help! i feel trapped!

I have a real problem leaving my two dogs alone at home if i want to nip out to the shops or even more worrying when i start back to work.
I cant shut them in the kitchen as my pup has found the damage to the lino my older dog previously did, which is hidden under a rug. but he has found it and started chewing it!
if I leave them the run of the downstairs, my throws get ripped off my sofas and used in tugs of war, and if i take the throws away, there is usually protesting wees and poos to greet me when i return!(even though he never does this when i am there).
It feels like i just cant win and i am at my wits end!!!
I thought about getting an outside kennel but my neighbour is the town psycho and wouldnt think twice about either harming my dogs or even my partner (who he has threatened to break his legs before because he was making me a rabbit hutch in the garden and hammering!) especially if the dogs were barking or crying.
Urrrgghhh wot to do!!!? any ideas??

It might be an idea to excercise them before you go out and leave them stuffed kongs. What do you do when you return?

They go for a walk usually about 9.30 as im at home. if i leave them things other than my pups usual toys then they start to fight over them as my pup usually wants the thing my older dog has got, and isnt interested in the same thing he already has!
If there has been good behaviour while ive been out then i will praise them both but i can honestly say there has only been one time they havent done one thing or another. if i walk in to destruction which is usual i will generally clean the mess up and ignore them.

Could you not start off by leaving them for 10 mins and gradually build up the time .
Also if you got the pup a crate you could leave them with stuffed kongs without them fighting.
Initially you would have expense buying the crate but the damage they do must be expensive

How about crate training the pup?

When I got my second dog I didn't want to leave the 2 of them together unsupervised so the pup went in his crate.

J

Forgot to say that then they can both be left stuffed kongs, safe toys etc as there is no danger of fights breaking out.

yeah we initially had a crate for pup but he absolutely hated it, went bananas when you put him in it! i may try getting another baby gate, so i can have the older one in the kitchen with his bits and bobs and the pup in the rest of the house but shut off the stairs. if i hide all the throws and cushions the worst he can do is poo! mmmm great!!

How old is your pup? Are you giving both dogs enough mental and physical exercise before leaving them? Are they used to you leaving them for short periods?

I would give them plenty of exercise (depending on the age of the pup) and lots of mental stimulation before leaving them - bits of training, get them to find hidden treats etc. I would invest in baby gates (as you say your pup hates his crate) and separate both dogs when you go out and leave them with stuff kongs or a raw meaty bone each to keep them occupied.

How long will you be out for?

well i have been leaving them for short periods ( i have to nip to do shopping etc). My 2 year old Zorch is quite used to being left alone and before we got the pup he was absolutely fine with being alone, even when i was at work.
My pup is now just over 4 months.
I am applying for jobs at the moment (mostly part time) so this is what is causing me the worry. i need them to be prepared for when i get a job. I will try the meaty bones tho, the pup hasnt had one of those yet so would probably keep him well occupied.

It kinda sounds like they are bored, hence mischievious. I would say crate-train them or make them their own area sectioned off within the home if possible for when you're away. They shouldn't have free run of the house, ever. Also as there are two of them, they could be playing off each other's enthusiasm and wreaking more havoc should there've been only one to take the blame. Perhaps they're more in tune to each other than to you and your authority. I would say try kenneling them in "their spots" whilst you're away and see how much difference it has, not just on their view of you and their position in the home, but also as it would totally alleviate the destruction going on while the "cat is away."

Oh dear, I know exactly where your coming from. I have the same problem. I just make sure they have had a good run, rather than just a walk. I know it's hard esp, when you go back to work.
I have come home to, ripped chairs, covers, radiator cabinet Now Poppy has found a little flaw in the laminate flooring and thinks it's ok to make it a little bigger .
How long are you going to be leaving them for when you go back to work?
Try meat bones or a big stuffed Kong each