Our gorgeous 18th months old German Shepherd dog is the dog from hell. We think he has separation anxiety because when he is with us he is a lovely dog. But when we go out we have to take him with us and sometimes it is not always appropriate i.e. doctors visit, dentist etc. so when we get back home he has completely destroyed the flooring, walls, doors etc. it is like a war zone.
We bought a giant crate that would house a lion but he completely demolished that, ripped the metal flooring so we had to throw it away as he could have cut himself on it. He bent all the sides so that it would not stand up properly.
We then moved him into the back porch when we went out as it was costing us a fortune in replacing things in the kitchen area. My husband bought some metal carpet strips and screwed them to the door jams, and enclosed everything in metal that the dog could get his teeth into, he pulled that off. We also bought a baby gate to stop him eating the door and he even managed to pull that off the wall, we used stronger screws than normal but nothing worked.
We have always had german shepherd dogs and never had this problem before, we think it is because we are both now retired and never leave him. We are having to either take him with us or go out on our own, i.e. one goes out, one stays at home.
We think he is saying, 'right, go out at your own risk, if you leave me I will destroy everything.'
We absolutely adore him and he knows it, he gets plenty of exercise and has more toys than a toy store. He has two massive beds, one in the porch for when we leave him and one in his bedroom. Yes he has a bedroom, it is a walk in under the stairs cupboard that is carpeted out but he never goes in it, only at night when we go to bed and he is okay then because he knows we are in the house with him.
Our lives have completely changed, when we do go out without him it can only be for an hour at the most otherwise the house would not be standing when we got back.
When I get home after an hour, my husband always sends me in first to see what damage there is, I open the door into the back porch, and there he is sitting in a pile of wood, plastic, metal and toys. He is wet through as he has knocked his water bowl all over the floor and rolled about in it, his blankets are also soaked after he has climbed into his bed for a rest before he starts all over again.
I just stand there shaking my head not knowing where to start, I can only say bad dog as trainers say you have to reprimand them whilst they are doing it, but we never can catch him doing it as we are not in the house when he does it.
I have tried sprays, vinegar, rubbing smelly oils on everything but nothing helps at all.
The last resort will have to be a muzzle, and I am really against this as I can imagine what it must be like to have something wrapped round your mouth and nose and can't get it off, and I am afraid he would hurt himself.
He is the perfect dog (as long as you don't leave him on his own) then all hell breaks lose.
It has got so bad that when I open the door and see the damage I can't stop laughing, I think it is hysteria.
Any ideas would be really welcome.
Thank you for all your replies., now I am replying to some of your answers.
He does get lots of exercise, we live next door to a park.
He only eats dog food, never our food.
I have tried to get a trainer through our vets, and they will only take on castrated dogs. I do not want him to be castrated.
We did purchase a so-called indestructible crate made for dogs much bigger and heavier than him but he destroyed it.
I do not have access to a sheep-farmer and under no circumstances would I ever consider letting my dog out of my sight for three months. Two weeks is long enough when we go on holiday and have to leave him in kennels.
We do ignore him for over an hour but it makes no difference.
We love him so much, so if those are the only ideas there are, then we will have to live with it. His gentle and loving nature more than makes up for his destructiveness. If being with us all the time is the only thing he asks for then so be it.
 |
HOME
· Carpet flooring
BUY & FIT CARPET FLOORING
· Carpet Fitting
· Wholesale Carpet
· Carpeting Quotes
· DIY Carpets
· Carpet stairs
· Carpet Right
· Wilton Carpet
· Allied Carpet
CARPET MAINTENANCE & CLEANING
· Carpet Cleaning
· Carpet Cleaning Service
· Carpet Cleaner
· Vax Carpet Washer
· Carpet Steam Cleaner
· Karcher Carpet Cleaner
· Carpet Cleaner Kent
· Bissell Carpet Shampoo
TYPES OF CARPET
· Bathroom Carpet
· Kitchen Carpet
CARPET FLOORING ON THE WEB
· Carpet articles and questions
MORE LINKS
|
