Dog Breaks in to house

I have a german shepherd just turned a year old. Got her when she was 8 months old. I have never left her alone for more than 3 hours at a time in the house and now my job is requiring me to be away for 5-7 hours. My dog didn't take this kindly and started chewing up my furniture so I tried everything and now just gave up and decided when no one was home she was going to be locked in the back yard out of the house.

I have the dog door in the side of my house where she can get in but it came with a cover that locks in place to keep her out... but she managed to get it off and get into the house..

any suggestions on keeping her out of the house other than putting her into a outside kennel.

Crate training is an option, since she wants to be inside.

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Originally posted by jiena_drakon

... but she managed to get it off and get into the house.

Any suggestions on keeping her out of the house... ??

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Sure :p ~

Just move "her" Sofa out inna back yard! :p
..

Depending on how much of a jumper she is, an option might be keeping her in a dog safe room with a babygate.

Baby gate won't do it. My shepard can drop a baby gate in two seconds. He weighs about 90LBS. Don't know of any babies that way that much:D I would just board up the doggie door. But be prepared for her to tear up everything in the back yard. Maybe consider a crate. I leave mine in the back yard all day he has learned to deal with it.

Crate training seems like it would be best for your situation.

Have you consuled any trainers/behavorists?

What type of training have you tried?

Once dogs have been inside, they usually don't want to stay out and it sounds like she is much happier being a couch potato. She's obviously very smart and if you do manage to keep her from breaking into the doggie door, she could just break out of the backyard and end up getting hit by a car, stolen, picked up by animal control, etc. The best option for her and you is crating. Some obediance training would be a wise investment also. It's not cruel to leave her crated for 5-7 hours, she'll just sleep that whole time anyway. Leaving the TV or radio on will keep her company while you're away too (if she's inside).

A crate sounds like your only option. My two GSD's can not be left loose in the house for more than an hour. They have chewed up couches, blankets, remote's, cell phones, cordless phones, pillows... etc.. (I could go on!:o )

I have to put them in crates, they love them!! It's "Their Safe House" My Buddy will go in his even when we are home. He's afraid of thunder and when it storms, that's where he goes! I leave a radio on for them all the time too.
Orrrr... sounds like your pup could use a friend!! Sierra was VERY bad (breaking out of crates) before we got Buddy, once we adopted Buddy, she's a happy happy girl!:D

Crate training is the only safe way to go IMO...gracie was crate trained day and night...now she is only crated during day hours while I am at work..from 8 - 11 (I come home for one hour) then 12 - 4. She sleeps with us so no longer is crated at night..Yesterday was my last day until Jan 4 ( I work at a school) so she will not be in the crate at all unless I have to run an errand. I plan on getting a doggie play pen so she will have more room when I go back to work. She is ready..she never has accidents any more...and then hopefully by the time she is a year old in May, we will be out of pens all together and just have freedom...but she is a little thing (8 lbs) With your 90 pound baby..and the chew factor...you need a large crate! Is she house broken? Or is it just that she tears things up?

I have consulted a trainer and tried the crate training thing but so far I haven't found a crate that she can not get out of.. so its been quite difficult. I think she is just too smart for her own good. She is fully trained otherwise everything you can imagine.. obedience, potty trained to go outside and in a special litter box area as well that I made with pea gravel, she is trained to know what good person, ok person, and bad person is so she treats them each accordingly of how much I trust the people.. I can even tell her to go get a specific item or turn off the lights using the light switch all thanks to clicker training.... but it just seams not to work with are chewing problem.. I've tried the clicker thing but that is just for good so I made up a sound I make like ehh for bad and even that doesn;t work for this..I put sour apple spray on things pepper sauce tabasco sauce even boundry to keep her away all together and nothing works.. seems she is expressing herself letting me know that she doesn't like it when I leave her alone..

and I can't seem to keep her locked out of the house cus well I haven't found anything to secure the doggy door yet.. if I can then she is good outside while I'm gone. But currently I have this doggie door I installed into my sliding glass door and it comes with a cover that locks to keep the dog inside or outside but she somehow learned herself how to pull the pin and pull the door up at the same time to let herself in when I put the lock on the outside.. if I put it on the inside she doesn't get in but she tears up the plastic flap that is $40 to replace .. so now I have a lock on both sides of the door .. but any ideas how to lock the outside one so she doesn't get to the plastic flap and eat it?

The only doggy door I have seen that are used with patio doors are easy to remove completely. There should be a couple of screws along the door side of the doggy door insert. Remove them, push the doggy door up very hard (it should be on a spring), and take it out.

If your doggy door doesn't work this way, please let me know or post a picture and I'll try to help.

Mary

Two things....

One... You need to invest in a good wire crate. A flimsy one can actually be dangerous for this dog since she seems to be very strong. The key to crate training is to get the dog comfortable in it and not make it a major threat when she is in it. Start by putting all her treats and dinner in there while you are at home. Put her favorite woobies in there so she has to go in to get them. Put a nice (but throw away) blanket in there for her. If she destroys it, no big deal. Put a blanket over 3/4 of the crate to make it more like a den. All she can see is out the front. Go as far as getting into the crate with her and giving her comforting pets and soothing talk. Your goal is to make the dog love going into the crate. Everything good happens when she is in the crate! Do not put her in the crate and just leave her there without introducing her to it properly first. She will definitely learn to despise it.

Two...remember you are dealing with a one year old dog. Basically this is a tweener or teenager in training. Eating your furniture is probably a sign that she is teething more than vendictive behavior because you are not home. Dogs do not have a sense of time so one hour or four is the same to them.

Do you have lots of chewies around for her to occupy her time while you are away? Hard natural bones that take days to chew, stuffed kongs, buster cubes (kibble inside a cube the dog has to work to get out) or a bucket of ice cubes work best. If the dog doesn't have something good to chew on, it will find something and it will be your furniture! If it is teething, this could last until the dog is around two years old since it is a larger breed dog.

You didn't say if you are doing any obedience work with your GSD. I would strongly encourage this so you can bond with the dog and the dog will learn to respect and listen to you as the alpha over it. Take some positive steps in helping the dog resolve this issue. She will respond!

Good Luck!

I refer the hevy airline crates with the slid bar lock Merlin can't get out of it but a wire crate No problemo. in about 60 seconds.He also thinks its like a cave, (they love caves its a safe hidy place)

Well I've given up.. She is my new mascot of my business speedy paws mobile pet grooming..hehehe www.speedy-paws.com if interested and in antioch, ca area.. anyway she seems to be much happier when she comes with me. As for the times I have to leave her home alone I make sure to give her treats and I've got it up to three hours before she decides to eat something.. and then what I do is I call the house phone and talk to her useing the answering machine letting her know I love her and will be home which works half the time.. or I call my nabber and have them come over and check on her to make sure she is being good and that seems to work every time and give me another three hours. hehehe

hopefully one day I will be able to pass the three hour marker of hers that she seems to have.. its soo weird I video taped her and timed her and exactly three hours pass she gets up out of a dead sleep and goes into the really nice furniture room and starts eating everything....

but thanks for every ones advice...

thats awesome! how cool that you can take her to work :)

as for leaving her home, I would definately invest in a wire crate.. if you have to, get a lock and lock it up. there are probably crates out there that come with locks, too. give her a stuffed Kong in her crate (definately get her a x-large black Kong!) go to http://www.kongcompany.com for stuffing recipes and info, to keep her occupied while in her crate. Also give her various indestructible toys and a marrow bone, give her these treats every time you leave her alone even if she isn't in her crate, and maybe it'll keep her from chewing the furniture :)

Once again, I'd like to suggest Alone Training. It is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO simple and it's a lifesaver!

Honestly, it sounds like she might have a bit of anxiety when you leave. It's probably not real SA, but typically the same symptoms.
Alone training is very easy and here's how it goes:

Take a large Kong toy and stuff it with drooling-good yummies. Try shredded chicken, beef, Peanut Butter, a little honey, etc. and freeze the Kong overnight. On the day you're leaving, place the Kong on the dog's bed and turn on a TV or radio. Calmly gate off the rooms where you DON'T want her to go and close the curtains. Leave the house calmly and don't make a scene. Simply leave like nothing is happening. After 5 minutes, you come back like nothing has happened and calmly take the Kong away. If your dog is doing her hyper-OMG-Mommy's-back! dance, just keep walking and do your own business. The last thing you want to do is reinforce the idea that you coming and leaving is a time for her to get riled up. Gradually increase the time you are absent and do this periodically. Say you're watching the dog show, and there's a commercial. Take out the Kong and go for a brisk 5 minute walk. Come back, take the Kong away, and continue watching the TV. Pretend everytime you're leaving, you're just going to get the mail. Alone training really does work and it doesn't just mask the problem, but it targets the problem and actually builds up confidence while in the making. My dog had mild-SA and she ruined tables, chairs, thresholds, books, bags, etc. After a month of alone training, she became a confident doggy with loads of attitude and couldn't wait for me to leave the house:p !

Also, you might want to try DAP and Rescue Remedy in conjunction with alone training. Good Luck!

Well i wouldnt leave my dog outside for even 15 min. He might be spoiled but you dog is actually trying to tell you something. Of course you might not get it. he wants to be inside (this is easy) but there is a catch. if he cant behave he doesnt get to be. make sure you reward him when he has done something right. always when he is right. but when he is wrong dont hurt him just scold him and if he is a normal dog will take to this idea of his owner's behavor when he has been bad. Locking him outside well thats not always as easy as you would like it to be. most counties wont let you leave a dog out side for longer than 4 hours even with food and water. i would suggest a nice warm comfy doggy house with lots of his stuff to shred if you must leave him outside. just make sure when he has been a good boy all day long then give him a toy or a treat and tell him he has been sooo good. he will get the hint over time.

What about leaving her in the kitchen with a baby gate? Or even putting her in the bathroom and closing the door? This way she's inside and there really isn't much for her to chew. When my dog was just a young puppy I did this with her while using the crate on occasion and she did great. Something to try.

hehe naw I think just bringing her to work with me will have to do.. I've done the lock in the bathroom thing and well she ate the toilet seat and the cabinet and pulled up the floor tiles and ate the bottom of the door .. she is a monster but I love her..

she loves working with me ... and so far her being alone for three hours in the house she has been being good .. one day I will pass the three hour marker without having to have a nabber come over or have to call my answering machine to talk to her.. just will take some time..

I've tried the strong wire cage thing with a lock but I just don't think it is humane she really hates it... so I'm just not gonna go there either

I'm glad you found a way to work this out. Once she gets older and more mature, she'll calm down with the "destructo dog" faze. It's good you get to take her to work with you, that's got to be a lot of fun for the both of you. I wish I could bring my dog to to work with me, it would definately liven up the place.

Sounds like it's working for you, that's what matters. Just try leaving her at home a little over 3 hours every now and then...ease her into it. Eventually she will get used to it! :) Good luck!

jiena_drakon, please read my above post. It seems as if you've skimmed over it, because you'll notice that I explain WHY she destroys things. It probably is not a phase. It is probably a behavioural problem that *can* be fixed. You will find the answer above. I personally believe every dog should be alone trained. Nobody knows the circumstances ahead in our lives, and I sure have had to leave my dog alone for 8 hours at a time. I never plan on it, but it happens and alone training makes both my dog and I feel more secure.:)

Giselles' Solution is what I have done...And it Does Work!!!
With the Large Amount of Dogs being Stolen these days...See NBC Today...This Day..
I don't let My dogs out of My Sight
There was a Beautiful Bull terrier Puppy Stolen last week in my area....
Your Dog is Beautiful....and Wants to be Inside W/You....Please Let it Happen!!!!
Keep Us Pup-Dated!!!

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hehe naw I think just bringing her to work with me will have to do.. I've done the lock in the bathroom thing and well she ate the toilet seat and the cabinet and pulled up the floor tiles and ate the bottom of the door .. she is a monster but I love her..

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She is a very lucky girl to have you put so much time and effort into her well being, her happiness is obviously most important to you