Separation Anxiety????

[Lucinda]

Help! My one year old Rottie is chewing my house apart when I'm not home. Here's some history (sorry, it's kinda long)- We have a 9 year old male shepherd; 5 1/2 year old male shepherd; 3 year old female rottie; 1 year old male rottie. We got the male rottie in July, when he was 11 months old. He was used to being chained outside so we figured there would be some growing pains & puppiness about him. I'm used to puppies - my younger shepherd ate 8 pairs of shoes (only mine) - and an entire bookcase of books (hardcover of course) INCLUDING the bookcase!

The rottie is fine when I am home. He'll play with his toys or the female (doesn't play with the shepherds much). When we aren't home he is either outside in a large fenced in area along with the 3 other dogs or he has free roam of the house - with access to outside through the doggie door. He has many pull toys, chew toys, nylabones inside and outside. When I leave - he finds anything in the house and outside to tear apart. MiniBlinds, pillows, pictures, garden hose, the back porch.

I know crating would be a solution. I've never crated before and am very hesitant. How will he be when he comes out of the crate? Will he resent the other dogs because they aren't crated? BUT - how do I stop him from chewing anything in sight? Even when he's outside he finds things to tear apart - garden hose, back door, back porch. When I'm home he's an angel! If my husband is home and I'm not, he's OK unless he is left alone - even for a short time while my husband does laundry or goes to the bathroom.

Other than crating - and I'm seriously thinking about it - are there suggestions??? He hasn't started eating the furniture YET. If that happens, I know I'll get the ultimatum of my husband or the dog - and after 9 years I'd hate to break in another man <g>

[sabine]

I have two Rotties, one female 26mos. old, one male 13mos.old. We didn't crate the female from the begining and we had similar problems.We started crating her, no more problems. Our boy has been crated since he was 8 wks. old. They love their crates. Some people come to our house and are amazed how they go right in.

Recently we are letting the female out all night, no problems, soon we will try it during the day. My boy dosen't seem to mind at all that we leave her out and crate him. At night he will go to his crate and open the door and go to sleep. I really don't have any alternative to the crate, maybe some of the other members will.

[Vicki]

I don't like crates, as the dog is forced to lay down all day. I do have an indoor kennel made with something like xpen panels fastened to the floor. You don't want to reinforce his behavior, so if he chews something and it comforts him, the behavior is reinforced. Work on the anxiety in small steps, run in the bathroom and come out and give a treat, go out the front door and come right back in with some liverwrust.

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[AngelBunny]

Lucinda:

You're either going to have to crate your dog or use some sort of indoor kennel as Vicki described. (I don't have a problem crating because I know what when hubby & I aren't home, our two sleep all day; however, the preference is yours, but he must be confined.) Confining him is the only way to stop his chewing; please do consider confining him before he wrecks your relationship or he chews & eats something that could make him sick.

The breeder of our older dog will not sell a puppy to anyone who won't crate train. She learned the hard way, having lost a puppy who died on the surgery table afer eating a tennis ball.

He will not resent you or the other dogs if he's crated & they're not. He will, of course, be happy to get out of the crate, but that's because he's going to get to play with you, not because he's resentful of being crated.

Make the crate a positive experience & he'll he fine. We don't have crates up on ousr house now because our two (7 yrs & 2 yrs) have free run, err...sleep! of the house, but when both were younger & the crates were up, we'd leave the door open. The dogs would go into the crate on their own accord for a nap. (At night, Tula the puppy had the crate door closed after she went in for the night because we didn't want her sleeping in the bed with us til she was grown up.)