[nagdu] Would like some advice

[Julie McGinnity]

Hi Debbie,

Bill is exactly the same with the oral fixation problem.  I agree with
those who have said to remove the trashcan as a temptation.  But that
won't solve your problem either.  If your dog is like mine, she will
pick up laundry, stuffed animals, anything within reach.  Thankfully,
Bill won't snatch food, but here's what I've done to manage this
issue.

I've limited Bill's freedom.  We have a tie down, and if I need to be
busy doing things and can't really keep a close eye on him, I'll put
him on tie down, do some things, let him free and be attentive to him
for a while, and repeat.  Bill's trainer said that the reward system
does well for him.  I have expanded that into a system of changing
what is expected of him.  His periods of freetime have been getting
longer and longer, but he still tends to get into trouble when left up
to his own devices for too long.

You have been doing the take-away-and-replace method.  I would also
praise and reward her for picking up her bone when she does this and
even do some setups where she has a choice between a bone or a drier
sheet or something else tempting to doggy mouths.  And if you don't
want her wandering and getting in trouble, put her on leash.  I still
do this when I have company over for dinner.

I'll let you know if I find anything else that works!

On 8/25/14, Cindy Ray via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> If I kept Fisher on leash until he earned his freedom from chewing paper,
> etc., he would still be on leash even after six years. The best way in my
> opinion is to be proactive and have stuff where dogs can't get it. That's
> not always easy, but the covered and locked trash can will go a long way.
>
> Cindy
>
> On Aug 25, 2014, at 9:10 AM, Star Gazer via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> 		Why not just get a new trash can and have it appear in place
>> of your husband's trash can? Odds are, he won't care unless he's thinking
>> to
>> himself "This dog can guide my wife safely around all kinds of stuff, yet
>> can't literally keep her nose out of the trash?"
>> You may want to get a cong for her, maybe a food puzzle so she'll have a
>> challenge and something to do with her mouth.
>> You can also keep her on leash with you until she earns her freedom.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of debby phillips
>> via nagdu
>> Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2014 11:36 AM
>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [nagdu] Would like some advice
>>
>> Good morning all.  I will try to make this brief.  As most of you know, I
>> recently returned from Seeing Eye with Neena, a 21-month Golden
>> Retriever.
>> She is a good guide, (we have some issues but nothing truly major).  But
>> it's her behavior when not guiding that is giving me problems.  She is my
>> 7th dog, so you'd think I could handle this.  First of all, Neena is
>> obsessed with having something in her mouth at all times.  I have tried
>> taking away undesirable things and giving her a bone or some other toy to
>> replace the bad stuff, like Klenex, paper, leaves, grass.  This has not
>> worked very well.  I have tried correcting her, this is not working well,
>> other than making both of us feel bad.  Today she came rushing in from
>> parktime and immediately grabbed paper.
>> I couldn't figure out where the heck she was getting it, until I
>> discovered
>> that she was getting it from the trash can by my husband's chair in the
>> living room.  He had put it out of the way, so she would really have to
>> make
>> an effort to get to it.  (I have suggested getting a different kind that
>> closes).  He has ignored that suggestion.  So maybe he needs a pfui.
>> [German word Seeing Eye uses as correction, meaning basically shame on
>> you".
>>
>> I grabbed paper out of her mouth, tried giving her the bone, and then a
>> tug
>> toy, but to no avail.  I finally began showing her the nasty stuff and
>> telling her pfui.  Finally she went into the bedroom, got up on the bed
>> where my retired dog was lying, and sought solace from him, I think.  I
>> put
>> her in her crate, and she willingly went in.  What can I do? How can I
>> make
>> her stop doing
>> this? I'm afraid she will get sick.    Debby and Neena
>>
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-- 
Julie McG
National Association of Guide dog Users board member,  National
Federation of the Blind performing arts division secretary,
Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President,
and Guiding Eyes for the Blind graduate 2008
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal
life."
John 3:16