Jewel, is a little over a year, she has her own room (a converted closet in our bedroom with a twin size bed and pet gate for a door). She roams the house when we are home and sleeps with us at night. When we leave she is kept in her room. The problem is that she is tearing up her room, first it was the gate, she either chewed or scratched the top. Next it was the walls, she has scratched through the wallboard and gotten into the insulation. Then it moved to the door (which we never close) she either chewed or scratched the wood so much that the door is nearly ruined. At that point we figured she may need to have more space, so we gave her access to the bedroom while we were gone, she proceeded to scratch up the wood floors under the door and scratch at the trim. She went back into her room and is now tearing apart her bed. She has plenty of chew toys and bones and is doing well in obedience training. How can we keep her from tearing stuff up while we are not home?
2007-07-11 06:40:31 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Dogs
She is bored and misses you. Try giving her a good run before you leave so that she can have an outlet for some of that energy. You don't say how long you leave her, but if it's all day while you work, it may just be too long for a one year old puppy. You may need to have someone walk her in the middle of the day, again, as an outlet for energy. If all else fails, you may have to crate her while you're gone. Giving her more room or more freedom in the house will just give her more things to tear up. Mastiffs can be great destruto-dogs. The good thing to remember is that she will grow out of it--but probably not for another year. Patience is a Godly virtue.
2007-07-11 06:56:20 · answer #1 · answered by kk 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Underweight dogs may be from not consuming enough calories for the work they do. Or it could be a parasite stealing his nutrition. Or it could be an illness. My bet is on not enough calories. Get him on a high quality kibble and split his food into two meals per day. A high quality kibble has a meat as the first ingredient. The next four ingredients are vegetables, grains (unless you go grain-free, I prefer it), and maybe a second meat. There is no corn, wheat, or by-product in the top five ingredients. Use the package feeding guideline to start you out on the amount to feed. You’ll need to measure the amount. A “scoop” means nothing - measure it. An annual vet check is always a good idea.
2016-03-15 02:25:56 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ah here is a classic case of a cute puppy turning into a hairy monster. This happens with many dogs - but the giant breeds are especially vulnerable to "monster-itis" because they're so much bigger.
Why? Because you haven't trained her not to destroy things. Why is that? Because you both work outside the home - maybe with long commutes - and don't have a lot of time to devote to a puppy.
I won't scold any more. You already have thousands of dollars worth of damage done to your house - that's punishment enough.
That said, what you need is to rearrange your schedules so you have more time to spend with Jewel - in obedience class, of course. And obedience is a great sport. Next to spay/neuter - obedience is the best thing you can do for and with Jewel.
While at Obedience class, you can work with her to curb her boredom (which is why she's tearing the house apart) and channel her energies into productive positive behavior.
But you have to make the commitment to spend MUCH more time with her than you are now. Obedience is a good way to get started.
2007-07-11 06:53:53 · answer #3 · answered by Barbara B 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Crate train. Not just to save your home but also to save your dog. A dog that has not been properly house trained is very hard to live with and a danger to themselves. If she getting into the insulation she can also get into the wiring. She can be crate trained but you have to make sure she is only in the crate for a work shift. Make sure she gets a nice long daily walk and plenty of TLC when you are home. A dog can survive crate training much better than ingesting harmful stuff (insulation is often fiber glass) or biting into wiring. Good luck...
2007-07-11 06:53:13 · answer #4 · answered by Stick to Pet Rocks 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sounds to me like the dog needs more attention then what it is given. You should start doing walks with it for starters. Confining the animal to a room when it is your pet is totally wrong. If you work then give the pet the attention before and after so it has something to look forward to. Trust me, it will have something to live for. Some animals just don't like to be alone in which case you may have to get a cage big enough to keep him/her in while you are away through the day. but still walks, talks and common dog training is essential for the most part.
Good Luck.
2007-07-11 06:48:30 · answer #5 · answered by cj 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Crate train! Your dog may be having anxiety issues when you're gone and is taking it out by chewing up everything in sight! Get a large doggy crate and put her in it when you leave.
2007-07-11 06:54:29 · answer #6 · answered by dolly 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Crate her when you aren't there to supervise.
2007-07-11 15:44:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you have a backyard...let her roam free!
but if not...try to lock her in a cage away from everything.
2007-07-11 07:13:37 · answer #8 · answered by dancer_shopper2 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lock her in the bathroom
2007-07-11 06:43:50 · answer #9 · answered by garrettsambo 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋