Dogs and firewood

Wayne214 said:

I know I read on here before that some of your dogs like to eat charred wood, but does anyone have ideas about keeping dogs away from stacked firewood? I have a 7 month old Golden. We had to have one of his eyes removed at 5 months due to an infection, so anything affecting his head/face makes me nervous. He pulled a piece of wood from the pile last night, and ended up with a swollen nose. He can't afford any more accidents, so any help you can give me would be appreciated.

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I wouldn't worry about a swollen nose. He'll learn. Maybe he needs a favorite toy and some more fetchin' practice. Like fetchin the wood from the woods to bring to the pile.

maybe something like this?

http://www.biconet.com/critter/gaDogCat.html

my cats LOVE to hang out at the wood piles - i suspect they are hunting for critters

oops..

retrievers are crazy dogs...

my lab pulls logs out, sticks, bark etc... i just leave a nice little controled pile of sticks for her to grab to keep her away from the stacked stuff, she seems to like to pull the bottom logs out causing a nice mess and a restack!

try positive reinforcement with the dog... they're a smart breed, he'll learn what you want him to

I second the toys. I was adopted by older, rescued lab/rotty mix when I retired here. (Poor boy had a stroke and lost the use of his legs this spring, so I had the tough decision to have him put down. He did live a fairly long life and was 14 when I had him put down.) He hadn't been well taken care of after his first owner was killed in a vehicle accident (the 4-footed boy was severely injured in that accident too) and he hadn't been given toys or many treats. He became obsessed with toys--I had quite a few when he moved in since I already had another dog. He absolutely fell in love with soft, fuzzy, squeaky toys. (The squeakers didn't survive long--he would work on killing them as soon as he got a hold of a new toy.) My surviving dog and I miss him.

Wayne,

Thank you. He spent 5 years with me--got 3 square meals a day, slept in the house (on my bed), had plenty of toys to play with, and got lots of love (from me and my other dog). He seemed happy here. I feel grateful for his love and friendship. He's now buried in the back yard. (I couldn't just let him be taken to the local dump, which is where the nearby vet takes deceased animals.)

When I was in college, I was caretaking a cabin on 40 acres. The owner had the property timbered leaving lots of oak tops for firewood. At the time I had a Chesapeake Bay Retriever who loved laying by the woodstove. When I went out on the property to cut firewood, the dog would come along. He must have figured out what I was doing--he would grab branches--some he could barely drag--and pull them away from where we were cutting wood. When I took my first load back to the house I found several tree branches piled up next to the front door. Earning his keep..I suppose. True story!

Chessies are bad azz. I've seen them on retrieves where their fur would freeze instantly on getting out of salt water and be ready to go back in. If I was hunting the ducks that would be my choice. Now back on topic: My Britt loves to chew on the wood. I give him a few small pieces that he chews and just keep telling him no on the big ones. He learns. Might take some work, but the dogs aren't stupid and he'll get the hang of it.
Chad

Wayne,

I have a Golden keeping my toes warm right now(he was surrendered by a family & I took him in...I can't image why they gave him up as he's a real puddin-head). At seven months Goldens are 'busy' to say the least(I've had several others from pups on up). If he isn't getting alot of exercise...then that's your first-best-bet. They're smart & full of energy. If you don't give him something to do he'll make up his own entertainment.

Take him for long walks and make sure he walks along side you, not in front. If he's in front then he'll think he's in charge & you're (literally) following him. If he's in charge then he won't listen to (respect, obey...) you. Don't be mean, no swats, no cussin. Once you've established that you're the leader of the pack, and he's tired, then head for the woodpile & put yourself between the wood & him. Everytime he tries to get around you, step in front of him..no yelling, nothing energetic as you'll get him more excited & he won't listen...just calmly step in front & block him...and block him..and block him the millisecond he steps toward the woodpile. After a few minutes he'll learn you "own" the woodpile & he only gets access to it if you say it's OK. If he's teething then give him a stick of his own, but block him from going after your wood just because he wants to.

If he sees you as the pack leader & understands what you own then you won't have a problem. If he doesn't see you as the pack leader...then he KNOWS he is(this is how dogs are wired), then he'll own you, your slippers, your house, your family, & the best spot on your bed.

If you want to see this advice work in living (HD) color, watch the Dog Whisperer on National Geographic channel, Friday eves.

Try ebay for used tennis balls. Last time I bought 150 for my lab for about $.25 a piece. The tennis balls might be a good substitute for the firewood. Out of the 150, a year and a half later he's down to 10 or so.

Go with it! Train him to fetch split wood from the neighbors wood piles.
We had a golden/lab mix that would retrieve small logs from the creek.
Send him out in the woods to retrieve trees. He could be the best wood retriever ever.

Really, you just need to either restrain him from the area with the wood or teach him to stay away. If he's playing with a favorite toy he won't be playing with the wood.

I had a Golden for twelve years. The best dog I have ever had. They are great but they like to chew, especially on wood. They were building a house down the road and one day I was outside and heard the awfulest racket and looked and he had stolen a 2x4. It wasn't full length but it was a good 5 or 6 feet long. It was draging on one side. That's what was making the noise. Three or four days later, the 2x4 was going and there was a pile of mulch in the yard. He also loved chewing on tennis balls, and pulling the fuzz of of them. He popped one once. It startled me as much as him.

I don't why his nose is swollen. Maybe he just got carried away chewing.

My reccomendation is to get him some pine. Hardwood is too tough on their teeth.

Also there is a nylabone that you can buy that indestructable. It would take him months to destroy one of the those. The local pet store had a gurantee on them. I bought one and would take the chunk back once or twice a year.

Our Bernese/yellow Lab mix loves sticks of all sizes too. When we started getting our firewood ready in the spring he was just a year old, and it was a constant battle to keep him away from the wood. Now, at 18 mos., he has figured out that the woodpile is off-limits. He loves it when I take the beaver dam apart, though...we find those pieces strewn all over the area! He can get a little over-enthusiastic, though: he once stole a short bit of 2x4 we had just placed to block the tire of the trailer when we parked it on a slope...

Fishboat has it right: they are pack animals and you have to be top dog. I'm guessing that his nose got swollen 'cause he got bit or stung by something in the woodpile.

InTheRockies said:

I second the toys. I was adopted by older, rescued lab/rotty mix when I retired here. (Poor boy had a stroke and lost the use of his legs this spring, so I had the tough decision to have him put down. He did live a fairly long life and was 14 when I had him put down.) He hadn't been well taken care of after his first owner was killed in a vehicle accident (the 4-footed boy was severely injured in that accident too) and he hadn't been given toys or many treats. He became obsessed with toys--I had quite a few when he moved in since I already had another dog. He absolutely fell in love with soft, fuzzy, squeaky toys. (The squeakers didn't survive long--he would work on killing them as soon as he got a hold of a new toy.) My surviving dog and I miss him.

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Oh, sincere condolences on your loss. It's so very, very hard to lose one of our shorter-lived friends, yet it's a price we seem to be willing to pay over and over again. At least we're able to do for them what we're not permitted to do for human loved ones, and that's a blessing to them, even if it's so very, very hard for us. You did the right thing, but that doesn't mean it isn't terribly hard on the heart.

Maybe this vid will help?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PcL6-mjRNk

This dog cracks me up.

Training, training, training........patience and training some more. It does pay off if you both put in the time.

My Chessie is always out with me when I'm out doing wood. As you can see, tennis balls are her favorite:

My goldens the same way.....I stack and he unstacks, he's made a game out of it. I send the kids to get the wood and he plays keep away with my kids. Good entertainment! Wouldn't change him for the world, well worth the few minute it takes to pick em back up later.

I've got a black lab/beagle mix (looks like a 4 month old lab pup), and a chocolate lab/chessie mix. The lab/chessie mix looks just like a chocolate lab, but her coat feels thicker because of the undercoat. Oddly, she doesn't have any of the crimp from the chessie, just straight hair like a lab.

Both love to chew on sticks and smaller splits. I almost always have to stop and pick up splits randomly placed around the yard when I mow.

They haven't knocked over any piles pulling out logs, but I've always left a few loose splits lying around to occupy them. I figure they'll take the easy target and leave the stacks alone.

-SF

Be careful if your dog chews wood! They can get splinters inside their mouths and if they eat it, anywhere in their digestive tract. Tennis balls arent the best choice either because they get slimey and very slick, one slip of the tongue and if the ball ends up behind the tongue, they will swallow it. If they swallow a tennis ball, your best chance at keeping them alive is pushing it back up their throat by pressing on their neck and working upward. Tennis ball fuzz is also abrasive and wears teeth down quickly. I've been part of a german shepherd rescue and heard and many horror stories numerous times on each account. Also make sure your pup doesnt have a splinter through the roof of his mouth and into his nose, this happens alot when dogs chew on weird things. especially when they try to make meals out of porkiepines(sp?) or sniff too close they'll get one through the nose and into the mouth. Kongs stuffed with peanut butter and frozen if/when they get good at cleaning them out will keep them busy for awhile. Other cool toys are the ones you fill with kibble or small treats and the dog has to push them around to get the treats to fall out of them.

Another cautionary tale. My golden was playing with an empty water bottle, the next thing I know he had eaten (shredded) half of it. The result was a perforated small intestine which set me back $1500. The knucklehead dog is still alive and as dumb and lovable as ever. When he was a pup he would eat anything, including his own poo, dead squirrels, diapers out of the wastebasket, rocks, and coins. Good looking dog but definitely not a mensa candidate!

He is just a puppy! For about another 1 1/2 years! He is doing what he is bred for- bring out the best in him. Give him ONE piece of wood for his own- whenever he tries to take another, take it away from him and give him back his own- the one with his scent on it. Remember- he IS a dog. Start teaching him to pick up wood, take him to the wood pile and teach hime to drop it in the pile. These dogs live for that kind of activity-they love to have a job. You are lucky to have a dog that will be out there with you while you are doing chores. Each time he takes a oiece away from the pile take it away quietly and distract him. Then, a few minutes later do the 'put a pice of wood IN the pile'. Make it fun- act like a goofy idiot yourself when he even makes a small attempt to do it. You can teach this dog so much if you get in touch with a good dog person- see if there are any field trials in your area, make friends with people who use /teach/train their dogs. It takes time and dedication.
You will be happier and proud and so will the dog. Right now you are worried/frustrated- later you will be a bragger about him!