Our Dog's Horrible Behavior

[keyslammer]

OK, I hope I don't offend anyone here, but this is driving us crazy. Don't know how to phrase this, but here goes.

Jersey has just recently started acting out when my husband and I want to uh...spend time together... and afterwards we find she has torn something up or chewed something to pieces...i.e. my comforter my mother gave me. If we lock her out of the room she just finds something else. Why, after a year would she start doing this?

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

There is an easy solution.

Prevent the opportunity for any problem. Crate the dog when you go to bed.

I would expect the dog would like more exercise mental and physical as well. Take a training class with her, and get her more hard exercise during the day.

 

[keyslammer]

Thanks for your reply. Crating is a good idea. As for the mental and physical exercise...she gets plenty of stimulation running and playing outside on a half acre most of the day and has a doggie door she and her daughter run in and out of all day long. We talk to them like danged humans and give them plenty of playtime with us. Maybe too much. It's almost like she's jealous of my husband. She is very protective of me. The other day we (my husband and I) were in the kitchen and he was telling me a story and made a sudden movement toward me and Jersey tried to intercede by trying to divert his attention, running back and forth between myself and him. This behavior has all just started recently. My husband has NEVER EVER been threatening to me and is a gentle person. Don't know why she feels I am being threatened or what is going on in that little doggy brain of hers. We love her anyway, just hate that she's feeling the need to chew up things.

Thanks so much for your reply. We will go and get a crate for both of them. That would be an excellent solution.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND ALL THE BEST FOR A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR TO ALL!

 

[hollybea]

maybe you could give her a stuffed Kong to keep her amused for a while, i have a very funny story about my dog and this knd of behaviour but i cant repeat it on here.

 

[RedyreRottweilers]

Training class training class training class.

Sign up for one after the holidays, take both dogs. One for you, and one for hubby.

 

[Zoom]

What kind of dog?

 

[oc_spirit]

Leaving a dog to go out and run around is not giving it mental stimulation. Maybe some physical, but not mental. Doing obedience drills and training her to do fun tricks or competing in obedience or anything of that sort will give her plenty of mental stimulation.

 

[Amstaffer]

Ditto on the Crate....

Ditto on the excercise, take your dog for a long walk with the your hubby it will be excercise for your dog and I read a study that excercise for a couple before "spending" time can enhance your experience also...win/win.

 

[humane-trainers]

I have seen this type of behaviour before. It has actually happened to a friend of mine. His Ridgeback considered herself to be his Alpha female, rather than his wife. As such she wanted his undivided attention. I worked on removing her Alpha pretentions and she now accepts that she is a sub-ordinate of both of them. They both found the idea a little strange at first, but when I explained it from the dogs point of view, the penny dropped with them both.

 

[skyeboxer]

How old is Jersey and what kind of dog is she?

 

[carlar]

I think you should crate her.

 

[keyslammer]

Jersey

Jersey is a mutt basically...part Airedale, part Golden Retriever maybe?? She is about 2 years old and came from a "not so wonderful" background. She was physically abused and screamed at all the time and her basic diet consisted of whatever the person was getting ready to throw out of the fridge. She's got a wonderful home now with 2 humans that love her dearly. She runs and plays a lot of the day on our place with her daughter Lucy, we play bone catch and frisbee (and a lot of other things) with them and praise is dished out on a regular basis. She just seems SO insecure. She's scared of thunderstorms and shakes like she's having seizures. She hates loud noises and loud voices. I just cringe to think what the poor soul went through before we adopted her. We have both she and her baby spayed. We love them like they were (actually are) our kids. Thanks everyone for the good advise.