Troubleshooting

I want to preface this section with two caveats:

1. Dogs are not perfect. Nobody's dogs are perfect. When I first started getting seriously into training, I thought that professional trainers' dogs must surely be impeccably behaved near-robots who never barked at strangers, always executed their cues with total precision on the first request, and probably didn't even shed. Yeah, no. Turns out they bark and blow off commands and leave hairballs everywhere, just like my mutts. Dogs are dogs. Expect them to act like it.
2. Most troubleshooting in foster care is about management. The dogs that come through WAGS generally do not have serious behavioral issues. Most of what you'll be dealing with is relatively simple stuff: chewing, counter surfing, nuisance barking, and so forth. These issues are best dealt with by not giving the dog a chance to practice bad behaviors, i.e., by managing his environment to keep him out of trouble. That's really all you have to do; nuisance behaviors tend to die out on their own if the dog doesn't have the chance to practice and get reinforced for them.

In the unlikely event that you end up with a dog whose issues go deeper than the basic problems discussed here, please consult with your foster coordinator. Severe fearfulness, aggression, or separation anxiety may warrant professional intervention and are certainly beyond the scope of what the average foster caregiver should be asked to handle. Under no circumstances should you have to keep a dog whose behavior puts you, your household, or herself in danger.

With that in mind, here's a quick guide to troubleshooting some of the most common problems you may encounter.

Destructiveness

Dogs, especially young dogs, like to chew things. Hopefully you have provided a wide selection and ample supply of chew toys for your foster pup to choose from, so that she won't be tempted to gnaw on your table legs instead. Manage her environment to remove temptations: if you leave your favorite shoes lying around in easy reach, and the foster pup destroys them, that's your fault, not hers.

If you're having problems with digging, the fix is even simpler: don't leave your foster dog alone in your yard. Some breeds, particularly terriers, dachshunds, and other "earth dogs," have been selectively bred for hundreds of years to pursue small prey underground. You can't expect these dogs not to dig; the instinct is in their blood. If the foster pup were your dog, and you had the space to spare, it might even be worthwhile to build a dedicated doggy sandbox in your yard. But since this dog is likely to be a temporary tenant in your life, unless you plan to dedicate yourself to similar breeds in the future, it's probably best just to manage the problem by limiting the dog's access to your yard and garden.

When you leave the home or are otherwise unable to supervise your foster pup, crate her. Put a stuffed Kong and a favorite chew toy in there to keep her occupied, and don't leave her crated more than a few hours per day, but use the crate.

Make sure your foster dog is getting plenty of exercise, both physical and mental. A dog who has acceptable outlets for her energy is less likely to burn it off by destroying your things. Puppies play constantly; healthy adolescents and young adults of most breeds need a minimum of 60 to 90 minutes of vigorous exercise per day. Mature adults still need 30 to 60 minutes. Walking on leash does not count as vigorous exercise for most dogs. Jogging, off-leash hiking, or romping at the dog park (assuming your foster pup is up to date on vaccinations and appropriate flea, tick, and worm preventatives, and is dog-social enough to enjoy the park safely) are better alternatives.

After the first week or so, walk in new neighborhoods: seeing new sights and smelling new smells is more interesting, and thus more mentally tiring, than the same-old same-old of your own block. Training is great stimulation; practicing Obedience 101 and schooling your foster dog in a few tricks are valuable exercises not only for their own sake, but in keeping your dog entertained and mentally limber.

If your foster dog only destroys things when you aren't around, and especially if her damage is focused on doorways, windowsills, and other thresholds, it is possible that what you're dealing with is not destructive boredom, but separation anxiety.