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Need dog advice

Lily flower

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We have a one year old black lab. Sweet and also hyper.

My problem is - he loves to chew on stuffed animals, while rubbing the animals up against our legs. It drives us crazy because it is wet and gross and very unpleasant. Nothing we do can make him stop this behavior! Otherwise, he usually listens to us, but this behavior is unstoppable. He was a newborn puppy when his dog mom died, so I'm wondering if it has something to do with that.

Please tell us what to do!
 

Lady_X

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it's just annoying doggy behavior...put up the stuffed animals when you're around if it bugs you.
 

Sinmara

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Are you playing with him and exercising him enough?
 

Lily flower

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We live out in the wilderness, so he has acres to run around on with no leash. But he prefers to hang out in the house with us and won't really go outside to exercise unless we take him out. I usually mow some of our lawn every day and he likes to run circles around me as I do that, and he goes running with my husband. As temperatures have been over 100 lately, we haven't really been outside as much as we usually are, but he has always done the stuffed animal thing.

I suppose if it's normal dog behavior, we will just have to put up the stuffed animals.
 

Sinmara

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Even if he's got lots of room to run around, dogs are social by nature and need attention from their owners. Try setting aside some time to actively play with him and walk him while at the same time discouraging him from rubbing his toys on your leg. Taking the stuffed animals away might not be a bad idea. Have you tried that yet?

Also, if he got separated from his mom too young, it could cause some anxiety or attachment issues. I've seen it before, but it's usually dealt with easily enough. Watch that Dog Whisperer guy, I learned a lot from watching him troubleshoot bad dog and owner behaviors.
 

foxonstilts

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Yeah I vote just put away the stuffed animals and give him bones or something. Slobbery fluff is gross! My dog likes to be touching me while chewing on a bone; like laying on my feet. Or go running with him, even off-leash. It's no fun for a dog to go running around however many acres by themselves because of how social they are. :p There are a surprising number of dog behavioral problems that are related to not getting enough exercise (not saying yours are, but in general.)

What breed is your dog? Or what mix does it look to be? Certain breeds need both exercise and mental stimulation as well.
 

Thalassa

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I know a professional dog handler/trainer/watcher type person. Lemme ask him. BRB.
 

INTP

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Use the old school method. take a newspaper, roll it and beat the dog until it starts to pee. that is ofc after hes been bad
 

INTP

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Let's try it out on you, first. An experiment. :happy2:

No need it has been used as a standard dog training for ages, simply because it works. its just that nowadays people try to get all hip and shit and they abandon the good old ways
 

Jaguar

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No need it has been used as a standard dog training for ages, simply because it works. its just that nowadays people try to get all hip and shit and they abandon the good old ways

I never had to hit any of my dogs to get them to behave. Maybe dogs don't like you.
 

foxonstilts

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Animals (people included) respond better when motivated not scared. :p If you beat someone every time he gets a question wrong, then he's more panicky and afraid etc. and less likely to take chances. If you don't hit them when they mess up, but reward them when they get something right, then they'll be more likely to keep doing it.

Basically, bribe them instead of threaten. XD Works better on me at least! I have a whole bucket of M&Ms from my boyfriend!
 

Santosha

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We have a one year old black lab. Sweet and also hyper.

My problem is - he loves to chew on stuffed animals, while rubbing the animals up against our legs. It drives us crazy because it is wet and gross and very unpleasant. Nothing we do can make him stop this behavior! Otherwise, he usually listens to us, but this behavior is unstoppable. He was a newborn puppy when his dog mom died, so I'm wondering if it has something to do with that.

Please tell us what to do!

I doubt the stuffed animal is symbolic in anything.. dogs like to chew on things like that. You can buy bitter apple spray or the harder stuff at your pet store and spray the things you don't wan't him chewing on. THe bitter apple didn't phaze my boxer-rottweiler.. i had to go with the harder stuff.

THe much bigger issue is that he is pushing the toy against your leg. This is a sign that your dog is attempting to control how and when he receives affection or attention from you.. My guess is that at some point in the past you've responded to him when he does this. Maybe you thought it was cute the first few times and proceeded to play with him, or maybe you even corrected him.. but either way,.. he has learned (and really, it only takes a few times) that he will get your attention by doing this.

It's a bad habbit to develop. Too many of these things and your dog will forget his place in the pack hierarchy, and this can really become a problem down the line. It's always funny or cute when they are little, and horrid when they are big.

My dog "power snouts" my hand and arm when he wants to be petted (which is just about every minute) and he started doing this as a puppy. I should have caught it right then, but let it slide with my big NFP heart.. BIG MISTAKE.

I'd probably do one of two things.. ignore the behavior entirely until he understands it will get him nowhere.. or start giving him some other command when he does this.. like "Go lay down" . Since reward works waaay better than punishment.. every time he listens to you and lays down in his deignated dog spot.. give him a treat. Do it for a while, then start skipping, until it gets to the point that he just follows the command in hopes of getting the treat every once in a great while.

Just a heads up.. other behaviors to look for that indicate your dog is trying to challenge his place in the hierarchy
-leaning on you, sitting on the couch next to you, sitting in your lap, sleeping in your bed.. all of these are warning signs.
-Don't ever allow your dog to go through doors or entry ways before you do. Try to keep your dog walking side by side with you on walks.
-When you meet people, or come upon people, YOU make the initial contact.. not him.

Now all of this might seem a bit mean, I thought so at first. But the truth is that canines have a very different mentality, and they REQUIRE hierarchy and pack rules. If they don't have this they are very unsure of what is expected of them, and can become fearful, agressive, skittish, or stressed.

I have done volunteer work at this no-kill shelter a few hours from where I live. It is an enormous ranch in the desert that takes in all kinds of animals.. horses, pigs, monkey, dogs, cats etc. .. its actually funded by Brad Pitt, no kidding. Even amongst the close to 500 dogs that reside there.. there is still a hierarchy and pack rules. Infact, the most dominant in the pack is a huge malamute.. they call him "sheriff" because whenever anyone comes on the property, he checks them out first. Every other dog will stay back and watch what Sheriff decides. When he gives the okay to let someone pass, every other dog in that pack listens. That person, or animal will not be bothered. It's really fascinating to obersve actually.

My point is that if you love your dog, you will develop clear guidelines and order. This has been a huge struggle for me and my pets, but I am working on it!
 

dala

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You can either ignore the behaviour or actively train your dog to stop through redirection. If you redirect, then first train your dog to do something specific (go lay down, etc) and reward him when he does that. If you ignore, then reward when the behaviour stops. Both of these will take time (several weeks, at least) of consistency to be successful.

I would also examine whether your dog is getting enough exercise and attention. I know my dogs need at minimum a few kilometers walk and quality frisbee time every day.
 

Fluffywolf

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Well, he likes to play and share his toys, the behaviour itself is not at all a bad behaviour and thus shouldn't be punished.

But it is okay to say no when you don't feel like giving the dog attention, best way to do this is teach him the stay command for example and use that. By using a command to tell him what to do, you take away the negativity of condemning for his actions, you're simply telling him to do something else. You are the boss, the alpha, and he should listen to any commands you taught him without reserve. You will need to be very consistent though. Dogs need consistency.

Ofcourse, I would advise to play regularly with him, he's only a year old and energetic and needs the attention.

Another possibly good option would be to only play with him in other rooms/outside, and when you play with the dog then first go somewhere else, whereas the living room is off limits for play and he will have to act accordingly.

Since your dog is only a year old, it's not impossible to teach them such boundaries, but it's not going to be easy to issue such a change. Because he won't understand why it wasn't a problem before.
 

Patches

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I never had to hit any of my dogs to get them to behave. Maybe dogs don't like you.

For real... What the hell, man. Now, I do have an 'angry' tone of voice I use if I have to yell at her... And when I speak to her like that her ears go back and she hides under a table. She knows when she's in trouble. But I have NEVER had to hit her. At this point the only time I have to yell at her is if she sees a rabbit/squirrel or something and runs out of the yard after it. I yell, and she stops dead in her tracks.


As for the OP... I was advised never to let my dog chew on stuffed animals. I was told that sometimes it leads to problems where they don't make the distinction between that fabric and other fabrics - like blankets and couches. Then you end up with chewed couch cushions. I don't know personally if that's true, but I don't give her stuffed animals. I'd just hide them and stick to bones and such. And I agree with the sentiment that your lab needs more exercise, and probably won't just go running unless you're playing with it. Throw a ball :) It's the lazy way of exercising your dog, haha. You don't have to move, but the dog runs. When my dog grabs toys and shoves them against my leg, it's usually because she wants me to throw it.
 

CzeCze

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No need it has been used as a standard dog training for ages, simply because it works. its just that nowadays people try to get all hip and shit and they abandon the good old ways

...

I was hoping you were joking?

When you do that to a dog you are literally breaking it and making it scared of you. If the dog is already submissive you just totally turned the dog fearful and I wouldn't be surprised if it bites you one day.

To the OP - sounds like your dog wants more attention from you. It's true, no matter how much your dog is around you or runs around by itself, it needs actual engagement/playtime with you. It needs to be stimulated or else it will get bored and anxious. Some breeds don't need as much as others, but all dogs need it.

If you don't want to play outside, try teaching your dogs tricks and giving it rewards. Dogs love that. Get your dog a Kong or other treat-toy where it has to work to get treats out.

You can also take the stuffed animal away every time it rubs against you, walk it away from you, give it the toy, tell it to stay (and not come in rubbing distance to you) and praise it profusely when it stays away. You will have to do this repeatedly, consistently, over and over again and then praise it when it.

It may just be annoying you on purpose for attention.

Seems like it really just wants play time with its doggie parents.

And a walk or doing an agility run or doing pet trick drills can't really be topped. Dogs need engagement and stimulation given by their owners or else they will seek attention/amusement in another ways (usually chewing up furniture, barking incessantly, or getting totally crazy).
 
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