Advice for a dog that keeps getting himself into serious trouble?

[Olimpia]

I have a sheltie puppy that is 7 months old today, and will have eaten something that obstructed his intestines TWICE in one month, today. He is actually waiting to go into surgery again in two hours to get the latest obstruction removed. We have no idea what he got into this time, but know that last time they pulled out a man's sock from his lower intestine.

We have done all sorts of changes to how we do things just so this wouldn't happen again. We have baby gates closing off the kitchen so he can't get into the trash. We have 3 laundry bins now that are secured to the closet so they can't be knocked over, and so no clothing is ever on the ground. The closet and the bedroom are always closed, just in case. All toys that pose a risk have been thrown out, and all shoes are locked away.

But he still finds stuff to chew and eat, whether at home or outside. He'll pick up and swallow a little pebble just because. It's terrible. I have been buying him bully-sticks to chew on instead but they are getting expensive, and anything plastic/rubber his sister will chew and eat, so those are out as well. And clearly stuffed toys are a no-no. Rope toys are also forbidden, because if he eats those they pose a big obstruction risk as well.

We're at a loss as to what toys are good for him, what else to do (muzzle?), and how to keep him out of surgery a third time. We're not even sure if it's safe to leave him in his crate with a bed, lest he decides to eat that too. He doesn't have separation anxiety but he obviously gets destructive when he's bored, even with a dozen toys.

Any tips, tricks, or recommendations?
How do we keep him alive past this puppy period?

Here are some picks of the trouble-maker.
He's the one on the right, with his older sister on the left.

Thank you!

 

[SonTigerPantherCham]

Good morning Olimpia,
My goodness you are having time with him
The only thing I missed in your thread is exercise.
Shelties have that working dog drive and need alot of structured exercise.
Maybe when he has recovered try fly ball, obstacle course, letting him pull you on skates.
Its amazing how much energy they have!
I agree with the separation anxiety issue as well.
The other thing I have done with my pups was to keep them on a leash while in the house. It teaches them a multitude of good behaviors and the bond becomes really strong because you are alpha.
If you stand, make him stay until you ask him to come, in the kitchen, living room, bathroom, he lies down until you ask him. It is easy, very loving, effective and only has positive effects. That and tons of excerciss and both of you will survive!.
Do you have access to a pool?, even better
Pm me if you want to hear any of my experiences. I have raised and shown dogs
hugs, anne

 

[SonTigerPantherCham]

P.S.
beautiful baby you have

 

[camimom]

Dog walker during the day to get him exercise.

Dog park in the evenings and on weekends.

creeping your dog like no tomorrow, lol, just watch him constantly.

doggie day care.

hardcore obedience training.


as for toys....

the ones youve taken away are good.

nylabones are good, they dont come off in chunks and pose choking hazards.

big rawhide bones, cow hooves, pigs ears, extreme kongs (the black ones).

my english setter is also not allowed to have plush toys, as he likes to eat them also, thankfully no issues with that.

also, the pork shoulder bone from a pork butt can be frozen and then given to the dogs. they do not splinter like chicken bones do.
so you can buy a pork butt, bone in, cook it, eat the meat yourself, and then freeze the bone for a few days, then give him the bone.

 

[SonTigerPantherCham]

Hi Jessica,
Another thought, he is teething
Frozen carrots are great for that, but only outside cause they are messy

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Like Anne said, exercise helps a lot, especially something like flyball or agility to exercise their little overactive minds as well. But aside from that, if this is happening when you're not home then definitely crate (without bed), pushed away from anything in the room. My dog had to be crated even if we were gone for like 5 minutes due to separation anxiety. She couldn't have a bed because she destroyed it and she couldn't be near anything else in the room because she would pull it in with her paws and destroy it (clothes, bed comforters, you name it). Now her issue was a little different, but it had the same effect that you're looking for: no way to swallow anything! She still thinks of her crate as "home" because she gets treats every time she goes in. (Luckily she doesn't even have to be crated anymore since she grew out of it.) But if he's crated during the day he's going to need even more activity and stimulation when he's out because he will have a lot of pent up energy being a sheltie. Now if this is happening while you're home then keeping him on a leash in sight is a great idea. My good friend had a weimereiner puppy that had a total of 6 GI obstruction surgeries...so I know what you're going through! He did the leashed to his body at home, crating when away, and if he wasn't on a leash or in a crate he had a cage muzzle on. That way he could still drink and pant and be comfortable but couldn't get anything big enough to swallow to his mouth. I think his dog actually managed to swallow a small rubber ball through the cage muzzle but he shouldn't have had that around to begin with. Being ever vigilant about things around the house of course helps immensely. Beware, even drink coasters make great GI obstructors - have seen those pulled out of several dogs because owners didn't think of them since they're on tables.

He's a gorgeous pup!

 

[camimom]

Hi Jessica,
Another thought, he is teething
Frozen carrots are great for that, but only outside cause they are messy

my pup loves carrots. he likes to play withthem first too. hes just over a year old, but hell toss them around firs, then settle down to eat them.

its so cute.

 

[camimom]

Like Anne said, exercise helps a lot, especially something like flyball or agility to exercise their little overactive minds as well. But aside from that, if this is happening when you're not home then definitely crate (without bed), pushed away from anything in the room. My dog had to be crated even if we were gone for like 5 minutes due to separation anxiety. She couldn't have a bed because she destroyed it and she couldn't be near anything else in the room because she would pull it in with her paws and destroy it (clothes, bed comforters, you name it). Now her issue was a little different, but it had the same effect that you're looking for: no way to swallow anything! She still thinks of her crate as "home" because she gets treats every time she goes in. (Luckily she doesn't even have to be crated anymore since she grew out of it.) But if he's crated during the day he's going to need even more activity and stimulation when he's out because he will have a lot of pent up energy being a sheltie. Now if this is happening while you're home then keeping him on a leash in sight is a great idea. My good friend had a weimereiner puppy that had a total of 6 GI obstruction surgeries...so I know what you're going through! He did the leashed to his body at home, crating when away, and if he wasn't on a leash or in a crate he had a cage muzzle on. That way he could still drink and pant and be comfortable but couldn't get anything big enough to swallow to his mouth. I think his dog actually managed to swallow a small rubber ball through the cage muzzle but he shouldn't have had that around to begin with. Being ever vigilant about things around the house of course helps immensely. Beware, even drink coasters make great GI obstructors - have seen those pulled out of several dogs because owners didn't think of them since they're on tables.

He's a gorgeous pup!

my sister in laws lab ate a stone coaster once. and 2 tv remotes, and the drywall, through his cage.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

big rawhide bones, cow hooves, pigs ears

I would not recommend any of those actually!! Even big rawhides become little rawhides with chewing and I have actually seen and heard horror stories from dogs being obstructed by rawhides many times. For a normal dog it's not so worrisome, but for a dog that is predisposed to them with previous surgeries causing even minor intestinal strictures this is definitely a bad idea. Same thing for pig hooves. An excited puppy is going to swallow that when it's too big and that's a great obstructor too. I actually had to reach down my dog's throat and pull a pig hoof out of her esophagus where it was stuck as she was choking on it really bad. That was the last hoof my dogs ever saw!!

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

my sister in laws lab ate a stone coaster once. and 2 tv remotes, and the drywall, through his cage.

Yes!! She pulled in a textbook through her cage and managed to destroy it. And when she managed to pull in my (very nice) comforter I came home and all I saw was her eyes peering over the fluffy cloud that had filled her cage!

Lol

 

[camimom]

Yes!! She pulled in a textbook through her cage and managed to destroy it. And when she managed to pull in my (very nice) comforter I came home and all I saw was her eyes peering over the fluffy cloud that had filled her cage!

haha yea, i was amazed he could eat a stone coaster! and he cracked it into chunks too then ate it!

though i think the scariest thing ive ever seen a dog eat, was a bag of hershey minis. almost the WHOLE bag.

he was fine, didnt even need a vet trip. amazingly.

hehe my dogs do that too.

my german shorthair pointer i had, once dug through a wall.. at the boarders. I cried thinking he wouldnt be allowed back, but he was.

That dog would also hoard food.
he figured out how to get into a babylocked cabinet, and would take out bags of chips and cookies, and instead of eating them, would stuff them in the couch cushions. so when we came home and sat down...... :rollseyes:

 

[SonTigerPantherCham]

I agree with Dayna, I don't give rawhide they definitely pose a risk.
crate training does take time
1 minute in, if calm take him out. Reward while in the crate
5 minutes in, stay in sight reward
10 min
20 min, leave the room briefly
etc
They must associate the crate with good. That it is NEVER a place for punishment and that you ALWAYS return with a quiet smile. Not overexuberence.
Olympia, I know you know this, I just don't want others to think i am speaking without knowledge. So take no offense, ok?

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

though i think the scariest thing ive ever seen a dog eat, was a bag of hershey minis. almost the WHOLE bag.

My mom's dog (12 pound mini dachshund) is the incredible hulk when it comes to eating things she shouldn't...she's finished off entire bags of chocolate on multiple occasions. Just last week she eat almost an entire pound of butter (my dog helped her get it off the counter). And I was sure she was going to die when she ate half of a bag of good coffee beans. But she just keeps on trucking with no side effects at all, which just floors me. One of these times she's not going to be fine...

he figured out how to get into a babylocked cabinet, and would take out bags of chips and cookies, and instead of eating them, would stuff them in the couch cushions. so when we came home and sat down...... :rollseyes:

That is HILARIOUS!!

 

[camimom]

My mom's dog (12 pound mini dachshund) is the incredible hulk when it comes to eating things she shouldn't...she's finished off entire bags of chocolate on multiple occasions. Just last week she eat almost an entire pound of butter (my dog helped her get it off the counter). And I was sure she was going to die when she ate half of a bag of good coffee beans. But she just keeps on trucking with no side effects at all, which just floors me. One of these times she's not going to be fine...


That is HILARIOUS!!

yea, my dog would eat any food he could get ahold of. no matter what it was. cept for when he hoarded it.

he ended up passing from medical issues, not related to his food consumption choices. but i swore, he ate stuff that would make any other dog violently ill. the worst side effect he ever got, was the runs. iron stomach on him.

 

[K9Luvn]

Agility Agility Agility!! The busier they are with good activities the less they do getting their energy out the wrong way. My Sheltie would jump the baby gate and then jump right back over thinking we wouldn't know it. As far as crating I would not put anything in the crate but the tray. As Dayna said definitely no pig ears, rawhides, or chew hooves. Anne has really good crate advice as well.

Many people with Shelties have had to get with the vets and use products like Clomicalm (there are other medications out there now I'm sure) along with obedience and Agility to get this resolved especially at this age. It really can be worked out. This is very common in Shelties and one reason so many are turned over to shelters and rescue groups.

Please let us know how the surgery turns out.

 

[Synapse]

Does he have one blue eye and one normal eye? Can't tell from the pics. Beautiful dogs btw.

 

[Olimpia]

Synapse, yes, he has one of each. His sister has two blue eyes

Thanks for the input ladies. He's out of surgery safely and a little ball of fabric had become stuck at the previous obstruction site. He should be home tomorrow afternoon after spending the night with them.

I've had my other sheltie for 4 years and not a single incident like this, but the little one is mischievous. Trust me, I try to do all sorts of things with my dogs, if not both at least the little one now that we're still working on socialization and what not. I take them with me to pet stores, restaurants, cafes, etc. We go to the dog park as many afternoons as I can or so an abandoned field where the two can run, there is a group of neighbors that will meet at the complex tennis court and let the dogs run and play fetch together, I walk them several times a day, and they are in different activity classes. And then the two play with each other all day long. After my finals are over this week I can do more, but during the semester, I can't do more than this, not every day. They are usually tired but you know how dogs are - they can run 4 miles on roller blades but they come back, nap, and are re-energized an hour later. But it's not like they're home alone, bored all day long.

I went and bough a few kong and nylabone toys, hoping they are durable and desirable. I've gotten some nylabone toys in the past that my oldest can eat in chunks (and I don't mean the edible ones!). Also, I hope they are interesting because they may not look at them if they are too tough. We'll see. I got the little kong cone one that you stuff, and will be sticking carrots in there (he loves them) so that should keep him occupied.

He's crate trained already, and although he won't go in willingly just for fun, he doesn't make a fuss when he's in there either. He obviously can't go unsupervised for any amount of time or he gets himself into trouble. So he'll definitely be seeing a lot more of the crate in the coming months.

Essentially, this cannot happen again. I don't have the money to cover a $2-3,500 operation every time he feels like eating something, and my dad has made it clear that although he's important, they don't want to cover the cost again either. So if there is a next time, it may be his last unless I can come up with a financial solution.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

It's a hard situation to be in for sure. I have no doubt that you're doing everything you can to give him a wonderful, mentally stimulating life. I pretty much figured you were already keeping them occupied and active since you know shelties well. But it's hard to combat the mischievous will of a puppy with a mind to eat weird things! Glad he's out of surgery safely! Good luck with keeping him out of trouble!

 

[Olimpia]

Yea, I've even done herding with my oldest, Mina. I love this breed and try to meet their needs as much as I can. For shelties they're really social and it's because I try to take them everywhere with me if I can and meet people constantly. These are my babies!

I'm going to walk around the house tomorrow after my final and before he comes home and throw out or move anything that he can get at!

 

[K9Luvn]

Glad everything went well in surgery. I know it is a very, very expensive surgery. Shelties really are a great breed aren't they Sounds like this one is really keeping you busy! Oh my I feel for you. Glad things went well and let us know when he comes come.