What can I do to stop this?!!

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

I used to leave Drake outside in the yard when I went to work everyday. He had a shaddy spot, his doggy house, food, and water. He got to play all day while I was gone. But it has gotten so hot now, that I can not leave him outside. Even the shaddy spot is too hot. So, I leave him inside now where it is nice and cool. I fix up the couch for him with all his toys, blankies, and good stuff. up untill a couple of days ago, all was well. When I got home, he was of course very hyper and we went outside and played and wore off some of that energy. Now, when I come home,my house is destroyed. trash all over the place. He shredded Andrew's running shorts, chewed up some candles, and picture frames. Yesterday, I came home to find the wooden arm rest of my coach chewed up! He hasn't chewed up things or destroyed anything for a while now. He grew out of his puppy habits and has become very mature. I am sure that he gets bored during the day. But what am I supposed to do? He will burn up outside. He is half wolf whick means he has an under coat and even though he has a summer haircut, he still gets very hot!
I need some advice!

[RachelJ]

Can you restrict him to a certain area, say the kitchen and then remove whatever things might be targets for his distruction? Also set aside some time in the morning to give him some exercise outside if it isn't too hot. A stuffed kong might divert his attention a little as well. Of course there is always the idea of a companion animal! I think you are on the right track keeping him inside in the really hot weather.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Thank you for your reply. The way my house is, the kitchen and living room are attached. The only thing that separateds the two is an island. I put the trash can up on the counter this morning to see if that will work. I doubt it though. Drake is so big that he can reach alomost anything on the counter.
Drake, Andrew, and I run 6 miles every morning. He is tired when we get back, but in a few hours, he is not tired and I guess that is when he gets busy.
I have been thinking of getting another pet to keep him company. Only problem is he thinks cats are a snack, and gets jealous of any dog that my boyfriend and I even pet. He gets very mad and attacks the dog. Then he barks at Andrew and I as if he were telling us: How dare you give any other doggy some affection. Its all mine, you hear?!
I will make sure though to remove anything that I do not want him to lay his paws or teeth on. Maybe we should run more. He's part GSD and needs to be busy all the time. Do rhey have doggy nannies?!! Ha!ha!ha!

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Hi Souraya
When we go into the mountains to the cabin we always bring a flexible metal type fence we got from Petsmart. Our daughter-in-law also has one and we hook them together in the living room of the cabin so the dogs (4 of them) won't get out when someone opens the door. They come in many sizes and as tall as you need. Maybe if you got one or two of them and hooked them up in the largest area you have and put toys in with him? They just hook together and when you are not using them they fold up. Just a thought. Good luck, maybe a kong.
Jackie

[Dixieland Dancer]

This is the reason we crate our dogs. My one Golden suffers from separation anxiety and shreds paper to thousands of tiny pieces. Thank God she has never done anything else :) We breed her and kept one of her puppies. Now she has a companion so we don't crate her anymore but we still crate the pup for housetraining purposes. My suggestion would be to either crate your dog while you are out or get a doggie door that would enable the dog to come into the house when he gets over heated. Best of luck ;)

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Thank you for all your suggestions. I am note sure the metal fence will hold him. He is so big!
Last summer we went to Paris on vacation and on the way back, our flight got delayed and we had to make an medical emergency stop at JFK. Then our flight had to wait about 2 hours for clearance to land in Atlanta. Drake was in the crate all that time and when we got home, he was so mad and angry. He growled at everyone, including Andrew and I, for two weeks. Would not let anyone near him. Ever since then, he will no come close to the crate. We wanted to take him wih us to Pennsylvania for 4th of July, but we couldn't fly coz he wouldn't get in his crate. We had to drive!
So, I do not think i will be able to crate him. I will try the doggy door though!

[carrie]

Am I right in thinking you have a very large GSD/Wolf cross?
If you have then nothing will contain him in the house and Kongs will not hold his attention for long (if they last long!) Have you thought of a putting a water pool in the yard for him to cool off in? A plastic pool will probably not last long but a stone or cement trough large enough for him to lay in might work.

If you do have a wolf cross that is showing this dominant behaviour towards you (growling when he's been crated and when you touch other dogs) I would seriously urge you to get some experienced help to get this under control. The more he grows and matures emotionally the more sure he will be of himself and the more difficult it will be to control. I'm not saying all wolf crosses are bad BUT they do need special handling and understanding.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Yes, you are correct! Drake is a GSD/Wolf mix. He is only 14 months old and is 85 lbs. He is very gentle and extremely sweet, though. I understand why he wouldn't like his crate after being stuck in it for alomost 20 hours. I would be growling too if I was stuck in a crate for that long with no exercise, no love or attention, and having to sit in my own urine and feces. I know him getting jealous if we pet other dog is a problem. But he has never hurt us. He is just very spoiled and that can be blamed on us. The pool sounds like a great idea though.

[carrie]

I'm sorry to go on at you but a 14 month old wolf mix is going to take advantage of your "spoiling" him and you are running out of time to be able to control his behaviour. He is coming up to the teenager stage of life and will begin to take the "spoiling" as his right in life. If he has these rights he will begin to see how many more rights he can get from you. If you allow him to continue then he will feel obliged to discipline you in the future, there are signs that this is already happening.
Please get in touch with others that have wolf mixes, there are many sites on the web, get some advice and get this under control. Ignore those that insist there are NO PROBLEMS as they are either lying or do not have true wolf mixes.

[Dixieland Dancer]

I have to agree with Carrie that you are already showing signs that this dog will be uncontrollable in a few short months. He may be okay with you but is he okay around other people? Do you want to take the chance? There are professionals who can help you train this dog at this point but if you wait to much longer you may lose the edge (or the willingness of anyone who can help). I would never tolorate my dog growling at anyone for any reason. You need to be the ALPHA in the house and take control of the dogs behavior problems with either a specialist training the dog and/or you :confused:

It is a task worth taking for the love your dog will show in return :p Best of Luck ;)

[RachelJ]

Is Drake neutered?

[TollSettFK]

What about a play pen? Or, here is another idea.Take his crate (Does he have a crate?) and set it up with the door open. Surronding the door, use baby gates, boxes, crates, or whatever, and close in a small area that he can play in, and go in and out of his crate when ever he wants. In the play area( o.k, I know this is discusting) , put sheets of news papers and when you take him out to the bath room, take a cotton ball with you, and a plastic bag. When he urinates, soak the cottan ball in it, and put it in the plastic bag. Dab the cotton ball on the newspaper, and he'll be attracted to the smell, and he'll go there.

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

I appreciate all your advice. Drake is not out of control. He is very friendly and social. He loves playing with other dogs and loves people so much. He only gets jealous and growls and barks if I play with another dog. I will try and see what we can do about that. He is not mean.

[carrie]

He sounds fantastic and please don't think I'm saying that you have a devil dog or anything as ridiculous as that.
I am, however, worried that you are underestimating the potential of this dog and would much rather here you say in two years time that you were glad that you got the right training but it wasn't needed than the dog had to be given up as he was far too dominant for you to handle.

[yorkster]

Yup, I hate to say it but Carrie is correct. I once had to give up a G. Shepherd mix because of aggressive behavior. It was THE MOST difficult thing I have ever done! I loved him sooooo much. It made it even more difficult because for the most part he was being protective of me. He too, was fine until he was about 18 months old. It got really bad though. Friends were afraid of him, I could not take him out in public, the neighbors complained, etc. We tried everything: obedience training, behavior modification. We even took him to a really pricey place that he had to stay at for 3 months before he came home. It helped for a short time is all. What it came down to is we had to find another home for him. It was not fair to him to have to live like that, and not good for us either. It worked out for the best though: he went to a couple of people who live in the country and specialized in this type of behavior. They just fell in love with him. We got lucky and so did he. We were told that if we had started STRICT obedience when he was a puppy (under 3 months), and socialized him a lot, it would not have been a problem. Live and learn I guess. With certain breeds and certain mixes, there absolutely has to be a pack leader- YOU! It's hard to not be lovey and spoil a dog you love him so much, but it is the only way. Please at least talk to a really good dog-trainer, because it is difficult to do on your own. I don't want what happened to me, to happen to you.

[carrie]

Yorkster, you are right, you got lucky with finding the right people to take your dog on. But how fantastic that you tried so hard for the dog! A great many people would have solved the problem with a trip to the vet. Great respect for being so honest and for doing the best for the dog.

[yorkster]

Thank-you Carrie! I hope other people will take it seriously when considering their own dog. I am lucky now because I have a great dog (it's been a month now). This is the first dog since that experience several years ago. She is a Black Lab/Border Collie mix, and is most interested in playing ball and fetch. However, she does start obedience training this weekend. Actually I should say that it is ME that needs it since I tend to be too easy on her. I really need the incentive to be the 'pack leader'. Now maybe she won't want to chase my cats so much! What kind of dog do you have?

[carrie]

I have a Golden Retriever called Paddy at the moment. He was a rescue and in a terrible state when we got him 6 years ago. I love him dearly but he is not the brightest light on the tree, if you know what I mean.
I have trained Greyhounds and Guide Dogs and worked in Germany, often with a translator as my German is a non happening event, helping people with "problem dogs".

[Stenograsaurus]

Souraya,
I'm sorry but I have to agree with the people on this board. I know it's hard to accept that we have problem dogs.
Not too long ago, I was in the same shoes you're in. I had a Rotty who was so friendly for the first five years of his life. He greeted everybody with a kiss and a lick and the butt shake thing. Then he slowly turned. It was so slow I didn't even see it happening. Somehow our alpha roles reversed. When I got close to him at times he would growl at me. I'd just shrug it off and say, oh, stop that. But I would leave him alone so he got his way. People would tell me to watch out for him but I'd come back with he's not mean, he's just a little protective. He knows he has it good here and he doesn't want anything to happen to us. As long as you don't come in our house unannounced, you'll be fine. He's only protecting our house. Until that day he got loose, went out of our yard and attacked a neighbor. It was winter and she had a coat on so he just tore the coat up but if it was summer, he would have got her shoulder. We have children on both sides of us so we decided to put him down because we didn't want to risk putting anybody else through what that lady went through. I will never forget the horror on her face. I would have not have been able to live with myself if I had found another home for him and he did it to somebody else. Looking back I see that things started to change when he was around five but I was in denial. He was eight years, nine months old when he died. I miss him terribly but I know I did the responsible thing. I'm sorry to say that your dog is showing some of the signs that my dog did. Please, get help now before it's too late. I wish I would have opened up and listened to the people who were trying to help me. I would hate to see anyone be put in the position that I was in.

[ August 23, 2001: Message edited by: Stenograsaurus ]

[Dixieland Dancer]

When you say he only growls when you pet another dog, what I hear is I'm the alpha and there is no room for anyone but me. This is unacceptable behavior. If you want to pet another dog you should be able to. The fact that you can't should tell you your dog is in need of training help. It is the don't pet another dog today but it may be stay away from children or I don't want visitors at my house or some other attitude later if you don't get it under control now. The fact that you have a mix of two naturally more dominant breeds also is more cause for concern. This mix is going to require a strong alpha human to let the dog know who the pack leader is and what will be tolerated.

Again... Best of Luck ;) I'm sure you love him dearly and only want what is best for him :p

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Souraya, we have almost that same problem only in a small dog although big for a Schnauzer about 27 pounds. Perry was very docile when we got him, he is three now and he has decided he will be Alpha. He won't let anyone except people he knows in our house, will not get along with other dogs and plays pretty rough with Daisy. We have always played lovey dovey with our dogs of course because we love them so much and looked the other way at his aggressivness.
In talking to Carrie, we understand our mistakes. He wouldn't let me put on my shoes because that meant I was leaving, I now have him sit while I put my shoes on and he does well, it took repetition for it to work.
He used to pick up a toy, jump on the couch and growl and shake the toy at the kids goig to school, now we make him get down and tell him no and he is doing better. Thanks to Carrie, now she is going to have to work with us in what we do about him being aggressive with other dogs. In the meantime we are working on the other things. My point is it is very hard to see the faults in our dogs because they are so loving to us and we just want to spoil them, but as Carrie says in the long run we better be the Alpha so the dogs show respect to avoid these kind of problems.
Jackie

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

First of all, thank you for your posts, everyone.
I think I am being stubborn and thick-heaeded because I am so attached to Drake and know that he will not hurt anyone. He is very social and has been since we had him when he was 4 months old. My boyfriend and I are very active and play several team sports and take Drake with us. He has learned to play with people and other dogs very well. He loves children and is very patient with them; he is fine with them getting on his back, pulling his tail and ears, you know things that kids do.
He does not get his all the time. He comes when he is told to and does everything we ask him to. He is just jealous of us petting other dogs.
My mother had a Dobberman Pinscher and she said that Ozzy didn't like her petting other dogs. She said that after she was 2, she was alot better and mom was able to rescue Roxy, another Dobberman. Ozzy was fine having a sister. He was just not ready.
Drake has had obedience training. We went when he was a puppy. I honestly think that he will be OK and outgrow this. You think I am in denial.

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Souraya, I really don't think you are in denial, I think you love your pup and in the long run you know better than anyone else how he will react. He sounds like he is much better socialized than Perry is, that was our big mistake, we are homebodies and he never was exposed to other people very much. I think we all understand our dogs pretty well, after all we live with them. You do whatever you think is the best for all of you. We always had dogs who were pretty much layed back so these Schnauzers were a challenge. The other dogs we had were a Bassett, Spaniel, and Doxies, so you can see the difference. Your dog is so beautiful, I had never seen a wolf mix before.
Jackie

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

I just made an appoinment to see a trainer with Drake. Wish us luck!

[Dixieland Dancer]

Best of Luck :D Let us know how it goes ;)

[carrie]

Well done and good luck!!
Be aware that some trainers do not take on wolf mixes though - if this is the case then don't give up!
Good on ya and let us know how you get on!

[mruffruff]

If you can't find a way to limit your dog to the kitchen, maybe you could get a doggy door installed. I have four dogs and I couldn't live without one. As long as the yard is enclosed safely, it would be the best solution. If you rent, you might be able to replace the door with something relatively inexpensive so you can take it with you when you move. If you own, it's a worthwhile investment.

A door for a dog the size of yours will cost about 90 bucks. Unless you have an unusual door, you should be able to put it in yourself in about an hour---or if you're as klutzy as I am, two hours.
:) :)

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Good luck Souraya, what a wonderful person you are to do everything you can to help your pup. Please let us know how you both are doing.
Jackie

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

It was tough finding a trainer in town that would help me with a wolf mix. So, I called the trainer who did Drake's obedience classes and he said that they had a trainer that had experience with wolf mixes. It is an hour away and that specific trainer can only work with us on Tuesdays at 4. So, I have made arrangements to work leave work at 2:30 on Tuesdays.
I hope this will help Drake.

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Well, I can sure see how much you love Drake to do that, I think it's wonderful that you will go to that length to help him. He is one lucky pup and it sounds like you are one lucky Mom.
Jackie

[bugmom]

Souraya,

I have found that duct tape is a great help. Paws can be duct taped together preventing wild movements throughout the home. the mouth can be taped not too tight but enough to prevent dumpster diving (done correctly he should still be able to drink water). Total body taping can help with the shedding of the thick under coat. Plus the tape is reflective and can help keep Drake safe outside. On top of it all - tape is soooo much more economical when comparing to trainer. My dog has adjusted very well to the tape. We have fun taping. She particularly enjoys the soaking so that the tape comes off easier. Of course we have to be careful in the sun and she seems to sunburn easier now with less fur than before.... hmmmm.

Just joking!!! ;) But thought you'd need some levity. Your doing a great job with Drake and you are so caring and careful. He sounds like a wonderful dog! :D I know with parents like you and Andrew - Drake is gonna be just fine.... now if it would just cool down some. :cool:

Let us know how training goes!

bugmom

[ownerof3dogs]

Originally posted by bugmom:
<STRONG>Souraya,

I have found that duct tape is a great help. Paws can be duct taped together preventing wild movements throughout the home. the mouth can be taped not too tight but enough to prevent dumpster diving (done correctly he should still be able to drink water). Total body taping can help with the shedding of the thick under coat. Plus the tape is reflective and can help keep Drake safe outside. On top of it all - tape is soooo much more economical when comparing to trainer. My dog has adjusted very well to the tape. We have fun taping. She particularly enjoys the soaking so that the tape comes off easier. Of course we have to be careful in the sun and she seems to sunburn easier now with less fur than before.... hmmmm.

Just joking!!! ;) But thought you'd need some levity. Your doing a great job with Drake and you are so caring and careful. He sounds like a wonderful dog! :D I know with parents like you and Andrew - Drake is gonna be just fine.... now if it would just cool down some. :cool:

Let us know how training goes!

bugmom</STRONG>


I was horified when I first started reading your post I was thinking thats Terrible. Then I read that you were joking. Phew!
:)

Souraya I think it's great that your are getting help with Drake now before it is too late. Thats make you a great mommy! I wish you Luck

[carrie]

Tape comes in a wide range of colours too!

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Thanks you guys! I did need that joke. I think my jaw dropped at first when I read the tape suggestion. I was thinking: "How cruel..." Then I noticed it was a joke.

Thanks again.

[Stenograsaurus]

Souraya,
Sorry if we all seemed to be jumping on you. We just all care so much about everybody else and their furkids who visit this board. Maybe I read too much into your story. Maybe I picked out pieces of your story and put too much of my personal experience into it. I'm very pleased that you are taking him to a trainer. That shows how much you love him and are willing to do to make sure he's okay. I hope it works out. I wouldn't wish the guilt and pain that I went through on anyone. Best of luck to you.

[Dixieland Dancer]

I was horrified too when I first read the tape suggestion. What a sense of humor :D Wishing you the best in your training ;)

[bugmom]

Sorry for the tape scare! i've been warned about a wicked sense of humor...... here's my dog - Bug
http://community.webshots.com/photo/12459312/12459773PAOqBmJuzo

See no tape marks!!

(lucky for me you can't see the velcro on her belly!) :D

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Bugmom, Bug is beautiful, I love that photo, was it done professionally?
Jackie

[bugmom]

Yup! according to the photographer Bug was her best. she (bug) came in posed, looked, cute, (glared about the muff!) , crossed her paws and 10 minutes later she was totally done!! I've been camera working her to get her better with the camera so she will pose better and easier and longer stays. the next photos will be much better cuz of the work we've been doing.
She's a special cutie pie that i'm in love with!! :D

[karen israel]

Bugmom..haha! my kind of humor, tho I was thinking -for a split sec- that Cody would be very unhappy if I used tape! - I swear I can be so dense.....
Anyway, Souraya, believe me, you are so NOT alone. I didn't know what Alpha meant when I got my dog. It was some kind a Greek letter. I learned pretty fast though. I let Cody have his puppy way cause it was just so darned cute, but quickly learned that 1 time is cute, 2x is a bad habit. I spent a fortune on dog psycologists and trainers..here it was ME not so much the dog. I was so in love with Cody that I was blinded to what was good for HIM. My stern voice was a soft NO (ok you all- I have a big mouth but I'm not a screamer)Finally one night, I was laying on the floor and he growled in my face. Needless to say, I finally, suddenly got so POd, I took control, admonished him and that was it. From that point on, I could do almost anything to him. He needed and wanted discipline from his wimpy, kissy, emotional owner. Ok, he is NOT perfect. For some reason, he is not very social unless he knows you (ie; hates strangers, plumbers, the dreaded mailman)as I didn't socilaize him enough (unlike you).And I still make excuses. When he barks at people, I blame the fact they stared at him or he was protecting me...when in reality, I do not have him under control at that moment. I admit it, and really, thanks to Carrie and Steno and many others, I am still working on Cody after 9 years. And he's a Golden Ret/Lab mix. Like you, I love my dog so much, with all my heart, that I will continue to do anything at all to make him a better K9 citizen and I appreciate all the help and comments. Live and learn, like a first child. I think you are awesome for caring so much to get a trainer so far away!!! and leaving work early for Drake's sake. You can't show your love and devotion any better! KIT..Karen

[Daisy's Mom]

Goodness bugmom, your post had me laughing my head off! At first I was just in total shock, and then when you said you were kidding, I lost it :) It's okay, I have a weird sense of humor too! :) By the way, Bug is gorgeous!!!

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Drake and I are getting ready for our first trip to the trainer for another round of obedience training. Yikes! I am so nervous and I know that Drake is. We went to Petsmet yesterday (I had to pick him up, 85 lbs and all, and put him in the shopping cart coz he is afraid to walk on the tiles there!) and got Drake a new collar and leash for the occaison.
I get off work ealry, pick Drake up, and head on out! I do not know what we will do today, but I will keep you posted!

[Logan]

Good luck with the training tonight! I know you will have fun and so will Drake! Let us know how it goes.

[RachelJ]

Yes, good luck at *Lessons* tonight. We are all routing for you and Drake.

[carrie]

I hope it goes well and can't wait to hear all about it.

[Daisy's Mom]

Good luck! You're doing a great thing for both of you and it will be worth it all in the end!

[Harry]

If your dog chews up every thing then try to put in the dog cage that's what I do I put my dog in the kennel then he can't chew on stuff my dog used to chew on the wall so I bought thing called bitter apple now he doesn't chew on the wall!

[carrie]

This whole question has been preying on my mind for days now.


I have been wondering why you got, what you believe to be, a wolf mix in the first place?

[lizbud]

Carrie..
The American Gray Wolf is a Beautiful ,
wild creature that many Native Americans
reveir as a Special Spiritual Creature of
The Great Spirit (God) !! I could no more
keep a Wolf/DOG Mix than I could fly!! But
they are Beautiful creatures,with mixed
results on domestication and training..
They are more wolf than dog & require
special training . Hope Souraya gets the
help she needs for Drake..

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

Carrie, I rescued Drake from the Humane Society when he was only 4 months old. He had been at the shelter since he was 3 weeks old. No one had adopted him and they were going to put him down in less than a week. I am a volunteer at that shelter and had become good friends with the cute furry boy! He was very sweet and still is. My boyfriend and I adopted him on October 12, 2000, only 3 days before he was supposed to euthanized.

Drake, Andrew, and I have gone to special classes and training and all three of us have benifited greatly. Drake is a magnificent creature and has brought so much joy into our lives. He is loved by anyone he meets and is so good with children.