4/20/2008

Q of the week
Cathy poses this question to the group:
Toby, 11 mo Lab x NM

My dog is extremely destructive. He eats anything ... Eats, not chews. I am very concerned that he is headed towards a surgery for bowel obstruction if I can't get him to stop. He is currently separated from my older dog during the day due to his destructive behavior. He is much calmer with the other dog present, however destructive. He also is a poop eater with the only deterrent being a remote shock collar that works most of the time although he continually tries. I hate using the collar, however this appears to be the only thing that works (have tried changing food, placing things in the food, using a leash, etc).

ANSWERS:

From Pat:
The short answer is to get the dog more tired, both physically and mentally, and manage the environment meticulously, while getting the dog hooked on appropriate chew toys. I had clients who had to build an outdoor concrete floor fenced pen with not a single loose rock in it for the dog to ingest. Both dogs could be in there, but no toys or chews of any kind while unsupervised. (Hey, if they have the time to use a remote shock collar for poop eating, why don't they just go ahead and clean up the poop and eliminate one battle?) Of course I know you have thought of all this already, so maybe you are giving us the question to get some dialogue going and remind us how lucky we are to have our own good dogs. And what did the people say when you made your suggestions? - Pat

From Cathy:
Pat, You are right on the money in my opinion were this your typical 11 month old, bored, destructive lab. The owner of this dog has put him in a basement room with nothing in it for a few minutes and come back to gigantic holes in the drywall. Toby doesn't just destroy it. He eats it. He eats everything. He ate a pair of her Doc Martens while she went to the grocery store. Yes, I think increasing both mental stimulation and exercise would help a lot, but it sounds like he may also need some sort of drug therapy. Not having met this dog, it's impossible to realize the complete gravity of the situation. She was at the Positive Solutions lecture last Friday, and I must admit, this situation sounds pretty severe. This dog has been with her for about a month and has already cost her a couple thousand dollars. Bless her heart. She told me her biggest concern was that he would eat something and it would cause a blockage that would either kill him or require surgery. ~cathyfox

From Kathie W:
Dozer is like that…. Well at least he is good with toys as long as he is supervised. I can't leave anything for him and need to watch him like smell on poop…. He even tries to eat the concrete patio (where it is old and starting to chip.) We manage by watching him, picking up poop as it happens. He can not have blankets in his crate – he eats them, not shreds, but eats.. I have discovered that when Doz & I are one on one (like at dog shows and it’s only the 2 of us) that he is much better. Yes, he is on leash and with me, but his picking up pebbles or anything shiny (he thinks he is a raccoon or crow) is much more manageable. He avoids the strange dog poop that is not from “his” family. Sounds like this pup may need a lot more one on one? Pat’s suggestions are great. I do give Doz chew toys that are over sized for him, so he CAN chew (supervised) and when they get small they go to the less aggressive chewers or the trash. (I cant have chews or toys out with Jake around.) So Doz gets them limited…. I don’t know if there is any help in that, but “management/supervision” is the only thing that works for us… - Kathie

From Carol:
Ditto to the above. The problem with punishment is A. it's only effective when the cop is present and B. it increases stress and anxiety and there is a high likelihood that this behavior is rooted in frustration, boredom, competition for resources (there's often a RG component), with a healthy dose of obsessive/compulsive disorder thrown in. None of the aforementioned list will be resolved through punishment and will likely be made worse.

SUPERVISED: Brain toys, Buster Cubes, etc - so far I've not had an Everylasting Treat Ball or Fun Ball come back to the RH chewed. This guy will be a good test subject! BIG nyla-bones - the Gallileo most simulates the "rock" texture.

The owner must be forbidden to "compete" for stolen items which often triggers the "choke it down quick before she can get it back" response. (Sometimes this is learned.) Teach exchanges and retrieving skills so he can have a healthy "object outlet". As Pat and Kathie both suggested, an enriched life: more attention, more one-on-one and less solitary confinement in a sterile environment. The 'cure' is a contributing source for the ongoing issue. In his management "jail" he's starved for things to chew on so he craves them even more and he's getting less social interaction and exercise. Day care? Of course the day care must have supervision and be indoors ... Too bad they don't make big "mineral blocks" (like the salt licks for horses) that a neurotic dog could chew on all day and not break teeth or get sick on. Good prevention tool for the interim - a basket muzzle. (A greyhound muzzle, not a nylon type.) Drugs for the anxiety, O/C.