Accident prone/naughty dog - a WTF!!! Vent (and maybe some advice)

[wcporter]

This is quite a bit lengthy :eek:- so my apologies in advance!

This morning my dog (7 yr old choc lab/beagle mix pound puppy; had her for about 2 1/2 yrs) was out running in the woods this morning and somehow ?? got impaled by God knows what in her lower abdomen next to her hindquarters. The hole is about the size of a nickel and goes in pretty deep.

According to the vet, she is VERY lucky it didn’t puncture any arteries or organs. Needless to say she had to be sedated and stitched up with a drain inserted into the wound. She’ll also have to wear a cone collar for the next week.

Ironically, this incident happened almost a month to the day after her “fight” with a woodchuck (the woodchuck lost :() at the park, for which she now has battle wound scars on her chin – another trip to the vet and a rabies scare that thankfully turned out to be negative.

Not to mention she is a food hound and will and can get into anything. Once, she got into and ate an entire canister of raisins, which prompted a trip to the emergency vet clinic and an overnight $tay (for those who dont know, grapes and esp. raisins can be very toxic to dogs -think kidney failure!).

Or how about the entire bag of my fiancé’s blow pops she ate -sticks n’ all :no:, WHICH he had hiding in a closed drawer. Or the remainder of a chocolate cake she managed to confiscate off the kitchen counter - both incidents were saved from a major catastrophe by some good old hydrogen peroxide (which I now keep on hand at all times!) for induced vomiting.

Lately she’s also learned how to jump up ON the island counter in the kitchen where my sink is, and try to eat whatever is in there (at least this has prompted me to diligently do my dishes immediately after I use them) Plates have been broken on two occasions. She does this when left alone in the house, as well as pull pillows of the couch or drag an item or two of clothing around the house.

And don’t get me started about the trash. The hound in her can smell a fresh bag of someone’s trash and she’s off! and will rip it to shreds to get what she wants. LUCKILY she hasn’t ingested anything dangerous, but I feel like it’s only a matter of time

Now, let me tell you this dog appears to be impervious to punishment – as I have caught her in the act of getting into the trash on multiple occasions and attempting this jumping on the counter BS once when I pretended to leave and came back in catching her red handed! Spanking, “NO!”, “BAD DOG!”, and even time out in the corner or gasp! in the bathroom with the door shut – does not work.

I love this dog more than words, don’t get me wrong, but I can’t figure her out. She is well trained otherwise – knows all her commands and is extremely well mannered around people and esp. children. Calm and patient and doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. Everyone loves her. Especially at the vets office, where she’s been spending a bit of time lately:uhoh: She doesn’t run away, and wont stray far, or for long.

But she is costing me an arm and a leg - $475 vet bill just today! and I’m stumped as to what to do with this accident BS and overall naughtiness.

Before you jump on me, let me tell you she gets PLENTY of exercise that includes AT LEAST 5 trips or more to the park/woods to run for 45 mins and multiple walks on the leash around the neighborhood every week (usually multiple a day!). She has a routine and we stick to it as best we can. And she is rarely left alone for more than a few hours as my fiancé works from home.

Based on the evidence, the naughtiness when left alone seems to happen within the first five mins after we’ve gone.

So, someone pleeeease (if anyone is even still reading at this point! lol) tell me what I can do. She’s almost 8 years old and should be past this naughty behavior, right?!

Again, sorry for the LONG rant. I really needed to get that off my chest, especially after today!!

[Simkie]

I feel your pain, as my younger dog was quite a bit like this when she was younger.

What solved it for us? She is never allowed out of sight. Period. If we are home, she is with us. If we are not home, she is crated/kenneled. If she is outside, she is in the fenced backyard, with an invisible fence as backup.

Once we established this routine, almost all naughty issues stopped. We spent several weeks at various points with her on a leash attached to my belt. I have always instituted this policy with all of my dogs, but Koa in particular was quite difficult and required months of on leash, with me reinforcement.

[Kryswyn]

You don’t mention if she has a crate in which you leave her when you are out. I would locate it in the kitchen so she can watch you cook, but not be leaping onto the island.

But there are some dogs who are just $$ magnets, like some horses who can’t walk out into their pasture w/o injuring themselves.

[rivenoak]

Here’s the problem: B E A G L E

I’ve seen mine jump from a standstill up onto the top of a 4’9" crate.

He’s been spotted with his back toenails on the top of the cupboard, and his front half in the kitchen sink.

Has destroyed untold household items.

Rarely gets into food, but is always sniffing at the counters/tabletop & has to be watched.

He digs. He chews on live mesquite trees. He can open an unlocked sliding glass door or lightly closed solid doors. Can bull through a baby gate. Loves running laps with a washrag hanging out of his mouth.

He will chew dog beds if crated & I can’t stand the noise of nails on a plain crate. During the day, he is tied by cable to a post on our back porch. He has a shaded dog crate & a horse bucket of water bolted to the post. This limits the destruction.

As soon as we get home, he has house priviliges, but still has to be watched like a toddler. Steals kleenex, stuffed animals, chews bras, etc.

I hope he will outgrow some of this nonsense. He just turned one.

He does best inside while dragging a leash attached to a collar. However, do not tie him by a leash or leave it on him in the crate, as he will chew through it.

However, I am realistic & know that he may always be Trouble.

At least he’s adorable.

[Come_Shine]

[QUOTE=Simkie;5662910]
What solved it for us? She is never allowed out of sight. Period. If we are home, she is with us. If we are not home, she is crated/kenneled. If she is outside, she is in the fenced backyard, with an invisible fence as backup.

Once we established this routine, almost all naughty issues stopped. We spent several weeks at various points with her on a leash attached to my belt. I have always instituted this policy with all of my dogs, but Koa in particular was quite difficult and required months of on leash, with me reinforcement.[/QUOTE]

Ditto. This is what John Wade (BNDT in our area) often suggests as well.

[equinelerium]

I’ve currently got one of those will-get-into-everything-and-everything types. He’s good as gold so long as people are around. He’s a Velcro dog-follows his people around all the time. But if left to his own devices…let’s just say I’ve lost several expensive pairs of work shoes, books, pillows, articles of clothing and the list goes on and on.

We have two dogs who get along GREAT (think they sleep curled next to each other etc), so I don’t think he gets lonely, and he gets tons of exercise (runs, walks and romping in the fenced in back yard with his “brother”). Yet every time we tried to give him a shot at being cage free while we were away, we’ve regretted it.

So, he goes into a cage, or has a muzzle put on when we leave the house. No exceptions. I know it seems harsh, but I’ve come to the realization that I’d rather put him in a cage while we are away, then come home and realize he’s eaten something poisonous-or worse yet, come home and NOT realize he’s eaten something till its too late.

[vacation1]

What works for me, wrt to the food grabbing, is:

1. Counter surfing. No food on the counters. I find this simple enough, as I’m a little fastidious/persnickety about food sitting around on tables, counters, etc., outside mealtime, but this is a BITCH to enforce with others who are more slobby. Constant nagging will work. Train the family member, train the dog. Good places to temporarily secure food include the microwave, oven, and the top of the fridge.

2. Trash. We bought large, flip-top, pedal-opening metal trash bins for the kitchen. And then placed large, heavy objects on top. A bag of canned food works well, as do antique irons, full buckets of water, and heavy bottles. Yes, it’s annoying to move something every single time you throw something away. Less annoying than cleaning up the torn-up trash, taking the vomiting dog to the vet, or paying for a 2-day hospitalization for HGE.

You kind of have to outsmart them. Most fails come from the humans not quite believing they’re going to have to change their own habits. Just give in. Store the raisins on top of the fridge, put the trash in a secure facility and don’t let the dog run loose in the woods.

[LauraKY]

Crate training. We had a collie, who, until she was about 3 would get into anything and everything. She was very stealthy too…would sneak right up next to you and grab something. She matured into the best dog ever!!!

Now we have a lab who eats anything and everything. We don’t leave food out anywhere. Ever. Unless we want it to disappear. He’s getting better, I figure by the time he’s maybe 10 or so…

[spacytracy]

Ditto to the above. Crate.

Sounds terrible, but its better than bowel surgery. If the dog eats something and you dont find out in time, it could spell a deadly disaster.

Unless your fiance can literally see the dog all day while he’s working (which I doubt, or he’d never get ANYTHING done), Id say the crate, or at least gating off a safe area for the dog, is necessary.

[Poniesofmydreams]

Crate and the book “Good Owners, Great Dogs” by Brian Kilcommons. It is a survival guide for anyone with a naughty dog.

[wcporter]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

I used to crate her but she HATED it and would dig at the bottom and do her beagle “baying”. We live in an apartment now and I worry about letting her carry on if others can hear her. But I may whip it out again and see if I cant find my inner Caesar and make her crate her favorite place to be. :lol:

[threedogpack]

I also use crates for dogs who aren’t reliable for one reason or another.

If you can’t stand the sound of nails on a crate pan, Tractor Supply Company has rubber matting that is thin enough to cut with a utility knife (made for truck beds). I bought this when the plastic pans that came with my crates cracked.

A couple of things jumped out at me in the original post.

“was out running in the woods this morning and somehow ?? got impaled by God knows what in her lower abdomen next to her hindquarters.”

where were you?

“almost a month to the day after her “fight” with a woodchuck (the woodchuck lost ) at the park”

how did she get to the chuck? She wasn’t on lead?

"And don’t get me started about the trash. The hound in her can smell a fresh bag of someone’s trash and she’s off! "

again…not on lead?

the reason I bring this up is that she obviously isn’t reliable off lead yet. And because you don’t know her history, she may never be. The running may be a deeply ingrained habit that formed long before she came to you. But for sure, until she had proven to me for a reliable 6 month period that she will come when called, stay with me and not race off, she would not have the chance to practice the bad stuff.

For the in house stuff, she would either be in a crate or she would be doing the Relaxation Protocol. This will teach her to be quiet and still in the house. And I’d be doing it 15/60 using her breakfast or dinner food. Using her food while you are home might also even desire to be food searching. 15/60 is when you actively train 15 minutes out of every 60 you are with her. That will help to keep her focused more on you (hopefully less on destruction/food searching) and it will be a benign way for you to learn the habit of keeping her in the front of your mind.

[RougeEmpire]

Sounds like a typical begal to me! Beagles can NOT be off leash. It’s in their nature to run and track. I’ve never known a single beagle who brain did not go “deaf” when let off lead. The ONLY way to keep her out of trouble and safe when out of the house is to NEVER let her off lead unless you in a truly confined space. Thats just life with a beagle.

As for crating, feed her in her crate for one. Breakfast and dinner (as well as ‘treats’) are in her crate ONLY. This means everyone has to get on board with the plan! When she gets fed she must go in her crate, shut the door and wait until she done to let her out. If anyone wants to give her treats she must go in her crate, close the door and sit politely before she gets them. Also crate her at night, make it her “bedroom”. You want the crate to feel SAFE and “home” for her. It’s not a form of punishment.

To be honest I would never suggest a beagle for a condo or apartment living. They are a LOUD breed and bay or howl to communicate. If they have somehting to say they say it loud, thats a beagle.

[Blu]

Has she always gotten into the trash?

I only ask because I also have a hound dog, who has always been very food motivated… but recently has gotten worse. She had started gradually over a period of a year or two with progressing to counter surfing and getting into the trash.

I treated her like a very bad dog and was at my wits end. Long story short she was incidentally diagnosed with Cushing’s disease, which is now under control as are her out of control bad habits.

Cushing’s can make them wildly hungry and they cannot help it. I’m not saying I don’t understand that beagles/hounddogs/etc are NOT polyphagic by definition either! Trust me! She’s a hound dog! But, just saying like with horses with undersaddle behavioral problems, it can be ruled out by a medical problem not just behavior.

[wcporter]

She had a blood work up yesterday before getting sedated and stiched up from her wound. If she had cushings, wouldn’t they have seen it then? Or no?

[libgrrl]

She’s a hound mix with a super nose and getting something yummy out of the trash (if she is successful) is a self-rewarding behavior. Every time she succeeds and gets eats, the behavior becomes more ingrained. The key – at this point – is PREVENTION. No access to the trash – lock it up, stick an anvil on it, whatever – but don’t allow her to succeed in this endeavor any more.

[threedogpack]

[QUOTE=RougeEmpire;5663886]
Beagles can NOT be off leash. It’s in their nature to run and track. I’ve never known a single beagle who brain did not go “deaf” when let off lead. [/QUOTE]

don’t tell that to Abby!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soX8mRR377k

or any of these dogs!

http://www.windsongbeagles.com/agility.htm

[wendy]

Now, let me tell you this dog appears to be impervious to punishment – as I have caught her in the act of getting into the trash on multiple occasions and attempting this jumping on the counter BS once when I pretended to leave and came back in catching her red handed! Spanking, “NO!”, “BAD DOG!”, and even time out in the corner or gasp! in the bathroom with the door shut – does not work.

well yeah, because the dog is smart enough to know you have to be present in order to punish her- you actually spank her? that’s just cruel. And the number of dogs who understand what the words “no” and “bad dog” mean is probably around zero- they don’t speak english. Time outs? why would the dog care about that? it’s not a toddler.
So she judges the odds of her getting good stuff vs. you catching her and decides to risk it. Owner-delivered punishment is always a bad training plan. It’s better to proactively prevent dogs (by using strict supervision and randomly rewarding good behavior- have you ever been in the kitchen, observed her not raiding the trash and happily rewarded for this event? really it does work, catching dogs in the act of being good) from learning the joys of trash raiding and counter surfing. But if you’ve failed to prevent her from learning the pleasures of trash-raiding I suggest using technology- scat mats, zones system, baby gates, etc. to stop the behavior. Not a fan of crating I think it’s cruel to put a dog in a tiny cage for prolonged periods of time on a routine basis.

[Roxyllsk]

I agree with the others - no off the leash time (long leash or retractable is okay, just know where the dog is all the time).

And set her up to be good - Use a trash can with a heavy lid, put any goodies in the pantry with the door closed (or in the microwave, or the top of the fridge). Don’t leave stuff where there’s even a remote possibility of her getting into it.

My sheltie/border collie mix had really bad house manners, but was sneaky about waiting until we left the house. So, we confined him to a small area of the house when we couldn’t be home, and made sure not to leave stuff for him to get into. We didn’t crate him, just blocked off the kitchen and made sure there was nothing for him to get into.

I’ve had him now for 7 years - and he’s over 95% of it. He has free run of the house when I’m not home, and he hasn’t destroyed or gotten into anything in a really long time (probably 4 or 5 years now ?).

[jherold]

I’ve used set mouse traps to stop the counter crusing. They go off when you are not there so you are not associated with the unpleasant snap. It worked for the collie. The mensa shepherd did learn that they only snap once, but she was the exceptionally smart. The cocker learned to look for the traps, but he had to jump on a chair to get to the table, so I just learned to keep the chairs pushed in all the way.

If you can keep her out of the kitchen entirely, that would probably be the best.