I am going crazy

[tloveall]

Hello Everyone,

I took in a dog that has had a really bad life and I love him so much, but he barks all the time, chews things up, goes potty on the floor, etc. This morning I found that he chewed up one of my shoes, $100.00 pair of shoes. I am so frustrated. He has no manners, and won't listen for anything. I am really going crazy, but I love him so much. Romeo is 1 year old 1/2 shitzu 1/2 jack russell. Please if anyone can help, that would be great.

Romeo's mom

[Pit Chick]

A dog crate and obedience training can work wonders.

He won't want to go potty in the crate so it will teach him to hold it and he can't chew up things that aren't his. When you find him chewing the wrong things, take them away and give him a chewy or his own toy. Give him lots of exercise so that he gets tired and won't be so destructive (he is half terrier). "A tired puppy is a happy puppy."
Get him on a regular routine: potty when he wakes up in the morning, then breakfast, 20 minutes later (give or take) go potty again, then straight to the crate when you leave the house. Retpeat this process when you come home in the evening. Praise him like crazy when he goes potty outside so that he knows that's where he's supposed to go. To begin with you may have to crate him at night also so he can't destroy things while you're sleeping.
Sign him up for training classes ASAP. This will teach him his basic manners and it helps the two of you bond. Find a trainer that is going to teach you how to teach him, beware: don't leave him at a training facility, you never know what's going on.
If he's not already neutered, having that done will help in many ways. From the sounds of this boy, he must have been an outside dog, so it's going to take some time and patience to get him to understand the rules of your house. Hope this helps.

[tloveall]

Thanks so much for your good ideas. Actually Romeo came from a home where they never let him outside much. His owner was a 17 year old girl with an abusive roomate that kicked him around all the time. When Romeo needed to go potty, he just did it on the floor and the owner was to busy to deal with him. It was a really sad situation. Someone else told me about getting the crate for him because he just doesn't know its wrong. I am getting one this afternoon for him and he is getting fixed at the end of Feb. My vet said this is going to be quite the task to train him because he is 1 year now and has never been taught. I just have to keep working real hard at training him. Thanks again
Romeo's Mom

[bckrazy]

Romeo does not sound like a bad dog, he just doesn't know whats right.. he cannot teach himself not to go potty in the house, or chew things up, or bark. Dont even stress, Im sure he can be a good dog with training (as ALL dogs require)! It can actually be easier sometimes to housetrain an adult dog, because they dont have extremely small bladders/fast metabolisms of puppies and they tend to catch on easier

First, a crate is priceless. Get one just big enough so that he can stand without hitting his head, and he can turn around. Start VERY slow with him, use tons of treats, feed him his meals in his crate, and be patient. As far as chewing, be sure to provide him with many (atleast 10) different chewing toys... Kong toys, Nylabones, Greenies, smoked bones, and Rhino toys are great for chewers. If you provide him with tons of toys especially for chewing, and block off his access to your shoes and other non-chewable items, he will learn which is apropriate. If you catch him chewing on something of yours, tell him NO, take it away, and replace it with an apropriate chew toy.

this website has a lot of good advice for training. I also suggest you take your dog to obedience classes for at least 8 weeks.
http://www.ddfl.org/tips.htm

good luck!

[sittingprettier]

I very much agree with the other posts. A crate is a wonderful thing!

I have had some people tell me they don' t like crates...but what I have learned is that they are better to have and use and teach the dog that is their 'space'. The crate gives the dog a personal area that he will think is his own. Both my dogs are know that their crates are their 'down' time areas and their private spots. My own baby Mercury - I can just say "in" and no matter where I am in the house, he will go in his crate. Don't need to lock the door, he will just lay down and wait for me.
I have trained them to LOVE their crate and I did it using treats and good positive rewards and making crate time a good time not a punishment.
It is not where you stick them if they are bad or if you are tired of them....it is not a babysitter or a place to hide the dog. It is their own area for their own time.
Use the crates and they will be invaluable in the future.

[tloveall]

I bought Romeo a crate this weekend and I have been working really hard with him. I just need to train my kids not to be sad for him. My 5 year old cried because she said I was being mean to him, it was so sad. I also went and got him a bunch of toys and treats to chew on. I got this great toy called a kong and you put treats in it and they have to work for them, its a hit with Romeo. It is really funny though when he is in his crate because he trys to get out and scratches on the botton and really it looks like a hampster on its wheel. I do kinda feel bad for him sometimes, but I know that this will work. I even think Charlie even feels bad that his little buddy is locked up, because Charlie has never had a crate, he never needed one. Charlie is much to lazy to do anything wrong. He just likes to eat cat poop. Yuck!!!!!!!!!! In the mean time, I just keep giving him lots of hugs and kisses on his cute little face. Thanks everyone for all your great ideas