The trainer that I worked with about two weeks after I got Benny said that his "true" personality would start coming out around three weeks, when he felt comfortable enough in the home and with me. Well, within a month, like she predicted, I realized that he was no longer a sweet, docile little puppy. He has gained about ten pounds, which is good. But he's a now a 50lb terror, who is difficult to control and acts completely bonkers.
There is a lot of specualtion amongst my friends why he reacts the way he does to cars, trucks, loud noises - barking at the slightest noise, whipping around in circles, biting at his leash and effectively knocking me over. He goes after dogs, cats, squirrrels and anything on wheels - chinese delivery guys and strollers alike. He loves people, though, and he's still great with children. But he's TERRIBLY unpredictable and destructive and aggressive in so many other things I'm fearful of letting him have to much association with people.
He has ruined his room so many times, I stopped keeping count and just take it for granted that the room will be destroyed when I het back. He is able to move the leather chair, which weighs about 30 lbs from one side of the room to the other. He rips he dog bed apart, and tosses it across the room. He manages, somehow, to remove the embedded stainless steel dog bowls from their dish holder and either drop them behind the chair, or throw them up against the wall. He has eaten his way through about half of the back of the leather chair, and I've had to remove it and all the pieces for fear he will hurt himself. He throws his blanket, which I use to cover his crate) all over the place, lately in the water bowl, and even has managed to move his crate, admittedly not so heavy, from one side of the room to the other!!
He has learned not to chase the cats, since they are starting to fight back and reclaim thier space. And the water bottle with citronella has worked wonders, as well. But I am at my wits end. The barking, the freaking out on the streets, the destruction of everything - I don't know what to do. I've been trying to do the clicker training - but this dog, who will chase down a garbage truck at 5a - IS SCARED OF THE CLICKER!!!
Any advice? Please!?!?!
Overcoming fear of the clicker
Hi Milla,
Check out this article by Karen: Overcoming Fear of the Clicker.
And you might want to take a look at Click to Calm, Emma Parson's book on healing dog aggression and fear. It's available as an eBook now, so you can get it in a hurry and start to curtail the destruction ASAP! ;)