Help with problem puppy?

Houmatt | 12-24-23 | Houmatt

[silverleaf]

Oh God No!

My GSD ate a dishtowel and it cost us over $3000 in surgery to get it all out of his guts

[siamesecats]

Perhaps the puppy would be better off if she lived with people who are home full time. Cats are better for people that work full time, we too learned the hard way.

[cgbg]

This was a few decades ago—I got her a playmate—went to the pound and adopted a female hound to keep her company (a pet for my pet :-) ).

Once she was no longer bored the digging stopped.

[Williams]

I learned first hand what can happen when you fail to separate a German Shepherd from her puppies soon enough. One of the most harrowing things I’ve ever seen.

[null and void]

So are we, so is he.

[Vermont Lt]

That’s what you took away from my post? LOL

Good luck with your dog. it’s gonna be a monster if you don’t get control of your situation.

[Mister Da]

Lots of Chew toys at home (puppies teethe until 1 yr old) & go to the dog park. Teach him to fetch & then throw the ball until your arm wears out. Only way to get rid of energy is to expend it. If you are too busy, hire a dog walker/entertainer and/or obedience school.

[skr]

Large dogs do not mature until about 2 years of age. Be prepared for puppy energy and mischief for the next 18 months. For chewing, teach him what to chew (praising him when he chooses his chew toys over your shoes) and prevent chewing by applying bitter apple or a similar tasting product to things like electric cords and whatever else he likes that you can’t monitor every moment.

Scold wisely, a firm no and a three-fingered flick to his nose won’t harm him but it isn’t pleasant either, no matter what size the dog is. Then do something you can praise him for soon after. Redirection is part of learning.

As others have already mentioned, lots and lots of tiring exercise/play and training (at least 15 minutes twice daily to start, more if you’re able). Dogs want to please (well, most of them do), many love training and knowing where they stand in their pack.

[Mister Da]

Yours is another candidate for the dog park. He needs socialization with other dogs & other people - both found at the dog park. Strike up conversations with other dog owners so your dog becomes more comfortable around strangers. These people usually love dogs, & yorkies are irresistible. Since you are not in the dog’s home territory, he shouldn’t be so defensive & he has a lot of room to back off rather than attack.

A bonus at the dog park is all the other dog smells, which will cause your dog to want to pee & poop everywhere there - its a marking territory thing.

[wgmalabama]

Agreed. Get a cat to be your new owner. Lol. Cats can be hard but rarely.

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

Call Caesar the dog whisperer!!!

[pax_et_bonum]

Chuck-It dog toys are wonderful for indoors because they’re soft styrofoam inside fabric covers so they don’t break things easily when tossed.

I threw these at least a zillion times to our border collie when she was a puppy because even after a lot of outdoor exercise she still needed to run.

And run.

And run.

:-)

[sheana]

I’ve had dogs my whole life. Puppies thru adulthood. Got a German Shepherd cross that I wasn’t sure I’d survive. At 3 months she was the most energetic dog I’d ever seen….and chewed on everything including me. It was really rough even though we were home with her every day. I kenneled her. First time I ever used a kennel with a puppy. Had to throw a blanket over it or she wouldn’t settle down in the kennel. Since she was an inside the house dog I kept her on a leash when she wasn’t in the kennel, otherwise she destroyed everything. I did a puppy training class with her thru Petsmart. Was worth every dollar. It took a lot of patience and work but she turned out to be a really good dog. Because of the leash in the first year to this day when she walks beside me she’ll touch my leg with her nose occasionally. Hang in there. It’s work but will probably be worth it in the end.