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Location: Essex UK
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 3,424
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I despair...
this from someone earlier on fbook about their dog in reply to someone being perfectly reasonably upset that their dog had got hold of something and destroyed it.. Not their fault the OP was saying.. shouldn't have been left in the puppies reach, OP gave the puppy a cuddle, they didn't mean it...
"I don't believe you. B finds my stuff and destroys it and then cowers and then pisses everywhere and then I say B bed and he pees on the sofa then I say NO garden and he pisses everywhere at which point I grab him by the scruff and slap him, f***in retard."
I replied with:
"Urinating is an extreme stress or fear response, voiding is the last ditch attempt to escape attack. Making a threat or causing pain when a dog is already in its most extreme stress response will make the problem worse and cause a urination response at an earlier stage next time as the dog anticipates fear and pain. Destructive behaviour when being left is also a sign of anxiety, although in puppies it can just be boredom or redirected excitement. Just take anything of value out of reach and give them interesting distracting toys to occupy them, treat balls, kongs, knotted towels with treats in the knots, boxes filled with newspaper and treats are great inexpensive enrichments to leave when you go out."
I didn't want to come across as preachy or know it all.. but I couldn't just let a statement like that go.. poor B...
Would you have held your tongue?