Bad Dog!! Best way to discipline?

[Chris Smith]

Each morning, when I get ready for work, my dog hangs out in the kitchen or living room waiting for me or chewing on his toys. He is left alone in brief spurts as I get dressed or take a shower and there's never been a problem (he has not eaten anything or gone to the bathroom).

Well, yesterday, I came out of the shower to find my 7 month old rescue puppy eating my couch!! He had ripped a large hole and was yanking out the stuffing. BTW, this is NOT a dog couch - it is probably the best (and most expensive) piece of furniture I own.

I immediately thought about all of the posting I have read on doggiedoor.com about disciplining dogs and positive reinforcement. Although I wanted to "strangle" him (or at least scream and cry), I told him a firm "NO and BAD DOG", told him "off" the couch and immediately took him out of the room and put up the baby gate. I then completely ignored him but didn't say another word.

Was this the right way to react so as not to cause fear or aggression in him down the road? Was there something else better that I could have done right at that moment?

AND...how do I prevent more chewing (of bad objects) in the future? Of course, now I won't let him be in the living room alone, but I really had no way to know that he would do this. It was so out of the blue since he has been there alone countless times before.

[Colleen]

I'm not an expert, but it sounds like you handled the situation very well. Since you caught him in the act, it was very appropriate to verbally scold him, assuming you didn't add any physical scolding. I really like that you gated him off after that and didn't pay attention to him. I'd say in the big scheme of things, you probably handled the situation very well.

As far as getting him not to chew up other things, you can use a bitter spray, like bitter apple on things you don't want him to chew. Other people have mentioned the use of tabasco sauce too.

When all else fails, the best prevention method is watching your pup. If you think he may strike again, make sure he is with you or is crated during those times when he's alone.

[Summer Magic]

I think you did ok too. You probably made a bigger impact on him by incarcerating him and ignoring him than you did by telling him he was naughty though.

[Hee Yung Lee]

It's a good thing you caught him in the act because I have read that it's pointless to scold them after they've done something because they don't really understand what they are being punished for. Although, I did come into the bedroom once and there was pillow stuffing everywhere. He wasn't chewing on it when I came in, but he seemed to know right away that he did something wrong. He didn't greet me with his usual excitement.

You could maybe try crating him while you are gone too if he consistently continues to chew up stuff or just gating him off to certain areas.

[Eric Vecc]

When our dog was younger, he was always locked in the bathroom when we showered. Now he knows to come into the bathroom with us and we do not even have to shut the door. He just sits on the floor. I know what you are going through in the morning. This was always a difficult time. He is just waking up from a long and healthy sleep, gets his breakfast in him and he is ready to go. Problem is, we are busy getting ready and do not have time to play. It just requires constant supervision. If he is away for more than 30 secs, call his name and get him to come to you. Do this constantly. If you have to, gate him in a room with you and a kong or something. The other thing we did occassionally is to prepare a kong the night before and place it in the freezer. He gets this in the morning while we are getting ready, BRILLIANT!

[Jill Ramsey]

Eric's ideas are great, and we used most of them with Finnegan, too. My husband or myself were always calling Finnegan where are you, if we didn't see him. He did get a couple of socks a few times, but now he either lays and chews his toys, or goes back to bed for a few winks. :wink:

[Renee]

Hee Yung Lee-

I'd just like to point out - that dogs don't have a sense of right and wrong. They are not cognitively capable of that. Your dog was most likely not reacting normally because YOU were acting differently when you saw the ripped-up pillow.

[Chris Smith]

Thanks for the tips. And it's good to hear that I probably did the right thing at the moment - believe me, if it wasn't for all that I have learned at doggiedoor.com, I am sure I would have acted differently. And no, I didn't lay a finger on him (didn't physically scold him) - never have and never will.

Unfortunately, he is also the dog that does not like water at all so he doesn't get near the bathroom when I am showering!!

I guess I will keep him with me when I am getting ready or keep him gated off in his puppy proof area. I thought we were past that since he has shown no sign of this before, but maybe at 7 months, he is still a little too much of a puppie and very curious with his mouth!

[Jill Ramsey]

Chris,
At 7 months, he may be going through an adolescent period, where he's seeing just how far he can go. Finnegan went through it about that time. :twisted: That's why we call him "Demon Dog" :D It, too does eventually pass.

[Andre Mendizabal]

hehehe... Jill comment made me laugh because when my girl entered the "terrible teens" happened all sorts of similar things... she was a very good puppy since the beginning and learned early on what to chew and what not to chew, but then 7 months came along and... all she new she threw to the garbage, she started eating everything that came in contact with her (she was no longer teething) and destroying stuff... so yes, I had to reeducate her like she was a 2 month old.... anyway, she's 11 months old now and it seems to have slow down... now she only tares the newspaper apart ocassionally and not on a daily basis like she used to when she was 7 and 8 (no news for me during those months!!!)... Anyway, everybody's ideas are really great, you just have to be patient and retrain your dog to do the things you want, he's just a dog and doesn't understand the difference between bad and good unless you point it out!!!! :wink:

[Amber]

Have you tried crate training your puppy? I have crate trained both of my dogs and to this day, nothing of mine has been chewed/torn up, etc. Once they get used to it, you can just put them in their crate when you have to leave them to shower, get dressed, run to the store for a few minutes, etc. Just a thought...

[Grace Erick]

Hi, it won't change why he does things, but this will keep him from eating your couch and that's by buying that bitter stuff you spray on things. Make sure it's couch friendly for the material. It's supposed to be bitter, so the dog won't chew anything that has it on it.

[Jodi Williams]

Hi, it won't change why he does things, but this will keep him from eating your couch and that's by buying that bitter stuff you spray on things. Make sure it's couch friendly for the material. It's supposed to be bitter, so the dog won't chew anything that has it on it.

Has anyone found a brand that actually works? My puppy licks it up when I spray it. Oh well, better than chewing!

[Grace Erick]

Jodi, I don't mean to laugh at your problem, but that is too funny that your dog licks the stuff. I guess your dog has a taste for bitter things!