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Permalink Reply by Cindy Lincoln on April 24, 2012 at 5:49pm

Gosh, I'm sorry you're having so much trouble with Kirby.  My Ella is 8 months old now and I thought she was a little angel up until about a couple weeks ago.  She's great when I'm in the house with her but when I go out (I work at home but in our garage), she has recently begun chewing on the drywall and moldings.  I'm trying to work out that issue as we speak.  I hate to have to crate her but I was told that if they're under a year old, they shouldn't get to free roam yet, that they just aren't responsible enough yet.    I left chew toys all over the place today but when I came in, right away I spotted the new hole she had chewed.  That makes 3 now.  I'm hoping that she will outgrow this behavior as I hope your Kirby will also.  Maybe it's true that he misses you during the day.  I don't know how you can change that if you work.  I'm only out in the garage for about an hour or two and this happens!  I guess she will just have to spend more time in her crate until she outgrows this bad behavior.  :(  Hang in there!

 

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Permalink Reply by Beth on April 24, 2012 at 6:07pm

I have no practical advice.  There is a reason some dogs end up in rescue....    Sorry he is being so difficult.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on April 24, 2012 at 6:14pm

Have you tried a plastic crate?

Just a thought, but maybe he needs a job?  Most dogs that are neurotic like that when you leave, are great at doing something good.  Agility, search and rescue, arson dog, etc.  We started training our shepherd mix to be a search and rescue dog, and it has calmed her down tremendously.  Kirby sounds like he has a ton of pent up energy, and needs a positive release for it.  I know I can run my shepherd forever, and she still needs a job to release her energy.  It's like she knows she's made for something really good, some really good job, just hasn't found it yet.  She needs to stimulate her mind and use it to focus on something.  It calms the rest of her.

The other thought is that he is being a typical teenage puppy and will grow out of it eventually.  Seanna was a terror for about a month and then viola--one day she grew up and never did anything terrible again.  Good luck- I know how frustrating it is.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on April 24, 2012 at 7:06pm

I agree with needing a job.  I remember watching a show on avalanche dogs.   Almost all in this unit were rescues.   The handlers would go to the shelter and pick the highest-energy dogs, the ones bouncing off the cages.  They had other criteria too, of course, but they said that their dogs get so much work that they need the ones who are impossible for most pet homes to deal with.  

Melissa, perhaps you can teach Kirby some games?   Jack has a few he's made up and they help burn mental energy.  He has his own rules and everything.  It's really pretty funny.  Anyway, exercise alone does not tire Jack and he needs something that makes him think (not just your basic sit/stay/come).   Fortunately, he's a dog who really wants to be a good boy so I never had the sort of outcomes you are talking about.   Just constantly being pestered to play.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Markley on April 24, 2012 at 7:09pm

Beth,

That's exactly how Sage was when we adopted her.  She'd been in the shelter for almost four months, and no one would adopt her because she jumped.  They had her in a 10 ft pen, and she literally was jumping straight up to the top of it, over and over.  That's all she did the whole time she was there.  We felt sorry for her and took her--other than the many things she's destroyed in my house, she is a GREAT dog.  And soon hopefully will be a GREAT search and rescue dog!

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on April 24, 2012 at 7:13pm

See the weird thing is, he's not a high energy dog. One long run and play session a day and he is crashed out for the rest of the day and part of the night. He is nocturnal and will get up around 2-3 and start chewing bones and stuff, but he spends most of his time sleeping. He is NOTHING like Franklin on the energy scale. Franklin needs puzzle toys and one long run in the middle of the day will tire him out for maybe 2-3 hours and then he's ready to go again. In fact when we play in the evenings often Kirby won't even join in and will opt to watch from a comfy spot on the couch instead. Sometimes he does play along, but really the energy isn't there. He also doesn't try to figure out any of the interactive toys I have, even the easy ones. He likes to chew on stuff but on any given day has about 2 antlers, multiple rawhides, and a ton of toys to chew on so I just don't understand his need squish into my closet and steal shoes or to climb on my bookshelves and pull books from the shelf. I'm sure its a separation anxiety thing because he just isn't a real driven dog. He does have a really high herd drive, but only does that when we are out playing fetch. If I could afford it I would for sure take him to herding classes, but unfortunately they are pretty expensive in my area so its just not practical.

 

I am going to have to start crating him in a plastic crate and see what happens but in all actuality I feel like what's the point in even having him if he has to be confined to a crate all the time? A major part of why I got a second dog was to keep Franklin company and he isn't doing that when he has to be locked in a crate all day. Not to mention the fact that he goes to the bathroom about 100 times a day (he has access to the patio with a dog door) so I'm not sure how he would do holding it all day even though technically he should be able to.

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Permalink Reply by Bax & Zigs & Rosie on April 25, 2012 at 9:56am

Please don't think that just because you have to crate Kirby right now means he won't be fulfilling his duties as playmate for Franklin. Kirby will get better, he is just needs to learn that when you're not at home, it's not time for mischief. I had to crate Ziggy for a long time because he would get into lots of trouble when I was gone. Hang in there, things will get better!

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Permalink Reply by Di, Pazu, and Mochi the Bunny on April 24, 2012 at 8:13pm

Beth, What sort of games did you teach Jack and what kind of games did he invent? 

Melissa, did you say you had a cat?  The bunny and the cat gave Pazu a job to do and my roommates had a mouse and two herdings dogs, Pazu and Lilo, would just sit there and keep watch over it for hours.  The teaser ball (http://www.amazon.com/Teaser-Ball-Dog-Toy-Size/dp/B004BRD83E/ref=sr...) or jolly pets bounce n play ball  I find is a good toy for herding dogs because it seems to stand up to chewing, but also rolls easily on its own so when the dog tries to herd it, it starts rolling and basically keeps rolling as long as the dog is herding/nipping at it. 

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Permalink Reply by Di, Pazu, and Mochi the Bunny on April 24, 2012 at 6:35pm

Kirby sounds really smart.  Pazu has only managed to escape one type of confinement.  I am going to suggest a cover for your extra tall ex-pens... meaning putting a plastic transparent sheet (paint sheets - they sell at home depot) and alligator clipping the edges to the top of the extra tall ex-pens.  Why?  Because I think it's a difficult for a corgi to chew on something while he's trying to climb, but I could be wrong and also place part of the ex pen into a corner.  My rabbit was the little Houdini.  He learned to climb the ex-pens and jump, but even him I eventually figured out how to prevent him from jumping.  I also did something else for my 2 lb rabbit.  I would stack boxes on the side closest to the corner so that even when the rabbit got to the top, he would find that there was no where to go after he made the climb (what a letdown) except into a box with only a giant hole in the front.  And my rabbit loves to chew wires and paper... so I would let him climb to the top of something and chew a bathroom roll or something.  "Yes you can have your fun and hop/climb around, but ha, I still have you where I want you and I still get to control what you chew!"  Oh and if you are tech savvy, I would recommend seeing if you can connect a webcam to record HOW he's escaping.... because I was very surprised by how Mochi my bunny was able to escape (and I would pay extra attention to the openings where the expens lock together) but if I just hung around and tried not to pay attention, eventually he would make his move and I would know how he did it!  And I have two or three ex-pens available for my use so with my rabbit where Mochi would escape one to only wind up in another one!  Haha.  I was really frustrated with Mochi's destructiveness but I love the thrill of setting up mazes to keep Mochi confined.  It was an adventure. 

And I assume he has a lot of those Kong puzzle toys?? (And not the red beehive looking one, because that toy is so easy Pazu finishes it in a few minutes) Pazu doesn't care for toys lying around, but give him a puzzle toy with food that does come out and with food that doesn't easily come out (and some that I know definitely will NEVER come out unless I take it out) and he'll be occupied for a while. 

Just keeping being confident that you are smarter than Kirby because you are!  :) 

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Permalink Reply by Donna and Lilly on April 24, 2012 at 7:25pm

Have you tried a kong?  Filled with peanut butter?  I usually have to play fetch at least twice a day...sometimes 3 times.  Hang in there!

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Permalink Reply by Sandy Stickney on April 24, 2012 at 8:16pm

Hi Melissa, Maybe he needs more mental stimulation? Agility maybe?

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Permalink Reply by Kevan hudson on April 24, 2012 at 9:14pm

Hi Melissa,actually I am wondering more about how did he get ahold of phone chargers,Bluetooth,your shoes,how does he get onto your counters? Surely they are higher than 2ft.? How on earth does he manage to reach bookshelves?When my wife and I rescued our Abbie she was an unholy terror,I remember coming home and finding things shredded from one end of the house to the other,she's a beagle mix btw ,she could actually jump onto the counters from a sit on the floor,she had gotten into cupboards,etc.out of fears for her safety we started crating her when we were gone.I also began "child proofing " the house,cupboards had childproof latches installed,shoes were always put away out of sight or reach,anything we didn't want chewed was secured,she never really went after the furniture thankfully,the counters never were left with anything near them that she could use as "stairs",when ,after time, we stopped crating her,we would leave a towel on the counters on those towels were pop bottles with some pennies in them,if she tried to jump on the counters shed pull the towel the bottles would crash to the ground and startle her,we only noticed this once, she has never counter surfed again,we realized that if she did get ahold of something that we had left out and destroyed it, it was more our fault than hers,it took about a year before she became truly dependable, now three years later we have no qualms at all about leaving her unattended,anyway good luck,I'd hate to see another rescue returned,

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