Dog Community

Wife wanting to give up on GSD.

Posted : 2/18/2010 10:37:05 AM

Good Morning.I have some issues that I need your opinion on and what I can do to help the situation. My GSD, Shelby, is spoiled beyond words. She just turned 2 in December and we have been attempting to let her stay unsupervised in our home. We started over Christmas break allowing her to be alone for 2-3 hours, increasing the time by the day and week. My wife or I would run home at lunch (20 min one way) to let her out during the work day. She did pretty well overall...with the exception of a tore up magazine and maybe a basket but nothing of real value. One day last week we came home and she had rooted in the house plants, knocked the trash over, chewed up a candle, pulled a basket off the counter which contained candy, chocolate, cookies, etc. My wife and I were very upset. We cleaned the house and told Shelby she was a bad dog (I understand she didn't understand because we didn't catch her doing this). My wife and I had a discussion and she said she doesn't want her in the house any longer. We have a 4'x4'x5' Lucky Dog kennel in our heated 2 1/2 garage that she stayed prior to this episode. I talked my wife into giving her one more chance and shoot....the next day, she did the same thing!!! Now my wife is fed up and really wants to have nothing to do with Shelby. We need to have our carpet cleaned not counting the house cleaning we had to do 2 days in a row. My issue is....the kennel in the garage...Shelby hates. She has never been punished in it and goes in freely when we get ready to leave. It is once we are gone is the problem. She has bent the wires with her teeth...even broke them. I decided that I would do some reinforcement of the kennel and placed 3/4 sheeting around the outside where she would chew on the wires. The other day, we came home from work and she was loose in the garage. She had ripped the tarp over the top of the kennel and jumped out (yes, 5' high)! I fixed the side she ripped and I'll be danged if she didn't tear up the other side the next day and jumped out. Concerned about her injuring herself, I placed boards across the top of the kennel now. It has been 4 days and she has not escaped however, she is starting to chew on the wood around the bottom of the kennel.I will add, she is one medication for separation anxiety but not sure if this is the issue or if she just hates being kenneled up in the garage.We both love the dog very much...probably too much but she is part of our family. I am not sure what steps to take next but I feel it won't be long before she hurts herself in the kennel...by chewing and swallowing wood, poking an eye out with a broken wire, breaking a tooth off chewing, etc. AND I know inside the house is not an option if you know what I mean. Also, we do not have fenced in yard and it takes an act of congress to have one erected.

I would be interested in hearing other dog owner’s thoughts on my situation. Thank you.

Liesje

Posted : 2/18/2010 11:11:49 AM

What exercise and training are you doing with her? I have GSDs and keep them in large wire crates in my house when I'm at work. They sleep all day (I live in a duplex and my crates are along the shared wall, so if there's trouble, I asked my neighbors to tell me but so far they have said nothing). However they require enough exercise, training, and mental stimulation so that they are exhausted and just sleep in the crates. The kennel in the garage sounds fabulous to me, it's just a matter of making it work. If I had a garage, I'd be building kennels in it, lol. This is a much better option than leaving a dog in the yard, free in the house, or a crate (which is the best and only option for me).

The GSD is very smart and active. If they are not tired and having nothing to do, they will *make* something to do and as you've already discovered, it won't be anything you like and is potentially very dangerous for the dog.

Can you take the dog to a dog daycare?

JackieG

Posted : 2/18/2010 11:35:04 AM

Liesje

The GSD is very smart and active. If they are not tired and having nothing to do, they will *make* something to do and as you've already discovered, it won't be anything you like and is potentially very dangerous for the dog.

this is true for most dogs. If I didn't exercise my dogs and do some training (even if it's just ten minutes) every day I'm sure they would be tearing the house down. Doggie daycare is a good idea and even a few days a week can make a big difference. I like to exercise the dogs before I leave for work either on the treadmill, a walk or throw the tennis ball. In the evenings I have more time and daylight and can tire them out more. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

Have you ever tried clicker training? It's a fun way to train for dog and human. It's very mentally stimulating and mental stimulation is as important to dogs as physical exercise.

http://www.dogmantics.com/Dogmantics/Home.html

http://www.clickerlessons.com/

ETA for a typo

espencer

Posted : 2/18/2010 11:55:49 AM

JackieG
I like to exercise the dogs before I leave for work either on the treadmill

Agree, a tired dog is a good dog, if they are not exercised they are full of pent up energy and they will look of ways to burn it. If is indeed separation anxiety then you have to check which way your dog is when you leave, if you leave him while he is anxious then thats how you are going to find him when you get back

Liesje

Posted : 2/18/2010 12:04:50 PM

espencer
if you leave him while he is anxious then thats how you are going to find him when you get back

This got me thinking....has the dog only ever been put in the kennel when you leave? Does she ever go in while you are home? Maybe it seems too much like a punishment or abandonment if she only ever is put out there when you are gone. I would develop a daily routine that involves more exercise and training, and also some shorter periods of rest (before and/or after hard exercise) where she is in the kennel while you are home. You could get her some good treats like marrow bones or other raw bones that she *only* gets in her kennel so she has something constructive to do in there and start to find it a nice place to be. If I step towards my dogs' food bag the dogs all fly into their open crates and lie down. If my younger dog is trying to tell me he's hungry, he whines and then runs into his crate and sits down.