Bobby - chewing and ripping things apart when left

[Jan D]

Our dogs are very lucky as there is someone around for them a lot of the time. My OH works away but is home for 3 weeks out of 5 and because other household members work shifts/evening/days it works out well for the dogs most of the time.

However, when they are left Bobby always seems to find something to destroy. This morning, for example, they were left shut in the kitchen for about 45 mins while I was out and when I came home he had ripped apart a cardboard box which had been left in the kitchen. The box contained wedding dresses which I was going to return - thank goodness he didn't get past the cardboard!

I know it's Bobby as Roxy has never done anything like that when left. They both get walked at least twice a day but it's almost like he's doing it on purpose - as if to say "well you left me so this is what you get"! Also, my son tells me that when I leave for work in the morning, if I leave the dogs in the kitchen, Bobby barks and barks until he comes down to see him - my feeling on that is that he should probably be left to bark so he will learn it does him no good - but I am not the one lying in bed having to listen to it.

He's only 5 months old so maybe I am expecting too much - we haven't used a crate for him since he was about 12 weeks old but maybe I should think about getting it out again. How would that work if he was in a crate and Rox wasn't?

Any ideas when this destructive behaviour is likely to stop?

[black taz]

When i had my lab (renowned chewers) i crated her whilst Taz was free, until she was about 7 months old (she wasnt crated long periods because like you my sons worked shifts so were regularly about).

However, if she had started chewing once loose, she would have soon been back in the crate.

5 months is a little young to know the rules, he is still very much a pup and everything is fair game (especially if you are not there to teach)

We do make sure that when we leave the dogs supervised nothing is left for them to chew (ie: shut doors to bedrooms, remove all shoes/boxes/etc, so they dont get the opportunity to chew things.  We leave them plenty of toys (don't leave treats as Kira would pinch them all ) and both well exercised before they get left.

[c19unn]

diesel has never chewed (he is left in the kitchen uncrated when we nip out) even as a pup he never chewed anything - HOWEVER - if you leave any kind of paper - toilet paper - or cardboard around it will not be in one piece when we get back - he is 9 months now and really good so if we go out we give him rein of the living room as well - the last time the OH left a peper bag with a 50.00 top in it on the couch - diesel had shredded the bag all over the floor and never touched the tshirt but OH only saw the mess and went mental - my responce... you know he will chew paper and cardboard so he should NOT have left it there
when i go out i leave all of diesels toys on the floor - sometimes will stash little bits of cheese or chicken around the kithen so that he has something to stimulate his mind but also to play with - all cardboard, paper and any kind of bags are left off well out the way and i have no issues - still to this day though if i leave a box in the room with him he will have ripped it up by the time i get back -
so i just see it as something that i have to take responsibility for to make sure he does not have access to his weakness
Although he now knows where the toilet roll is kept in the upstairs toilet and steals them

1 occassion i came home to this:



then another occasion came home to this:




and this:



i have lots more lol but its his weakness

[Jan D]

Love the first one Charlene - it's like he is sitting there so proudly.

You are right of course, we will have to be more vigilant but yesterday he pulled a thread loose on a doormat at the patio doors and there was thread and rubber backing all over the place.

In my defence this morning I thought my partner's son was going to walk the dogs while I was out and that they would only be in there for 10 mins so didn't do my usual 'sweep' of the room. But then after he walked them he left them for 5 mins in there to dry and straight away Bobby made a beeline for the mat again......the crate is sounding like a rather good idea to me at the moment...

[seaangler]

We put there toy box in the middle of the room along with there lylon bones a few bickeys pigs ears all in the box....They have great fun getting it all over the floor finding there treats..and are to tired to bother doing to any thing destructed....And always have the radio on a station ware some one is chatting on it.....

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

My pup is now 6 months and he's not chewed either, however like Diesel his weakness is paper (toilet roll is removed)-he can open the bathroom door! He samples the post most days too...

I'd suggest crating as the best option, poor thing

[Karma]

Honey didn't start chewing/destruction until her adolescence (when the back teeth were settling in).

We just made sure there was nothing she could destroy that we were that worried about.... though we didn't count on this.....



It's very normal, and crating is probably the best solution. 
Also ensure you are providing sufficient mental stimulation so he is tired when left.

[black taz]

mmmmm, very impressive Karma

[Jan D]

Oh my Karma - what was it?

[Karma]

It was stuffing from the futon mattress that is sat in the middle of the picture, but started out on the sofa-bed frame in the background.  Oh and the cushions that were on it. 
 

[Jan D]

Is Honey safe to leave now? That must have been a shock to come home to!

[Karma]

Oh yes.... after a few months her need to chew calmed right down... we could leave her with the run of the whole house now, if she didn't bark at anyone who walked past the front!!!!

I should point out that while she really needed to chew, she continued to attack the sofa-bed even when we were there... so it wasn't just that she was bored being left... some adolescent dogs really have an intense need to chew... she would devour paddywhack etc if we gave it to her... she just really needed a lot of chew activity.   

[LurcherGirl]

Puppies chew - that's just a fact of live. At 5 months old, he will also be teething, so that will make him chew even more.

You have two options: crate him when you go out or provide him with stuff that he is allowed to chew like for example empty card board boxes (or hide treats in the boxes).

Both the chewing and barking when you go out could also be (and most likely are) anxiety related to a point, as both chewing and barking are common in dogs with separation anxiety. He doesn't do either to punish you or teach you a lesson. 

[Jan D]

I know you are all right and it looks as though the crate is going to have to make a re-appearance. Never thought about separation anxiety tbh but I guess that could be part of it too. Both of mine are velcro cockers - proof of that - Roxy currently has her head rested on my leg and Bobby couldn't be sitting any closer to me if he was glued there!

My fiance gets really upset about the crate - he hates it - whereas thanks to this site I can see the positives of using it.