Puppy ripping up lino

[tractor]

We have a 10 month old lab bitch puppy.

She is left for about two hours a day, just after her morning walk. She is left with my two other dogs, I leave the radio & the TV on for them. They always have those little chews to eat whilst I'm gone.

She trashed our kitchen lino just after Christmas. Ripped it up and chewed it up.

We replaced it last weekend, and today she has chewed/ripped a big hole in the new lino by the back door. She went to the toilet just before I left, so it's not that...

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do to stop her doing this? She will now go to the same place again and wreck the whole floor again in the next few weeks. I do have a cage, but would rather not resort to that....

It's made me really sad.....our kitchen looked lovely again for three days and I'm becoming a prisoner in my own home. She "moves" other things, like dishtowels off their hanger, blanket from under radiator, but only wrecks the floor....expensive taste! She never touches it when we're here.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Either be on her all the time training her not to do it, or crate her. My dog is 15 months and overnights in his crate, he is also in it when unattended because he is not 100% reliable and I don't want my mother's furniture wrecked.
He hasn't died from crating and he is a happy, active, balance dog and what's worse, a dog in a crate for a few hours or you 'being a prisoner in your own home' and spending £££ in repairs and the dog possibly swallowing something dangerous?

 

[Dobiegirl]

Totally agree with CC, a crate will not hurt for a few hours and with some toys and chews in there will do no harm. A kong with some Primula soft cheese or peanut butter frozen will keep her occupied as well.

Why are not happy about her being in a crate?

 

[CAYLA]

At 10 months this is the exact behaviour I would expect from a puppy, even a puppy that has been fine for X amount of time.
You can either revert back to crate (where you decide what she chews) i.e leaving her stuffed kongs with something delicious in it and pigs ears and change the treats daily so not bore her, or you can leave her out where she will decide what she chews. It could be she is a little bored with the treats on offer or indeed the elder dogs bagsie them.
I would say it was slight anxiety or it could be she is crazy play sessions and she going a little mad as puppies do and grabbing anything she can happily tug at.
By re crating you are teaching her to remain in a small space without the option to go on a chewing rampage, be it anxiety or boredom or a play fest.
You can again out source the crate further down the line. The crate is only a tool to help you.
OR
Try making sure you place her in this designated area (kitchen) with the other dogs when you are home, esp if this is the only 2 hours she gets left in there (when you disappear) then if you catch her in the act you can use a "ahh ahh" and you can also see if she is actually eating her fair share of the treats to keep her occupied. But placing her in there will confuse her as to weather you are actually in or out if you get a routine for being both "in and "out"
The best advice I can give......dont expect to much at this age and you won't be so dissapointed

 

[tractor]

Thank you for your replies, I guess I should get used to the idea of a crate....I've always had labs and they have generally not been destructive, so I guess this is just a bit of a shock

The older dogs are very calm and just go to sleep when I'm out, I think the "puppy rampage" idea might be correct - I don't think she sets out to wreck the place, it just happens. I'll try the Kong thing too, she might like that. She's a very "busy" dog anyway, so I will do more to occupy her whilst I'm out.

Off to get the cage back out

Thanks!

 

[CorvusCorax]

Just another wee tip, I freeze Kongs to make them last longer and the dog has to work harder, that seems to work a treat

 

[EAST KENT]

Our`s are called "lino louts"..so we gave up and tiled the puppy areas

 

[tractor]

East Kent, I'd love to do that but sadly it's a rented property...which we're not planning on staying in forever, so not worth spending money on tiles. :-(

 

[ladyt25]

When my mum and dad got a 7mth old GSD x from Dogs Trust she was fine for a couple of weeks but then she developed severe separation anxiety and we would come hometo find things chewed a little bit. However, one day she must have just lost it and pulled up and chewed the stairs and hall carpet, chewed a western saddle, destroyed several pit plants and did an andrex puppy with the toilet round so this was strewn all over the place! Thinking back it was pretty funny, the destruction was just so bad!

That was when we decided on the crate. We had never,r ever used a crate with a dog but it worked brilliantly with her. Her bed was in there so she slept in it when open anyway and when we went out we'd just put some water in for her and give her a kong. i think she chewed her bed a bit once but that was it - better that than the furniture. She wasn't in it forever but she just needed that security I think and she would take herself off to her bed in her crate whenever she felt like it.