Should my dog still be doing this? Please help...?

Question

I have a 10 month old lab/pitbull mix, the problem is when we leave to go to work, she destroys our wood furniture and our couch. She knows she shouldn't do that because she always gets in trouble for it, but she just won't stop. We had to get rid of our couch and coffee table because they were ruined. We got a new couch yesterday (no wood this time) and in not even 24 hours she tore a hole in the arm of it. She is only alone when we are at work, the rest of the time she goes with us in the car to places. When we do go out to eat or something, she gets mad if she doesn't come and knocks over the garbage cans and tears the carpet. Im getting a crate for her because she just can't be trusted anymore. It's not like she doesn't get punished for all of it or that she doesn't have a ton of toys to play with. I thought she would have grown out of this by now. She isn't a bad dog and I don't want to get rid of her, that is my very last choice...can someone (sincere) help me? Thanks!

Answer 1

it's seperation anxiety...she gets mad when you leave and this is how she expresses it. i had the same thing happen with a lab that i once had...only she ate the entire house....the waterbed looked like a fountain. i understand your dilema..i once felt the same way. the vet told me to buy a kennel...a big cage to keep inside the house and we had to put her in it whenever we left. she ended up loving it and it became her safe haven that even when we were home...she would go in it. with the door open of course. try that for a while...put her toys and a blanket in there and just lock her up when you leave....i know it sounds mean..but it's not. then let her come out whenever you are home...it will save you money on furniture. good luck.

Answer 2

You're right. She's not a bad dog. But You, young lady, are not a good owner. She KNOWS she shouldn't do that? Did she tell you that, or write it, or use sign language? If the dog scratches the couch at 10:15 A.M, and you punish her at 6:30, how does she make the connection? And punishment is no substitute for proper training. Also, you should know that you can't leave a PUPPY alone for (not even) 24 Hours!! Are you retarded? You should try obedience training, but I am cynical because it doesn't sound like you care enough to make that commitment of time and effort. If you want a pet that can be "trusted" and left alone without any care for a long time, here are some suggestions:
Chia pet
pet rock
Beta fish
Sea Monkeys
Cabbage Patch Doll
Furby
Robo-dog
ant farm
Remember a pet is a big responsibility.

Answer 3

this is classic separation anxiety. there are some ways to deal with this. try this one first. leave as though going to work, go to your car and slam the door. then, go back to the front door and open it to see what is going on. You may be surprised to find out that this activity starts almost immediately upon your departure. Do NOT strike the dog if you find it doing something, instead, call it over and say 'what did you do!?!' you will find that the dog understands much more than you think. Also, if you do this a couple of times and the activity still continues, then when you reenter, take the dog, flip it over onto its' back and get right up in its' face and say luodly, 'NO!!' This is a pack assertion move that will let the dog know you disapprove in no uncertain terms and will reestablish you as pack leader, which any dog knows, cannot be disobeyed. I agree with one previous post that obedience class may help but disagree with another that says crate, for if the dog is a large breed as you describe, then crating is likely more harm than good. All this dog really needs is positive reinforcement as spearation anxiety comes from some sort of early trauma. Of course you would be pissed off if you watch all your brothers leaving one at a time until you are alone!

Answer 4

10 months is young in my opinion to be leaving a dog alone with free reign in the house. They get upset at being left alone and she is expressing that anxiety the only way that she knows how. Also, punishing your dog later when you get home is not the answer. Dogs have a very short memory and you can only punish them if you catch them in the act of what they were doing. So...the best answer is to crate her while you are gone. She'll be fine and your furniture will be safe. After a few months you can try leaving her free to roam again...but for shorter periods of time or in smaller areas Eventually she will learn to behave but this takes time. My 5 year old Border Collie/German Shepard mix will still get into things if left alone too much (like if we go to work all day and then go out that evening as well for several days in a row). We have to reiterate that chewing on non-doggie items is not acceptable and he is left in his kennel when we leave for a few days. He gets the hint and things are great. Really its not his fault--its ours are pet owners. You have to remember that you can't explain to them why you are gone and that you would rather take them but you can't. So...you have to work with the common language that you have--love, attention and lots of treats for good behavior.

Answer 5

It's separation anxiety - Getting a crate will help, but please be careful!

I used to have a dog with separation anxiety. He hadn't been in his crate for a while, but one day, I had no choice because I was getting ready for a trip and there was stuff all over the house (I couldn't risk him tearing apart all the stuff for my wedding!).

I came home 3 hours later to check on him and he had shredded the bottom plastic sheet on the bottom of the crate. There was blood all over the walls (He had cut his mouth biting at it).

So, while a crate is good for a SA dog, you might also need to sedate him before putting him in there - Talk to your vet.

Answer 6

Crating is good, just make sure she knows its not a punishment, my puppy did the same thing when I went back to work. One of the things you can do is leave for like a second, come back in and greet her, leave again for like half a minute, come back in and greet her,,and so on,,,keep upping the time you leave for. (be sure its for short times at first, because they usually do their damage right away) Keep doing this with her and eventually she will catch on that you are coming back. I kept doing this and luckily I didn't have to get a crate. (its best to crate them from the very beginning)

Answer 7

My suggestion is get a crate and start leaving her in it when you are gone or can't supervise her. I would hate to hear that she was loose in the house and accidentally electrocuted herself on a lamp cord, ate something poisonous or worse, got loose when you were gone.

If you do crate training right-not use it as a punishment, most dogs will willingly go in them and actually enjoy it. The crate becomes their own little den area. Here's a good article......

Answer 8

Crating is a great idea. It will give her a chance to be left alone without the chewing behavior.

Chewing can be a stress reaction. She is stressed because she knows that when you come back, you will probably punish her. So she chews to relieve the stress, and voila! She's right because when you come back you punish her.

Answer 9

she probably does it because shes lonely when you leave her home alone . just so she isn't lonely leave the tv or the radio on while your'e gone . and u should get doggy gates to block the rooms she destroy. you should also keep her in one room while your not in the house. if none if this works then you should just spend more time with her . take her places with you . buy her clothes and toys and a lot of fun dog stuff.

Answer 10

When you leave put her in a crate. And do it every day. And when she chews on something take her to it and say no, let her know she's in trouble! Keep her in a crate and when you get home take her ooutside, and make her sleep in the crate, let her out when your home so you see what see's doing.