1) How do I stop my dog from chewing furniture,
door mouldings, etc. when I am away at work?
We strongly advocate crate training your dog as a puppy to prevent
these bad habits from forming when you are away. Of course
dogs should not be left in the crate all day while you are
at work, so you need to be able to have someone let the
dog out mid-day for a walk or a play. Bitter apple spray
also works well; apply it on areas that you do not want your
dog chewing. It is important to leave plenty of things for
your dog to chew, for example a kong toy or two loaded with
food and a couple of hollow bones loaded with cheese or some
other food product will usually keep your dog occupied and out
of trouble.
2) How do I stop my dog from jumping all over me when I get home from work?
You should ignore your dog for the first few minutes after you get home, if you have a jumping up problem. Hang your coat up and avoid eye contact. If he jumps up on you just turn away and go about your business until your dog calms down. This way you are not rewarding his jumping up behaviour. When he is calmer pet him and tell him how good he is, if he jumps up again ignore him. He will soon learn in order to get the attention he wants he can't be jumping on you. Have friends and family do the same. You could have a treat ready to reward his good behavior.
3) My puppy loves to play in our back yard but when I want her to come in she usually runs the other way, what should I do to get her to stop this behavior?
You should have daily recall from play sessions, for example, call your puppy and reward him with a treat, then tell the puppy to "GO PLAY". Repeat this every few minutes and your puppy will soon learn that coming to you is fun and he will not always associate you calling him with having to come in every time. Be sure to call your puppy with a pleasant tone of voice.
4) I have a young dog that enjoys digging holes all over our yard, do you have any ideas that will help me?
Dogs love to dig and need a place to dig. It is a good idea to build a sandbox for your dog to do his digging in. Put some toys in it and show him where it is. When he digs in the box, praise him. If he digs somewhere else, take him back to the sandbox and encourage him to dig there by tossing a toy into the box. The sandbox should not be raked perfectly level but should have partial holes started in it with toys in them. Examples of toys for the box would be tennis balls, kong toys or hollow bones. Avoid using cloth toys.
