Dog discipline, is a rolled up newspaper a good way

_Freddie_

Hiya,

Looking after a friends labradoodle, they are off in Tenerife for a fortnight.

The dog is biting the sofa when left alone all day. Whats the best way to stop this?

shandypants5

Best not to leave it alone all day...

You cant control the dog if your not there so there is nothing you can do.
A cage or crate would work but only for an hour or so at a time.

angelsmomma

Are you minding this dog in its own home or in yours?

Person_one

Troll alert folks, this is tod123's new AE, before you waste your time giving sensible advice.

chris_n_tj

Buy a very big crate Freddie, then a very big, strong padlock (hide the keys). Then you must try it out to make sure its ok, make sure you use the padlock. Job done, labradoodle can play and chew your sofa in peace. Jobs a good un x

Sagz_2

Yes a rolled up newspaper is an excellent way to discipline trolls, if an iron bar can't be found.

krlyr

Yes, newspaper can be very effective. Roll up said paper, and whack yourself in the face every time you think of using it on the dog. It'll soon change your mindset - voila, training of the human achieved

In regards to training the dog, consider why he is doing this. His family are on holiday, he's in someone else's care - possibly someone else's home, if you're looking after him at your own house. It's bound to make him anxious, and dogs often can exhibit stress in the form of destructive behaviours.
It's going to be difficult to do too much in a short amount of time, or without spending too much money either (good if you want to, but I can see why you may feel it's not your place/responsibility).

Some things you can try in the meantime - if you have any Rescue Remedy in the house, you can use this in the dog's water or a few drops on the tongue (not the lozenges though, as they contain Xylitol which is harmful to dogs).

Giving him things to chew or lick. Not only does it distract him from chewing the sofa, but licking and chewing releases endorphins which can relax a dog. Natural chews like pigs ears, pizzles, etc. and if he has a Kong you could stuff, they could help (a stuffed Kong is ideal for leaving a dog unattended with too, no choking hazard as with some chews)

Tiring him out, physically and mentally. It's not just about knackering him out with intense exercise - a slow walk can be just as, if not more, tiring for a dog if it includes lots of mental stimulation. Combine walking with some games, with some running, with some training, etc. to wear out his brain as well as his muscles.

Removing any other triggers of stress in his environment too if you can. Over-exciting games like fetch can raise adrenaline levels in a dog - so could be worth being careful with that kind of exercise. If having dogs pass by your house sets him off barking, for example, keeping the curtains closed could help keep him more relaxed.

Also, rewarding him for being relaxed in the house - so keeping a tub or bag of treats within reach and randomly rewarding him when he's settled down on his bed or by your feet, reward for calm behaviour around the house, etc. can help. Also give a reward for being alone in a room - so if you're leaving the room to go to the loo, scatter some treats on the floor as you leave. The idea is to change his emotions from you leaving = bad, to you leaving = good.

If he's used to a crate, that could be another option to manage the behaviour - but certainly don't use one if he's not been introduced to one before, as it does take time to aclimatise a dog to them, and a distressed dog in a crate could do a lot of damage to themselves trying to escape.

(I suppose if OP is a troll, this advice might help anyone else having the same issue stumbling across this thread from Google)

zaksmum

Don't even contemplate hitting the dog with ANYTHING.

There is no need whatsoever to hit a dog when training him. You need to use praise and reward and the dog will soon work out what is and is not acceptable.

If you hit the dog, you have failed right from the start.

CFC

I presume as the dog is alone all day when biting the sofa, the rolled up newspaper is for Mutt to take his aggression out on you instead when you come in from work, Freddie?

MrSmartprice

_Freddie_ wrote: »

Hiya,

Looking after a friends labradoodle, they are off in Tenerife for a fortnight.

The dog is biting the sofa when left alone all day. Whats the best way to stop this?

This can be cured by placing a small piece of lead in the dog's ear.:)


With a pistol.......:whistle:

peachyprice

I think breastfeeding is the only way to stop the dog biting the sofa, do you know any extremely helpful, non-judgemental, local groups who could hep?