Help me fix this problem with my puppy destroying the house.

January 29, 2007 6:46 PM

Update on my rescue pup...she's slowly destroying my home. Help me fix this....

I posted a question to MeFi here about a puppy I rescued from an animal shelter. Things were going well, but lately have spun out of control.

Instead of keeping her in the laundry room overnight I have started letting her sleep in my bedroom, on her pillow, on the floor near my bed. She sleeps quietly until about 630am when she needs to go pee. This isn't too bad because I need to wake up at that time anyway.

After her breakfast I will play with her for about 30 minutes then go shower and get ready for work. While at work I leave her in the laundry room with some of her toys, her pillow and one of my old t-shirts. I come home at lunch to let her out to pee, I play with her for another 30, then go back to work. I work 8 hour days so she is only really alone for two 4 hour chunks.

In order to get her to stop clawing on the door I bought a little doggie fence that I put in the doorway so she can still see out into the living room, but she's learned to jump over the darn thing. She'll get into the house and destroy whatever she can get her hands on. Magazines, shoes, remote controls, etc. When I come home and see the mess I use a very stern tone so she understands I am upset, put her nose into whatever she chewed on and tap her on the nose with a rolled up newspaper while saying "no". If the offense is too severe and I don't think I'll be able to control myself I will hit the object she chewed on instead while yelling "no" so I don't really hurt her (i have a little temper problem ... ). I'll then put her back in her room, take away her toys and pillow and leave her there for a while.

Lately though, I don't even need to see if she has destroyed anything. As soon as she sees me she will cower and piss herself (which I don't think she notices). This leads me to believe that she knows she did something wrong and she knows shes going to get punished. So why in the hell is she doing it????

Eventually I want to leave her in the backyard while I am away, but she cannot be trusted yet and I don't want her to hurt herself. When I am at home I will let her go and come as she pleases outdoors, but I really have to watch her. She digs up the yard, tries to eat mud and rocks etc. Until those behaviors are quelled I can't leave her out there alone. I'm hoping as she gets a bit older she will start to learn, but my patience is wearing very, very thin.

Another solution might be to take her to my buddies house on my way to work. He just got a male beagle and they could be together all day and I would pick her up on my way home. He isn't neutered, but my pup is spayed....i just don't want him constantly trying to force himself on her while we are away making it miserable for her....

For what it's worth, she's probably about 6 months old and I've gotten her quite a few different textured toys to chew on while she is teething.

any thought/suggestions on what I can try to do here? What's the best way to "punish" her so she understands I am upset with her behavior?

thanks in advance!

posted by TheDude to pets & animals (47 comments total)

For the short term, I think she needs to be in a crate. You can get a good-sized one, with plenty of room for her to move around, and leave nothing in there except a water bowl and maybe a rubber toy she can't destroy. This isn't punishment, but it will allow you to alter her behavior by never leaving her out, alone, where she can tear stuff up. If you're always around when she's out, I think her behavior would change.
posted by jayder at 6:54 PM on January 29, 2007

Oh, and to stop the chewing, you can use Bitter Apple spray, or one of the variants on that. It's a colorless, very bitter spray that you can use on things your dogs tend to chew. When our oldest dog was a puppy, he chewed up stuff like crazy, until we started spraying things with Bitter Apple. (It was kind of cute to see him squinch his face up when he got a taste of that sourness. He stopped chewing things immediately.)
posted by jayder at 6:56 PM on January 29, 2007

I'm going to repeat what the Dog Whisperer says every single time he sees this problem: She's not getting enough exercise or stimulation. Don't just play with her for 30 minutes in the morning; take her for a long walk or a run. It will help you to establish your dominance and also get her good and tired so she doesn't have all that energy to release on your couch while you're gone.

Specific "Puppy" Whisperer advice here.
posted by stefanie at 7:00 PM on January 29, 2007

Get her a crate, for crying out loud.

Also, you can't really correct her behavior by pushing her nose in it afterwards. Dogs don't think like that.

All you're doing with your punishment methods is literally scaring the pee out of her BUT SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHY so she is immediately scared when she sees you. [this is bad] It's not really fair that you're taking your anger out on the dog when you haven't taken the necessary steps to keep her confined or taken the time to teach her the actual rules.

You need to do a basic puppy class - petsmart offers those for about $100. Well worth it - they use positive reinforcement methods.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 7:00 PM on January 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

Crate. My rescue puppy was crated for her first six months of life while sleeping and when I was at work (and I was on the same program of coming home every four hours at least... still am, actually) and she's none the worse for wear. Actually, she still gets crated when she's got an upset tummy or can't control herself when there's new people or smaller dogs about.

The fun thing is that she still thinks of the crate as her 'den' (it's in my walk-in closet) and will go in there and lay down by herself sometimes when she's not feeling good or needs comfort.
posted by SpecialK at 7:01 PM on January 29, 2007

Your dog is freaking terrified of you. We once had a cat who, on a daily basis, scratched at our bedroom door around 4 A.M..

This was unacceptable, so every day, one of us would exit the room, yell at her and smack her once (lightly). She'd run to the other side of the house.

Well, one day she stopped doing it. She waited quietly outside the door and when we came out, she ran away expecting to be hit.

You see, to her, that had become the morning routine. The humans leave the bedroom, and they HIT you and yell at you. She didn't know why it was happening. Animals do not have that kind of grasp of cause and effect.


Stop anthropomorphizing your pet into having "guilty" emotions or understanding that it has been "bad." In all likelihood, your animal just thinks that when you get home, it gets screamed at and you go nuts. You have not shown it otherwise.

Do not yell at your dog for something it did hours ago. Trust me, it will have no clue, whatsoever, that it was bad. When you catch it in the act, specifically, yell all you want. Rub its face in it. Whatever. But your dog doesn't have the memory or the capability to determine the cause and effect relationship you're trying to get it to understand. Instead, it views you as a creature of routine and habit, much like itself, except that your habit is to get extremely angry and borderline abusive on a daily basis.

I can understand your frustration (god knows we felt frustrated with the cat, too). I hope our experience can maybe help you understand that the dog, far from realizing that the daily scream-fest is due to its actions, is probably pretty sure you're just fucking nuts.
posted by InnocentBystander at 7:01 PM on January 29, 2007 [2 favorites]

Oh, and ... seconding the positive reinforcement. You need to learn how a puppy things. Her peeing herself and cowering is a horrible, horrible thing... that means you've punshed her and she doesn't know why. Would you treat a newborn child that way? No? Then why are you treating a puppy that way?
posted by SpecialK at 7:03 PM on January 29, 2007

Oh, also, whatever you do, if your dog is partly one of the breeds commonly described as "pit bull," DO NOT take her to a class in which "training" = "give the dog a treat when it is good." There are positive reinforcers other than treats.

Aggressive breed dogs can actually become more aggressive with training that gives food as reward for good behavior. See, the point is that eventually you no longer have to give the treat all the time, that the dog will be good on its own. Aggressive breed dogs are known to "snap" when you stop offering the treat. They are confused and expecting a specific reward. Otherwise awesome, wonderful dogs have been completely screwed up by this method of training (which I've seen advocated at that PetSmart puppy class mentioned above). Find a dog trainer who uses other methods unless you want the looming possibility of BIG problems with your animal.
posted by InnocentBystander at 7:06 PM on January 29, 2007

Nthing the above suggestions regarding using a crate and the fear behavior. Also, puppy school would be a good idea.

To elaborate on the fear behavior: unless you catch her right in the act of doing something bad, she is not going to understand what you are mad about, which thus reduces any effect any form of negative correction would have on her. Coming home and getting mad at her will only confuse her (and eventually make her fearful). Thus, she is probably afraid of you in general now because you're always angry with her and she doesn't understand why. In most cases positive re-enforcement works a thousand times better than negative because we aren't there when they do bad things ... and also negative responses ('no!' and the like) make the dog fearful after a while. If you use negative punishment, it has to be quick and right after the bad behavior. One neutral way of dealing with bad behavior is to make a noise that startles or distracts the dog. We use a 'tsk' noise which at this point works pretty well. Obviously this requires being present when she acts up...

As for eating random stuff outside .. she might not grow out of it. Our two year old still will pick up random things and try to eat them. Also, for a lot of dogs, digging is natural and it is nearly impossible to train them out of it.
posted by R343L at 7:10 PM on January 29, 2007

For the billionth time, crate training.
posted by Brittanie at 7:11 PM on January 29, 2007

I've just adopted a dog too, and find that the more exercise he gets, the mellower he is in the house. Also, the local SPCA offers great training classes, which we're enjoying very much - yours might too. The classes are pretty much designed to teach the *people*, not the dogs, in that if you learn what motivates, challenges and calms your dog, you can pretty much teach him/her anything. It sounds like you're both getting pretty frustrated with each other. Might you consider hiring a dog walker to come take the dog out while you're at work to get her some more exercise?
posted by judith at 7:13 PM on January 29, 2007

Heh. Yeah, on the digging -- my ex-gf's great dane and boxer would excavate entire trenches in the pursuit of gophers. They put backhoes to shame.

There's certain ways in which she's just gonna be a dog, dude. The sooner you get to realizing that, the sooner you're going to be happy with her and you're going to break the fear conditioning you've put into her, and she'll be happy to see you when she comes home instead of pissing herself afraid.

Either that, or give her up to the shelter now. She'll be much happier with someone else. :-P
posted by SpecialK at 7:17 PM on January 29, 2007

I had a pup that would get lonely and cry (or chew) all day. I would give her a hollow bone and I would fill it with peanut butter. She would lick at that thing all day. Of course, she wasn't allergic, so that wasn't an issue. But it certainly quieted her. I would give it to her every day... while she was in her crate.
posted by kamikazegopher at 7:17 PM on January 29, 2007

Yeah....I might have to just get a crate for her...

As for the punishment thing. She does know when she was bad. If I come home and nothing is destroyed then there is no peeing on herself or cowering. She's just happy to see me and we go play. On the days that she has been destructive she will pee and cower.

There have been times when she got out and didn't destroy anything and she doesn't cower or pee or get hit.....

Also, besides the morning and afternoon play time I play with her a good deal in the evenings when I get home. She will chase a ball back and forth in the backyard with me for close to an hour and then there is chasing the ball around the house and wrestling/rough housing we do together...

thanks for all the replies.
posted by TheDude at 7:19 PM on January 29, 2007

Why are you putting this dog into a situation where it can escape and destroy things? You need to put your dog into a situation where she feels safe and is contained. Crate training is THE solution, as a thousand other people have said. A day or two a week at the friend's house playing with the beagle would be fun, too. I would not ever ever EVER leave a dog outside unattended- too many bad things could happen (dogs get stolen out of yards all the time, you know).
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:23 PM on January 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

If you get the crate you are taking away the opportunity for her to do engage in the behavior that's pissing you off.

What is bothering you about having to get her a crate? (I'm asking because this is at least the second thread where you've been given the crate advice - the first time you ignored the crate advice. This time you're saying "I might have to just get a crate for her.") It doesn't hurt her one bit and she may even get to place where she enjoys it.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 7:27 PM on January 29, 2007

This leads me to believe that she knows she did something wrong and she knows shes going to get punished.

fixed that for you.

You seem to be laboring under the belief that she is chewing to spite you and that she knows what she is doing is wrong. She doesn't because you haven't taught her. Her brain is not capable of making the association. What she has learned is "my owner comes home, gets angry and then yells at me." Keep in mind that she is a rescue who has been on this earth for 6 months. The only association you have managed to make for her so far is that YOU are unstable and prone to fits of yelling for reasons completely unknown to her.

Dog training is not best done in an environment of intimidation, violence and anger. This is not tough love, this is just tough. Even if you manage to dominate her enough to prevent her from causing chaos, your relationship with your dog will always suffer for it. She needs to be able to trust you, feel safe with you and want to spend time with you. If you watch the obedience dog trials, even at the championship level, you see dogs whose eyes are glued on their owners, a grin on their face and a spring in their step. That is the relationship you want with your dog, not one where every time you raise a hand your dog flinches and cowers.

Please crate your dog when you are not able to watch her or when you find yourself losing your temper and take her to a class.
posted by hindmost at 7:33 PM on January 29, 2007

If I come home and nothing is destroyed then there is no peeing on herself or cowering.

Try this experiment: Destroy something yourself and scatter it around the room. Show her the damage. See what she does.
posted by hindmost at 7:35 PM on January 29, 2007

You said you feel as though she knows when she's been bad, but I really don't think that's the case. What probably is happening is that she is reacting to your behavior when you return home. If she has been good all day, then you enter with a smile and greet her with a pleasant voice. If you come home to find that she has destroyed something, you react angrily and she then anticipates being hit and yelled at.

Here's an article that basically echoes what other folks have said above but goes into a bit more detail. Crate training really seems to be the way to go in your situation. I'd also second what a couple other people have mentioned in that she needs more exercise than she's been getting.

And please, as far as discipline goes, don't get physical with your dog, even if it just a light tap on the nose. A stern (but not too loud or scary) "no" is really all you need to do. I'd also recommend that you spend five or ten minutes a day teaching and practicing commands like "sit" and "lie down," etc.
posted by kitty teeth at 7:38 PM on January 29, 2007

If I come home and nothing is destroyed then there is no peeing on herself or cowering.

This leads me to believe you think you can reason with a dog. You cannot reason with a dog. They are lovely, cuddly sweet balls of love, but they are also stupid. They will destroy anything you allow them to destroy. They'll eat their own poop if you're not quick enough. You cannot put things in front of a dog and teach it not to destroy them when you're away*. They don't have brains like people. It is YOUR responsibility, not the dog's, to keep the dog from destroying things. This is best accomplished by keeping the dog and things it can destroy (i.e. almost everything) separate when you are not there. If you're desperate to not go the crate route, why not put something on the door to keep her from scratching it up, so you can close her in?

*I'm referring only to house pets, not ultra-trained animals like performers, rescue dogs, etc.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:42 PM on January 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

Well my fear of the crate training is in that she will just claw and chew on the crate itself. But I guess if she is confined she can't really hurt herself.

She is a very quick learner. She has already learned; sit, down, stay, say hello, come here, lets go, up - i think that's all of them.

I've also taught her not to go into the hallway to the bedrooms without me. I can leave the door open and she won't go into the hallway unless she is following me in. I was hoping I could transfer that learning to the gate; where she would know I don't want her getting over it. But that hasn't happened.

I'll try the crate thing while I'm at work and see if that works. Thanks again for all the links and the insightful answers.
posted by TheDude at 7:46 PM on January 29, 2007

You have to crate train slowly and carefully. Don't just stick her in the crate for four hours. Do some research and take it slowly, and it will really help.

(I say this even though my dog did in fact break out of his crate. He's fine alone in the house, though, so it's not a problem for us.)
posted by judith at 7:54 PM on January 29, 2007

Good to hear about the crate training. Just don't get a crate one day and immediately start leaving her in there; it's something you've got to gradually get her used to. Here's a link.
posted by kitty teeth at 7:55 PM on January 29, 2007

I don't know where you are, but if you're Seattle-ish, I've had great success with our dog trainer: http://www.joycesdogs.com. She can help you with pretty much everything you've described here. I can't (help), but I have similar problems with my dog, and she has been tremendous.
posted by librarina at 8:10 PM on January 29, 2007

Also, you want to make the time she goes into the crate *happy* time. Praise her in a very high pitched voice, compliment her, even feed her in there if necessary. Don't leave the room while she's in there the first few times you put her in there. The floor of the crate should be an old blanket that she'll be able to love forever, or a bunch of old towels and foam pillows that you don't care about -- because she will chew holes in everything.

My puppy now will really only sleep on the blanket that was in the kennel with her when she was a little puppy. Anywhere I put it, she'll fall lay down on it and fall right asleep. It's kinda cute. ;)
posted by SpecialK at 8:22 PM on January 29, 2007

You really really REALLY need to learn about dogs. Get Jean Donaldson's "The Culture Clash" and Ian Dunbar's "Before & After You Get Your Puppy" (it has great basic training and crate training information). You have some very serious misunderstandings about how dogs think and how dogs learn. To paraphrase Patrica McConnell: if you wanted to play the piano, or golf, or speak Chinese, you'd find a coach, or at least a book to learn how. Dogs are ANOTHER SPECIES - they don't think like people do, they are not moral entities, and people aren't born knowing how to properly train and manage them - you need to learn how to train and manage your dog, and you need to start by forgetting what you think you know. Your dog doesn't "know she's done something wrong", as others have said, she knows that you are unpredictably dangerous. "Putting her nose in" whatever she's chewed is counter-productive - all it's doing is teaching your dog to mistrust you even more and probably making her wonder if she should let you handle her head. Please stop.

You need to get some good books and you need to get into a good training class yesterday. About the only thing the "Dog Whisperer" is right about is the need for exercise. And I would bet money that your dog doesn't get enough exercise and doesn't have access to appropriate, and appropriately enticing, chew toys - if she's chewing what she shouldn't, you need to manage the environment such that she ONLY has access to what she SHOULD chew, AND what she should chew must be made more enticing than what she shouldn't. So, you crate train her properly (following the steps in one of the good books), you get her Kongs, you stuff them with her food, plus some treats, you put them in the crate with her, etc.

Please learn how your dog thinks and learns, and please learn how to train and manage her properly, including how to crate train her properly. You need to find a good, experienced, positive trainer (not PetSmart), so that you can learn how to be a good owner to your dog. You rescued her, and that's great, but I think you already know that there's a lot of work to be done, and it needs to start with you learning how to do it. Good luck.
posted by biscotti at 9:23 PM on January 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

I offered up the petsmart recommendation because they changed their classes last year - they now teach positive techniques. (They were recommended to me by both the private shelter and my vet.) Yes, some of the trainers are complete shit but some of the trainers are really great.

Not everybody can afford a private trainer. And the ASPCA/Humane Societies aren't always in good locations.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 9:40 PM on January 29, 2007

I'm echoing the people who go with what the Dog Whisperer says. I got a rescue puppy in June and for the first 3 months it was SO hard. I couldn't even leave her alone... she even ate the venetian blinds, for God's sake. They became an abstract art piece.

After Netflixing Cesar's shows, reading his book, and working her consistently through two levels of training classes... I now have an incredible dog that's an absolute, adorable pleasure to have around. I'm SO proud of her & I couldn't ever imagine life without her... she's well behaved in ways I was unable to even imagine at first. She still acts up once in a while, but on a whole her newfound obedient nature never ceases to shock me. My friends can't believe it either.

DON'T GIVE UP.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:56 PM on January 29, 2007

Oh, and some trainers will give discounts to rescue dogs if you just ask. My trainer did. (My dog was found running the streets and totally abandoned. The ASPCA didn't even know her age; she didn't even know how to walk on a leash.) I took two 8 week classes for a little over $100 each and they really did the trick. She's set to start advanced obedience soon.
posted by miss lynnster at 9:59 PM on January 29, 2007

Well my fear of the crate training is in that she will just claw and chew on the crate itself.

better she chew on the crate than your house.
posted by twistofrhyme at 10:22 PM on January 29, 2007

I haven't read all the responses, so a lot of this has probably been said, but:

1) No, she doesn't know she's been bad. She just knows that when you come home, you punish her. Dogs don't think like humans.

2) Give her more exercise. She probably needs to run.

3) Do obedience training. The mind needs to be exercised as much as the body.

4) Get a crate. Many dogs get nervous being alone in the house, and destruction can be a side effect. Being in a crate can make them feel secure, in addition to protecting your belongings.

Also, If you crate-train a dog from the beginning (it's not too late - we got our dog at 6 months), they will often learn to just sleep while you are gone. Eventually you can leave them out when you leave and they will just sleep out of habit. My dog was a terror when we got her, and now when I come home she's just sleeping on the couch. And this is a very high-energy dog.
posted by chundo at 10:36 PM on January 29, 2007

The opposite of PetSmart isn't a private trainer. The best beginner obedience classes are usually found in local, accredited obedience clubs, and they are very affordable in most cases, comparable with PetSmart (AND you normally get a reliably good trainer, unlike PetSmart - where, if you get a good trainer, it's fine, but if you don't, it's really not). If you are in the US, check the AKC's website for clubs in your area. If you are in Canada, check the CKC's website for obedience clubs in your area.

And please, be very careful with jumping onto the "dog whisperer" bandwagon, you can do a lot more harm than good if you're not careful, positive training is much less fraught with hazard and is based on SCIENCE! Please at least read up on things to get a balanced picture.
posted by biscotti at 10:44 PM on January 29, 2007

My dog also does the `acting scared' thing when she has, say, pulled some stuffing out of the couch, or chewed up a sock. I don't punish her for it, maybe hold up the item and say `what's this?'. Punishment, no.

I have, however, set her up. She used to drag things from the bench and chew them, so I put a plastic bag there and stayed quiet in another room. When I heard that bag rustling I sneaked up to the door and burst in, yelled `NO' in an offended voice, circled her (took her by the collar and lead her around in a circle - it's a control thing) and then all was good. No more attacks on the bench after that. I did the same for her sitting on the couch, watching her from around a corner.

You really need to catch them at it.
posted by tomble at 11:28 PM on January 29, 2007

Oh yes, and private trainers do vary. Try and get a recommendation from someone. My neighbours had a guy who gave them some of the worst advice I have ever heard, and charged them $260.00 for the privilege.
posted by tomble at 12:49 AM on January 30, 2007

I started crate training my dog at around 1 1/2 years old. So I also agree with the people who are saying not to worry that it's too late. It's not. She's asleep in her crate as I type this.
posted by miss lynnster at 3:13 AM on January 30, 2007

Yeah, it's not too late at all. I got my dog from a shelter when she was close to a year old - the second time she'd been at the (private) shelter. The first people that adopted her just let her run all over their house without any rules whatsoever. The first night she was here was she refused to go in the crate I had - I ended up going the next day and buying a better crate and while she didn't much care for going in to it to begin with - now she loves it. She frequently goes in and naps in there of her own accord.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 4:08 AM on January 30, 2007

My husband and I had a lot of experience with dogs, and then we rescued abandoned twin mutts, and were absolutely blind-sided by their destructive behavior. None of our other dogs had ever been like that! We reluctantly tried a large wire crate - the dogs didn't hate it, and it saved the few remaining scraps of furniture from being eaten.
posted by tizzie at 6:12 AM on January 30, 2007

if your dog is partly one of the breeds commonly described as "pit bull," DO NOT take her to a class in which "training" = "give the dog a treat when it is good." [...] Aggressive breed dogs are known to "snap" when you stop offering the treat.

This is nonsense. There's something seriously wrong with any adult dog who "snaps." This isn't normal behavior for any dog -- least of all for a pit bull, bred to be easily handled by humans in tense, charged situations.

The flip side, sadly, is that many pit bulls are aggressive and difficult around other dogs. They're also very strong. If a scrap arises and your dog has to defend herself, she may turn out to be disconcertingly good at it. Even if she's entirely innocent, breed bias is so pervasive that she'll probably take the blame for any bad consequences. So be careful. Even if your dog is calm and easygoing, it's probably best to avoid off-leash dog parks entirely.

Otherwise, you can train a pit bull or mix just as you'd train any other dog. Since you're starting from scratch you'll probably need some help figuring out how to do it. Read the authors biscotti recommends (Dunbar and Donaldson), as well as McConnell and Miller.

You'll also probably want to find a training class. Since your profile doesn't show your location, you might begin by contacting Bad Rap, a highly reputable pit bull rescue and advocacy group based in Northern California. (Breed bans typically apply to any short-haired, mid-sized dog with a big head, so pit-specific concerns are very relevant to you.) They can put you in touch with a reliable organization in your area, and that's a good place to start for recommendations.

But enough derailing. Also listen to the people who are advising you to give her much, much more exercise and to try a crate. She probably won't need the crate forever, but it will get you through this crazy time with all your faculties intact.
posted by tangerine at 7:32 AM on January 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

Two baby gates - one above the other, slightly overlapping. She won't be able to jump over.

Take her to your friend's house for a few supervised play dates - she would probably love a playmate for the day, just make sure they get along and you are comfortable with their interaction. The beagle's, um, advances won't terrorize her.

She is a puppy - and puppies do things like she is doing. Invest some time in a training class - but don't expect it to stop her form being a puppy. The class is at least as much to show you how to show her how you want her to behave.

Stop scaring her. Your methods are not working. Your "little temper problem" is as scary for her as it would be for a small child. Yeah, it's frustrating that she doesn't know what you want, and she doesn't behave 100% correctly - you're going to have to be patient and loving.
posted by KAS at 7:43 AM on January 30, 2007

Crate training does work for a lot of people, but the root of this really sounds like your dog is a) under-exercised and b) craves attention. The dog wants attention and stimulation and will get it one way or the other. You must bleed the energy out by strenuous exercise (and I am of the opinion that a walk generally does not do the trick unless it is quite long)-- off leash, preferably.

I guarantee that with or without a crate if you really blast the dog into exercised submission you will have better results.
posted by norm at 7:45 AM on January 30, 2007

Just FYI, Petsmart uses clicker training now - the treats are mostly in the beginning to "charge" the clicker. It's not a super-advanced training, but it's a good starter for learning the clicker and how to keep your dog's focus on you in a group with other dogs.

My young-adult dogs very nearly cannot be exercised enough, which is why we have three so they can wear each other out. If you can swing doggy day care even just once or twice a week until she's a little more grown, that may help you keep her exercised more.

A bored dog is a bad dog, especially when they're young. Battle the boredom, not the dog.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:49 AM on January 30, 2007

Sounds like a crate and some dog-training books or classes are in order. Also, you may not be able to leave her outside all day even when she's an adult. My rescue dog was returned to the shelter the first time someone adopted her because she barked all day outside. I knew she'd have to be an inside dog so we got a crate for her. At first she was in it for most of the day, but now (several years later) she's alone in the house all day and well-behaved, except for sleeping on the bed when we're not looking. She was about 3 when we adopted her and she's turned out to be a great dog.

You'll both do fine with some training and patience. Good luck!
posted by BluGnu at 8:31 AM on January 30, 2007

I don't know if this is really adding anything new to what was said above but...

I would enroll my new pup in a "puppy kindergarten" a training class that only has other puppies. We took our dog to two because it was such a positive experience for her/us. The best part was that the other puppies in the class played on her level and would tire her out. NOTHING else would work as well as playing with other puppies.

Also, I would get in my car RIGHT NOW and go buy a KONG. We stuff the Kong with peanut butter, frozen yourget, treats etc. Every time we leave for more then an hour or so we give one to our dog. She acutely gets excited when she knows we are leaving because to her that equals treat.

There are lots of different schools of thought out there on dog training. We use positive reinforcement. I read several books before we started with training. If you are not comfortable with the reward only method I urge you to try the Monk's of New Skeet books. I know many people love Cesar the dog whisper guy but, I have read that his methods while effective in the short term, may not be the best overall for your dog.

I try not to anthropomorphize my dog this analogy is for the humans in the room.

To me, his method of training is the very strict controlling father figure that over time can build resentment. The more positive Monks of New Skeet is the cool dad that takes you out to play ball but who can still lay down the law when appropriate.

Anyhow. Good luck with whatever methods you decide on!
posted by kantgirl at 9:31 AM on January 30, 2007

I urge you to try the Monk's of New Skeet books

If you must, but only the newest version of How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend, in which they specifically recommend AGAINST many of the old school Millan-esque methods which are recommended in the Monks of New Skete's older books, and which we now know to be counter-productive at best, dangerous at worst. There are better training books out there, many of which have been linked here.

I know PetSmart offers positive training, however unless you get a good trainer (and if you don't know anything about dog training, you have no way of evaluating this, and many of the PetSmart trainers are terrible), the training can be a waste of time and money. Obedience clubs are about the same price as PetSmart in most cases and you should fairly reliably get a trainer who knows what they're doing.
posted by biscotti at 10:11 AM on January 30, 2007

I was hoping I could transfer that learning to the gate; where she would know I don't want her getting over it. But that hasn't happened.

Here's the thing really: Even if you assume that your puppy can put the link together between escaping the gate, chewing something up and getting caught 4 hours later (which she really can't), it's still a huge stretch to ask her to sacrifice short term happiness for long term gain. Fully grown, otherwise rational adults get mired in credit card debt, or forgo studying to go to a party or find themselves hung over after drinking too much. You want her to have the level of analysis and self control that most of your peers and most likely you lack from time to time. At this point she has been allowed to escape repeatedly and reward herself for doing so. You have unwittingly trained her to escape, and then punished her. A 6 month old puppy is equivalent to a toddler, she's still exploring the world and she will get into as much trouble as you let her. Don't punish her, teach her.

PS-If you find a trainer that suggests alpha roll overs, yelling and intimidation instead of praise and positive reward, run away. Good dogs work as a team with their owners, the bonds that hold them are ones of love, respect and trust. Fear may get you what you want now, but will cause her to shut down and live in a state of constant stress and anxiety. Since you are already anthropomorphizing her to attribute motives like defiance and guilt to her, take it a step further. What does it say when she is so terrified of you that she is exposing her underbelly and pissing herself to prove how harmless she is? Keep in mind that in her mind, her crime was walking through an open door and playing with the toys you left.
posted by hindmost at 11:56 AM on January 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

hindmost's answer is perfect. Please listen. Especially "Don't punish her, teach her". Dogs aren't born knowing how to live well with humans, your job is to teach her, and every single moment of interaction with her is training her, and pretty well every single moment of her life right now is training, whether you're aware of it or not. Please start fresh, learn how dogs think and learn, get into classes with a positive trainer who can explain things to you - make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard (not scary, or painful, or punitive). If she can only access the right things to chew, she can't chew the wrong things and she can't LEARN to chew the wrong things or keep reinforcing chewing the wrong things. You should be building up a solid, mutually-respectful relationship with your puppy, not putting her in a state of fear so great that she is convinced you are going to harm her (the "alpha roll" idea, which is now known to be inaccurate, comes from exactly what your puppy does: rolling over to show submission. Which is why many behaviourists think it should actually be called the "omega roll", since it's the lower-status dog which does it itself). And if you have anger issues, you need to stay FAR away from your dog until you can get yourself under control - especially if you feel the need to hit things, that sort of thing is terrifying to dogs and that is the sort of situation which occasionally ends up with dogs biting people out of fear and self-preservation.
posted by biscotti at 5:12 AM on January 31, 2007

Try crating and lots of exercise. Read The Dog Whisperer. If that doesn't work after a couple weeks give her back to the shelter.
posted by leavens at 6:18 AM on February 14, 2007