HELP NEEDED!! staffordshire terrier pup destroying everything in sight... HELP!!!?

Hey! we have an older staffie of 7yrs (tasha), and a new puppy, most likely a yr old (maddie). However, since we got her last year, Maddie has been destroying our home and belongings, such as our decking and garden furniture, clothes and especially shoes, and she even continuously tore apart her huge £25 bed!! we have to constantly watch what we leave lying around (however, you can never remember all the time) and it is becoming a nightmare. They both go on long walks at least twice a day and are always shown much love and attention, however we are at our wits end as to how we can stop- her constant destruction. The older dog has never been this bad and we are unsure as to what we can do. we can't go on like this and to try and find her a new home would be heartbreaking for everyone.





Please help! If you have any advice then feel free to contact me or leave a message.


thank you,





danni x x x

HELP NEEDED!! staffordshire terrier pup destroying everything in sight... HELP!!!?
Yes, you do have to be diligent. Train the dog on what to chew and what not to. Give the dog a couple of chew toys. Too many toys and the dog thinks anything is fair game. When the dog picks the right thing to chew praise her a lot. When she picks the wrong thing tell her "no" make her give it up and give her one of her chew toys. When you can not watch her like a hawk , crate her. Good luck...
Reply:Crate her. Do not worry about the other dog, they will cope! How about a behaviourist? Ask the vet for help and advice. This has got to be stopped asap.
Reply:like many people have said you need to put her in a cage when your not in she will get used to it in the end, we have 4 staffs the 2 older ones stay out and the 2 younger ones go in the cage with no trouble at all,just make sure she has plenty of toys and tuggers to chew.Also you may think about getting her done if you are not going to breed from her.But definitely recommend a cage without a doubt.Hope all goes well and best of luck!!
Reply:First you got her as a pup and now you have taught her this is okay by NOT training her properly.





Crtate her !!!
Reply:Hi Danni, dont dispair! i agree with the person suggesting to let her off the lead when your out with her,its vital that by the time you get home shes knackered! my westies the same. really tire her out with play %26amp; fun,shel be asleep by the time you get in!! also put her in the garden if you have one, keep your chin up shel get older %26amp; slower!
Reply:my son has a staffie who has done the same try training class
Reply:theres a spray stuff that you can get to stop him/her chewing ! and get some rawhide bones !
Reply:i also suffered with my staffy/lady,all i can advice is,do you give ur dog plently off walks,they have so much bouce,i always let lady off her lead,so that way she has a proper run and loses some off that extra energy,people say get toys,lady wasnt intrested in them,goodluck and do keep trying.
Reply:Do you have any idea what the younger dog was like ( behavior wise) before you got her?





Hard to say whether this is new behavior or old stuff! It is clear though that confining her to a "safe" area for a while is going to be necessary for a short term!


I wonder if the new dog is jealous of the attention that your older dog gets?


With all the trouble and damage she is involved in, perhaps her attention is more negative than positive ( but better than no attention at all!)


Have you tried getting her strong, tough toys to play with? Would you consider confining her to an exercise pen until she learns some manners? What method of discipline do you use when you catch her "in the act" of destroying things? A "time out' in a crate would be advantageous as a disciplinary method.


Are you leader of the pack? If not, some obedience classes directed at achieving this status (for you) would be valuable.


When you adopt an older puppy, you might be inheriting the dog because of it's bad behavior that someone else couldn't tolerate.


Since I now adopt only senior dogs, I understand the problems that one can face in taking in such a dog!


If you have any way of contacting an animal behaviorist that understands rehomed dog behavior, it would be an invaluable resource for you!


My question would be, has this dog been kept in a kennel and hasn't had the opportunity to do the things that home raised dogs encounter at a very young age? If not, she might just be fascinated by all the things she is now able to trash!


I congratulate you for attempting to find a solution to the problem and wish you good fortune at discovering the reason behind the behavior!
Reply:sell the dog, or lose everything you have
Reply:I,d have have to crate that Tasmanian devil.


It might sound cruel, but sometimes that the only answer.
Reply:i too have a staff we have had loads of dogs this is the first staffy her names tia and she was so bad as a pup,i had 2 put her in the kitchen when i went out coz she chewed everything so it helped keepin her in 1 room til she chewed thought the wall,tias now 4 and as good as gold shes just gotta grow up hang on in there!!! good luck
Reply:my staffie did exactly the same he chewed holes in the sofa, broke the kids swings,chewed shoes ,toys everything really.then one day i came home seen the mess he made shouted at him and ignored him all week . serious he never chewed again.and he has made a brill pet
Reply:Well check out its mental welfare. If you find out whats wrong on the inside you can help whats on the outside.
Reply:The dog is doing this out of boredom and quite possibly it wants to be the ALPHA in the house.


We had a similiar situation and did find the dog another home.
Reply:all puppies go through a stage like that. i have a jack russel terrior and he did the same thing. you just need to make him regret doing anything bad. rebuke him with the object he destroyed in your hand for instance. he will relate what he did with punishment. hope this helps tell me how it works.
Reply:Try a cage, it wont do her any harm, and will give you peace when you cant watch. It really works, I have done it for years with my puppies. Get big one so she has plenty of room.
Reply:Crating her is not mean and can provide her with a sense of safety and security. You should never leave this type of dog uncrated in the house with another dog. They can get into a fight over a piece of string on the floor with no one there to supervise them. Then you would know what heartbreak is. Please crate one or both of the dogs for their safety and your piece of mind.
Reply:i would get her some chewing toys and a bed she cant tare up, preferable a mettle one with a pillow or blanket in it
Reply:ok. i am no expert on dogs but having raised two staffies and looking after a poodle cross with staffy tendencies, i feel i can give you some suggestion which may help.


my dogs dont chew shoes etc but when i get new shoes, they might get interested but they get checked in time. what i do is put eucalyptus oil on the shoes ( i show them and let them sniff it) . that becomes a deterrent and they associate the shoes with the negative reinforcer.


what you can do to test is let them sniff the eucalyptus. if they turn away and sneeze, then its good . thats my rule of thumb that they dont like it. alternatively, vinegar, apple cider, tiger balm, will do but you must test it out. good luck.
Reply:You can crate her as she will love it. Our staffie would go into her cage willingly. The other thing you could do is use a bitter spray on the things she likes to chew. If you catch her chewing a water pistol will discourage her without hurting.


They are super dogs as you already know. I lost both of mine and cannot replace them due to circumstances. Good luck this period will pass.
Reply:they are all like this
Reply:I have had dogs all my life and only rarely had dogs quite that naughty.


I have never resorted to 'crating', them but you do have to be severe.


Next time it happens hold the damaged object right under her nose and belt her really hard on the flanks with a rolled up newspaper (til she squeals). I know it sounds cruel but it does work and you only have to do it a couple of times before the lesson sinks in.
Reply:Crate train her and get the advice of a professional dog trainer.It has nothing to do with your other dog not being in a crate.Or if it makes you feel better,crate them together.
Reply:A lot of doggie agression and bad behavior can be caused by neglect. I'm not saying you are a bad doggie owner, but if the dog does not get enough attention he/she will start to act out. The new dog probably sees the older dog as competition and wants all the attention. You should have a set time each day or night where you give each dog 20 minutes of your total attention. Each dog will expect it and welcome it and perhaps start to realize that they do not have to compete for your attention or do bad things to get your attention.
Reply:Yes, have to agree with some of these people! A cage is the only way. You might feel guilty but as long as you love your dog and don't cause it physical harm then it is fine. Dogs don't mind cages, they like their own little space!


Sadly dogs don't have possesions so everything to them is fair game! They can't make the distiction between 'toy' and 'not toy'





Try and think like a dog! It will help you be less cross about it! :)





My dog kept weeing in the bedroom where she slept and I just couldn't stop her, like you I was at my wits end so now she sleeps in a cage! Problem solved!! (She even goes into it in the day when she wants a nap!!)
Reply:You need to catch her in the act and scold her for chewing things than provide her with apropriate things to chew... aftr a while she will ge tthe idea
Reply:have you tried crate training for when you can't be there?


Try teaching your dog the command 'leave' for so that you can stop her in the act


Use something like sausage and have a piece in each hand. Offer one piece it to your dog (make sure they are sitting or lying down. When they go for it say firmly 'leave' and move the treat away. Immediatly offer the other hand with the treat say 'good dog' and let them have it.


You should be able to increase the time before rewarding slowly and leave the treat in front of them for longer simply saying leave.


You can do this with their dinner as well. Get them to sit and then put the bowl in front of them making sure they stay in the sit (ask somw one to hold them or use a lead if need be)


Only let them eat on your command.


This type of thing will reinforce you being in charge and should help with the chewing.
Reply:I note that you said that you do not want to "crate" her and I am very pleased about that!


I suggest that you look at your dogs diet! If you are feeding a diet too high on protein it could be what is causing your problem. Excess protein can manifest itself as...Aggression....Fear..........Being Noisy....Being Destructive.


Find yourself a good quality CHICKEN based dried food and feed that ONLY. No treats (take them out of the chicken meal ration.) No scraps from the table. NOTHING extra or else this therapy will not work. Just accompanied by fresh water of course. You could up the exercise so that they get tired, too!


It will take about six to eight weeks to take effect but I have had results in as little as two weeks when a huge bouquet of flowers was delivered to my door. Please try it. What have you got to lose?Just two large bags of a different food could sort your problem and make your life bearable. Both dogs could go onto this food if it makes it easier for you.





GooD Luck to you all! Perhaps you could let us know how you get on?
Reply:Cage her when she has to be left unsupervised. Lots and lots of exercise. A tired puppy is a good puppy. If she likes to play Frisbee or fetch anything else that's a great way to wear her out. Don't give her anything to use as a toy that isn't really a toy. As in, some people use old socks as tuggy toys then the dog doesn't know the difference between the sock that's the toy or your best socks. Also you can get a product at pet stores called Bitter Apple. Just spraying Bitter Apple on things you don't want her to chew on won't do anything unless you let her know how awful it tastes. What you have to do is open her mouth and give her a good spray of it right on her tongue. Now I know that sounds mean but it is a necessary step. If you give her a strong spray of it, she will associate that smell with the bad taste. After she knows how bad it tastes, she won't want anything with that smell in her mouth. Good luck with training her because if you can't change these behaviors she doesn't have much of a chance of a good life with anyone. Hopefully you can help her get past this. Some of these behaviors do get better once they get past the puppy stage. I know you say she is at least a year old, but some dogs mature a little more slowly than others.
Reply:Well, she is still a puppy...


she needs plenty of toys and such around..


she is a high drive breed and has needs ...


play with her more play with her often...





instead of 15=20 mins of play time make it into just 5 mins here and 5 mins there...





dogs don't think in time... only actions...





I would crate her inbetween the times of play...





play and go into crate to think about the good time she just had...





come out to play again...





gee good things happen going in and coming out.. the crate becomes a good place to be...





NEVER use it for punishment.





Good Luck... Crate or start spending money to replace the things she destroys... (smiles)





H.O.T. Dog


Handler Owner Trainer of GSD's


Member U.S.A- MSSV - A.W.D.F