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Dog people
So I'm on a swap meet fb page for our base. There is a girl who posted asking if anyone could give her a dog crate because "my dog is chewing up everything when we leave and if he doesn't stop we have to get rid of him." A couple people posted that they were selling some crates, for around $35. She responded with "well we just don't have the money to spend on one."
Ugh. Aside from the obvious, don't get a pet if you can't afford to buy it what it needs advice, do y'all have any tips that I can give her on how to help a chewing dog? We never had this issue and the only thing I can think of is to get the dog some toys or treats that they can chew. I feel really awful that she's just going to get rid of this dog because she can't afford a crate.
Re: Dog people
Two routes:
1 - If the dog is never left alone, never ever, she can "tether" the dog to a human. The dog must remain on leash at all times. Watch for cues, and if the dog starts to wrap his mouth around something he shouldn't chew on, get his attention, give him a simple command, then reward that command with a chew toy.
2 - A crate is cheaper than having an obstruction removed. A crate or 24/7 supervision is the absolute only way to solve destructive chewing. The human has to sleep sometime though, right?
Honestly, if she can't afford a crate then it might be better to give the dog to someone else. By someone else I mean a responsible person, not a shelter.
The only suggestion I have is to give it a room to itself. Our dog has MAJOR separation anxiety. He was hurting himself in his crate. We tried 3 or 4 different types but he could either get out of them or would try to chew his way out and his mouth would bleed.
We took him to the vet and she suggested we give him his "own room". I know a lot of people don't have that luxury but if her dog was in the room by itself with only chew toys, then he wouldn't get into anything.
Also, if the room/crate is not an option, she can try frozen bananas or peanut butter in Kong toys.
My only concern is that the dog will chew through something and hurt himself.
The frozen Kong and room are good suggestions, depending on the dog. I've seen dogs chew right through drywall though, and my sister's dog ripped the wood trim completely off a door. If it's truly anxiety, the dog may not be distracted by food.
Any idea how old the dog is? That info could help determine if this is bad puppy manners or if it's a medical anxiety problem.
When Rudi was a puppy and had bad manners, he nibbled a $.25 blousing strap and my uniform hat after I'd been TDY for a month. After his anxiety blew up, he started chewing through mattresses, beds, his crate, the wall, himself, all in a matter of months, as an adult.
If she can't afford a crate, there's no way she can afford vet visits, behavioral modification training/tools, and anxiety prescriptions.
The more and more I think about this, the more I think the dog needs a new home, but it's really sh!tty to rehome a dog that has bad manners, or worse, an undiagnosed anxiety problem.
And.
If this is an unemployed person who's unwilling to get a job to provide for a living being's basic necessities, I'll kick him/her in the shin. For real.
There isn't much I despise more than people who get an animal but don't care enough to give it the proper training and/or attention, and then just try to resort to getting rid of it. There was a poster on TK who wanted to get rid of her dog because it chewed several pairs of her shoes. Because apparently it's the dogs fault, not the fault of her and her FI for leaving them within the dog's reach.
And I agree that if she can't afford $35 for a crate, how the hell is she going to give this dog the proper vet care it needs, and even just the standard shots?
Another option though is they sell sprays that you can spray on things like furniture that have a bitter taste to them, and are supposed to stop them from chewing on things. I've also known dogs though who aren't deterred by it at all.
With Simon it was all about teaching him that we are always going to come home and that we love him. He was a rescue and had some mild anxiety issues to being with. He was crated when we weren't home for the first several months we had him and then we started with a few hours at a time leaving him out. We keep closet doors closed and things picked up that we don't want him to get to. He does amazingly well now. It has taken a lot of training and such but he is doing a lot better.
I think if she can't afford a crate and can't be with the dog all the time then she needs to think about giving him to a home that has the time and energy and love for him.
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I agree with other people posts, how is she going to pay the vet's bill is she does not have $35 for the create. I mean my pups heart worm treatment is more that than every 6 months. I think she is just make an excuses and she really does not want keep the dog.
It burns me that people get pets and do not remember that they depend on us for everything. A friend of mine adopted a dog about two years ago and the previous owners did not give him heart worm treatment and he got heart worms and they did not treat them. When my friend finally got the dog (once the owners sawed his teeth down for hunting and left him in the woods to die) his heart was beyond repair. She treated him for everything and there was just nothing that could be done. He lived about two years and just passed away.
Ok sorry for the soap box!
I use nylabone for my two.
This is purely rhetorical, because I don't really want to know the answer, but HOW could a person saw down a dog's teeth? It's obvious a vet wasn't involved in this dog's life.
This makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry all night.
Sorry to post and run! I don't know this girl personally but sent her a message with suggestions and asking for more details but all she said was thanks.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I agree the dog would probably be better off with an owner with the resources to take care of it properly.
The spray thing didn't work for my dog. We did watered down hot sauce and that worked for one of our dogs.
Like othes said though i hate people who get animals with no regard to how much they cost for their needs.
The Dogs and Us
my dog has crazy seperation anxiety.. and she is a rescue which makes it all the worse.. we love her though, so even though she ruined.. 2 steel kennels... and ripped apart a door and a carpet... we still have her and she is behaving much better now.
we got her a new kennel. and didnt stick her in it right away since she is a houdini ... we made it comfy and put an old shirt o my husbands in there, its comforting to have something that smells like you.. also, i put a dark towel over the top so its dark in there...
we started slowly with the kennel.. putting a couple treats in there for her , and when she went in we gave her lots of praise. and gave her another treat form our hand telling her kennel.. we are still working on this case she doesnt like to be locked in there while we are gone..
also buy a kong toy, they are indestructable.. we put a whole treat in there and then break up another one.. so when she throws it around the broken pieces fall out but the whole piece will keep her busy...
Yeah the previous owners never once took the sweet boy to the vet. When my friend adopted the sweet boy they took him to every specialist they could find around the area. My only thought is at least he knew love for two years.
Some people just suck!!!
I felt the same way when she told me that he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
No kidding. My 6 month old puppy destroyed half of one in a single evening. Although it was not a black Kong.
Another thing to consider that I don't think I saw mentioned is the amount of activity the dog is getting. For a lot of dogs, if they aren't getting enough physical activity they'll make their own (chewing, digging, etc). Boredom is good like that. My dogs last day at boarding last week was apparently a boring one...when he came home we found out the hard way he'd eaten part of a rubber matt (::facepalm::). That's been spectacular to deal with this week.
If they can't afford a $35 crate, how on earth are they affording dog food?
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Black Kongs sounds so dirty.
Lulu lives for a nylabone but any of those so called working toys? Please. She won't touch them with a ten foot pole, no matter how peanut buttery they smell.
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Craigslist.com
They have some good crates on there for $10+ and even some people giving them away. It seems she doesn't want to pay for one, so she could try there. Although, when its time to go to the vet, they aren't going to just "give" her services.
I agree with PP. It's beyond aggravating when someone gets an animal and is surprised by the responsibility and care that is required. What? You mean I have to actually take care of it? Ooh.
I interpreted that directly as "we just want a handout." If they can afford to keep a dog at all, they can afford $35 for a basic necessity to take of the dog with.