May 23, 2011

My 9 month old dog is marking everywhere and chews up my shoes. I’m thinking of neutering him to fix this, do you have any suggestions?

Full Question:
Dear Sir,

I have used your training videos and advice to start training my doberman who is now 9 months old. We rescued him and had a lot of issue but have worked through most of them.

I tried search for a couple of questions I have on the forum but couldn't find the answers for the following questions.

The dog has started marking his territory. Bad thing is he thinks that he gets to urinate on company when they come over and he almost did it to my son. I was thinking of having him neutered to stop this but don't want to mess up his chance to be a good advanced bite and guard dog. What do you suggested?

Second he is always chewing on my shoes. Only mine and he waits till I am not looking. He is never out of the kennel unless he is at my side but he is smart and quick. He knows when you are watching him so I can't catch him at it. I can pile everyone's shoes around him and even go to the other room to peek around the corner. He won't touch them. I usually keep my shoes put away for this reason. Now and then I forget or they are muddy and sit by the back door (part of the kitchen). At a loss for this and running out of patience with him over them. Suggestions please Sir?

Again I have used your videos and training aids and love your system. It has made a huge change in the dog since we first got him at 6 months old. I have told people what I use when they notice how much he has changed. So thank you so much.

Justine
Cindy
Cindy Cindy's Answer:
Both of these problems boil down to this dog being allowed freedom he hasn’t earned. I would not allow ANY dog who wants to mark or chew up belongings any freedom at all when he’s not in his crate. You say he’s at your side, but obviously you are not giving him your full attention or he wouldn’t be able to leave and pee on something or grab a shoe. He should be on a leash ALL the time. Neutering may or may not solve this. I always suggest training before surgery.

If you don’t teach him what you expect in ways he understands, then it’s not really his fault. He’s just being a teenager and trying to do as he pleases. It’s up to you to offer him rules and leadership. Start with our groundwork program and Pack Structure for the Family Pet.

If you do this consistently and correctly, you should see positive changes.

We also have a number of eBooks, which include topics that may help you.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Rhodes

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Expert Dog Trainer Cindy Rhodes
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