# Our dog wont stop destroying our new house!! HELP!!!



## floydsprincess (Feb 6, 2007)

Hi me and my boyfriend bought the love of our lives on september 26th named Floyd. He is a 6 and a half month old German Shepherd. We are having extreme problems with him right now. He lived with my boyfriend at his house till about 3 weeks ago when we moved into our new house. Monday was Floyds first day alone in the the house while we were at work. (He was at the house ALOT before monday) We came home and the house was destroyed! He chewed my grandmothers couch and a bunch of other stuff. We tried locking him in the kitchen for the day today and he broke out and ended up chewed his 60 dollar dog bed! WHYYY!!! When we go to leave the house he whines and barks (we live at the end of a row home, so im sure the neighbors are angry) We are at the end of our ropes with him already and its only been 2 days! Im wondering if anyone else has had this problem and how did you solve it. I thought about buying a kennel and locking him in it the whole day. But i dont know if people do that? Thought it is cruel. Help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

crate him while you are not home. and take him to training classes. dogs do it for a number of reasons.
anxiety.
boredum.
and other reasons.

Crate him and train him it is alright to be left alone. maybe leave some music on for him and give him some cookies or a toy to play with. How long are you gone for out of the day? Maybe get a dog walker to come in once a day to walk and play with him.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

When my young and destructive Plott Hound ate a sofa, it was the last straw. I had brought her home from the shelter in a kennel crate and then put it in the garage and forgot about it.

I brought it in and prepared for what I anticipated would be a long and painful introduction to crate training. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and she went in, curled up and went to sleep. Perhaps she'd had some crate training before she ended up at the shelter, but it's hard to imagine. She was a stray that nobody was looking for.

She spent a year of nights in the crate or for a few hours during the day if she was alone. Usually, she'd just go in there around bedtime or sometimes we'd say, "Bedtime, Esther" and she'd get up and got into the crate. In fact, my wife, who gets up early and goes to bed early, would sometimes say, "Bedtime" referring to herself and Esther would jump up and go to the kennel.

I always gave her a special treat when she turned in for the night, but she didn't really need to be bribed.

Now, for the most part, she can be trusted alone, so I don't kennel her, but she still finds kennel-like places to hang out and have some privacy.

There are some guidelines for how long you can reasonably crate a dog in a day but, if you don't overdue it - or make it a punishment - most dogs take to a crate pretty readily.


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## floydsprincess (Feb 6, 2007)

well my boyfriend leaves for work around 8:15 and i come over to sit with him for about 45 minutes at like 11:10, i leave to go to work at 12:00. Me and my boyfriend come home for our half hour lunch break around 1:30. (we work at the same place lol) Then we go back to work until 5:15. That isnt too long to be in a kennell is it? There is nothing we can do about leaving him at home alone. We both work and he keeps destroying our things. We have tried leaving the radio on and he dont seem to care. We have also left the tv on and i really dont think it calms him. We are all sooo frustrated.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

I dont see anything wront with leaving him that long. espeacially since you and your BF go there often throughout the day so he can be let out. Where did you get teh dog? A shelter? Breeder?


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## Brandismom (Jun 25, 2006)

He will be fine in his crate until you can come home and let him out. Just remember even though he's grown on the outside he's still a puppy on the inside. He needs direction and he most definately needs to be crated when you aren't home. Puppies tend to find mischief to get into when there isn't anything else to take their attention. Give him a Kong filled with frozen yogurt or something tasty and a few rubber chew toys that he enjoys (nothing you would not want him to have if you aren't there to watch him) He'll most likely spend most of his day sleeping and be ready for a big romp when you come home so expect to spend at least an hour outside with him to wear him down a little or he'll be bounding all over the place to release his energy. Good luck to you and hope your pup enjoys his crate.


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## sobreeze (Oct 31, 2006)

*crate*

get a big crate so he will have room to get up and turn around you will not be leaving that many hours so he should be fine once he is crate trained all dogs should be crate trained so they have a place to go when you are not home i too think filling kongs with yogart or peanutbutter and freezeing it will keep him doing something while you are at work dont give him toys he can choke on while you are gone good luck


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## Curbside Prophet (Apr 28, 2006)

The crate will help protect your valuables, and keep him safe, but you also need to look into what you're doing for his mind? To keep a healthy dog stable, a dog needs mental, physical, and social stimulation. That means training the mind, training the body, and training manners around other people places and dogs regularly. I would like to emphasis the point made about enrolling in an obedience class. I would also like to ask if you and your boyfriend practice NILIF? Nothing in Life is Free


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## Jason_Els (Jan 2, 2007)

Change of home is stressful for your dog too. He's got a new environment in a new place. The furniture may be the same, but everything else is very different. Different smells, sights, and sounds.

He's also only 6 months, still a puppy. Crate training can be very pleasant for a dog. Never use a crate as punishment and they'll want to use it and not see it as a prison.

Dogs chew to reduce stress. First, don't make a big deal of leaving the house in the morning, just go. Second, be sure a fresh frozen Kong full of treats is in the crate with him along with water and a familiar-smelling something of yours like an old shirt. Music is great for dogs as is leaving Animal Planet on tv. Orient the crate to face the TV.

As for the howling when you leave, work up to leaving him alone for progressively longer periods of time. Do exercises with him by leaving at various times on your day off. Both of you pretend to leave and then see how long she howls. Usually it's not longer than 5-10 minutes. Be sure he can't see or hear you. Only re-enter the house once he's stopped howling. When you come back don't make a big deal of it. Put your things away, talk to each other and then ask the dog to do something, even a simple 'sit' command. Give him a treat. Practice this a few times during your days off. He will come to learn that you will come back when he's not howling and should, therefore, cease howling. This method doesn't work with every dog but there are few different ways to try. Look for threads on, 'separation anxiety,' in the training section if it doesn't work for your dog.


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## floydsprincess (Feb 6, 2007)

We bought him off of a farm, im assuming a breeder. He was only 8 weeks old. We were the first people he did everything with. All of his firsts came with us. What if he doesnt want to get in his kennell. He is a stubborn dog


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

Prop the door open. Throw a treat in there. With luck, he'll go in snatch the treat and come right out. Repeat a few dozen times. (Use SMALL treats.) Resist the temptation to slam the door behind him.

Eventually, he'll realize it's not a trap and associate the kennel with good things. When you first start closing the door, do it for short periods, but resist the urge to let him out just because he complains. If you ease into it, he won't complain. If you shove him in there and slam the door behind him, it'll be a really tough sell.


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## graficoartista31 (Feb 16, 2007)

I used to think crating was cruel too but you actually do the dog an injustice by letting him roam free because not only do they not have a place to go and feel safe, but they are bored and all a dog has to do is poop, pee, chew, sleep, and drink. Thats it! So if they are bored or scared or insecure with their surroundings they will try and occupy themselves. I recently got a new puppy and i already have a 4 year old spaniel/lab mix and decided to read up ALOT about training cause our first dog suffered from Seperation anxiety when my b/f started to travel for his job and we moved. Dogs need time to ajust and crating him give him comfort. We view the crate as a JAIL becuase lets be honest, it looks like one, but put a blanket over a wire crate and BAM its a CAVE which your dog feels safe in. They are only 1% geneticaly diferent then a Wolf and they are DEN animals. Get a crate and make sure it is only big enough for them to turn around in and lay down. Too big and they will potty in one corner and sleep in the other. Dont give in to crying, its cause they want to be near you and if you compliance with the noise, they will forever make noise knowing it gets your attention. Be patient! Crating will make your couch, your pooch, and your wallet happy.

Good luck!


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

Choose between your home and your dog. The amount of kennel time that you have stated is fine. Some people leave older dogs for up to 8 hours/day. Most dogs don't like to go in the crate at first but over time it becomes their special place. So don't get emotional about having to shove him in there for a while. I always bait my crates (for our newer dogs) with a really special treat that is not given at any other time. You can also try baiting it with a spoonful of peanut butter smeared on the back wall of the crate to get him to go in. But not something long lasting, like a chew bone, that he could choke on after you've left. 
I would purchase a quality crate, like a Vari-kennel, or you may come home to the dog having chewed out of a flimsy plastic crate. 
The most important thing for any dog, any age or size, is that you give the dog plenty of exercise every day, rain or shine, hot or cold. Every dog needs mental and physical stimulation beyond the four walls of the house and your back yard. You may need to get up an hour earlier in the morning to get in at least 30 minutes of good, hard running and outdoor playtime with frisbees, balls, etc. Jogging or brisk walking is good. Find a park that has unused tennis courts so that you can close the gate to the courts and throw some balls around. Just don't let the dog skid on the pavement because they can tear up the pads of the feet.
Then come home, feed, get ready for work, and do one last quick trip outside for potty before you leave.
When you come home in the evening one can take the dog for a walk / play again and the other can start dinner. If you have time in the evening it would be good to take the dog out for more playtime. 
This dog needs as much exercise as you can give it. Cooping it up in a townhouse and expecting it to behave is not logical. This is a working breed dog that needs to have a job, even if it is only to expend its energy through exhausting play sessions. Otherwise it will continue to be bored and frustrated, costing you lots of $$$.
I would also consider a basic obedience class. All dogs and owners can benefit from the structure of a class. I've had dogs all my life and still take the new ones to at least 1 or 2 obedience classes when they are young. It teaches them good manners and reinforces the need for those skills with the human. Before you sign up go and watch a class to see if it is the type of thing you are looking for before spending the money. All trainers are different.


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## 3212 (Feb 4, 2007)

Our dog is 2 1/2 and is also crated while we are at work. We both work 8-5 jobs and my partner goes home at lunch to let Bridgette out. I feel much safer with her in the crate because 1) she doesn't chew/eat everything while were gone and 2) (more importantly) she doesn't get into anything that can make her sick (we have our house dog-proofed of course)...but she will find anything and everything that's bad for her! LoL. I think as long as you spend a good amount of time excercising and playing with them when you are home then it's okay for them to be crated. Bridgette gets lots of walks and trips to the dog park every evening and we often go hiking on weekends with her to get her excercised and healthy. Also we had a water tray (a dish that hung on the wire of the crate), but if your dog is a chewer like Bridgette it may not be the best idea, (yes Bridgette ate half of hers!!). But we recently got a water bottle (the kind that guinea pigs and rabbits have) but designed for a dog. We weren't sure she'd understand it, but she LOVES it and often chooses to drink from that rather than her water fountain during the day! It is great because we don't have to worry about her getting dehydrated during the day. 

Also (and I didn't read ALL of everyone's post so someone may have said this already) but if you're still house training make sure the crate isn't too big or the dog may pee in the crate. It should have enough room to stand up and turn around, but not to really walk around too much.


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