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Help with a hound

552 views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  O2.0 
#1 ·
Hi all,

Desperately in need of advice with my dog.

He’s a beagle x whippet and he’s got a history and a personality.

I rescued him with my ex from a puppy farm and he was well trained, but when we split I left him with the ex so he could stay in his home. Then I found out he’d Been neglecting the dog, so I effectively re-rescued him. When I got him back he wasn’t the same.

He is Destructive and semi-aggressive. I can’t have any pillows or soft things because they won’t survive, he’s not great with people - he’s just an ******* basically. Never leaving them alone, scratching, jumping etc. He’ll never bite but he’s very teeth-y if you get what I’m saying. And all he does is howl when he doesn’t get his way.

He refuses to be toilet trained.

I can’t have soft things around as they’ll be destroyed but he has no interest in dog related things like toys, kongs etc. He’s not treat, food or attention motivated.

I’ve had 3 different dog trainers out to work with him. He’s exercised twice a day. i’ve Had him
Neutered. I’ve even got a new job where I work less days to lessen the time he’s alone but there is literally nothing I can do.

I’m stuck, and I’m at wits end. I can’t have friends over, he’s the reason another relationship ended cause I chose the dog over the douche who asked me to chose (I don’t regret that part, just the way the dog behaved with him). The fact that he’ll openly destroy thing around me even when I’m at home so I can’t even put it down to separation anxiety is breaking my heart.

I don’t want to give up on him but I can’t keep living this way. 3 dog trainers, every technique in the book and on the web won’t work. At what point do I admit defeat?
 
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#2 ·
3 dog trainers
I suspect you need a qualified Dog Behaviourist as opposed to a trainer. A behaviourist should be able to assess and give you a written plan to work to over the next few months. The issues you describe are rarely just about 'training'.

You say you've tried 'every technique in the book' but often it's about finding the right things for your dog and sticking with it (thus the need for a behaviourist).

He sounds anxious and attention seeking when you have visitors, though. I would start to teach him that when visitors come round he doesn't get attention, instead he gets to sit by you (on a lead or house line so he can't wander) and has a delicious chew or food stuffed Kong instead. Practice this with your friends for short periods. Teach your visitors to ignore him, too. Tearing things up is often connected to attention seeking but if he is on the lead and has something nicer to do he can learn to settle.

It does sound as if your dog does have a number of issues going on though -thus my suggestion that you maybe get a recommended behaviourist in.

J
 
#5 ·
Hiya,

The people I had in were behaviourists/trainers. They were very insightful to the reasons behind things but 2/3 gave up as they couldn't solve the mystery that is my dog.

He's always on the lead with guests, but he'll just sit there and howl. He doesn't care for food or toys or anything, no matter how enticing the food. Won't even batter an eyelid for freshly cooked meat. He's just impossible and expensive.

I guess what I'm looking for is validation. There's nothing else I can do for him and quite frankly can't afford it anymore. Do I keep him and let him keep ruining my life for the next 10 years or do I give him up, knowing full well he'll never find another home and probably end up being put down? I can't stand the thought of either.
 
G
#3 ·
How long has this been going on, and how old is the dog? When you say you can't keep living this way, what is the timescale? Some of the things you describe take a long time to train out, why don't you just focus on one thing first and keep going until it is sorted. If you try to do too much too soon nothing will come right! I would pick toilet training, absolutely focus on this until it is done, it should only take a week or two. Then try to sort out the next thing. Being nice to visitors would be last on my list to be honest, because you can always put him in another room while you have some time out. Why don't you look around for some tough toys, they have them in all pet stores, some made with no stuffing, some made of covered rope, they are pretty indestructable. Good luck! :)
 
#4 ·
Hiya,

It's been 3 years since I re-rescued him and he's 5 yrs old.

He's always on a lead when people visit, but when he's ignored or anything like that, he howls constantly so you can't have a conversation, even when hes in the garden/another room.

He takes no interest in toys or anything like that, I have them all still untouched to this day.

3 years of toilet training - like I said, he refuses to do it. I don't know why. He'll even wait until I go to bed just to do a poo in the living room, even if he was in the garden 5 seconds before. I'm sure he does it just to be a 'rude word'.

My family keep telling me to get rid of him but I don't know if I have the heart to say goodbye again, but to put it frankly he does worse for my mental health than better.

The worst part is my other dog is absolutely perfect. (I got him a puppy to cure the separation anxiety, it worked but doesn't help the rest of it).
 
#6 ·
Maybe he’s been punished in the past for toileting so waits until nobody is around?

What method have you been using for toilet training?

I doubt his behaviour is just to be a pain and get attention - more likely based on anxiety.

When you have visitors try keeping him on a leash and do some training in between conversations.

Rather than trying to stop the howling/whining, redirect him to another task - ask for a sit/down/high 5 etc. so you can praise a behaviour instead.

Explain to visitors you are trying to retrain him and hopefully, they’ll understand and it won’t be forever if it works.

Don’t forget to praise him for just being quiet and calm off his own bat too.

How much exercise does he get?
 
G
#7 ·
It sounds like you have given up on him already. I get that it has been a long time, however, your problems won't go away overnight. I think you need to make a decision as to whether you are going to commit to him and MAKE IT WORK!!! or are you going to rehome him to a rescue centre.
 
#8 ·
He may have been scolded for toileting indoors. That can make dogs wait for, or create, an opportunity to toilet when their people are in a different room because they don't understand they were being told off for toileting in the house, they think the person was angry at them just toileting.

So go back to basics with toilet training - outside every hour, wait with him until he toilets, make a huge fuss and shower him with little pieces of chicken or frankfurter sausage. When he realises outside toilets make him get this fabulous reward he will start to try to hold his toilet to earn this. Clean up indoors with an enzymatic cleaner and leave the cleaner down for ten minutes before you wipe it up to give it time to work. This will eliminate smells that might attract him back to the same places.

Then looking at the whining etc. you can start training calmness - this video will help.

 
#9 ·
You've gotten good advice, I'd just like to add one thought.

Listen to your language when you talk about him:
He refuses to be toilet trained.
3 years of toilet training - like I said, he refuses to do it. I don't know why. He'll even wait until I go to bed just to do a poo in the living room, even if he was in the garden 5 seconds before. I'm sure he does it just to be a 'rude word'.
What if instead of "he refused to be toilet trained," you said "he doesn't understand toilet training"? Do you see the difference in how you're approaching the problem when you re-frame it this way?
It sounds like you think the dog is doing this on purpose, when the reality is dogs don't think that way. He's not toileting inside to be an ass, he's most likely confused, anxious, and conflicted about toileting. As a puppy mill dog, he most likely had his instincts about keeping his living areas clean all screwed up, as what sounds like a very anxious dog, he probably is scared to pee or poo in the presence of anyone - also very likely if he has been punished for eliminating inside too. And he most likely senses your anxieties and frustrations as well which adds to his confusion about it all.
With potty training, I would take a deep breath, and start over from scratch as if he had no idea about potty training. Get him on a schedule, lots of reward for going outside, add a cue word, and complete NON reaction if he goes inside. Watch your own body language, even if you don't deliberately punish him, make sure you check your physical posture too. Are your shoulders up? Is your body tense, even something like clenching your jaw he will notice and react to. Yes, really, dogs are that sensitive to our physical cues.
 
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