having trouble with my collie chewing things

[adgetom]

my 1 year old collie wrecks my house everytime i leave him home alone.
i left him for 7.30 til 9 last night and he had ate my duvet cover my trainers, 2 shoes and a news paper

 

[CorvusCorax]

It sounds like separation anxiety and needs to be stopped before he wrecks his innards.
Crate him when you are out(Cala knows more about this)? Build him a run outside?

 

[adgetom]

i had a metal cage for him but he somehoe managed to bend the bars and break out.
he never chews anything when i am in and he is with me 99% of the time!!

 

[CorvusCorax]

That's why it is called 'separation' anxiety

But you really have to find somewhere secure for him until you sort it out with training - one of our bitches swallowed a pair of tights (she was having a phantom pregnancy) and you really DON'T want to pay those sorts of vets bills if he ends up eating something he shouldn't.

 

[SunshineTallulah]

You need to remove every item in the room out of his reach esp if he is turning into houdini.

Have you thought about giving him a Nylabone to occupy him?

 

[deja224]

kongs are great for this keep they busy for ages use them for a collie who boards with me he eats all sorts he shouldnt!

 

[adgetom]

he has even eaten xmas lights.
he has all the bones and toys you could ever want!

 

[CAYLA]

Agree with Hacking hack...you need to gradually introduce a crate, you may have been using the weaker galvanised type crate if he bent the bars, Try the stronger black ones and use metal clips to secure the weaker points, i.e where the corners join.

More importantly you need to wear him out before leaving him or periods, he is an intelligent, active breed and he needs to be mentally stimulated, I would get a new crate, and take him for a run, then place him in it when he is tired, with a kong as suggested, and or other long lasting chews to give him something to keep him stimulated, also try a dap diffuser to plug in beside his cage to help with calm him if he becomes anxious.

When introducing him back to a crate if this is the option you go for do it when he is physically worn out, and you are going to be in with him, then feed all his meals in it, give lots of long lasting treats everytime you place him in it, and make it a positive place to be, gradually begin to leave him for short periods then build the time up and start to leave the house for short periods, leaving the radio on so he cannot hear you leave or re-enter, make no fuss upon your return, just let him out for the toilet.

You must take him for a long run or extended play time , before placing him in it.

If u don't want to revert back to crate, place him in the most confined part of the house with a baby gate, but remember you still need to exercise him before hand and leave treats, kongs, e,t,c.

 

[adgetom]

thanks cala
will try that he comes to the yard everynight and runs for about 2 hours he is mad but i love him to bits

 

[CAYLA]

[ QUOTE ]
he has even eaten xmas lights.
he has all the bones and toys you could ever want!

[/ QUOTE ]

Then that may be part of the problem...these thing should be given when appropriate and not as ad lib gifts....personally I would lift the toys....there is nothing stimulating about a toy and if a dog destroys them, then even less reason to have them, as it baically encourages destruction.

pick up all toys and bones and place them in a box, then only give the new treats ie a kong when you leave him, this assosiates a delicasy...i.e something he never gets, this is a positive reward, not something he gets all the time and therefor, it's the same old stuff he gets everyday, so he really does not care for it.

Use toys when u are there as a play session between you, maybe in the garden, this helps you bond and spend some one on one time with him.

 

[HJ76]

We found that the stop'n'grow nail stuff put a few of our labs off chewing things as it tastes nasty

 

[FinnishLapphund]

If your dog likes carrots, fill the Kong with carrotpurée, put it in the freezer and give it frozen to the dog when you leave him.
There's also special stuffing you can buy to fill Kongs or similar things with.

Are you training him to stay in one room when you just go to get something from for exampel the kitchen? Learning in small steps to wait for your return?

I'd also suggest you let him run for a while, then interrupt with some goodiessearching, more running, more goodiessearch... or something else so that the exercise isn't just physical.

I hope you find something that works for your dog.

from Sweden.

 

[adgetom]

thanks everyone
you have been great
will try a few things xx

 

[Jillyy]

Having owned many collies over the years, and competed in most sports and trials with mine... I would certainly work with the collie rather than putting it in a crate.
I would only ever use a crate as a last resort.....very last resort.

Look into why the dog is chewing..... Seperation anxiety like has already been mention is the most likely factor.

If like you say, the dog is with you 99% of the time, then its quite normal for it to be stressed and wondering where you have gone that other 1% of the time.

I would personally try to make the dog become a little more independant. Leave it on its own in a seperate room for 5 minutes and build it up from there.
No dog should HAVE to be with its owner 24/7 just so it feels secure. This isn't healthy for the dog and will only make the problem worse. Dogs should be able to cope on their own for a few hours each day, away from their owner and on their own.

Think of it as a teenager turning into an adult...They have to learn to become independant and stand on their own 2 feet. Of course, dogs aren't the same as humans, but its a similar concept.

There are lots of different methods you can try for seperation anxiety so i won't plough everything into this post, but there is tonns on the internet should you wish to persue some of the methods without a crate. From deffusers to puzzle toys and treat balls.

I have been through the problem with one of my collies. We have a very strong bond and she couldn't bare being apart from me. I compete with her at agility and flyball and we also work sheep. Therefore we are out together a lot....She did start showing the signs of seperation anxiety for a while but i nipped it in the butt quite quickly. The thing which worked for me was leaving an old jumper of mine in her bed so her bed smelt like her 'mummy' was there, i left the tv on and i left her a dog puzzle and a treat ball filled with nice stuff. (Dog puzzles are like mind games for dogs, you can buy them from places on the internet - they are fantastic for brainy dogs such as collies!)

Finally can i ask..Apart from bringing her to the yard etc, do you mentally stimulate her? Such as playing games, training exercises etc? This will wear her out mentally before she is left. Aswell as gundog training, sheepdog training, agility, flyball, obedience and showing (phew! that list is exhasting!) all of mine play games too.. Just silly & fun tricks such as find the ball or learning a new trick such as taking a bow, playing dead etc. The dog really has to use its brain and it mentally wears a dog out, even if you just do it for 20 minutes each day!

Anyway, i'm relising this post is becoming ridiculously long!
Goodluck whatever you do or try. Do what you feel will work best for you. You know your dog best, so if you feel he would benifit from a crate then thats great, and if not then try different things and find what works for him!
Goodluck xx