On Going Issues - Help!

[Gracie1]

Hello everyone,

I have an 11 month old female Lab. She's a great dog but does have issues I can't seem to to break her of.

She use to rip up by kitchen mat when she was a puppy but that stopped. Well she's decided to do that again. When I go into a room she's not allowed in; upstairs for example. She then tears up the mat. She also is taking things off the table again. Again this happens when I'm not around her. I'm not sure what to do. I almost feel like she punishing me for not being around her 24/7. She also destroys all of her beds. She's probably gone through at least 8. I know she will never be perfect but if anyone has some advise I'd greatly appreciate it.

[smartrock]

Oh my! She's kind of in the adolescent stage and sometimes behavior you thought they were done with will re-emerge. First off, I'd stop giving her beds and pick up mats she might tear up until she outgrows this again. My older boy didn't get beds until he was about 3 years old. He'd be in his crate without anything in there that was soft, no bed, no blankets, no towels, because he would rip them up and eat some of the fabric. Your little terror might outgrow tearing up beds, but in the meantime, save your money. They're OK lying on bare floors or carpet or on the floor of their empty crate.

The surest strategy is to keep counters and table tops clear of anything she might get. I guess I'm lucky that mine are not counter surfers and I do not keep my counters and table tops perfectly clear, just clear of the things I know are too tempting for them. Or I try- one of them took an apple off the counter the other night while we slept and occasionally they'll grab a paper towel or napkin that hasn't made it into the trash yet. Those things I don't care much about but they grew out of the persistent naughtiness of adolescence and now rarely do anything like that. I've gotten a little complacent, except about leaving socks within the older one's reach.

You might have to go back to basics with training not to get stuff off tables or the counter by "baiting" her, putting out stuff that will tempt her at times when you are there to see what's going through her mind and you can correct her immediately as she makes her move. I think taking things off tables is similar to taking things off counters, so looking for techniques to discourage counter surfing should be transferable - here's one article. The article says not to use mouse traps as a deterrent but I will confess that I have used them to keep dogs off the furniture. They get the message quickly and soon you do not need to set the trap, just have them there where they are visible and the dog generally avoids them. I would not use a mouse trap on a little dog but my bullmastiffs or labs have not been hurt by a small mousetrap. Counter Surfing and Garbage Raiding | ASPCA

Good luck, training never ends, btw!

[Labradorks]

I would keep her with you at all times and if you can't watch her, put her in a crate. Not punishment; management. Also, no bedding or mats in the crate. Pick up rugs and mats for the time being. Keep things that tempt her off the counters/tables. If you don't want it destroyed, put it away or don't leave her alone with it. Period.

Up the exercise; she sounds bored. And, add some daily training. Even just five minutes a day is better than nothing. Clicker training some tricks would work just fine -- shake, roll-over, spin, bounce, sit, stand, down, speak, high-five, the list is nearly endless. Anything that gets her brain working.

[POPTOP]

Exercise, exercise and more exercise along with continued positive reinforcement training. Keep an eye on her at all times. She's no being spiteful, she's being a lab. She's going through "that stage" and pushing your buttons. Hang in there, it will improve.

[Gracie1]

Thanks Smartrock, Labradorks and Poptop. Totally makes sense. I will give her more exercise and see how that goes. As for the beds, I do think it's best if I hold off for now. LOL

I forgot to ask another question. Gracie is crate trained and has no problems with her crate. Her new thing as of late is barking non-stop in the morning until I get up and let her out. I thought maybe she needs to go to the bathroom right away but nope. She's fine when she's out. I don't put her in her crate until I go to bed and we always go outside before as well.

[arentspowell]

Thanks Smartrock, Labradorks and Poptop. Totally makes sense. I will give her more exercise and see how that goes. As for the beds, I do think it's best if I hold off for now. LOL I forgot to ask another question. Gracie is crate trained and has no problems with her crate. Her new thing as of late is barking non-stop in the morning until I get up and let her out. I thought maybe she needs to go to the bathroom right away but nope. She's fine when she's out. I don't put her in her crate until I go to bed and we always go outside before as well.

LOL, she's playing you. She has learned that the barking gets her out of the crate. You need to tell her to be quiet and wait until she is quiet and behaving before you let her out.

My two, who don't sleep in crates anymore, have learned that they don't go out until I'm dressed for work. The lab usually comes into the bathroom with me and lays quietly on the bath mat while I get ready and the dachshund snoozes under the covers until it's time to go out. They both zoom down the hallway the second they see me grab my shoes. Neither has had an accident on account of waiting 20 minutes before going out.

[smartrock]

Where is her crate in relation to your bedroom? If ours are crated in our bedroom, they sleep or are quiet until we get up, which is generally between 7-8 am on weekends, earlier on weekdays. If not crated but in our room on beds on the floor, the older one will very determinedly come and stick his face in my face and pester me until I get up, whenever his internal clock tells him to- 3:36 am, 5:30 am, no later than 7 am. If the dogs are sleeping downstairs but not in crates, the older one will often bark starting around 7 am, but it's usually just a single bark, wait a minute or two, bark, wait, bark, until someone appears. Fortunately that's not every day. Being crated seems to be the magic charm for him but he doesn't have to be in our room.

Some people find that putting the crate in their bedroom where the pup is close to you stops the barking. We have a few crates set up, especially when the pups are younger like Gracie is. If you have one crate and need a second, sometimes you can get one on craigslist or kijiji or places like that. If her crate is already in your bedroom, you could try putting a blanket or some sort of cover over the crate. I think some dogs like the coziness and enclosed situation better than an open wire crate. I prefer my big, snoring, shedding beasts not sleep in my bed but many people also find they get more peaceful mornings if the pup is just snuggled right up next to them in bed. I think the owner's desperation to get more sleep has initiated this co-sleeping for many a pup!

I'd also try a bedtime snack of a biscuit or small handful of kibble just before bed, in case she's waking up hungry. And, if she's getting more exercise during the day, maybe it will take her longer to recharge her batteries at night! Good luck, it takes an owner who is more stubborn than their pup to get past some of these issues.