My dog is out of control! he's 5 years old, and when ever he sees a squirrel (or some animal) he goes crazy..?

and he's ripped the screens numerous times, just today he was in my brothers room, and someone how got the screen off and ran out the window. he hates cats, so i'm afraid one day he'll do it again, and get into a big brawl with a cat. i can't afford obidience school, whenever he does it i get mad and say ';bad dog'; but he still does it! we need the windows open cause we don't have air conditioning. please help! thanks! :)My dog is out of control! he's 5 years old, and when ever he sees a squirrel (or some animal) he goes crazy..?
The only answer is training. If you can't afford classes just look on the internet there are some very good guides.





By the way getting mad won't help at all. He will just take it as you getting excited too and this will probably make him worse.





Finally he won't get into a 'big brawl' with a cat - he will kill the cat.My dog is out of control! he's 5 years old, and when ever he sees a squirrel (or some animal) he goes crazy..?
This is natural dog behavior. He is most certainly not a 'bad dog' for following his instincts (and once the fixed action pattern starts it is not really possible to stop it unless the object/prey suddenly disappears). And getting mad about it only serves your purposes, not the dog's.


Managing your dog's environment (closing windows/doors) unless he is being closely supervised and until you learn to 'read' your dog is probably your best option at this point.


Expecting him to learn (overnight no less) not to go through screens is unrealistic - especially since he has been reinforced for this behavior every time he has succeeded in the past.


Sorry, close the windows or keep him under constant watch. Your options are limited without professional help.
I have a 5 year old Shepard Lab Mix. Same squirrelly behavior. Shepards are high energy. Take him to the dog park and let him run it off or... search for a doggie day camp near you. They will sleep like babies.





I tried the book ';The Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training';- and I love it. I collect idiot books, and this one has been the most helpful by far.
I recommend exercising your dog. A tired dog, is a happy dog. Nice long walks, runs, and off leash activity!





You could also look into things like lure coursing. Good for prey driven dogs! You don't have to pay a ton of money to keep your dog occupied.
He's got a high prey drive. He doesn't understand ';bad dog'; so it does no good to punish him. You need to train him. If you didn't have the money for training, you shouldn't have this breed of dog. You have to teach him ';leave it';. It's going to take time and effort on your part since you don't want professional help with this. Here is a guide to help you:





http://www.ehow.com/how_2044068_teach-do鈥?/a>





You will need to practice this EVERYday with him, several times a day for no more than 10 minute increments at a time. Eventually, he will get to the point where you can say ';leave it'; to anything (squirrels, works especially well for us on walks with cats, lizards and crickets) and your dog will not go after it. Our female has a very high prey drive. It took months and months of reinforcement before she got this. Does this mean she leaves things alone when we aren't around? No. Without someone there to say the command, she will go after whatever she sees. However, it has been helpful for walks because she lots of exercise. Also, when we aren't home, she stays in the bedroom where she has no access to the windows (can't see outside, can't find something to go after). We put her in after an hour long walk and leave her bullysticks, bullycubes, kongs, etc. to keep her occupied.





Good luck. You will have to work with this very hard on your own. Set your dog up for success. As a responsible owner, you have the power to do this!