Pup eating clothes off the clothesline - HELP!!

JP Mulvano

Guys any help here would be greatly appreciated before my mother kills my dog.

Basically I have a 3 month old female pup (cross breed between and Labrador and a collie, I think) and the crazy dog keeps pulling the clothes down off the line and chewin them up. i don't feel right tying her up as its a massive garden and I don't think its right to keep a dog that young tied up for 8 or 10 hours while im at work.

The dog is a complete mental case always chewing stuff and jumping around which I guess is normal or a pup that young but unless I do something my parents arent going to keep her around. My last resort is to tie her up or lock her in a confined space.

Also the clothes line is in an enclosed area, how shes able to jump over the wall mystifies me?

any suggestions or past expiriences would be great. thanks

Our man in Havana

Labs are crazy FULL STOP! a dog left alone all day will get into mischief! Fact of life - the are like kids get easily bored they are also intelligent! Raise the hight of the wall - use barbed wire if necessary - too many people give up dogs because they are puppies! Dogs do not mature until they are 3! & a bored dog will always play up! My lab Max chews everything! We are used to it! Give the dog plenty of toys buy a clothes line if necessary & buy cheap blankets from a charity shop & attach to the line! see if that will help!

Hope this helps.

Faye-Bond

Nala

I'm not sure about the clothes line idea, as in, putting one up especially for the pup to play with. In theory, it's a good idea, but it might not solve the problem cos the dog wouldn't learn not to chew stuff off the clothes line.

Just buy a tumble drier! (joke).

I think raising the height of the wall would be the best idea.

JP Mulvano

Hmmm this dog is driving me mad, well not the dog so much as the hassle the mother is giving me. Might try letting her keep a pair of jeans or something she took off the line, shes destroyed them anyways!!!

Don't see how shes bored she's got a million and one of those chew toys (I swear sometimes i think the dog is better looked after than a child) a huge garden and big fields ou the back to pay in, a cat to chase all day long, and plenty of other older clothes to chew on. Why she keeps picking the clothes on the line I don't know, maybe she feels its a bigger challenge, hahaha.

What a crazy pup!!!!

Oryx

Unfortunately a dog can't tell the difference between his toys and your clothes/shoes! And Id say the washing line is the most exciting thing in the yard for him, so he keeps going for it. Aversion therapy might work, either lay in wait for him and every time he goes for the line jump out and frighten him with a water pistol maybe? (dont believe in walloping dogs) or put something on the line for him to grab that he really wont like, ie soak it in cheap scent or something. Just my ideas, see what you think! Have a mad dog myself and he went thru two years of that kind of thing.

K!LL!@N

My dad got a lakeland terrier pup.
When he's in the backgarden unsupervised he's on his leash which is attached to a long piece of rope, which in turn is attached to a big pole that's stuck in the ground.
He can run around the garden as much as he wants but can't get out of the garden.
I don't think it's cruel to have him tied like this.
He doesn't seem to mind, except when he can smell rabbits nearby and he can't get at them.
When there's someone with him he's let off the leash.

With regards to bad behaviour, i know nobody wants to smack their pets but a tap on the nose with your finger is just as effective.
If the pup does something he shouldn't he gets a tap on the nose and a firm "No!".
You have to be consistant in your reprimands as well as praising them when they do something good.
It's all about reinforcement.

You need to nip this behaviour in the bud soon.
What happens when he decides that jeans on the line just aren't tasty enough and he starts going for jeans on peoples legs?

Killian

FranknFurter

basically, everything everyone has said is exactly it, *except*, as neev says, imho
giving it its own blankets will only re-inforce the bad behaviour.

B

MarkR

Ok, this is going to sound it bit mad, but i've heard it works. I'll bet the dog has to jump to reach the clothes? Usuualy they do it for a challenge. If you can, lower the clothes line so the dog doesn't have to jump to get them. No challenge, no fun. You may want to try this with old rags etc first.

Mark

Nala

That's actually not a bad idea.

luckat

Pups are all mad. My dog, as a pup, chewed up (a) beautiful 1930s banisters, (b) plaster off the wall corners, (c) a fine Persian carpet.

You have two choices with the washing: confine the washing or confine the pup. I'd suggest confining the washing - you might build up a chainlink or chicken-wire fence that curves out and away, towards where the pup would be jumping from. It'll make the place look like Stalag 17, but at least you won't be going round in rags.

Then you also have to teach the dog the word "NO!"

This doesn't have to be cruel. Just when the pup goes bouncing happily towards something lovely, grab him by the collar and say "NO!" in a firm tone, and take him away, turning your face from him as if carrying a doggy-doo on a shovel. Repeat as often as necessary - but if he seems to be making this into a game, just shut him away from the chance to do so.

Don't despair. My dog thought our hens were the best toy ever when she was a pup. She soon learned from the scandalised reaction of humans that they were *off limits*. And she grew out of chewing stuff too.

By the way, if a bored pup is all alone outside with nothing but enticing, delicious, flying, flapping washing on the line, it's only human (as it were) to play with it.

Our man in Havana

Ok I have to admit the washing line idea was not one of my better ones! SORRY!

If a dog is left alone all day - it will get into trouble as there is no one around to yell no! Toys are only fun if a human is there to throw them or to play tug of wars with them. We have 9 dogs but they still need human interation!

Maybe another dog would help? but if your folks are freaking out with 1, 2 probably won't go down well!

Faye-Bond

JP Mulvano

Thanks for the advice guys. Think the dog just might have to be tied up. I hate to do it but don't think I have much choice as I'm putting up christmas lights outside and I think the silly beggar might chew thru these as well with dire consequences.

I take the point that he may be bored but I don't know how she's got other dogs, pheasants she does so enjoy chasing, and plenty of kids to play with all day.

My last dog did this as well and a few good slaps on the nose and he never went near the line again.

luckat

How were the circumstances different with your last dog? Did it join the family in summertime when you were home to let it know what was right and what was wrong?

Tying the dog up isn't a great idea necessarily either.... me, I prefer to have the dog in the house; I don't keep any member of my family outside. But that's just me. (On the other hand, my dog isn't allowed upstairs, since I have asthma and she's a hairy girl.)