But she can`t crate a young dog (or an old one for that matter) all day can she? Even with a break.

It isn't only frustrating, but quite upsetting when you know your puppy is getting bored and fed up being alone.

Flame (my GSD) as a pup was an angel and never chewed anything, Moss (my collie) was a very different story! I worked full time when I got him, but exercised him before work, at lunchtime and in the evening - as you are doing. Moss chewed everything and anything he could get his teeth into I started training him on sheep a few evenings a week for just 15 mins or so at a time, and hey presto, I had a relaxed and tired puppy, and he stopped chewing my stuff almost overnight.

You have a very active, working breed and so need to channel his energies into some kind of *work*. I agree with many of Catrin's suggestions - scattering his food around so he has to search to find it is an excellent idea, a frozen stuffed kong also takes a while for a dog to empty. Have you tried a raw marrowbone? This would keep Moss amused for hours!

Obviously at only 6 months you shouldn't be over-exercising him, but if you can afford for a dog walker to come in and even just play with him for an hour in the afternoon while you are at work, I think it would help.

Good luck!

I consider myself to be very fortunate in that I now don't have to go out to work and so I never had any of these issues to worry about when Yogi was a pup (although he would still steal and chew stuff when I was busy doing other things!)

I would definitely make one walk off-lead...

My 2 do better with an off lead walk in the morning before I go to work. Since it got light in a morning, I've already noticed a difference in them, as their morning walk is now mostly off lead, whereas before we were doing an on-lead pavement tramp round...

I shall post some of the Boxer's destruction pics to make you feel better....

ETA: Already done a destruction thread... enjoy! http://www.dogsey.com/showthread.php?t=97711

oops yes - also at least one off lead walk a day!

Guys

Thank you all so much for this, especially Labradork for reassuring me it's the breed and not the deed ;o)

We're currently talking about what to do and speaking to our Gundog trainer to see what he suggests so we can make a decision to nail this by Monday when I start work again for another week.

At least I have 4 days off with him now so we can have some fun. He's a darling when I'm about! Little **** otherwise though ;o)

4 hours with a break and then another 4 hours isn't "all day". Granted, it isn't ideal, nor is it long term, but it is reality for many people that work and own dogs. Many young dogs have to be crated for their own safety. If I had the choice between crating and leaving a young puppy loose, for the dogs safety AND my house, the pup would be crated.

I find that people who don't like crates place human emotions on their dogs. For us, the idea of a confined space is horrible. For a dog that has been sufficiently exercised prior to being left, being left is not a big deal. Dogs naturally sleep a heck of a lot more than people do, so when alone, they SLEEP. Provided the crate offers ample room (when my Lab had his as a pup, his was designed for Great Danes in mind), sleeping for a couple of hours in a crate is no different to sleeping on a dog bed.

If it were a Zoo keeping an animal in a cage where it only had room to turn round for 4 hours then another 4 hours...how would you feel. This is like keeping battery chickens! How precious must a house be to put a dog through that? I value my dogs more than my paintwork and would never do it.
What`s wrong with an outdoor run and a kennel if you have to leave your dog? Or a sitter?

Hi Pidge - Seems like a lot of advice above, I know it's hard 'cos when we were your age we also both worked and our beloved Labrador was at home alone and she chewed everything. I still have some screwdrivers which she chewed the handles on. The maker claimed they were indestructible but clearly didn't test them on dogs

Dogs are such social animals aren't they The only good news I can give you is they do (eventually) grow out of it, well our Ria did.

ETA When you've completed your probationary period perhaps the Blue Cross will let you take him to work

Have you considered getting a small, slightly older dog as company for Woody? You could get a rescue dog that would be happy to play with him for the whole of the time you are at work. You would then come in to 2 chilled dogs that hardly noticed that you even left the house.

I have to say I agree. I don't think it is at all fair to keep a dog (esp a bouncy young dog) in a crate for 8 hours a day. Is he in his crate at night too?