Is there anything I can do to stop my dog tearing up the furniture during the day when I'm at work?

Answer 1

It's usually because they are bored. Try a treat ball, limit where the dog can go. Give him the run of the house but shut off bedrooms & front room. Leave music playing and put a dog mattress by a radiator or warm spot in your hall. Works with my dog' he'd sleep there all day if i let him.

Good luck

Oh the other thing i did was get his balls chopped off. Best £85.00 i ever spent. Now that works a treat.

Answer 2

Does the dog have access to a garden? If not, maybe consider a dog door. This did the trick for me with my dog. I tried many products that 'deterr' dogs, but to be truthful I never found any that were effective.

Also, I know you probably don't want to hear this next bit of advice, but have you thought of getting a second dog?

I have a Weimeraner from a puppy, who was absolutely distressed when we started leaving her alone to go to work. We bought a second dog to keep her company after a further 3 months. We now wish we had bought two dogs at the same time, as they keep each other company, and there is little or no damage to the house.

Many times the reason that the dogs are destructive, is out of boredom.

Answer 3

Crate the dog or get a muzzle. However, it sounds like your dog is just plain bored. Maybe you should rethink your decision to keep a dog under your current living situation or perhaps you can find a daycare provider for your dog? Some local Sr. Citizen or other shut in who doesn't need the responsibility full time but could use the company during the day. (No I've never used or heard of doggy day care. Just an out of the box idea I had.)

Answer 4

Your dog is doing this for two reasons.

1. He is bored.
2. He is suffering separation anxiety.

First, leave the TV or the radio on for him all day. He may not nderstand the words, but the sound will help keep his mind active.
Ensure he has loads and loads of toys, including the type designed to be stuffed with treats.
Hide treats in unusual places for him to explore and find them.
Pop home at lunchtime or get someone to come round and make a fuss of him.
Put a ticking alarm clock under the blankets in his bed.
Install a cat/dog flap in your door so he can come in and out from the garden during the day as he pleases.

Answer 5

There has been a great variety of answers for this question.

You certainly need to stop your dog from chewing and an open muzzle will help stop this while allowing the dog to drink.

Can you not lock the dog in a room where it cannot gain access to your furniture.

When you go out you should give your dog an old article of clothing, or something else that has your scent on it.

It may be that you will have to take the dog to classes to get it out of this dependency habit

http://www.canineconcepts.co.uk/ccp51/cc/dog-behaviour/chewing.shtml

Answer 6

There is very little you can do to prevent dog boredom (being the main cause) in this case. Bitter Apple spray (various makers) on the furniture might help but the only thing that will relieve your dog's boredom is if you take him out with you. Will your work allow your dog in with you? Many now do so.

Answer 7

It depends what funiture your dog is " tearing up ", as part of the dogs training you should reasure it that you will return every time you leave .. leave it in a room for 5 minutes and return, then 15 minutes , 30 minutes so on. My Alsatian had a taste for cabinets as a puppy .. try smearing some mustard on the most chewed parts, that being the other method ...they stop extremely fast. ( clearly that wouldnt work on a sofa )

Answer 8

ask a friend or relative to pop round and take him for a long walk - if youre at work all day it's just bored. There are also people who you can pay to dog walk or even dog sit.

Or take him with you the next time you go furniture shopping, maybe he just doesnt like your taste!

Answer 9

First off, you never want to leave a muzzle on your dog when you are not home. A dog needs to be able to use his mouth to eat, drink, bark in an emergency, pant to cool himself, and to help free himself if he becomes caught or stuck on anything. It is very dangerous to leave a dog muzzled unattended because of this.

If your dog is displaying destructive behavior, I would definately consider crating your dog during the day. If your dog is already potty trained, then you don't need to worry about keeping the crate small--you can get a large spacious one for him to stretch out in.

Answer 10

try putting a little tabasco sause on the furniture so when its starts to chew it will make its mouth on fire .... make sure ur home when trying this though if possible in case water runs out ext. keep lots of water in bowel and eventually it will get the hint furniture dont taste good too hot.
also try buying some dog bones one a bit big so she will take all say to chew it up ,or some toys