Thanks to all who read my whining!

I'm a new member of this site, and my dog, Badger, is very new to my family.  My husband and I have two wonderful, beloved cats, and we adopted Badger because he didn't really have anywhere else to go.  He's an 18 mo Dachshund/Beagle mix, about 25 lbs, foot high at shoulder... so not much bigger than my giant felines.  He was already living with cats, in a house full of bachelors, so we thought we could make it work.  My problem is this:

He knows NOTHING.

The only training/care his previous owner bothered to impart was housebreaking.  Beyond that, Badger is completely oblivious to the fact that anyone else's wishes matter.  He didn't even know his own name [which was Skeeter], so I changed it... new beginnings.  No manners, chases cats/kids/dogs/cars/birds/insects/moving objects/visitors/imaginary creatures/etc, steals everything anyone [even the cats] is holding- food/toys/remotes/clothes/utensils, flies around jumping over furniture like a cat [not good for his doxie back], jumps on everyone- special move is the "crotch headbutt", chews chews CHEWS, the list goes on and on.  I'm not sure how to get him to learn his name... he's never had one as far as he knows.  Also, he's very excited about me, so [inside the house, not outside] he comes to me when I call him, but also when I talk, call the cats, get up, change position, whatever, so it's hard to know when to praise him.

Now, he's a lovely dog.  He's sweet, loving, playful, and seems to be intelligent.  When you talk to him, he looks at you like he's really trying to understand what's going on.  I don't want to give the impression that he's bad... it's actually really sad, because the poor guy has been totally left to his own devices and, in a way, neglected.  They fed and watered him, but he didn't get outside much and was never paid a whole lot of attention to.  There's just so much to do, I have no idea where to start, and because I have a really demanding job, it'll be several months before I can put him into a good training class.  AND my husband is out of the picture for now [job related travel] so I'm trying to handle this alone.

Any advice, shared stories, reading suggestions, etc would be very welcome.  I haven't owned a dog since I was 10, almost 13 years ago, and I'm VERY excited, so I really appreciate your support! 

 Maybe you should try to take him out on a lead one on one a few minutes a day. I think all the outside or for that matter inside influences distract him.

 I had a dog years ago that was like a pin ball all jumping and whipping thru the house. I figures it was him being bad. But I think it was the cat and friends and other things that distracted him. He wanted ALL my attention and good or bad he was going to get it. He got jealous of the attention I gave to the other pets. And he, like Badger was adopted a little after puppyhood. I began designating a few minutes alone to my dog a day and he came around.

 Good Luck!

He and I go on 3 or 4 shorter walks and at least one longer walk every day, but I live in kind of an "outside" neighborhood, so there are usually lots of people and dogs and cars around.  Maybe you're right, I should take him out somewhere where it's more peaceful.  Thanks for the tip!

I wish I could help more..Good luck!

-Nadia

First, I want to say good luck. You are to be commended for adopting Badger! I've always had rescue dogs, too.

Second, I don't like to give advice, but I'd like to make a suggestion. That would be, don't reward behavior you don't want. Dogs will try to repeat behavior that gets them praise and/or treats.

Astrid's mom

Sounds like me with my new puppy!  Seems like you're kinda facing something similar... a dog that has never learned... well with Ember, I'm just taking it one small step at a time.  I'm not a trainer in the least and don't really even know the best methods to try to train her.  But she learned her name very quickly, which came hand in hand with NO.  So at this point, the only thing she understands is "No Ember!"  But believe it or not, that one little command really helps.  She learned that because I kept trying to enclose her in the kitchen with a baby gate but she kept jumping on it and whining, so I'd shove her off (gently) and very sternly tell her no... over and over and over and over, and when she finally didn't jump up again, she got a pat on the back and a cookie.  That's how it started, but since then, anytime I yell "No Ember" she stops what she's doing (even if its peeing on the floor- she'll clamp it off).  I don't know if "No" is the first thing a dog SHOULD learn, but that's what Ember knows and it's amazing how much control it's given me.  I'm sure someone else would tell you to focus more on teaching them what TO do rather than what NOT to do, but getting her to learn to stop her bad behavior has been a nice treat for my frazzled brain.  Not that it ALWAYS works, but after 2 weeks, she's definitely made progress. 

Put Badger on a short lead. This will give you access when you need it. Also, make sure he gets plenty of excercise so he can calm down and listen. He will catch on to his name....might take a little time. Just keep using it.

You are at a distinct disadvantage with a Doxie....they can be pretty stubborn, so be firm but patient. I'd choose just one or 2 things at a time to work on. As far as chewing, bear in mind that an 18 month old is still a pup and also some breeds chew more than others do. Try substituting whatever he has for an appropriate chewtoy. If he is a strong chewer, don't use anything rubber. You can entice him with food in a Kong. Just be sure to deduct some from his regular diet, so getting fat isn't an issue.

Praise him only when he responds to a behavior you have asked for.

Thanks so much everybody!  You have no idea how much I appreciate your tips.  Good luck with Ember, it's awesome that she's learning so quickly!  Badger has learned "No" now, as well as "Up" and "Down" [like on and off a piece of furniture], is doing well on a leash and has almost got "Wait." But he's breaking my heart with the chewing.  I tried to dog-proof the house, but he jumps and can get almost anywhere the cats can.  After working overnight, I came home this morning to find that he had choosen one book off a bookcase to shred, and it happened to be my husband's favorite, given to him by his late grandmother.  When I walked in and saw the mess, I was in tears, and didn't know how to convey to him what he did.  I just picked up the pieces and showed them to him, saying No and Bad, over and over in a stern, disappointed voice.  He rolled over on his back with his tail between his legs and silently listened to the rant, then slowly rolled over and walked toward me cowering to lick my foot.  So he got the message that I was really upset, but I don't know if he understood why.  I'm afraid that when my husband gets back in town, he will want me to start crating Badger while we're at work, which is about 10 hours a day, and I really really don't like doing that.  But Badger is only destructive when I'm not home. 

He needs to be crated. Next time it might be something that is not only of sentimental value, but might be a danger to him as well. Can you afford a dogwalker/petsitter to come in the middle of the day?

The problem with a pet sitter/dog walker is that they'd have to come at 3 in the morning, the half-way point of my shift.  I was afraid that if I crated him all night while I worked, he wouldn't let me sleep during the day.  However, he was in the crate about 9 hours last night, and I took him out for some vigorous exercize when I got off work, so he went back to bed with me at 10!  Success!  Plus, I'm sure the cats enjoy the break from being chased.

I'm still unsure of what to do when I find something he's destroyed, but Badger and I are heading to Petsmart right now to buy him a ton more chew toys.  I figure [maybe stupidly] that if he has more toys/rawhide than he can chew, he might not get around to ripping up stuff that belongs to us and the cats.

Congratulations!!

As far as disciplining, unless you find him in the act he has no clue why you are upset.

A word of caution about rawhides...they should only be given sparingly and under supervision. They can break off large pieces that can swell in their belly and cause a blockage. That's one of the reasons I suggested a Kong.

I also thought I'd warn you about some rope toys as well. I have heard of dogs getting blockages from chewing the strings off of them. I once had a foster dog that had to have surgery because he chewed off chunks of a rubber toy as well. Choose toys to be used unsupervised carefully.

I have good news!  Just when Badger pushed me to the brink with his antics, we somehow reached an understanding [sounds weird, I know] and he's coming back in the right direction.  It's still difficult to get through to him, but we're both trying very hard to work things out. 

Also, my friend referred me to a trainer who will work with my schedule and come to the house to help Badger and I get on track.  She warned me as well about the rawhides, and suggested using natural stuff like hooves and pigs ears.  But I'll definitely watch out for the rope toys, Aussie, thanks so much. [I'd be interested to know your take on those hooves... they seem to crack into really sharp pieces... and stink = ) ...]

I've started staking him outside for a few hours a day, in the morning and evening [my husband and I just bought our house and don't have a fence yet], so he's tired out and only wakes me a few times while I sleep.  He's also much better behaved on our walks and less jumpy in the house.  I don't leave him unsupervised in the house anymore, so almost no chewing, and I've tried to come up with lots of creative toys for him to keep his interest off of our stuff.  I made him a giant braided rope out of strips of old sheets, which he loves, but I'll bring it with me to the vet to make sure it's safe, after that warning.  He's still causing issues with the cats, but I'm hoping time is the solution for that one.

Anyway, I really appreciate everyone's tips and advice... I'm really glad to have a place to talk about my dog.  Random funny note: does anyone else's dog bark and run to the door when they hear a doorbell on TV?  Because Badger isn't satisfied until you let him outside to check for himself that no one is there! 

The third paragraph of your original post tells all, "intelligent and playful". Thats a great combination but also a great test on you.

The advice here is good and it sounds like you are making good progress and I guess the only reason I'm posting is to say that Buddy was almost the same way when I first adopted him, one day dog from hell, next day well mannerd and calm. The only thing I can figure is that dogs are like kids and smart dogs are like smart kids, they want to see how far they can push us and at 18 months he is finding out where he stands in the pack.

Best of luck and congradulations on your new pup!

We fall in line with the above posts. No use in repeating. Stay strong, be diligent and BE THE PACK LEADER. Crating is NOT mean and if the dog gets enough exercise, all they do is sleep, while you are away, anyhow! Leave a radio (talk station) or TV on, if you can.

Our dogs used to bark when there was a doorbell on TV ~ I vowed NEVER to use those companies (Pizza Hut). We would calmy say, "It's ok, it's on TV". If you shout back, STOP IT, it's like you barking back. They stopped doing it, quickly.

DO NOT even get me started on hooves (unless you have lots of $$ for root canals & caps) and raw hides. ;-) tina

Glad to hear it's going well. Remember your attitude directly affects the dog and always end short lessons on a positive note, even if it only lasts 2 seconds. Also remember that not all states require so-called trainers to be certified and also that every breed has differing needs. If you have any hesitations after meeting the trainer be sure to act on them. I once went with a friend to a 'trainer' and I use the term VERY loosely about this person because his advice to her to get the dog to listen to her was to yank him totally off the ground by his choker...

My take on hooves...lol...just about what you said ...stinkeeeeeeeee....but the lighter colored ones do tend to stink less and the thicker ones crack less too. I haven't been able to use them in years as they really incite the dogs to fight, but ions ago when I was a 'normal' person with 2-3 dogs I used to get them all the time.

Not sure what your cats are like, but most cats will put the dog in their place if they really want to...

My crew doesn't run to the door, but I can't watch animal planet at my daughter's house because Joey tried to attack the tv..lol

Annette and the pack

Bol at the part about the doorbell. sancho and dixie bark if the neighbors doorbell rings.  They run outside to see who it is and come right back. About the animal planet, they always watch it when we are gone but they won't tell us what we missed, Sounds like things are coming along. Get rid of those hooves,  yuuuuk  Continued good luck!

Find a trainer, maybe one through your local kennel club.  Make sure you fina trainer that knows something.  Often times trainers at pet super stores are not trained very well themselves. Here's a hint, find a trainer and meet THEIR dogs, how do they behave?  Around distractions/other dogs?

Good Luck.

As a professional dog trainer, I would suggest you get yourself and Badger to a trainer soonest.  Make sure you find one that doesn't use pinch or choke collars or abusive techniques.  You can find them at the APDT.  You dog needs training and you can do some of it without a trainer until you find one.  Go here:  www.painlessdogtraining.com and go through these first lessons, it will get you started on training Badger.  It's free and very easy.

I would encourage attaching "GOOD" and his name... I use food.  "Good Badger" [toss treat or toy].  Then you can start with the training.  Remember, all the things he does wrong are because he was taught them as "appropriate doggy behavior" at his previous owners.  Now, you get the whole bag.  So be patient, kind, loving and firm.  Treat him well, and reward good behavior.

Do not punish bad behavior, for right now, he hasn't a clue what you think is bad behavior!  When you have people come over, take a moment and put him in his kennel and reward him for it, with food, praise or play.  Until you can get him sitting quietly for the door, you won't be able to control him and the rest... so that is my temporary suggestion.

Good luck!

Annie,

Trainer in Germany