Help please naughty puppy!

[Bex_X]

Heyy i normally post in the horsey side but im having issues with our Jack russell
We brought her when she was about 12weeks old and she was brilliant never chewed or anything as i would expect for a puppy. we brought her from a friend at our stables so new the mum and dad and even grandmother and brothers and sisters
she has always wee'ed in the house even with training mats she would go out look around then come in a wee we have two other dogs a lab who is a old guy at 11 and a stressy springer female who is 9 and if im honest she has picked up most things like sit and when out walking she doesn't run off ect as the other two dont when ever she had a wee outside we praised her and even praised the other dogs so she understood.
at the start of the year she began stealing things like socks to chew we just told her no but its now escalated to a point of her managing to some how get on top of a table and chewing my mums kindle to pieces (very angry mum) she was told off and she just sat there wagging her tail she even was smacked and carried on wagging her tail
she is an amazing little dog but every time your doing something like reading or anything bar messing with her she will jump up and stand over the book/phone/laptop or when your not looking take it and destroy it and if you tell her off she goes to her bed then comes back and has a wee right in front of you shes walked twice a day and we live surrounded by fields and shes so good we dont even have a lead
a couple of weeks ago we very unfortunate as our old lab had one of his toes removed and the next day our springer had a operation as she had [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Pyometra so of course we were checking them constantly and joules our pup was having to be walked on her own she was not keen in the slightest with out her little group [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]im no expert but this to me sounds like a dominance thing just weeing everywhere and chewing shes 1 on April 11th [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]my mum thinks she jealous and anxiety has also been mentioned [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]we live in a busy house 6 of us all together and shes always being fussed over i also take her the stables and im looking into agility classes for me to take her to as she so fast and i think some of this is boredom [/FONT]
[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]but can anyone help best way to deal with this behavior?[/FONT]

 

[JanetGeorge]

She's a JR puppy! I have a JRx who was a rescue - his previous owner locked him in a coal shed for 23 hours as he was naughty - and then let him out for one hour a day to play with the (young) children! Not surprisingly, he bit them (and 4 years on, still doesn't like small children!)

She's looking for attention - you have two options. One is to spend ALL your time giving it to her. The other is to get a crate and pop her in there (with a chew) when you are too busy. With plenty of little training sessions - and time - she'll improve!

 

[Dobiegirl]

First of all this is not a dominance issue, I suggest you pm Cayla on here and ask her for a puppy and crate training guide. If you include your email address as well that will be helpful as it too long for a pm.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

I've often heard that some terriers, like e.g. Jack Russells and Fox Terriers, sometimes doesn't respond the way most owners think dogs should respond to being told off. And that you're more likely to get a good result, if you train with them, not against them. Try to make it easier for her to do right (sometimes easier said than done), and minimize as much as possible the opportunities for her to do wrong.
I heard a Swedish horse trainer say on TV last week, that if an owner allow their pony to do wrong 8 times out of 10, then how can they expect that the pony will believe anything else, than that to do it the wrong way is actually to do it right.


Personally I'm not sure who of you and your mum, that I think it sounds most likely to be right about why your dog behaves the way she does. Or maybe you're both partly right, who knows. E.g. understimulation and overstimulation can cause similar behaviour.

If she had been my dog, I think I would begin with treating her like a yet not housebroken puppy, letting her spend some of her time in a crate or puppy pen when indoors and I can't keep an eye on her, taking her out for more walks/toilet sessions outdoors, taking her out whenever I suspect that she might be thinking of going to the toilet, if possible take her and e.g. a book with me outdoors because the more time spent outdoors, the more likely that she'll have to go to the toilet while she's outdoors.

If it is possible, it sounds like a good idea to continue with letting her sometimes do things on her own, without the other two dogs (I hope that both your other dogs is getting better again?).

If she already has plenty of gnaw bones, or if you feed her raw, maybe you could try buying other types of gnaw bones/feed her more bones with the raw. If you have a Kong or similar, you can e.g. fill it with carrot purée, yoghurt with some pieces of liver, peanut butter or something else, put the stuffed Kong in the freezer and then give it to her when it is frozen. (I've learnt to not presume that people will actually think themselves about not only focusing on that the dog should stop gnawing/chewing on this or that, without also thinking about of providing alternatives that the dog is allowed to gnaw/chew on.)

If she is bored, and you consider things to make her brain tired, I recommend having a look at the "brain training" toys made by Nina Ottosson http://www.nina-ottosson.com/

In case if her behaviour is caused by anxiety or stress, have you tried Adaptil? http://www.adaptil.com/uk/Adaptil-Where-to-buy/Adaptil-product-range


Lastly, if you're providing her with enough alternatives to gnaw/chew on, have you tried to e.g. spray some socks with bitter apple spray to deter her from chewing on them? Not all dogs dislikes the same taste, so you might have to try more than one to find what she dislikes, here are some homemade recipes that I've found on the internet, if you want to try it:

Homemade apple cider vinegar bitter spray.
Apple cider vinegar has a tart taste that most dogs stay away from, making it a perfect repellent. In a spray bottle, combine 2 cups of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of regular white vinegar. Shake well and it is ready to use. Before spraying it on any furniture or other items, be sure to first test the spray on an inconspicuous spot to check for discolouration.
If it is okay, spray it on furniture legs or other items your dog may have a habit of chewing on, wait for the dog to take the "bait" and shoo the dog away, to help your dog associate the smell of the spray with the bad taste.

An alternative apple cider vinegar recipe is to combine two parts apple cider vinegar with one part water in a spray bottle (shake well, spray it etc).


Lemon juice bitter spray.
A lot of dogs dislike the smell of lemons. Combine 2 cups of lemon juice with 1 cup of white vinegar in a spray bottle. Shake it well, then spray etc. Note that undiluted lemon juice may damage surfaces or leave a sticky film.

An alternative lemon juice recipe is to mix one cup of lemon juice and one half of a cup water in a spray bottle. Shake well...


Rosemary and cayenne pepper bitter spray.
Bring two cups of water to a boil in a small pan. Add a ¼ cup of rosemary and 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper to the water, then remove it from the stove. Allow the tea to brew until the water has completely cooled.
Strain the water using a colander or cheese cloth to remove the rosemary and any of the cayenne pepper that did not dissolve. Pour the strained tea into the spray bottle and it is ready to be used. But note, this the tea will stain light-coloured fabrics.
If you use it, spray it liberally on the item/surface you want to protect. Watch to see how your dog reacts to the taste. If they only seems slightly put off, you might need to apply more of the spray for it to deter your dog.


Remember that for a while, you will probably have to re-apply the bitter spray every 1 to 2 weeks for it to continue to be effective. Always shake the bottle before spraying.

For things like a kindle or similar, which I simply presume aren't designed to get wet, you could try to simply sprinkle cayenne pepper directly on it, as a deterrent.