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Hello Meira,
I actually have a few questions. I have a 1 year old pit bull/lab mix, and he’s a really good dog. He’s just developed a few bad habits lately. Before I go too far in I should mention we don’t crate him. We tried when we first got him and we ended up getting a noise complaint from him barking (we live in an apartment). Also he isn’t fixed yet.
One thing is when I take him to my sister’s house we let him run in the back yard and he ends up jumping over the fence. Whenever we go after him he’ll stop until we get really close and then he’ll run off again, I think he thinks we’re playing, but I don’t want a car to hit him.
He’s also constantly chewing on furniture, we used dog repellent spray which used to stop him, but now he just ignores it. Whenever he does something wrong I get up and he’ll run around the table so I can’t get to him. He’s a smart dog.
But the one that really drives me nuts is at night, I take him out one more time before bed and usually he does his business, but there are some nights that he’ll just sniff around and after 10 minutes I bring him in, then he’ll sit at the door and wine, so I take him out for another 10 minutes, same thing.
Eventually he’ll finally go, but it’s just annoying to constantly have to get out of bed. If you can offer any advice for these problems I would really appreciate it.
Kyle
Hi Kyle,
Thanks for writing. Sounds like you’ve got yourself a typical teen on your hands. No fear though, there is light at the end of the tunnel. You say that he isn’t neutered yet…is this something that is in the works? Neutering will definitely help with roaming tendencies. It may not be much of a problem now, but once he gets the scent of a female in heat, which he can smell from up to three kms away, he may not be so easy to catch if he gets away.
For the fence jumping at your sister’s, since raising the fence isn’t an option, I wouldn’t let him in that backyard off leash. Especially if he has experience jumping out of it. I’d suggest going out with him on a long line, or tethering him while he’s out there. Or just going for a walk instead.
As for his playing Hard to Get when he does get loose, this is popular game with dogs. The Chase Me Game is high up there for most dogs, so I think you’re right in that he might think it’s a game, as well as not wanting to go back into the house. I mean who doesn’t love playing outside?
What you can do is work on a really solid recall (Come Cue) though, which is helpful in many situations. In a nutshell, entice him towards you, at first with no command, and reward him with some high value treat when he does. Start off in the house, with little distraction. After he begins to understand your non verbal cue, then you can start adding the command while he is coming towards you, then working up to actually asking him with a verbal cue.
When working with recall, it is important to never call the dog to you for something he may not like, such as nail clipping. Go get the dog instead of calling him. You want him to learn that coming to you is like winning the lottery. Once he’s good in the house, you can bring it outdoors, in an enclosed area with him on a long line.
The furniture chewing is a whole other matter. Does he have a lot of other appropriate chewing options? If you don’t give him acceptable things to chew, he’ll find something on his own for sure. You can go to your local pet shop to get him some great chew toys. I’d suggest giving him a variety.
I would also up his mental enrichment, as he may be chewing out of boredom as well. Stuffed frozen Kongs are great. As are other food dispensing items or food puzzles and intelligence toys. There are two great groups on Facebook for enrichment, that I recommend to all of my clients. Canine Enrichment and Brain Games for Dogs.
This will also help if he’s doing this as an attention seeking behavior, since it gets you to get up and interact with him.
I may also look into crate training him again, but in a manner that teaches him to love his crate. Start the training while you’re home. Feed him his meals (from food dispensing items) in his crate, so it becomes a wonderful place to be.
For the last potty of the night, again he’s learned how to get you to do what he wants. Once he does potty outside, I wouldn’t bring him back in right away. Stay outside and continue the walk. He very well may have learned that going potty signals end of walk and outside fun, so he just holds off so he can get back outside.
I apologize for not going into greater detail with each question, as there were a few of them. But if you ever need any help, don’t be shy to contact a local qualified positive reinforcement trainer in your area to help you out.
Good luck and Happy Training!
Meira
