Question
Shredder
Hi, I consider myself an experienced dog and Shiba owner. I've had probably 2 dozen dogs in my life, and 4 Shibas, all rescued. My 9 year old neutered male is a good boy except he likes to escape, and I just lost my 10 year old spayed female this past Christmas after $8000 worth of emergency treatment. A few weeks later a friend of mine who works at the local shelter called and asked me to take a 1 year old female that had been surrendered. Her name is Shredder and that is your first clue. I don't know anything about the folks who had her before, but they had to spay her at the shelter, so that's another clue. The first week she was here, she literally "ate" a $2000 Stickley coffee table. I know you are going to suggest a trainer, but let me also tell you that I am retired and living on a fixed income. I am keeping Shredder no matter what, and I've since gated off the rooms with good furniture. I am working successfully with her other issues, but don't know what to do about the most vexing one. Shredder jumps from chairs to kitchen table to kitchen counters. I can't shut her out of the kitchen because that is the path to the dog door and the fenced yard. The cat eats on the counter so the dogs (2 others, 3 in all) don't get her food, and the kitchen table is the hub of our family life. Shredder steals whatever she finds up there, which is not only annoying but dangerous. Yesterday she got a bottle of 800 mg ibuprofen and chewed the cap off. I heard the bottle hit the floor and got there quickly. I picked up all the pills and made the dogs vomit with hydrogen peroxide. Fortunately, no pills came up, but I was pretty frantic. So, any ideas about how to keep this damn dog off the table? Thanks in advance. Mary
AnswerI think obedience training would help, but if you can't afford a class, working out of a book should be fine. The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm
A mousetrap is very effective in making a dog leave something alone. Most dogs will stay away from anywhere they were surprised by a snap. The best part is that it is not you that is correcting the dog. It works whether you are around or not. The mousetrap is very patient and is always on task as long as you reset it.
Better than mousetraps when you aren't around is the crate. Other dogs may not be as bad as the young Labs I am plagued with. Still your house and dog will be much safer with the dog in a crate when you are away. The dog may be happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. They are harder for dogs to open too. Metal ones can be put in a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select a crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.
Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.
A dog that has not been crated since it was little, make take some work. Start out just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going in. If you have been able to trust it with any bedding, put that in the crate. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at feeding time for more than one dog.
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