Destroying yard!!!

[Amcdonald6104]

I adopted a 7mo old white GS from my vet. She was hit by a car when she was only a month old and has lived in the kennel ever since she is very skiddish around everyone except me. She hides as soon as anyone pulls up at my house. She has started chewing up EVERYTHING in my yard. I haven't gotten her a crate yet but plan to get one soon. Anyone have suggestions on how to stop the destruction??? Also any suggestions on how to get her to become more social with other people than just me? I've never trained a GS before so any advice would be fantastic.


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[KZoppa]

Being an active breed, they need a lot of exercise. A bored dog is a destructive dog. Training and exercise. Work the mind AND the body and praise when she's good. It'll help and you'll see a difference in the long run

[Amcdonald6104]

We have a large yard so she runs and plays a lot. She even plays constantly with our neighbors dog. I try to take her on walks around the neighborhood but as soon as a car comes by she'll all but drag me down to get as fats away as possible from it (I assume its kind of like PTSD for her since she was hit by a car) I don't know what else to do. I praise her any time she does something good but I've read in several places that you shouldn't whip or yell at them when they tear things up.


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[KayleeGSD]

Originally Posted by Amcdonald6104

I adopted a 7mo old white GS from my vet. She was hit by a car when she was only a month old and has lived in the kennel ever since she is very skiddish around everyone except me. She hides as soon as anyone pulls up at my house. She has started chewing up EVERYTHING in my yard. I haven't gotten her a crate yet but plan to get one soon. Anyone have suggestions on how to stop the destruction??? Also any suggestions on how to get her to become more social with other people than just me? I've never trained a GS before so any advice would be fantastic.Attachment 24460


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They do that usually when they get bored or have a lot of pent up energy. I would not allow her in the back yard unattended and if you cant keep an eye on her you MUST get a crate. I dislike dog runners because the dog may get tangled and hurt when left unattended outside. i have seen dogs break off of the runners too which is not good either. I would also provide tons of chew toys and get apple bitter to spray on objects of interest that she is looking to chew. I kept Kaylee on a lead in the house and in the yard for a very long time. She was very destructive due to her high energy and I sprayed tons of things with apple bitter to keep her mouth away. Once I figured out high energy level games she liked playing her destructive tendencies seem to pass. In the crate she had special crate toys only, in the house she had certain toys, and outside she had her out door only toys. Mostly chew toys she loves to chew and gnaw. Some times I think I have a giant rat running around with all the chewing she does lol.

[Jax08]

Puppies will do that. You need to redirect her to appropriate toys to chew instead of your bushes. She spent the first 7 months with no training. Now you have to play catch up with socializing and training.

1) Find a good trainer to teach you!
2) Get a bagful of treats and go sit somewhere that has people. Give them treats to give her. Take her for walks at Tractor Supply and other places where there will be people but won't rush her.
3) Don't leave her in the yard unattended. Get toys to redirect her and toys to interact with her.
4) Teach her Look At That (google that). Find her threshhold with cars. The distance that she can still be calm and have her look at the car and look back at you. I'm sure between the accident and lack of exposure she thinks it's a great big monster come to eat her. You need to desensitize her to the cars.

That's where I would start.

[Amcdonald6104]

Thanks for the great advice. I plan on getting her a crate within the next few days. She does have ALOT of energy so those different types of toys idea is wonderful! I'm not familiar with the term look at that but I definitely will google it!! I'm trying to learn as much as I can because she is the first big dog I've ever had and with her background I have my hands FULL. We will most certainly be taking a trip to petsmart within the week. Thanks again!!


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[Jax08]

Where are you located?

Look At That - I started in my livingroom. Do you have a clicker? It just makes it easier to teach. have her by your side, treats in your left hand. With your right hand, point at something. When she looks, tell her Yes! and treat her at your side. You want her to build muscle memory to turn her head to look at you. Just keep doing this until she voluntarily looks at you and then start marking with Yes! when she looks at you. once she has that down, give it a command of "Look". This will teach her to look at an object and then look at you. Jax has fear aggression with other dogs...works awesome for her. But you need to find that threshhold point. It could be 50 ft, it could be 10 ft and you need to widdle that down. Start with a car that isnt' moving. Baby steps. It's all about baby steps when there is fear involved.

[doggiedad]

stop leaving her in the yard unattended. if you have to
leave her in the yard build her a kennel, nice kennel that
will protect her from the wind and rain. socializing is a matter
of being out and about with your dog. slowly introduce
her to the world around her. maybe you should find a
behaviourist/trainer.

[KayleeGSD]

Ah yes I almost forgot to mention the apple bitter came in handy for our back yard. Kaylee had this thing with wires, the a/c central unit, the BBQ propane knob to the main tank, hoses, planters, and the above ground pool pump. I sprayed all of those things with apple bitter to keep her from putting her mouth on it. So I cleaned up the yard and actually fenced off the a/c and pool pump with chicken wire to keep her out. Outside she was a ball nut and the apple bitter worked excellent as a deterrent but we still had to keep a close eye on her. Pups have this knack of getting into things you would least expect. Kaylee eventually became focused on her toys and us. Indoors we puppy proofed the house and kept her on a lead to keep her close and out of trouble.

[KZoppa]

Originally Posted by Amcdonald6104

We have a large yard so she runs and plays a lot. She even plays constantly with our neighbors dog. I try to take her on walks around the neighborhood but as soon as a car comes by she'll all but drag me down to get as fats away as possible from it (I assume its kind of like PTSD for her since she was hit by a car) I don't know what else to do. I praise her any time she does something good but I've read in several places that you shouldn't whip or yell at them when they tear things up.


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you have to catch them in the act of something naughty in order for them to understand the correction. The ways a dogs mind works is they get into the trash while you're gone, you come home and find trash all over the kitchen, bathroom, etc, and you go to punish the dog. The dog doesnt know or understand why they're in trouble. All they know is you came home and they're happy to see you and you're mad. They don't know why you're mad. They don't connect the dots like that.

Definitely get the crate. The look at that game is pretty handy once you get the hang of it. Find a good trainer with breed experience to help you. You've gotten some pretty good advice from others so far. I wish you the best of luck. You've got some work ahead of you! but it will be worth it.