Help! Chewing and Barking problems!
Here's the situation. We moved to another state about three months ago. We went from living on a 1,000 acre farm ( no neighbors) to a small town in the mountains with neighbors around us. We are renting a house with a fenced yard. At first, I kept Sheila in the kitchen at our new place when we were away as I had kept her when it was hot outside when we lived on the farm. But she started eating the wood cabinets. So, I started letting her stay outside. I got a muzzle, and I have been trying to teach her that if she barks outsiide, she gets a warning ("No Barking!") then she gets the muzzle after that. I have been off work for the past week, and I thought she was actually doing okay, but apparently not. The officer said that the neighbor happens to work nights and the barking seems to be during the day. Which is true. At night she is in her crate. I am so sad and upset because the only alternative I see at this point is for her to stay in her crate when we are away during the day and in her crate when we sleep at night. I don't know what to do! Please help in anyway you can. |
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| Yucky! I'm so sorry. If you can give her exercise before and after work each day I think the best option for now would be her crate. With a BIG Kong - stuffed really tight. They also have automatic kong despensers that will drop new ones at random times. They are supposed to help keep a dog occupied in the house if you are away at work. I haven't heard any reviews about them. I hope others give you good suggestions! |
| Just a question - when you lived on the farm, did she spend lots of time outside and satisfy her exercise needs? If she went from better behaved regarding chewing and barking, to worse - the exercise factor is probably it. Also, living in town is usually more stimuli, compared to a quieter existance before.
Do have a room in the house that could be dog-proofed easier than the kitchen? Then she would be safe and not destroying the house, yet still have more room than being in her crate during the day. Also, how old is she? |
| She is a year old. I do think that there are more things around the new place to excite her and that is the problem. She really didn't run too much on the farm, since it was really hot where we were (over 90 degrees pretty much from April on), so I had to keep her inside with AC a lot.
I am trying to think of ways to dog proof the house. She will chew wood and drywall, which makes it difficult. She chews much more now than she did when she was younger. I would think that she should be coming out of a chewing stage rather than going into one at this point, but that hasn't been the case. I have been taking her to the dog park lately, and I feel like we are getting out and getting more exercise, but I know that is really key, so I am going to keep trying exercise. |
| Maybe crate her when no one is home, but let her sleep in your room at night? |
| Have you tried the various stuffable rubber toy chews - like kongs or balls? They are good for satisfying the chewing need. My basset and rat terrier love them, as well as Chewie. I stuff them with dog food, treats, peanut butter and various things that I think they might like. Mine are 3 different brands of stuffable rubber balls and they like them all. Chewie also really loves nylabones and those big shank bones you can buy at pet supplies. I rotate different ones into his crate with him when we are not home. He is definitely NOT safe loose in the house at 7 months. We do an hour or 2 gated (in our entry porch), but he gets into stuff after that! |
| Thanks for the kong suggestions everyone. I got her one today, and boy does it really help. I have been at home with her today, but it really helps when she is loose in the house when I am here, because she stays in a general area and doesn't look for things to get into. I am definately putting this in the crate with her.
I also bought a bark collar, but we haven't tried it yet. I really hate the idea of it, but my husband pointed out that some training with a bark collar is better than an existance in a crate. |
| My dog Izzie stays in her crate when my sister and I are at work. She is loose in the house when we are home and sleeps in my room. It may seems like a punishment, but it is really safer for Sheila to be crated while you are gone. When she chews stuff (cabinets/furniture) she runs the risk of becoming sick or eating something dangerous.
If she is getting enough exercise then I don't think she would mind sleeping in her crate at night...even after being in there while you are away. As long as she likes her crate and is happy while in it I don't see her sleeping there as a problem. I don't crate my dog at night, but that is a personal preference. The key is making sure that she does have enough time out of the crate. If she spent all of her time in there...that would be a cruel existence. |
labelledame wrote: I also bought a bark collar, but we haven't tried it yet. I really hate the idea of it, but my husband pointed out that some training with a bark collar is better than an existance in a crate.
Barking and chewing can be signs of stress. If she get "punished" when barking, that will cause more stress. You may end up with a neurotic dog, with even more problems. The best thing would be to reduce the stress, and solve the problem. Excercise and "brain" activities like a Kong to keep her busy should help in that area. |
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