First of all you need to relax a bit about it all and look on the bright side rather than the dark one. Sounds to me like separation anxiety or boredom, especially if he doesn't do it when you are there, but it is not as if you are leaving him all day. My staffie x (Meggie) has always suffered with separation anxiety even though she was always with other dogs. When I was working full time they were left for four hours in the morning. Meggie loved chewing cushions and edges of rugs so it was the soft furnishings she went for. I just ignored it when I got home, made sure the cushions were replaceable and put up with the rough edges on the rugs. She is 12 now and will still rough up the cover on the settee if she is left, even for short periods and she is with a Border Collie and a Saluki both of whom are good when left and they are younger than her.
So chill - take some of the excellent advice given by other members and have a glass of wine

Lots of great advice already. Sad situation for you and I hope you find a solution.

Have you tried taking Layton for a super long, knackered him out, walk before you go? Lots of ball chasing if possible. Do some clicker training and stretch the brain, that's super tiring. You might need to get up early if you have to go out but a tired dog is usually a good dog

setting up the video camera is a brill idea, it should give you a good idea of if it'd stress or just mischeif. See if local dog walkers would do occassional days, you might be surprised.

Try leaving several toys down, including frozen Kongs. Try Buster cube or Tug-a-jug, they are quite challenging.

Try and shut away from noise. We use the kitchen out the back.

Perhaps try providing something he can destroy? Get a huge cardboard box and stuff with toilet tubes, scrunched up paper, toss in a handful of tiny smelly treats like chopped hotdog, hide a Kong in there. Let him dig through and rip it up. Sure it's a pain to clear up but it'll keep him occupied, tire him out and let him vent any frustration.

Of course if it is seperation anxiety, making him tired and keeping him occupied will only help so much. But it's worth a try. I really hope it work out for you

It sounds like boredom to me and he just needs something to do. I have loads of them and I still have counter surfing and bin attacks now and then, so getting another dog doesnt always make a difference. I really dont think he is unhappy and as others have said dont be so hard on yourself, sit back, chill and you will sort it all out in the end xx

Indeed I have I have offered to look after Layton during the day as I am not working atm and our dogs get on

I think I got lucky with Louie - he'll sleep at whichever door I have left out of and won't move until I get back - he does bark for a few minutes but will shut up - in fact when we went on holiday I left my camera recording and he just humped a pillow for half an hour then slept... lovely!

He's now trying to figure out one of the wobbly kongs (wanted to try it out on him before leaving him with it) with food in... trouble is as well with him being such a heavy chewer. He's really not doing well on the figuring it out thing - currently he thinks growling at it will persuade the two remaining bits of kibble to give up and come out to play.

Hubby's taken tomorrow off work cos I've got a booking I can't get out of (cos I was there today and didn't get me timesheet signed cos I'm back tomorrow being the only reason.

Having taken him to the park and watched him - I think he genuinely does enjoy the act of scratching things - he loves to plough his toys along the grass scratching them in the same sort of motion.

Well you know what they say - Radio 4 is company - 2's a crowd!

Dizzi, I'm so sorry you're feeling so stressed out by this lately. May I just say that I know how easy it is to blame yourself when it's so difficult so figure out how to solve these persistent problems. BUT please please please keep in mind that this isn't your fault, you're trying your best, and that you are a fantastic dog owner by the sound of things, and you love your dog like crazy and Wolfbags is a very lucky boy. Hey, I was the queen of blaming myself when I couln't get Honey to calm down with her crazy separation anxiety, and I had even gone to school to become a dog trainer!!!!! I just try to think of it as an adventure of learning even more about my dog, and I think of it as a test of my patience and a puzzle to solve, if that makes any kind of sense. I know that's definitely much easier said than done, but it helps

I second the posts about using a crate. I know It sounds horrible, but if done right, it's actually a blessing for both you and your dog. A dog who was trained correctly to use his crate will soon find the crate to be basically his den, or a safety 'cave' where he feels very comfortable. It's not confinement at all. Honey goes in her crate by choice all the time now, whenever she likes. Her crate was an awesome investment.

I also second the posts about trying to take long walks (or even bike rides or light jogs, if doable???) with him before you head out. I know that you may not always have the time to do this, but when you do, it's a great way to tire him out so he'll be more likely to sleep when you're gone.

Maybe you can even find a dog walker who can be a bit flexible with his/her hours??? It might be a long shot, but if you find somebody who can work with your varied schedule, it will be a huge help, I'm sure.

Well, sorry about the long post, but I hope it helps. I understand the extreme frustration from behavior like this, especially when your options seem so limited. Please just be patient with yourself, you are doing everything you can, and please don't be so hard on yourself. Your doggie got the jackpot when he got you as his owner!!!

~Julie

Aw Dizzi you sound very upset by all this, you have already been given a lot of very good advice, I am no expert by any means but Summer did exactly what you are describing for a long time, in fact my whole hall had to be redone, skirting boards, carpet, bottom stair (she couldnt get to the others because of the stair gate) you get the picture

I looked into all sorts of training methods and what I could do as she did have to be left for short periods while I worked, (I alos had to think about rehoming her to someone who was home all day everyday) I went for a crate and didnt look back, I had to intorduce it slowly but she settled with it completely, I have introduced Keira to a crate as soon as she was brought home and she happily takes herself off there if she wants a rest now.

IMO crates are given a bad name when they are misused, the longest time they are in there is during the night other than that it is only for short periods, water, a couple of chews/ toys and a bed and she is very happy, I felt when I went through it with Summer, her being bored or distressed by my absence was being made worse by my reaction, she didn't know why I was upset just that I was, I really tried not to be upset by her behaviour but in reality who can be happy when they come home to such a mess?

The other option would be the dog walker as someone suggested, mine is really good, he comes once a week as I like the dogs to know him so even though I don't actually need him every week I have him come and walk them anyway, he is very flexible so will change days whenever I need him too

Please don't do anything rash you sound like you are feeling very very down and you've obviously had a tough time recently, he is probably picking up on how this is distressing you as well, let us know how you get on xxx

Can I just make a few comments about using a crate.

I have nothing against them, because they can be so useful and protect dogs (and esp. puppies!) from hurting themselves in some way. And they do often come to see them as their den; my dog uses hers as this, a den, and often goes into it.

However, at times, they can cause more trouble. It "depends", and this is why it's so important to know exactly what the problem is.

I am currently working with the owners of a gundog breed who has been damaging himself in his crate, to the extent of causing his muzzle and paws to become raw, even when left for only 2 hours. He, unfortunately, is at the top end of the scale for this separation problem - he previously defecated, urinated, salivated, howled and barked, non stop, and dug at his crate even with chews etc in there. He has even damaged the car. This is a dog who is anxious at being separated from his actual owners (hyperattachment).

I've actually persuaded the owner in this case, to have the dog out of the crate, and we are going through various protocols to help the dog cope with being alone, and so that he actually starts to think "whoopee, my owners have gone" rather than be upset about it. IT is a long process and we've had to use medication as well, which will eventually be stopped over time. This dog is fine going into the crate when he is not being left.

What I am trying to say is that every dog is different, and some may be happier in a crate, but others may be worse. It's just something to take into account

Wys
x

I agree with the folk who've said a dog walker.
You don't have to be a 'regular'.
I've used a dog walker only 2 or 3 times now, when I haven't been able to and she's needed exercise, I just made sure I gave as much notice as possible.

You can even pay a dog walker type person to just come to your house, let him out to the toilet and play with him for half an hour.

Or how about a doggy day care? I'm sure again you don't have to be 'regular', if you book him in with as much notice as you get!