# 3 yr old suddenly tearing up house when we leave.



## cephalopoid (Dec 30, 2007)

Please help!
I have a weimer/Chesapeake mix. He's 3 years old, and very well trained. As a puppy, he'd tear up the house. But I trained him not to do it, and he stopped.

Until recently. For about 2 weeks, every time we leave, he finds something to tear up. He doesn't tear up the whole house, but he's started getting into food. He tore up a box of crackers and has gotten into our candy/cookies that we've left on the table/counter.

Which is weird. He's NEVER done this before. And when we're home, I can leave a steak on the coffee table and he won't sniff it (I've trained him not to touch human food unless its in his dog dish). 

Well, we've taken steps to make sure any loose food is secure. We bought him a ton of toys (merry Christmas). I've been taking him for more walks and playing with him more.

And now he's tearing up paper. We just got home to find our brand new season's greetings cards all chewed up.

Methods of disciplining:

When we come home, he usually runs up to greet us (my wife and I) and wags his tail and is all excited. When he's been eating candy or chewing up stuff when we're gone, the first couple of times I've shown him what he's chewed and told him BAD DOG! But here's the thing, the since the first time, when I've "found" what he's chewed up, before I can even say or do anything, he slinks off like he knows what he's done. The third time it happened he didn't even run up to us excited and slunk off to the corner. I again told him bad dog and put him outside.

Tonight when we came home, he wasn't greeting us at the door but was sitting in the corner. He tore up our pictures. I put him outside.

I'm wondering two things:

A: Why is he suddenly tearing up stuff? He's got new toys, and we've been giving him more attention and exercising more.

B: How can this problem be corrected?

Thank you guys all!


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

get him a crate and put him in it when you're gone. that way he'll be more relaxed when you're not home, having his own little "cave" to go to, and he won't have an opportunity to tear the house up.


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

cephalopoid said:


> A: Why is he suddenly tearing up stuff? He's got new toys, and we've been giving him more attention and exercising more.


The obvious answer: because he has access to the 'stuff'.
The not-so-obvious answers: he may need medical attention (thyroid problem or lyme disease, among other things), perhaps you haven't been diligent with NILIF or slacked off for the holidays, or there has been a significant environmental change that he's still adjusting to (new baby in the house, new dog in the neighborhood, or the termites in the wall are driving him insane).
The possibilities are as varied as there are guesses, but chances are he needs more from you in the way of leadership. 



> B: How can this problem be corrected?


Practice NILIF religiously, talk to your vet, include daily obedience along with the walks and play, and lastly, do not punish acts you do not witness. If you do, he may distinguish the time when he can misbehave with when you're not home. Plus, as far as I know, dogs are amoral, so unless you're there to catch him in the act, and show him what you'd rather he do, punishments will only give reason for your dog to fear you. Perhaps a crate for short time confinement would also be prudent.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

It could be a case of separation anxiety. And, if it is, you're really making it much, MUCH worse by scolding him when you get back. Now all he thinks about while you're gone is how you're going to be mad when you get back ("wow, going out certainly makes humans mad, doesn't it?"), so he gets anxious and feels the need to tear something up. Usually it's things with your scent on them, because he needs to be close to you. Ignore him when you come home. Fussing over him whenever you come home, whether in a good way or a bad way, will add to separation anxiety. Just walk in and don't acknowlege him for at least a few minutes. Until he's calm and not jumping around to greet you anymore. Seriously, don't scold him after the fact. He doesn't understand, and it will make things worse. To prevent property damage, keep him crated while you're gone, or at least lock him in a non-destructible room. This will help in that you won't feel the need to scold him when you get back, so he won't feel as anxious while you're gone. It's a cycle.


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## raquyx (Dec 27, 2007)

First thing, how do you leave the house? Do you make a big fuss over him before you leave? If you are, stop it. If he considers you the alpha, you should be able to go whenever you please.

Second, he doesn't "know what he did." You probably come home tense wondering what he's chewed up, he can read that and runs away. So long after the fact he won't remember it, so punishing when you get home will only make things worse.

If follow standard NILIF procedures isn't getting anywhere, or you don't have the patience, get that dog a crate and put him in it.


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## dayton&davan07 (Dec 28, 2007)

I think it is kind of a seperation anxiety. Do you feed your dog table scraps? My vet told me the same thing. Our dog was rescued but he tears up everything and digs in the trash eats clothes. we put him in a crate but he broke out, i don't know ways to fix it besides my vet pushing the doggie prozac, which honestly, i would never consider. Talk to your vet. She what they may recommend.


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## Anela (Sep 8, 2007)

I agree that you could be dealing with some sort of anxiety, it could be separation, but it could also be some other form. 

Scolding the dog only a few seconds after the deed, is useless. Dog just will not know why you are doing this.

Since this behavior is somewhat new, I would consult with your vet. I have a dog that I rescued abut 2 years ago, she was four months old and brought into a house with two other females. Pup would grow to be the largest, but not the alpha. She had numerous issues because she was traumatized before I found her. One of her issues was anxiety (obsessive licking). The vet put her on Doxipin for about 4 months and things have become normal.

You may find yourself going the medication route to correct this. If you do, pin your vet down to a date on when you should start to see positive results. If positive behavior changes are not taking place by the date, ask your vet why. 

Keep in mind that dogs need to earn their freedom by earning your trust. Your trust in your dog has been breached. You need to basically start all over and make necessary corrections along the way.

Crating when you are gone keeps the dog out of mischief that could be harmful, plus it gives you peace of mind knowing dog will not get into something. If you have not crate trained, or if you nave a negative feeling about the subject, you need to make it a positive. Crating is one of the most important things you can do for you and your dog.

Good luck!

Anela


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## peaches12345 (Jan 2, 2008)

Baby gates work great too. I would make sure he is put in an area where he can not get into anyting. 

I agree that dogs do not know what they are being scolded for unless it has just happened. Most do not even understand the word bad dog. If you can catch him in the act, than a stern look and a sound that is very short should get him to realize what he is doing is wrong. Also commands like down, sit and stay will work much better. 

I would take him to the vet soon. If you are gone for long periods he could be having seperation anxiety, or becoming very depressed from being left for long periods of time. ( in dog time even an hour is a long time). Sometimes the best medicine is another dog for him to bond with, but the behavior has to be stopped on what he is doing first. If not you will have 2 dogs that tear things up.


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