serious destruction problem... HELP!!

I have two, brother and sister, 9 month old puppies, who are totally destroying everything! They are outside dogs, but come and go as they please on the screened in pourch. They keep ripping the screen out. Thats big problem number one. Number two is that they love to tear up anything with cotton in it. We have a glider on the pourch, which used to have very nice cushions, but when we got the pups, they started sleeping on them, but we didnt mind cause we could buy new ones. But they are ripping out all the stuffing. They also rip the stuffing out of their toys. I will take their toys away, and put them in the middle of the outside table, but they just climb on chairs to get them back. They carry out wood from the wood pile, and eat that, leaving splinters all over the yard. They got into a bag of russet potatoes and ate a bunch of those. Someone might think we dont feed these dogs enough, but we do. Sometimes I think we over feed them.
They are still trying to figure out who is the dominate one, in the end I think it will be the female, but thats besides the point. Could all this destruction be because of that? They never used to act like this. They were always calm, and would run around chasing eachother, rather than tearing everything up. Are there any suggestions on how to improve any of their behavior? We have taken them, and they have passed obeidence school. I just dont know what to do. :mad:

They need toys to chew on to help with teething. I guarantee you that's why they're chewing up everything else. I wouldn't take away the toys they have because that will only encourage them to chew on OTHER things, things you don't want them to chew on.

My pups rip the stuffing out of their stuffed toys, too. That's just what dogs do! My POV is, as long as they're destroying their OWN toys and nothing of yours, theres nothing wrong with that.

Get them some nylabones or some Kong toys, something strong and durable and good to chew on! Encourage chewing on their toys only. For everything else I suggest purchasing some chewing deterring spray (like Bitter Apple) and spray it on anything you DO NOT want them to chew on. If they try chewing on it it will taste nasty and discourage from chewing on things you don't want them to chew on. :)

Otherwise if you catch them chewing on something they aren't supposed to, tell them "NO!", move them away from the object, and give them a toy to chew on instead. Praise them for chewing on their own toys (get very excited) and say "NO!" when chewing on objects you don't want them to chew on. :)

I agree with Jessika for the most part. They do need toys and are at that teething age. But I'm betting that the reason they are acting like this is because they are bored, they need more interaction. Just because they have each other to play with doesn't mean that they are getting the exercise they really need.
I think you are dealing with a few different issues here, not just one.

Dogs are pack animals, you the people (owners) are the leaders of the pack. They need to be with you in order to learn the desired behavior.
Do they come inside at all?

They also need to learn their manners. I strongly suggest enrolling them into a reputable obedience class. Or even a consultation with a behaviorist.

Raising the same age puppies together can be a challenge thats for sure. I also believe that yes, they probably are trying to determine who is & will be the dominant one.

Did you get these 2 before or after Charlies passing?

Thanks for the suggestions. They have already lost all their puppy teeth, but I do think they are bored. They do come inside almost everyday, but when they do come in, all they want to do is sleep.
I got the pups way before Charlie passed. I never even thought that that could be one reason they are misbehaving. Charlie helped enforce the rules. They still got into things, but not as much as they do now.
I am going to get the enrolled in the next step in the obeidence classes, but for now, I think I will just have to get out and play with them more.

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Originally Posted by charlidawg

I am going to get the enrolled in the next step in the obeidence classes, but for now, I think I will just have to get out and play with them more.

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:) :) Great idea. They will love it.

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Originally Posted by charlidawg

Thanks for the suggestions. They have already lost all their puppy teeth, but I do think they are bored. They do come inside almost everyday, but when they do come in, all they want to do is sleep.
I got the pups way before Charlie passed. I never even thought that that could be one reason they are misbehaving. Charlie helped enforce the rules. They still got into things, but not as much as they do now.
I am going to get the enrolled in the next step in the obeidence classes, but for now, I think I will just have to get out and play with them more.

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They are probably still in their teething stages, even though they have their adult teeth in they call it the teething stages. The gums are still getting used to the bigger teeth and the teeth although already in may still have a bit of growing left. The teething stage usually lasts from about 5ish months to a year, sometimes even longer. I suggest getting them some toys that are made for heavy chewers.
Here's a site with some great toys for strong chewers:
http://www.caninecrib.com/dog/articles/dog-toys.asp


Otherwise sounds like you've got your answers now! Good luck with the cuties!!!

What breeds are they?

I agree, LOTS more exercise, toys, training and supervision! It is getting cold in the winter, so I think it'd be awesome if you bought 2 crates and crate trained your pups so they can sleep happily inside at night.

Why are they "outside dogs"? Obviously, they're calm in the house, so why not allow them to come in at night and during the day when you're home? I am a strong believer that NO pet dog is an outside dog... they need to be where ever their humans are, and its much safer for them to be inside where they can be supervised. With what sounds like very hyper pups, they could easily decide to dig or climb OUT of the backyard while no one is home, which could result in losing them forever. To also prevent them from destroying the yard when you're gone, you can keep them in their crates for up to 5-8 hours during the day, as long as they get a potty break and exercise outside when you get home. ;)

I agree with both previous posts. Dogs are indeed pack animals and when they do not receive enough human interaction or limitations and allowed what seems like total freedom, they are more apt to develop pack behavior. What breed of dog are they?

One thing I can guarantee is that they are lacking exercise. One common misconception that I see in about 50% of my clients is they think a romp in the yard is adequate exercise. Or being outdoors is adequate. This can be true for a handful of breeds. But what do you think of when you hear the word "exercise?" Exercise is physical exertion - they need good daily walks, jogging, hiking....

Obedience is an excellent idea. However, if you do not provide ground rules, practice daily and prevent them from having free roam, the training will be obsolete. If you have further questions, let me know.

great suggestions. they are just puppies, and this is what puppies do.

great suggestions. they are just puppies, and this is what puppies do.>>>>>>>>>>>

Exactly!
Dogs are just adolesceents until they reach
around 2 years old.
Inside the house I never left my dogs unsupervised until
they were trustworthy. So training them for inside the
house was easy.
Outside I did not have much of a choice, so training
them not to be not destructive took months longer.
Now all dogs are different, depending on how much
time you can supervise and train them.

Rocky was the worse, even though I could trust him inside, he was destructive outside.
I learned the hard way after Rocky destroyed my drip system,
6 hoses, chewed down bushes and young trees, chewed up
the chase lunge etc. etc.
I had to unhook my hoses, not plant anything, no lawn furniture,
keep BBQ inside the garage until needed. etc..
Keep anything you can out of reach you do not want destroyed.
Than a miracle happen, he matured when he turned 18 months.
I put back the BBQ, hooked
up the drip system, hoses and started planting again. :)

So unless you have an area to keep your pups in when you
can not supervise them, I would remove the items out of reach
you do not want to destroyed.

The question I have for you is why are the dogs left alone and unsupervised throughout the day? You know for a fact that the dogs are chewing and ingesting things they shouldn't, so you should be suervising them at all times. Swallowing a chunk of something can lead to serious problems with blockage in the throat or intestines. You're looking at potentially paying a lot of money for surgery or even coming outside to find a dead puppy. I suggest you bring them inside where you can watch them and play with them, and control what they chew, and then put them in a kennel when you can't watch them. They can go back to being porch dogs, if you insist on that, after they've grown out of the chewing and had some training.

Hey guys! Thanks for all the replys. The pups are a mix of everything under the sun, but the vet mostly sees rott, cattle dog, and chow. The male, Knox, is tall and lean with a grayish silver coat and snady brown markings of a rott. Shelby, the female, looks more like a rott, except she is smaller and has a longer snout.
As far as getting out of the yard, that has happened with Knox, but he did not run off. In fact, he sat and waited by the fence opening until he heard my moms voice, then came running up to her. The garage door was broken, and thats how he got out. They dont dig, so I am not worried about they getting under the fence, and as far as going over it, all the surrounding yards are fenced in with other dogs, with the exception of one, and they are both afraid of that neighbor.
To address the outdoor issue. They were born outside, and were never exposed to the indoors at all until I brought them home. I got them from my bf's cousin, whos dog had a litter under his neighbors trailor. 2 weeks before I got the pups, the mom died. No one was taking care of the mom or the pups, even after the mom died, so their only cover was under the trailor. What they have now is far better. They live on the screened in porch, which is really more like an extra room in the house. They are sheltered from all weather, and it stays warmer out their because we cover all the windows with plastic (which we have not done yet becuase we have to replace the screens they tore out, and it has not gotten cold enough). But we did bring them to sleep inside for quite a while, but they got board and go and chew on books. So, we are going to get crates, and train them for winter nights. However, I dont think it is fair to keep them locked up like that all day when the weather is nice. They are gettting better with tearing things up since I got some chew toys. I am in college and my bf works all day, so when I am home, they come inside with me, and on some days thats a lot of time, others they only stay in for an hour or so. But, I have a question. The pups are only about 9 months old, about 40 lbs thus far, and cannot stand being separate. Are their crates big enough to hold both of them? We have no idea how much more they will grow so I am worried that we wont get a crate big enough. Also, is it ok to have them share a crate, or should we try and separate them? When we got them fixed, a nurse called to tell me that they did well and all. She told me that they put them in the same crate, the biggest one they had, yet they would sleep almost on top of eachother. They are still that way. Its too cute!

Regardless of whether a dog is an "outdoor" or "indoor" dog or not, you can ALWAYS train them to be housebroken, especially at their young ages they can learn so quickly!

And don't knock that they won't dig... neither of my pups dug so I thought it was safe... then one week I came outside and Charlie had dug up EVERYTHING.. I had to cover all the holes before the landlord came home to see them... :o And ever since, every now and then if I don't keep a watchful eye on him while he's outside, he'll wander off and dig more haha

And about the crate -- its always best to buy a crate sized for their projected adult weight, that way you won't have to waste money buying new crates if they outgrow your current one. And I don't recommend putting them in the same crate if its "barely" big enough to hold them. Perhaps get two, and place them side-by-side so they can still see and "talk" to each other?

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Originally Posted by Jessika

Regardless of whether a dog is an "outdoor" or "indoor" dog or not, you can ALWAYS train them to be housebroken, especially at their young ages they can learn so quickly!

And don't knock that they won't dig... neither of my pups dug so I thought it was safe... then one week I came outside and Charlie had dug up EVERYTHING.. I had to cover all the holes before the landlord came home to see them... And ever since, every now and then if I don't keep a watchful eye on him while he's outside, he'll wander off and dig more haha

And about the crate -- its always best to buy a crate sized for their projected adult weight, that way you won't have to waste money buying new crates if they outgrow your current one. And I don't recommend putting them in the same crate if its "barely" big enough to hold them. Perhaps get two, and place them side-by-side so they can still see and "talk" to each other?

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I agree:)

My Akita is 1yr.old and he's never been a chewer but when he doesn't get enough attention he'll take the laundry out of the basket and drop at your feet,He won't chew,he'll just put it in front of you or if we go out and stay gone to long he take a cusion off the couch.Once he gets his attention not to mention his disipline for what he did he's fine.Sounds like they may need more attention and as was said in the previous post,more interaction.Make sue that they know their behavior is not acceptable.

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Originally Posted by Ree'sKujo

My Akita is 1yr.old and he's never been a chewer but when he doesn't get enough attention he'll take the laundry out of the basket and drop at your feet,He won't chew,he'll just put it in front of you or if we go out and stay gone to long he take a cusion off the couch.Once he gets his attention not to mention his disipline for what he did he's fine.Sounds like they may need more attention and as was said in the previous post,more interaction.Make sue that they know their behavior is not acceptable.

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Ah see you can't give in to behavior like that though, you're giving him EXACTLY what he wants! Do NOT reward undesireable behavior and think "well if I give him attention, he'll stop". Even disciplining sometimes gives attention, which is what he wants. Dogs CRAVE attention - good or bad!! The next time he does that, IGNORE HIM, do not say anything, take the laundry or couch cushion or whatever object he dragged out and replace it, all WITHOUT MAKING EYE CONTACT. And most importantly DO NOT give him attention for it!

This is very much the same concept as being in the grocery store with a kid whining and crying for a candy bar, but no matter how many times you say no he persists on screaming louder until finally you let him have it, if only to shut him up. The ONLY thing this teaches the kid is that whining gets him what he wants.

Once he realizes, "hey, mom/dad doesn't give me attention for this any more..." guess what? He won't do it! :P

Very good point although he hasn't done it in quite a long time.I did you the ignore tactic on him though to break him out of the habit of him jumping on me when I came home from work and he stopped in about a week.he usually picks up pretty quick though.You are very right however that their alot like kids and will take whatever attention they can get.