Hunter is being a bad dog, what else is new? This time it isn't his aggression, its him getting into EVERYTHING.

-Up on counters
-Into the garbage
-Stealing clothing
-Getting into the ferrets (He gets a bite from this so has somewhat stopped)
-Picking up EVERY little thing he can find
-Eating shoes
-Rummaging in purses (Yes, I didn't know dogs did that either)
-As I'm typing this I just took nail polish out of his mouth, where he got it is beyond me!

I say "drop it" and he runs away, if it is a toy and I say drop it he does. I don't really know how to disipline this, saying "NO" in a stearn voice doesn't help, taking it away doesn't help (He just goes and finds something else)...

Im pretty sure bordem is the cause, but It happens no matter what though, if I take him for a walk or not, as well as play with him... I don't know what else to do to help his boredom. He has one of those things you put treats in, two actually, but he just gets the treats out in seconds and moves on to the next thing that appears edible in his little eyes. He has Duke to play with, who is always up for a good chase...

Any suggestions?

Welcome to the "terrible twos".

You just need to be stern on what he can chew and what he cant. Any time he has something inappropriate, take it way, HOLD ON TO HIM, say no.. And give him a toy he can have.

Counter surfing.. Set him up to scare himself. Put pots and pans, or doggy mouse traps (yes, they do sell them) on the edge of the counter top. When he jumps up, he'll knock everything down or get snapped at. You can also teach him to stay out of the kitchen... Sneak up on him and discipline him. One time I caught my dog counter surfing.. I snuck up on her and whiped her feet right from under her. Never did it again. Counter surfing is kind of hard to break because you can't always be there when they do it.

Spray bitter yuck on your shoes or any other item he enjoys destroying. He'll learn that "your" things don't taste good.

I think I advised you to do this before.. Make him do "dumb dog tricks". Roll over, play dead, high five... there are many others that you can teach him. Its going to stress him more because you can't show him what you want like you can with obedience. He has to figure it out. Sign up for agility. I own hunting dogs. A walk around the block barely starts their engines. The dog park isn't good enough.. You have to exercise his mind and his body at once. Hounds are a type of hunting dog.. and they are very smart. You need to give him an outlet of some sort, or you are going to continue to have problems.

Yes. I plan on starting to train him this summer to go hunting! He has a great nose on him and we tested him and a gun shot doesn't faze him at all! I think he'd have a lot of fun and exercise. His retreiving instincts are great as well.

Is there a "home made" yuck I can use? I'd prefer not to go out and buy it...

Usually his walk turns into a jog, Im going to invest into a doggie back pack when he is full grown (That way I know how much he can hold and the size of bag) which I think will help.

Summer? He is being destructive now! You can't wait until summer to start anything. You need to start doing something now. Dogs don't wait for hunting seasons to start.. They are "on" 24/7.

This is the biggest concern.. Hunting dogs need to be worked in the off season as well as the on season. You can't expect him to be good until you're ready to train him to hunt or hunting season began.

I would strongly suggest that you find someplace you can allow him to run off leash... that is, if his recall is good. Someplace where he can't get into trouble.

This isn't a small lap dog. He is a hunting breed.. and he needs to get out.. We have adopted hunting dogs to people who run 100 miles a week... Marathon runners.. and avid hikers. Hunter being a hound (of some type) is right along those needs. Hunting dogs NEED TO RUN and they NEED to be tired, both mentally and physically.

Sorry, but Im not taking a short haired dog out in -40! We play inside, and I try and take him for walks but his feet freeze, and he refuses to wear boots.

I said training him for hunting in the summer, I said nothing about taking him for walks or anything now!

Anytime you have a problem, I advise you of a solution.. You always have a reaosn why you can't do something.

I'm done giving you advise.

I have to agree, if you want to train him for hunting in the summer, he needs to be worked now. That means taking him out in the woods, in yes, -40, (they make dog apparel for this reason) and work on his recall. If he has no recall he is no good for hunting.

This, obviously will help with his boredom.

No dog likes boots at first but they get used to them. Lots of bitter spray and forced walking and he'll be happily running in the snow in no time.

Emily, what happened? Last week he was so well behaved. Now he's the devil dog again?

I just said I wasn't training him for hunting until summer. I said nothing about walking/jogging/dog parks, any of that. Im just not teaching him to track anything yet, or teaching him to retrieve in water until summer. We've been working on his retrieving, but its not hunting orientated, its just retrieving and bringing it back...
The things were going to work on in the summer are:
Exposure to birds (ducks, geese, prairie chickens etc)
Remain Steady to Wing and Shot (When he sees a bird or hears a shot he sits completely still and waits)
Shake on Command (he can't shake the water off until he has dropped the bird in my hand)
And for him to get used to boats, he can't do that in 5 feet of snow.

He isn't "devil dog" again, he just has been getting into a lot of things, he isn't aggressive, he still listens to commands (The ones he knows), but if Im not watching him 100% he gets into things, I'm looking for things I can do in the cold. He hates wearing clothes and refuses to wear them, he just lays down and won't move, if I take him outside without them he wants to come home within 20 minutes (so we do go for very short walks). We play fetch outside, then if he gets cold we just go in..

Training a hound for the hunt :: Prairie State Outdoors

If you want a hunting dog, you need to start now. You can't wait for summer. You don't want to start trianing during hunting season. You need to make sure your dog gets it a little bit before hunting season.. But what do I know.. I only own bird dogs ;)

Emily, if you can't help yourself, how is your dog going to know right from wrong. You take him out for walks and to the dog park, yet won't exercise him or start training due to weather. You own a SPORTING BREED.. They need to get out and they need to run.. bad weather or not. My dogs love to go run.. they will run in the dead of winter.. and guess what? They don't feel cold until their done running. If you are too lazy to exercise your dog the proper way, then you need to find him a new home. He needs out, he needs exercise and he needs training. You are providing neither. You are constantly complaining about how bad he is. Well, he is bored. Lets coop you up in a house and expect you to be good when your energy levels are spiking through the roof.. when your mind is churning on what to do next. Hunter is not a lap dog. He has a purpose and he wants to find out what that purpose is. Plus, good hunting dogs will preform in any condition.

Get him a jacket if you are that concerned about the cold Dog Blankets just like Horse Blankets

Either fix the issues you are having, or don't complain. We are all getting tired of your highs and lows of ownership.

Here's the thing Emily. Every week you seem to have a new issue with one of your pets.

You post about it, we give you suggestions, and none of them are things you're willing to do.

I own three dogs right now. One is a lab cross, another a border collie cross, and then my little hound dog beagle.

They're all working dogs, and they all need to be able to fulfill what they're bred for, otherwise they go nuts.

I don't have sheep to herd, so the border collie and I play games that fulfill his urge to herd. If I didn't do this he'd likely start becoming aggressive. The need to do what he's bred to do is so ingrained, if I didn't do the things I do, he'd lose his mind.

Same with Chewy, the beagle. His is a scent hound. If he's not given tasks to fulfill what he's meant to do, he gets destructive. With Chewy it's easy. We will take an old bit of clothing, hide it in our yard, and then he has to find it. In the summer we hide, and he finds us. He loves to play this game, and yes, we play it even in the winter. I live in Canada too, I know the winters are cold. Chewy is also a short haired breed, and yes, he gets cold. But, when we're outside, exercising, running around, he quickly warms up and most times I have to drag him in because I'm too cold.

Any dog can get used to wearing a jacket. You have to start slow, lots of treats, lots of praise. You can't just put it on and expect him to accept it. It takes patience. If you don't have the patience to do that, you'll never be able to train him to be a hunting dog.

There are indoor areas you can take your dog. Check into finding one in your area, a place that Hunter can socialize, and learn. There have to be hunting organizations near you. You may have to travel a bit, but finding a group with hunting dogs would be very beneficial for Hunter. Dogs learn better from other dogs then they do from humans.

Bottom line, you have to start being an owner. That means caring for every part of your dogs needs, not just food and shelter.

It's time to stop whining about what you can't do, and find a way to do it!

I have to spread some rep to Alty, but I totally agree with her.

Your dog will adjust to the temperature changes. You just need to get out there and do it.

Obviously you didn't read my post. I TAKE HIM FOR RUNS! Im not lazy. Im just not training him, I already posted why I couldn't! He retrieves in the yard, but almost every dog plays fetch, hunter just has to wait for the command to go and get what was thrown. So I guess I am training him for hunting just not all parts. And no, there is no inside area I can take him, we have 4 dog parks, which we go to quiet often.

How am I being lazy?

-Hunter runs (He hates the cold so won't go for more than 20 minutes, but I still take him for those 20 minutes)
-We play fetch outside once he comes in and warms up
-We go to the dog park for a little bit (again he gets cold)
-We play inside A lot

Well obviously his needs aren't being met, because he's getting destructive.

That's what your thread is about. The only advice we can give you is to fulfill his needs, the needs of his breed. If you do that, he'll stop being destructive.

I didn't say I didn't want to fulfill his needs, all I said was I wasn't training him till summer and everyone blows up. It is my decision, my moms, as well as my dads, we all decided you cannot train him to be a real hunting dog unless he can get out in the field and be worked, we cannot get out into a field when the snow is 4 feet deep or it is -40!

He is not going to learn anything about water if there isn't water, that is something he needs to be trained, it is snow outside, not water, kind of hard to find water don't you think?

He's not going to learn a thing about birds until we get our hands on some, which won't be till later spring when farmers start breeding there waterfowl.

He won't learn about anything that really matters until late spring/summer! He IS learning the commands right now (Drop it, left, right, mark, sit, stay, down,get it), he is learning that a gun shot is a good thing (which he doesn't care anyways). We play fetch and use his "mark" "drop it" "stay" "get it", and we do blind retrieves where he uses "right" "left", we also use hand signals. SO NO, I am NOT lazy, I am doing what his breed needs, but obviously not enough, so I was asking what else he could do! He gets cold before he gets tired outside, so really its hard to tire him out, I was looking for suggestions that could help me tire him out.

Emily I am going to state some facts that I know:

1. The weather out west is not ALWAYS -40. It varies greatly over the winter.

2. I am sure you can find sidewalks and roads to walk on that don't have 4 feet of snow.

3. You decided to post on this website looking for advice. You have a choice what you do with this advice. a) you can ignore it and have your needs not met or b) you can decide to implement it. The choice is yours and yours alone.

I too have received advice on this site and from binx44 that I always did not like. I think of when Owen started limping the first time. Someone suggested he rest it for a week. I thought Owen was sad with no walks so I took him out for a walk. Rightly so the person got after me. That opened a dialogue where I explained what I was thinking and they gave me more advice.

I will say I struggle with walking Owen in the cold weather. I blame my asthma and depression but in honesty it is my laziness mostly. I am working on it by taking him to the off leash park when I can't get motivated. Hubby also takes him. Owen is a warm climate dog with short hair as well. I am no expert but I think he is doing good with the Calgary weather.

In conclusion: You asked for advice from the experts and you received advice. It is up to you what you do with it. Just remember if you do not take the advice over time you will find less people willing to help you.

That is my opinion only!

Moggy

In case I didn't tell you, but I own and rescue German Shorthaired Pointers... Key word in the breed is SHORTHAIRED... They have next to no fat on their bodies. However, the peak seasons for these dogs are fall into winter and winter into spring. The coldest months out of the year. They go out, and they hunt. They adjust to the cold weather. People who really want a well trained hunting dog work them Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring. There are no limitations for these people or their dogs.

You asked for help, and you got it. I can't help it that you can't help yourself and figure it out. If you don't like what anyone on here advises you, then don't ask the questions and figure it out on your own.

Your dog is destructive because he is bored.

There really isn't much else I can tell you.

No one is telling you to make your dog swim in ice cold water.. There are so many other things you can do with him. If you sent your dog to a training facility to learn how to hunt, he would be working right now.

Your dog rules the roost in your household.. That is very unfortnate that you have created such an unhappy dog.

Emily, I know you're feeling defensive now, But I have to pint out, tha I too have short haired dogs, you've seen their pic's I'm sure. I've also lived in Churchill Manitoba with said dogs, Churchill gets like -50 in the summer (lol) okay, not the summer, but when school is closed due to polar bear warnings, you know it's cold.

I really don't understand what the debate is here. Dog destructive=BORED. Yous ay he is well behaved and is doing excellent on his releasing techniques, but only with toys, when he picks up your personal belongings, he won't let go? If he is running around picking up random objects, he is looking for a little excitement. I know that winter is hard for taining, believe me I know, this winter alone we got over 250cm in one week and I live in VERY rural Nova Scotia. Talk about finding places to walk...

You don't have to take and use everything we say, but it seems like when ever we do offer solutions, you shoot them down. I'm not sure exactly what you are looking for?
You

No, the only suggestion I shot down was training him right now for hunting. He needs to be trained, in a field, with guns and dummies, I can't do that right now. The ground work is done, now he needs to go into the field!

He goes for walks until he starts whining because his feet are cold, or he is shaking because he is cold. We play until the yard until he is cold. So he gets out as much as HE wants... he just isn't being trained for hunting just yet.

Its really difficult to fix this because he refuses to walks with a jacket on or boots, treats nothing helps, I could take him out and walk him for the hour so he freezes and doesn't have fun the entire time, but I don't want to do that, he doesn't like it, Im not pushing it. I was asking for suggestions, all suggestions you guys have gave I have tried, except the hunting thing, because he needs a field/water/guns for the rest of his training.