Losing my Patience with Riley - What Should I Do?! (Misbehaving when left alone)

I really need some help

I cant deal with Riley anymore, he is just getting too much. You all know how much i love him, he's the sweetest, most affecionate dog you can imagine but he's just so naughty. We cant leave him loose in the house alone as he has chewed up the wooden flooring and has eaten a few doorframes, as well as destroiying anything we may have left without noticing (cables, stuff on windowsils etc). So today, while i was only out for TWO hours i put Riley and his sister in their crate. We've put clips on it so that he 'cant' push through it and break it as he did the last one. But i came home and he was loose in the dining room (where the crate is). He couldn't push through the side of the door so he somehow managed to bend the metal bars and squeeze through He had completely trashed the room, chewed chairlegs, the table, broken and lamp and shredded a box of stuff.

I was so close to just getting him in the car and dumping him at the animal shelter. I cant deal with this anymore. He has cost me about £300 in the last month for replacing the stuff he's destroyed. We thought he needed something to keep him occupied now he's not doing showing so he does flyball, and still goes to ringcraft, but that hasn't helped! Its got so much worse since having him neutered, its just too much to take now.

It breaks my heart to even think it, and i feel so bad admitting it as i really do care for my dogs, but im seriously considering getting rid of him. Its not fair on my mum and brother who live here, or Meg who gets shut away with Riley as he barks constantly if he's not on his own. I just dont understand it, we have three dogs and the two girls are perfectly well behaved. Its just Riley who's the problem.

I really need some advice. What should i do to make him stop? I've tried ignoring him and the stuff he's done and making no fuss about it, i've tried shouting at him, locking him away - Nothing works. If we dont get rid of him, at the moment the only other option is him living completely in the kennels when we get them. But thats no life for him..

Please help someone

im so sorry, i cant help but some one will be along soon who can...
please dont give up on him seek help from behaviourist....

have you tried camcording him whilst you are out....there may be a trigger that sets him off...

all i can offer is hugs

((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))

I thought you were getting a kennel for him?
Is it just chewing that does the damage? If so maybe a basket muzzle would be appropriate - also i'd look at the make of cage you're using, my old lab could break out (wasn't destructive but liked to prove we "couldnt" keep him anywhere ) the black collapsible type aren't half as hard wearing, ziggie has broken out of them as well (trying not to mention a brand!) Rosewood are much more sturdy.
He's only young isn't he? Also if it is his mind he's needing occupying one flyball class a week isn't going to do it - maybe try a clicker and do a couple of sessions a day to tire his brain out.
H xx

Have you thought of getting someone in to help? A trainer - one on one? It might cost less than replacing what he chews in the long run.

Is it mainly when you are out? How old is he?

It sounds like separation anxiety - have you done any work on alleviating this?

You could do some reading (Dunbar/Jean Donaldson/John Fisher are all good) but try:

Leaving for a short time (minutes) with no fuss (not even a goodbye) then returning with no fuss, ignoring him for a few minutes until he is calm. Never make a big deal of going out or returning. Vary the times you are gone. Leave him plenty to do while you are out so he sees you being gone as not such a bad thing. Try to contain him to a less expensive part of the room. Try to make his cage a pleasant place to be, with food and toys and an open door - not somewhere he fears because he is always locked away in there when you leave the house or when he's in trouble.

Leave him plenty to do to keep him occupied - a filled Kong, chew toy, background noise.

Before you go out, take him for an obedience orientated walk, where he sits/walks to heel.

In general, reduce the attention - cuddles and play - don't give attention on demand, only when you wish it to happen. Spend time when you are home ignoring him/not giving much attention so that he gets used to not being the centre of your world and doesn't miss it so much when you are out. Always have him do something for attention or treats or even his dinner, such as sit, stay, paw, down, etc. Don't give it to him for free. Get him used to being in a different room to you.

Try to put everything away that he could chew - I know you can't put the floors away but you can put your belongings away. Spray other things with bitter spray (if he doesn't like it - mine did ).

Don't shout at him when you come home and he's chewed something - that just makes him more anxious next time because he thinks, "Oh God, every time she goes out she comes back in a bad mood." He doesn't understand. He probably sees his corded rope as a chew toy, your boot as a chew toy, the wires as chew toys. You can't really tell him off unless you catch him in the act.

Set him up - when he goes to chew something, have something unpleasant happen, like a loud noise, baking trays falling over, that kind of thing.

Perhaps see a vet to rule out any medical problems which might make him anxious, such as low thyroid levels, improperly functioning adrenal glands or tumors.

Don't despair just yet, he sounds like a really sweet little dog and it would be such a shame to have him end up in a rescue centre, but be aware that this could take a good number of weeks to see any changes.

Best of luck.

Aww Jessica

Poor you.

I would give Linda's (Lucky Star) advice a go. And especially the filled (frozen) kongs.. Luna has 5 ( ) 2 large and 3 xlarge. I made enough filling for all of them, or a couple of them and then I kept them in the freezer, so I could just take one out before I left.

Good luck with him..

Hugs Jeanette

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Riley is 14 months old now. We are getting the Kennels but not for 3 - 4 weeks

Lucky Star - Thank you so much for that info, i'll definately try it out. I hadn't thought of seperation anxiety. It is only when we're out and he's alone with the two other dogs, so it might be. But he does have the company of the other dogs and i just dont understajnd why its him and not Meg and Chloe that are doing it.

I cant afford to have a behaviourist to see him as im a student and im barely going to have enough money to replace what he's destroyed this time In the last 6 months he must have cost me about £800!!!

He is a lovely dog and it would break my heart to have to get rid of him but if it keeps going on like this i dont know what choice i'll have - I need to sort this problem out!! He gets LOTS of stuff to occupy his mind - Ringcraft twice a week, flyball once a week, daily walks and we do some 'fun' training (tricks and basic stuff) daily and i've just found out about some training clubs here so we're hopefully going to be doing obedience once a week as well. That is a lot more than many dogs get to do and they're not as badly behaved as Riley. I just dont know what more to do with him...

seperation anxiety wouldn't neccessarily effect all of your dogs, Dillan (ESS) has seperation anxiety and gets caged when we leave him. It's a personal thing like something that'd worry me wouldn't neccessarily worry the rest of my family at fourteen months he's still young, definately young enough to learn better.
Good luck
H xx

oh jessica my heart goes out to you my ozzy was the same and it is so disheartening i no , dreading coming home even thou you just popped out , to what he has done , it can be a mere , how long have you had him ???

At 14 months he is still a baby, is he from showing or working stock? If you only leave him for 2 hours max can you not leave him in a secure area in a secure cage?