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 MOUTHING OFF We rescued Shayna, who's about a year old, from a shelter last month. The biggest issue I have is that she is constantly grabbing items — hats, gloves stuffed animals, pocketbooks, backpacks, everything. I use "leave it" when she's about to go for somthing and "drop it" after she has it. I keep repeating myself until she does what is asked, which could be many repeats. I don't play tug-of-war with the item. Bitter apple seems to deter her somewhat, provided the bottle is near me and I catch her in time. I use a food reward and praise ("good leave it!" or "good drop it!"). I also say, "Get a Shayna toy" from a box of her toys. Any other suggestions on how to stop or lessen her mouthing things? Short of crating her full time, I'm at a loss as to what to do. I want her to have some supervised time out of the crate, but I'm spending all my time and energy pulling things away from her when she's out. – A frustrated new owner Having an energetic, oral dog in the house makes having twin toddlers seem like a vacation! There’s a lot of issues at hand here, so let’s take them one at a time. When you have a dog like this, you have to use the 3 C’s of dog training: Collect, Control, and Confine. Collect all the things that are on the floor and within her reach — for now. Of course you'll teach her what is and is not appropriate to chew on, but for now let’s give you a break and not have "grabbies" lying around the house. Think of her as a toddler! Control Shayna! When you’re in the house with her and are actively supervising her (ie, watching her) she needs to have a 6-foot leash attached to her collar that she can drag around the house. Don’t worry — if you’re monitoring her she won’t get stuck on furniture. If she tries to chew it then soak it with a bitter spray before you put it on her. This way, you have recourse! If she grabs something now you probably chase her around the house, and I’m guessing that she loves this game. But if she’s wearing a leash and you step on it to stop her, the game stops and the fun is over. It’s much easier to step on a leash then to physically catch the dog, as you've probably figured out! Confine her during this training stage until you have a handle on her behavior. Even if she’s been good for five days, one setback (her getting something she shouldn’t) will reinforce to her what fun it is and you’ll be back to square one. Also, look at the kind of toys you’re giving her and see if they are "passive" or "active" toys. Passive toys are just made for chewing, whereas active toys are ones that will engage her mentally. There’s a plastic cube toy that you can fill with small treats and the dog has to push it over in with his nose or feet in a sequence to make a piece of food drop out. Or, you can fill a Kong toy halfway up with peanut butter, stick a hard biscuit in the top and freeze it. My students dogs love this so much they call it The Nanny! It sounds like Shayna is a bright, high-energy, high work ethic dog — did you take the quiz? These types of dogs require play that is either interactive with their owner or intriguing enough to keep their active minds busy! And good for you for teaching her tricks! Training your dog keeps her mind busy and builds a great bond between the two of you. Training also is mentally tiring for a dog, so if you train her for 15 or 20 minutes she’ll be more likely to want to crash and chew on one of her fabulous new toys then engage you in a game of "Catch me if you can."
Happy Training!
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