Scratching

by Abbie
(England )

Hi,

Me and my dad reduced a Rottie, Mille, from a dogs home, she is 6. She is yet to be spade( whether this a one the root causes of her behaviour)

So at first she would never leave your side wherever you went she went, which i found endearing and totally expected considering where she had come from. She lives with my dad I pick her up once/twice a week and take her out mainly to a family members let her run around the garden buy her loads of treat and toys ETC.

So my dads give me a few snippets of her behaviour, she’s ran out the house not reposed to calls, she’s scratched the door, she’s scratched the carpet.

Tonight its kind of come to a head were my dad has basically said he’s thinking of taking here back, I DON NOT wan this to happens. She has started to tear away at the cushion of a leather couch to pull out the stuffing and then even get to the foam/ She has also scratched a a certain part of the carpet right down to thread.

We had a rottie previous who was put to sleep a year earlier, she was 14 and as you know quite old for a rottie. At times she was’t able to make it outside to the toilet, and this seems to possibly of happen in the areas of carnage that mille has caused.

So my questions are:

How can we stop this from happening, the scratching at the carpets, doors and couch ?
Is the a nerves thing?
Should she be disciplined?
Is she at an age where her behaviour can’t be changed?

All answers/thoughts welcome and total gratitude given,

Hopefully I can get some help, I couldn’t bear to see her go back.

Thanks,
Abbie

Hi Abbie, I’m sorry it’s taken a while to respond, and I hope that Mille has not been returned to the rescue in the meantime.

The behaviors you mention sound anxiety/stress related and also possibly due to the scent left by your dad’s previous dog. Mille will definitely smell that another dog has been there and may scratch at an area that carries her scent, or has been soiled previously.

At 6 years old she is an adult and won’t learn at the same speed as a puppy, but she’s definitely still able to be taught new behaviors. It will take patience, time and consistency to help her feel safe and secure, and to learn new things and UNlearn old ones.

For a while she will need to be contained (either in a crate, or confined to a room where she can’t be too destructive) when she’s not being supervised… and if she does something wrong (tries to scratch the carpet, or tear up cushions or whatever) she needs to be corrected firmly, but lovingly, so that she realizes that this behavior isn’t acceptable.

Your dad will need to be committed to helping her rather than just returning her because she’s become inconvenient and much as you want to help, if you’re not there full time it’s really down to him and whether or not he’s willing to put in the time/effort.

Poor Mille has already had a rough time, and being sent back will make it even harder for her. What she really needs is love and security so that she can learn to trust and her anxiety level diminishes, as well as loving training and discipline.

I’m sorry I can’t help more but I hope that Mille gets what she needs and that your dad grows to love her and cherish her, even though it’s not all plain sailing at first.

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About The Rotty lover 2159 Articles
My name is Dr. Winnie. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Duke University, a Masters of Science in Biology from St Georges University, and graduated from the University of Pretoria Veterinary School in South Africa. I have been an animal lover and owners all my life having owned a Rottweiler named Duke, a Pekingese named Athena and now a Bull Mastiff named George, also known as big G! I'm also an amateur equestrian and love working with horses. I'm a full-time Veterinarian in South Africa specializing in internal medicine for large breed dogs. I enjoy spending time with my husband, 2 kids and Big G in my free time. Author and Contribturor at SeniorTailWaggers, A Love of Rottweilers, DogsCatsPets and TheDogsBone