misbehaving chihuahua

Question
I have had my chihuahua, Chico, since he was a puppy.  Now, he'll be four on the 12th of this month.  At times, he has been naughty, of course, but for the most part he has been a little darling.  However, starting  about a year ago he has been absolutely unruly.  He is constantly getting into my dirty laundry and dragging it all over the house.  Or doing the same with any garbage he can get his little paws on.  He gets on tables and steals food; which he has never done before.  And in november I had my first child, who he is very patient with, except he gets into his diapers or my used nursing pads, and then tears them apart.  I try to keep doors shut or keep these items away from him, but he seems to always find something. I am just so upset because he never, ever acted like this before; and he absolutely knows its wrong (because he will hide as soon as he realizes that I have found his latest mess) and does not care.  This behavior went from being only once in awhile while I was not home to an every day occurence, even if I'm just in the next room.  I try so hard to give him plenty of love and attention.  I include him as much as I can in my daily routine, and my husband and I both play with him often.  i know it can't be "baby jealousy" because it started months before the baby was born.  I have tried using the spray bottle technique and the cage technique...nothing has worked, in fact, I feel like it's just getting worse...I am at a loss!  Please help, I love him so much, but with a new baby and returning to work soon, I am getting overwhelmed with his behavior.

Answer
Chrysten, Chico does not know that it is wrong; he only knows that when you find a mess, you get mad and scold him. He is not able to put two and two together and understand that you are mad because he made the mess how ever many minutes or hours earlier. All he knows is that you get upset when you find the mess.

It sounds like he is bored. Do you take him for walks? If not, I'd recommend taking him for a walk daily, for at least 20-30 minutes, to give him exercise and mental stimulation. A tired dog is a good dog, as the saying goes! Is it possible for you to take him to obedience classes (again, for mental stimulation)? If so, that would also be a good idea. What about putting him in a doggie daycare a few days a week?

Preventing him from being able to get into/tear up things is going to be the best way of stopping the behavior. Use your baby gates to keep him confined in the room you are in, so you can scold him the second he goes for something he shouldn't, and redirect him to a toy or chew item or something that IS appropriate. If this isn't possible, crate him when you cannot keep an eye on him. He's no different than a toddler - you have to keep one eye on him at all times! *grin*