YADTT (Dog training):

[rivan]

Ok, so a little background - I've had this dog for a little over 10 years (got him at about 4 months). He's a lab/shepard mix, as gentle as any dog I've ever seen, and up until the last few months, he's been an incredibly well-behaved dog. In that time, the biggest single change was that we moved into a larger house - with a larger yard, though now he wears an electric fence collar. His exercise routine hasn't changed. His food hasn't changed, though about a year ago we started giving him a powdered glucosamine supplement with it. We have a 3 year old, and the attention he got overall dropped when she was born, but that was long before the bad behaviour started. We also have another dog - my wife's maltese, about the same age.

So now, he's getting into things and chewing up things he never has before. His favorite new target is toilet paper, but he'll take just about any paper products - old mail from the trash, kleenex, anything. He seems to do it somewhere in the first hour we're out of the house. He never does any of this while we're home, so I'm at a loss on how to correct an older dog when I'm not around to stop him from doing something.

So, I'm thinking booby trap the toilet paper & trash cans. I've heard cayenne is a good 'trap' - alum maybe. Maybe rig a mousetrap to trip somewhere he can't get to it (on top of the sink or something, but linked to the TP), but the noise will be triggered by his actions? If I can't break him of this, I think I should crate him, which he's never experienced.

Help, ATOT.

Cliffs:

1) Good dog now misbehaving when we're out of the house.
2) Turds in the yard now 50% paper.
3) Help?

 

[marleymarl]

First think I'd do is take him to a vet and get him checked out - Then when you leave the house close the bathroom doors...and other doors where he can get into trouble. Crating is good (my dog is crate trained) but it might be traumatic at his age and cause more behavior issues then solve.

 

[leftyman]

lots of exercise..walking running playing...in short as much attention as possible, he'll stop.

 

[rivan]

Since others are posting their dogs - I'll put mine in here, too.

Originally posted by: marleymarl
First think I'd do is take him to a vet and get him checked out - Then when you leave the house close the bathroom doors...and other doors where he can get into trouble. Crating is good (my dog is crate trained) but it might be traumatic at his age and cause more behavior issues then solve.

I have been closing doors, etc, but he just shifts his focus to other things. He's never been restricted, and I'd really love to avoid crating him or gating him into a single room. I hadn't really thought it might be long term unhealthy, but you're right - I should call a vet and get him checked out.

Originally posted by: leftyman
lots of exercise..walking running playing...in short as much attention as possible, he'll stop.

As much as I'd love to walk him more, these days there's not much chance it'll happen. We usually play in the yard when I get home for a little while, but I'm at work 9 hours, gone from the house about 10 with drive time, and once I get home there's a 3 year old to take care of, and another kid to be born in April. That said, he's always been relaitvely sedentary and these problems are new. His exercise schedule hasnt changed.

 

[MisterJackson]

can't teach an old dog new tricks.


seriously though, I'm not an expert on crate training, but I'd think it might be a little stressful on an older dog. Any time I've heard of crate training I've heard of it being done from the dog as a pup or not at all afterwards.

 

[JDMnAR1]

I have two labs - and they can't get enough paper - even when we are home. When we are home it is typically stuff like used napkins and kleenex, i.e. small stuff out of the trash. In the rare instance that they are left out when we are gone (they have been crated since pups), or if they are feeling neglected when we are home, it may be an entire box of kleenex (box and all) and once an entire 4 pack of toilet paper. They are remarkably well behaved for the most part, other than their need for more fiber in their diet.