[LenaCara]

Hi all,

We got Rory about a month ago. At that time I asked the adoption place weather he chased cats, was destructive, was potty trained and weather or not he ate poop. He is a beagle cattle dog mix and is around 11 months old. The first two weeks he was amazing. Now he is starting all the behavior I attempted to avoid. We are working on all of it with him by using verbal commands and keeping him kenneled up when we are not home. He does really well in the kennel and was actually potty trained so that’s a plus. He did start chewing on the couch arms a bit and went after the trim a couple of times. Both times we directed him to the couch and made him lay down, by telling him to, not forcing him, for 5 min or so and it seems to be working. What I’m wondering is how long does it take for a new dog to settle him and let the bad stuff show? And how long does it take to break the behavior? With Josie it was easy because she was small and easy to catch. Him not so much. Plus she had that adorable puppy thing going and he looks full grown so sometimes I feel like he isn’t getting the same treatment she did when she was only with us a month, which isn’t really fair to him. As far as the cats, is there something I should be doing differently since he is so old? With Josie and now him, we just stood between the cats and the dog and told them no and made them leave the area the cat was in. Usually this is the bottom of my closet where my cat has made his home. I have tried the water bottle and loud noises and nothing fazes him. And the poop thing, it’s so gross. He even tries to bring it in sometimes. We have a fenced in back yard and most of the time we are outside with them. Sometimes though, I just let them out to play and check on them every 5 min or so till they come in. I just know he is sneaking poops in but it’s just to cold to be out there as often as they want to be. I will also admit to sending them out when they get the zoomys and just want to wrestle an chase instead of letting them destroy the house. Those would be the times I’m not actively watching them.

 

[Amaryllis]

He's a cutie!

You see real behavior after about a month or so. He probably didn't do those things at the shelter. It's only now that he's feeling comfortable that he's being his chewing stuff, cat chasing, poo eating little self. Don't you feel special?

With the poop, there are additives you can put on food that make it unappealing to eat the resulting poop. You could try that.

As to how long it will take to break the bad habits? 11 months is a destructive age. I got my last dog at 11 months. He was too terrified to move for a month, then he ate my couch, my dining room chairs, my dining room table, and all the baseboard in the kitchen in the space of a week. It was really something. I managed that by penning him in the bathroom while I was gone, and giving him a kong to chew on. And every single time I caught him chewing something he shouldn't, I'd replace it with a toy. But mostly the kong fixed it with Muggsy.

Good luck!

 

[LenaCara]

Thanks Amaryllis. I had no idea that 11 months was a bad age. Josie was pretty much trained by 9 months so we figured he would be pretty calm as well. Even the few things she still that were bad ended once she got a little buddy to wear her out. Rory on the other hand has constant energy. They will play outside for 20-30min and Josie will go to sleep while he keeps looking around for trouble. They do get really riled up when I get home though and Josie starts going after him when he runs up to see me. I think it’s her being jealous but both of their tails are always wagging and no blood has ever been drawn. It doesn’t faze him one bit. Should I be doing something to stop this behavior? Usually I just stand between them until they calm down without giving anyone attention.

 

[Amaryllis]

11 months is solidly within teenager time for dogs, though some dogs, like some humans, never really act that bad as teenagers.

What you're doing with the two dogs together is fine. I usually let dogs work it out unless there's an actual fight. Even growling and snapping is okay as long as it's being used as communication, i.e., one dog gets in the other's face, the other dog snaps, the first dog backs off. That's communication, not a fight.