Doggie problems.... help please!

I got me a new dog about 2 weeks ago I think. It seems like ages ago. she is a lab/greyhound mix. I don't know how old she is. I think she is still a pup. They guessed that Sara is about 2 years of age, but I think she is about 1 years old cause of how she acts. I could be wrong. Ok here's my problem. When I was gone out of my room, I come back and see my red scrub top laying no the bed with pieces of it in Sara's mouth. She riped the pocket. When I was on the phone two nights ago or so. She was on my bed, I should have been eye balling her. She had my pillow in her mouth. A huge hole in it and the pillow case torn in pieces. I did get her for that. She tried to be cute and cross her paws and give me an innocent look. :? :cry: Must resist the look... don't...give... in.. ahhh! Today I sat some bags of clean just washed clothes in the living room and ran off to the Sam's Club to get dog food. Come home and clothes is all over the house. My dad's underwear had a huge hole in it. I'm sure he's mad. I don't know what to do to control her behavior.

Past life.. I don't know what went on with her and her past life. I'm sure it was horrible. Every time I get to her level to pick something up or to put my shoes on she gets extremely close to me like she's gonna cry. She wants to cuddle up and say sorry for I don't know what. She did that even when I was picking clothes up. No matter where I go she has to be just about right up on me 24-7 even in the bed. I don't mind sleeping with her. She acts very sad half the time. I'm sure it doesn't have to do with my family. When I try to go somewhere she blocks me. I have a hard time steping over her because she is almost like a horse. If she moves when I step over her she will knock me over so it's not worth trying.

She is an over all very sweet dog. Very very very cuddly(extremely cuddly! I stress that) She seems to learn some things fast as in sit, lay down, stay. Sometimes she will ignore the stay command. It's like she's afraid of something or someone. Please help. any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

When you leave the house or when you can't be watching her you should confine her to a doggy-proofed area or to a crate. Give her a few novel toys or a stuffed kong to keep her occupied. Rotate her toys (rather than leaving them all out at once) daily to keep her interested in them.
How much exercise does she get daily? A tired dog is a well behaved dog.

 

I agree with Nern. You have to doggie-proof her area, just like you would childproof your house for a small child. You can get her used to a crate, or use baby gates to confine her to a room like the kitchen or laundry room and make sure there is nothing left out for her to chew on. If she does get into something, scolding her is useless unless you catch her in the act. Even 10 seconds after she is done is too late to scold her.

When you are able to watch her, tell her no if she starts to chew on something she isn't supposed to and then trade her for something she CAN chew on. She should learn which items are hers and which are not. Some dogs will learn to leave other stuff alone, and some will never be trusted to their own devices. I have one of those. As a puppy, she would chew on EVERYTHING. Now she will leave things like shoes alone, but socks or stuffed animals or just about anything else, actually, is fair game. She knows to wait until we aren't watching to try to steal something. I can't even take a shower without confining her to the "dog room" or putting her outside, LOL.

About her standing in front of you. Don't step over her. Shuffle your feet and just keep moving in the direction you want to go. This will force her to move without you stepping on her or tripping over her. You might pick a command to say when you do this - I like "excuse me!" She should learn that "excuse me" means she needs to get out of your way.

 

Oh, and in the meantime, here is a site to make you laugh: http://jerseyguy.com/commons/humor/bad-dog.htm

 

Wonder if this would work on cats? I swear, it is a wonder my cat is still alive considering how many times I've stepped on him. :|

But I agree with what others have said. I also have a dog like this. He just can't be trusted in the house alone. Sometimes it is OK if he is sleeping, but when he wakes up, he just starts touching everything. Esp. if I am not there, then he just goes crazy, jumping up on the counter, etc. Everything in my house has at one point been in his mouth. Shoes....he just goes crazy. He knows he's not supposed to have them b/c whenever he finds one, he prances around like he's really gotten something special. I've gotten really good about keeping shoes locked up. After a couple of really expensive shoes get eaten, you learn. Indy has a knack for picking the most expensive shoe in the closet.

I have a dog room that I use, it is completely empty, the carpet is trashed, that is their room when it is raining, when one is sick, when I'm not home, etc.

 

I don't think it works for cats. You either step on them or trip over them and break your arm. If you shuffle at them, they would be terribly offended.

 

Thank you. Not sure where I can put her. I'll have to just take the trash can out of the kitchen and get a gate for the doorway. Usually when I'm around she wants to spend every since sec with me. She will chill on my bed while I'm on the computer. She has learned not to jump on people but she still does sometimes when she wants to play a game with me. She just doesn't do it as often. I find that to be a big improvement. Sometimes she will act scared to be alone or like someone hurt her even though no one here hurt her. Maybe so in the past.

 

It could be she was abused, or it could just be her personality. I suspect it's probably a little of both. There is something called "separation anxiety" that can make a dog misbehave when you are gone. They get very anxious when they are alone and they try to relieve the tension by chewing or digging or some other thing that humans tend to dislike. There are things you can do to help with separation anxiety. Do a search on the web (or on this forum), or start a new thread here. Some here have dealt with it and may have some suggestions for you.

 

I agree with what everyone else is saying. I would make an area that she can't get into anything or crate her when you are gone.

Ezriyah