So as some of you know, I have a 5 year old boxer staffy mix who I have recently rescued ( in October).
Lady is in behaviour modification classes, and has recently completed her first set of manners classes.
So Lady has some separation anxiety, I need to crate her while I am away. I mean this girl is Destructive. Over Christmas I had let her stay out of her kennel for 2 hours while I went to the groccery store. I came home to find my curtains ripped off the rod, my glade plug ins ripped out of the wall, my CLOCK was even knocked off the wall, my lazy boy recliner was tipped over, Christmas decorations were ripped off the wall, my plants were distryoed, every single shoe I owned was hauled out of the closet and brought out to the living room. Needless to say I have not left her alone again.
I do feel that we have made some great progress with the relaxation protocols, and my trainer suggests that I try and leave her out again, I of course am afraid that she might seriously hurt her self.
Aside from leaving her with toys, and bones, I would love to have some other tips or techniques that others have used that don't crate their dogs, and I would love to have some opinions if this behaviour can be modified. I do believe it can with training and patience.
Oh I have bought a rather tall baby gate, but I am sure Ldy is part gazell as she has no problem clearing 4 foot railings on a single bound.
So if anyone has any ideas or tips I would they would be greatly appreciated!
I must add I have had experience with destructive dogs before, but nothing quite to this extent!

I hope someone can help you, I however, cannot, have never had a destructive dog !

Aurora Bell, I am praying you keep your sanity !

Tick

Lol thanks Tickle, I hope so too.
For now she will be crated, I was hoping someone else was in my position.
Lucky for you for not having a destructive dog!

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Originally Posted by Aurora_Bell

lol thanks Tickle, I hope so too.
for now she will be crated, I was hoping someone else was in my position.
Lucky for you for not having a destructive dog!

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Well, long story, Taffy my Walker Hound always has been an excellent clean dog, now l2, and not getting around too good, is licking my area rugs like crazy ! Have no idea, other then she is lacking something in her very good tempting diet. Any suggestions !

Tick

Well it definitely can mean something as simple as missing something from their diet, do you feed a diet for senior dogs? Do you give any supplemts such as fatty oils like O-megas and what not?
It can also mean things like neurological issues, Cushings disease, or a endocrine disorder but that is usually only prominent in smaller dogs.
With older dogs it could indicate that they are due for a dental cleaning.
If it's something related to diet you could try changing her diet. Buy a quality food that contains NO CORN products and NO BY-PRODUCTS listed as the first four ingredients. Also change the main type of protein source - for example if your current food lists chicken in the first four ingredients, switch to lamb.

If it's not any thing medical, it could just be plain old boredom.
Next time she licks, get her interested in something else like a game of fetch or give her something good to chew.
It is always possible that she has a stomach ache.
And then it could be stress related, she honeslty could be upset that she isn't always able to make it outside. Do you know if her hearing or sight is all A-1?

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Originally Posted by Aurora_Bell

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and then it could be stress related, she honeslty could be upset that she isn't always able to make it outside. Do you know if her hearing or sight is all A-1?

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Thanks, it is a long story. She is on a reduced dosage of prednisone because amongst other things, she is enemic. Used to walk miles with me up until she tore that ligament (which I blame on by husband letting her chase salmon on the creek here last summer). Before that she was enjoying all her activities of daily living. I am really glad to have her given her lack of motion now. I guess you could be right, it could be stress related because at times there is a lot of dissention here between my son and husband and yelling, etc. another long story. Don't get me wrong, we are not a dysfunctional family, just three people with very busy professional lifestyles. She was not supposed to be with me past the winter, so her vet said. I said otherwise and it looks like it is working out that way. But I will know and she will know, and I won't let her suffer from being unable to get out to do her normal things.

She is a sight, and scent hound very similar to the wolfhounds and as far as I can see she has all her faculties still.

Have changed her food, give her what she likes because now, I am humouring her and she deserves it, she has been a fantastic lady throughout our l2 year relaltionship. I am sure she would do anything for me (actually that is what her vet said that I have to watch for, she will go out of her to make me happy and appear normal).

We all must do this and only wish our old friends could go from natural causes rather then the other way, been there over the years and it never gets easier.

Hugs for replying

Aww hugs to you!
It is so hard to watch them deteriorate. My mother had a shih tzu, she was 15 I think when she finally died. But she was missing all if her front teeth, and aside from not wanting to eat actual dog food, was healthy. My mom just ended up feeding her what ever she would eat at the end. It's so sad, you feel torn. I guess as long as they aren't in pain then why not give them what they want.
It seems like it would be hard on them as well, as far as wanting to do the best for you, walks, going out side, and all around acting like nothing is wrong.
12 years is a good life, and I bet she lived a happy life and still is!
And don't worry I know what you mean about family "stress" just because you fight and yell doesn't nessecarly mean that you are dysfunctional. We are very European, and we yell when we talk, we get very excited and are quite passionate! So in our houses there is lots of family with big loud opinions!
Luckily for Lady I am still single ;)

Aurora, You know I'm a big-time advocate for crates. Nonetheless, with your Lady it sounds like she needs some desensitization.

Let her out in the house, go outside as if you were leaving, then come back in in 75 seconds or so before she has time to get into trouble. Repeat until she doesn't seem to notice when you leave.

Make sure she has lots of things of her own to do: Kongs, chew toys, and the like. Boredom is often mistaken for anxiety.

You've said it, it's my turn: Patience is a virtue.

I used to give my dogs free run of the house when we left, they used to be really good.
Until one day I came home and my dining table was scratched and everything pulled off my coffee table.
That's when I bought the baby gate and confined them to the kitchen (not thinking about the dining table)
Came home, dining table scratched even more and everything pulled off it.
Baby gate was then moved to the hallway, all bedroom doors were closed.
They couldn't tear anything up but I felt bad leaving them in such a small space.
Now they have free run again but surprisingly they haven't touched anything again... maybe it was because they thought I was punishing them by locking them in the hallway.

Some dogs are just destructive and unfortunately there isn't anything you an do about it apart from crating them or locking them in a room with nothing in it.
My moms Great Dane gets locked in their grooming room, all cupboards closed, curtains pulled up so he couldn't reach them... he started eating the walls! Not the corner of the wall... he managed to eat a hole in the middle of the wall!

Now he gets locked in the kennel outside when they leave (ok so its not really a kennel, it's actually half the garage with a fenced off run coming from it.

Haha Shaz, wow that's crazy about eating a whole in the wall. My old dog Slash, chewed the door knobs off in the bathroom! And also chewed every single tile that was laid in the hallway up. Unfortuantly the baby gate is a no-go unless I get a seccond and stack them. I really do think she is part Gazell! ;)
Thanks again Cats about the desensitization ideas. I am going to start working on them ASAP.
Ih and Shaz if you tables are wood, you can try rubbing a bannana peel over the scratches, it helps to fill in the scrates and polishes wonderfully!
Thank-You Martha Stewart!

I just wanted to add that Lady will still be crated while I am at work, I too believe that the crate is the safest place, I was more thinking of when I have to run to the store, or grocery shopping etc.

Oooh thanks, I'll try that Aurora!
A couple of the scratches are pretty deep but a couple are just surface ones.

I agree with cat. Do practice runs of leaving and coming back.. my pointer when she was young was never allowed to be alone... went through a couch and three remote controls. Now that she's 12, she's pretty harmless... sometimes age of the dog is a huge factor in allowing dogs free reign of the house... my 2yr pitt likes to chew books (jerk) and isn't allowed free 80% of the time while I'm gone.

Ive had a dog who in the past was exactly like this. We got a baby gate(Seems like your dog may jump over it) and confined him to one room, and left for maybe 15 minutes, and then if he didn't wreck anything he got a little bigger space for a little more time. Also spending time with the dog before you leave and when you return also helps. Taking them on a walk before you leave may also help them calm down. Maybe give them some food while your gone to also help distract them..

Thanks Emily!
We have a pretty busy schedule with training and excersise. We keep pretty active early in the morning as well as in the evenings. My father usually comes over during the day to let her out for a bit of fresh air.
I wanted to let you guys know how we have been coming with the desensitization.
Fisrt day after our protocols for relaxation routine, I went out side, and basically ran to my car, and came back, peered in the living room window, and caught the little thing on my BRAND NEW coffee table! I came in and said wrong, caught her right in the act I did! A few hours later she was curled up on her pillow snorring away, and I decided to sneak out side to take the garbage out, I quietly got up and took the garbage out side, went for the mail, and came back in peered through the window again, and little missy had her ole paws right up on my kitchen table getting ready to pull the DECORATVE apples I have as a centre piece of the dang table. Yes B'ye she got quite a shock when I burst through the door, saying WRONG!
I am sure my neighbours are starting to think I am losing my mind a little, with all the peering in the windows and such. And my 2 year old thinks I have invented some new game to play with the dog.
Yesterday morning I did go out side with the recyclables after our walk, and I was peeping in again, and she was standing in the middle of the kitchen staring at the front door.
She was greeted with lots of priase.
So each day we are working I can't say there has been much improvement, as of yet, but I am not giving up any time soon. I may never be able to leave her alone un crated for an hour hear and an hour there, but my daughter sure enjoys my funny game ;)

Just to clarify, Aurora.
After "WRONG," you are teaching the dog that the table is not for her to be on, right? Having her go back to her place on the floor and sit or whatever with a little petting/loving when she's in the right place?

I've had better results correcting bad behavior by having dogs change to good behavior immediately than I did by just telling them what they did wrong.

Yes, after she has been told what she is doing at that exact moment is wrong, when she gets down, and goes to her pillow, she gets a scratch and a "ohhh I know your a good girl, aren't you?? Yes you are, yes you are"!
If I don't catch her red 'pawed' then the mess doesn't get punished nor rewarded. I try to set her up for success, and reward that. Epspecially since she was abused, I try to never raise my voice to her, but use a firm I mean business voice.