My Not-So-Sweet Darla

I have a year old Pembroke named Darla. She is friendly around the house, company, and other animals. She would be so perfect if she would stop biting and chewing. She has ripped a hole in my couch and pulled all the stuffing out, chewed the carpet, walls...etc. Latley I have had a really hard time taking her to be groomed and to the Vet. In the first year, I never had a problem taking her to these places. I had her nails clipped the other day and she bit the groomer. I took her to the vet yesterday and she tried to bite the Vet while being restrained for a shot. Neither time did she draw blood, but it is still a bite and has to be stopped immediatly. I have gone through puppy training, but nothing is helping me with this problem. I'm scared that I'm not going to be able to take her anywhere! Any advice or training tips?

0 members like this

Comment

You need to be a member of MyCorgi.com to add comments!

Join MyCorgi.com

Comment by Joanna Kimball on August 31, 2010 at 2:50am: How on earth did she get the couch into her crate?

I'm joking, of course, but that's the problem. She has to be confined when she is unsupervised, she needs rules in the house, and I can GUARANTEE you she's not getting enough exercise. If she was too tired to even lift her head up, she would not be chewing your walls.

She needs to be completely exhausted at least once a day, absolutely worn down to a nub so she sleeps for hours afterward. Is it easy? No, but that's what life is like with a herding dog. They need both body and brain work until they've used up all that energy and smarts.

It's completely normal for dogs to lose their little minds when they turn one. It's the time they'd be separating from the pack, if they were still living out in the plains, and they act just like teenagers that need to move out! They get all rebellious and do things they've never done before. And, just like teenagers, you have to say "Not in my house, young lady" and INSIST that she behave. But you are not going to get anywhere until she's tired. As in TIRED.

And, as I said first, crate her again. No unsupervised house activity.

Comment by yvonne reames on August 29, 2010 at 9:57pm: We are experiencing similar behaviors. We keep chew bones everywhere! We don't like rawhides because I actaully had a dog choke on one before. He was ok only because I caught him choking. Everytime we catch him chewing, we correct and give him what he can have. Our problem with chewing has ceased. Sometimes they chew because they are bored. If you work and Darla is home alone, give her confinded space where trouble cannot be found. We also leave calm music on when we are gone. That helps the anxiety we have learned. Corgi's are very smart and need stimulation. When Truman is tired, everyone has a good night. Make a big deal about everything Darla does correctly. She needs to know you are in charge and what you expect from her.

The nails. We are stuck here too. Our groomer says most Corgi's she grooms turn crazy with the nails. Tru does the same thing and he will bite. All I am doing with that is everytime he is asleep, I play with his pads to reinstate good feeling about his feet being touched. We will see if this has helped the next time. You can consult with your vet to determine options too.

Rides. Rides have to be fun. Start giving Darla rides to the park. Make the rides memorable and fun for her. That will help with anxiety. These are the kinds of things we do to correct behavior. Our dog Tug took a long time to get excited about the car. Now he goes nutts!! Loves to go for rides. Keep practicing good practive and be stronger than your Darla. She is somewhat a pup and fighting you for alpha.

Again, I hope this helps.