why does a 8 month old male puppy try to tare up everything in the house if i leave him there alone?

Question

"Buster" is a 8 month old boston terrier/ boxer mix. if i leave him in the house alone while i go to the store ect, he will demolish everything he possibly can. He'll dump out trash cans, drag trash everywere, tear up everything he can. why does he do this?

Answer 1

It is separation anxiety..Dogs become stressed when left alone, and can really, really act out..It isn't getting even or to get back at you..it is just to keep him occupied so he doesn't feel so much stress..
You need a crate for him, or work on the separation anxiety..The process is too long to print all here, but if you do an online search for
"dog separtion anxiety' you will get a lot of helpful sites..

Answer 2

She may be going for things that smell like you. Something like shoes or a bra which would remind her of you would be more comforting to her than a toy. I'm sure she's not consciously plotting revenge- she just hasn't learned the difference between what she can and can't chew on yet! My dogs took until they were about a year old or even a little bit past that to leave the puppy phase, so this could take some patience. Having a crate helps, especially if it's a wire one so she can feel like she isn't as cooped up or separated from you. Sorry about your walls! I had the same problem with one of mine, but now that he's used to being in his crate, I couldn't be happier with him.

Answer 3

Most likely he is bored. He will need toys to play with and rawhides to chew while you are gone. I suggest toys like a treat ball, where you fill up the ball with kibble and the kibble slowly falls out as he plays with it. It will keep him busy for a long time.

The simple solution is to place him in a crate with water and toys while you are gone. My experience, however, has shown me that dogs will bark when left in a crate, and neighbors will complain.

As far as your house (if you let run free), you'll really want to dog-proof it. Make sure everything is out of his reach...clothing, books, paper towel rolls, breakables, and anything you value. Basically, put everything away like you would if a 2 or 3 year old child was coming into your house. To prevent him from chewing your couch and/or cushions, put an old sheet over your couch and sprinkle hot pepper powder all over it when you leave the house. Over time, he will learn to avoid the couch because the pepper will bother him a lot. You can also put a plank of wood on your couch or turn your coffee table upside down and put it on your couch if you think he will chew it. For your tables, you can put the hot powder around the legs and/or on the table. You can also put hot sauce on the legs of the table. Over time, again, he will learn to avoid the table.
Keep the trash can out of reach. It is best to put it in a closet or another room while you are gone. Of course, you'll also want to keep your kitchen counters cleared off too, if he is a counter-surfer.


I know it is really frustrating at first, but you won't have to go through all this hassles forever. You just need to do it consistently for a few months or so until he learns not to tear things up. It will help tremendously to always give him toys and things like bones stuffed with peanut butter which can keep him busy for hours.


Good Luck

Answer 4

at this age, puppies have A LOT of energy and capacity for boredom, especially high-energy intelligent dogs like boston terriers and boxers. you must re-direct his energy towards positive things, like bones and plenty of durable toys. also, please dont' expect to leave your puppy home alone and find nothing touched. puppies are inherently destructive, this is why excercise and toys are so important. he could be frustrated and bored and think that this is his home that he can destroy if he pleases. practice obedience with him every day to re-establish the pack order and to excercise his mind. get him a crate to keep him safe and secure. and a good trick to keep young dogs occupied is to take some kibble, soak it until it's soft, mix with a little peanut butter, stuff it into a kong, and freeze it. keeps my little monsters busy for hours.

good luck. he WILL grow out of this, but only if you're consistent with the training. it may seem slow at first, but you will see results, i promise. they do grow up. however, if you leave it unchecked, he will just continue this destructive behavior for the rest of his life.

Answer 5

Two things..he's a puppy and bored. Either put him outside in a secure backyard or crate train him for when you're running errands or use a baby gate or closed doors to limit his access to the house.

Answer 6

Dogs of Buster's age are probably still in the stage of adjusting to a house envirorment. When a puppy is born, they are born preadjusted to life with their parents. When they are taken from their parents, they feel really insecure about other environments. They feel threatened and intimidated by the environment. To attempt proving that it isn't afraid, a dog will "combat" those it feels threatened by. Overtime it will feel as if it is pointless to combat his or her environment and will learn to cope with it.

Answer 7

Because he's a puppy. I have 3 puppies now and numerous ones in the past and this is just their nature. They are playing, that's all.

Answer 8

Separation anxiety and boredom. Get a kennel for him to sleep in while you're gone.

Answer 9

Buster sounds like he was dropped on his head when he was a puppy

Coach

Answer 10

Buster has seperation anxiety. Please train him to use a crate when you leave him alone so he doesn't chew/swallow something that can kill him.
Best Wishes