whitemax

Put him in a pet crate while out of the house; works great.

banerjek

Ahh -- now I see what's going on. You will eventually figure things out and have a great dog, but you'll screw up a lot at first and cause the dog to act crazy. As far as spending time with the dog goes, it does take a lot of time, but there is more to it than just quantity. There also needs to be plenty of order and structured activity

You might rent the Dog Whisperer series on DVD if you haven't seen it before. You may find that it really helps you wrap your mind around the problem. Just stick these problems out. It is most definitely worth it. And expect to lose a bunch more stuff while you're learning....

forensicchemist

DEFINITELY!

hos13

Do you have a Pitt Bull? If so those dogs need to be worked, in order to behave (not chew things up). I have a friend that raised them and used them in sled pulling competitions. They had to keep them busy all the time. Something they did was hang a garage door torsion spring from a tree and tried a rope to it, the dogs would pull on that thing all day, it kept them in shape and worked them out even when no one was home.

Good Luck

ravenmore

Yeah, I've watched a few of the Dog Whisperer episodes. That dudes amazing.

He did this while I was at home with him - just was on the computer and didn't see him get the shorts.

nowheels

mmmm...... got the same problem with my dog..... can't yell at him for anything and he's a life long chewer.

ravenmore

He's a stray so I don't know exactly his breeding but yeah, he's obviously got a lot of pit bull in him. He's a very sweet dog so far just gets into a lot of stuff. You're right about the energy thing. If I want to wear him out I take him out back and let him chase the water hose until he's about falling over.

urbanknight

Post a pic and maybe I can help. We thought we had a pit for years until we read some dog books and found out ours is mostly Rhodesian Ridgeback. We never even thought of that breed because he doesn't have the ridge, which some Rhodesians don't have... and ours was burned down the middle of his back (also a rescue dog) so maybe he used to have one but no more.

botto 

hos13

Those are some badass dogs

ravenmore

these pics are a couple of months old (taken in December/January). He's somewhere between 50 and 60 pounds now.

cnickgo

My family dog chews trash and paper products when 1. She is bored. 2. She wants attention. 3. She is bored and wants attention. The best way to remedy the chewing is spend more time with the dog (wear the pup out so they are content sleeping later) or get another dog. Anytime you catch him chewing on something, scold for the chewing, stuff an appropriate toy in his mouth, and then praise for toy. Never scold for a previous incident that you did not catch him in the act.

whitemax

Looks more like a Boxer mix to me.

botto 

bingo.

ravenmore

I do have another dog. He chews on her too.

gr@sshopper

Eh, he's still pretty young. Something to consider there as well.

Paul L.

If he starts sniffing your crotch any time soon, be afraid, be very afraid.

dpr

+ 1. Im no dog expert, but from what I do know, I can confidantly say that atleast 90% of problem dog behaviours are caused by the owner. 100% can be solved with appropriate training or other appropriate action by a responsible owner. Seek out a dog training group in your area or get that dude from the Dog Wisperer around.

dstrong 

Ravenmore...your dog looks guilty just standing there!

We have true cat-burglar in our house. As near as we can figure, he goes out at night and gets into neighbor's houses through their cat/dog doors. We have a pile of kids socks that he's brought us as "gifts" over the last few months. He even dragged a pair of kids lycra shorts with a longhorn's logo home a while back. We've asked around but none of our neighbors recognize the socks. Sometimes we can actually pair them up! Unfortunately, he shows no interest in cycling gear...or jewelry or cash!

rankin116

That is one good looking dog.

Don't get too mad, like others have said, they chew for a reason, you just have to figure out what that is.

Good for you for adopting as well. My GFs dog is a stray pit, and after a little while, he has become an amazing dog.

jsharr

Could your dog be a plant from a competing team?

urbanknight

I'll post the cute, cuddly, and halloween pictures when I get home if you like. He puts up with so much from us.

drewpyperc

I had a beagle that chewed through a travel crate. He really wanted out. After he got out he chewed through EIGHT SETS of metal mini blinds, and pooped on the floor in front of the door. Those were good times. On a few other occasions, he shredded a few newspapers and shredded the carpet next to the front door in one of my apartments.

He also escaped from the fenced back yard a few times, and once got picked up by animal control. When he didn't come back home and I didn't see him at my neighbor's place (he liked their dog), I checked the pound the next day. He was there, but had also escaped from the animal shelter. They had never had a dog escape before, and were amazed. A 7 foot tall chain link fence in the back yard of the shelter was nothing he couldn't defeat.

When I moved back closer to home, my grandparents were kind enough to let him stay on their farm, and he was much happier, except when he got sprayed by skunks.

kensuf

Mine ate a strap on my sidi's. I could get a replacement though.

RazorWind

By "spending time with them" what Botto really meant is that you have to pay attention to them.

You have to remember that a dog is roughly equivalent to a 3 or 4 year old human child. Some breeds have greater needs for attention than others, but the bottom line is that they need lots of attention or they get bored and start getting into mischief. I have some friends in College Station who run an animal rescue that occasionally has training seminars for pet owners who have problems like yours, I think. I can probably find out some details for you, if you want.

Cool doggah, by the way.