Punishing the dog after-the-fact by returning home hours, or even minutes later and "showing him" what he did wrong by dragging him to the object and yelling at him will have no affect on the dog other than to mistrust you since you are unpredictable. Sometimes you return home in a good mood; while other times you return angry and upset. AFTER-THE-FACT CORRECTIONS ARE USELESS AND TEACH YOUR DOG NOTHING EXCEPT FEAR, CONFUSION AND MISTRUST. Dogs live in the immediate present. They can ONLY connect your praise or punishment with the behavior they are actually engaged in when you give it. A punishment can only be effective if you catch him "in the act". Your punishment must interrupt and end the unacceptable behavior.  Many owners assume the dog "knows better" and punish him for acting out. Your dog is NOT ACTING OUT OF SPITE and misbehaving to get back at you.

If you arrive at the scene of the crime hours, or minutes later, do not punish your dog. He makes no connection with the punishment and the act of performing "the crime". He looks forward to seeing you when you come home. His biological clock is ticking and he knows you will be returning soon. Not knowing what mood you will come home in, he becomes anxious, stress builds and begins to chew on something or bark to relieve his stress. Every time he sees a destroyed object, the object signals to him that he will be punished upon your arrival, NOT THE ACT OF CHEWING IT. He knows that you and the article in the same room will get might cause you to become angry and aggressive this is why he might run and hide and "look guilty". He is not feeling guilty. He is exhibiting fear of the anticipated punishment. He is giving you appeasement behaviors, asking you to stay calm and not get aggressive with him. If you are harsh with your dog when he is asking you to be calm, he will view you as unreasonable and untrustworthy, you will damage the human/dog bond. This will create a lot of stress in your dog.

Some signs of stress in dogs are diarrhea, increased frequency in urination, excessive barking, self-mutilation pacing, panting and chewing. Therefore, the more you punish him after the fact, the more stressed he becomes. The more destructive the dog becomes, the more he will bark or exhibit other stressful behaviors, the more frustration the you feel. As you can see, this becomes a vicious cycle with a "no win" scenario. It should be obvious that if your dog could make the connection between the delayed punishment and the "crime", he would certainly stop destroying objects to avoid punishment. No living creature enjoys being punished. If you come home and find a mess, ignore it! Bring your dog to another room or let him outside so you can return and clean it up. Do not rant and rave. This may go against your natural inclination, but stay patient and calm. Wait to greet the dog when you are both calm. Don’t keep repeating punishment that isn’t working.

Exercise. Destructive chewing is often caused by a dog who has pent-up energy. Even if you work all day, you must find the time to give your dog the physical exercise which he requires. (Please see exercising your dog the wrong way)

Each person in your family should share in the responsibility of playing with and walking your dog. You could get up 1/2 hour earlier in the morning to allow for time to play and walk your dog. Remember, exercise is good for you as well! If you have a fenced-in yard, spend time playing fetch, hide and seek, find it games, soccer, catch. Do not use your yard as a large crate by allowing the dog to be alone hoping he will get exercise. Dogs love to interact with others. Play builds a strong bond. If there is no one to interact with, his only option is to dig, fence run, bark, guard, chase small animals or chew on your patio furniture or house. This is not constructive time and will not eliminate his energy. He will become very independent and even worse, territorial aggressive as time goes on. Your dog should love to spend time with you and follow your rules; not make up his own. At night, after dinner, take him for another walk; this time in a different direction. Taking him on the same path each day becomes less stimulating. Ask your children, spouse or significant other to join you. This can be a valuable time for you and your family to be together, as well as fulfilling your dog's needs. The dog loves it when the entire pack is together. Some breeds need more exercise than others. Working breeds, hunting dogs, hounds and terriers need extra time to burn up their extra energy. A walk usually is not enough. These breeds need to run in order to burn off their energy.

If I have instructed you to practice a psychological heel with your dog, make sure he does this for the first part of the walk, at least ½ of the walk. His reward for working will be “free dog” where he can walk and sniff without working so hard.

Daina Beckman

Dog Behavior Specialist / Dog Trainer

www.dogpsychologyhelp.com   daina@dogpsychologyhelp.com  607-698-9122