question about dogs left on their own......

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Slightlyconfused

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Not meant to start an argument but how come.so many dogs destroy the house when left?

Got me thinking after the dogs behaving badly thread

My two.collies, the three.month.colliexlab and the old.caviller are all aloud the run of the down.stairs and access to the garden. Have two big toy baskets that's theirs and a good supply of chew bones and not once have I come home to a chewed sofa, just the odd chewed pair of glasses or mobile phone but they were one offs

The two.big collies have their barking collars on as they like to play loudly when we aren't home but other than that we trust them completely to leave the house alone.

So is it breed or type of personality? Or age you get the dog?

Just curious
 
Mine are perfect when they are left - they are rescue greyhounds, the original couch potatoes, and they sleep all day :) (apart from being let out by a friend every lunchtime)

I must admit I would really be uncertain about having any other breed while I still work full time, but the greyhounds are just great - that applies whatever age they are, I've had them from a year old to 12 years old :)
 
Ours don't, 2 labs and a lurcher, but they are rarely left for longer than an hour or two. Pup (just 12 months) would certainly rearrange anything she could reach until quite recently, you would come home to a little pile of things by the door, the older lab would be consumed with guilt, and you just know she didn't have anything to do with it. Lurcher has no conscience at all but is not interested by house things.

I think people don't make the effort to get dogs used to being left when young, 'Oh he cried so I let him out the crate' and so on.
 
Our border collie has to be crated when left, our main issue is that she is rarely left as she comes to work with me most days and goes to kennels one day a week, she also comes to yard am and pm every day with me. She is happy in her crate and generally is only in it once a week and possibly the odd Saturday evening when we are out. If not crated she used to eat the bannister and last time chewed the fairy lights (not switched on, she is fine).

In her crate we leave a chew, teddy and her bed and she doesn't chew anything she shouldnt and seems happy. Hoping as she gets older to let her out (she is also fine left in car but is again in crate in boot)
 
Mines a greyhound too. Only left for 2-3 hrs a time but she just sleeps!!!! Sometimes she sleeps on the sofa, but mainly she sleeps on our bed!!! She lets herself in if we shut the door!!!!
 
We never crated last border collie but this one has separation anxiety but seems happy if in crate, we are working on it but she will destroy in first five mins of us going so still work in progress!
 
Mine is left by himself for up to 5 hours max, I have a dog walker that takes him out for an hour at lunchtime. He goes out before work and has a run in the garden when I get back. He has never really destroyed stuff, however I do have to lock the kitchen doors otherwise he will empty the bin and eat any food he can, and open the cupboards. I have to lock the doors as he can open them, and they have round handles!

I also have to shut the stairgate, as he's not allowed upstairs ever as it won't help his hip dysplasia, and if he gets up there he has weed and pooed in the past. These days if he gets upstairs he shreds the nappy bin, which is far worse!

I'm looking forward to having our big extension so he has more room when we go out as currently our house is small for such a large dog. Given what he does when we're here, I think he spends most of his day snoozing
 
Mine is locked in the kitchen. No damage to be done there (not that she's really ever left on her own to be honest).
 
One of mine had severe, destructive separation anxiety - I think a mixture of breed type and poor early training/habituation. It's the number one reason that dogs are given in to our breed rescue. She's fine now but it took literally years of work and I would never voluntarily go through it again.

I strongly urge everyone to leave a camera running on their dogs once in a while, you might be very surprised (and distressed) by the results...
 
blackcob said:
I strongly urge everyone to leave a camera running on their dogs once in a while, you might be very surprised (and distressed) by the results...
Click to expand...

I've done this a few times with my lot.....8 hours of dogs sleeping, occasionally getting up and turning a few circles, and going back to sleep again.....
 
Should have specified a greyhound exception of course. :p Our resident one at work moves maybe twice per day - merely to adjust which side of him is exposed to the radiator!
 
I am on a FB page for beagle owners and it shocks me with some of the damage they do. Apparently, it's a 'breed' thing.

Erm, my old boy never destroyed things when on his own. He had free roam of the house! My current beagle is 18 months old and we rehomed him so he did come with some bad manners, and it took him a couple of weeks to settle. The most he did was scratch the door but he doesn't bother now. He has the radio on and he curls up in his bed straight away. The longest he is left is 5 hours but that is a rarity if there is a discrepancy between shifts with who lives in the house.
 
Yes, mine only turns over!!!! She hasn't moved for the last 3 hrs....She will come upstairs to bed shortly where she will lay down until OH comes home, a short walk then back to flat out.

She stayed in bed an hour after we got up tge other day!!!
 
Well I have two labradoodles who are left with the run of the house for up to 7 hours (not usually this long, but it sometimes happens).

Don't have to take any precautions re food, bins etc. In fact, I have left an open sack of dry dog food out before now and they've not touched it :p

They're never allowed upstairs but don't need a stair gate to enforce this.

When they were pups we very occasionally came home to the odd chewed shoe (and on one memorable occasion a chewed up kc bronze award certificate :D), but they grew out of this v quickly and are now perfectly safe to be left surrounded by my son's stuffed toys and all sorts of other temptations.

Sorry for the bragging post, but it is nice to have the chance to sing my girls' praises :D

ETS I haven't answered the question, sorry! But I do think it helps that we've had our girls since pups and got them used to being left at home v early on.
 
The two destructive dogs we've had have both been rescues, so upbringing may have a bearing. The worst one was a Weimaraner who chewed and scratched a hole in the kitchen door, just as a result of being left in the kitchen overnight, and he wasn't even on his own, had a Springer bitch companion who he loved! My mum's dog has been occasionally destructive, she is a Border Collie/German Shephard cross, but originally came from a rescue. Mum had to give her up and she came here, which obviously unsettled her a bit, as she chewed two bridles at one stage, but fingers crossed has settled down now!

Our current dog is a Collie/Lurcher/Poodle type mix and she is as good as gold and would never dream of chewing anything in the house without permission! But we have had her from a pup and raised her very carefully in order to avoid the problems we had with the Weimaraner. When she was a young pup she was never left for longer than an hour, but now she is happy to be left all day!
 
My two (as the photos on the other thread shows) are naughty when left alone. The first dog hated being left on his own, he screamed the place down when we left him downstairs for bed as a puppy. He was only left for a few hours at a time once he was old enough and he just liked to destroy the place. I could have left him with a mountain of toys and he would still chew the skirting boards. I even gave him a separate piece of skirting board incase he liked to chew wood, that apparently was not as good as the stuff attached to the walls. Tried kongs, boredom breakers, chewing spray, chili oil. Nothing worked. So we bought him a friend thinking maybe that would help but instead they are just naughty together, like two tearaway children. Not sure how to stop it so they are crated and cause no damage in there. Strange thing is I have never ever seen them go to chew anything while we are in the house only when left. Although now they are rarely left on their own, particularly during the day but I would NEVER trust them out of the crate when no one is in. Particularly after the baileys drinking incident!!

ETA - one of mine is a pug x and the other French bulldog x - both have jack Russell in them so Ill blame it on that :)
 
I would guess its multiple factors, but the main ones would be not being taught to be alone in the house, so having a specific place where the dog feels secure and comfy and 'his' (crate/basket/whatever), then leaving the dog for short periods to start with but not making a massive fuss about leaving/coming back. That and under-exercised or dogs with no boredom out-lets like a chew or favourite toy. Iwould also say for the greyhound/whippets they can get restless as they feel the cold, so it's worth a coat if your house is chilly.

Mine is a lurcher, whom I 've had from a puppy and I've built up the time he was left alone very gradually, with at least 1hr walk offlead before I go with plenty of ball chasing if the bunnies are in short supply! I've also tried to build positive associations with indications that I'm leaving, so he gets breakfast after I'm dressed for work, and extra biscuits as I put on shoes.

Once I've told him 'bed-time' thats it. No extra cuddles/fuss or even eye contact. I'm also quite strict about going out in the evening during the week, unless he can come as well, as it makes me feel less guilty about him being on his own. It works well, and theres been no destruction, and always a warm spot on the sofa!
 
I leave my dog home alone all the time, apart form often finding my gloves, woolly hat and a few socks on his bed with him cuddling them, he never touches anything. The clothes items are never damaged in the slightest just well cuddled whilst I'm out. He's normally only left for 3-4 hours but has been up to 7 on a rare occasion. He's a Labrador.
 
blackcob said:
.

I strongly urge everyone to leave a camera running on their dogs once in a while, you might be very surprised (and distressed) by the results...
Click to expand...

I'll be honest and say yes whilst that might be interesting/distressing to watch I doubt it would change the way we keep our dog. His life with us is great for him, active enough but plenty of snooze and sofa time. He spent 8 months in rescue kennels going nuts, so the life we have is fantastic in comparison. Now if I could just train my daughter to leave him alone sometimes his life would be perfect!
 
I have 2 Chihuahuas 2 years old and the other 8 months old and an 18 year old jack Russell - they all have the run of the house and have pads and a washable mat to use as I wouldn't want them to feel they have to hold themselves for hours - im usually away for a further 5 hours after hubs has left and they have never chewed anything - the 2 chis play a lot and wear themselves out and then sleep
 
My dogs have always been Ok being left, I think because they get good runs before I go out. We did have a rescue Grand Basset Griffon de V who howled the place down when I went out even though he had another dog for company and even destroyed the base and bedding in his crate when we were in !
 
Penny Less said:
…….. . We did have a rescue Grand Basset Griffon de V who howled the place down when I went out even though he had another dog for company and even destroyed the base and bedding in his crate when we were in !
Click to expand...

Did have? Would you consider that dog to have been a deeply unhappy animal?

Alec.
 
my dogs have always been fine till my lurcher has ripped up the carpet twice this year-it is fireworks that create panic and she tries to hide-now all doors are left open and she is only left in the house during the day in the evenings she goes in the keenel and run with the other dogs-the time if fast approaching when there are no other dogs and it will just be her so I am hoping she will still be ok out in the kennel on her own
 
Lévrier;12781147 said:
I've done this a few times with my lot.....8 hours of dogs sleeping, occasionally getting up and turning a few circles, and going back to sleep again.....
Click to expand...


yes, I've done it with the dog, the horses and even the poultry ;) dog sleeps, gets up, goes back to bed, sleeps. Once he had a drink and another time looked out of the window at a delivery van. then slept. Irish setter.
 
The new pup barks when we come home and gets ignored until she is quiet, next door is keeping us informed of what she is doing when we are out. I think she is going to be one of those that is clingly for a while but will see how she goes.

We don't say hello to the dogs until coats are off kettle is on and they are sat by the chair quietly, stops the jumping and getting under our feet.
 
Yes Alec, he had never been trained, wouldn't walk on a lead without pulling your arm out, was really hyperactive. he was only 2.
Was very very hard work and we lost him at 8 through cancer.
 
In our case, boredom and changes to routine!

I have run my young GSD for 40 minutes in a backpack filled with weights in an effort to tire him out before work - didn't make a dent. He's done 15 miles running when I mountain biked - no effect, he could have done it again with ease. If he is ever slightly tired, he sleeps for 20 mins, then he's back up again, full throttle. He's the duracell bunny.

He's destroyed all sorts. We used to crate him, when I let him out he chewed the dining room table, the walls and anything soft he could find. We have another GSD so he wasn't lonely. He is much better now (not perfect, slip ups occasionally occur if the routine changes). I had to leave him out of his crate because he had a cone on, and I blocked off access to the dining table, removed soft furnishings, and left him with a frozen kong. He only gets that when we are out, and doesn't have toys any other time except when we are training. He does tricks/obedience for 20 mins in the morning and that wears him out quite nicely. My other GSD spends most of his time asleep.
 
Alec Swan said:
That's interesting. Some dogs cope with solitude, just as some humans do, whilst others don't.

Alec.
Click to expand...

maybe. had him since he was a pup and socialised him well and we did have another dog for the first 2 years of his life although neither thought alot of each other tbh! He's pretty smart, very confident and isnt left alone all of the time but like my horses, I expect them to be able to cope (ie without stress, not just 'get on with it') if their routine changes or cope with being alone for finite periods of time. He comes to work with me when its not too hot/cold, OH and I work from home one day a week each. If he does get left he is of course exercised well beforehand. Where we are is very quiet and the most that he might get excited about is the farmer's quad bikes-its his ambition (at 10) to get on the back of one :D
 
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