Destructive Pooch

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Tabbi

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I am looking for some advice as my bitch is very destructive :-(

She is a Retriever/Chesapeake cross, and has a fantastic temperment. She is two and a half years old, and just been spayed.

The problem is only when she is alone, so thats a yes to seperation anxiety! But it does not happen every time she is left alone.
Since we have had her she has destroyed the hall carpet (so much we have had to pull it all up), put holes in the walls, ripped the covers off the chesterfield sofas, bitten through phone cables, phone chargers, shoes...... and the list goes on!!
We have tried a crate, and we have no idea how she does it, but she can get out of it...even when we have reinforced it with plastic ties!

Please do not reply that I should get rid of her, as that will never happen....Molly is a very loved pet and as I have said, apart from the destructiveness she is a fantastic pet.

I would like for suggestions/advice on counteracting this behaviour.

Thanks for reading.
 
At the mo, she is on a 30 min walk a day, as she has just had her stitches out, but normally she is down the park or farm, off the lead for a good hour if not more.
We do alot of retrieving with her when out walking and my husband also takes her shooting to retrieve, which she loves.

While at home, my two boys play with her and again retrieving and running around....she loves the boys to bits.

I get her huge bones to chomp on, sometimes she raids the boys bedrooms and nicks a teddy to play with.
 
We have not done any crate games really, but when we did have the crate up, we would get in it, we put her things in there and also her bed, which she destroyed!! lol

When we leave her I make sure I leave her a bone or a chew, as I used to leave loads of toys for her, but was told I was spoiling her!
 
It sounds to me like she needs a bit more mental exercise.

Trick training is a great way to do this. 5-10 5 minute sessions a day.

Also have one treat they she only ever gets when you leave. For us this is a pumpkin and peanut butter stuffed kong.

Look through some of the crate games options on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8HNO79bZMY

I prefer the airline crates for dogs who can get out of the wire ones easily.
 
I really can sympathise. My GSDx was terribly destructive when we got him (rescued at a year old) and this behaviour gradually subsided over about a year. He too, only ever ripped up stuff when he was alone. He destroyed a new mobile phone while I was in the loo! The damage ran into hundreds of pounds.
We didn't use a crate but did go through months of a bizarre ritual whereby we came and went from the house in and out of all the door (so maybe out through the front, in through the back and then vice verca). Sometimes it would be as fast as walking out through one door, round the back of the house and in again. Other times a walk round the block, then twice round then longer – say a trip to the local shop. It wasn’t just once a day either – it felt like my entire days were spent coming and going from my house – and then clearing up dog mess (he would also pee and poo in distress at being left alone).
Of course it wasn’t possible to make sure that every separation time fitted into the ideal of ‘gradually building it up’. There were certain times when we just had to leave the house for more than a few minutes. However, when this was the case we’d try to do the exercise a few times before we went ‘on the bigger trip’ and also when we got back. Basically, so that he never knew how long we were going for…
Each time we left and arrived there was never any fuss. No saying goodbye, no greeting hello and no treats. We had to behave as is coming and going at any time, for any length of time was completely normal and 'none of the dog's business' (as the behaviourist put it). This apparently is the important bit. If anything had been destroyed while we were out, again no fuss. Just cleaned it up quietly with no reaction or reprimanding.
I was really lucky, I work at home and could find the time to go through all this but it was still horribly difficult to do as your first instinct is to comfort the dog when you’re about to leave him, and be overjoyed to see him when you get back.
But I am now the proud owner of a very balanced, calm and sensible dog who has not chewed anything for years and can happily be left for as long as necessary. (Fortunately that doesn’t happen often as my job is still home-based). I can’t say whether he would have eventually settled anyway and I completely wasted my time, but I am inclined to say it worked for me. It wasn’t a quick fix and seemed to take ages, but I do know people with dogs of 5 or 6 years old who still can’t be left, so maybe it made a difference…
Oh, and exercise, definitely. I walked that dog for hours and hours…
 
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I would advise upping the exercise from the hour when her stitches are out, and you need to create a good routine when you are home as well as when you leave the home (this is the main problem with creating Seperation Anxiety, you need to create "lone time" when u are in the house with her and ideally a dog with very heightened/severe SA should be crate trained when you are in (crate in main room) and should be done slowly (if you would like a crate guide) give me a PM otherwise u can create a small area (secure area) to teach the dog to settle within the area as to much space can heighten the SA when you leave. Again, I could talk/guide you throught introducing time in the new area if t would help.

Where does the dog sleep at night?
 
Nightingale has just described my routine for the past year and I can vouch for it working, though I did introduce a crate as well after some expensive scenes of destruction. It is pretty intensive and draining but it does work.

Also, exercise - at the height of the problem we were out for almost four hours a day if I wanted to leave her for just an hour.

Also Cayla speaks sense. :D
 
Molly sleeps on our bed....well at the bottom by my feet! (lucky Molly!! lol)

I have started more trick training at the weekend and so far I have taught her to play dead and crawl on her tummy (but not done too much on her tummy cos of the op)
 
Tabbi said:
Molly sleeps on our bed....well at the bottom by my feet! (lucky Molly!! lol)

I have started more trick training at the weekend and so far I have taught her to play dead and crawl on her tummy (but not done too much on her tummy cos of the op)
Click to expand...

Ha ha (I knew you would say that;):p) AND this makes the SA worse 10 fold, she sounds like she spends far to much time "in company" and has not learned to spent "time alone" in a non stressed manor, this is why a "house routine" is by far the most important factor in dealing with SA.
 
I agree, I observed a huge change in behaviour and in a matter of days when we enforced sleeping in the crate and then sleeping downstairs (using a stair gate) rather than allowing her to sleep in our room (and never on the bed!). Similarly there was a regression when I allowed her to creep back upstairs and sleep on the landing. :o

It's really difficult, especially when you feel guilty for leaving them alone and want to spend time together with them, putting them in another room and ignoring them in that time seems really bad. Just break it down into smaller increments, half an hour in the crate downstairs while you go upstairs to do the ironing, left behind the stair gate downstairs while you shower, go out and water the plants, come and go through different doors etc.
 
the puzzle toys that drop treats out or the kongs that you put delicious stuff inside might keep her interested :)
 
CAYLA said:
Ha ha (I knew you would say that;):p) AND this makes the SA worse 10 fold, she sounds like she spends far to much time "in company" and has not learned to spent "time alone" in a non stressed manor, this is why a "house routine" is by far the most important factor in dealing with SA.
Click to expand...

Lol

We started off with her sleeping downstairs, but thought this is why she was wrecking things in the day, as she was not getting enough company..... so when my husband went away I caved in and brought her upstairs and thats where she sleeps ever since. Hubby was not impressed, but we did see a positive change in her destructiveness....as in she did not do it for quite a few weeks!
It then got a lot worse when she was getting hormonal and had her seasons.

But you all are giving me lots of ideas on what to try, so thanks to everyone :-)
 
It's another vote for the 'not sleeping in the bedroom' rule from me. My poor dog was not allowed upstairs. At all. The stairgate was closed all day, whether we were in or out, and that was that. Reason one was because upstairs was the 'safe haven' for the cats until they got used to the new arrival and the second reason was that it made sense to have a 'no-go' area for the dog. Setting boundaries within the house really helped with his behaviour in general. Also, it made separation happen naturally in the home. If I went to the loo, or for a bath, he couldn't automatically follow me. It allowed us to continue the separation training while just going about daily business without having to constantly leave the house!
Now we are at the stage where there's no stair gate and no dog upstairs. He automatically stays at the bottom step unless he is invited up. He doesn't even go upstairs when we are out...
I must admit I'd forgotten how traumatic it all was; remembering to clear everything valuable or dangerous out of the way (once he stole a carving knife from the worktop); the worry about not being out too long; the guilt of leaving a distressed dog; the dread of coming home to a mess. I'm not sure I'd be willing to go through it all again. But it is worth it, honestly. A few clear boundaries and an unemotional approach will be best for you and the dog in the long run. Good luck.
 
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