repeat. When Zoey is not anxious, lengthen your absence to 2 seconds. Repeat until Zoey is not anxious. Lengthen your absences to 3 seconds, with occasional 1-second absences. Repeat until Zoey is not anxious. Continue with this process, gradually increasing the length of time you are gone, until Zoey is alone for longer than your normal absence. It might help?

You could also try leaving the TV on for her or the radio...sometimes that helps.

Here are some hopefully helpful links....


http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/separtn.htm

http://www.brentwoodpetclinic.com/separationanxiety.htm


Good luck!

[Guest Anonymous]

THanks for the advice guys. BUT i get up for work at 4am as it is. it's cold and rainy here, dont want her to get sick PLUS i am not allowed to excersie or anyyhing. i'm on crutches and supposed to be on bed rest. but i need money lol so i must work. SO running her and walking her is out of hte question right now until hubby gets home. she HATES to do anything. she normally gst tired from chaising cody around the back yard.
SOme times she's very good and doens't touch anything, other times she gets in to anything and everything. I can't give them kongs, becuase they are both possissive of their things and will attack each other if they look at each other while chewing on a bone, cow hove kong ( trust me i've had to break them up many times until i realized they can't have that stuff anymore ) she has been to obed class. and the wire cage she cuts her mouth up chewing on it and bent some of hte bars to get out. No one around here will walk her becuase "she's a rottie and they are mean" stupid people Her boyfriends dad normally walks her if my hubby is gone BUT he and my hubby are gone this time so she can't get walked. i can't even make it around my day with out colasping on the couch from pain.
i can't belive it's SA fromme because she ignores everything i say to her and will start to lick me then bite me hard when it is her time for just ZOey and mommy time ( 45mins-1 hour a day) and that hurts AND ticks me off. she doesn't need to bite me. she refuses to sit when i tell her to or do ANYTHING for that matter if i tell her to.. as for if i put her up for adoption. Her Boyfriends mommy and daddy will take her. they love her as much as i do and she's as good as gold for them ( brat)
i just am so bewildered by this.....

[Queen Bitch]

Do you think her boyfriend's parents will take her for a lil "vacation" while things are so hectic for you? She is most likely picking up on your mood right now too, which may be one of the reasons she is being such a brat. ???

[Guest Anonymous]

Have you considered an anxiety wrap?

ww.anxietywrap.com

[Horsefeathers!]

This may not be a popular opinion, but then again, when has that ever stopped me?

Perhaps, in addition to the training and conditioning and all the other things mentioned, medication might not be such a bad idea? Just something temporary until you can work through this. Sometimes medication in conjunction with training can work. If pharm medication doesn't interest you, I'm sure someone here knows of some somewhat sedating herbal remedies (I never had luck with Rescue Remedy, but there are others).

I'll tell a little secret (that's liable to get me in big trouble)... when my Lab was younger and used to bark/dig/chew/spin round and round and round and round in circles, I would occasionally pop a Benedryl in him (per my vet's suggestion... I really don't care for hard drugs like Ace) to settle him down for a little while. It did help establish a sleep pattern with him as he did get used to sleeping through the night without it (this dog used to NEVER sleep.. he would take nano naps throughout the day). I guess it was kind of sort of a training aid. Also, one of my other dogs is on Clomicalm because she is a bit neurotic without it. It doesn't sedate her, but does keep her more stable instead of constantly wired. Sometimes medication (herbal or traditional) can be a temporary thing, used in conjunction with training and so forth. It's just an option to consider. I'd rather consider any options including medication before it reaches the point you'd consider getting rid of her. If you absolutely have to, maybe you can give her a bit of a sedative during those times when she's so wired. Maybe the lesser of the evils and only temporarily?

I feel yer pain... I came home from dinner tonight and my Perry had found and eaten a pair of hose (no clue where they came from... I haven't worn hose in over a year), a hairbrush, a bandana, some q-tips and some other still unidentified item. Fortunately, he's a good dog MOST of the time. :-?

[Malamum]

Or do you have a friend or family member that came come and stay with you and help you out till you are back on your feet?

[Guest Anonymous]

unfortunatly i dont have anyone to stay with me.. Being in the military i'm far away from family, and my freinds all work and have kids, and my family all just took turns staying with gram after her cancer removal, and her stroke. so i'm kinda out on my own..

BUT today i just put food down for them to eat ( i had to run and get adult food, for Cody is way to pudgy ) and after they both ate Cody came upstair with me ( my little velcro dog you'd think HE'D have S.A.) and i could n't find Zoey, well i went down stairs and she was sleeping IN HER CRATE! ( i went and bought anew one and it came with a 1 year warenty ) !! i just abput peed' my pants and my jaw was ont he floor. she was sleeping IN HER CRATE! good god i could not belive it.... then when i went out to my neighbors i put her in there i said Zo-Zo IN and she ran right in a nd plopped down.... but NOW she's not a barker and a guard dog. but she is when she is out. so i guess that is good since she's in it it when i'm not home, she can still protect me when i'm home...

[xavierandrea]

All my Rotties are crate trained. We still use the crates even on the oldest who is 4 yrs. None of our dogs bark while in the crates. Remember a Rott is very hard headed so when she doesn't listen to you don't feel bad. I went through the biting and the " Sit, sit, sit, I said sit." , stage with mine. My youngest broke through one of the crates but we went out and got a stronger one. Now they go into their crates whenever they want to be alone and when I command them to go inside. No struggle at all anymore. It will take time but she will learn to behave. Be strong with her. Don't give her up unless you've exhausted all your options of correcting her bad behavior. She will return all your hard work with lots of doggie kisses. :wink:
Good luck...

[Malamum]

Naomi - how is Zoe going, any more improvement?

I walked into the kitchen last night and there was Indy with my mobile phone in his mouth about to go out his dog door with it :x . That was a lucky catch - I would have been so pissed off if he had ruined it.

[DogPaddle]

I feel for you DAL. You have quite a handful with an adolescent working dog. They naturally need tons of excercise, tons of mental stimulation, tons of work to do and of course tons of snuggles. They are also still learning the ropes but already starting on the testing teenager phase. :roll: Take heart though, the more work you do know the more it will pay off later . . . or so I'm told :lol:
The best I can do is agree with others: good sturdy wire crate, as much excercise as you are able to give or arrange for, lots of training or good 'work' for Zoey to do. Best of Luck, hope you and Zoey get it smoothed out soon so you don't go crazy. :crazyeyes:

[Guest Anonymous]

Well io got a new cage for her and she sleeps in it now when she wants to be alone, and when i say "zoey in, or zo-zo in" she runs right in and plops down. I make them both sit before i let them go outside to go potty/play.they have to sit before i put their food/water down. and they have to sit before they can go outside and hop in the car..
she she's to be doing a little better she still sleeps on the bed in my DH's spot and if i try to move her she will growl at me adn move closer to me ( pushing me over more ) no matter how many times i say zoey off the bed she just puts her head under hte pillow :roll: i'm trying VERY hard not to lose it with her, she's pushing every button i have.... but every day seems a little bit better :) i'll keep you updated and thanks for asking about her!

[gooeydog]

If she can't behave when you let her up on the bed, keep her off it. Keep the door to your room shut if she's going in there before you do and not wanting to get down. In the meantime, keep a leash attached to her whenever you're home with her, so that if you tell her to get down, you can enforce it. Often, dogs that will put up protest at being told to get off the furniture will comply immediately when you clip a leash to them, but will put on a hefty display as you try to put the leash on them, and sometimes will even try to bite. Plus with that way of dealing with it, you aren't enforcing the command immediately, because you have to get a leash, and you're also teaching her that she only HAS to listen when the leash is hooked on. If the leash is always on, she'll forget it's even there, and she'll realize that you WILL enforce commands immediately, so she'd better do what you tell her to.

Since you're not feeling well, the easiest and safest way to deal with her for right now is to just keep her off of objects that make her think she's "queen". You might also try a squirt bottle, when she goes up to the furniture and looks like she's thinking of jumping up, say "stay down", and if she does, praise, if she jumps up anyway, squirt her.