Left Gibby out of the crate

All I can say is ... Eko is 9 months and I wouldn't dream of leaving him unconfined! *shudders at the thought*

5 months is still such a baby. 

dyan

or do I figure now that he knows to get mad and chew...

I don't think he's thinking in this much detail.  I'd just confine him to one room only to start and puppy proof the area really well. 

Dyan-I sit for lots of puppies that aren't confined for long and they may have a few slip up's but they do fine. 

I don't think that dogs think in terms of 'I'm mad that last time I got to do that and THIS time they made me do this' .  That's more of a spite issue, and I don't think dogs are spiteful. 5 months is still pretty young, even though he's a big pup. It's also starting to get to the age where pups like to try new weird behaviors..a teen phase if you will.

Aesop is the calmest pup..he lounges around the house most of the time. I still don't leave him out alone, even though he isn't a chewer (except phone books..godspeed if you're a phone book. It's the only book he'll touch though, even in a room full of reading material) I may try leaving him out at night soon, but that's about it.  Teen puppy minds can just get into too many things for me to trust him out of a crate when I'm gone.

he probaby just found a liking in chewing the bed. mine still cant have beds in their crates. it's too good for entertainment. i just put blankets and towels in there and it works better.

and i doubt that he is mad. i would keep crating him. far too young to be trusted. they can be good for a while with one thing, then discover it's fun to play with...

grab01

I don't think that dogs think in terms of 'I'm mad that last time I got to do that and THIS time they made me do this' .  That's more of a spite issue, and I don't think dogs are spiteful.

I would really think that they are not spiteful, BUT then how do I explain this: I take my dog for walk separately. If I take Dixie first (which I would prefer) Gracie WILL take something off the counter and chew it up. This only happens when I leave her and take Dixie for a walk. IF Gracie gets to go first, and I take Dixie next, everything is fine. She won"t touch a thing. If she's not going first, I'll loose a pen 

 I didn't get rid of the crate for my Golden Retriever until she was over  a year old. Puppies will be puppies, chewing is a big part of that

Thanks for your replies friends!

I know I thought "he is awefully young to try this" the first time.  But his bed that he sleeps on is usually picked up in the morning when we get up....and so when I left him without being locked in the crate I put it back where it usually is..and sure enough he went to sleep on it. Did that a couple of times. Its just the last time that he went on the bed...naturally on my side because I let him in in the morning for a little bit before we get up for the day.

I threw that bed away that he chewed....so he won't do that one again...and there is a fleece blanket in the crate so that is all I will leave for now.  I told DH that when we are gone for any length of time we will crate him but try leaving him out for any quick runs.  He is pretty much confined though...my laundry room and bedroom are next to eachother.. with a tiny hallway to get there..so he is confined to those two rooms...the laundry room is small and with the crate in there a lot smaller.   We made sure to close closet and bathroom doors..and pick up the one waste basket that is in there too.   When we try again..we will remove the little decorative pillows off the bed...as they have tassles on them, and that might interest a puppy mind.

 Dyan, if this was my dog, I would have him crated till he was three.  Just joking, but I couldn't help but laugh.  I was envisioning my youth when I owned a large breed dog - at the age of 10 months, he chewed up a whole couch and left it blocking the door to the room we had left him in.  My ex had to force his way in to get the dog out (and he nearly got the dog out for real LOL).  Anyway, guess what breed that dog was???  Mom was a blue Dobe, dad was a Black Lab x Dane.  These are dogs that chew to set teeth, to relieve boredom, to relieve anxiety, and to just have fun.  Usually NOT to manipulate the owner, though it sometimes works that way.  Large breed dogs mature late, as you know, so the initial puppy chewing stage (4-5 months) can be extended, as can the second chewing stage (8-???? months - some dogs chew until they are 3, hence the warnings about Bubby, I suspect).  Relax, I don't think you have traumatized your pup, and I don't think he hates you for crating him.  Take out the bedding if you have to and replace it with straw - that's what we do in horse country LOL - messy, but mostly harmless if they eat it.

iBonnie is 9 months old now and we have just started leaving her out of her crate when we leave for short periods of time, never more than an hour or so though, so far it has worked good, only one time she got some paper hankys out of a box which I now put up when we leave.  5 months is young, still a baby, I'd put Gibby in crate yet for awhile when your gone just to be on the safe side.  also take out the bedding if necessary for that period of time, just put in the treats.

At the trailer we lived at down the road I have a kennel. I used to put Lillie in it when I couldnt watch her outside and she wanted to be outside. Well we got new couch and so I thought I would be nice and give her the old couch instead of burning it. She never did anything but lay on the couch when left alone inside. 

The next day she was in the pen while I ran to town for a couple hours. Got home and went to let her in the house and all I saw was stuffing everywhere!!! She had decided the couch made a much better toy to unstuff than laying on it instead of the ground.  

Thank you guys.  Its weird how we think sometimes.. I remember when I got Bubblegum and Pam told me NOT to put anything in her crate because she will chew it up..... I immediately felt bad...thinking "oh its terrible to have to lay on the hard floor for all those hours!"    Hhhmm...so now I am faced with that. 

Thanks Ann....lots of encouragment!!!!!        Only kidding....but I know what you are saying.  I always figured though when Bubby was at her first home...she was in a basement crate with the "others" most of the time...I doubted that she was ever really trusted to be out...and there were always other dogs around, and that was the difference between her life then and after I got her.     But I know that I thought it was really something that he was good like this when we left him....and only just turning 5 months old.

I just felt soo much better about leaving him when I didn't have to crate him..because he has always done so poorly in the crate.

Where's Gibby at teething wise?  I adopted Woobie at 5 months and he was just starting to loose some baby teeth in the back and could not discriminate what was okay to chew and what wasn't.  He's not a big chewer normally but during that time he chewed the corner of my couch when left unattended.  It might be a timing issue. 

BCMixs

Where's Gibby at teething wise? 

I'm guilty of not knowing. In fact I was going to write one day and ask at what age they are loosing teeth...because I haven't seen any or any evidence of loosing any. Sure he chews a lot...he loves to chew.....I give him bones and even rawhides which I hate....but I have to keep him busy chewing so I give them to him in the morning,,in the bathroome with me ( which he is quickly outgrowing ) while I am getting ready to go to work...and a lot of times at night when DH is in front of the TV watching his every move.  He has lots of toys to chew on... may nyla bones which he doesn't like..no matter which flavor or shape I buy.  Then there is the rubber toys that I also bought him. Oh...and then the rope toys even with big handles that he loves to chew on.    You know,,,I alway have my hand in his mouth taking something out that is not supposed to be there so I should take a look at his teeth.

It sounds like he might be like Indie, my destructive chewer.  Fabric is definitely DA BOMB where Indie's chewing is concerned so he's NEVER left out of the crate when I can't watch him.  In fact, he surreptitiously  chews the corners of the couch pillows at times when you'd think he was just snoozing.  Stinker!  When Woobie was teething, I gave him frozen washcloths that I'd soaked in water and stuck  in the freezer.  I watched him carefully though to avoid any choking potential.  I read (here maybe) about soaking those rope chews in chicken broth and freezing them.  Gibby might prefer that if he's crazy about cloth.  I also bought remnant fleece and tied it in a million knots for Indie.  He thought he'd died and gone to heaven!  Kept him busy for hours just destroying the cloth.  Super cheap too!

BCMixs

It sounds like he might be like Indie, my destructive chewer. 

Well see,,,,thats what I mean.  He has never chewed up anything until his bed last night.

Yeah. he ruined the carpet...but it was more of a thing because of the long sting that was connected to it.....and he started on that and just kind of unraveled the whole bunch. But last night it was a blatent chew the stuffing out of his bed thing...he has had that bed in his crate from the time I got him and never made any attempt to chew it or anything besides some of his toys. Usually he barks and cries...leaving a wet mess in it and on the floor around the crate.  Last night it was dry but white stuffing all over the place!!!  Even at that...he really only took some of it out...but it looked like a lot..... have to wonder if he just started it not long before we got home.