Help! Puppy Destroying Backyard And Am Worried For His Health

[slinkyjill]

I don't know what to do about my puppy - he is obviously bored during the day, but I have tried to give him lots of distractions like Kongs and bones and toys, but while he loves them it hasn't seemed to help much.

He is destroying our backyard. He is digging holes the size of canyons, and faeces in the holes don't seem to help. He has also ripped down brush screening in our backyard and chewed that up, destroyed pot plants by digging the plants out of the pots (luckily the plants were nearly dead anyway so i didn't mind so much) and chewed and ripped his blanket to bits and pieces. A tennis ball also seems to have disappeared with bits and pieces left of it, so I think he has eaten it.

But today my bf gets home and finds two bags of potting mix which were sitting on a high table in our back completely and uttlerly ripped to shreds and potting mix strewn everywhere all over the table and chairs.

I am at my wits end now, I don't know what else to do to keep him occupied during the day while we aren't home, I've never had a puppy as naughty as this one!!! Not only that I am worried for his health particularly because it's dangerous to inhale potting mix and I'm assuming dangerous to be eating plastic and toys.

To make it worse we are moving to Sydney soon, and I don't see how we are going to be able to rent a house with a naughty puppy like this unless we get a completely concreted yard with no ability to dig at all!!!???

Any suggestions??? HELP!!! If I knew how to upload the pic of the mess onto here then I would!

[persephone]

Oh..you poor thing.

What sort of puppy...and what age?

Do you walk it before work? A tired puppy will sleep

have you seen these toys?

http://www.aussiedog.com.au/catalogue/c1

[slinkyjill]

He is a flat coated retriever, and is 7 months old today!

I walk him twice per day, once before work and once after work. I also try and not go out once I'm home so I can spend time with him.

[Cosmolo]

You need to determine why the problem is occurring before advice can be given as to how to fix it. Does the destruction only happen when your out? Possible separation anxiety?

[The Spotted Devil]

Hi slinkyjill

Puppies can be right buggers sometimes can't they! My own approach with my young Dal who is not yet 6 months old, is to supervise him 100% whether he is in the house or outside. He is slowly getting more responsible...but I would never trust him in the backyard for long....if I am around I can give him a 'Leave It' command or just play a game with him to distract him from digging or the like.

Luckily my contact hours at Uni are low this year and my partner works odd hours so that Ziggy is rarely left alone for more than 3 hours or 5 at the very most (and rarely). So...what I do is...if I have to leave home by 8am, I get Ziggy up at about 5.45am and give him a free run at the beach....very different from a walk. 20-30 mins is plenty and then he hangs out with me while I get ready...then it's into his (open) crate in the laundry with a stuffed Kong. He's pretty good now as I have been training him since he was a puppy. The worst he has done in the laundry is scratch some paint off the walls but he generally sleeps like the baby he is...it is simply a habit now.

I hope that helps - it's a lovely age and you should be enjoying it. Remember that exploring with teeth and paws is perfectly natural...we just have to channel it into appropriate behaviours!

[slinkyjill]

Yeah he only does it when we are out, for long periods on work days - ie. he is an angel while we are around, but we always come home to find holes and other delights that demonstrates his adventures that day!!! So it's too late to scold him because we never catch him doing it.

I wish I was still at uni to play with him during the day too! But yes I do believe it may be a bit of seperation anxiety, but he doesn't whine at all during the day, rarely barks at all. But also, when I say 'walk' I mean 'off the leash at the doggy park'. He runs around more if his doggy friends are there to play with, but that's not always the case!!! SO maybe I need to take him for longer....?

Edited May 1, 2007 by slinkyjill

[frank]

we were going to buy a golden retreiver . but after advice, were told by several people to expect 2 years of , destruction, we decided against it . my parents brought back memories of "FONZY" the one we had when we were kids . i remember canyons in the yard . the boat railer lights being chewed up , and clothes all over the back yard from the washing line, and trees being ripped out of the garden .

so we bought our cocker intead . only tiny holes in the yard , he has chewed the box trailer cable twice, chewed up the transformer , and the switch and power lead . twice , on the kids $500 outdoor air hockey table . the 2 floor waste plumbing pipes that come out of each side of our house, and all the kids clothes get torn when they go outside . luckily he cannot reach the clothes on the clothesline yet . he liokes puling out the garden solar lights as well . even with pet repellant on them , and chews our palms in the pot plants , but he cant pull them out , he's too small .

in this respect i'm glad we got a cocker , because if it was a big do doing this , i would be devastated .

[poodlefan]

Containment and appropriate stimulation are the keys to surviving puppies of any size.

Puppy proof the yard. Remove everything you don't want wrecked. If you can't do that (and perhaps even if you can) think about buying a portable run that can be his place during the day. Set it up with a warm kennel, perhaps a clam shell filled with sand and lots of those stimulating toys you have which you can rotate. Food that takes a long time to eat like stuffed kongs and marrow bones can also help.

It's not enough to exercise him physically. You need to exercise him mentally. If you aren't taking him to dog training you should be. This is a dog not far removed from it's working origins and it needs a job. Mental stimulation is just as tiring as physical stimulation and a lot kinder to growing bones.

A portable run would certainly solve a lot of problems in a new rental property. Obedience trained dogs also go down better with landlords.

Is there any way either of you can visit him at lunchtime? A break from the monotony of being home alone all day would be beneficial.

Edited May 1, 2007 by poodlefan

[First Time Puppy Owner]

Hey there

I have a golden so I do get the digging thing and chewing everything in sight and mine is only 10 & 1/2 wks. So I heard about this machine that blows bacon flavoured bubbles from my friend who is a vet and I am thinking of getting one myself. Seems like a great idea to keep a puppy busy. Also get the blue shell from Kmart fill one side with sand and a little water in the other as flat coats love water too. Bury treats in the sand and then he will learn to dig in there instead (hopefully )

Good luck

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Bacon-Bubble-Machin...0QQcmdZViewItem

[peibe]

Sorry I cannot offer any help that has not already been offered

we were going to buy a golden retreiver . but after advice, were told by several people to expect 2 years of , destruction, we decided against it . my parents brought back memories of "FONZY" the one we had when we were kids . i remember canyons in the yard . the boat railer lights being chewed up , and clothes all over the back yard from the washing line, and trees being ripped out of the garden .

so we bought our cocker intead . only tiny holes in the yard , he has chewed the box trailer cable twice, chewed up the transformer , and the switch and power lead . twice , on the kids $500 outdoor air hockey table . the 2 floor waste plumbing pipes that come out of each side of our house, and all the kids clothes get torn when they go outside . luckily he cannot reach the clothes on the clothesline yet . he liokes puling out the garden solar lights as well . even with pet repellant on them , and chews our palms in the pot plants , but he cant pull them out , he's too small .

in this respect i'm glad we got a cocker , because if it was a big do doing this , i would be devastated .

Franks gotta love a Cocker ;)

[nuttyboutdoggys]

that bacon bubble contraption looks/sounds great!

but, and i'd hate to "burst your bubble" (LOL) but what happens if the dog works out where the bubbles come from and decide to kill the bubble monster??

[First Time Puppy Owner]

that bacon bubble contraption looks/sounds great!

but, and i'd hate to "burst your bubble" (LOL) but what happens if the dog works out where the bubbles come from and decide to kill the bubble monster??

I was thinking that too - but there are really no interactive toys for dogs, so personally I am going to give it a shot and buy it once I'm paid. I will let you know what the result is! i.e. does the Benson kill the bubble monster or does the bubble monster foil fluffy puppy's plans of backyard demolition

[The Spotted Devil]

This is only my opinion, of course, and outlines my approach to raising my spotted lad...

I think that too many puppies are overstimulated with full-on non-thinking games...e.g. constant games of fetch etc until they get wilder and wilder. I try to play games with Ziggy that require him to think...such as hiding toys and getting him to find them. Or teaching him to play with his toys on his own (I can sit and study while he quietly throws his toys about the room), or having to work for everything he wants...e.g. sit or drop to walk through or a door. Plus I spend quite a bit of time teaching him quiet, appropriate indoor behaviour - lots of praise for quietly lying next to me chomping on his Nylabone.

Having said all that, I am fortunate that I am around a fair bit for him, but it still requires me to be creative as I have a heap of essays due at the moment!

I have lost count of the number of people that warned me about Dallies...digging, general poor behaviour, independent, un-trainable etc etc etc. Plus the smart ones in the street who tell me to buy a harness as you can't teach them to walk loosely on a lead. Well, it's rubbish!

And Ziggy is one of the most determined, willful dogs I have ever come across. My trainer agrees

Keep enjoying your puppies, everyone! They are all very, very special

[SparkyTansy]

I sympathise with you as i currently have an English Setter who chews through reticulation pipes... he has managed to destroy about 50% of them in the back yard... I leave him plenty of stimulating toys during hte day but i am pretty sure they only occupy him for about 1/2 an hour when i leave...

My boy is nearly 11 months and my other English Setter went through the exact same phase... he is on the other side of it and doesn't join in on the puppy's games at all... I am fairly convinced the pup will head in this direction... eventually!!

[First Time Puppy Owner]

I think that too many puppies are overstimulated with full-on non-thinking games...e.g. constant games of fetch etc until they get wilder and wilder. I try to play games with Ziggy that require him to think...such as hiding toys and getting him to find them. Or teaching him to play with his toys on his own (I can sit and study while he quietly throws his toys about the room), or having to work for everything he wants...e.g. sit or drop to walk through or a door. Plus I spend quite a bit of time teaching him quiet, appropriate indoor behaviour - lots of praise for quietly lying next to me chomping on his Nylabone.

Well said Spotted Devil - I do all these things as much a possible. However I am the only bread winner in my house (bella the cat, benson the puppy and me) so I am away from the house for a good 9 hrs a day mon-fri, so I feel for you slinkyjill, as I know that flat coats can be even a little more hyper than goldens.

So here are a few more ideas to keep puppy active rather than destructive, fish bowl that he cant get into with fish swimming in it, a newspaper that is rolled up and taped up at both ends and in the middle - then he can shread the paper up but also you can through it around like a stick, dried pigs ears and get some aeroguard (puppy trainer said is ok) and spray on stairs and rails that he is chewing he will not chew on them for long!

I know you are probably going to be over loaded with info but try everything until you find something that works!!! He will not be a puppy forever

[kermat]

I can totally sympathise - my 7 month old beagle puppy is doing all the exact same stuff you describe. My partner and I are pulling our hair out.

I was thinking of looking into getting a dog walker to come over during the day and take him out for a walk to break up the monotony - neither of us can really get home during our lunch breaks. We do walk him before we go to work and also take him to the park when we get home, and when we leave for work we give him a big juicy bone. We invested in a Hanging Ball from Aussie Dog (I think someone has already posted the website), who make all sorts of toys that are supposed to keep dogs interested if they're home alone, although he hasn't worked out how to use it yet but hopefully once he does it'll keep him occupied. Kongs only seem to keep him interested for a few minutes.

Lets just hope its the puppy phase and they'll grow out of it soon!!

[Miranda]

Why don't you build or buy a run and leave him in it when you're not at home? Put a kennel in there and you can leave him with toys, a marrowbone and anything else that you think may amuse him. All my dogs are confined when I'm not at home, so I know that they're safe and aren't going to get into any trouble while I'm gone. I certainly wouldn't leave a puppy like this loose and just allow him to destroy the yard and everything in it, keep him in a run until he grows out of the destructive puppy stage.

[slinkyjill]

Thanks guys for all your help, advice and suggestions. They have been really helpful.

Things have improved a bit, since I bought him a toy that is a rubber ball on a rope. He likes to chuck this around the backyard a bit I think and it hits him in the head and stuff and it's all great fun. I have to be careful not to give it to him when I'm around though so he doesn't get too bored with it.

I did catch him being a bit of a mountain goat on our pot plants this morning though, cheeky thing!

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

He should go to the vet if he's eaten potting mix - read the bag. 3 of mine were hospitalised for an afternoon and put on a vomit inducing drug after we visited a friend and it was in his backyard.

How long are you walking him for in the morning? I've always walked puppies for an hour in the morning and they are still fairly destructive. Very hard to stop until they mature.

[Golden Rules]

My 10 month old Golden only does the destructive things like ripping up the reticulation when I'm HOME!

He is an anxious pup and we are working on that (he was a rescue) but the 3 year old is non destructive so I know it will pass! Phew!

I stuff kongs and marrow bones are very popular.

When we walk in the mornings I let them sniff as much as they like which means I don't get as much exercise but they get the mental stimulation and it sure does make a difference!