Trash Cans and Laundry!

2433 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by wishbone, Apr 19, 2012

HomeworkCrazy

Discussion Starter · Apr 17, 2012

so i have a problem with my dog... she is a 2yr.-old Manchester Terrier, Chihuahua mix and she is generally a pretty quick learner but she can't seem to get the prospect of leaving trash cans and laundry alone!
she is a pretty hyper dog as it is but she is plenty well exercised and we leave her with different chew toys every day and she sometimes uses them, but other times, doesn't
so when my mom is at work and me at school or work, she is digging in the trash cans or laundry baskets... my mom puts her "relaxing clothes" on her small bedside table and Gigi (dog) pulls them off and puts them on my bed; she also steals my underwear, socks, shoes, and bras and puts them on my bed and it's very embarrassing when i have friends come over from after school and it's just plain gross! my parents refuse to by hampers or put up clothes so she can't get them so i don't know what to do to get Gigi to stop!
and also while we are away she gets in the trash cans and digs in them and picks something out and just rips it to shreds! she doesn't even seem to eat it! just rips it up! i'm scared she will eventually digest something that she shouldn't and it could block her up! we spray the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom trash cans with white vinegar which normally tends to keep her away but if somebody throws something new in the trash can, she gets it and rips it up and my parents also refuse to get covered trash cans!
kenneling her isn't an option during the day becuz that's too long for a dog to be in a kennel and my dad will not allow a dog to be kenneled anyway
so does anybody have any ideas? i can try once more to persaude my parents to do covered hampers and trash cans and put up their clothes and if you guys all agree that that is the proper choice and it is well worth it to keep her from "risks" or w/e, then my mom might go for it
any other suggestions otherwise?

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Purple-Hops

· #2 · Apr 17, 2012

Sounds like separation anxiety. Which is the hardest behavior to break because you'r not home.

Instead of a kennel, you will have to get a baby gate and confine her to one room in the house while everybody is away. The room she is confined to should have some articles of clothing with your smell on them (for comfort) and maybe a small radio or tv for the sound.

If she is only acting this way when she's alone then remove all laundry and garbages from the room she's confined to. Make that room a positive enironment for her so she associates it with positivity. Train her in there with her favorite reward and play with her in there. Anytime you see her going near the laundry or garbage when you're home tell her "no" and distract her immediately with praise and toys when she breaks her fixation on it.

Terriers are SO eager to learn and please. She's not doing it to be bad she's doing it to relieve her anxiety when you're gone.

Oh, one more thing! Very important for separation anxiety; NEVER give her attention and say good bye and stuff before leaving! Giving her attention as she acts up when you guys are getting ready to leave only feeds the bad behavior. Ignore her for 10 minutes before leaving. Some trainers also recoomend putting on your coats and packing your bags 10 minutes before you leave so she settles down.

Good luck!

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Blacksheep

· #3 · Apr 17, 2012

if your dog has legs like mine do (small dog, long powerful legs) placing something big on your gate will prevent them from trying to jump over. I have a pressure mounted gait and really it is too small. I use a lid from one of those big rectangular rubbermaid bucket things and lean it against the gate. It really helps.

And a terrier is a terrier. LOTS of toys. Do you only have one dog? If so, KONG toys filled with stuff provide quite a bit of fun for some time.

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Dragonrain

· #4 · Apr 17, 2012

My dog is obsessed with dirty laundry :lol: Dirty socks, underwear, and bras are his favorite. I don't even want to think about all my expensive bras he's chewed up over the years.

Why are your parents so against hampers and covered trash cans? If you shop around, you can find some nice looking hampers and trash cans with covers. It really would be one of the easiest ways to deal with the problem of the dog getting into the trash and laundry. We got a covered trash can with a lock on the lid to keep our dog out of the trash and it completely solved his trash digging issues. The can we got is nice looking and not a hassle to deal with at all.

What about instead of kenneling her, you keep her confined in a certain room or area of the house? You could then dog proof that area for when she's home alone.

She sounds like she may be getting bored while she's home alone. My dog is really hyper and active too and stealing our stuff, destroying stuff, etc is the type of stuff he does when he gets bored and has nothing else fun to do. What is your routine before you leave her home alone? Do you walk her or play with her for awhile before you leave? What about doing training sessions to keep her mind active? Maybe she needs some new types of toys? There are companies that make puzzle toys and things like that for dogs who are smart and get bored of normal toys more quickly than your average dog.

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HomeworkCrazy

Discussion Starter · #5 · Apr 17, 2012

my parents are against covered trashcans and hampers becuz they are convinced it will cast a lot of money to replace all of the 1s we have in the house
routine before i leave the house
play with the dog and try to wear her out, spraying on perfume, rolling on deodorant, putting on my hoodie, grabbing my bookbag, filling a Kong toy with treats and giving her a bone
my mom sprays on her perfume, puts on her shoes, grabs her jackets, grabs her keys, and starts the car
she doesn't seem that anxious when we leave-she whines for a min. or 2... no howling and then she usually goes about her business and after a bit she grabs stuff and does the stuff mentioned above
i don't think a closed off room would work becuz she can jump really high and really far if she is determined enough and i'm not exactly sure if my dad would even leave her in a closed off room
i also try to walk her real far and long at night to wear her out for bed and at 1 point in time i was taking her for a jog every morning and they seemed to help a lil bit to wear her out so she'd behave herself but after a month or 2 she got used to so much activity so she started dragging around laundry and such again so i stopped

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Nibbler

· #6 · Apr 18, 2012

if u really must kennel her try making it a postive place for her, put toys treats ect,leave it open durning the day so that she can go in and out as she pleases (supervised of course) and slowly work with her into full time kenneling while ur gone. you cant just put them in it or they spazz out (so i learned) good luck

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Dragonrain

· #7 · Apr 18, 2012

With just those behaviors it doesn't necessarily sound like separation anxiety to me and it does sound like you try to give her exercise. My dog can be the same way - he doesn't have separation anxiety and I spend over 2 hours a day exercising him but he's just a very active/hyper dog, and when he gets bored he gets into things he's not suppose too.

Have you ever tried doing training sessions in the morning before you leave? Spend 15 or 20 minutes each morning before school working on learning new tricks with her? There are so many creative things you could teach a dog that you'd never run out of things to teach her, and learning new things can sometimes be just as stimulating to a dog as going for a walk. When you have a really smart, active dog, it's good to keep their minds active as well as their bodies.

Honestly I really think you should try getting covered, locking trash cans and hampers for your clothes. Talk to your parents and explain that replacing all the cans and hampers might cost money, but it will be far less than it would cost to have clothing or trash removed surgically from your dogs stomach or intestines.

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wishbone

· #8 · Apr 19, 2012

There are really very intelligent dog that can easily get bored and up to the challenges so they need lots of exercise, running, bouncing, fetching, some even needs to enter classes like agility and behavior.

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