Stealing and Destroying (Help!)

[mercedes]

The last two weeks have been a complete change with Mercedes. Every blanket or towel that I put in her kennel, she destroys. She has also been stealing things that she never used to touch, like lighters, soda cans, paper, and basically anything that is in her reach. She has never done it before, and now it is happening all the time. Before, if she ever got something that she wasnt supposed to have, she would drop it right away, and now she runs off with stuff. Every time I turn around, she is either tearing something apart or stealing stuff. Could there be a reason as to why she is suddenly doing this? She has never done this before. Could this be her "naughty teen stage" or what?

[Brooke&Ryan]

Well, as for the blankets & towels I would just remove them from Mercedes crate. We had that problem with Julius when he was younger. We put these old comforters & sleeping bags in with Julius & he would just shred them up. I posted about them & people told me to remove them & introduce them in a couple of weeks & if Julius shredded them again they were removed.

We actually found these blankets at Wal-Mart that are like $4-5 for a full bed-size blanket & are in the sheets/blanket area. I just checked the label and they're 100% polyester. They're really dense & come in either dark blue, green or baby blue. We bought about 6 of those & they really are so dense that Julius can't get his teeth into them. They have a few holes but for the most part are untouched and he has had them for months now without a problem. Maybe that might be a choice..... Just try one & see how she does....

As for getting all the little stuff lying around the house the solution is to start puppy proofing again since Mercedes is still a puppy & make sure there's nothing in her reach that she could destroy & supervision......

:)
Brooke

[RottiMomCT]

Originally posted by mercedes
Every time I turn around, she is either tearing something apart or stealing stuff.

Don't let her out of your sight for even one minute. Put a 6 foot leash on her and tether her to your waist, or put her in an ExPen or crate when you cannot supervise her 100%.

As for her getting ton stuff as you mentioned...why is it at a level where she can reach it?? Put it up higher or in a closed/locked cabinet.

I have a kid safe closures on our cabinets here...we haven't had kids here since hubby and his brothers - about 27 years ago! Keeps the dogs from getting into what they should not.

Don't set her up for failure by allowing her to be around those forbidden items unless you can supervise her 100% and stop her before she does it.

If she keeps shredding blankets, why keep giving them to her?? I got a blanket for $15 at www.jbpet.com...soft and durable...I've now got three. I've have them all for the past 3 years - a few new small holes but no major damage. Ben no longer chews them, and they make a great car backseat cover!

[Judy Chrusch]

Well if you think you have problems now wait till she's around 8-12 months. If you're treating her like a baby, perhaps she's resenting it. From here on in she will test you till the hilt so keep things put a way and most importantly don't leave her unattended and make sure she's safely kept when you can't watch her. I also get the feeling she's bored! Do you do anything with her, do you play any games or do anything that requires her to think?

Judy

[Burnsway]

Originally posted by Judy Chrusch
Well if you think you have problems now wait till she's around 8-12 months

Psyche was such a sweetie till 9 months........:D :D :D

She spent 9-18 months leashed to my pants and in boot camp.......:o :D

Mercedes now the real fun starts.......;)

[LynnS]

Bella went through a stage like this (minus tearing up bedding in crate)for about 6 mnths. Could not leave her out of site for 30 seconds. So we didnt :D

Good news is that she finally figured out that nothing is hers. Unless she is in someone elses house and then the whole thing starts all over again .....

I agree with Judy though, most Rotties are social climbers and will test their status (especially as they mature).

[Rott-Wiley]

She may be bored also. You know the saying, "A tired pup is a happy pup." Are you working with her every day in obedience?

Didn't she just start in a class that she is having trouble with? Maybe that is what is behind this problem. She may be taking out her frustrations on all this other stuff.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Julius was the perfect little puppy until about 7-8 months of age. Everyone kept on saying that the "teen attitude" would start right around then or a bit later. I thought to myself, "Nahhhhh, this is the way Julius is right now & he's not going to change." WRONG!!!

His prey drive has really kicked in at nine months & he wants to bolt after every dang bunny he sees now. They're unavoidable on our walks & I've had to change my routine & start being more aware of what he's doing at the end of the leash.

What I'm saying is that how Mercedes was as a little puppy is not how she is now obviously & you have to reexamine your game-plan.

I now know not to put my lunch on the coffee table for even a quick run into the kitchen for a drink. I came back & Julius had my apple in his mouth & when he saw me it immediatly dropped to the ground. :D So we've had to change our habits a bit. Julius never used to be a grazer on the coffee table but now he's becoming more aware so nothing of any value is up there at the present time.

Good luck with Mercedes & let us know how she & you are doing.

:)
Brooke

[Judy Chrusch]

Let me rephrase what I said as far as age, Burnsway said it pefectly and the 8-18 months can make or break a dog;) . It actually starts on day 1 but the real fun begins now and doesn't end till 2-2 1/2 and all that you taught or instilled in a pup will showup eventually, good and bad. Just when you think they aren't picking things up or learning, believe me sooner or later you will see the time, effort and consistency you put in to your dog. If things were left go or you let things slide as a pup, you will have a doubly hard time. I do hope she truly knows who the boss is bc if she thinks it's her and you allow it you both are in trouble.

I too remember your first day of training, you need to relax and let her get adjusted, perhaps a few visits to watch would be best or just take her and don't expect too much till she acclimates to the situation but DO NOT baby her in any way and you must pull yourself together as well and act like it's fun, not a horrible thing. She will react as you do in everything you do so keep her busy little mind busy and most of all make sure she gets lots of exercise:D . My very best to you.

Judy

[samanthac]

Originally posted by mercedes
The last two weeks have been a complete change with Mercedes. Every blanket or towel that I put in her kennel, she destroys. She has also been stealing things that she never used to touch, like lighters, soda cans, paper, and basically anything that is in her reach. She has never done it before, and now it is happening all the time. Before, if she ever got something that she wasnt supposed to have, she would drop it right away, and now she runs off with stuff. Every time I turn around, she is either tearing something apart or stealing stuff. Could there be a reason as to why she is suddenly doing this? She has never done this before. Could this be her "naughty teen stage" or what?

Then don't put anything in the crate. My dogs are perfectly happy sleeping on crate pans. Simple solution end of problem.

She is bored and is trying to tell you. Do something with her. Wear her little butt out. Give her a short OB session, a walk and then throw a Kong for her to fetch. The best thing someone ever told me is that a tired dog is a happy dog...and an even happier owner! :)

She runs from you with stuff because you have somehow made this a game to her. Taking a value item from dogs creates a conflict. If all you ever do is take and never give them anything in return, then naturally they do not want to give it up. So then they start the 'keep away' game that you are describing.

Try the 'two hose' game. Get a garden hose and cut it into two 1 foot pieces. Take her out with both hoses. Throw one. Let her run after it and then encourage her to come back to you. When she is about 7/8 way back to you, whip out the other piece of hose and throw it in the other direction. While she runs to retrieve the other hose, pick up the first one all the time encouraging her to come back to you. Again as soon as she is 7/8 way back to you throw the other hose. You should be throwing in a straight line with you in the center....first one direction and then the other. This will help reduce the conflict associated with giving up thing to you and willhelp alleviate the keep away game that you are seeing now. As you put more OB on her it will help too so long as you are consistent and always reinforce your commands. She musty always know that you mean business the veyr first time. It really aggravated me when I see people pleading with their dog to sit, or down, etc. When I tell you to do something I mean do it now.

Give her things that are acceptable to chew. Every night my dogs get put in their crates with a big old frozen raw soup bone. Satisifes their need to chew, stimulates them mentally and wears their little butts out. They do not destroy my things because I give them their own.

Sounds like you are trying hard with her. Listen to the people here and you can't go wrong.

[mercedes]

Julius never used to be a grazer on the coffee table

Neither did Mercedes. To answer questions, I do work with her in training every day, and I try my hardest to find thing to do. It is hard to go outside during the day because of the extream heat and misquitos that we have. But, we try and find things to do in the house.

I stopped putting stuff in her crate, and she just looks so bored. She has all sorts of toys, and I give her two every day before I leave for work.

It was brought to my attention that she might be doing this because of separation anxiety, but I dont know if there could be any truth to that.

[sophie's-mom]

Originally posted by mercedes
Could there be a reason as to why she is suddenly doing this?

YES, for the same reason that a toddler didn't pull stuff off the coffee table when he was an infant!!! SHE JUST RECOGNIZED THAT THESE THINGS ARE COOL!!!!!

Don't try to understand why she is doing this now, just work on getting her to STOP!!!

1) Don't let ANYTHING, that you don't want chewed, be within the reach of her mouth!

2) Take the blankets out of her crate if she is chewing them. She doesn't NEED them.

I stopped putting stuff in her crate, and she just looks so bored.

Then don't complain if it gets chewed.

Your dog is not doing anything different than ANY other "adolescent" dog.......don't panic.......

Ian chews ANYTHING he can get in his mouth!! And I mean ANYTHING!!! We're talking he has gotten ahold of an OIL container (don't ask me where he got THAT), he has killed 3 hose nozzles, numerous racquet balls, leash, collar, garden gloves, a book.....the list goes ON AND ON AND ON!!!! Ya want to know how I fixed that.......I didn't LET him get ahold of ANYTHING I didn't want him to chew.

He is NOT trust worthy enough to have a blanket in his crate (found that out the hard way)......he doesn't miss it!

These are things that NEED to be done.....for your sanity and your dogs health.

Work on what samanthac has advised.

WORK WITH YOUR DOG.

Too hot.....then shorten the session. No offense, but that excuse is not good enough.

separation anxiety, but I dont know if there could be any truth to that.

Question......so what if it is? Then what?
Work on the PROBLEM........don't try to justify the behavior.

[jbach]

Nikki has had to earn every bit of freedom she has. She was strictly an outside dog that was never allowed in the house. She had a blanket to lay on in her crate which she promptly tried to eat. It was taken away for a while and given back. She tried to eat it again. The blanket hasn't been in her crate since. She doesn't need it anyway. We've had her for 6 months and it's been six months of training and working her every day. She has gone from being tethered to one of us all of the time to having freedom to roam the house(as long as we're there). She has had to earn the privilege of not being tied to one of us. She's catching on rather quickly now. Everything she does is monitored by one of us. The good things get praised, the bad get reprimanded. It's been a long road, but I still see a great dog in the making as long as I stick with it and steer her in the right direction. Good luck!

[SABELLESMOM]

Sure sounds like her teens have hit! And if she's eating, tearing, ripping her bedding, guess what? Taking it away works great! She doesn't NEED it.

I don't leave toys in the crate when I'm not there either. Choking CAN happen! Think she looks bored? She'll sleep, then while you're away won't she?

I have one in a crate and one out. The younger hasn't graduated to where she leaves things alone, yet. There's an aweful lot of yawning and stretching that goes on when I get home. I might be wrong, but my guess is they were sleeping. And what's wrong with that?

I work with them I exercise with them. We train (mostly), we play, we hike, we bike and we have fun. Short work/play intervals work best in hot weather.

If it's really hot, throw something in the yard for a few minutes. I kind of liked the "cut hose toss" game, myself! Get out the kiddie pool and get in with them. They don't care.

Inside, when you're home, keep her close so you can correct her. You've gotten some great outlines of how to do that. Sophies-mom is right. Work on the problem...THAT's fixable.

Remember when you were a kid wanting mom to explain why you couldn't or had to do something? Did she ever say, "Beacuse I said so?"

Well, that's a bit similar to this. You can't "fix" separation anxiety, but you CAN stop her from chewing her bedding. You CAN stop chasing her when she takes stuff. (especially when she's tied to your waist) You CAN make her learn "drop it!" again. Get used to it...the TEENS last! You just deal with what comes.

[spidey]

It was brought to my attention that she might be doing this because of separation anxiety, but I dont know if there could be any truth to that.

What many people call "separation anxiety" is really just a case of a dog who hasn't been taught how to be alone, or who's been allowed to be with his/her owners all the time, instead of being left alone (in a crate or ex-pen, with stuffed chew toys or something to occupy it) for gradually increasing periods of time. Dogs need to learn the things we need and want them to be able to do, including how to handle being left alone. You don't say if you habitually leave her with anything like stuffed Kongs when you go to work, providing the dog with something to do in her crate while you're gone will ensure that she's occupied with something she SHOULD be playing with, rather than looking for something that she shouldn't. It's again a case of making the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard, which is why I also agree with the other suggestions about puppy-proofing. It's usual for dogs to have a few "regressions" over the first couple of years, don't assume that she's over her evil puppy stages until she's quite a bit older than she is now, and until you've seen evidence of it for quite a few months in a row.