mini furball home alone

[sasha09/09]

hiya everyone my mini furball is very chewy when left home alone, shes decided that the cane sofa in her room is very tasty and what ever else her teething mouth can get to. so far she has eaten half the sofa, a cable of the lamp ( thank-god there wasn't electric going to it had the sense to turn off everything at the plug in the room ) digging though carpet and just general chewing. ive tried putting her in the garden whilst telling her "bad girl " whilst i tidy up the mess, telling her "bad girl " and a few others. im at my wits end and i think hubby's baldness is getting worse because of it lol shes 5 1/2 months old and is getting her adult teeth though, she doesn't get left for long periods of time a max of 4 hours and i always leave her with toys and treats for her to get her teeth into. any ideas on what to do with her ???i carnt leave her in her cage anymore due to a idiot neighbour complaining of her howling and barking plus shes grown out of it

[valkyries]

maybe a bigger crate, get her used to it when yoy are home by feeding her in it and giving her treats, apart from that when you go out put her in the kitchen with things like chewy bones or a kong filled with cheese or peanut butter this can keep them going for hours xxxx put a jumper or some thing of yours in the crate, if she's chewing now i realy do think crate training is needed when alone, the damage can only get worse as she gets older.

Take her for a walk before you go out or some in house/garden training to tire her out. good luck lots more advice will be on it's way xxxx

[Benno_bro]

Mine can be a pain too...I've found tiring them out and feeding them before I leave helps. I've also concluded, if i don't want it chewed...I don't leave it within reach! It's a pain, and they sometimes win the battle....but the war is mine!!!

[Mazz]

Neighbors ruin everything! We've not had that problem. We are fortunate to have a large kennel built in the basement that Zoya trots into when we have to leave. We give her a peanut butter filled kong, some chew toys (nothing that she can tear up), and we turn the radio on to a local PBS (Public Broadcasting System) channel. She has plenty of room, bides her time, and when we walk in the door, starts howling. You might try getting a larger crate and a kong and then turn on the radio.

[Sarah]

Kong, nylabones and Crates are a godsend.

Hope she's not done too much damage

[Val (Zebedee)]

I would definitely persevere with the crate, but a bigger one, feed her in there, give her treats in there, so she associates it with being a good place, frozen pieces of fruit or filled kongs are good, keep them entertained, but the radio is a good idea, the noise might keep her company.

[sasha09/09]

bought her a raw hide bone last night and it kept her entertained for about 2 hours so im going to let her have it again when i do the school run this morning and see how she goes. she doesn't destroy things all the time she has her good days and her bad days just like we do. i was reading on the forum about something else and noticed the whole finding weak spots and going for it i think that's what shes done to be honest the sofa in her room is old and everything in there we aren't too fussed about hence us leaving her in there when we go out, and she doesn't chew or anything when we are in the house. i think that's why im shocked that's shes sometimes naughty when i go out. her walks have been shortened this week due to me putting my back out, so she hasn't been able to have the tire her out walk before i go out ( which i feel bad about ). but i must admit i feel like im doing a learning overload on her atm like don't nip ( thankfully has worked ) basic doggy training like don't pull, sit, give paw and such. and i have noticed that its all paying off and im just left with the chewing. im following the rule that seems to be mentioned alot on here which is the nothing in life is free, and im trying to forget that just because shes the size of most full size dogs thats she is only 5 1/2 months old and i carnt expect her to be a angel just yet lol, she acts most of the time like my son did at 2/4 years old and he still acts like that now at 7 lol.

[SarahNukka&Shadow]

Well firstly I'd say she doesn't know shes being naughty shes just keeping herself entertained as best she knows how... and second I'd say telling her 'bad girl' when you come home and theres a mess is not going to help as she wont know what it is shes done thats bad as she wont asociate chewing furniture as a bad thing, so unless you actually catch her in the act telling her shes bad is not going to do anything...

As has been said crate training while your home little bits at a time 5 minutes or so till shes quiet and frozen things like fruit and carrots are very soothing for her gums if shes still teething as the cold will be numbing. Build up the time in the crate till shes good to be left while you go out.

Good luck and maybe try telling the neighbours your training her, that she will get better and perhaps thanking them for their "understanding" with a bottle of wine? Butter them up a bit.. oh and take her to meet them, everyone loves a puppy and they'll be less like to think "bloody dog" if they have a cute puppy in mind!

[gunsworth]

Time for a crate, my 11 month old was good for the last few months, now she has gone back to chewing, gnawed off a corner of the couch, and the plug for my new flatscreen (luckily she didnt pull hard enough to pull it down) she is back to crating when i leave until my yard thaws/dries and I can start leaving her out there....