6 Month old pup. Trusted out of crate all day. Destroys house. Back in crate. VIDEO
 

So our wonderful little Jaxon has been earning some trust lately. So, we've started to leave him out of the crate for a few reasons, one being we don't want his left ear to not become erect. So, we've heard, out of the crate = better chance of ear going up.

Fast forward.

Doing great for a week or so. Nothing destroyed.


THEN!

Over the course of the next week, etc:

Expensive recliner chair, cord eaten. (Chair was unplugged of course).
Figures out how to open the bathroom door which is always shut. Tears up the bathroom like it was a tornado happened in the house.
Tore apart a roll of paper towels.
Gets up onto the counters and steals things that aren't his.
Destroys the door jams by chewing.
Destroys a banister railing by chewing.

These are just a few examples.

Here's a video: just for fun!!!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...type=2&theater

Hopefully this will work.


So, I go home today and find the recliner now chewed up on the fabric part. He knows he did something wrong and follows me to the recliner. He looks at the chair, then at me. I grab him and push his nose into the chair and yell at him. Maybe not the right thing to do, but that's what I did. Called him a bad boy in a low loud tone.

When I left to go back to work I put him back in the crate.

How can he earn his way back out now?

:help:

I can't see the video:(

I'd just wait several more months and give freedom in moderation. You said you let him out ALL day. That's too much too soon, let him free while you're gone for 10 minutes picking up some groceries, if nothing's destroyed, okay good. Then maybe an hour, etc. Until you can consistently trust him in those little trips do not leave him out all day.

lol! some 6 month old pups cant be left loose all day.. get a taller crate if you are worried about his ears. (think of a 16 yr old human given the keys to your hot rod and a wad of cash- total mayhem will occur...)

Lolllllll so true!

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(if desired, you need to set the video to public so that everyone can see it...)

Definitely not the right thing to do...He just learned that when you come home you are mad at him. Dogs really are in the minute and I think you read too much into his looking at the chair.

He has a long way to go before he can earn his way out. And it needs to be in short durations working up to long ones. The first instance of destruction, he would have been back in the crate and not given a whole week to learn what great fun it is to destroy things, I think this is going to make it even harder for him to not destroy things.

He was not being bad; he was just having a grand old time being a dog who does not clearly understand the rules.

Mine's nearly a year and still destroys everything. Major pain. The bad generally outweighs the good in our dog.

Not his fault, your fault. You need to shove your nose in the recliner and yell at yourself, "NO!" several times, and for good measure, take the ripped up paper towels and slap yourself upside the head with them.

You are going from no freedom, no chance to get into trouble, no chance to do anything wrong to handing him the keys to the house and car and giving him the day to do his worst. You set him up. Really. He chews because he is bored, maybe lonely for you, and because it is a self-rewarding behavior.

The best thing to do now is to give him some freedom for short periods of time. The rest of the time, you teach him what he can have and what he can't have. Puppy proof a single room and install a good extra-tall baby gate in the door, and leave him in there during the day, and when you get home, ignore him for a few minutes. Keep comings and goings very low key. WAIT if possible until he quiets down, and then come in and take him out to do his business, a bit of training, etc, and the rest of the evening in with you learning what he can do.

Also before going in the morning, a good long walk and maybe a good game of fetch, so that he is good and tired out before you leave him in his place.

Tractor supply sells a sturdy 10'x5' kennel in panels, that you can set up in a basement or garage. Your dog will be safe there.

What is scary about just giving him the run of the house, is that there are thing in our houses that are dangerous for puppies to eat, stuffing, stuff off of counters, stuff in walls, cleaning stuff, blinds, cords, and so much more. Puppy proof an area, or make him a day-time area where he can have a safe, raw, bone, or a hard rubber toy or two, and a bucket of water, and maybe a cot. Then when you come home, the only thing he can possibly destroy is what is in his area.

And no one gets punished, and no one feels guilty about it.

Shasta is almost three and I still don't trust her out of the crate when we're gone. She sleeps in our room at night out of her crate but thats as far as it goes being unsupervised.