I just adopted a chessie at the end of August, 2007. He was one year old on Sept 12. At first he would grab tissues, paper towels, wash cloths, dish cloths, $20 bill, socks, etc, and he would rip them up if we did not catch him in the act. Although he does so reluctantly, he will drop the item, after which we have been telling him, "Good boy." Then we hand him one of his own toys. Now he has begun to chew the front door and storage boxes. My husband wants to give him back to the original owner. There he was not given very much attention at all. He was either in the back yard by himself, at a dog kennel, or in his crate if he was inside. We can provide him a much better life, but I am worrried that this destructiveness will get worse. I want to give him more time so that we can work with him. I am home 5 days per week with him. 2 days my husband and I both work. We have put barriers so that he only has access to the kitchen, dining room, front entrance, and upstairs hallway. On those days, I have a dog walker come once in the middle of the day to take him for a 30 minute walk. This is the best we can do financially. I want to keep our new Chessie. Can anyone help me learn how to curtail this destructiveness? Thanks

First of all, you have only had him a couple of months....so things can only get better, and it sounds like they have....even if only a little...

As hard as it is, keep him in a crate while you are gone...or in an outside kennel..And when you are home he should be at your side or within your presence at all times...keep him on a leash if need be..don't give him the opportunity to misbehave simply because you cannot catch him...at this time you can put a variety of objects on the floor...his chew toys (a few different ones) and items he is not to have...Correct him sternly (make sure you are not too easy on him) and then give him one of his toys - as soon as he is chewing on that item, give him praise, as you have been doing...encourage him to bring his toys to you for a game of fetch..

I would also teach him the hold command...this will give him some 'mouth control'....

go to the store and buy some bitter apple or other 'chew inhibiting' spray...then spray the door down with that....also any furniture or other items you do not want him to chew on...you may have to try a few different brands to find one he really dislikes...

sounds like you are being pretty consistent with him, just keep at it...he is still trying to figure out the rules...

Juli

Thank you so much for your reply. I will definitely try the bitter apple. Perhaps I have not been correcting him sternly or directly enough. When I catch him, I say, in this order, "No chewing. Drop it. Then when he drops it I say, Good boy, drop it. Then I hand him one of his toys. When he takes it, I say, "Good boy, take it." Is this the right order of correction. I like the idea of encouraging him to come for the toy for play. What is the mouth command? How do I teach it? Right now, all he does consistently is sit, down, and come. I read about the possibility of destructiveness in Chessies before I accepted him from the previous owner, who did not tell me about this. Do you think that he will get better? One of my neighbors gave up a Golden Retriever because it was very destructive of furniture, baseboards, tiles, you name it. I do not want to think that I could have to do this. I know that the previous owners do not want him back. I am definitely a committed dog lover. This is my first Chessie. Are there some dogs that just don't get better. If so, I hope that he is not one of them. Thanks so much for your reply.

I think that some dogs may be more prone to destructive behavior...BUT....They are allowed to be destructive by owners who; A) don't have a dominant role with the dog; B) don't know the correct way to discipline a dog; C) don't take the time to 'teach' the dog ; D) don't give the dog other avenues to keep them occupied and happy...

Continue working on the obedience - go to a place where you can throw a ball, frisbee, bumper, or other item for him, at least a couple of times a week..swimming is great exercise...teach also 'heel'..feed your dog once or twice a day..make him sit until you give the command to eat....

you might consider finding a retriever club in your area that you can get involved in with your dog....he is a retriever and you and he may both enjoy the activity of working himn in an area that he was bred for...it will give you something more exciting to work on, other than basic obedience...(at least it is in my opinion).

Sounds like you are giving the right correction and timing and you are in the 'teaching' phase right now...By this I mean he is 'learning' what is acceptable and what is not..Now, or very soon, he really needs to understand that you mean business...When you catch him in the act grab his collar and administer a smart whack across the rump with a fly swatter (make sure you feel sae doing this - if he has shown any aggressive tendencies, I don't recommend taking physical action). He will understand better than if you use just vocal commands (and a fly swatter is not going to hurt more than his feelings)..and make sure you are very stern with your voice...

He is at an age where he is likely going to be trying to establish dominance...so be on top of him...and just because he is trying to be dominant does not mean he is going to be aggreassive.

teaching hold is just that...teaching the dog to hold something in his mouth until commanded to drop it....ideally he should not chomp or play around with the item (roll it around in his mouth)...this is best done once or twice a day...grab the dog across the top of the muzzle and pry his jaw open, then slip the object into his mouth and command 'hold'....don't let him drop it....initially he should hold it only for a second after he stops fighting against you (whic hhe probably will) repeat the process 4-5 times ea session...continue until he will hold and carry the object while walking at heel or doing other obedience commands and when he will accept any variety of objects to carry.... (This is a very simplified version).

Juli

Hi Juli: Thank you again for taking the time to write such a helpful response. I will definitely make as mantras your recommendations about dominance, correction, teaching, and activity. My dog's name is Cody. So far, he has not exhibited any agressive tendencies. I will work more on dominance. I have been doing alot of things along this line like making him sit and wait while I go out the door before he does. I have been reading dog training books. I read in one that it is not good to give a dog too much physical affection, i.e., petting, scratching, rubbing. The book says that a submissive dog would groom a dominant dog in the dog world. It then suggested that if a person does this to his dog, the owner will be seen as submissive. What do you think about this? I am very affectionate and like to give Cody physical affection. The book said to save it for when I am praising him for good behavior. I also read that desctructiveness can be a sign that the dog needs more attention, and, as you mentioned, exercise. We live near wilderness lands with lakes, so I have been taking him swimming. He had never been in the water when we got him. On his third visit to the water, he was off and swimming - like a Chessie does with his chest out of the water! I was so proud. Anyway, he is getting exercise (swim, fetch, etc) at least 2 times per week. Cody gets plenty of attention. As I mentioned, I am home 5 days per week. Monday and Wednesday, however, are drastically different. He is alone a long time: 7 am to 5 pm. The dog walker comes around noon for a half hour. It is then when we have his access limited to the kitchen, dining room, foyer, and upstairs hallway. We have tried to doggie-proof those areas. This Wed. is when he chewed the door and destroyed the storage boxes and papers in it. Would keeping him in the crate for that long period of time be cruel or ok? (While I was typing a minute ago, he tried to chew on the keyboard tray.) Do you have any suggestions for these long periods when he is alone? I leave out many toys that he likes, some of which have treats inside. I leave his crate open. I had reservations about adopting him because I didn't know whether it would be too cruel for him to be home alone for so long 2 days a week. Do you think that being alone for so long during these 2 days is contributing to the destructiveness? If so, is there any way to get around this? Thank you again for the time you are taking to help us. Barbara

I think Julie gave you some good advice. I will chime in on a few things.

Exercise and obedience. You can’t do enough of either one. Dogs love discipline and structure and any dog will be happier if given both. Just make sure your exercise time is also controlled. If you have the interest and time an obedience class may be beneficial to you and Cody.

I think your best solution is crating the dog when you are not at home. A dog can be crated for the time you specified and having the dog walker come makes it a no brainer. A lot of people like wire crates for a more open feel and also so the dog feels more included while in the crate. You should let Cody spend some time in the crate while you are around, this way it will not mean he is alone every time he is crated. Try to place the crate in a busy area. Maybe lock him up while you are on the computer or cooking dinner, start short and then extend the time. Be prepared for an adjustment period accompanied by some barking at the beginning but if you stick with it, it will pay off. Just make sure the crate is not too big, it needs to be big enough for him to stand up and turn around. Too large of a crate can lead to potty problems. My dogs frequently lay in their crates even when they don’t have to.

As far as feeling cruel for locking Cody in the crate when you are gone? You should not feel this way in the least. It sounds like you have given him a great home and if him being in the crate when you are away keeps him there, then it is the best thing for him.

Good Luck.

Dear Adam: Thank you for the comments that you added to Julie's. With both of your help, Cody's behavior has improved tremendously in a very short time.

Ditto the crate when you aren't around! For some of them, you cannot do enough 'dog proofing' and they cannot be trusted anywhere except in a crate or sturdy kennel when you aren't home.
The good news is most of them do outgrow the destructive chewing phase. I have a young male that is really bad right now. He can't be trusted loose in the house or outside as he is a bad digger and has cratered my flowerbeds and destroyed the rock walls around the garden and driveway. He gets plenty of exercize and training and we live on a farm with ponds so he swims daily also. He's not at all a dominant type and has been frailed for destroying things (when caught in the act) but, he's just a one dog walking destruction unit if he's not supervised. He can't even have bedding in his crate as he destroys that, too.
So far all he's learned is not to destroy things when a human is around, but that is a step forward from a few months ago! Hang in there and simply crate your young heathen when you can't supervise him.