New pet owner (dog)...ideas please!

[Anonymous]

We have taken in a stray from a great rescue organization.

Love her! She is a year old, medium sized, generic hound/lab mix.

A few items about which I need help.

1) Lot of chewing. Purchased a variety of chew toys. She prefers to bury a lot of them and then go for toys, gloves, things in my purse....etc. I've had luck freezing toys (ropes) so they feel different but she needs lots of oral stimulation. Ideas?


2) Shedding. We have slip covers & lint brushes. Not cutting it. Is there a good texture for a couch that I should consider next? Leather? Pleather?


3) My kids are happy to have her but I'm surprised some of the 101 behavior stuff I do with them all day long, isn't clear with the dog. Like they will hold a toy, tell her to sit, then not give her the toy b/c they want to keep her attention. They have also taken a favorite thing she can't have (a donut) and run around the house with it, egging her on to chase them, but then scaring themselves. (They are elementary school aged kids who play sports-old enough to learn. Any good kid-friendly training schools for dogs in Falls Church/Arlington?

[Anonymous]

I think Olde Towne Pet Resort in Springfield has training classes. Give them a call. Better yet, ask your vet for recommendations.

The chewing will improve with a little more time. Some dogs take longer to outgrow it than others. You're doing the right thing - lots of variety, textures, etc. Try Kongs if you haven't already. Make sure any rawhides, bully sticks, pigs ears, etc. are made in the U.S. Lots of concerns right now about treats/foods that are manufactured in China. Also, make sure shoes, purses, etc. are out of reach and try not to leave the dog unsupervised.

Finally, good for you for including the kids in the training. They don't mean any harm, but you're right that their behavior isn't fair to the dog.

Good luck!

Signed,
Veteran pet owner and rescue volunteer

[Anonymous]

Don't let your kids tease the dog! When the dog lunges at them & scares them, you will blame the dog and set her up for worse behaviour.

She is only one year old, the chewing will stop soon enough. Make sure she has enough stimulation and exercise each day. Please don't tell me she is locked in a crate for 7 hours.

A hound/lab mix will have a high energy level at this age - make sure she gets at least 2 long (20 mins or more) a day. Maybe take her to a doggy park to run around. Then she will come home tired and not be so destructive.

[Anonymous]

My dog chewed until she was 2.5 and still resorts to it if she's bored. Make sure she can't get into anything and try a variety of toys, esp treat-dispensing ones. Antlers are also good.

[Anonymous]

Congrats on the new family member! We went to Woofs for our dog training. It's in Ballston (they also have a Shirlington location) and I recall a few other families there with kids. Also, I don't know the age cutoff for their puppy parties, or even if they still have them, but I'd look into those. They're awesome, they're free, and a professional trainer is there. Woofs also does day care and boarding, and the people there are all such dog lovers. They're very good to their animals.

[Anonymous]

Sucker. Dogs suck.

[Anonymous]

Congrats on the new pup! Some of the issues will improve with time and some of them you will just get used to .

With regard to the shedding, the most effective thing I have found is to get a really good anti-shed dog brush and use it very regularly, like a couple of times a week. I think the most popular brand is the furminator but it is $$$. We have a knockoff that works very well. The right brush will depend on the dog's hair texture. I find that using the brush often really cuts down on the hair in the house, but if I go more than a few days without a good brushing, the hair is everywhere again. Fortunately my dog loves being brushed so it's just a matter of finding the time.

Don't worry about getting a new couch. The dog should NOT be on the furniture at all. Get her a nice dog bed or even two (one for living room or main area of house, one for where she sleeps at night) and teach her to use it, and teach the kids that it is off limits to them. Letting the dog on the furniture is not only a recipe for hair-covered clothes, it sends the message to the dog that she is equal to the family members in the pack hierarchy. This is not what you want. She needs to know you are the alpha and you are in charge.

Agree with PPs that you MUST supervise the kids closely while they learn how to treat the dog. Dog-training is important but it sounds like what you really need is kid-training. Teasing is an absolute no-no. It may be more supervision (of the kids) than you had bargained for, but it is worth the time investment now to avoid a dangerous or sad situation later (e.g. the dog gets punished or even rehomed for something that isn't really her fault, or worst case she bites one of the kids who is teasing her.)

Good luck! Enjoy your new family member!

[Anonymous]

Just to be safe, don't leave shoes lying around. If she starts chewing, offer her a chew bone, i.e., rawhide or another alternative (our dog threw up rawhide). Our dog chewed our furniture, rugs, carpet on steps - you name it! He stopped at around age 1.5 (he was 1 when we adopted him), so offer her an alternative and don't leave anything around that she can grab and chew (shoes, toys).

Don't let the children tease her - one of the PP was right - and have her eat in peace.

We have a hound and I use a shed n' blade on him, and if we use it everyday, we cut down tremendously on the hair. We also give him a good 2-4 mile walk a day, to which he will be zombie like afterwards and mellow for the rest of the day. He's not allowed on furniture, however, he and our small dog sleep on our bed - I just can't say no - he would cry all night! He's also crate trained, and although we never ask him to go in it anymore, he will stay lie in it if we're in the family room.

He dug underneath our privacy fence and ended up in our neighbhor's house! They left their back door open, so he ran in the house and up to the 3rd floor - jumped in bed with their teenager. He also once got stuck underneath the fence and we had to pull him out - so we had to put a mini fence around the privacy fence. Hounds are diggers! Just a word of caution

He turned out to be the best dog, we couldn't have asked for a more loving, patient, fun dog. He loves children, and will push his way in to play and sleep with them. Very few of my son's friends (age 7) have dogs, and I'm sure his friends go home covered in dog hair, but they all love our big beast!

[Anonymous]

ELK ANTLERS. MOst specialty dog stores sell these now. They are for chewing. They last a long, long time and my dogs can't get enough of them. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Yes to elk antlers. Freeze them to make them last even longer. And of course Kongs (also frozen) for fun.

As far as the kids, get the book Living with kids and dogs without losing your mind. Great, readable, full if ideas on how to train both dogs and kids to help them get along.