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Help! I am hoping you can lead me in the right direction, at this point, I don't know what to do. I am hoping you might have some ideas. My dog Buddy approx 1.5 years old, is a sweet dog, however he is also destructive. I work, so he is either in his crate while I am working (I do come home for lunch) or outside, which he much prefers and while the weather is not too terribly hot, that seems like the best thing for him. The problem is that he has torn branches off a smaller tree as well as ripped bark from another and has clawed a chunk of wood off the molding around my back door. He destroyed the cover for a butterfly chair I had on the back patio, so I can't leave anything with a cloth cover out there. The worst though I noticed today. He pulled a piece of wood trim right off the house. I can't afford these types of repairs on a continuing basis. I would hate to have to surrender him as he had been adopted before I was told and ended up at the pound. He has a sweet temperament, but I just can't afford this behavior.
Doggy day care. You may be able to get away with half days since he will probably tire himself out. What do you expect a 1.5 year old dog to do all day long when he is alone?
He was in the crate today, after tearing apart the house. I would love to get him to the point where I can leave him loose in the house, but I evidently can't even leave him alone in the yard when I am home anymore. :-(
What breed (or breeds) is he? We had a souphound like that once. He ate everything, siding on the house, shingles off his dog house, a garden tiller (yes- a garden tiller).
I sent him to a local farmer to live so he could spend ALL day with him across hundreds of acres- following his tractor and killing groundhogs. He needed a purpose in life
Not sure what breed, been told australian shepherd as well as Anatolian shepherd with maybe some lab mixed in. I am thinking he might be much happier with a home where the owner is home all day or in a setting like you described.
Sounds like a bored dog to me. Please understand I sympathize, I have one too. Some dogs need a lot of stimulation especially when they're young and it sounds like your Buddy is like my Ben. I walk Ben 3 times a day minimum and play with him twice a day as well but he still wants/needs more some days. He's 8 months old and a Shibu mix, I'm hoping he'll out grow it. He's chewed on everything and just about destroyed my new furniture, even while my brother was sitting on a chair - let's not discuss my brother!
I found a toy made by Starmark that keeps him occupied. You can refill it or put treats in it. It's on the same idea of kongs but I find it works better. The dental treat only lasted a day but he chewed on it for hours while I was busy.
If you teach him games that might help. There's a thread here about a scent game that might help, hide treats around your yard and let him seek them. I play a similar game with my older dog. Walking him until he's tired is probably impossible, you'll wear out long before he does, I know because that's what happens with Ben, I'm beat and he's still ready to go, so mental stimulation is the answer. I also take him to the dog park, it's safe because only one dog is allowed at a time - but time can be an issue for me so I usually play/walk him.
Since I'm off today I'm planning to wait until it's a little cooler and take him to the beach for the first time. New experiences are also good. He's afraid of almost everything so exposure is good for him as well. If you can take him with you to the pet store that might also help, anything that will reduce his boredom should reduce his destructiveness.
Help! I am hoping you can lead me in the right direction, at this point, I don't know what to do. I am hoping you might have some ideas. My dog Buddy approx 1.5 years old, is a sweet dog, however he is also destructive. I work, so he is either in his crate while I am working (I do come home for lunch) or outside, which he much prefers and while the weather is not too terribly hot, that seems like the best thing for him. The problem is that he has torn branches off a smaller tree as well as ripped bark from another and has clawed a chunk of wood off the molding around my back door. He destroyed the cover for a butterfly chair I had on the back patio, so I can't leave anything with a cloth cover out there. The worst though I noticed today. He pulled a piece of wood trim right off the house. I can't afford these types of repairs on a continuing basis. I would hate to have to surrender him as he had been adopted before I was told and ended up at the pound. He has a sweet temperament, but I just can't afford this behavior.
Obviously, being outside isn't the best thing for him. He is bored outside and wants to be inside. It's that simple.
He was in the crate today, after tearing apart the house. I would love to get him to the point where I can leave him loose in the house, but I evidently can't even leave him alone in the yard when I am home anymore. :-(
He's only 1-1/2 years old. That's still a puppy.
He'll outgrow this. By 3, at the latest, he'll be able to be loose in the house.
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