This is sort of related to Roxy's problem but Star is doing this inside!!!

[Vicki]

Star is a 2 year old German Shepard and her previous owners spoiled her very much. When we first got her she exhibited no problems of being alone now she goes crazy. She has started pulling things our of a small trashcan we keep at the computer table, she chewed up a charger for the cell phone, she tore up a plastic bag, peed on the floor and we were only gone for an hour. She has to be kept inside we have suspicious neighbors. Is there any way we can ease her lonliness. This has to be the problem. I go home for lunch and let her out to play and go home right after work. What can I do short of crating her during the day, which I'd need a very large crate. We tried to leave her in a bathroom but she totally distroyed it. PLEASE HELP!

[sasvermont]

Sounds to me that you have no choice but to crate her. If she can't be outside, then I just don't see an option. Crates aren't that bad - in fact some doggies end up liking crates. Maybe some doggie prozac will help. Goodness, she is getting herself in trouble by the mile!.....Let us know how it all turns out!

[Vicki]

I think she could really use that, the problem with a crate is one for her size is soooooo expensive. thanks for the advice

[anna_66]

I'd love to be able to help you out, but needless to say I can't control my dog all the time, but she has been doing better. Mark caught her tearing up around the tree and called her and said "leave it", (knock on wood!) and so far she has! We started leaving her in the house the other day, it was only 1/2 hour, but she didn't tear anything up, and was laying in front of the door when we came home. I don't know how she will do for a longer period of time!
I hope you can get things under control so you don't have to crate him. Good Luck!~Anna

[manda99]

I think she could really use that, the problem with a crate is one for her size is soooooo expensive. thanks for the advice

I don't know how big you need but I got a pretty big one (I think it was like 42L X 28W X 32H) and it was only about $67 through NESerum as opposed to $90 at Petsmart or a similar store.

A good investment.
Just a thought.

Also, my pup does like his crate , takes cozy naps in it, and he can get away from the other dog, too. Good stuff.

[Cincy'sMom]

Another option instead of a crate is to "baby-gate" off one room in the house you can doggie proof. We keep Sadie, our 1 1/2 year old lab mix in the kitchen when we are gone (we are fortunate to have pocket doors and she does fine in there. If we give her more rooms she tends to tear things up. Cincy (our 7mos. lab mix) in still in her crate, and she seems to like it. When we have tried to give her the kitchen she has either toen things up or had diharrea (anxiety related?) She does fine in her crate and sometimes go in there to sleep when the door is open. While a crate may seem like an expensive investment, it may be cheaper then furniture or whatever else needs replaced later

[mugsy]

We crate 10 of the 13 dogs. They all have been crated in the beginning and we have discovered that the training is very benificial to them (except for tigger).

Being that we have so many dogs and crates are a bit expensive but we have found that Thrift stores will carry dog crates and sell them at a better price ( the ones we have are all in excellent condition, even though they are second hand). we have also found some at consignment auctions. There are also some weekly sales magazines that will advertise for the public things they want to sell (ours is called the free ad paper). You can usually find many crates for sale and resonable prices. Of course there is always the Net, Ebay and others will sell crates as well.

If you have any problems or do not have these outlets we would be happy to help in any way we can. Pm me if we can help.

[Dog Days]

I don't have personal experience with crate training (our pooch joined our family at 81/2 months with no previous crate training) I do agree with the other posts though, it can be very beneficial and it gives your dog a 'den' to go into when they need time out or a safe place. If the cost is prohibitive, try going out for 5 minutes at a time for a few days in a row. Before you leave, have your dog go to a place that is calming for them (their bed, under the kitchen table, in the bathroom - door open) When you leave, don't make a fuss just leave quietly. Return calmly (no excitement) and when your dog is calm, praise them calmly and then spend quality play time with them. If your pooch has destroyed something, don't make a big deal of it, as that will only reinforce the behaviour. Try leaving your dog with very little options to be destructive. Leave lots of toys around and leave the T.V. on. The next step is to go out for a few minutes more (maybe 10 minutes) and return the same way - never making a fuss about returning or leaving. Once your dog is calm, the quality play time is essential. If you keep increasing the time away, your pooch will hopefully become more accustomed to you leaving and look forward to your return because they get to play with you. This is going to take a good bit of committment on your part and you have to remember that the more excited you get leaving and returning, the more anxious your dog will get about you leaving them alone.

My pooch is so comfortable that I'm sure she channel surfs and makes popcorn when we are away!!! Nah, maybe she just sleeps!

Good luck!
Lisa & Talus

[pupper-lover]

I was in a similar situation, a few months ago. My previously well-behaved pup started tearing up everything. I think it was puppy adolescense mixed with boredom and seperation anxiety. I tried space confining and space unconfining, chew toys, extra exercise, etc, etc. My income is minimal, and the price for a crate for a soon to be 90lb dog is high.

I added up the replacement costs to replace all the stuff destroyed by doggy terror. A comforter cover, cordless phone, kitchen floor, books, blinds, a hat, a portion of wall, and the side of a matress boxspring, among other things, was far more than the $150 it cost me to buy a huge crate. The money spent now, on a crate, will save tons of money in the long run. The best thing is peace of mind. I can come home and be welcomed by happy puppies ready to play. There is no more worrying all day about what is coming under doggy wrath.

My question now is, will my dogs ever be able to be crateless? They were chewing during puppihood. At a year and a half is it possible for me to train them to behave out of the crate while I'm gone? They are angels when I'm home!