We rescued what appears to be a Jack Russell/Miniature Poodle mix about a week and a half ago from the local shelter. Shelter staff estimate his age at about 4 years, and he was neutered on the same day we picked him up from the shelter. Poor guy. He's really a friendly, loving little guy, but were having behavioral issues and could use some advice. Even just support, really, because this is new to all three of us - me, my husband, and the little guy. He's extremely attached to us already and gets himself into trouble the second we turn our backs, even just to go to the bathroom. It seems like he's doing it for attention - when he can't get to us, he gets into stuff. We can't leave him unattended in any room with things to mess with. Or even without... His favorite thing to do when he's left alone is to snag things like paper napkins, kleenex, paper plates, washcloths, you name it, and proceed to rip them into bits. If he's somewhere without anything to mess with, he whines and eventually pees on the floor (he's capable of holding it, he seems mostly house broken but when we're gone all bets are off). We have a baby gate that we use to quarantine him in an area that is just tile with nothing to mess with, and this is how we have to leave him when we leave the house or have a shower, etc. unless we want to find our things chewed up. He has toys, and we've tried exercising the heck out of him and playing with him regularly, to no avail yet. Are we being premature in judging his actions as being "behavioral problems" at only 1.5 weeks with us? Do y'all think this is just a very excitable, probably ignored in his previous home (we have no clues as to that, we asked at the shelter and they had been given absolutely no information from the person who brought him in) pup? What should we do in order to help train him? Thanks in advance for your help, we never set out to get a Jack but here we are with a Jack mix, and boy is he a scamp.
Everything is as new to him as you are to him, so just give him time to get used to you, his new surroundings, and to just settle - he is just finding his feet in his new home. Time, patience, and love.
I doubt that he has had very much love in his life recently, then along come this couple who are prepared to give him lots of love and attention. He thinks that he has won in the lottery of life, but what if they disappear? Anxiety can make him want to wee, and dogs deal with anxiety by chewing. As @Malka says, he first needs to settle, to realise that this is a permanent home, and that you are not going to desert him. Allow him to become used to your absences by increasing the length of time that you leave him very gradually. At first, the aim is to return before his anxiety has reached panic level. Make frequent trips to the garden, or to the car, but always return to him before he becomes distressed. You may have to make shopping trips separately for a few weeks. Help him not to make mistakes by spotting which items are within his reach and tidying them, or raising their level so he can't reach them. Use toys or treats that will occupy him for a while, such as a treat-dispensing ball, or chews like dried fish skin twists, dried sinew, or cows hooves - unfortunately these are smelly, but do have a high interest level. Examples of one or two treat dispensing/containing toys, - sorry about the poor lighting, it is 11.30pm here.
Thank you for the awesome advice! What you're saying is logical. We're trying to be patient with him and your advice helps calm my "oh no, what did we do" nerves. Poor guy. I'm just glad that whatever his past may have contained, it didn't make him fearful, aggressive, or mean-spirited. I was at the local pet store the other day and was given unsolicited (but well-meant) advice from a fellow shopper about chew toys. She said that her mom's poodles/poodle mixes always had issues with chew toys in that small pieces would become lodged in their smaller than average tracheas. I don't know if that's something we should be worried about or not with a poodle-Jack mix, but in the meantime I haven't bought him any chew toys because I get analysis paralysis when confronted with all the options that suddenly seem like they could be chewed into small pieces that would become dangerous. She recommended antler being the only appropriate chew toy, but that seems oddly specific. Do you have any specific recommendations on brands? Amazon links are absolutely fine with me as that makes finding things easier. Thank you again!
Unfortunately Christy, sometimes unsolicited advice, however well-intended, can be confusing, to say the least. Chew toys are just that - toys that can be chewed. They are not like chew sticks made of rawhide or suchlike, that can sometimes break into small pieces, as can antlers. The toys and treats that @CaroleC suggested should be fine for your little fellow. [I am sorry that I cannot recommend anything at the moment but the weather is playing havoc here and my power and/or router keep dropping so everything has to be rushed when they are back on.]
Just to put your mind at rest a little, it takes around 3 months for a rescue dog to fully settle into a new home. Bless him, he's had the added complication of neutering, but in a male it's not such a big deal to them. Carole's advice is sound. Remain calm and he'll pick up on that and should calm down himself over time. Puppy proof all the home so that he can't get to items he shouldn't have. That way you are setting him up for success and breaking a habit.
Chewable non-edible toys. I prefer the tough semi-transparent type of Nylabones. I think the hard plastic one is too hard on teeth. Choose a medium size and it will last for life, small ones can lose pieces, large ones are too heavy for small breeds. Kong toys are usually good. The rubber Kongs can be bounced, but they can also be packed with biscuits, or some semi-soft foods and frozen - good for leaving with him when you have to go out. My Beagle boy loves the Kong squeaky balls, (like a tennis ball), they don't feel particularly strong, but I bought three-pack a couple of years ago, and only one has bitten the dust, (noisy, but he loves it!). Recently Kong have introduced a range of fabric toys. I hear that these can be destroyed, and contain some plastic in the filling - I don't like the sound of that. Carrots make great dog chews! You will soon find the right size, for my breed it is the fairly chunky ones, and if I want them to last longer, I freeze them. Let them sit for just a couple of minutes to lose that sharp frost. Cabbage heart and broccoli stalk can be used the same way too. Hide chews are not recommended. The method of manufacture involves dubious chemical treatments, and they can be swallowed and cause blockages - this may be what your advisor was meaning. There is a substitute available, which is made from chicken and vegetable, dearer but much safer. Some of the other dried chews are fish skins, rabbit ears, beef scalp, paddywhack (sinew), tripe - a whole new smelly world - and I am a vegetarian! Personally, I am not a fan of antlers, as my girl is a very determined chewer, hers resulted in a slab fracture of her largest tooth - and nearly £300 out of my bank account, but they are popular, and I have since learned that the very hard ones can be softened by boiling.That is all I can think of at present. If you are in the UK, Pets at Home have a decent range of natural chews, and their staff will always advise you.
Jack Russell’s love to dig and chew so try and make games where he can do this safely . Make a dig box or get a pile of rags and hide treats in the rags so he has to dig and search for them. When you leave him give him an old item of your clothing with your smell on . He will soon feel safe and mentally stimulated x
Hi LadyStark, Do you put him in a crate at all? Many years ago, when we had our first Jack Russell, we were advised to put him in a crate whenever we went out, or had to leave him unattended, (He was a rescue dog too). Not only does it stop your dog ripping your stuff to bits, but a dog will, (in my experience), rarely foul its own bed area. I now have three Jack Russells, who each have their own crate to sleep in overnight, and whilst I may be lambasted for the suggestion, all I can say, is that my eldest Jack Russell, (now 11 years old), loves his crate, and when the other two get up in a morning, Cael doesn't rush out, he just loves to kick back in what he knows is his own, personal, private space. Just because he's a little dog, don't just assume a small crate will be fine. He will need room to move around comfortably, and just in case something goes wrong, and he can't hold it, he will need enough space not to have to be lying in it. My middle dog, Flynn (10 years old now) went through a stage of ripping the cushion in the bottom of the crate to pieces a couple of times, (and once the plastic tray in the bottom of the crate). but it was rare and he soon grew out of it. My youngest, Willow (now 3 years old) who is very clingy, and has abandonment issues if we should do anything as heinous as go to the pub for an hour, hops into her crate quite happily when its time to go to bed, and doesn't exhibit any signs of stress for doing so. Finally, a destructive dog, is sometimes a sign of a dog that has a lot of energy that still needs to be burnt off. I'm really not trying to be insulting, as I'm sure you walk your dog every day, but just because he's a little dog, please dont assume he will only require a short walk. A Jack Russell is a working dog, that was bred to run with a fox hunt to rouse the fox from its den, and then it had to keep up with the rest of the hunt, (Don't blame me, thank the Reverend Jack Russell) and therefore needs a good long walk daily. I am very aware, that I'm very lucky to have the time, (and the health) to do it, but my little one needs a minimum of a five mile walk every morning, and even then is ready to play an hour after getting home. I hope this makes sense, and may be helpful to you.
Oh yes, putting an item of clothing like a sweatshirt or something that smells of you or your partner, in his crate, as has been suggested already, will help him settle, and accept the carate easier. Don't push it, just a short length of time, at a time, to start with
My opinion only but I do not think that encouraging a dog to dig is a good idea as he might think that he can then dig anywhere. The same goes for hiding treats in a pile of rags - again he might think that any pile of fabric [your nice, clean, folded laundry ready to be put away, for example] is hiding treats.
