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THERE GOES THE SOFA! |
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While most people are aware of the chewing that
puppies are bound to do there is another form of chewing that often causes a
big surprise. That is the chewing
often associated with rescue dogs. It
matters not whether the rescue dog is hot off the streets or came from
someone's home. This type of chewing
may be part of a syndrome known as "separation anxiety". In the case of the dog taken from the streets it may
not strictly meet that definition but the results may be the same. The dog is not accustomed to confinement,
gets frustrated, frantic, and anxious and destroys anything it can manage to
tackle. With the re-homed dog there
are other things at work. Loss of the
known "pack" is the first blow.
Then there are all the new surroundings, strange "customs"
of the new place, and strangers all around to boot. From the new owner's viewpoint this dog has been
liberated from some worse than death situation and is expected to show
eternal gratitude. Ha! Dogs don't think that way, folks. They really don't. Meanwhile this all loving and all caring
new owner doles out the goodies, pets and strokes just for the heck of it
(comforting the dog, he says) spends lots of time with the dog, and often
allows the dog free run of the house.
After all - he is now a member of the family, right? Well, maybe. Now comes the day that the Loving Owner has to be gone
for 4 or 5 hours, pays a fond farewell to the dog and spends a lovely day
doing whatever loving owners do. Ah,
but what a welcome L.O. receives upon return to the house! The sofa?
Forget it. There isn't even
anything worth recovering! Add to that
his $500 eyeglasses, the remote control, the chewed on wires which just
incidentally brought the computer and printer down to their deaths as this
unbelievably ungrateful critter dragged the wires off for more comfortable
chewing on the rug - or rather what was left of the rug. How could he!?
How dare he!?
Well, actually, it was all quite easy as far as the
achievement level of his performance was concerned - he did what dogs do when
they are confined and stressed out of their heads - they destroy things with
their teeth and claws. So - who is wrong here? Let's get rid of the word wrong associated
with who and deal just with what is wrong. This poor creature felt that everything it
had come to count on was again taken from him. The comfort the dog understood was/is the
person. The person disappeared and as
far as the dog is concerned - disappeared forever! Without training and management this
picture will be repeated again and again if the dog ever gets a chance that
is! The dog requires confidence building training. Lessons that will allow the dog to learn
that people go away and they return - the latter being the big thing here! Safe and really dog-proof space must be
created to prevent the destruction during the training period and quite
possibly forever if the dog's level of insecurity is too low or too fragile
for complete rehabilitation. Daily
routines of obedience exercises that zero in on "Stay" with
increasing time in that position with the owner just out of sight are very
important. That is followed by going
through the rituals of leaving and not doing so, mixed with leaving rituals
that do result in walking out the door, returning immediately and gradually
increasing the time before re-entering.
Toys that amuse for more than the few minutes, for example, are very
helpful. Lots and lots of exercise
that tire a dog is another major part of the program as well as a high quality
diet. That old saying about a horse
feeling his oats also applies to dogs who are fed
food with excessive quantities of carbohydrates instead of meat based foods.
Cheap (and often not so cheap!) foods often have some form of sugar (to
increase palatibility and because it is cheap)
which contributes to behavioral problems.
Of course, those foods also do not meet nutritional needs which can
contribute to behavioral problems. So, if you rescue a dog, no matter what the source, do
your homework. Prevent problems rather
then have to
redecorate your house. Rescue dogs are
often well worth your efforts and make wonderful companions. They deserve a second chance. Don't take one on, be unprepared and then
shuffle the dog along to yet another home and stressful situation that may
well spell out - death sentence. B |