Soph

Khan in now 6 months and has become very distructive over the last several weeks. He was able to stay out of the crate while we were at work and he would not touch a thing nor have an accident in the house. Now I come home from work and half of my christmas ornaments are broken and ruined in the backyard as well as most of my blu-ray/ dvd collection. For now he is having to stay in the crate while we are not able to keep an eye on him, even when I simply walk upstairs to cook, I will leave him out and in an hour he will destroy as much as he can.

IDEA IDEAS HELP?
he has tons of toys and bones all over.....

Kayree

Angus was really good (and still is for the most part) with not chewing everything in sight, but then he started teething and apparently certain things just look too tasty (shoes, wooden coffee table, etc.). We are continuing to re-direct him and find that if we give him things to chew (like bully sticks), it keeps him entertained... but we only give them to him while we're home (just in case).

Maybe provide him with more fun chewy things (like bully sticks), and continue to re-direct him. Consistency is key.

Also, if he's chewing everything in site while you're gone, I'd continue to crate him while you can't watch him. Yes it sucks for him, but until he learns not to chew, he stays in the crate. Also its safer that way... at least you know he's not getting himself hurt while you're gone.

MeadowCat

I personally think he's way too young to be uncrated while you're gone. I agree with Kayree that it's probably teething that's driving some of the chewing.

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Soph

I do not have to redirect him too much while we are in his sight, he knows better and doesnt mess with stuff he is not suppose to- but hes smart and the second he knows we are not watching he is ruining everything. you should see my xmas tree it start about half way up because he has taken and broke so many ornaments im even afraid to put presents under the tree! but your right when ever I cannot watch him, he is going to have to stay in the crate

dglvr

I don't plan on leaving my boy uncrated until he's at least 1, possibly longer. Frankly, it's dangerous for him to be able to get into things or eat objects that he shouldn't while he's not supervised.

He's not crated when I'm home but he's usually very good about knowing what is a toy and what isn't (fuzzy slippers being the exception). But just the other day I was cleaning up the yard and one poop was a solid, unchewed thong all in one piece. I am INCREDIBLY lucky that he passed that and that it didn't turn into a $2000 obstruction surgery.

For his own safety, consider keeping him crated or confined to a safe-room when he can't be supervised.

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VZ-Doberman

At his age he is also full of curiosity and energy. More time out and about doing things like going for walks, playing ball or just hanging out with his humans will help take the edge off of his energy level.

pdubois64

I wouldn't leave a pup unattended until at least 1 yo. Crate or X-pen.


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workingk9s

We don't start leaving uncrated until about 2 years old. Back in the crate for him.

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KoaRad

I didn't leave Koa uncrated until about 15 months and I still shut the doors to all the extra bedrooms/bathrooms, make sure nothing especially tempting is within reach, etc. I actually decided to keep a small Christmas tree on my counter this year because it'd be the first year he was uncrated with a Christmas tree. Although at my house it's just me and I can do that if I want I just didn't have the mental energy to worry about it this year!


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dobebug

Oh, Soph,

You're a dreamer. Puppies don't really "know" better. Every new thing takes training before a dog will leave it alone. Puppies try everything and I'd bet that he never bothered Christmas tree ornaments until there was a Christmas tree and ornaments to bother.

Here's another sad fact. You've been through the initial part of teething with this puppy--and they chew on stuff while they teeth but what a good many people don't know is there is a process AFTER teething where they chew on even more stuff--it's called "setting" the teeth. It occurs after the adult teeth have erupted and actually fixes the teeth firmly in the jaw after they have displaced the baby teeth. The even more aggressive chewing goes along with this process.

It's a rare puppy who is really safe to leave with full range of a house at six months. The puppies I raise move from crate to ex-pen and to the kitchen blocked off by a baby gate so they aren't able to do a lot of damage. I have never found that giving more toys or things to chew on really helps at the stage I suspect your puppy is now at. What they want to chew on tends to not be the sort of thing you'd really want them to chew on (chunks of two by fours, trim on the corners of the house, the legs of the dining room table etc.

So do him and yourself a favor--crate him when you aren't watching him and put an ex-pen around the Christmas tree so he can't get to the tree or the ornaments and don't put out the presents until Christmas morning.

<g> Frankly I wouldn't even trust my 9.5 year old or the 7 year old with the temptation of a Christmas tree and I know from past experience that even cats who were ancient didn't seem to be able to leave ornaments on Christmas trees alone--I could count on having to pick 5 or 10 of them up every time I left the room for 30 seconds.

Nubis'sDad

As others have also mentioned without supervision the crate it is.
Eventually goto a baby gated safe room until he can be trusted.
You said he is now having accidents, does he get a reaction out of you when you come home and he has relieved himself?
You kinda imply you turn your back and he is ripping it up? Does he get a reaction out of you and if so what is it?

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MaxsMom

Max was around 2yr old before he could be left uncrated. He is 4 yrs old and I have yet to have a Christmas tree in the house. I just decorate the outside where he won't be tempted.

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Soph

thanks everyone!
he has definetly been put back in the crate any time I am not coming back within a few minutes, which he doesnt seem to mind!

Heres a big of my big guy who got on the scale today and is 61lbs, and before he ruined almost all of the ornaments

Attached Thumbnails

 

DobeAndBorderCollie

That face says "look how cute i am...you can leave me alone with the tree... I promise I'll be good"


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Axel's Mom

Axel's a year old, and he is always crated when I'm not home, which fortunately isn't often because I work from home. I think I could probably trust him so long as all paper (don't know what draws him to paper...) is put away, but I think the other dogs in my house would rather have him crated cause he tends to annoy them. I'm starting to believe he'll be a better dog when he's an only dog.

When he was 6 months old, he was also crated most the time if I wasn't paying him attention. Fortunately, he was never much of a chewer, though, maybe because he never had the opportunity.

Also.... always remember when he's being naughty... A tired dog is a good dog.

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Hank

What a cutie! Bronson couldn't be trusted until almost a year old. We left him out once earlier when we thought he was ready and he chewed the couch legs and ripped up carpet. Learned our lesson, he wasn't ready. Lol

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Patches Mom

You have to remember Doberteen + you should do not want him to get obstructed which is a 3-5 thousand dollar surgery IF you get him to the vets in time.
Buddy my Dobe was crated until he was 2 years & 4 Months old better to be safe than sorry especially with a living breathing animal no puppies do not know better they are a puppy mentaly until 2-3 years old especially a male.

Zeblar

Ahhh I feel your pain. Odin is 2 and a half now but he hasn't been crated since he was about 14 months old as he physically bent his old crate wanting to get out of it. He really never took to being in there and still doesn't like being enclosed. Me and the hubby went through months of coming home to stuff being destroyed by him. Books, DVD's, Blu-rays, sunglasses(hubby was really unimpressed by the Ray Bans getting it) and other things. We have spent a lot of time trying to out smart this pooch so he will leave things alone.

Odin only gets left in the hallway and living room now and everything else gets put above head height and all the doors are locked. As for the Christmas tree well its had something taken off it everyday since I have put it up. Thankfully he has only destroyed 2 baubles but the tinsel, oh my, he loves the stuff, frankly I don't get it. He won't touch it whilst I am in but as soon as I go out that tree is fair game.

But your boy is only 6 months old and you are asking for an awful lot from a puppy. He will destroy things if you turn your back no matter how many times you tell him "no!" if he settles in his crate leave him in there. And honestly it doesn't matter how many toys, bones, treats or whatnots you leave out for him if he can find something else to chew/destroy he will.

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Shelly

My girl is 2.5 years & is still crated when I'm not home. She's not overly destructive, but I'm just not willing to take the risk of her getting into something & injuring herself or causing a blockage. She is quite happy in her crate & sleeps all day anyway....

VZ-Doberman

A little story about my other dog Yogi (lhasa) when I left him home alone about 3 years ago. We lived in Illinois at the time. I had to take Bacchus to the vet and didn't feel like wrestling two dogs so I left Yogi home........home alone. We had just had hardwood floors installed and I had a new Roomba that I decided to let run. The living room was huge and Yogi was housebroken to the max.

Upon my arrival home, I noticed the smell when I walked into the lower level.

Evidently Yogi was unhappy about being left and deposited a semi formed pile on the slate foyer. Would not have been a huge problem except the brand new Roomba ran through it numerous times. There were poo trails everywhere....on the new hardwood floor, the slate foyer, the two new Karistan orientals, the 25' new oriental runner and because this particular model of Roomba had the spinning baseboard brushes, the poo was smeared along all the baseboards in the living room, hallways (2) and the sliding closet doors that ran the entire length of 30' hallway, oh and a 15' hallway. Almost forgot the 18' natural field stone hearth at one end of the living room got its share.

I don't know if it was a huge pile of poo, that it was soft or that the Roomba did such a good job but I've never seen a sh!tstorm like that before.

Did I mention the smell?

And I had to dismantle the Roomba to clean all the nooks and crannies that had packed poo in them.

Lesson learned.

Rogger Castells

Wow, that was a story!

Veda

I have raised only 3 dogs in my life. I am on my 4th. My first 3 proved to me they needed to be crated until age 2. I would try from time to time to leave them out, and small things would happen, and I knew they weren't ready
. I never felt my dogs had a problem with the crate, though, I just walk over and open the door when I'm leaving and they trot right in. So, I never felt badly about them being in there.
My last crate was for my Great Dane and it took up an entire room, haha. Was glad to finally get rid of that.But now, when I tell Atlas to get in the crate, sometimes Lily, the big Great Dane, thinks I mean her..(her crate only left the house shortly before the puppy came)and she walks over and crouches and jams herself in the small crate, like a clown in a clown car! It's a good laugh, and I always tell, her "No, no! Not YOU, Lily!"

Veda

NO! I can not stop laughing right now! Can picture that damn roomba zooming around from room to room, spreading the poop!
AH, GOOD times, good times! (The planets had to aline for THAT one)
So, I always wanted a roomba! Do you like yours??Hehe

VZ-Doberman

Hahaha Something aligned for that to happen.....Yogi's "deposit" and a very efficient Roomba.

I liked it on hardwood floors, pretty much anything that was smooth. If a rug had a low pile it worked pretty well also.

Downside:

Even with the rubber bumper around the body, it still marked up my baseboards. Also it became an alarm clock when Bacchus figured out how to nose-pokey the round green ON button in the middle of it. I had the docking station in my bedroom and when he thought we should be getting up he would creep over to the Roomba and nose-pokey it on and then scurry back to his blankie and wait. A number of mornings I would pretend to still be asleep and watch him do this. Before I discovered this I beat my brains out trying to figure out how I was incorrectly programming the damn thing.

StarlightDobe

My girls are going to be 3 and 2, and are still confined to a small area when we are not home, and one wears a muzzle because even though she has bones and toys she prefers the door frames and floor moldings. I do not have a crate for them, they are placed in the hall. (no lectures on crates please, we tried with her but she would only hurt herself chewing on the bars)

When you are home is he allowed to go with you when you go to another room? Mine sit at the gate and cry if I go in the kitchen even for a moment so if I am going to be working in there or anyplace else they are allowed to follow, as they hate being apart from me. I left them upstairs when I went to switch laundry a time or two and come back upstairs and they had trash all over, so I figured they were upset I left them alone and found something better to do. Even as I sit and try to type this Bella is grabbing my hand trying to get attention lol!

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R.I.P. Mysti 1/25/02-10/21/10