I have a 9 month old puppy, who is very destructive around the house (come home from work today to find my couch ripped!) I really dont know what to do for the best he gets plenty of exercise walked every morning and night and is also let out through the day. When home alone i have invested in a "kong time" (treat dispencer which dispenses a kong treat every 2 hours) and has toys just for when im out. Also when im at home he constantley mouths and is afetr attention. He is well behaved when out and about (apart from on the lead but trying to work on that) his recall is fantastic but seems to be deaf in the house!. Any ideas?

Have you got Sam ?

Piccies please, of settee or pupter, I am partial to both.

Hello and welcome to ST btw

Hi... ooh dear another sofa muncher always completely adorable, as long as they are someone elses


How long is he on his own for btw?

*STEPS AWAY FROM THE THREAD*

Mr B . . . . . . .. don't do it . . . . . .. don't look . . . .. hope he didn't get a peek at this

He's called alfie or satan im sure there is 666 printed somewhere on him!
He is on his own for 8 hrs a day (3days a week my boyfriend has him other 2 days) but someone looks in on him for call of nature (normaly after about 4hrs). This really destructive streak has only been about a 4 weeks, but the mouthing has been form very small pup and doesnt seem to be letting up!
Is 8hrs to long to be in his crate? I think it is but not sure what to do for the best?

Iv seen in other posts references to diet related behviour problems. he is on wafcol samon and potato exclusion diet because he was ill with beta and vet said they thought it was protien in the food, hasnt been ill since eating this food but hasnt helped behaviour.
Ill post some pics tomorrow night not on my own pc at the mo.

Personally I would recommend the set up we have for Roly - his crate is within a larger 'enclosure' in a corner of our living room - this means he has his actual crate with his bed inside it but has floor space too, outside the crate, for his food and water bowls and room to lie on the wooden floor if he's too hot inside his canvas crate.

We have had the same set up since we got him at 8 weeks old - he loves his den and we have never had destructiveness because he's never had unsupervised access to the sofa etc - he is 14 months now and it still works well for us.

As long as the person visiting at the 4 hour point is giving the pup a walk and some good interaction this should be OK. (Although that is largely down to personal opinion and people differ in this respect). If all that is happening at the 4 hour point is someone letting the pup out for a wee then I would seriously consider paying for a professional dog walker to give more interaction during the day.

Good luck ... and comiserations to the sofa!!!!!!!!!

if someone put you in a crate for 8 hours with nothing to do 3 days a week ... would you go stir crazy???
Dont go down the crate road if you would have to put him in there for 8 hrs
My two were crate trained but never confined to their crate for long periods the crate became their sanctuary not their jail
Crate confining will not solve your probs


Hopefully some one will be along with great advise for you soon

Is this pup from show or working lines?

Does he really work at his Kongs or do they last 10 seconds flat? There are plenty of other food dispensing toys out there, such as Tug a Jug, Buster Cube, Dog pyramid, Squirrel Dude which all require different techniques to extract the food. Kongs can also be frozen to make them last longer (although some dogs initially loose interest if they can't get the food out quick enough). Are all his meals fed through Kongs, or does he have food from a bowl as well?

Have you ever tried to video him at home while you aren't there? Does he seem bored and looking for things to do - often tackling something for a few minutes then moving on to something else, or does he pace and seem anxious - setting his sights on something and going at it frantically? I assume because you don't mention it that he's not showing any other signs of seperation anxiety, such as peeing or pooing in the house, whining/barking etc.

thanks for all the info and advice ill certinly not be leaving in the crete all day! ill try video him while im out im not sure at what point he gets board! thanks again.
any ideas how to post pics of my beautiful boy?

There's great advice on the Post your Pictures thread, at the top of the page.