my dog keeps chewing and getting into everything when we're out of the house.. what do I do?

Question

I just got a dog about a 1 1/2 years old from the humane society, he's mixed with a breed that I dont remember and a kind of pointer dog. he's really friendly and happy and hyper. He gets into everything when we're not home, the other day he chewed into my black rug, he destroyed his bed, and I was just gone under 30 minutes and he chewed up my new sandals, and got into the laffy taffy bag. he normally leaves everything alone unless its in a bag, or bunched up [like the rug was]. how do I stop this behavior and how do I go about punishing him to the point where he wont do it again. he has his own toys but he seems to like other peoples things like cell phones.

please dont tell me that candy and stuff can harm my dog. I know that. that's why I want to know how to stop it so my things wont be damaged and he can be safe.

Answer 1

I have a Siberian Husky and went through the exact same thing. We would come home to everything destroyed and curtains torn down and blinds completely mangled. The absolute best solution while you are gone is to either tie him up somewhere safe where he can't destroy anything (leave toys with him so he won't be bored) or crate him. While training our sibe we used a rolled up newspaper. A good whack on his back side will get his attention. Show him what he did wrong and say NO! Obedience won't happen overnight so be patient. Consistent discipline and lavish praise when he does something right (plus a yummy treat) should do the trick!

Answer 2

We just got another dog yesterday and we are going through what you should do...we a crate training our new little puppy.

Some people think leaving an animal alone in a confined space for several hours is cruel, as a matter of fact it's what their mom would do to them in nature, confine them to the 'lair' for lack of a better word. I'm not a specialist but it sounds like your dog has seperation anxiety and if you do crate training properly you should be able to solve that problem easily as well as having a much happier dog.

Answer 3

Unless you catch him in the act you can't correct him. Keep in a crate when you can't supervise him.

If you see him going for something he shouldn't, tell him NO in a firm voice, wait a couple seconds and then offer him one of his toys. When he takes it praise him lavishly. Also praise him lavishly when you see him chewing one of his toys on his own. He may stop chewing the toy and come to you, that ok. He has just gotten the message that chewing on his own toys is a good thing.

Also exercise him more, fetch would be great, a tired dog is a good dog. And keep things out of his reach.

Answer 4

The only right answer for this is to crate your dog when you are not home until he is better trained. While you are home, make sure he knows what is and is not acceptable. If he starts to chew something he shouldn't, say no sternly, then give him a toy to chew. It will take a bit of time, but he'll learn. Good luck!

Answer 5

It sounds like he is suffering from separation anxiety...although i dont know how to help this i wanted to tell you what i do with my dog.I have a one year old Weimeraner and i have crate trained him , he loves his crate he sleeps in there at night and he is in there when i go somewhere so he doesnt have the opportunity to chew or destroy anything .I also feed him in there so he knows it is not a bad place ,his crate is big enough that i leave food and water in there for him when he is in there .At night now i say time for bed and he goes and runs to his crate goes in and lays down and waits for me to close the door .

Answer 6

create train use it as their den not punishment dogs like a place to have as their own put toys in it you might want to even get him a Kong fill it with peanut butter and his favorite treat it wont last all day but that way he knows his den is not used as punishment ,leave him in it for test runs first a half hour then increase to an hour then longer periods of time he has separation anxiety good luck.

Answer 7

Crate him when you go out. You can't punish him when you get home because he won't recognize what he did wrong. Get him a crate and don't use it to punish him, just make it his 'den.' Put a blanket and a favorite toy in there with him and close him up when you go out. He'll go to sleep in his safe warm den and nothing in your house will be wrecked. Everybody wins.

(I have a five year old dog who is a perfect gentleman, but I still put him in his bed when I go out for any longer than it takes me to get the mail.)

EDIT:
Don't ever crate him as punishment.

Answer 8

Punishing/striking your beloved dog is NOT the answer. All dogs like to chew on things that have their master's, or someone they like, smell on it. Put things up out his reach. Get something from Pets R Us that dogs like to chew on. There are ways to lovingly train your dog. Find out what they are because you're not only dog owner whose dog likes to chew on things.

Answer 9

You could crate him while you are out. It sounds like he has seperation anxiety. Either crate him or totally dog proof the house everytime you leave. We had a dog like this who ate our couch. We had to crate her, it was the only way. She was fine as long as someone was with her.

Answer 10

i would recommend getting a crate for him. I know people say it isn't nice or whatever but dogs really love it. . . it's their safe place. Trust me, it's the safest thing to do ...