Hi all. This is my second dane and he is nothing like the first. He is a sweet dog but an absolute terror outside. My last dane did none of these things so I figured the new one wouldn't either but I was wrong.
I have a huge (3/4 acre) fenced back yard. It had a lot of grass but with all the running around the 9 month old pup does, and with all the rain we've had, most of the grass is now mud. I'm ok with that because he isn't doing anything wrong and it's just grass. However, about half of the yard is woods, and the other half is hilly areas where I have some random things planted. I have young persimmon trees, four blueberry bushes, a raspberry patch, and a blackberry patch.
Despite half of the yard being woods, he completely leaves the shrubs and bushes that grow naturally alone, and instead destroys all the specific plants I planted. I didn't recently plant them either.... I planted them a year ago. There is nothing unique about these plants. But for whatever reason, he chews them all up and tries to dig some of them up. Today he snapped my young persimmon tree off at the trunk, just 2' off the ground. He's topped all of my blueberry bushes, and he's dug up half my raspberry patch. He's also ripped out all my irrigation line that was just below the surface. Any potted plants are immediately destroyed and chewed to bits.
He's an indoor dog and has NO issues in the house with anything. I let him outside in the morning to do his business and eat, before I go to work. And when I get home, I let him out a couple of times to do the same thing. I usually let him out for 10 or 15 minutes at a time and in the evening, I take him on a long hike at a private off-leash area, or I throw the ball for him in the backyard until he's out of breath and tired. So he's getting plenty of exercise.
It seems that I simply can't leave him alone in the yard for any length of time. That's very troublesome because it means I will have to sit there and watch him until I see nature calling. Add the fact that he likes to be outside and will run away or do anything he can to avoid going back into the house. I've tried positive training, luring him in with cookies and praise etc, but he feels outside is more fun than the best treats. So really it almost seems that I can't take him out in my huge fenced yard at all unless he's on a leash.
Anyone have any ideas for me? Anyone know why he is specifically targeting my nice plants and leaving everything else completely alone? Is it just a phase and if so, when will he likely grow out of it?
Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom. He's a great and VERY smart dog but is being such a rascal.
I have a huge (3/4 acre) fenced back yard. It had a lot of grass but with all the running around the 9 month old pup does, and with all the rain we've had, most of the grass is now mud. I'm ok with that because he isn't doing anything wrong and it's just grass. However, about half of the yard is woods, and the other half is hilly areas where I have some random things planted. I have young persimmon trees, four blueberry bushes, a raspberry patch, and a blackberry patch.
Despite half of the yard being woods, he completely leaves the shrubs and bushes that grow naturally alone, and instead destroys all the specific plants I planted. I didn't recently plant them either.... I planted them a year ago. There is nothing unique about these plants. But for whatever reason, he chews them all up and tries to dig some of them up. Today he snapped my young persimmon tree off at the trunk, just 2' off the ground. He's topped all of my blueberry bushes, and he's dug up half my raspberry patch. He's also ripped out all my irrigation line that was just below the surface. Any potted plants are immediately destroyed and chewed to bits.
He's an indoor dog and has NO issues in the house with anything. I let him outside in the morning to do his business and eat, before I go to work. And when I get home, I let him out a couple of times to do the same thing. I usually let him out for 10 or 15 minutes at a time and in the evening, I take him on a long hike at a private off-leash area, or I throw the ball for him in the backyard until he's out of breath and tired. So he's getting plenty of exercise.
It seems that I simply can't leave him alone in the yard for any length of time. That's very troublesome because it means I will have to sit there and watch him until I see nature calling. Add the fact that he likes to be outside and will run away or do anything he can to avoid going back into the house. I've tried positive training, luring him in with cookies and praise etc, but he feels outside is more fun than the best treats. So really it almost seems that I can't take him out in my huge fenced yard at all unless he's on a leash.
Anyone have any ideas for me? Anyone know why he is specifically targeting my nice plants and leaving everything else completely alone? Is it just a phase and if so, when will he likely grow out of it?
Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom. He's a great and VERY smart dog but is being such a rascal.
Comment