Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My dog is 2 1/2 years old and he's never been trained by a pro. He's somewhat obediant but lately he's been acting up. since he roams free in our yard he's gotten the habbit of make his way into the laundry room and taking every last peice of clothing out and throwing them all over the yard. When I get hoe and go out side and see the mess he starts throwing himdelf on the ground with shame almost. Ive never caught him in the act but he seems to understand it's wrong. When I start picking up the things he gets all sad and puts his head down. I tell him firmly NO but he still does it every day.

What can I do?

Crate train him, or put him in the house when you're away? Is he outside all the time? He may just be really bored or lonely..

Giving him things to chew on, like large bones, might help.. Spending lots of quality time playing with him and walking him might help (a couple of hours a day, at least).. If he is outside most of the time that could well be the problem, dogs need to be inside and part of the family..

Chances are he's reading your body language and getting sad that you're angry, not because he knows he did something wrong. If the correction (the "no" in this case) doesn't come within 2 seconds of the action he won't understand why you're telling him no. Dog's don't think like people do, they don't have a concept of guilt. Put a lock on the laundry room door.. And never punish a dog for doing something that you didn't catch him doing.. It will only make him more upset and confused and he may start throwing things around even more to release his frustration..

That's all I've got, maybe someone else can help more.. Make sure he's a very important part of the family both inside and outside of the house, and put a lock he can't get through on the laundry room door.. If it's a dog door that he has I would close it off and let him in and out when he needs to, and make sure that he has a ton of toys and things to chew on..

Thanks. We do keep the door shut but sometimes one of us forgets and he goes in there. Bringing him in the house in pretty hard since I have never had in here for more than a few minutes. He goes crazy and jumps on beds turns trash bins over and throws pillows around! I dont know if I could train him to behave indoors at this age. About the guilt, I think sometimes we underestimate a dogs mind. Maybe he doesnt feels guilty but he understands that the mess he made is wrong.

He sounds bored and he is entertaining himself.
Like Leah said, dogs do not feel guilt.
If they could, then you would have to give him credit for a logical thought process, such as-
I know this will bother them, so I'm going to go in and get stuff out of the laundry room and strew it all over the yard.And then, when you see it he must be able to think, Oh, now I have been caught and I am in trouble and I'm sorry.
Dogs don't think like that. They are by the moment animals.
He is reacting to however your body language is presented and/or your voice.
He does it because it pleased him at the moment.
He probably found it fun and relives boredom and so he does it again.
Restrict acess, a baby gate if nothing else, exercise him ALOT, give him appropriate toys or bones to have outside, or train him and bring him in.
he'll be happier and so will you in the long run.
May take alot of work and time and patience, but it can be done.

>>Thanks. We do keep the door shut but sometimes one of us forgets and he goes in there. Bringing him in the house in pretty hard since I have never had in here for more than a few minutes. He goes crazy and jumps on beds turns trash bins over and throws pillows around! I dont know if I could train him to behave indoors at this age. About the guilt, I think sometimes we underestimate a dogs mind. Maybe he doesnt feels guilty but he understands that the mess he made is wrong.

>>>>>>>>>>>

With some help you can train a 2 1/2 year old dog to be steady in the house much more easily than a younger dog. But you're going to need some help. A German Shepherd is a very intelligent dog who needs skilled training, and no one is born knowing how to do it. We all have to learn from experts, or else we just keep messing up our dogs' training.
-----
Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com

If it's simply the clothes thing - by far the easiest solution is to make sure he doesn't have access. Why should the burden be on the dog to solve the problem that the humans can't remember to shut the door?

Also, he's almost certainly spreading the clothes for amusement. Give him something appropriate to play with in the yard.

At this point, it sounds like it's become a game. I have a similar game with our shepherd, only we both know it's a game.

As the other poster said, if he is acting "with shame almost", then he is most likely reacting to your reaction, not the cause of your reaction.

The only way to stop this behaviour is to prevent him from having access when you are not there, and when you are there, use that time to train him what is and isn't appropriate behaviour.

well the obvious is don't let him have access to the laundry, but its an issue that he is all of a sudden doing this when he hasn't been 'destructive' before? its been said many times & I've experienced it personally with a dog, but sometimes a sudden change in behavior can signal a physical problem. a vet visit could be in order. be very observant of any other changes which may be more subtle. Is he neutered? If not, a nearby female in heat could trigger some strange behaviours. I agree with the others that boredum could be a factor, my dogs have lots of toys & I change them frequently & several of them are really 'genius' at creating new games so dogs really need lots of mental stimulation. Hope you get some ideas & figure it out. Its hard on a forum to detail the entire situation, so tossing out lots of ideas & 1 or 2 may apply. Let us hear.

Did he just figure out to open the door? this could be the reason its so sudden. It may be a bitch in heat or a new injury however i doubt the latter.

As for training him to be inside and behave.

I would suggest at first bringing him in on a leash and for only a short period of time ie. 10 minutes. increase the time when you feel he's ready. eventually he'll get used to it feel right at home inside. Basic training always helps even if your the one training. It helps establish who's BOSS.

Good luck

Sounds like he's a healthy but bored young dog. He should be restricted to certain areas when not under supervision.

Best Regards,
Peter

German Shepherd Excellence

BORED..A dog left to his own devices is going to invent things to do..

Kids who wish attention from their parents are going to get that attention by 1. doing good things or if that doesn't work 2. doing BAD things to get attention..Dogs do the same thing, any attention is worth something. Sounds like this dog is either bored and/or is seeking attention

Your dog does not have to be trained by a "pro" to be able to live with him. It's up to you as an owner, to provide training in order to have a good "citizen".

With him living in your backyard, he's isolated from "family" no matter how much attention he gets..He's on the outside looking in. GSD's are very pack orientated and "want" to be with their people.

"Acting up" isn't what this is all about, it's about boredom and lack of training. If a dog such as a GSD isn't provided with something to do, it's going to find something to do, and most times that can spell trouble.

Sorry if I sound like I'm giving a lecture..IF you want to enjoy your dog, make him more a part of your life by training and being involved in his life.

diane

I agree. However while you should consider everything in the previous post there's one more possibility.It's always a good idea to train your dog. What about getting another dog to keep him/her company? If you do decide to get another dog i would strongly recommend training the current dog first.

Good luck with your problem.

P.S. feedback is always welcomed

If he gets another dog with the first one, which seems to be destructive and lively on his own, who knows what other games and frustration he'll cause for the owner? My GSD is fairly well trained by my family. While in the house he just walks or sleeps, or gets hyper when provoked to play. Other than that.. I agree with the other posts.

/What about getting another dog to keep him/her company?/

If one dog is bored from lack of exercise, stimulation and quality time and interaction with its human pack leaders, then adding another dog to the equation is *never* a solution....
In fact, in multiple dog homes, there is greater chance of behavior issues because the dogs focus on each other rather than the humans.
Especially with "backyard" dogs that are ignored and left to entertain themselves, you tend to see increased patterns of frustration/aggression as they chase squirrels, run the fence line, bark and become feral.
GSD's need a job to do (play and exercise with human interaction) and attention.
If you don't have the time/money/understanding to train one dog, then getting another dog will just mean the rescue groups need to find new homes for 2 dogs.
A 2 yr old GSD needs to be walked daily and given a job to do (mental stimulation like hide and seek, where's the ball, etc)...
running in a back yard does not constitute enough exercise or stimulation.