destroying things while left alone.

[MariCody]

Hello; I have a 2 year old Great Dane who only destroy things or get on the counters when left alone. I am now blocking him into one room of my home when I leave. I have removed the large area rug from this room, keep this room clear of things he can chew up. He has totally destroyed large 10 X 12 area rugs, a recliner and a sofa. I have tried to catch him while on the counter. but he will not get on the counter or near them when I am home, as he has been trained to not come past the bar area. He only does this destructive behaviors when all humans are gone from the house.

 

Cash my Great Dane, also displays aggressive behaviors when strangers especially males come to visit. Any specific training to adjust this behavior?

 

I have read through the other threads and did not see anything that was similar to my issue. I am currently working on your training modules with Cash my Great Dane and Brody my smaller dog. Cash has been through other training programs.

 

I also didn't see any training on walking off leash or training around becoming aggressive when a stranger comes into the property.

 

Thank you

Mari Cody

[JMFS]

Hi Mari,

 

I'm going to try to anticipate some things Adrienne's going to ask to see if I can help get a tailored answer for you. :)

 

What type of aggressive behavior is he displaying? Just growls and barks, or does he lunge? If he's been able to get close to the person, what does he do?

 

Does he have things to do when you leave? Like a Kong filled with his kibble or maybe some jerky or peanut butter, or even all three? Is he getting exercise before you leave?

 

Have you have him for the 2-yr duration?

 

Management is a great start. We just renovated our upstairs play room into an office. It had these awesome alcoves that were perfect for dog areas so that's where the girls will eventually stay when we're out. Right now we're having to train them to love the area. Abbi, the little one, chewed the drywall right off the corner, down to the metal, of the wall. I'm putting them in there for 15 minutes per day with Kongs or rawhides or whatever else I can think of while I'm still here and I will increase that time slowly. That way they don't associate it with a place they go when I leave, instead it's a place to have a great snack. Initially I wasn't able to close Abbi's gate, but after pinging Zuke's minis off the wall and onto her bed (she couldn't see me doing it so it was like that area was raining treats) she tolerated the door being closed. The first day she barked her head off, even though I was sitting not 3 feet away at my desk. I think the remedy for Cash is going to be somewhat similar.

 

Here's one thread on departure cues and how to dampen those: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?130-Thundershirt&p=564&viewfull=1#post564

Further down in that thread Adrienne gave me a model of how I could lessen their anxiety when I leave: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?130-Thundershirt&p=572&viewfull=1#post572

 

Right now I have a LickMat bowl in the freezer with peanut butter slathered all over it and a few treats stuck in it for Abbi. Gertie can hang out in her alcove happily for quite some time, but once Abbi gets to howling and carrying on Gertrude joins in the "fun." By the time I get home they're both worked up. My daughter started working at Chewy and she's in the warehouse from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. and this office is almost directly over her room so you can imagine how well it goes over when the dogs are making all sorts of racket!

 

Anyway, we're kind of in the same boat with the destructive behavior.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello and welcome to the forums,

For dogs who tend to destroy things when left alone there are a variety of differentials. In other words, there may be different causes. Separation anxiety is a popular cause, but it is true that it is often over diagnosed. Typically, in dogs with separation anxiety we see panting, pacing, drooling, inappropriate elimination (pee and poop accidents), barking, whining and howling and some level of destruction when left alone (observable using a camera when the owners leave).

 

The type of destruction taking place is also important. In dogs with separation anxiety, expect for it to especially affect the door from which the owner has exited through. Also, in the case of separation anxiety the problem behaviors tend to mostly emerge when the dog is left alone. In the presence of the owners, affected dogs may act clingy,but fail to exhibit any anxiety-related behaviors, at least until the dog owners starts manifesting pre-departure cues (putting shoes on, getting the car keys, etc).

 

From your description, with your dog being two years old and mostly focusing on counter tops, rugs and couches, I tend to feel like it's more a matter of boredom and a strong need of mental stimulation. At your dog's age, your dog is in the full adolescent stage, so it's not surprising if he is acting this way. You can read more about the doggy adolescent stage here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

 

Now, why is the behavior mostly occurring when you are away? Most likely because your dog has learned to associate your presence with being told "no" or some other type of displeasure. Your dog is not doing this out of spite, it's just that he hasn't generalized the behavior in your absence and the act of snatching things and chewing them up has gained a very strong reinforcement history. You can find some tips on how to tackle dogs who steal, chew or destroy stuff when left alone in this thread:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?43-Thieving-Pooch

 

In regards to displaying aggressive behaviors when strangers come to visit, it's important to tackle this soon before it gains a strong rehearsal history and becomes ingrained and more difficult to eradicate. You can find an example of a behavior modification plan I used for a dog who barked at a woman's boyfriend.

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/dog-barking-someone-enters-room/

 

If the behavior starts the moment your dog sees a stranger approaching your property, you may find the "look at that' brain game helpful:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

Because behavior modification comes with risks, a dog behavior professional should be consulted for safety and correct implementation.

 

I don't cover too often the topic of walking dogs off leash due to liabilities and the risks for the dog gaining too much reinforcement from distractions if not done right. I generally restrict off leash freedom on hikes or trails to a limited amount of dogs and those dogs are the ones that have proven to be highly-trained dogs under excellent voice control with non-aggressive tendencies. Being off leash is a privilege and it should be warranted only once the dog has proven himself to not get into trouble when there are people or other dogs around. Ideally, a dog walked off leash should be not interested in meeting other dogs and would rather stick to the owner's side. The dog must also not take off chasing wild life. It takes lots of practice to reach this level of training.

 

For dogs who haven't reached that level of control, but whose owners wish to have them have a bit more freedom on walks to sniff around and explore, I suggest for safety to have the dog walk on a long line, (never texting or talking on the phone!) while always carefully scanning for approaching people and dogs. A long line should not be confused for a retractable leash, which is something I don't recommend using.

 

A long-line is a long, light rope or cord that may range anywhere between 10 and 50 feet long. You can often find these in horse and tack stores as the one for horses may also work well for dogs, but nowadays more and more companies are crafting long lines specifically for canines especially for tracking purposes.

 

Unlike a retractable leash, a long line encourages engagement with your dog and provides you with a "life line" for emergency situations. It also prevents putting your dog in sticky situations where things can get ugly quickly (for example an off leash dog who doesn't appreciate your dog's way of interacting).

 

I therefore feel that this training should be exclusively reserved to dogs who have proven an optimal response to a recall over time and have a strong history of loose-leash walking and self-control despite strong distractions. Both my Rottweilers were allowed off-leash freedom but only once they were past the adolescent stage and we had a very safe area to practice.

 

I hope this helps,

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Happy training!

Edited January 22, 2020 by Adrienne Farricelli