Hi,

We have a 5 month old Boston Terrier. We leave him in the kitchen while we are at work, which is a pretty big area for the little guy. However, when we come home in the evening he has resorted to shredding his potty pad, walking in his own poop, and peeing in his bed. We are baffled. We know about the whole "puppies shouldn't be left alone", and we minimize it as much as possible. We are frustrated because we don't know why he is doing this, and if it simply just defiance due to his being home alone.

Has anyone dealt with this previously? Any solutions as to how we can minimize this?

It is possible he is just continuing to live as he had to before you got him. Many breeders fail to give puppies enough space to avoid living in their own waste. At 5 months, he easily should be able to go a half day without relief. Is there any way you could arrange a mid day break for him? A neighbor or a professional dog walker? If so, you could try a crate.

It is only natural that a puppy resists its crate at first. What the puppy
Wants more than anything else is to be others, you, anyone else in the
Household, and any other pets. In our modern society, even if we are home,
Other things distract us from the attention an uncrated puppy must have. The
Only real solution is to crate the dog when you aren't around. The dog may be
Happier in its den than loose in the house. It relaxes, it feels safe in its
Den. It rests, the body slows down reducing the need for water and relieving
Its self. Dogs that have been crated all along do very well. Many of them
Will rest in their crates even when the door is open. I think the plastic
Ones give the dog more of a safe, enclosed den feeling. Metal ones can be put
In a corner or covered with something the dog can't pull in and chew. Select
A crate just big enough for the full grown dog to stretch out in.

Leave it some toys. Perhaps a Kong filled with peanut butter. Don't leave
Anything in the crate the dog might chew up. It will do fine without even any
Bedding. You will come home to a safe dog and a house you can enjoy.

A dog that has not been crated since it was little, may take some work.
Start just putting its toys and treats in the crate. Praise it for going
in. Feed it in the crate. This is also an easy way to maintain order at
Feeding time for more than one dog.

The "shut the puppy in a safe room" is a fallacy. Very few houses even have a
Safe room. How many of us have a room with a hard surfaced floor and nothing
Else? Most rooms have electrical cords to chew if nothing else. In addition
To destroying anything a bored puppy finds to chew, it may choke or have
Intestinal blockage from the pieces. I had a friend that left her dog in a
"safe" room. It ate a hole in the floor covering. The safe rooms fail to
Give the dog the comfort of the enclosed space their instinct requires. Nor
Do they restrict activity extending the time the dog can go without relieving
Itself.