Hey everybody -

I am a foster parent for a dog rescue group in Hong Kong & of course I get the occasional bad dog with problems. But for the most part I get good dogs with a few manageable flaws. I have a dog now that I like very much, but he's slowly and surely driving me insane...

Walter looks a lot like a German Shepherd x Boxer type of dog, he's about 100-110lbs and I'd say 4-5 years old. We go for walks just about every day but he tires out fast (he was a chubster when he showed up!) and doesn't eat a ton... Actually, when he eats he lays down and puts his face in the bowl & eats like a slob. I've tried a bunch of different brands and flavors, but he just doesn't enjoy dry dog food. Of course if I were to give him my food or wet food he inhales it.

So I've had him since the end of July and in the past month he has just done a complete 180 on me. He started out as a real good dog, I taught him sit, stay, shake, lie down, go to bed (when he's bad), and down. I also have got him to be a MUCH better walker, he used to drag me all over the place & now he walks at my side... For the most part.

Now this is what is going on...

If I leave for FIVE MINUTES i will return to every garbage can in my place turned over and every piece of garbage all over the house. Even if I go to sleep before he does, he will rummage through the garbage in my room (with the amazing treasure of tissues & paper). So I've taken to putting him outside every time I leave the house, this doesn't even work. If there is ANYTHING that he could get into, he gets into it & trails it all over the back yard.

So that was today's problem, I went out for 2 hours, came home & there was garbage all over the place from the neighbors yard! He stuck his head through the fence, grabbed their garbage and trashed my yard. So I did as I usually do, walked out, didn't greet him, said "Bad dog" very sternly (I was so furious), and then I said "Inside. Bed." & I went to grab him by the collar to take him in side & he starts running around happy & leaping around. He totally ignored me! I told him to come, he ignored me and played in his mess of garbage. I finally get him, take him inside to where his bed is... and he pees all over it!

Now, he has been doing this more and more frequently... Whenever I have people over & he's out of control I say "bed" and he USED to go and lay down there. In the past month whenever people come over he ignores me, jumps all around them, all the while I am calling "come here" and then whenever I try to grab him to take him to bed he starts running around and blowing me off! So I'd say this whole me picking him up (me and the dog weigh about the same... so when I pick him up it's because I can't deal with him freaking people out anymore) and putting him in bed, then him peeing on his bed has happened 3-4 times. It's driving me insane!!!

He has also been in a habit to follow me every second of the day which I'm ok with, but in conjunction with this bad behavior... I feel like it's anxiety or attention seeking, I'm not sure. So I have been shooing him away and making sure he's not sitting within 5' of me unless I invite him.

I'm just not sure what to do... part of being a foster parent is rehabilitating these dogs to find new permanent homes. His previous 2 homes said he was jealous and destructive. I thought he had changed, but it seems like over time his true colours have shown... :\

Anyone have an idea of how I can get this dog to respect and respond to me again? He will still obey commands, but ONLY if i am the center of attention. If anyone else has newly entered my home he completely ignores me. AHHHH!!!!!!

[lulusmom]

It is rather odd that Walter was a good boy for three of four months and then turned into the evil seed. Rummaging through trash is often a sign of a voracious appetite brought on by low thyroid or cushing's. A once housebroken dog now having accidents in the house is also a sign of a medical problem as is behavioral changes. I am a foster for two rescue groups and I am currently fostering a Pom with cushing's and a Pom with hypothyroidism. I also have one of my own that has both conditions so I know the signs. The shelters are full of dogs that are dumped because of medical conditions like these.

Big dogs with these conditions counter surf but my Poms are vertically challenged. If they could get to any trash, it was strewn all over the place, especially kitchen trash where there are remnants of food. The one with cushing's wore bellybands before treatment as he peed all over the place. I think it might be a good idea to have Walter checked out by a vet

Just a note, scolding/punishing after the deed has been done (particularly hours after) does nothing. The dog will not understand what it is being punished for. You have to catch him in the act iso that he associates the punishment with the deed.

After all, you wouldn't get your dog to sit on command, then come up to him two hours later and praise him for it, and expect him to know you're talking about that sit he did earlier in the day, would you?